A Look Back at Mayweather-Alvarez: Part Two

Published

11 years ago

September 26, 2013

Once Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez was signed, the marketing began with an eleven-city, nine-day kick-off media tour. Promoter Richard Schaefer proclaimed that the tour was “like Beatlemania.” Independent media reports noted that the crowds at many of the tour stops were smaller than the numbers inserted in press releases and later repeated by trusting writers.

Tickets were priced at $2,000, $1,500, $1,000, $600 and $350. Golden Boy announced that they had sold out within hours of going on sale. Left unsaid was the fact that, pursuant to contract, virtually all of the tickets had been presold to casinos, Team Mayweather, and Golden Boy itself. Only a handful of seats were available at list price to the general public.

That created a blue-chip market for ticket scalping. David Greisman subsequently reported, “Five days after tickets went on sale and four days after they supposedly sold out, Ticketmaster’s resale website had 378 seats available that ranged from $995 for the farthest row up in the MGM Grand Garden Arena to $26,156 for a seat three rows back at ringside. Of course, if you wanted to settle for the row behind that one, that’s just $18,310. StubHub had 915 tickets available as of early Sunday evening, ranging from $1,098 for the final row of the arena to $29,999 for six rows back at ringside.”

Those numbers were an opening gambit, a concerted effort to set and maintain high ticket-resale prices for the thousands of tickets that would later enter the resale market. But as time went by, it became clear Mayweather-Alvarez was catching on. More resources were being poured into marketing “The One” (as the promotion was styled) than had been poured into any fight ever.

“Mayweather-Alvarez is being pushed like a blockbuster movie,” Tim Smith wrote. “The only thing missing is the action figures that come with a Happy Meal.”

“The purpose of the spectacle is saturation,” Bart Barry added. “Flashing images that say nothing so profoundly as, ‘This is important because everyone is watching it because it is important enough for everyone to watch.’”

The build-up had many of the characteristics of the lead-in to a national political convention. The fact that Mayweather was listed as one of the “executive producers” for Showtime’s All Access. promotional series was a pretty good clue as to the objectivity of its editorial content. But as in politics, the powers that be in boxing can’t always get out the vote on the day that matters most. The unanswered marketing question was how many people would buy the pay-per-view on fight night at a price of $64.95 ($74.95 for HDTV).

Fight week began with an unexpected twist. Oscar De La Hoya (president of Golden Boy Promotions) announced that he would not be attending the bout because he had voluntarily admitted himself to a treatment facility after suffering a relapse in his ongoing battle with substance abuse problems.

De La Hoya’s difficulties were common knowledge in boxing. Indeed, in September 2011, after Oscar had called for a rematch between Mayweather and Victor Ortiz, Leonard Ellerbe told Ben Thompson of FightHype.com, “Oscar must be having a relapse, and Victor must still be sloppy drunk from when I saw him last Sunday night in the lobby of the MGM Grand. They sound stupid, and it’s embarrassing to boxing that they would hold a conference call and look like a bunch of morons. It’s no secret that Oscar is insanely jealous of Floyd’s success. Floyd don’t have no drinking problem. Floyd don’t have no drug problem. Floyd don’t wear fishnets. And Floyd don’t have a number of kids out there that he doesn’t claim.”

Oscar’s decision to go into rehab for the second time in twenty-eight months was a sound one. But there was a school of thought that it had been timed to avoid his having to be in Las Vegas to witness Mayweather’s week of glory.

There was a time when people hung on De La Hoya’s every word. No more. His eyes are sad these days. It seems to tear at his gut that he was the most important building block in catapulting Floyd to superstardom. He dislikes Mayweather, has talked openly about wanting him to lose, and more often than not, predicts that Floyd’s opponent will beat him.

Insofar as Mayweather-Alvarez was concerned, Oscar had been largely reduced to a promotional prop. Mayweather was openly disdainful toward him.

“You might as well call me the Golden Boy,” Floyd said during the kick-off press tour for Mayweather-Alvarez. At the last tour stop, with Schaefer and De La Hoya sitting with him on the dais, Mayweather turned toward Richard and declared, “I’ve been working hand-in-hand with this man. I can’t really speak about Oscar. But one thing I can tell you, Richard Schaefer is Golden Boy.”

De La Hoya was hardly missed during fight week. That in itself was sad. Explaining Oscar’s absence on Tuesday, Schaefer told the media, “He called me on Monday afternoon and sounded terrible. He told me he needed help, that he can’t go on. I put him in touch with the proper people, and they helped him get into a rehab facility for substance abuse. Obviously, the timing isn’t good. But when you have an illness, it’s not like you can choose the timing and say, ‘I’m not going to go today; I’m going to go next Monday.’ When you need help, you need help. And, of course, I’m supportive of that because health and life and family come before everything else.”

Had Schaefer known previously of Oscar’s relapse?

“I’m very busy,” Richard answered. “I’m nobody’s babysitter. It took me by surprise.”

There was a buzz in Las Vegas during fight week. The Money Team logo (TMT) was much in evidence.

Mayweather was forty minutes late for the final pre-fight press conference on Wednesday. One day later, he would blow off the Showtime fighter meeting without notice.

