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THE LOTIERZO LOWDOWN: What To Watch For During Stiverne-Wilder

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As it was mentioned here a few weeks back, the WBC heavyweight title bout between title holder Bermane Stiverne 24-1-1 (21) and Deontay Wilder 32-0 (32) tomorrow night is the most talked-about heavyweight title bout since heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko defended the title against David Haye.

Like the Stiverne-Wilder bout, both Klitschko and Haye could really punch. The disappointing thing about what transpired between Klitschko and Haye was, both fighters were afraid to cut loose in fear of leaving themselves vulnerable to the others’ power, so the fight turned out to be a real dud. With the bad blood and words between Stiverne and Wilder, this shouldn’t be the case when they finally touch gloves. (EDITOR NOTE: Here’s hoping. The distance between talking and walking the walk doesn’t always correlate in regards to fury of trash talk pre-fight. I hope the fight matches the ire pre-fight!)

Last month I said the following about Stiverne and Wilder pertaining to their fighting/boxing style.

“If I’m forced to quantify Wilder stylistically, I guess he’s a puncher. He’s not a very good boxer, his balance is lousy and for such a tall guy he’s easy to hit. For me, the question is how much of his power is legitimate? And that’s a really big question. And if Wilder is legit, he should have little trouble against Stiverne, who is very willing to mix it up and should be at the mercy of Wilder’s reach.”

“Stylistically, I see Stiverne primarily as a counter-punching puncher who can box. I’m not sure how well he takes a shot, and I’m not sure of his work ethic. But I see a guy who can box and punch, who’s totally relaxed in the ring, who keeps his power late into the fight, who’s a pretty strong guy, who has a terrific reach for someone his size, and who hits with both hands. By today’s standards especially, that looks very good in the heavyweight division.”

That said, if Wilder, 29, is half as good as the hype that has accompanied him in the run up to this fight, he should be the one dictating the tempo of it with his long left jab. Obviously, the thing that stands out about Wilder physically is his tremendous height 6′-7″ and his 83 inch reach. If you notice, Stiverne, 36, also has long arms (80 inch reach) as well. But the difference in their height, roughly five inches, should enable Wilder to apply and impose his reach more. Wilder’s trainer Mark Breland, who was a 6′-1″ welterweight, was exceptional at imposing his reach and setting up big right hands during his days as a top contender and title holder. The book on Wilder is that he can punch – a statement that implies with both hands. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, there’s no question that his right hand is the Sunday punch in his arsenal. And to beat Stiverne, that’s the punch he’ll need to be successful getting off with and landing in order to, at the least, make Stiverne uncomfortable and perhaps beat him.

Wilder has two choices basically on how to execute his fight. Most likely he’ll try to push the action behind his long jab and try to open Stiverne up. By taking the fight to Stiverne, Wilder will look to force Bermane to engage with him by making him rush his offense, thus leaving himself open for the big right hand. If that doesn’t work, Wilder, if he’s smart, will try to draw Stiverne to him by jabbing hard and then stepping back slightly…..with the hope Stiverne falls for the trap and follows him back, thus leaving himself open for the big counter right. However, being that Wilder is supposed to be such a dynamite puncher, it’s most likely that he’ll want to impose himself via his power over Stiverne and dictate the fight.

As for Stiverne, he would be best served by allowing Wilder to push the fight and induce him to lunge and over commit to the bombs he’ll be looking to send his way. What Stiverne will be looking for is Wilder to get a little anxious and wide with his shots, then look to time and counter him on the way in. Sensing that Wilder will be trying to get him on his heels, Stiverne will probably play the wait and react game in accordance to the level of Wilder’s aggression. I doubt we’ll see Stiverne cut loose in a big way and go after Wilder unless he can get off on the inside or if he has Wilder in trouble or shook. And if he’s smart he’ll blast Wilder’s body with multiple left hooks when Wilder attempts to force the fight or get inside on him.

When all is said and done, it’s conceivable that both Stiverne and Wilder will be able to find each other’s chin without too much trouble. Therefore the fighter who can catch better and who owns the sturdier chin is the fighter who should prevail. It doesn’t take much of a boxing acumen to plot and devise the strategy for these two. Size and physicality will play a monumental role as to who fights as the predator and prey. One guy (Wilder) will be fighting as the puncher and looking to make it an early night, and the other (Stiverne) will be smartly looking to use his opponents’ power and aggression against him in order for him to get off with his best artillery.

It’s pretty vanilla and basic as to what each guy is going to do and wants to do. Stiverne is a little hindered by the reach and height advantage that Wilder owns…on the other hand Wilder is pretty basic with his attack, no deception or imagination at all, so it’s doubtful Stiverne will be caught off guard by anything that Deontay tries. But it’s still an intriguing fight and nothing is a given as to how it will unfold. Neither guy winning should be considered a shock or a surprise. Actually, the only ending that would surprise me would be if the fight went to a decision.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 322: Super Welter Week in SoCal

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Two below-the-radar super welterweight stars show off their skills this weekend from different parts of Southern California.

