Kovalev’s Transformation Suggests an Old Truism Might Not be so True Anymore

Published

5 years ago

February 3, 2019

It has long been axiomatic in boxing that the last attribute any aging fighter loses is his punching power. As Exhibit A, see George Foreman, but then Big George is hardly alone in that regard. Ring history is rife with examples of veteran masters of blunt-force trauma who have remained at least somewhat relevant despite the inexorable march of time. A well-placed shot, if hard enough and delivered with bad intentions, can camouflage and even erase any number of mounting deficiencies in a bout that only seconds earlier might have appeared to be slipping away.

But there is recent evidence to suggest that maybe that hoary old truism isn’t so true anymore. Maybe the reverse is even possible. If the ability to instantly chill an opponent is more perishable than previously imagined as a big bopper moves toward and even beyond the outer limits of his prime, perhaps it can be replaced in part by guile, tactics and an acknowledgment that the willing acceptance of change is not necessarily tantamount to weakness.

It remains to be seen whether the version of Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev that was on display late Saturday night – or very early Sunday morning, for viewers in the Eastern time zone — is actually new and improved or merely different. But until more evidence is available, the clear-cut points victory for Kovalev (33-3-1, 28 KOs) over Eleider “Storm” Alvarez (24-1, 12 KOs), the man who had brutally taken his WBO light heavyweight title on a seventh-round knockout six months earlier, at least demonstrated that it is possible to teach a recalcitrant old dog a few tricks he hadn’t had to resort to much in the past.

“For me it doesn’t matter who’s next,” a smiling Kovalev, who turns 36 on April 2, said when asked what his next move would be after he captured the WBO version of the 175-pound title for a third time before a live crowd of 4,877 and an international ESPN+ viewing audience at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas, the training facility of the Dallas Cowboys. “Who’s ready for a unification fight? I’m here to make history for me and my fans. I want to fight the champions in my division. Any fighter who is ready.”

It is not so much that Kovalev won as the manner in which he did. Had he nailed the favored Alvarez hard and early, as the Russian bully boy had done in putting away so many previous opponents who did not come close to matching his firepower, that would have been one thing. But Kovalev’s reputation as the baddest man on the planet, 175-pound division, began taking hits in and out of the ring beginning with his back-to-back losses to Andre Ward, even though there were more than a few observers who believed he had done enough to get the nod in their first fight, which Ward won on a razor-thin unanimous decision on Nov. 19, 2016 (all three judges had it 114-113). Some of the negative whispers that attached themselves to Kovalev – that he was racist, a problem drinker, an abrasive personality who did not heed the advice of his trainer do jour, be it John David Jackson or Abror Tursunpulatov – had the effect of depicting him as a fighter whose best days were already behind him, or soon would be unless he found a way pull out of his downward spiral.

Ward, for one, had publicly dismissed Kovalev as a six-round fighter whose gas tank would drain quickly if he obliged to labor into the middle and later rounds, a premise that seemingly was verified when, well ahead on all three official scorecards in his first fight with Alvarez, he was floored three times in round seven and was stopped. The consensus heading into the rematch was that another such loss would render the “Krusher” irrelevant, a non-factor in a division that was steadily moving beyond him.

To some, Kovalev’s attempts to reinvent himself post-Alvarez smacked, well, of desperation. His replacement of Tursunpulatov with McGirt, the 2002 Boxing Writers Association of America Trainer of the Year who in June will be inducted, as a fighter, into the International Boxing Hall of Fame? Nothing to get particularly excited about; hadn’t he blamed his previous trainers for his more recent missteps? Of more concern to the boxing cognoscenti was the high-speed crash of Kovalev’s Mercedes while back home in Russia and the pilgrimage he undertook to a monastery on Greece’s Mount Athos ostensibly in search of some form of inner peace.

As if all that weren’t enough, things got worse in the run-up to the do-over with Alvarez. On Jan. 18, TMZ Sports published a report that Kovalev had been arrested on a felony assault charge stemming from a June 9 incident in Big Bear Lake, Calif., in which he was accused of punching a woman in the face after she rejected his sexual advances. Kovalev is due in court in March for a preliminary hearing on the matter.

But all the doom-and-gloom projections for Kovalev, who already was being consigned by some to the dust bin of boxing history, might have been premature. He proved surprisingly amenable to the revisions proposed by McGirt and new strength-and-conditioning coach Teddy Cruz, with whom Kovalev’s longtime promoter, Main Events CEO Kathy Duva was familiar, through their work in smoothing some of the late Arturo Gatti’s rougher edges more than a decade and a half ago. And who knows, maybe the unidentified monk on the mountain imparted some words of wisdom that touched Kovalev in a manner that proved more uplifting than any standard locker-room pep talk ever could.