Alvarez is twenty-three years old and has been fighting professionally for eight years. At first glance, he gives the impression of someone who has not yet physically matured. He has red hair (hence the nickname, Canelo, which is Spanish for cinnamon) and a soft high-pitched voice. Walking through the casino during fight week, but for the entourage around him, he might have been mistaken for a bellhop or restaurant busboy.

Introducing Alvarez at the final pre-fight press conference, Schaefer declared, “Many can fight but few can inspire. Canelo inspires hope in millions of people.”

“I’ve visualized this fight for years,” Alvarez told the media. “I have my fans. I am their gamecock. Floyd has his fans. He is their gamecock.”

Among the thoughts that Mayweather offered were:

* “I’m the main man in boxing now. There’s only one man that counts and that’s Mayweather.”

* “Canelo is a main event fighter. I’m a pay-per-view fighter.”

* “He’s just another opponent to me; that’s all. He’s 42-and-0. He hasn’t faced forty-two Floyd Mayweathers or he’d be zero-and-42.”

* “This is not a fight. This is an event.”

Bottom line . . . Mayweather-Alvarez was catching on. The hype was translating into genuine excitement and financial reality. Events this big are rare in boxing.

In the six years since De La Hoya vs. Mayweather was contested, the number of homes in the United States addressable for pay-per-view has increased from sixty to ninety million. That meant the 2.45 million buy-mark set by Oscar and Floyd was not necessarily out of reach. By midweek, the projections were that Mayweather-Alvarez would generate in excess of two million pay-per-view buys. Schaefer was predicting a gross of $200,000,000: $140-to-160 million in domestic pay-per-view sales, a $20,000,000 live gate, $5-to-10 million in closed-circuit sales, $5-to-8 million in foreign sales, $5 million from sponsors, and low seven figures for merchandise.

Thursday brought more evidence that Mayweather-Alvarez had become a special promotion.

Even for the biggest fights, a lot of what happens in Las Vegas during fight week is cookie-cutter stuff. The press luncheon and final pre-fight press conference on Wednesday . . . Satellite-tour interviews and the undercard press conference on Thursday . . . The weigh-in on Friday. Very little is spontaneous or left to chance.

Normally, the MGM Grand Garden Arena is configured to accommodate 6,000 fans for a big-fight weigh-in. A platform is erected near one end of the arena facing the stands and the rest of the venue is blocked off by a black curtain.

The weigh-in for Mayweather-Alvarez was spectacularly different.

A huge stage with a giant backdrop was erected at one end of the arena, blocking off 4,000 seats. The other 12,000 seats were open to the public. That meant the promotion would, in effect, be setting up twice. After the weigh-in, the stage would be taken down and the arena reconfigured for the fight. There would be overtime costs for clean-up and reconstruction, not to mention audio-visual and other production expenses.

Schaefer estimated that the promotion spent close to $250,000 on the weigh-in.

“If you think big, big things will happen,” Richard said. “If you think little, little things will happen.”

The weigh-in was scheduled for 2:30 PM. By noon, all available seats were filled and the doors had been closed to the public. At the appointed hour, one Golden Boy fighter after another was announced to the crowd and brought to the stage.

Bernard Hopkins, Adrien Broner, Austin Trout, Abner Mares, Keith Thurman, Shane Mosley, Paulie Malignaggi, Leo Santa Cruz, Omar Figueroa, Alfredo Angulo, Peter Quillin, Devon Alexander, Amir Khan, Marcos Maidana, Cornelius Bundrage, Seth Mitchell, Danny Jacobs.

It was an impressive display of promotional might, not unlike the parading of ships in a military exercise. Despite the fact that Mayweather-Alvarez was a Showtime event, Andre Ward (who commentates for and fights on HBO) also appeared on the stage. That raised eyebrows, particularly since Ward isn’t promoted by Golden Boy at present.

“I was waiting for Mike Tyson to walk out next,” Schaefer joked. Then he added, “The weigh-in was about energizing the fans and promoting the pay-per-view. But it was also about sending a message. It was for the fighters to say ‘I am part of this group’ and for other fighters to say ‘I want to be part of this group.’”

Alvarez weighed in at the contract weight of 152 pounds; Mayweather at 150.5.

Meanwhile, the odds (which had opened at 5-to-2 in Mayweather’s favor) had remained constant throughout the build-up to the fight.

If Alvarez won, it would vault him to iconic status in Mexico. But that seemed unlikely. The case for a Canelo victory was based on speculation and hope. The case for a Mayweather triumph was based on past performances and cold hard facts.

Jimmy Tobin wrote, “Recognizing the danger Alvarez represents is easier than blueprinting how that danger produces a Mayweather loss. If Mayweather chooses you as an opponent, then he has determined you cannot beat him. He could be wrong, and the possibility of a misstep increases as he ages. But when Alvarez’s prospects are largely dependent on Mayweather turning in a career-worst performance, it is hard to anticipate a cliff-hanger. We are getting exactly what we asked for. But what we asked for doesn’t appear particularly competitive.”