One in particular, Charles Conwell, co-headlines a show in Oceanside against a hard-hitting Mexican while another super welter star Sadriddin Akhmedov faces another Mexican hitter in Commerce.

Take your pick.

The super welterweight division is loaded with talent at the moment. If Terence Crawford remained in the division he would be at the top of the class, but he is moving up several weight divisions.

Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) faces Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs) a tall knockout puncher from Los Mochis at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif. on Saturday April 19. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also features undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora. We’ll get to her later.

Conwell might be the best super welterweight out there aside from the big dogs like Vergil Ortiz, Serhii Bohachuk and Sebastian Fundora.

If you are not familiar with Conwell he comes from Cleveland, Ohio and is one of those fighters that other fighters know about. He is good.

He has the James “Lights Out” Toney kind of in-your-face-style where he anchors down and slowly deciphers the opponent’s tools and then takes them away piece by piece. Usually it’s systematic destruction. The kind you see when a skyscraper goes down floor by floor until it’s smoking rubble.

During the Covid days Conwell fought two highly touted undefeated super welters in Wendy Toussaint and Madiyar Ashkeyev. He stopped them both and suddenly was the boogie man of the super welterweight division.

Conwell will be facing Mexico’s taller Garcia who likes to trade blows as most Mexican fighters prefer, especially those from Sinaloa. These guys will be firing H bombs early.

Fundora

Co-headlining the Golden Boy card is Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) the undisputed flyweight champion of the world. She has all the belts and Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs) wants them.

Gabriela Fundora is the sister of Sebastian Fundora who holds the men’s WBC and WBO super welterweight world titles. Both are tall southpaws with power in each hand to protect the belts they accumulated.

Six months ago, Fundora met Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz in Las Vegas to determine the undisputed flyweight champion. The much shorter Alaniz tried valiantly to scrap with Fundora and ran into a couple of rocket left hands.

Mexico’s Badillo is an undefeated flyweight from Mexico City who has battled against fellow Mexicans for years. She has fought one world champion in Asley Gonzalez the current super flyweight world titlist. They met years ago with Badillo coming out on top.

Does Badillo have the skill to deal with the taller and hard-hitting Fundora?

When a fighter has a six-inch height advantage like Fundora, it is almost impossible to out-maneuver especially in two-minute rounds. Ask Alaniz who was nearly decapitated when she tried.

This will be Badillo’s first pro fight outside of Mexico.

Commerce Casino

Kazakhstan’s Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) is another dangerous punching super welterweight headlining a 360 Promotions card against Mexico’s Elias Espadas (23-6, 16 KOs) on Saturday at the Commerce Casino.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card of about eight bouts.

Akhmedov is another Kazakh puncher similar to the great Gennady “GGG” Golovkin who terrorized the middleweight division for a decade. He doesn’t have the same polish or dexterity but doesn’t lack pure punching power.

It’s another test for the super welterweight who is looking to move up the ladder in the very crowded 154-pound weight division. 360 Promotions already has a top contender in Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk who nearly defeated Vergil Ortiz a year ago.

Could Bohachuk and Akhmedov fight each other if nothing else materializes?

That’s a question for another day.

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) vs. Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs); Gabriela Fundora (15-0) vs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1).

Sat. UFC Fight Pass 6 p.m. Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0) vs Elias Espadas (23-6).

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TSS Salutes Thomas Hauser and his Bernie Award Cohorts

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The Boxing Writers Association of America has announced the winners of its annual Bernie Awards competition. The awards, named in honor of former five-time BWAA president and frequent TSS contributor Bernard Fernandez, recognize outstanding writing in six categories as represented by stories published the previous year.

Over the years, this venerable website has produced a host of Bernie Award winners. In 2024, Thomas Hauser kept the tradition alive. A story by Hauser that appeared in these pages finished first in the category “Boxing News Story.” Titled “Ryan Garcia and the New York State Athletic Commission,” the story was published on June 23. You can read it HERE.

Hauser also finished first in the category of “Investigative Reporting” for “The Death of Ardi Ndembo,” a story that ran in the (London) Guardian.  (Note: Hauser has owned this category. This is his 11th first place finish for “Investigative Reporting”.)

Thomas Hauser, who entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame with the class of 2019, was honored at last year’s BWAA awards dinner with the A.J. Leibling Award for Outstanding Boxing Writing. The list of previous winners includes such noted authors as W.C. Heinz, Budd Schulberg, Pete Hamill, and George Plimpton, to name just a few.

The Leibling Award is now issued intermittently. The most recent honorees prior to Hauser were Joyce Carol Oates (2015) and Randy Roberts (2019).

