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Getting Hit in the Face
When is enough enough? Or rather, when it is too much?
As a fan of boxing, we all love the wars. Gatti-Ward, Bowe-Holyfield, Corrales-Castillo, and so many others. We want to see fighters give and take. To show what we consider courage, and if they are going to go down, we want to see them do so on their shield.
Thatâs the nature of the beast and no one needs to apologize for it. Not a fighter, nor a fan. There are thousands of other interests and pursuits one could take up should they be squeamish.
I do however get troubled with how quick some are to label a fighter as a âpunkâ or a âcowardâ when they come to the conclusion they simply canât take any more punishment. Iâm not talking about a fighter like Mike Alvarado, who ruined his warrior reputation just after the New Year by showing up woefully unprepared for his third fight with Brandon Rios. Alvarado deserved the boos he received from the crowd in attendance due to his lack of professionalism.
Boxers who donât take their craft seriously and have to quit on their stool because they didnât put in the time for training, were out too late the week of the fight, or simply just donât want to be there are in another category.
What Iâm thinking of is a guy like Willie Monroe Jr. and his fight in May against Gennady Golovkin. Going into the bout, no one gave Monroe a chance against the wrecking ball known as GGG. After a fairly ho-hum first round, the disparity between the two fighters became clear, with Golovkin hurting and knocking Monroe down twice in the 2nd. Monroe somehow survived the 3rd and showed enormous resolve by not only making the 4th round competitive, but quite possibly winning it. That effort was soon proven to be just a minor hiccup as Golovkin battered Monroe in the 5th and settled matters in the 6th by sending Monroe to the canvas for a 3rd and final time. Monroe beat the count, but decided he could not continue and the fight was over.
As soon as Monroe accepted his fate, Twitter lit up with claims he had âno heart.â A position quite dubious considering Monroe had already pulled himself off the canvas twice before to take up what most considered a hopeless cause against the vaunted Golovkin. Anyone watching the fight could tell you the only thing that was going to happen over the rest of it was pain. Not Golovkinâs either.
If they had fought 200 more rounds, Monroe was never going to take the lead or put GGG on his back. The fight was not winnable for Monroe. The only question that remained was when would it end and how bad would it be for him when it did.
So Monroe chose discretion. Who knows what goes through a fighterâs mind when they are hurt? Unless weâve stood in a ring and taken blows from another, how can we truly understand what itâs like to lose confidence, to feel fear, to go dizzy and find your legs weak beneath you? I do not blame Monroe for hastening the inevitable. Willie Monroe Jr. has a child. He derives his income from hitting and getting hit. Itâs a proposition fraught with peril. Maybe his calling it an evening with Golovkin will allow him more paydays in a profession with a short life span. Maybe it will allow him more quality time with his son. That makes him a reasonable man, not a cowardly one.
Those of us watching can often forget that âheartâ sometimes equals âhead injury.â And the fact of the matter is, when the career of a boxer ends, we arenât around to wipe their mouths, drive them to the doctor, or remind them of who that person in the photograph next to their nightstand is. We are long gone. Oh sure, we might look back on one of their fights and say âremember the timeâŠâ and go on ad nauseam about the matches we recall and the times a guy took a beating and showed us all that âheart.â But when you see a video of Meldrick Taylor trying to speak and you canât understand a word of it without subtitles, or you read about Magomed Abdusalamov only now being able to recognize people heâs known all his life, and communicating in nothing greater than short sentences 19 months after going into a coma from fighting Mike Perez, then you can tell me about âheart.â
Getting hit in the face is one hell of a way to make a living. The risks undertaken are enormous. Just getting in the ring with another person bent on causing you harm takes an unusual level of sack and conviction. Most of us couldnât do it. Thatâs a thing worth remembering the next time we question a fighterâs heart.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 282: Ryanâs Song, Golden Boy in Fresno and More
Donât call it an upset.
Days after Ryan Garcia proved the experts wrong, those same experts are re-tooling their evaluation processes.
Itâs mind-boggling to me that 95 percent thought Garcia had no chance. Hear me out.
First, Garcia and Haney fought six times as amateurs with each winning three. But this time with no head gear and smaller gloves, Garcia had to have at least a 50/50 chance of winning. He is faster and a more powerful puncher.
Facts.