Having an adoring fan base is different from having the skills necessary to win a particular fight. Indeed, it was not unreasonable to suggest that Mayweather had chosen to confront Alvarez now, not because he wanted to fight the 23-year-old challenger before Canelo peaked, but because he wanted to fight him before someone else removed the “O” from Canelo’s record. A loss would mean that Mayweather-Alvarez was no longer a mega-fight.

EPSN has a ten-man panel that ranks fighters periodically on a pound-for-pound basis. Each panelist lists his top ten P4P choices. Mayweather has been a runaway choice for the top slot for some time now. Alvarez has yet to receive a single top-ten vote.

Mayweather has better skills than Alvarez. He’s also more physically gifted. Contrasting their records three days before the fight, Floyd proclaimed, “I fought Ricky Hatton. I didn’t fight Hatton’s brother. I fought Miguel Cotto. I didn’t fight Cotto’s brother.”

Floyd Mayweather Sr was happy to be back in his son’s camp as head trainer for the second fight in a row after what he calls “my exile from my son.”

“Saturday is going to be a sad night in Mexicali,” Floyd Sr said.

That thought was echoed by Bernard Hopkins.

“To have any chance against Floyd,” Bernard explained one day before the fight, “you have to forget circling, moving, and counterpunching, and fight with him. In any fight, you want to take away from your opponent what the opponent does best. The first thing you have to take away from Floyd is his confidence. Whatever it costs, you have to find a way to hit him hard early and then do it again.”

“Every fighter has a shot to win,” Hopkins continued. “But some fighters’ shots are more realistic than others. Canelo’s shot isn’t very good. When you’re as good as Floyd is right now and you’re in that zone and you believe in yourself and you train as hard as you can, it’s hard to beat you. It’s Floyd’s fight to win or lose.”

On Saturday afternoon, the MGM Grand was a mob scene. People without tickets or the money to buy them were there simply to feel the action and perhaps catch a glimpse of a celebrity. It was hard to navigate through the hotel lobby, where the crush of humanity included more than a hundred people standing on line to get into a makeshift concession stand to buy T-shirts and other memorabilia.

The arena filled up earlier than it usually does for a big pay-per-view fight. Fans wanted to see the semi-final bout between Danny Garcia and Lucas Matthysse.

Mayweather makes his home in Las Vegas. This was his tenth fight in a row in Sin City. But when it was time for the main event, the crowd was overwhelmingly pro-Alvarez. They cheered wildly as Canelo entered the ring; then booed vociferously as Floyd was escorted through the ropes by Justin Bieber (who looked like a lapdog) and rapper Lil Wayne (shirtless with gray pants that fell below his lavender underwear). The operative words of Lil Wayne’s entrance music were difficult to discern but sounded like “Money Team” and “m——–r.”

Shortly after 9:30 PM, the millions of dollars in publicity, the eleven-city media tour, the endless promotional spots on multiple media platforms, and the stream of visitors to Las Vegas who would drop tens of millions of dollars at the gaming tables came together on a small square of powder-blue canvas that had been stretched taut across a platform of metal beams and wood boards.

Mayweather makes a show of his sports betting habit. But in the ring, he gambles as little as possible. One can, and should, appreciate the masterful nature of his performance against Alvarez. That said, Canelo looked ordinary and the bout was one-sided to the point where it lacked drama.

My notes from ringside read as follows:

Round 1: Tactical fight with little action . . . Works to Mayweather’s advantage.

Round 2: Canelo can’t hit Floyd and he’s applying zero pressure . . . Floyd is too quick and fast for him.

Round 3: Canelo can’t get off. He’s a workman. Floyd is a craftsman . . . This is target practice for Mayweather.

Round 4: More exchanges than before, but Floyd getting the better of them . . . This fight is over. Floyd has won the first four rounds. No way Canelo is winning six of the next eight or knocking Floyd out.

Round 5: Floyd doing exactly what he wants to do. Deciding when they will and won’t engage . . . Canelo looks befuddled and discouraged . . . Give Floyd credit. He’s a great fighter.

Round 6: Floyd in total control. His punches are coming in harder now . . . Canelo has the crowd on his side but not much else going for him.

Round 7: Total domination by Floyd . . . The crowd has been reduced to cheering when Canelo throws a big punch that comes within six inches of landing.

Round 8: Canelo’s best round so far. Doing some good body work. Floyd comes back harder up top, but at least Canelo hit him.

Round 9: Floyd running the table. He’s not a big puncher, but he’s a sharp puncher. Canelo totally ineffective.

Round 10: More of the same. Canelo has a mouse under his left eye and some other swelling on his face . . . This fight could have been at 160 pounds and it wouldn’t have made a difference.

Round 11: Floyd landing some nasty rights. If ever he were to go for a knockout to burnish his image, this would be the time.

Round 12: Floyd taking the round off. Playing total defense . . . This has been less sport than spectacle.

I scored the last round even. Floyd could have won it if he’d made an effort to. That made my score 120-109. Then Jimmy Lennon stunned the crowd with the announcement, “We have a majority decision.”

C.J. Ross’s scorecard was read first. 114-114, a draw. Suffice it to say that Ms. Ross should never judge again. Three days after the fight, she informed the Nevada State Athletic Commission that she was “taking some time off from boxing” and would not be available to judge fights in the near future. One hopes that she will be unavailable to judge fights in the longterm future as well.

