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Are Golovkin And Kovalev Leading Boxing’s Impending Resurgence?

On February 21st of this year WBA/IBO middleweight title holder Gennady Golovkin 32-0 (29) stopped former title holder Martin Murray 29-2-1 (12) in the 11th round. Prior to fighting Golovkin, Murray had never been off his feet or stopped. Over the course of the 11 rounds they fought, Golovkin managed to accomplish both against Murray. Twenty one days later WBA/IBF/WBO light heavyweight title holder Sergey Kovalev 27-0-1 (24) stopped former title holder Jean Pascal 29-3-1 (17) in the eighth round. And like Murray before fighting Golovkin, Pascal was never knocked down or stopped before touching gloves with Kovalev. After tangling with Sergey for almost eight full rounds, Pascal can no longer say he’s never been down or stopped as a professional fighter.
It’s been a reoccurring theme in the media that after Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fight this coming May 2nd, boxing will again go back to being in the doldrums unless they fight a rematch. And to that I say: have the media been paying attention?
Actually, the faux super fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao has been overshadowing boxing and some of its emerging stars that have recently arrived or are on their way to arriving. MayPac has sucked so much air out of boxing’s atmosphere that some outstanding on their way to possibly be great fighters have gone virtually unnoticed or mentioned.
Yes, super middleweight Andre Ward 27-0 (14) and super bantamweight title holder Guillermo Rigondeaux 15-0 (10) are outstanding and two of the top p4p fighters in boxing today. But Ward hasn’t fought since November of 2013 and Rigondeaux is 34 and perhaps older. Ward is maybe in the cat-bird seat and could end up fighting both Golovkin and Kovalev down the road. However, Andre has been a pro for over a decade and isn’t new on the national/world scene.
When it comes to the fighters representing boxing’s future, is there a more complete destroyer than 27 year old WBC flyweight title holder Roman Gonzalez (42-0 (36))? Want to see a fighter who can blend both boxing and punching, then check him out when he next fights this coming May 16th.
How about 29 year old WBA featherweight title holder Nicholas Walters 25-0 (21)? He looked utterly dominant and powerful in stopping Philippine terror Nonito Donaire in his last fight.
WBO super featherweight title holder Mikey Garcia 34-0 (28) is a deliberate in his attack, a boxer-puncher who at age 28 is improving every time he fights.
And 27 year old WBO lightweight title holder Terence Crawford 25-0 (17) is probably the best natural boxer in the sport. And he’ll be tested a bit in his upcoming bout against Thomas Dulorme 22-1 (14) next month.
Yes, there are plenty of fighters under 30 years old who are on my radar whenever they fight. And the fighters mentioned above are tremendously skilled and seem ready and willing to fight the best their division has to offer. Which is all that hardcore boxing fans can ask of them. However, the outstanding fighters above have not captured the public’s interest or imagination to the degree that Golovkin and Kovalev have, and the interest in watching them fight is escalating with every bout.
I’m not sure most fans and writers fully grasp how lucky they are to be experiencing the Golovkin/Kovalev wave… In the last quarter century there have only been two great middleweight champs, Marvin Hagler and Bernard Hopkins. And the same applies to the light heavyweight division. You have to go back to Michael Spinks and Roy Jones to have last seen true greatness at 175. Yet, we’ve seen a plethora of outstanding/great featherweights and lightweights since 1980. More than this space allows to name.
It is way too premature to proclaim either Golovkin or Kovalev as being great fighters. Special, yes, but not great, at least not yet.
Regardless of how much fans say they appreciate watching technicians/boxers like Floyd Mayweather, the fact is fans only count down the days to see legitimate punchers. Muhammad Ali to this day is probably the only natural superstar in boxing history that wasn’t perceived as a catch n’ kill style fighter. Yes, Mayweather is a draw today, but he was barely a blip on the radar for the first 11 years of his career. It wasn’t until Floyd fought Oscar De La Hoya and became a heel in the WWE style that quasi boxing fans even knew who he was. By the time Ali was in his 11th year as a pro (1971) he was the most recognized face on the planet.