Haney is a wonderful boxer with smooth, almost artistic movements. But history has taught us power and speed like Garciaâs canât be discounted. Think way back to legendary fighters like Willie Pep and Sandy Sadler. All that excellent defensive skill could not prevent Sadler from beating Pep in three of their four meetings.
Power has always been an equalizer against boxing skill.
Ben Lira, one of the wisest and most experienced trainers in Southern California, always professed knockout power was the greatest equalizer in a fight. âYou can be behind for nine rounds and one punch can change the outcome,â he said.
Another weird theory spreading before the fight was that Garcia would quit in the fight. That was a puzzling one. Getting stopped by a perfect body shot is not quitting. And that punch came from Gervonta âTankâ Davis who can really crack.
So how did Garcia do it?
In the opening round Ryan Garcia timed Devin Haneyâs jab and countered with a snapping left hook that rattled and wobbled the super lightweight champion. After that, Garcia forced Haney to find another game plan.
Garcia and trainer Derrick James must have worked hours on that move.
I must confess that I first saw Garciaâs ability many years ago when he was around 11 or 12. So I do have an advantage regarding his talent. A few things I noticed even back then were his speed and power. Also, that others resented his talent but respected him. He was the guy with everything: talent and looks.
And that brings resentment.
Recently I saw him and his crew rapping a song on social media. Now heâs got a song. Next thing you know Hollywood will be calling and heâll be in the movies. Itâs happened before with fighters such as Art Aragon, the first Golden Boy in the 50s. He was dating movie stars and getting involved with starlets all over Hollywood.
Is history repeating itself or is Garcia creating a new era for boxing?
Since 2016 people claimed he was just a social media creation. Now, after his win over Devin Haney a former undisputed lightweight champion and the WBC super lightweight titleholder, the boxer from the high desert area of Victorville has become one of the highest paid fighters in the world.
Ryan Garcia has entered a new dimension.
Golden Boy Season
After several down years the Los Angeles-based company Golden Boy Promotions suddenly is cracking the whip in 2024.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. (20-0, 20 KOs) returns to the ring and faces Puerto Ricoâs Thomas Dulorme (26-6-1, 17 KOs) a welterweight gatekeeper who lost to Jaron âBootsâ Ennis and Eimantas Stanionis. They meet as super welterweights in the co-main event at Save Mart Arena in Fresno, Calif. on Saturday, April 27. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card live.
Itâs a quick return to action for Ortiz who is still adjusting to the new weight division. His last fight three months ago ended in less than one round in Las Vegas. It was cut short by an antsy referee and left Ortiz wanting more after more than a year of inactivity in the prize ring.
Ortiz has all the weapons.
Also, Northern Californiaâs Jose Carlos Ramirez (28-1, 18 KOs) meets Cubaâs Rances Barthelemy (30-2-1, 15 KOs) in a welterweight affair set for 12 rounds.
Itâs difficult to believe that former super lightweight titlist Ramirez has been written off by fans after only one loss. That was several years ago against Scotlandâs Josh Taylor. One loss does not mean the end of a career.
âMy goal is to get back on top and to get all those belts back. I still feel like I am one of the best 140-pounders in the division,â said Ramirez who lives in nearby Avenal, Calif.
An added major attraction features Marlen Esparza in a unification rematch against Gabriela âLa Chuckyâ Alaniz for the WBA, WBC, WBO flyweight titles. Their first fight was
a controversial win by Esparza that saw one judge give her nine of 10 rounds in a very close fight. Those Texas judges.
In a match that could steal the show, Oscar Duarte (26-2-1, 21 KOs) faces former world champion Jojo Diaz (33-5-1, 15 KOs) in a lightweight match.
Munguia and Canelo
Donât sleep on this match.
Its current Golden Boy fighter Jaime Munguia facing former Golden Boy fighter Saul âCaneloâ Alvarez in a battle between Mexicoâs greatest sluggers next week at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on May 4.
âI think Jaime Munguia is going to do something special in the ring,â said Oscar De La Hoya, the CEO for Golden Boy.
Tijuanaâs Munguia showed up at the Wild Card Boxing gym in Hollywood where a throng of media from Mexico and the US met him.
Munguia looked confident and happy about his opportunity to fight great Canelo.
âItâs a hard fight,â said Munguia. âTruth is, its big for Mexico and not only for Mexicans but for boxing.â
Fights to Watch
Fri. DAZN 6 p.m. Yoeniz Tellez (7-0) vs Joseph Jackson (19-0).