Judges Dave Moretti (116-112) and Craig Metcalfe (117-111) restored some semblance of sanity to the proceedings by giving the nod to Mayweather. But their scorecards were closer than circumstances warranted.

Bobby Hunter of Fight Score Collector polled eighty-six members of the media after the fight. All eighty-six scored the bout for Mayweather with the average score being 119-109. That was consistent with the final CompuBox numbers that had Mayweather outlanding Alvarez in eleven of the twelve rounds with one round even for a 232-to-117 margin.

So what does it all mean for boxing?

For starters, let’s agree that a sport that generates $200,000,000 from a single fight-card is not a dying sport. But let’s also agree that trickle-down economics won’t make boxing healthy again anymore than it will support a robust national economy. Not enough money trickles down.

Showtime rolled the dice on Mayweather-Alvarez and won. But just as it was wrong to deride the economics of Showtime’s deal with Mayweather based on the first fight in the package (Mayweather-Guerrero), it would be wrong to say that the six-fight contract will be an unqualified success for the network.

Mayweather says that he plans to fight twice in 2014, with his next bout in May. Amir Khan has been prominently mentioned as an opponent. The assumption has been that Golden Boy would love it if Khan beat Devon Alexander in their tentatively-scheduled December 7th match-up at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The problem with that thinking is that Khan has looked vulnerable in recent outings and might not make it past Alexander. It wouldn’t be surprising if Khan-Alexander were cancelled and Golden Boy goes right to Mayweather-Khan at Wembley Stadium. The Brits won’t travel to Las Vegas in large numbers for Khan the way they did for Ricky Hatton. But they will travel to London.

Danny Garcia is a possible opponent. Now that Sergio Martinez’s body is failing him, Floyd might finally accept that challenge. If Manny Pacquiao looks exciting but vulnerable in his November 23rd outing against Brandon Rios, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that we’ll see Mayweather-Pacquiao.

But boxing fans can be certain that Floyd won’t fight Gennady Golovkin at 154 pounds. Not even if HBO releases Golovkin from his obligation to the network in order to facilitate the fight.

“Boxing, unlike saner, better organized sports,” Hamilton Nolan notes, “is prone to leaving its fans wishing for matchups that never take place.”

Thus, the words of Richard Schaefer: “Floyd Mayweather is never going to run out of options and alternatives because, frankly, he can fight Joe Schmo and it’s going to be a big event.”

The “0” on Mayweather’s record is important to Floyd. If he retires undefeated, he can join Sven Ottke, Joe Calzaghe, and Rocky Marciano, none of whom are on history’s short list of boxing’s greatest fighters. Floyd would have been competitive with the best in any era. Whether he would have beaten the best is open to question.

Part One of “A Look Back at Mayweather-Alvarez” was previously posted at this link on The Sweet Science.

Thomas Hauser can be reached by email at thauser@rcn.com. His most recent book (Straight Writes and Jabs: An Inside Look at Another Year in Boxing) has just been published by the University of Arkansas Press.

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Thomas Hauser

Thomas Hauser is the author of 52 books. In 2005, he was honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America, which bestowed the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism upon him. He was the first Internet writer ever to receive that award. In 2019, Hauser was chosen for boxing's highest honor: induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Lennox Lewis has observed, “A hundred years from now, if people want to learn about boxing in this era, they’ll read Thomas Hauser.”

The Hauser Report: Some Thoughts on Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul

Published

6 hours ago

November 17, 2024

Thomas Hauser

The-Hauser-Report-Some-Thoughts-on-Mike-Tyson-v-Jake-Paul

Jake Paul boxed his way to a unanimous decision over Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Friday night. The bout, streamed live on Netflix, was one of the most-watched fights of all time and, in terms of the level of competition, boxing’s least-consequential mega-fight ever.

We’re living in a golden age for spectator sports. Sports generate massive amounts of money from engaged fan bases and are more popular now than ever before. Today’s athletes are more physically gifted, better conditioned, and more skilled than their predecessors. Their prowess is appreciated and understood by tens of millions of fans.

Not so for boxing. For the sweet science, this is an era of “fools’ gold.” Yes, fighters like Oleksandr Usyk, Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, and Naoya Inoue bring honor to the sport. But boxing’s fan base has dwindled to the point where most people have no idea who the heavyweight champion of the world is. The sport’s dominant promoter has a business model that runs hundreds of millions of dollars a year in the red. And most fights of note are contested behind a paywall that shrinks the fan base even more. Few sports fans understand what good boxing is.

Mike Tyson is 58 years old. Once upon a time, he was the most destructive boxer in the world and “the baddest man on the planet.” Prior to last Friday night, he hadn’t fought in nineteen years and hadn’t won a fight since 2003.

Jake Paul is a 27-year-old social media personality who wasn’t born when Tyson lost his aura of invincibility at the hands of Buster Douglas. Paul began boxing professionally three years ago and, before fighting Tyson, had compiled a 10-1 (7 KOs) record against carefully chosen opponents.

Netflix has roughly 283 million subscribers globally, 84 million of them in North America. Recently, it made the decision to move into live sports. On December 25, it will stream the National Football League’s two Christmas games on an exclusive basis.