Duva is confident that Kovalev’s legal issues can be resolved expeditiously, leaving him with enough of an unencumbered mind that he can focus on the task of again creating another reign of light heavyweight terror, albeit one that isn’t quite so reliant on the swift and savage put-away. There are different ways for a fighter to impose his will on the other guy, and it will be interesting to see how long Kovalev can be satisfied with the slow ’n’ steady building-block approach espoused by McGirt in contrast with the wrecking-ball method that once served him so well.

Both on the scorecards – Kovalev came out ahead 120-108 and 116-112 (twice) – and in the punch statistics, which saw him outland Alvarez by 213 of 816 (26 percent) to 111 of 369 (30 percent), the Russian fought with impressive constraint and control. It would be unwise to dismiss him out of hand as a threat to the other reigning light heavy titlists, the WBC’s Oleksandr Gvozdyk (16-0, 13 KOs), WBA’s Dmitry Bivol (15-0, 11 KOs) and IBF’s Artur Beterbiev (13-0, 13 KOs). Former WBO super middleweight champ Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (39-0, 25 KOs), who has announced his intention to move up to 175, also is an interesting name in the mix.

Photo credit: Craig Bennett / Main Events

Bernard Fernandez is the retired boxing writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. He is a five-term former president of the Boxing Writers Association of America, an inductee into the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Atlantic City Boxing Halls of Fame and the recipient of the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism and the Barney Nagler Award for Long and Meritorious Service to Boxing.

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Haney-Garcia Redux with the Focus on Harvey Dock

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Haney-Garcia-Redux-with-the-Focus-on-Harvey-Dock

Saturday’s skirmish between Ryan Garcia and WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney was a messy affair, and yet a hugely entertaining fight fused with great drama. In the aftermath, Garcia and Haney were celebrated – the former for fooling all the experts and the latter for his gallant performance in a losing effort – but there were only brickbats for the third man in the ring, referee Harvey Dock.

Devin Haney was plainly ahead heading into the seventh frame when there was a sudden turnabout when Garcia put him on the canvas with his vaunted left hook. Moments later, Dock deducted a point from Garcia for a late punch coming out of a break. The deduction forced a temporary cease-fire that gave Haney a few precious seconds to regain his faculties. Before the round was over, Haney was on the deck twice more but these were ruled slips.

The deduction, which effectively negated the knockdown, struck many as too heavy-handed as Dock hadn’t previously issued a warning for this infraction. Moreover, many thought he could have taken a point away from Haney for excessive clinching. As for Haney’s second and third trips to the canvas in round seven, they struck this reporter – watching at home – as borderline, sufficient to give referee Dock the benefit of the doubt.

In a post-fight interview, Ryan Garcia faulted the referee for denying him the satisfaction of a TKO. “At the end of the day, Harvey Dock, I think he was tripping,” said Garcia. “He could have stopped that fight.”

Those that played the rounds proposition, placing their coin on the “under,” undoubtedly felt the same way.

The internet lit up with comments assailing Dock’s competence and/or his character. Some of the ponderings were whimsical, but they were swamped by the scurrilous screeching of dolts who find a conspiracy under every rock.

Stephen A. Smith, reputedly America’s highest-paid TV sports personality, was among those that felt a need to weigh-in: “This referee is absolutely terrible….Unreal! Horrible officiating,” tweeted Stephen A whose primary area of expertise is basketball.

Harvey Dock

Dock fought as an amateur and had one professional fight, winning a four-round decision over a fellow novice on a show at a non-gaming resort in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He says that as an amateur he was merely average, but he was better than that, a New Jersey and regional amateur champion in 1993 and 1994 while a student New Jersey’s Essex County Community College where he majored in journalism.

A passionate fan of Sugar Ray Leonard, he started officiating amateur fights in 1998 and six years later, at age 32, had his first documented action at the professional level, working low-level cards in New Jersey. The top boxing referees, to a far greater extent than the top judges, had long apprenticeships, having worked their way up from the boonies and Dock is no exception.

Per boxrec, Haney vs Garcia was Harvey Dock’s 364^th assignment in the pros and his forty-second world title fight. Some of those title fights were title in name only, they weren’t even main events, but, bit by bit, more lucrative offerings started coming his way.

On May 13, 2023, Dock worked his first fights in Nevada, a 4-rounder and then a 12-rounder on a card at the Cosmopolitan topped by the 140-pound title fight between Rolly Romero and Ismael Barroso. It was the first time that this reporter got to watch Dock in the flesh.