Gennady Golovkin is rampaging through the glamor division in boxing, middleweight. Through 32 pro bouts he’s shown that he has a first rate chin and two handed power. Neither of those two assets can be learned or manufactured in the gym, through a needle or in a weight room. Golovkin is a swarmer and is adept at cutting the ring off and he appears to be physically strong. Add to that his confidence and willingness to test himself against the best fighters available, how can he not be must see? Fans know that when they watch Golovkin, they’re going to see a fight regardless of how long it lasts. And that’s because he’s a nightmare to try and hold off and box, and if you stand your ground and fight him, he’s more than happy to oblige. In summation, it’s his style and power that virtually guarantee that his fights will be exciting and end in a dramatic fashion. The only down-side to his dominance is the fact that the middleweight division is very pedestrian and devoid of challengers, including lineal champ Miguel Cotto, who are capable of testing him.
Sergey Kovalev owns three of the four relevant light heavyweight title belts. In his last two bouts he took apart two (Bernard Hopkins & Jean Pascal) of the three best and well-known fighters in the division. Hopkins is a master technician and is about as unbreakable mentally as any fighter in boxing. Yet, Sergey ran away with the fight, winning no less than 10/11 of the 12 rounds it went. By the sixth round Hopkins was reduced to looking for a lottery punch to save the fight. As for Pascal, who is an unorthodox herky-jerky puncher, Kovalev beat him at every turn. In fact Pascal forced Kovalev, because of his changing styles during the fight, to adapt and switch styles as well. Kovalev showed against Pascal that he is dangerous fighting at long range or in close. And if you try to rattle him with movement and unconventional combinations, he’ll just jab you to the stomach or chest and knock you out of range and render you out of position to attack him.
Golovkin and Kovalev are physically big and fight like big guys. Their power and eagerness to land it makes them fan friendly. Fans love to watch power punchers and prefer watching boxers who can end fights with one or two punches. Their style of fighting as the predator and forcing their opponents to have to fight as the prey has fans anticipating their next fight in a big way. Their last bouts on HBO drew tremendous numbers. The combination of them both being legitimate tough guys, who don’t brag about their abilities like an Adrien Broner, has fans rooting for them to win when they fight instead of the reverse. And it’s much more fun watching fighters who you’re rooting for than against.
Because of how formidable and dangerous he is, it looks as if Golovkin will own the pedestrian middleweight division for the foreseeable future. And you can count on fans tuning in to watch him every time he fights hoping to see another stoppage win over an opponent who entered the ring with a plan but was unable to execute it. Kovalev is fighting on a tougher block. There are more future opponents living on it who can test him. The biggest threat is WBC title holder Adonis Stevenson (25-1 (21)). The problem is, for reasons only known to Stevenson, Sergey can’t get him into the ring. But eventually they’ll fight. But until then, Kovalev will be an overwhelming favorite every time he fights.
Boxing may be on the upswing with fighters like Roman Gonzalez, Nichols Walters, Mikey Garcia and Terence Crawford emerging as must see. But it is Gennady Golovkin and Sergey Kovalev who really have fans on the edge of their seats anticipating their next fight. And that’s mainly because they can punch and always come to fight, and they’re willing to meet the baddest and most dangerous fighters in their division.
Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com
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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.
The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.
Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.
Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.
Co-Feature
In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.
The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.
A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.
Other Bouts
In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.
Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.
Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.
Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.
Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.
Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.
Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.
Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.
There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0
No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.
There were no knockdowns in this rematch.
The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.
It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.
Nothing changed in their second meeting.
Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.
The blows came in bunches.
In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.
Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.
Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.
During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.
But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.
“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.
Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.
“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.
Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.
“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.
Female Flyweight Battle
Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.
Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.
Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.
The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.
Neither fighter could take over the fight.
After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.
Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.
Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.
Puerto Rico vs Mexico
Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.
Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.
Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.
Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.
ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.
“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.
If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.
For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.
Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.
No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.
Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.
The fight breakdown
Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.
Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.
That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.
More drama.
During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.
New York City got its money’s worth.
Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.
Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?
“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”
Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.
That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?
Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.
Can she draw enough of that fire out again?
“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”
Co-Main in Las Vegas
The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.
Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.
Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.
Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.
Golden Boy in Cancun
A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.
In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.
DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.
Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.
Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.
Fights to Watch
Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).
Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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