Netflix took note of the fact that Tyson’s 2020 exhibition against Roy Jones drew 1.6 million pay-per-view buys and concluded that Tyson-Paul had the potential to be the most-viewed fight of all time. It purchased rights to the fight as an attention grabber and subscription seller for (a best-estimate) $40 million.

Tyson-Paul was originally scheduled for July 20. A compliant Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations sanctioned the bout as an official fight, not an exhibition. In deference to Tyson’s age, the fighters agreed that the match would be contested over eight two-minute rounds (women’s rules) with 14-ounce gloves (heavyweight gloves normally weigh ten ounces).

But on May 26, Tyson became nauseous and dizzy while on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles and needed medical assistance for what was later described as a bleeding ulcer. The fight was rescheduled for November 15. Later, Tyson described the incident on the plane as follows: “I was in the bathroom throwing up blood. I had, like, eight blood transfusions. The doctor said I lost half my blood. I almost died. I lost 25 pounds in eleven days. Couldn’t eat. Only liquids. Every time I went to the bathroom, it smelled like tar. Didn’t even smell like shit anymore. It was disgusting.”

Does that sound like a 58-year-old man who should be fighting?

As Eliot Worsell noted, Tyson-Paul contained all the elements of a successful reality show. “There are for a start,” he wrote, “celebrities involved, two of them. One is ‘old famous’ and the other ‘new famous’ and both bring large audiences with them. They need only tap something on their phone to guarantee the entire world pays attention. And that, in this day and age, is all you really need to green light a project like this.”

But Worsell added a word of caution, observing, “This has been the story of Jake Paul’s pro boxing career to date; one of smoke and mirrors, one of sycophants telling him only what he wants to hear. He has been fed a lie just as Mike Tyson is now being fed a lie, and on November 15 they will both play dress-up and be watched by millions. They will wear gloves like boxers and they will move like boxers – one hampered in this quest by old age and the other by sheer incompetence – and they will together make ungodly sums of money.”

There was early talk that 90,000 fans would jam AT&T Stadium on fight night. Initially, ticket prices ranged from $381 to $7,956. And those prices were dwarfed by four tiers of VIP packages topped by a two-million-dollar “MVP Owner’s Experience” that included special ringside seating at the fight for six people, luxury hotel accommodations, weigh-in and locker room photo ops, boxing gloves signed by Tyson and Paul, and other amenities.

But by Monday of fight week, ticket prices had dropped to as little as $36. Ringside seats were available for $900. And the press release announcing the eventual MVP Owner’s Experience sale backtracked a bit, saying the package was “valued at $2 million” – not that the actual sale price was $2 million. It also appeared that the purchase price included advertising for the law firm that purchased the package since the release proclaimed, “Just as every fighter in the ring stands to represent resilience, grit, and the pursuit of victory, TorkLaw stands in the corner of the people, fighting for justice and empowering those who need it most.”

That said, the fight drew 72,300 fans (inclusive of giveaway tickets) to AT&T Stadium. And the live gate surpassed $18 million making it the largest onsite gate ever in the United States for a fight card outside of Las Vegas. More than 60 million households watched the event live around the world.

The undercard featured a spirited fight between Mario Barrios and Abel Ramos that ended in a draw. Then came the second dramatic showdown between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.

Taylor-Serrano II was for all four major sanctioning body 140-pound belts. Two years ago, Katie and Amanda did battle at Madison Square Garden on a historic night that saw Taylor emerge with a controversial split-decision win. Katie is now 38 years old and her age is showing. Amanda is 36. Taylor was an early 6-to-5 betting favorite in the rematch but the odds flipped late in Serrano’s favor.

Amanda began Taylor-Serrano II in dominating fashion and wobbled Katie just before the bell ending round one. That set the pattern for the early rounds. Serrano looked like she could hurt Taylor, and Taylor didn’t look like she could hurt Serrano.

Then in round four, Serrano got hurt. A headbutt opened a gruesome gash on her right eyelid. As the bout progressed, the cut became more dangerous. From an armchair perspective, it looked as though the fight should have been stopped and the result determined by the judges’ abbreviated scorecards. But the ring doctor who examined Serrano allowed it to continue even though the flow of blood seemed to handicap Amanda more and more with each passing round.

In round eight, referee Jon Schorle took a point away from Taylor after the fourth clash of heads that he thought Katie had initiated. By then, Serrano’s face resembled a gory Halloween mask and the bout had turned into a non-stop firefight. Each woman pushed herself as far as it seemed possible to go.

In the eyes of most observers, Serrano clearly won the fight. This writer scored the bout 96-93 in Amanda’s favor. Then the judges had their say. Each one favored Taylor by a 95-94 margin.

“My God!” blow-by-blow commentator Mauro Ranallo exclaimed after the verdict was announced. “How does one rob Amanda Serrano after a performance like that?”

In keeping with the hyperbole of the promotion, one might say that it was the most-watched ring robbery (although not the worst) in boxing history.

CompuBox is an inexact tabulation. But there’s a point at which the numbers can’t be ignored. According to CompuBox, Serrano outlanded Taylor in nine of ten rounds with an overall 324-to-217 advantage in punches landed.

