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Lewis Teaches Fury A Lesson Without Making A Fist
He’s not even a month into his title reign and newly crowned heavyweight title holder Tyson Fury 25-0 (18) can’t say enough stupid things, ultimately painting himself as a rodeo clown. Weeks after winning one of the ugliest and dullest heavyweight title fights one can remember over defending champ Wladimir Klitschko, Fury is facing severe backlash for comments made and was accused of homophobia after he was quoted in an article in The Daily Mail as grouping “homosexuality and abortion as being two of three “evils” alongside pedophilia.” It’s hard to tell if Fury says things just for attention or if he’s speaking from the heart. Perhaps someone in Fury’s circle should remind him that copying and mimicking Muhammad Ali never goes over well and usually backfires. Either way, he’s certainly becoming a lightning rod in the overly politically correct USA and UK.
If that’s not enough, Fury is also contemplating fighting an MMA match, so he says. Really, Tyson? How about clearing up the confusion in boxing’s heavyweight division first. Is it too much to ask that you prove beyond a doubt that you’re the real alpha fighter in the division, and you didn’t just beat Wladimir Klitschko because he had an off night and didn’t take you seriously.
Speaking of former champs, Fury recently was quoted saying that retired undisputed champ Lennox Lewis 41-2-1 (32) is a has-been and jealous of him? Which is so ridiculous it’s beyond being disrespectful, it’s actually sad on some levels. Seriously, Lewis jealous of Fury? To steal a phrase coined by Muhammad Ali when he fought Canadian champ George Chuvalo in 1966, Tyson Fury looked like a “Washerwoman” throwing punches at Klitschko during their fight, and that’s being nice. Think of it this way, Tyson Fury has partaken in one noteworthy fight in 25 professional bouts – and Lennox Lewis compiled one of the most stellar and accomplished careers in heavyweight history. Is it possible that Fury could convince any rational person that Lewis is jealous of him or his stature?
Fury looked like a novice Giraffe throwing slapping punches at Klitschko, 39, during their 12-round title bout last month. What a correlation to Lewis who could box and punch and usually looked like a seasoned pro in the ring. Lennox Lewis also fought the best of the best of his era and never paid step aside money to get out of fighting any particular opponent. And despite losing twice, Lewis never met a fighter he couldn’t beat and exacted revenge on the two fighters who did beat him in rematches.
If the criteria for ranking great fighters consist of, level of opposition who you fought and defeated, how you would do versus other greats in a head-to-head confrontation along with longevity and versatility factoring in, than Lennox Lewis ranks among the top-10 greatest heavyweight champions in history. In fact I would go as far as saying only Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Evander Holyfield fought as many outstanding fighters as Lewis did during their careers. If you doubt that I suggest reviewing the opposition that such immortals the likes of Jim Jeffries, Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson fought and beat, and then try and conclude their opposition rivals Lennox’s from top to bottom. I’ll save you the time, you can’t.
Not only did Lewis compile a hall-of-fame career, aside from Evander Holyfield, Lennox was clearly the heavyweight of his era which also included Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe. And in three bouts against Holyfield and Tyson, Lewis is 2-0-1 (1) and should be 3-0 because he was robbed out of the decision in the first Holyfield bout. Granted, when Lewis fought Holyfield and Tyson they were on the decline, but only Riddick Bowe and Michael Moorer had defeated Holyfield at the time, and Evander beat both of them in rematches…..and only Buster Douglas and Holyfield beat Mike Tyson before he fought Lewis.
Lennox Lewis retired at age 38 with his health and wealth and in his last bout retained his title by defeating the fighter, Vitali Klitschko, 32, who was perceived to be his biggest threat and eventual successor….and for the record Klitschko did capture the title after Lewis was out of the picture and never lost again going 13-0 to close out his career. Only two other heavyweight champions retired at the perfect time like Lewis with their title and money, and that’s Gene Tunney and Rocky Marciano.
Lennox is a class act and another great ambassador for professional boxing. If you doubt that, take note of how he took the high road and retorted Fury’s childish remarks suggesting Lewis is a has-been and jealous of him…..
