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The Hauser Report: Dueling Dates
Boxing is in the midst of a remarkable run that has seen major fights on HBO, Showtime, CBS, NBC, and/or Spike virtually every week. April 18 brought more of the same with HBO and Showtime competing directly against each other.
The HBO card featured two fights and four different promoters: Ruslan Provodnikov (Banner Promotions) vs. Lucas Matthysse (Golden Boy) and Terence Crawford (Top Rank) vs. Thomas Dulorme (Gary Shaw Productions).
Crawford had compiled a 25-0 (17 KOs) record and earned recognition as the best lightweight in the world with a ninth-round stoppage of Yuriorkis Gamboa last year. This was his first fight at 140 pounds.
Dulorme (22-1, 14 KOs) was considered a prospect until Luis Carlos Abregu exposed his deficiencies and knocked him out thirty months ago. Since then, Thomas had carefully picked his opponents.
Thirty seconds into round six of Crawford-Dulorme, Terenceâs skills and Thomasâs limitations coincided. A straight right wobbled Dulorme, who appeared to take a knee rather than be put down by two errant punches that followed. Thomas then went into survival mode, but failed to survive. Knockdowns #2 and #3 ended the bout at the 1:51 mark of the sixth stanza.
Crawford looks like a complete fighter. It wasnât just that he beat Doulorme. The way he beat him was impressive. Some intriguing fights await at 140 and 147 pounds if Terence is willing to go in tough.
Provodnikov-Matthysse brought to mind the words of Jay Larkin (the architect of Showtimeâs boxing program). Larkin had a simple way of describing his job. âItâs not rocket science,â heâd say. âItâs boxing on television.â
In other words, a fight that looks good on paper is more likely to look good in the ring than a fight that shapes up on paper as a dud.
Provodnikov-Matthysse didnât look good on paper. It looked great.
Provodnikov (24-3, 17 KOs) had lost narrow decisions to Mauricio Herrera and Chris Algieri (a split verdict) as well as a one-point defeat at the hands of Tim Bradley. But the latter bout (honored as 2013âs âFight of the Yearâ) saw Bradley out on his feet twice and on the canvas once. In his next outing, Provodnikov battered Mike Alvarado into submission.
Matthysse (34-3, 34 KOs) had suffered one-point split-decision losses to Zab Judah and Devon Alexander and a two-point defeat at the hands of Danny Garcia. But 32 of his 34 wins had come by knockout and, two years ago, he brutalized Lamont Peterson en route to a third-round stoppage.
Matthysse and Provodnikov can be outslicked. Neither of them outslicks opponents. They bludgeon their foes. One day before the bout, Jimmy Tobin summed up the anticipation when he wrote, âThe ring in the Turning Stone Resort and Casino will have a diamond set in it on Saturday night when Lucas Matthysse and Ruslan Provodnikov reveal what beauty can be wrought from pressure and heat. It is impossible to imagine these men leaving the ring unchanged by the otherâs mischief.â
Provodnikov-Matthysse lived up to expectations. Matthysse has better boxing skills than Provodnikov. And he can whack. Worse from Ruslanâs point of view, in the opening minute of round two, an accidental clash of heads opened an ugly gash on his left eyelid that bled throughout the fight.
There are fighters who crumble and fighters who donât. Earlier in the evening, Doulorme had crumbled. Provodnikov didnât.
Ruslan lost five of the first six rounds and took a pounding in most of them. But he came on strong at the end of each round and gathered steam as the fight wore on. Instead of calling him âthe Siberian Rocky,â one might refer to him simply as âthe Siberian Rock.â His face was a bruised, battered, bloody, swollen, mess. It must have been a shock for him to look into a mirror after the fight. But he showed incredible resolve and heart.
Matthysse had enough in his arsenal to emerge victorious by a 115-113, 115-113, 114-114 margin.
Showtimeâs card was an Al Haymon venture. In the opening bout, 24-year-old super-lightweight Amir Imam (18-0, 14 KOs) fought Walter Castillo (25-2, 18 KOs), whoâd been imported from Nicaragua as a measuring stick. Iman won a clear-cut 100-90, 99-91, 98-92 decision. That set the stage for Showtimeâs main event: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (48-1, 32 KOs) vs Andrzej Fonfara (26-3, 15 KOs).