From a boxing standpoint, Taylor-Serrano II made the evening special. Casual fans who don’t know much about the sweet science saw a very good fight. But they also saw how bad judging undermines boxing.

Meanwhile, as good as Taylor-Serrano II was, that’s not what Netflix was selling to the public. Jake Paul’s most recent events had engendered disappointing viewer numbers. This one was a cultural touchstone because of Tyson.

Paul has worked hard to become a boxer. In terms of skills, he’s now a club fighter (which is more than 99.9 percent of the population could realistically dream of being). So, what happens when a club fighter fights a 58-year-old man who used to be great?

Jack Johnson fought until the age of 53, losing four of his last six bouts. And the two he won were against opponents named Rough House Wilson (who was disqualified in what would be his only recorded professional fight) and Brad Simmons (who was barred from fighting again in Kansas because he was believed to have thrown the fight against Johnson).

Larry Holmes fought until age 52, knocking out 49-year-old Mike Weaver at age 51 and winning a unanimous decision over Eric Esch (aka Butterbean) in his final bout.

Paul was a 2-to-1 betting favorite. Serious PED testing for the fight was a murky issue but seems to have been minimal. Taylor and Serrano underwent VADA testing in advance of their bout. Tyson and Paul didn’t.

Tyson weighed in for the contest at 228.4 pounds; Paul at 227.2 (well over his previous high of 200). Following the weigh-in, Mike and Jake came face to face for the ritual staredown and Mike slapped Jake. But the incident was self-contained with no ripple effect and had the feel of a WWE confrontation.

That raised a question that was fogging the promotion: “Would Tyson vs. Paul be a ‘real’ fight or a pre-arranged sparring session (which was what Tyson vs. Roy Jones appeared to be)?”

That question was of particular note because sports betting is legal in 38 states and 31 of them were allowing wagers on the fight.

Nakisa Bidarian (co-founder of Paul’s promotional company) sought to lay that issue to rest, telling ESPN, “There’s no reason for us to create a federal fraud, a federal crime. These are pro fights that consumers are making legal bets on. We have never and we’ll never do anything that’s other than above board and one hundred percent a pro fight unless we come out clearly and say, ‘Hey, this is an exhibition fight that is a show.'”

Tyson looked old and worried during his ring walk and wore a sleeve on his right knee. The crowd was overwhelmingly in his favor. But it’s an often-repeated truism that the crowd can’t fight. And neither could Mike.

Once upon a time, Tyson scored nine first-minute knockouts in professional fights. Not first-round. First-minute.

Against Paul, “Iron Mike” came out for round one as hard as he could (which wasn’t very hard) while Jake kept a safe distance between them. Then Tyson tired and took all the air out of the fight. By round three, he was in survival mode with his head tucked safely behind his 14-ounce gloves. And Jake didn’t have the skills to hurt him.

The CompuBox numbers favored Paul by a 78-to-18 margin in punches landed. In other words, Tyson landed an average of two punches per round. The judges’ scores were 80-72, 79-73, 79-73 in Jake’s favor. It was a “real” fight but a bad one.

“I love Mike Tyson,” Terence Crawford posted on X afterward. “But they giving him too much credit. He looked like trash.”

Prior to the bout, Tris Dixon wrote, “Tyson-Paul is a weird event, and I can’t think of anything even remotely like it in terms of the level of fighters, celebrity, and their ages. The event is unique, and morally and ethically it is questionable. It is a cynical cash grab. I can’t see it being particularly entertaining as a high-level sporting event. But I’m sure once it starts you won’t be able to take your eyes off it.”

All true. But let’s remember that there was a time when Mike Tyson was universally recognized as the best fighter in the world. Not many people in history have been able to say that.

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Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book – MY MOTHER and me – is a personal memoir available at www.amazon.com/My-Mother-Me-Thomas-Hauser/dp/1955836191/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5C0TEN4M9ZAH&keywords=thomas+hauser&qid=1707662513&sprefix=thomas+hauser%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-1

In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism. In 2019, Hauser was selected for boxing’s highest honor – induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

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Golden Boy in Riyadh Results: Zurdo Ramirez Unifies Cruiserweight Titles

Published

1 day ago

November 16, 2024

David A. Avila

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Mexico’s Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez endured the grinding style of England’s Chris Billam-Smith to become the unified WBO and WBA cruiserweight champion by unanimous decision after a bruising battle in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

“I’m a true champion,” said Ramirez.

Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) used angles and experience to out-maneuver the very strong Billam-Smith (20-2, 13 KOs) in Golden Boy Promotion’s first joint adventure with “Riyadh Season” in Riyadh, Saud Arabia.

Footwork by Ramirez seemed to surprise Billiam-Smith whose relentless approach could not corral the Mexican fighter who was fighting only for the second time at cruiserweight.

The former super middleweight champion used his experience and ability to create punching angles to optimum success against Billam-Smith. The movement confused the British fighter who never could find a solution.

“He has consistent shots,” said Billam-Smith. “I had trouble tracking him.”

