It’s Still Joshua’s World with Wilder and Fury Residing There

Published

6 years ago

August 21, 2018

They’re certainly having fun and doing a good job of trying to kick sand on the champ with the lifeguard build cooling it on the beach ….the one basking in the sun, loving life without a foreseeable problem in the world. And when you’re at the top of the food chain in sports, politics, business, and especially boxing, you’re going to be the one on the dart board with the bullseye on your back. That comes with being the top dog in your field and it’s a lifetime better than being one of those who needs to kick sand to create interest in what you’re doing.

Since it was recently rumored and then confirmed that former heavyweight champ Tyson Fury 27-0 (19) and WBC titlist Deontay Wilder 40-0 (39) will meet later this year, they’ve owned the headlines. The pairing of Wilder and Fury is the fallout of Wilder and WBA/IBF/WBO titlist Anthony Joshua 21-0 (20) not being able to agree on the purse split if they were to meet. So the fight died and Fury, fully aware that, like Wilder, he held no leverage over Joshua, set his sight on Wilder. Now after beating two unranked fighters and because of his undefeated record and bravado, Fury will fight Wilder for the only belt he didn’t hold when he retired as the lineal champ.

The Wilder-Fury antics have been entertaining to watch and whoever wins between them — handing the other their first defeat — will clearly add to their cachet when it comes to vying for a satisfactory purse split with Joshua. However, lost in the shuffle is that, regardless of what Wilder and Fury say or do, Joshua is still the money fight for both and the fighter to beat in the division. It’s easy to see why Deontay and Tyson look to denigrate him at every turn.

When trying to think of the star fighter who Joshua’s persona most resembles, perhaps a less accomplished Sugar Ray Leonard could be the one. Leonard was subjected to the same accusations by Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler that Joshua fends off today, namely that he feared facing them and is hiding behind his advisor. In AJ’s case, it’s Eddie Hearn whereas Leonard had a land shark handling his business affairs named Mike Trainer. As history went on to prove, Leonard didn’t fear either of them, fighting Hearns during the time that Hearns was thought to be unbeatable and tangling with Hagler as a 4-1 underdog when most thought he was risking more than his health.

Joshua has the entire UK in his corner; his fans show up in droves for every fight. And like Leonard and even Muhammad Ali to a point, the opponent doesn’t matter… they just want to be there to emphatically root for him. In Leonard’s case, he was easy to root for because in his demeanor he reminded fans of the guy next door, whereas Joshua has the look of a guy from central casting who would be chosen to play the part of the heavyweight champion in a movie. AJ has the height, smile, broad shoulders, defined arms, and chest held upright by a narrow waist. Joshua goes out of his way to smile and project that he’s approachable, although unless he’s on camera that’s not quite as it seems. The point is he has the “it” factor and that’s benefited him greatly in becoming the money fighter in boxing’s flagship division.

In the ring Joshua does most everything technically correct. He fights from a conventional stance, he has terrific form and gets good leverage on his shots and is clearly the best boxer-puncher in the heavyweight division since the end of the Lewis/Klitschko era. He also looks to win by knockout. The only time he didn’t deliver on that he was given a pass because his opponent, Joseph Parker, decided after sampling AJ’s strength and power that he’d fight to survive more than to win. And Joshua, in somewhat of a surprise to many, was content to win with his powerful jab instead of putting himself at a little risk to keep his consecutive knockout streak intact.

Joshua is an easy target for Wilder and Fury to take shots at. They say he hasn’t fought anybody and is robotic and question his chin and toughness. And some of that has to do with him not carrying himself as if he were the baddest man on the planet the way that Mike Tyson carried himself. Yet Mike Tyson never got off the canvas to come back to win a fight, whereas Joshua got off the deck and rallied to stop the biggest two-handed puncher in the division in the biggest fight of his career. Too often fighters with a soft demeanor like Joshua aren’t taken as seriously as they should be, something both Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler found out when they mixed with Sugar Ray Leonard, and don’t be surprised if the winner of Wilder-Fury finds out the same thing about AJ when they finally face him.