Ironically (in hindsight), the card would be remembered for the actions of a referee, in this case Tony Weeks who handled the main event. Barroso was winning the fight on all three cards when Weeks stepped in and waived it off in the ninth round after Romero cornered Barroso against the ropes and let loose a barrage of punches, none of which landed cleanly. Few “premature stoppages” were ever as garishly, nay ghoulishly, premature.

With all the brickbats raining down on Weeks, I felt a need to tamp down the noise by diverting attention away from Tony Weeks and toward Harvey Dock and took to the TSS Forum to share my thoughts. Referencing the 12-rounder, a robust junior welterweight affair between Batyr Akhmedov and Kenneth Sims Jr, I noted that Dock’s Las Vegas debut went smoothly. He glided effortlessly around the ring, making him inconspicuous, the mark of a good referee. (This post ran on May 15, two days after the fight.)

Folks at the Nevada State Athletic Commission were also paying attention. Dock was back in Las Vegas the following week to referee the lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko and before the year was out, he would be tabbed to referee the biggest non-heavyweight fight of the year, the July 29 match in Las Vegas between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.

The Haney-Garcia fight wasn’t Harvey Dock’s best hour, I’ll concede that, but a closer look at his full body of work informs us that he is an outstanding referee.

—

While the Haney-Garcia bout was in progress, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman threw everyone a curve ball, tweeting on “X” that Devin Haney would keep his title if he lost the fight. Everyone, including the TV commentators, was under the impression that the title would become vacant in the event that Haney lost.

Sulaiman cited the precedent of Corrales-Castillo II.

FYI: The Corrales-Castillo rematch, originally scheduled for June 3, 2005 and aborted on the day prior when Castillo failed to make weight, finally came off on Oct. 8 of that year, notwithstanding the fact that Castillo failed to make weight once again, scaling three-and-a-half pounds above the lightweight limit. He knocked out Corrales in the fourth round with a left hook that Las Vegas Review-Journal boxing writer Kevin Iole, alluding to the movie “Blazing Saddles,” described as Mongo-esque (translation: the punch would have knocked out a horse). After initially insisting on a rubber match, which had scant chance of happening, WBC president Jose Sulaiman, Mauricio’s late father, ruled that Corrales could keep his title.

Whether or not you agree with Mauricio Sulaiman’s rationale, the timing of his announcement was certainly awkward.

Haney’s mandatory is Spanish southpaw Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs), a cutie best known for his 2021 upset of Mikey Garcia. A bout between Haney and Martin has the earmarks of a dull fight.

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In a Shocker, Ryan Garcia Confounds the Experts and Upsets Devin Haney

Published

4 days ago

April 21, 2024

David A. Avila

In-a-Shocker-Ryan-Garcia-Confounds-the-Experts-and-Upsets-Devin-Haney

Its good to be crazy. Like a fox.

Ryan “KingRy” Garcia knocked down WBC super lightweight titlist Devin Haney three times to remind everyone of his fighting abilities in winning by majority decision on Saturday.

“I just knew what I could do,” Garcia said.

Fans will not forget the lanky kid from Victorville, California now.

Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) fooled everyone in playing crazy weeks before the fight, then showed shocking power to hand Haney (30-1, 15 KOs) his first loss as a professional at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Haney’s WBC super lightweight title was not at stake for Garcia because he weighed three pounds over the limit.

After Garcia seemingly acting out of control on social media, Haney’s guard must have slipped in the first round during the first few seconds as Garcia connected with that hellish left hook and Haney, with a look of shock in his eyes, almost went down. He barely survived the first round.

“He caught me with it,” said Haney.

During the next few rounds, Haney proceeded to advance toward Garcia seemingly fully aware of the lethal left hook. He used feints and rights to score with a busier approach as Garcia seemed cocked and ready to counter with a left hook.

In the fourth round it seemed Haney was confident he had regained control of the fight, but every time he opened up with more than a two-punch combination Garcia reminded him whose hands were faster and more dangerous.

Though Garcia seldom jabbed he seemed bent on looking for the right moment to unleash his deadly left hook. And every time the Southern California fighter opened up with a combination he scored and Haney dare not exchange.

A few times Haney smiled as if signifying he escaped.

In the seventh round Haney looked to punish Garcia’s body and instead was met with a three-punch combination included a left hook to the chin and down went Haney slumped on the ground. He managed to beat the count and as soon as Garcia came within reach Haney wrapped his arms around him with a python grip. Despite the warnings by referee Harvey Dock, the fallen fighter would not release and Garcia impatiently fired a weak punch during the break. The referee deducted a point from Garcia though he could have deducted a point from Haney for not obeying his instructions to release his hold. Haney actually went down three times in the round but only one was counted by the referee.

From that point on Haney was very cautious but still looking to win by decision.