Sat. DAZN 9:30 a.m. Peter McGrail (8-1) vs Marc Leach (18-3-1); Beatriz Ferreira (4-0) vs Yanina Del Carmen 14-3).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Vergil Ortiz (20-0) vs Thomas Dulorme (26-6-1); Jose Carlos Ramirez (28-1) vs Rances Barthelemy (30-2-1); Marlen Esparza (14-1) vs Gabriela Alaniz (14-1).
Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy Promotions
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Ramon Cardenas Channels Micky Ward and KOs Eduardo Ramirez on ProBox
The Wednesday night bi-monthly series of fights on the ProBox TV platform is the best deal in boxing; the livestream is free with no strings attached! Tonightâs episode was headlined by a super bantamweight match between San Antonioâs Ramon Cardenas and Eduardo Ramirez who brought a caravan of rooters from his hometown in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.
Cardenas, coached by Joel Diaz, entered the contest ranked #4 by the WBA. He was expected to handle Ramirez with little difficulty, but this was a close, tactical fight through eight frames when lightning struck in the form of a left hook to the liver from Cardenas. Ramirez went down on one knee and wasnât able to beat the count. It was as if Cardenas summoned the ghost of Micky Ward who had a penchant for terminating fights with the same punch that arrived out of the blue.
The official time was 1:37 of round nine. Cardenas improved to 25-1 with his14th win inside the distance. Ramirez, who was stopped in the opening round by Nick âWreckingâ Ball in London in his lone previous fight outside Mexico, falls to 23-3-3.
Co-Feature
In an upset, Tijuana super welterweight Damian Sosa won a split decision over previously undefeated Marques Valle, a local area fighter who was stepping up in class in his first 10-round go. Sosa was the aggressor, repeatedly backing his taller opponent into the ropes where Valle was unable to get good leverage behind his punches.
The 25-year-old Valle, managed by the influential David McWater, was the house fighter. This was his 10th appearance in this building. He brought a 10-0 (7) record and was hoping to emulate the success of his younger brother Dominic Valle who scored a second-round stoppage of his opponent in this ring two weeks ago, improving to 9-0. But Sosa, who brought a 24-2 record, proved to be a bridge too high.
The judges had it 97-93 and 96-94 for the Tijuana invader and a disgraceful 98-92 for the house fighter.
Also
In a fight whose abrupt ending would be echoed by the main event, 34-year-old SoCal featherweight Ronny Rios, now training in Las Vegas, returned to the ring after a 22-month hiatus and scored a fifth-round stoppage over Nicolas Polanco of the Dominican Republic.
A three-punch combo climaxed by a left hook to the liver took the breath out of Polanco who slumped to his knees and was counted out. A two-time world title challenger, Rios advanced to 34-4 (17 KOs). Polanco, 34, declined to 21-6-1. The official time was 0:54 of round five.
—
The next ProBox show (Wednesday, May 8) will have an international cast with fighters from Kazakhstan, Japan, Mongolia, and the United Kingdom. In the main event, Liverpoolâs Robbie Davies Jr will make his U.S. debut against the California-based Kazakh Sergey Lipinets.
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Haney-Garcia Redux with the Focus on Harvey Dock
Saturdayâs skirmish between Ryan Garcia and WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney was a messy affair, and yet a hugely entertaining fight fused with great drama. In the aftermath, Garcia and Haney were celebrated â the former for fooling all the experts and the latter for his gallant performance in a losing effort â but there were only brickbats for the third man in the ring, referee Harvey Dock.
Devin Haney was plainly ahead heading into the seventh frame when there was a sudden turnabout when Garcia put him on the canvas with his vaunted left hook. Moments later, Dock deducted a point from Garcia for a late punch coming out of a break. The deduction forced a temporary cease-fire that gave Haney a few precious seconds to regain his faculties. Before the round was over, Haney was on the deck twice more but these were ruled slips.
The deduction, which effectively negated the knockdown, struck many as too heavy-handed as Dock hadnât previously issued a warning for this infraction. Moreover, many thought he could have taken a point away from Haney for excessive clinching. As for Haneyâs second and third trips to the canvas in round seven, they struck this reporter â watching at home â as borderline, sufficient to give referee Dock the benefit of the doubt.