Chavez (marketed as âson of the legendâ) has his fatherâs DNA in his chin. He turned pro in 2003 and amassed a 48-1 (32 KOs) record while frustrating fans with an often-slovenly work ethic and inattention to such matters as making weight. Indeed, there were times (particularly prior to fighting Brian Vera in 2013) when Chavez seemed to be rewriting weight clauses in contracts to fit his eating and exercise habits rather than the other way around.
But Chavez is a ratings magnet. Also, over time, he became a legitimate contender, beating opponents like John Duddy, Andy Lee, and Marco Antonio Rubio, in large measure because of his superior physical gifts.
In theory, Chavez also briefly held the WBC middleweight championship after the sanctioning body shamelessly lifted Sergio Martinezâs crown to accommodate Julio. But Martinez ended that fiction by winning eleven of twelve rounds en route to a unanimous-decision triumph over âson of the legendâ three years ago.
Fonfara (a natural light-heavyweight) had been chosen as Chavezâs opponent on the theory that Andrzej is there to be hit, doesnât hit too hard, and would make Chavez look good. Also, Julio hoped that the 172-pound contract weight would add to Fonfaraâs limitations by depleting Andrzejâs strength.
Chavez didnât look to be in particularly good shape when Chavez-Fonfara began; a suspicion that was confirmed as the bout wore on. His technique (which has never been particularly good) fell apart. And his body work didnât have the same effect on Fonfara that it has had on smaller men in the past.
By round six, there was bruising and swelling beneath both of Julioâs eyes, and he was only fighting in spurts. Fifty-five seconds into round nine, Fonfara (an orthodox fighter) shifted position and threw what in effect was a straight left that put Chavez on the canvas for the first time in Julioâs career. At the end of the round, Chavez went back to his corner, where trainer Joe Goossen asked, âHow do you feel?â
âStop it,â Chavez told him. âStop the fight. Iâm done. Stop it. I want it stopped.â
Fonfara had an 89-80, 88-81, 88-81 lead on the judgesâ scorecards at the time of the stoppage and outlanded Chavez by a 285-to-118 margin.
After the bout, Chavez put the blame for his defeat on fighting at a contract weight of 172 pounds. âThe guy is too heavy for me,â he said. â172 is too much for me.â
Question: Whose fault was that?
Answer: Julioâs.
That said; Chavez is still marketable. Heâs a good fighter with an aggressive ring style and defensive deficiencies that make for entertaining fights. He also still has his name, although Saturday night tarnished it a bit.
When Chavez lost to Sergio Martinez, he was treated in some circles as though heâd won because of a dramatic last-round effort that saw him floor Martinez twice. After losing to Fonfara in abysmal fashion, Julio will be treated as though he lost.
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Earlier this year, Andre Ward signed a promotional contract with Roc Nation, which tried unsuccessfully to land a date for him on HBO or Showtime. The problem is that Ward wants big-fight money for a tune-up bout. His excuse is that he hasnât fought since November, 19, 2013, and needs a soft-touch opponent to work off the ring rust.
Ward has fought twice since 2011. His inactivity is largely is consequence of his own making. And while Andre is a very good fighter, he doesnât engender strong ratings.
It now appears as though Ward will get his soft touch. Heâs tentatively scheduled to fight on June 20 in his hometown of Oakland against TBA in a bout that most likely will be televised by BET. That means Ward will get a smaller purse than anticipated, Roc Nation will take a bath, or both.
Sugar Ray Leonard had been out of the ring for three years when he returned to action in 1987, went up two weight classes, and fought Marvin Hagler. Vitali Klitschko came back after four years of inactivity and faced WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter in his comeback fight.
Thereâs no reason for HBO or anyone else to pay big money for an Andre Ward tune-up fight.
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To their credit, both Ruslan Provodnikov and Lucas Matthysse agreed to be tested for performance enhancing drugs by VADA during the lead-in to their fight. Vadim Komilov (Provodnikovâs manager) explained how that came about.
âWhen we fought Tim Bradley,â Kornilov said at a fight-week press conference in New York, âBradleyâs people insisted on VADA testing, and we agreed to it. I liked the way VADA conducted the testing. So this time, we asked for VADA. Matthysse didnât want to pay for it, so we agreed to pay for all of the testing. The important thing is that VADA is good. They are known for doing things the right way.â
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Boxing fans have been reading for weeks that Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao will generate a live gate of $74,000,000 with tickets priced as follows: $10,000 (1,100 tickets), $7,500 (2,500 tix), $5,000 (2,500 tix), $3,500 (4,000 tix), $2,500 (2,500 tix), and $1,500 (2,500 tix).
