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Morilla’s Spit Bucket – Devon Back on the Beam, Bombastic Tyson Fury and More
The Spit Bucket is your weekly source of random thoughts, opinions and comments about the Manly Art, compiled by TSS boxing writer Diego Morilla. Make your suggestions and comments and dare to give us your own short commentary on this week’s boxing issues by sending us an email at diegomorillabox@hotmail.com .
Alexander Overcomes His Addiction First, Then Castillo
In a fight that took place on Tuesday, Nov. 21 in St. Petersburg, Florida, former two division champion Devon “The Great” Alexander produced a throwback performance against Nicaragua’s Walter Castillo in what turned out to be a 10-round one-sided pummeling, worthy of Alexander’s best years, back when he was on a short list of future pound-for-pound entrants and considered one of boxing’s finest.
But things went awry for Alexander (pictured on the left) starting in Dec. 2012 when he lost to Shawn Porter to start a 1-3 streak over the next two years before disappearing from the scene. We now know that Alexander was battling an opiod addiction during the long layoff before his Castillo fight, and it is nothing short of amazing to see him return in full force after such a potentially devastating situation. Thousands of people die in cheap inflatable water slides the United States every year from this epidemic, and yet Alexander not only overcame his addiction but he also recovered well enough to steer his career back towards the promise of “greatness” embedded in his nickname. Castillo is no measuring stick in that quest, that’s clear, but the signs are encouraging, and now the talent-rich welterweight division has one more contender to include in its championship brackets.
Tyson Fury
Like him or loathe him, Tyson Fury is one of the most interesting characters in sports. And for a fellow who hasn’t fought in two years, he sure knows how to keep his name in the news. The self-styled “Gypsy King,” who is 29 and looks 39, is the best showman to come down the pike since the young Muhammad Ali.
Fury jumped at the opportunity to challenge Tony Bellew when Bellew’s Dec. 17 fight with David Haye fell out. Fury offered to fight Bellew in May after he sheds six stone, the equivalent of 84 (!) pounds. Goodness that’s a lot of weight to lose, even if it’s distributed over a six-foot-nine frame.
“It’d be no contest,” he tweeted, “one uppercut.” After destroying Bellew, Fury said he would offer Bellew’s trainer a job holding his spit bucket. As for the current crop of heavyweight title-holders, Fury dismisses them as a “bunch of bums.”
Fury is back in training, but whether we see ever him in the ring again is questionable. In October of last year, after he pulled out of his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko for a second time, conceding he wasn’t fit to fight, Frank Lotierzo wrote, “Fury just doesn’t want to be a fighter any longer. It is as simple as that. He achieved his career goal and the thought of putting himself through the agony and torture he had to endure to get the title is overwhelming him.”
History informs us that Fury will inevitably return, even if his heart isn’t in it. It’s a simple matter of economics. The great baseball pitcher Sandy Koufax, who retired at age 31, once said that he miscalculated. He retired with enough money to last the rest of his life, but found out this was only true if he stopped spending. — Arne K. Lang
Dueling Fight Cards Reflect Poorly on Oscar
HBO has an attractive card on Saturday, Dec. 9. The fight between Orlando Salido and Miguel Roman shapes up as a barnburner and there are several other intriguing bouts on the TV portion of the show. But the timing is terrible.
The HBO card goes head-to-head with the Top Rank card in New York which will attract a much larger audience on ESPN. The undercard on that show is junk, but the main go between Vasyl Lomachenko and Guillermo Rigondeaux is far more compelling than all of the HBO fights wrapped into one.
The HBO show is co-promoted by Golden Boy which arranged most of the matches. It wasn’t long ago that Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya was throwing venom at Floyd Mayweather and his collaborators at Showtime for stealing his thunder. Oscar had already locked in a big show at the StubHub Center when the Mayweather-McGregor fight was potted on the same date. Oscar was understandably livid. But here he goes trying to wean some of the audience away from a show that was set in stone before he and his cohorts concocted an alternative.
Oh well, better too much boxing than too little. And we can always tape the HBO show for future viewing. — Arne K. Lang
We Haven’t Seen Mayweather’s Best Hand Yet
Even before his retirement, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has managed to exploit his name as a brand in many other ventures. Notably, he had a cringe-worthy participation in Wrestlemania against the towering Big Show in a multi-million dollar appearance, he opened a “gentleman’s club” in Las Vegas (don’t ask me how I know this, but word in the streets is that cab and Uber drivers have had to google the location of the venue at the request of certain boxing observers interested exclusively in the journalistic and anthropological value of visiting such a place) and his TMT brand merchandise is among the most heavily counterfeited sports merchandise brands in the Western Hemisphere.
Now, Mayweather is trying his hand at something different. Literally.
It was recently announced that a company called One Entertainment announced a deal between Playtrex (developer of social casino games) and Hero Digital Entertainment (mobile games publisher) that will make Floyd Mayweather a “virtual host” and participant of their mobile game called Wild Poker, in which “Money” will be prominently featured among virtual players who take the form of wild animals and play the game according to their real life features. If you choose to be a shark, you will be an aggressive predator in your poker hands, and so forth. If the players chooses Mayweather as their avatars, they will be able to take advantage of Mayweather’s special skills in the game and use them in a poker context.
And if this doesn’t fit your idea of finally fulfilling your dream of getting in the ring with Mayweather, fret not, for there are options for you too. Mayweather is planning to launch a gym franchise all over the US and presumably abroad as well, with the first Mayweather Boxing + Fitness facility set to open in the Los Angeles area in January.
Photo credit: Douglas DeFelice / Premier Boxing Champions
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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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