But Billam-Smith used his relentless attacking style for all 12 rounds despite suffering a cut near his eye in the sixth round. He never quit and pounded away at Ramirez who simply out-punched the incredibly strong British cruiserweight.

No knockdowns were scored. Billam-Smith did have success in the 10^th round but couldn’t overcome the overall success Ramirez had tallied with body shots and straight lefts throughout the contest.

“It meant a lot for me to try and stop him,” said Ramirez. “But he’s pretty tough.”

After 12 rounds of bruising action all three judges saw Ramirez the winner 116-112 twice and 116-113.

Barboza’s Quest

After 11 years Arnold Barboza (31-0, 11 KOs) finally got his wish and met former super lightweight champion Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) in the boxing ring and handed him only his second defeat.

“It was a long time coming,” Barboza said.

Barboza started slowly against the pressure style of Ramirez but soon gathered enough information to determine his own attack. Accuracy with jabs and body shots opened things up for the Southern California fighter from El Monte.

Ramirez seemed to lose that fire in his legs and usually attacking style. Though he occasionally showed the old fire it was only in spurts. Barboza took advantage of the lulls and pierced the former champion’s guards with accurate jabs and quick body shots.

He was sharp.

After 10 rounds all three judges favored Barboza 96-94 twice and 97-93.

“This was my championship fight,” said the undefeated Barboza. “I respect everything about him (Ramirez) and his team.” Ramirez’s only previous loss came in a bout with Josh Taylor for the undisputed world title at 140 pounds.

Lightweight clash

William Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) survived a knockdown to out-punch former champion Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) and walk away with a split decision victory in their lightweight confrontation.

“I knew it was going to be a tough fight,” said Zepeda. “He surprised me a little bit.”

Zepeda opened up with his usual flood of punches from every angle and soon found himself looking up from the floor after Farmer floored him with a perfect counter-left in the third round.

It took the Mexican fighter a few rounds to find a way to avoid Farmer’s counter lefts and then the deluge of blows resumed. Though Farmer continued to battle he couldn’t match the number of blows coming from Zepeda.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Farmer 95-94 but the two other judges saw Zepeda by 95-94 scores.

“I just brought it to him,” said Farmer who knew it was a close fight.

Puerto Rico’s New Unified Champ

In a battle between minimumweight world titlists Puerto Rico’s Oscar Collazo (11-0, 8 KOs) knocked out Thailand’s KO CP Freshmart (25-1, 9 KOs) to become the WBO and WBA champion.

Freshmart, also known as Thammanoon Niyomtrong, was the longest reigning champion in the 105-division weight class for a total of eight years. That was quickly ended as Collazo’s floored the strong Thai fighter three times during their clash of champions.

Body shots proved beneficial to Collazo as both exchanged blows to the abdomen but the Puerto Rican added flashy combinations to control the fight for six rounds.

“I saw him breathing hard,” said Collazo.

Possibly understanding he was falling behind, Freshmart began to advance more aggressively and forced exchanges with the fast Boricua. Bad idea.

During a furious exchange in the sixth Collazo connected with a counter right hook on the chin and down went Freshmart. He recovered and finished the round.

Collazo opened the seventh searching for an opening and immediately connected with another right hook during an exchange of blows with the Thai fighter. Down went Freshmart again but he got up to fight again. Collazo moved in cautiously again and this time fired a left uppercut that finished Freshmart at 1:29 if the seventh round.

“We got the stoppage,” said Collazo the unified WBO and WBA minimumweight champion.

Puerto Rico has another unified world champion in Collazo.

“I want all the belts,” Collazo said.

Duarte edges Akhmedov

Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (28-2-1, 22 KOs) scrapped past Botirzhon Akhmedov (10-4, 9 KOs) in a rugged super lightweight battle to win by unanimous decision. But it was a close one.

“He’s a great fighter, a warrior,” said Duarte of Akhmedov.

Akhmedov started faster using angles and bursts of punches as Duarte looked to counter. In the second half of the 10-round fight the extra energy expended by the fighter from Uzbekistan seemed to tire him. Mexico’s Duarte took advantage and looked stronger in the second half of the match.

All three judges saw Duarte the winner 98-92, 97-93, 96-94.

Welterweights

Saudi Arabia’s Ziyad Almaayouf (6-0-1) and Mexico’s Juan Garcia (5-6-1) fought to a majority draw after six rounds of action.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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Jake Paul Defeats Mike Tyson plus Other Results from Arlington, Texas

Published

2 days ago

November 16, 2024

David A. Avila

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The power of Mike Tyson.

Tyson’s power was on display in the people he attracted from all over the world to fill up the 72,000-seat Texas stadium and to capture the interest of more than 160 million viewers on Netflix. But, not in the prize ring on Saturday.

Youth and Jake Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) were the winners after eight tepid rounds over legendary heavyweight champion Tyson (50-7, 44 KOs) who failed to beat the chains of time. But he did stir them a bit at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Paul moved in and out of danger against Tyson the former undisputed heavyweight champion whose name struck terror in the 80s and 90s. Though the social media influencer had a 31-year younger body, he could not take full advantage.

“I was afraid he was going to hurt me,” admitted Paul.