I might be old-fashioned. But the way I was taught math, that comes to a live gate of $66,250,000.
Thomas Hauser can be reached by email at thauser@rcn.com. His most recent book – Thomas Hauser on Boxing – was published by the University of Arkansas Press.
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R.I.P. IBF founder Bob Lee who was Banished from Boxing by the FBI
âThe image some people have of me is disappointing,â said Bob Lee in a 2006 interview, âbut I also feel I had a positive impact on the sportâŠâ
Lee, the founder of the International Boxing Federation who died yesterday (Sunday, March 24) at age 91, spoke those words to Philadelphia Daily News boxing writer Bernard Fernandez who was the first person to interview him when he emerged from a federal prison in 2006. Lee served 22 months on charges that included racketeering, money laundering, and tax evasion.
Born and raised in northern New Jersey and a lifelong resident of the Garden State, Lee, a former police detective, founded the International Boxing Federation (henceforth IBF) in 1983 after a failed bid to win the presidency of the World Boxing Association. At the time, there were only two relevant sanctioning bodies, the WBA, then headquartered in Venezuela, and the WBC, headquartered in Mexico. Both organizations were charged with favoring boxers from Spanish-speaking countries in their ratings at the expense of boxers from the United States.
Bob Leeâs brainchild, whose stated mission was to rectify that injustice, achieved instant credibility when Marvin Hagler and Larry Holmes turned their back on the established organizations. Haglerâs 1983 bout with Wilford Scypion and Holmesâ 1984 match with Bonecrusher Smith were world title fights sanctioned exclusively by the IBF, the last of the three extant organizations to do away with 15-round title fights.
Leeâs world was rocked in November of 1999 when a federal grand jury handed down an indictment that accused him and three IBF officials, including his son Robert W. âRobbyâ Lee Jr., of taking bribes from promoters and managers in return for higher rankings. The FBI, after a two-year investigation, concluded that $338,000 was paid over a 13-year period by individuals representing 23 boxers.
The governmentâs key witness was C. Douglas Beavers, the longtime chairman of the IBF ratings committee who wore a wire as a government informant in return for immunity and provided video-tape evidence of a $5000 payout in a seedy Virginia motel room. Promoters Bob Arum and Cedric Kushner both testified that they gave the IBF $100,000 to get the organizationâs seal of approval for a match between heavyweight champion George Foreman and Axel Schulz (Arum asserted that he paid the money through a middleman, Stan Hoffman). In return, the IBF gave Schulz a âspecial exemptionâ to its rules, allowing the German to bypass Michael Moorer who had a rematch clause that would never be honored. (In a sworn deposition, Big George testified that he had no knowledge of any kickback).
After a long-drawn-out trial that consumed four months including 15 days of jury deliberations, Bob Lee was acquitted on all but six of 32 counts. His son, charged with nine counts, was acquitted on all nine. The jury simply did not trust the veracity of many that testified for the prosecution. (No surprise there; after all, they were boxing people.) But neither did the jury buy into the argument that whatever money Lee received was in the form of gifts and gratuities, a common business practice.
The IBF was run by a court-appointed overseer from January of 2000 until the fall of 2003. Under its current head, Daryl Peoples, who came up from the ranks, assuming the presidency in 2010, the IBF has stayed out of the crosshairs of federal prosecutors.
As part of his sentence, Bob Lee was prohibited from having any further dealings with boxing and that would have included buying a ticket to sit in the cheap seats at a boxing card. This was adding insult to injury as Leeâs passion for boxing ran deep. As a boy working as a caddy at a New Jersey golf course, he had met Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson, two of the proudest moments of his life.
As for his contributions to the sport, Lee had this to say in his post-prison talk with Bernard Fernandez: âWe instituted the 168-pound [super middleweight] weight class. We took measures to reduce the incidence of eye injuries in boxing. We changed the weigh-in from the day of the fight to the day before, which prevented fighters from entering the ring so dehydrated that they were putting themselves at risk. All these things, and more, were tremendously beneficial to boxing. Iâm very proud of all that we accomplished.â
Bob Lee was a tough old bird. Diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 1986, he was insulin-dependent for much of his adult life and yet he lived into his nineties. Although his coloration as a shakedown artist is a stain that will never go away, many people will tell you that, on balance, he was a good man whose lapses ought not define him.
Thatâs not for us to judge. We send our condolences to his loved ones. May he rest in peace.