In a post-fight interview, Ryan Garcia faulted the referee for denying him the satisfaction of a TKO. âAt the end of the day, Harvey Dock, I think he was tripping,â said Garcia. âHe could have stopped that fight.â
Those that played the rounds proposition, placing their coin on the âunder,â undoubtedly felt the same way.
The internet lit up with comments assailing Dockâs competence and/or his character. Some of the ponderings were whimsical, but they were swamped by the scurrilous screeching of dolts who find a conspiracy under every rock.
Stephen A. Smith, reputedly Americaâs highest-paid TV sports personality, was among those that felt a need to weigh-in: âThis referee is absolutely terribleâŠ.Unreal! Horrible officiating,â tweeted Stephen A whose primary area of expertise is basketball.
Harvey Dock
Dock fought as an amateur and had one professional fight, winning a four-round decision over a fellow novice on a show at a non-gaming resort in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He says that as an amateur he was merely average, but he was better than that, a New Jersey and regional amateur champion in 1993 and 1994 while a student New Jerseyâs Essex County Community College where he majored in journalism.
A passionate fan of Sugar Ray Leonard, he started officiating amateur fights in 1998 and six years later, at age 32, had his first documented action at the professional level, working low-level cards in New Jersey. The top boxing referees, to a far greater extent than the top judges, had long apprenticeships, having worked their way up from the boonies and Dock is no exception.
Per boxrec, Haney vs Garcia was Harvey Dockâs 364th assignment in the pros and his forty-second world title fight. Some of those title fights were title in name only, they werenât even main events, but, bit by bit, more lucrative offerings started coming his way.
On May 13, 2023, Dock worked his first fights in Nevada, a 4-rounder and then a 12-rounder on a card at the Cosmopolitan topped by the 140-pound title fight between Rolly Romero and Ismael Barroso. It was the first time that this reporter got to watch Dock in the flesh.
Ironically (in hindsight), the card would be remembered for the actions of a referee, in this case Tony Weeks who handled the main event. Barroso was winning the fight on all three cards when Weeks stepped in and waived it off in the ninth round after Romero cornered Barroso against the ropes and let loose a barrage of punches, none of which landed cleanly. Few âpremature stoppagesâ were ever as garishly, nay ghoulishly, premature.
With all the brickbats raining down on Weeks, I felt a need to tamp down the noise by diverting attention away from Tony Weeks and toward Harvey Dock and took to the TSS Forum to share my thoughts. Referencing the 12-rounder, a robust junior welterweight affair between Batyr Akhmedov and Kenneth Sims Jr, I noted that Dockâs Las Vegas debut went smoothly. He glided effortlessly around the ring, making him inconspicuous, the mark of a good referee. (This post ran on May 15, two days after the fight.)
Folks at the Nevada State Athletic Commission were also paying attention. Dock was back in Las Vegas the following week to referee the lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko and before the year was out, he would be tabbed to referee the biggest non-heavyweight fight of the year, the July 29 match in Las Vegas between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.
The Haney-Garcia fight wasnât Harvey Dockâs best hour, Iâll concede that, but a closer look at his full body of work informs us that he is an outstanding referee.
—
While the Haney-Garcia bout was in progress, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman threw everyone a curve ball, tweeting on âXâ that Devin Haney would keep his title if he lost the fight. Everyone, including the TV commentators, was under the impression that the title would become vacant in the event that Haney lost.
Sulaiman cited the precedent of Corrales-Castillo II.
FYI: The Corrales-Castillo rematch, originally scheduled for June 3, 2005 and aborted on the day prior when Castillo failed to make weight, finally came off on Oct. 8 of that year, notwithstanding the fact that Castillo failed to make weight once again, scaling three-and-a-half pounds above the lightweight limit. He knocked out Corrales in the fourth round with a left hook that Las Vegas Review-Journal boxing writer Kevin Iole, alluding to the movie âBlazing Saddles,â described as Mongo-esque (translation: the punch would have knocked out a horse). After initially insisting on a rubber match, which had scant chance of happening, WBC president Jose Sulaiman, Mauricioâs late father, ruled that Corrales could keep his title.
Whether or not you agree with Mauricio Sulaimanâs rationale, the timing of his announcement was certainly awkward.
Haneyâs mandatory is Spanish southpaw Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs), a cutie best known for his 2021 upset of Mikey Garcia. A bout between Haney and Martin has the earmarks of a dull fight.
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