In the opening round Tyson stalked Paul like a hungry lion about to pounce on a piece of meat. The younger fighter used his legs and smart jabs to keep separation. It was a wise decision.

At times Paul would unleash quick combinations, but the experienced Tyson’s muscle memory kicked in and he easily avoided the blows. But from the third round on the legs seemed to lock up and every movement seemed a struggle.

Paul landed left hooks to the head but Tyson managed to avoid their full power. And when Tyson connected with a left uppercut in the fifth round Paul wagged his tongue to acknowledge it connected, but the power was not damaging.

The eight two-minute rounds were perfect for this fight.

When a 58-year-old body is forced to fight for its life with all the necessary tools such as agility, endurance and quickness, the mind can play tricks. But Tyson was resolute and kept advancing against Paul in every round.

In the seventh round the aged heavyweight rekindled a second wind and fired dangerous combinations for the first time since the second frame. His winning spirit blazed for a moment or two until Paul unleashed his own combination blows. The moment for miracles had passed.

The final round saw Paul use more jabs and a few combination punches. Tyson tried to fire back but was unable to get his legs to cooperate. Still, his bravado was intact and Paul marked the last 10 seconds by bowing down humbly in front of Tyson. Paul had survived the lion’s maw.

“He’s the greatest heavyweight to ever do it,” said Paul of Tyson. “He’s a really tough and experienced fighter.”

Tyson was almost silent after the fight.

“I knew he was a good fighter. I came prepared,” said Tyson.

Katie Taylor Wins Again

In an even more brutal fight than their first encounter, undisputed super lightweight champion Katie Taylor (24-1) again edged out Amanda Serrano (47-3-1) after 10 bloody rounds to win by unanimous decision.

It was Serrano who jumped on Taylor in the first round and ravaged the Irish fighter with rifling lefts that snapped her head back. There was no wasting time to get acquainted.

Taylor got her footing in the third round with her quick-handed flurries. Though Serrano landed too it was Taylor’s resilience that kept her from being over run by the Puerto Rican’s power blows.

In the third round however, Taylor rushed in with blows and then grabbed Serrano and butted her with her head. A bloody gash opened up on the side of the Puerto Rican’s right eye. The referee quickly acknowledged it was a butt that caused the bad cut.

In the next round the cut opened up even more and the referee and ringside physician asked if she wanted to continue. She acknowledged to continue though the fight could have been stopped and judged by the scores accumulated up to that point. Serrano probably would have won.

Serrano did not want to stop.

“I chose to be great,” Serrano said. “I’m a Boricua. I’ll die in the ring.”

For the remainder of the fight the two combatants battled furiously. It was even more savage than their first encounter in New York two years ago. The referee repeatedly warned Taylor for intentionally diving in with her head and took one point away in the eighth round. He could have deducted more but did not.

“Sometimes it’s tough in there,” explained Taylor.

Serrano’s right hooks and left crosses found their mark repeatedly. Taylor’s quick combinations and strafing rights blazed often. It was up to the judges after 10 rounds had expired. All three judges saw it in favor of Taylor 95-94.

Many in the crowd booed. Even the announcers seemed surprised.

“She’s a fantastic champion,” said Taylor of Serrano. “She’s a hard puncher and tough.”

Serrano seemed displeased by the decision, but happy for the success of the fight card.

WBC Welterweight Title Fight

The theme for the WBC welterweight title fight was only sissies block and slip punches as Mario Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) the champion and challenger Abel Ramos (28-6-3, 22 KOs) slugged each other gruesome for 12 bloody rounds and a split decision.

Barrios retains the WBC title.

“I knew it was a close fight,” Barrios said. “He made it a war.”

The two Mexican-American warriors blasted each other with knockdowns but somehow continued to battle on.

Texas-born Barrios was defending his title for the first time and Arizona’s Ramos was finally invited to challenge for a world title. He accepted.

Barrios opened up with sharp jabs and rocked Ramos with a straight right. He almost went down. In the second round he was not as lucky and was floored with a perfect three-punch combination. Ramos smiled and resumed the fight.

After a few more one-sided rounds in favor of Barrios, who trains in Las Vegas with Bob Santos, the match seemed to be dominated by the welterweight champion. It was a false read.

Ramos opened the sixth round in a more aggressive attack and began hammering Barrios with right hands. A three-punch combination blasted the champion to the ground and forced him to take an eight-count. He barely survived the round as the crowd panted.

“He can crack,” said Barrios.

For the remainder of the match both fought back and forth with Barrios finding success with jabs and rights to the body. Ramos rocketed rights on the champion’s head and occasional left hooks but the right seemed lasered to Barrios head.

Both of their faces were swollen and bloodied by punches to the face and neither seemed willing to quit. After 12 rounds one judge saw Ramos the winner 114-112, another saw Barrios win 116-110, and a third judge saw it 113-113 for a split draw. Barrios retains the WBC title.

“It was a great fight for the crowd,” said Ramos with a smile. “Two warriors like us are going to give an action-packed performance.”

Indian Fighter Wins

Neeraj Goyat (19-4-2) of India defeated Brazil’s Whindersson Nunes (0-1) in a super middleweight fight after six rounds. No knockdowns were scored but Goyat was the busier and more skilled fighter.

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