“I’m honestly at a loss.I just heard Tyson Fury calling me out AGAIN because I apparently “hate him and am jealous of him”. Neither are true and just when I thought we squashed anything between us, I hear his interview.
It seems to me that Tyson Fury has a LOT to say, EXCEPT when he’s in my face. I had dinner with him the night before his win over Klitschko and it was all very cordial and the next day he even apologised for the things he’s said.
I thought we were good so you can imagine my surprise to hear this interview today. I’m honestly not sure if he’s got two personalities or what.
Nonetheless, he’s done NOTHING for ME to be jealous of nor do I hate him. I’m actually starting to think its the other way around. In my prime, I didn’t call out retired champions. In my era, we respected them. Ali is my idol. If he picked Holyfield or Tyson to beat me, he would STILL be my idol.
With the exception of Bowe, I’ve gotten along well, and shown plenty of love and respect, to all of my opponents, as well as the champions before me. This is how it’s done.
For a man that has battled and fought very hard to get the respect he deserves, it’s seems to me that he missed the most important lesson… that it’s a two way street.”
Talk about kicking someone’s butt with style and class without making a fist, I’ve never witnessed it done so eloquently and succinctly than the way Lennox Lewis took apart Tyson Fury last week for making some very childish and unnecessary remarks. Sadly, it’s doubtful that Fury even grasps how completely Lewis showed him up by just being the adult and bigger man.
Who said fighter’s don’t adjust and adapt to their post boxing life? I’d say Lennox Lewis has adjusted to civilian life away from the cruelest and least forgiving sport of all quite well.
Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com
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Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix
Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix
PHOENIX – Saturday was a busy night on the global boxing scene, and it’s quite likely that the howling attendees in Phoenix’s Footprint Center witnessed the finest overall card of the international schedule. The many Mexican flags on display in the packed, scaled down arena signaled the event’s theme.
Co-main events featured rematches that arose from a pair of prior crowd-pleasing slugfests. Each of tonight’s headlining bouts ended at the halfway point, but that was their only similarity.
Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete, now 39-2-1 (32), defended his WBO Junior Lightweight belt with a dramatic stoppage of more-than-willing Oscar Valdez, 32-3 (24). The 29-year-old champion spoke of retirement wishes, but after dominating a blazing battle in which he scored three knockdowns, his only focus was relaxing during the holidays then getting back to what sounded like long-term business.
“Valdez was extremely tough in this fight,” said Navarrete. “I knew I had to push him back and I did. You are now witnessing the second phase of my career and you can expect great things from me in 2025.”
“I don’t really know about the future,” said the crestfallen, 33-year-old Valdez. “No excuses. He did what he wanted to and I couldn’t.”
Navarrete, a three-division titlist, came up one scorecard short of a fourth belt in his previous fight last May, a split decision loss to Denys Berinchyk. This was Navarrete’s fourth Arizona appearance so he was cheered like a homeboy, but Valdez was definitely the crowd favorite, evident from the cheers that erupted as both fighters were shown arriving in glistening, low rider automobiles.
Both men came out throwing huge shots, but it was Navarrete who scored a flash knockdown in the first round, setting the tone for the rest of the fight. There was fierce action in every frame, with Navarrete getting the best of most of it, but even when he was in trouble Valdez roared back and brought the crowd to their feet. He got dropped again at the very end of round four, and Navarrete sent his mouthpiece into orbit the round after that.
When Navarrette drove Valdez into the ropes during round six it looked like referee Raul Caiz, Jr was about to intervene, but before he could decide, Navarrete finished matters himself with a perfect left to the ribs that crumpled Valdez into a KO at 2:42.
“He talked about getting ready to retire soon so I told him we had to fight again right now,” said Valdez prior to the rematch. There were numerous “be careful what you wish for” type predictions of doom and he entered the ring at around a two to one underdog, understanding the contest’s make or break stakes. “Boxing penalizes you if you have a lot of losses,” observed Valdez. “It’s not like other sports where you can lose and do better next season. In boxing, most people don’t want to see you again after a couple of losses.”
What Valdez might decide remains to be seen, but even in defeat he proved to be a warrior worth watching.