Roberts, a Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University, was tabbed to write the Hauser/Leibling Award story for the glossy magazine for BWAA members published in conjunction with the organization’s annual banquet. Regarding Hauser’s most well-known book, his Muhammad Ali biography, Roberts wrote, “It is nearly impossible to overestimate the importance of the book to our understanding of Ali and his times.” An earlier book by Hauser, “The Black Lights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing,” garnered this accolade: “Anyone who wants to understand boxing today should begin by reading ‘The Black Lights’.”

A panel of six judges determined the Bernie Award winners for stories published in 2024. The stories they evaluated were stripped of their bylines and other identifying marks including the publication or website for which the story was written.

Other winners:

Boxing Event Coverage: Tris Dixon

Boxing Column: Kieran Mulvaney

Boxing Feature (Over 1,500 Words): Lance Pugmire

Boxing Feature (Under 1,500 Words): Chris Mannix

The Dixon, Mulvaney, and Pugmire stories appeared in Boxing Scene; the Mannix story in Sports Illustrated.

The Bernie Award recipients will be honored at the forthcoming BWAA dinner on April 30 at the Edison Ballroom in the heart of Times Square. (For more information, visit the BWAA website). Two days after the dinner, an historic boxing tripleheader will be held in Times Square, the logistics of which should be quite interesting. Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez share top billing.

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Mekhrubon Sanginov, whose Heroism Nearly Proved Fatal, Returns on Saturday

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To say that Mekhrubon Sanginov is excited to resume his boxing career would be a great understatement. Sanginov, ranked #9 by the WBA at 154 pounds before his hiatus, last fought on July 8, 2022.

He was in great form before his extended leave, having scored four straight fast knockouts, advancing his record to 13-0-1. Had he remained in Las Vegas, where he had settled after his fifth pro fight, his career may have continued on an upward trajectory, but a trip to his hometown of Dushanbe, Tajikistan, turned everything haywire. A run-in with a knife-wielding bully nearly cost him his life, stalling his career for nearly three full years.

Sanginov was exiting a restaurant in Dushanbe when he saw a man, plainly intoxicated, harassing another man, an innocent bystander. Mekhrubon intervened and was stabbed several times with a long knife. One of the puncture wounds came perilously close to puncturing his heart.

“After he stabbed me, I ran after him and hit him and caught him to hold for the police,” recollects Sanginov. “There was a lot of confusion when the police arrived. At first, the police were not certain what had happened.

“By the time I got to the hospital, I had lost two liters of blood, or so I was told. After I was patched up, one of the surgeons said to me, ‘Give thanks to God because he gave you a second life.’ It is like I was born a second time.”

“I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could have happened in any city,” he adds. (A story about the incident on another boxing site elicited this comment from a reader: “Good man right there. World would be a better place if more folk were willing to step up when it counts.”)

Sanginov first laced on a pair of gloves at age 10 and was purportedly 105-14 as an amateur. Growing up, the boxer he most admired was Roberto Duran. “Muhammad Ali will always be the greatest and [Marvin] Hagler was great too, but Duran was always my favorite,” he says.

During his absence from the ring, Sanginov married a girl from Tajikistan and became a father. His son Makhmud was born in Las Vegas and has dual citizenship. “Ideally,” he says, “I would like to have three more children. Two more boys and the last one a daughter.”

He also put on a great deal of weight. When he returned to the gym, his trainer Bones Adams was looking at a cruiserweight. But gradually the weight came off – “I had to give up one of my hobbies; I love to eat,” he says – and he will be resuming his career at 154. “Although I am the same weight as before, I feel stronger now. Before I was more of a boy, now I am a full-grown man,” says Sanginov who turned 29 in February.

He has a lot of rust to shed. Because of all those early knockouts, he has answered the bell for only eight rounds in the last four years. Concordantly, his comeback fight on Saturday could be described as a soft re-awakening. Sanginov’s opponent Mahonri Montes, an 18-year pro from Mexico, has a decent record (36-10-2, 25 KOs) but has been relatively inactive and is only 1-3-1 in his last five. Their match at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California, is slated for eight rounds.

On May 10, Ardreal Holmes (17-0) faces Erickson Lubin (26-2) on a ProBox card in Kissimmee, Florida. It’s an IBF super welterweight title eliminator, meaning that the winner (in theory) will proceed directly to a world title fight.

Sanginov will be watching closely. He and Holmes were scheduled to meet in March of 2022 in the main event of a ShoBox card on Showtime. That match fell out when Sanginov suffered an ankle injury in sparring.

If not for a twist of fate, that may have been Mekhrubon Sanginov in that IBF eliminator, rather than Ardreal Holmes. We will never know, but one thing we do know is that Mekhrubon’s world title aspirations were too strong to be ruined by a knife-wielding bully.

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