Fury likes to say he handled Klitschko easier than Joshua did as a way of tweaking AJ while elevating himself. Well in a sense that’s true, but every heavyweight contender in the world would rather have defeated Klitschko in the manner in which Joshua did as opposed to the manner that Fury did. And if you asked Klitschko which setback bothers him more, it wouldn’t take him long to expound on how the Fury loss is more difficult to accept. And that’s because he sold Fury short before the fight and when it was over he didn’t feel as though he were defeated as in out-manned, but handcuffed by an awkward style.

Not so with Joshua. Wladimir was driven to win going into the Joshua fight and they fought and didn’t play hit, hold and move the way Fury fought him. In addition, he hit AJ with his money punch, his right cross to the chin, and dropped him. Only Joshua got up and eventually overwhelmed Wladimir with his boxing skill and power. Klitschko probably dreams in his sleep about tagging Fury with the same bomb he did AJ. The reality is Fury didn’t beat Klitschko up; he basically prevented Wlad from beating him up. And he also was dropped by the biggest shot he ever took and that was from a cruiserweight, Steve Cunningham, so he can’t boast his durability is stouter than AJ’s.

Wilder also likes to insinuate Joshua is a little chinny, yet he was dropped in his 13th bout against Harold Sconiers who retired 18-27-2 (the video has been conveniently scrubbed from the internet). In Wilder’s last bout against Luis Ortiz, he was out-boxed for six of nine rounds and was much closer to being on his way out at the end of the seventh round than Joshua has ever been during his career. And often after Wilder fights, the next day social media is flooded with videos and memes mocking his style and his poor technique. I’ve yet to see one mocking Anthony Joshua’s boxing ability or technique.

Joshua isn’t the perfect fighter, nor is he a finished product the way Wilder and Fury are. They’ve hit their ceiling but Joshua hasn’t, and even at that he’s made more money than the two of them combined and doesn’t need either to continue raking it in. Also, Joshua hasn’t ducked anybody (nor has Wilder or Fury). AJ has already stopped Dillian Whyte, considered a top five contender at this time and next month is facing Alexander Povetkin, who ranks above every heavyweight in the world excluding Joshua and Wilder, and whose only setback was to Wladimir Klitschko, that coming in the midst of Wlad’s 10-year unbeaten streak. So the thought AJ hasn’t faced stern opposition is a myth.

All due props to Wilder and Fury for agreeing to meet later this year. They’re both taking a huge risk, but that’s because they want Joshua but need an injection of credibility and marketability to aide them at the negotiation table when Team Joshua is sitting across from them…which is somewhat amazing being that both Wilder and Fury turned pro in 2008 and AJ didn’t make his debut until 2013.

Yes, the Wider and Fury theatrics have been a nice diversion from the food fight Canelo and GGG are having via the media what seems like every day. Wilder may lack form and his delivery leaves something to be desired, but he is fearless and always in great condition and maybe the best thing to say for him is he has no trepidation letting his hands go, especially with the fight teetering in the balance. And with Wladimir Klitschko retired, Wilder houses the biggest one punch equalizer in the division.

In regards to Fury, he’s done a great job getting back in shape and shedding 95 percent of the weight he put on during his 31-month exile. Tyson has a good boxing mind and is on the verge of regaining his form and speed of 2014 and he’s also calculating and difficult to contend with strategically.

As to whether or not either or both could beat Joshua, there’s only one way to find out. The only given until Joshua loses or is defeated by either Wilder or Fury is that he’s the star fighter and the one to beat if you’re a heavyweight. And if he beats the Wilder/Fury winner, he’ll clearly represent the future of the division and perhaps all of boxing. Theatrics along with the WBC or lineal title won’t close the gap. And if the winner between Wilder and Fury struggles or isn’t impressive, they’ll have gained virtually nothing by facing each other, especially if Joshua dispenses with Povetkin in an impressive way next month.

Frank Lotierzo can be reached at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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Skylar Lacy Blocked for Lamar Jackson before Making his Mark in Boxing

Published

3 days ago

January 19, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Skylar-Lacy-Blocked-for-Lamar-Jackson-Before-Making-his-Mark-in-Boxing

Skylar Lacy, a six-foot-seven heavyweight, returns to the ring on Sunday, Feb. 2, opposing Brandon Moore on a card in Flint, Michigan, airing worldwide on DAZN.