Co-Feature
After their epic, razor-close encounter almost exactly a year ago, it was obvious Rafael Espinoza, and fellow 30-year-old Robeisy Ramirez should meet again for the WBO featherweight title belt Espinoza earned by an upset majority decision. Espinoza turned the trick again this time around, inside the distance, but it was more anti-climactic than anything like toe-to-toe.
The 6’1” Espinoza, now 26-0 (22), was the aggressor from the opening frame, but 5’6” Ramirez, 14-3 (9) employed his short stature well to stay out of immediate danger and countered to the body for a slight edge. The Cuban challenger avoided much of their previous firefight and initially controlled the tempo. The crowd jeered him for staying away but it was an effective strategy, at least at first.
Espinoza connected much better in the fifth round and looked fresher as Ramirez’s face rapidly reddened. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere in round six, Ramirez took a punch then raised a glove in surrender. Whatever the reason, even looking at Ramirez’s swollen right eye, it looked like a “No Mas” moment. Replays showed a straight right to the eye socket, but that didn’t stop the crowd from hooting their disgust after ref Chris Flores signaled the end at 0:12.
***
Richard Torrez, Jr, now 12-0 (11), displayed his Olympic silver medal pedigree in a heavyweight bout against Issac Munoz, 18-2-1 (15). Torrez, 236.6, found his punching range quickly with southpaw leads as Munoz, 252, tried to stand his ground but looked hurt by early body work that forced him into the ropes. He was gasping for breath as Torrez peppered him in the second, and Munoz went back to his corner on unsteady legs.
Munoz’s team should have thought about saving him for another day in the third as he ate big shots. Luckily, referee Raul Caiz, Jr. was wiser and had seen enough, waving it off for a TKO at 0:59.
“I don’t train for the opponent,” reflected Torrez, who isn’t far from true contender status. “Every time I train, I train for a world championship fight.”
***
Super-lightweight Lindolfo Delgado, 139.9, improved to 22-0 (16), and took another step into the world title picture against Jackson Marinez, now 22-4 (10), 139.2.
On paper this junior welterweight matchup appeared fairly even, and Marinez managed to keep it that way for almost half the scheduled ten rounds against a solid prospect but Delgado kept upping the ante until Marinez was out of chips. The assembled swarm was whistling for more action after three tentative opening frames, as Delgado loaded up but couldn’t put much offense together.
That changed in the 4th when Delgado connected with solid crosses. In the fifth, a fine combination dropped Marinez into a delayed knockdown and a wicked follow-up right to the guts finished the wobbly Marinez, who had nothing to be ashamed of, off in the arms of ref Wes Melton. Official TKO time was 2:13.
In a matter of concurrent programming, Saturday also held a lot of highly publicized college football and basketball games which likely detracted from the larger mainstream audience and media coverage this fight card deserved. That’s a shame but you can’t fault boxing, Top Rank, or any of the fighters for that because, once again, they all came through big time in Phoenix.
Photos credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins Wins IBF 140-Pound Title in Puerto Rico
A change of champions took place as Richardson Hitchins rallied from a lethargic start to wrest the IBF super lightweight title from Australia’s Liam Paro by split decision on Saturday in Puerto Rico at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan.
Brooklyn has another world champion.
“I’m just happy to be a world champion,” Hitchins said.
Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) proved that his style of fighting could prevail over Paro (25-1, 15 KOs) who had previously knocked off another Puerto Rican champion, Subriel Matias.
Both fighters expected a different kind of encounter as Paro immediately started the fight with constant pressure and short, precise combinations. Hitchins had expected a different attack and seemed hesitant to pull the trigger.
“I couldn’t get my timing,” said Hitchins. “I thought he was going to put the pressure on me.”
Soon Hitchins ramped up his attack.
After Paro had jumped ahead with a constant strategic attack, Hitchins slipped into second gear behind a sharp right counter that found the target repeatedly.
Things began to swing in the Brooklyn fighter’s favor.
Those long arms came in handy for Hitchins who snapped off deadeye rights through Paro’s guard repeatedly. Soon the southpaw Aussie’s eye began to show signs of damage.
But Paro never quit.