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Australiaâs Nikita Tszyu Stands Poised to Escape the Long Shadow of His Brother
They held a confab for the boxing media last week at the spacious Las Vegas gym where WBO super welterweight champion Tim Tszyu has been training for his forthcoming match with Sebastian Fundora. Tim was there, of course, as were many of the fighters in the supporting bouts plus Timâs younger brother Nikita who was inconspicuous in this gathering.
Nikita Tszyu isnât on Saturdayâs card and so was never spotlighted, but itâs likely that most of the media-types there knew nothing about him. Had they been Aussies, he wouldn’t have been able to blend into the scenery as the Sydneysider is already a major sports personality in the Land Down Under. More than that, he is seemingly on pace to become as big a star as his older brother who has been called the face of boxing in Australia.
In his last start, Nikita wrested the Australian 154-pound title from previously undefeated (10-0) Dylan Biggs. Their bout in the Australian harbor city of Newcastle headlined a pay-per-view telecast.
Nikita was down in the first 45 seconds of the contest and was buzzed in the third, but had Biggs in dire straits in the fourth and ended matters in the next frame with a wicked left hook to the liver. Biggs somehow made it to his feet, but the bout was waived off seconds later as Biggsâ corner was throwing in the towel.
It improved Nikitaâs record to 8-0 (7 KOs) and burnished the reputation of the Tszyu dynasty. Collectively, the three Tszyuâs â his Hall of Fame father Kostya, his bother Tim and Nikita â are 48-0 in Australian rings.
Outside the squared circle, Nikita Tszyu, who is 26 years old and looks younger, comes across as thoroughly unspoiled. Talking with him, what started as a formal interview quickly became a relaxed chat between two old souls (as Nikita described himself) enjoying each others company. And as prizefighters go, he sure is different. A college grad, Nikita cited gardening, of all things, when we inquired if he had any hobbies.
As amateurs, Nikita had a deeper background and was more decorated than Tim. But in 2017, he turned his back on boxing to pursue a degree in architecture. He was away from boxing for five years before deciding to give the sport another fling.
âI wanted to be the first person in my family to be smart,â he says tongue-in-cheek when asked how he could abandon a sport that was seemingly in his blood. âMy mom wanted one of us to get a college degree,â he says, elaborating. âWhen it wasnât going to work out for Tim, it fell on my shoulders.â
As is well known, Nikitaâs parents divorced (Nikita was then just starting high school) and his dad then returned to his native Russia and started a new family. But the brothers and their father remain on cordial terms â they speak on the phone periodically â and they are close to Kostyaâs parents (their paternal grandparents) who live near Nikita in the Sydney area and are currently watching Nikitaâs three dogs, a husky, a French Bulldog, and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. âI canât imagine a life without them,â says Nikita who, unlike his brother, has no special lady living under his roof.
The family tie extends to the brothersâ trainer Igor Goloubev who is married to their aunt (Kostyaâs sister). Uncle Igor, a training partner of Kostya Tszyu in the old days, came to Sydney in 1997 with a touring Russian amateur team and, unlike the famous boxer, never left.
During the lull between the two generations of fighting Tszyus, Igor Goloubev founded a construction company that he still owns. While working for an architectural firm (working remotely because of Covid), Nikita was able to work part-time for his uncle which was good hands-on experience for a future architect.
When Goloubev counsels one of the brothers between rounds, the old becomes new again and this blast from the past doesnât stop there. The brothers are managed by Newcastle NSW businessman Glen Jennings who formerly managed Kostya, widely considered one of the two or three best junior welterweights of all time. (Jennings says that as a boxer Nikita is more like his dad whereas Tim is more of a pressure fighter.)
This is Nikita Tszyuâs second trip to Las Vegas. He was here last year when Tim was preparing for a match with Jermell Charlo. When that match fell out, Nikita used the occasion for a little holiday, the highlight of which was a hike through Northern Californiaâs Redwood Forest, home to the worldâs tallest trees.
âYour national parks are the coolest things about America,â he says. As for the food? âToo much fat,â he says, wrinkling his nose, but thatâs a moot point as Team Tszyu now travels with its own chef.
Nikita Tszyu will defend his Australian title on April 24th. At this writing, the opponent is uncertain. Three leading candidates fell by the wayside, two because they lost a fight they were supposed to win, ruining their credibility, and another because he got injured. Finding good opponents may prove to be a recurrent hassle in part because Nikita, unlike his brother, is a southpaw.