As this is being written, the bookmakers hadn’t yet posted a line on the bout, but one couldn’t be accused of false coloring by calling the 10-round contest a 50/50 fight. And if his frustrating history is any guide, Lacy will have another draw appended to his record or come out on the wrong side of a split decision.

This should not be construed as a tip to wager on Moore. “Close fights just don’t seem to go my way,” says the boxer who played alongside future multi-year NFL MVP Lamar Jackson at the University of Louisville.

A 2021 National Golden Gloves champion, Skylar Lacy came up short in his final amateur bout, losing a split decision to future U.S. Olympian Joshua Edwards. His last Team Combat League assignment resulted in another loss by split decision and he was held to a draw in both instances when stepping up in class as a pro. “In my mind, I’m still undefeated,” says Lacy (8-0-2, 6 KOs). “No one has ever kicked my ass.”

Lacy was the B-side in both of those draws, the first coming in a 6-rounder against Top Rank fighter Antonio Mireles on a Top Rank show in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and the second in an 8-rounder against George Arias, a Lou DiBella fighter on a DiBella-promoted card in Philadelphia.

Lacy had the Mireles fight in hand when he faded in the homestretch. The altitude was a factor. Lake Tahoe, Nevada (officially Stateline) sits 6,225 feet above sea level. The fight with Arias took an opposite tack. Lacy came on strong after a slow start to stave off defeat.

Skylar will be the B-side once again in Michigan. The card’s promoter, former world title challenger Dmitriy Salita, inked Brandon Moore (16-1, 10 KOs) in January. “A capable American heavyweight with charisma, athleticism and skills is rare in today’s day and age. Brandon has got all these ingredients…”, said Salita in the press release announcing the signing. (Salita has an option on Skylar Lacy’s next pro fight in the event that Skylar should win, but the promoter has a larger investment in Moore who was previously signed to Top Rank, a multi-fight deal that evaporated after only one fight.)

Both Lacy and Moore excelled in other sports. The six-foot-six Moore was an outstanding basketball player in high school in Fort Lauderdale and at the NAIA level in college. Lacy was an all-state football lineman in Indiana before going on to the University of Louisville where he started as an offensive guard as a redshirt sophomore, blocking for freshman phenom Lamar Jackson. “Lamar was hard-working and humble,” says Lacy about the player who is now one of the world’s highest-paid professional athletes.

When Lacy committed to Louisville, the head coach was Charlie Strong who went on to become the head coach at the University of Texas. Lacy was never comfortable with Strong’s successor Bobby Petrino and transferred to San Jose State. Having earned his degree in only three years (a BA in communications) he was eligible immediately but never played a down because of injuries.

Returning to Indianapolis where he was raised by his truck dispatcher father, a single parent, Lacy gravitated to Pat McPherson’s IBG (Indy Boxing and Grappling) Gym on the city’s east side where he was the rare college graduate pounding the bags alongside at-risk kids from the city’s poorer neighborhoods.

Lacy built a 12-6 record across his two seasons in Team Combat League while representing the Las Vegas Hustle (2023) and the Boston Butchers (2024).

For the uninitiated, a Team Combat League (TCL) event typically consists of 24 fights, each consisting of one three-minute round. The concept finds no favor with traditionalists, but Lacy is a fan. It’s an incentive for professional boxers to keep in shape between bouts without disturbing their professional record and, notes Lacy, it’s useful in exposing a competitor to different styles.

“It paid the bills and kept me from just sitting around the house,” says Lacy whose 12-6 record was forged against 13 different opponents.

As a sparring partner, Lacy has shared the ring with some of the top heavyweights of his generation, e.g., Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. He was one of Fury’s regular sparring partners during the Gypsy King’s trilogy with Deontay Wilder. He worked with Joshua at Derrick James’ gym in Dallas and at Ben Davison’s gym in England, helping Joshua prepare for his date in Saudi Arabia with Francis Ngannou and had previously sparred with Ngannou at the UFC Performance Center in Las Vegas. Skylar names traveling to new places as one of his hobbies and he got to scratch that itch when he joined Whyte’s camp in Portugal.