Aside from using quick counters, Paro began firing lead lefts and the occasional right hook and uppercut. But seldom did he target the body. Slowly, the rounds began mounting in favor of the Brooklyn fighter.
Perhaps the best blow of the fight took place in the ninth round as Hitchins connected flush with a one-two combination. Though stunned, Paro trudged forward looking to immediately counter.
He mostly failed.
Still, Paro knew the rounds were not one-sided and he could close the distance. The Aussie fighter did well in the 11th and 12th round but could not land a significant blow. After 12 rounds one judge saw Paro the winner 117-11, while two others saw Hitchins the winner 116-112 for the new IBF titlist.
“He’s a hell of a boxer,” said Paro who loses the title in his first defense. “It’s not a loss, it’s a lesson.”
Other Bouts
A battle between Puerto Rican featherweights saw Henry Lebron (20-0) out-battle Christopher Diaz-Velez by decision after 10 action-packed rounds.
In a lightweight fight Agustin Quintana (21-2-1) gave Marc Castro (13-1) his first loss to win by split decision after 10 rounds.
Welterweight Jose Roman Vazquez (14-1) defeated Jalil Hackett (9-1) by split decision after 10 rounds.
Photo credit: Melina Pizano / Matchroom
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A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix
A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix
Top Rank promoted a 10-fight card tonight at the NBA arena in Phoenix. The undercard included welterweight standout Giovani Santillan and a bevy of young prospects.
Based on his showing tonight, Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez is a prospect on the cusp of being a contender. A high-octane fighter with ring smarts that bely his tender age, the 22-year-old Gonzalez pitched a near 8-round shutout over Argentina’s Gerardo Antonio Perez, advancing his record to 12-0 (7). Although Gonzalez was forced to go the distance after five straight wins by stoppage, Perez, an Argentine who had never been stopped and was better than his 12-6-1 record, had a granite chin.
LA junior bantamweight Steven Navarro improved to 5-0 (4 KOs) with a second-round stoppage of Gabriel Bernardi (7-2). Navarro had Bernardi, a Puerto Rican, on the canvas twice before referee Raul Caiz Jr waived it off.
In a welterweight contest slated for “10,” Giovani Santillan improved to 33-1 (18 KOs) at the expense of Fredrick Lawson who retired on his stool after only one round. It was a nice confidence-booster for Santillan who took a lot of punishment in his last fight vs. Brian Norman Jr, a fight that Santillan was expected to win. However, tonight’s win should come with an asterisk as Lawson, a Chicago-based Ghanaian, is damaged goods and ought not be permitted to fight again, notwithstanding his 30-6 record. (All six of his losses, including the last three, came inside the distance.)
In a welterweight contest slated for six rounds, 19-year-old SoCal prospect Art Berrera Jr advanced to 7-0 (5 KOs) with a second-round TKO over Juan Carlos Campos (4-2) who fights out of Sioux City, Iowa. Referee Wes Melton lost his balance as he stepped in to stop the one-sided affair with a nano-second remaining in round two and went flying into the ropes, but was seemingly unhurt.
In a major surprise, Cesar Morales, a former Mexican national amateur champion, lost his pro debut to unheralded Kevin Mosquera, a 23-year-old Ecuadorian. A flash knockdown in the opening minute of final round factored into the result. The judges had it 39-36 and 38-37 for Mosquera (3-0-1) and 38-38.
The night did not start well for Morales’ trainer Robert Garcia who had five fighters in action tonight.
In the lid-lifter, 21-year-old Las Vegas lightweight DJ Zamora, a protege of the late Roger Mayweather, improved to 15-0 (10 KOs) with a second-round stoppage of Argentine import Roman Ruben Reynoso (22-6-2). Zamora put Reynoso on the canvas in the opening round with a left to the solar plexus and knocked him down in the second round with a counter left to the chin. Reynoso made it to his feet, but had no beef when the fight was waived off. The official time was 1:56 of round two.
Bouts involving former Olympians Lindolfo Delgado and Richard Torres Jr plus two compelling world title rematches round out the 10-fight card. TSS correspondent Phil Woolever is ringside. Check back later for his post-fight reports.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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