Coming up the ladder, Tim Tszyu looked forward to fighting at the MGM Grand where his father won his first title (TKO 6 over Jake Rodriguez in 1995) and had one of his most memorable fights, a second-round stoppage of Zab Judah in 2001. The T-Mobile Arena didnât exist back then, but sits on MGM Grand property, so Saturdayâs fight is a dream come true for the older Tszyu brother.
Looking down the road, itâs easy to envision Nikita becoming a headline attraction here too.
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Dalton Smith KOs Jose Zepeda and Sandy Ryan Stops Terri Harper in England
Dalton Smith KOs Jose Zepeda and Sandy Ryan Stops Terri Harper in England
England showed off its talent in Sheffield.
Super lightweight prospect Dalton Smith advanced into the championship level and Sandy Ryan proved to be not just another world titlist on Saturday.
Dalton Smith (16-0, 12 KOs) faced the venomous punching power of Jose âChonâ Zepeda (37-5, 28 KOs) and eliminated him with a body shot knockout that left the world title challenger gasping for air at Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England.
âI had to be on my game. He (Zepeda) puts people to sleep,â said Smith.
If any questions existed on Smithâs ability to compete at the championship level, the 27-year-old answered emphatically with a clinical and professional-style win.
Smith walked into the prize ring realizing that southpaw slugger Zepeda could end the night with a single punch. He carefully measured the California-based fighterâs movements and punching power before stepping on the gas from the second round on.
âHeâs a great fighter,â explained Smith of Zepeda. âThatâs what made me train harder.â
During the first several rounds the two hard-hitting punchers were able to score. Zepeda clipped Smith with quick rights and occasional lefts but discovered that the British fighter has a chin. That seemed to allow Smith to open-up slightly more with one-two combinations.
After Smith gained serious momentum in the third and fourth rounds, Zepeda shortened up his stride and looked to put on more pressure. In the fifth round Zepeda moved closer into firing range and ran into a right cross to the belly that took the strength out of his legs. Down went Zepeda for the count at 1:25 of the fifth round.
âI was hitting him with clean shots and it wasnât doing anything,â said Smith of his head attack.
Apparently, the body shot was the answer.
Sandy Ryan Wins Battle of Champions
WBO welterweight titlist Sandy Ryan won the battle between British champions with a pile-driving stoppage of Terri Harper who, after dropping down a weight division but was unable to be competitive.
Ryan (7-1-1, 3 KOs) walked into enemy territory and quieted the pro-Harper (14-2-2, 6 KOs) crowd with a riveting attack at Sheffield Arena. There was no stopping her on this night.
âIâm just happy,â said Ryan, 30, of Derby England.
After spending months in Las Vegas, Nevada living and training away from her home in England, the tall slender fighter Ryan finally was able to lure a fellow British world champion in the boxing ring.
âI was away from family and friends for so long,â Ryan said.
A close first round between the two female champions saw Ryan open up the second round behind a riveting left jab and body shots that made Harper hesitant and gun shy to counter.
Ryan seemed to sense early that she was in control and opened up with five- and six-punch combinations. And when Harper retaliated, Ryan returned fire again almost daring her rival to engage in a free-for-all.
Harper clinched several times in the third round to stymie Ryanâs constant attack, but it was not enough. The WBO titlist seemed even more eager to win by knockout and opened up with little concern of Harperâs counters.
In the fifth round it was obvious that Ryan was in complete control, the only question was if she could maintain the frenetic pace. Again, she opened up with punishing combinations as Harper looked for a solution. Instead, rights and lefts pummeled the super welterweight titlist until the end of the round.
Harperâs corner decided to end the fight, Referee Marcus McDonnell declared Ryan the winner at the end of the fifth round by technical knockout.
âI felt her fading,â said Ryan.
The win by Ryan sets her up for a rematch against Jessica McCaskill who holds the WBA and WBC welterweight titles. Their first encounter ended in a split draw after 10 rounds last September in Orlando, Florida.
Ryan expressed a desire to face any champion.
âAny big fight. All the big names,â Ryan said.
Other Results
Ishmael Davis (13-0) defeated Troy Williamson (20-3-1) by unanimous decision after 12 rounds for a regional middleweight title.
James Flint (14-1-2) handed Campbell Hatton (14-1) fis first defeat as a pro by unanimous decision after 10 rounds in a super lightweight match.
Photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom
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