As to the hardest puncher he ever faced, he has no hesitation: “Ngannou,” he says. “I negotiated a nice price to spend a week in his camp and the first time he hit me I knew I should have asked for more.”

Lacy is confident that having shared the ring with some of the sport’s elite heavyweights will get him over the hump in what will be his first 10-rounder (Brandon Moore has never had to fight beyond eight rounds, having won his three 10-rounders inside the distance). Lacy vs. Moore is the co-feature to Claressa Shields’ homecoming fight with Danielle Perkins. Shields, basking in the favorable reviews accorded the big-screen biopic based on her first Olympic journey (“The Fire Inside”) will attempt to capture a title in yet another weight class at the expense of the 42-year-old Perkins, a former professional basketball player.

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Mizuki Hiruta Dominates in her U.S. Debut and Omar Trinidad Wins Too at Commerce

Published

5 days ago

January 18, 2025

David A. Avila

Mizuki-Hiruta-Dominates-in-her-U.S.-Debut-and-Trinidad-Wins-Too-at-Commerce

Japan’s Mizuki Hiruta smashed through Mexico’s Maribel Ramirez with ease in winning by technical decision and local hero Omar Trinidad continued his assault on the featherweight division on Friday.

Hiruta (7-0, 2 KOs), who prefers to be called “Mimi,” made her American debut with an impressive performance against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez (15-11-4) and retained the WBO super flyweight world title by unanimous decision at Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.

The pink-haired Japanese southpaw champion quickly proved to be quicker, stronger and even better than advertised. In the opening round Ramirez landed on the floor twice after throwing errant blows. On one instance, it could have been ruled a knockdown but it was not a convincing blow.

In the second round, Ramirez again attacked and again was met with a Hiruta check right hook and down went the Mexican. This time referee Ray Corona gave the eight-count and the fight resumed.

It was Hiruta’s third title defense but this time it was on American soil. She seemed nervous by the prospect of getting a favorable review from the more than 700 fans inside the casino tent.

For more than a year Hiruta has been training off and on with Manny Robles in the L.A. area. Now that she has a visa, she has spent considerable time this year learning the tricks of the trade. They proved explosively effective.

Though Mexico City’s Ramirez has considerable experience against world champions, she discovered that Hiruta was not easy to hit. Often, the Japanese champion would slip and counter with precision.

It was an impressive American debut, though the fight was stopped in the eighth round after a collision of heads. The scores were tallied and all three saw Hiruta the winner by scores of 80-71 twice and 79-72.

“I’m so happy. I could have done much more,” said Hiruta through interpreter Yuriko Miyata. “I wanted to do more things that Manny Robles taught me.”

Trinidad Wins Too

Omar Trinidad (18-0-1, 13 KOs) discovered that challenger Mike Plania (31-5, 18 KOs) has a very good chin and staying power. But over 10 rounds Trinidad proved to be too fast and too busy for the Filipino challenger.

Immediately it was evident that the East L.A. featherweight was too quick and too busy for Plania who preferred a counter-puncher attack that never worked.

“He was strong,” said Trinidad. “He took everything.”

After 10 redundant rounds all three judges scored for Trinidad 100-90 twice and 99-91. He retains the WBC Continental Americas title.

Other Bouts

Ali Akhmedov (23-1, 17 KOs) blasted out Malcolm Jones (17-5-1) in less than two rounds. A dozen punches by Akhmedov forced referee Thomas Taylor to stop the super middleweight fight.

Iyana “Roxy” Verduzco (3-0) bloodied Lindsey Ellis in the first round and continued the speedy assault in the next two rounds. Referee Ray Corona saw enough and stopped the fight in favor of Verduzco at 1:34 of the third round.

Gloria Munguilla (7-1) and Brook Sibrian (5-2) lit up the boxing ring with a nonstop clash for eight rounds in their light flyweight fight. Munguilla proved effective with a slip-and-counter attack. Sibrian adjusted and made the fight closer in the last four rounds but all three judges favored Munguilla.

More Winners

Joshua Anton, Tayden Beltran, Adan Palma, and Alexander Gueche all won their bouts.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 309: 360 Promotions Opens with Trinidad, Mizuki and More

Published

6 days ago

January 16, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 309: 360 Promotions Opens with Trinidad, Mizuki and More

Best wishes to the survivors of the Los Angeles wildfires that took place last week and are still ongoing in small locales.