Though Garcia kept using a shoulder-roll defense that left his body exposed, he would retaliate with three and four punch combinations that usually Haney could defend against other fighters.. But Garcia’s blazing combinations were too fast to defend.

In the 10^th round Haney looked to attack and was countered by Garcia’s right and a blinding left hook to the chin and another two blows that sent the former undisputed lightweight champion to the floor again.

It didn’t look good for Haney to survive.

Garcia walked into the 11^th round still composed and never out-of-control He dared Haney to exchange and when within striking distance Garcia unleashed another lightning combination and down went Haney again with a defeated look.

Both fighters had fought each other as amateurs six times so there were no surprises between them. But Garcia’s power and speed were superior and that was the difference in a professional fight.

In the final round both were cautious with Garcia’s combination punching proving too dangerous for Haney to open up. Garcia celebrated early as the round ended confident of victory.

After 12 rounds Garcia was seen the victor by majority decision 112-112, 114-110, 115-109.

“You really thought I was crazy,” Garcia told the interviewer and the crowd. “You guys hated on me.”

Other Bouts

Arnold Barboza (30-0) won a curious split decision victory over United Kingdom’s Sean McComb (18-2) in a 10-round super lightweight fight. McComb’s long reach and busy southpaw style gave Barboza trouble. But he managed to win the fight though the crowd was not pleased.

Bektemir Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KOs) defeated France’s Pierre Dibombe (22-1-1) by technical decision after eight rounds due to a cut on his eye from an accidental head butt. It was a very competitive super middleweight fight.

Costa Rica’s David Jimenez (16-1, 11 KOs) outworked John “Scrappy Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs) in a 12-round scrap to upset the Los Angeles based fighter. After a few close rounds Jimenez simply bullied his way inside and forced Ramirez against the ropes and unloaded his guns.

After 12 rounds two judges saw it 117-111 and 116-114 all for Jimenez.

“I’m a hard-working man from Cartago I come from nothing,” said Jimenez. “My corner told me I had to work inside.”

Charles Conwell (19-0, 14 KOs) stepped on the gas early with vicious body shots and uppercuts and blasted through the resilient Nathaniel Gallimore (22-8-1, 17 KOs) for several rounds. After a brutal fifth and sixth round the referee halted the one-side beating in favor of Conwell who was fighting for the first time under the Golden Boy banner.

Another winner was Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-5) by decision over Vaughn Alexander (18-11-1) in a super middleweight match.

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Haney and Garcia: Bipolar Opposites

Published

4 days ago

April 20, 2024

TSS Press

Haney and Garcia: Bipolar Opposites

One young man flew halfway around the world to take on a world champion in his own living room; not once, but twice. The other young man quit prior to one fight, and then again during another one.

The first guy mentioned is an obedient son of an ultra-streetwise father. The type of parent where, if he doesn’t know the answer (and more times than not he most likely does), he will know where to find it. The second guy doesn’t appear to have that quality guidance scenario going on for him, which is probably for the best, because he believes he has all the answers.

The first guy is on record as saying he wants to go down in boxing history as an all-time great. The other guy? He decided not to continue in a fight while he was still sporting an undefeated record. You may think to yourself if there was ever a time to soldier through, right?

Then yesterday, that same guy missed making weight by 3.2 pounds, and seemed to be more than fine with it, to the point where he actually appeared to be quite pleased with himself.

If you haven’t heard, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia are going to share a boxing ring in a twelve round go for God knows what will be at stake by the time they actually punch off. The fact that no one from Garcia’s team has stepped in and rescued him from these unfolding events, his own personal well-being, and/or not to mention Devin Haney is, well, troubling in and of itself.

Back in the amateur days, the record shows they split six fights. They were boys back then, so it means zero. If anything, you’d want to be the older of the two, and Ryan had over a three-month age advantage. If you’ve only been on the planet for a total of 120 months or so, every extra month could be a big enough difference in strength and development. Now as world class professionals in their prime? That’s different. Younger is always better. Devin is that guy.

Haney and Garcia fought six times for free but will fight only once as professionals. Then one of them will continue with their march for historic greatness, while the other will head back to Kamp Krazy, where he’s the current Mayor.

It’s never smart to lay 8-1, 9-1 in boxing. And if you see taking Garcia as a value bet with +500 to +600 and beyond, you don’t understand value and you evidently don’t like money.

There is, however, a wagering opportunity here.

Total Rounds: Fight doesn’t go 10.5 rounds.

Take anything over +125. It’s worth a unit on a scale of 5. Logically, there are a lot of ways to cash this ticket: legitimate victory, meltdown, catching lightning in a bottle, etc. Or simply the exiting stage left of a guy who may be already plotting his next career move.

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