Most of the heavy damage took place in the western part of L.A. near the ocean due to Santa Ana winds. Another very hot spot was in Altadena just north of the Rose Bowl. It was a horrific tragedy.

Hopefully the worst is over.

Pro boxing returns with 360 Boxing Promotions spotlighting East L.A.’s Omar Trinidad (17-0-1, 13 KOs) defending a regional featherweight title against Mike Plania (31-4, 18 KOs) on Friday, Jan. 17, at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.

“I’m the king of L.A. boxing and I’ll be ready to put on a show headlining again in the main event. This is my year, I’m ready to challenge and defeat any of the featherweight world champions,” said Trinidad.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the Hollywood Night fight card that includes a female world championship fight and other intriguing match-ups.

Tom Loeffler heads 360 Promotions and once again comes full force with a hot prospect in Trinidad. If you’re not familiar with Loeffler’s history of success, he introduced America to Oleksandr Usyk, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and the brothers Wladimir and Vitaly Kltischko.

“We’ve got a wealth of international talent and local favorites to kick off our 2025 in grand style,” said Loeffler.

He knows talent.

Trinidad hails from the Boyle Heights area of East L.A. near the Los Angeles riverbed. Several fighters from the past came from that exact area including the first Golden Boy, Art Aragon.

Aragon was a huge gate attraction during the late 1940s until 1960. He was known as a lady’s man and dated several Hollywood starlets in his time. Though he never won a world title he did fight world champions Carmen Basilio, Jimmy Carter and Lauro Salas. He was more or less the king of the Olympic Auditorium and Los Angeles boxing during his career.

Other famous boxers from the Boyle Heights area were notorious gangster Mickey Cohen and former world champion Joey Olivo.

Can Trinidad reach world title status?

Facing Trinidad will be Filipino fighter Plania who’s knocked off a couple of prospects during his career including Joshua “Don’t Blink” Greer and Giovanni Gutierrez. The fighter from General Santos in the Philippines can crack and hold his own in the boxing ring.

It’s a very strong fight card and includes WBO world titlist Mizuki Hiruta of Japan who defends the super flyweight title against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez. It’s a tough matchup for Hiruta who makes her American debut. You can’t miss her with that pink hair and she has all the physical tools to make a splash in this country.

Mizukii Hiruta

Two other female bouts are also planned, including light flyweight banger L.A.’s Gloria Munguilla (6-1) against Coachella’s Brook Sibrian (5-1) in a match set for six rounds. Both are talented fighters. Another female fight includes super featherweights Iyana “Right Hook Roxy” Verduzco (2-0) versus Lindsey Ellis (2-1) in another six-rounder. Ellis can crack with all her wins coming via knockout. Verduzco is a multi-national titlist as an amateur.

Others scheduled to perform are Ali Akhmedov, Joshua Anton, Adan Palma and more.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

Boxing and the Media

The sport of professional boxing is currently in flux. It’s always in flux but no matter what people may say or write, boxing will survive.

Whether you like Jake Paul or not, he proved boxing has worldwide appeal with monstrous success in his last show. He has media companies looking at the numbers and imagining what they can do with the sport.

Sure, UFC is negotiating a massive billion dollar deal with media companies, as is WWE, both are very similar in that they provide combat entertainment. You don’t need to know the champions because they really don’t matter. Its about the attractions.

Boxing is different. The good champions last and build a following that endures even beyond their careers a la Mike Tyson.

MMA can’t provide that longevity, but it does provide entertainment.

Currently, there is talk of establishing a boxing league again. It’s been done over and over but we shall see if it sticks this time.

Pro boxing is the true warrior’s path and that means a solo adventure. It’s a one-on-one sport and that appeals to people everywhere. It’s the oldest sport that can be traced to prehistoric times. You don’t need classes in Brazilian Jiujitsu, judo, kick boxing or wrestling. Just show up in a boxing gym and they can put you to work.

It’s a poor person’s path that can lead to better things and most importantly discipline.

Photos credit: Lina Baker

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