Featured Articles
Intriguing Fights in Croatia and Australia Enliven a Strong Boxing Weekend
The first weekend of September was a soft weekend for the sweet science, but things will heat up in a hurry. There are several major events
The first weekend of September was a soft weekend for the sweet science, but things will heat up in a hurry. There are several major events on tap this coming Saturday, Sept. 8, including a big welterweight showdown in Brooklyn between Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter, a tussle that will almost certainly be a crowd-pleaser. On the opposite coast, promoter Tom Loeffler unveils the third edition of his “Superfly” series and across the pond in Birmingham, Amir Khan, a big star in England, continues his march toward a hoped-for encounter with Manny Pacquaio with Samuel Vargas in the opposite corner. Vargas resides in Canada, as did Khan’s last opponent, Phil Lo Greco, who lasted all of 39 seconds.
Fight cards of lesser import in Croatia and Australia also warrant our attention. Both feature intriguing prospects who are taking a big jump up in class.
In Zagreb, Croatia, Filip Hrgovic (5-0, 4 KOs) makes his maiden appearance as a pro in his hometown, taking on Amir Mansour. A 2016 Olympian (he lost a narrow decision in the semis to eventual gold medalist Tony Yoka, a man he had previously defeated), the 6-foot-6, 230 pound (or thereabouts) Hrgovic comes well-touted by no less an authority than Matt McGrain.
“He moves as well as any man of his size I can remember,” said McGrain after watching Hrgovic take apart Tom Little in Hrgovic’s third pro bout. McGrain subsequently wrote that Hrgovic brought from the amateur ranks “a delicious one-two right out of the pages of How To Box by Joe Louis” and that he could have a brilliant career if he tightens up his defense.
Ay, there’s the rub (maybe). As a pro, Hrgovic has answered the bell for only 18 rounds. Could he have tightened up his defense enough in that short time to stave off a fighter as formidable as Amir Mansour (pictured on the right against Travis Kauffman)?
The first thing you need to know about Mansour, a southpaw, is that he is 46 years old. Although this reporter normally cringes at the thought of a man of Mansour’s vintage taking punches, I’m inclined to give Mansour (23-2-1, 16 KOs) a pass as he hasn’t taken much damage and he’s one rough customer.
Mansour, born Lavern Moorer, turned pro in 1997 age twenty-four. He had a reason for starting his career so late; he was in prison. After winning his first nine bouts, he was sent back to prison and served a longer stretch, resuming his career in 2010 after a nine-year absence. In 2012, another recess, this dictated by a parole violation – a gun and drugs were found in a house he shared with another felon – caused him to miss all of 2012.
When a fighter of Mansour’s description – i.e. a fighter with a good record, but generally thought of as a journeyman – goes overseas to meet a hot prospect in a hostile setting, strange things often happen. For example, the bout may end early because the visitor incurs an injury, a phantom injury by all appearances. But I seriously doubt this bout will take this tack. For one thing, Mansour, who took this fight on short notice, is hungry after squandering away the best years of his career. For another, he’s accustomed to fighting in hostile environments and has never mailed in a halfhearted effort. A case in point was his March of 2017 fight in Reading, Pennsylvania, with rugged but limited Travis Kauffman. Mansour wasn’t supposed to win that bout. Kauffman, who came in riding a 14-fight unbeaten streak, was fighting in his hometown on a show promoted by his father. But Mansour never stopped grinding and he walked away with a well-earned majority decision.
Mansour has twice failed to last the distance, but in both cases there were extenuating circumstances. Against Dominic Breazeale, he was forced to retire after five rounds after nearly biting off his tongue in the second stanza. He lost a copious amount of blood. His most recent fight, against 11-0 Sergey Kuzmin in Moscow, was called off in the third round by the ringside physician after both fighters suffered bad cuts after an accidental clash of heads. Prior to pulling out against Breazeale, Mansour had won every round. And he started off fast against Kuzmin.
It pains Mansour that two of his former opponents, Breazeale and Gerald Washington, used him as a steppingstone to a title fight with Deontay Wilder. Mansour fought Washington to a draw at a small casino in Shelton, Washington. The decision wasn’t malodorous, but neither was it popular. The attendees booed the score submitted by visiting Nevada judge Adalaide Byrd who had it 97-93 for Washington.
This is not a fight that I would bet. But if I were Filip Hrgovic’s manager, this is not a fight that I would take.
Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Bendigo, a city of about 95,000 approximately 100 miles from Melbourne, is an apt location for a prizefight. The city is named for Bendigo Creek which, lore has it, was named for the great 19th century bare-knuckle bruiser turned traveling evangelist William “Bendigo” Thompson.
The main go finds Andrew Moloney (17-0, 10 KOs) moving up in class to take on Panama’s Luis Concepcion (37-6, 26 KOs), a former two-time 115-pound world champion. Moloney, who won gold in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, will be risking his regional super flyweight title in a match scheduled for 10 rounds.
Moloney and his twin brother Jason, a bantamweight with an identical record, are hot commodities in the land down under. Andrew’s trainer Angelo Hyder describes him as a young Manny Pacquiao.
In the co-main, rising junior middleweight Tim Tszyu (10-0, 8 KOs) opposes Marcos Jesus Cornejo (19-3, 18 KOs), a 37-year-old Argentine. Hopefully Cornejo will render a better effort than Tsyzu’s last opponent, Indonesia’s Stevie Ferdinandus, who went down for the count in the opening round from a punch that carried the force of a mild breeze.
Reports on the 23-year-old Tszyu are very favorable. If he turns out to be as good as his dad, he would really be something. The great Kostya Tszyu was ushered into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011.
Yes, the Porter-Garcia collision in Brooklyn on SHOWTIME is the juiciest bill of fare on next Saturday’s deep menu. It’s a fight I wouldn’t miss for the world. But the fights in Croatia and Australia also merit our attention.
Photo credit: Ryan Greene / Premier Boxing Champions
Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel
Featured Articles
Lucas Bahdi Forged the TSS 2024 Knockout of the Year
A Knockout of the Year doesn’t have to be a one-punch knockout, but it must arrive with the suddenness of a thunderclap on a clear day and the punch or punches must be so harsh as to obviate the need for a “10-count.” And, if rendered by an underdog, that makes the KO resonate more loudly.
Within these parameters, Lucas Bahdi’s knockout of Ashton “H2O” Sylva still jumped off the page. The thunderclap happened on July 20 in Tampa, Florida, on a show promoted by Jake Paul with Paul and the great Amanda Serrano sharing the bill against soft opponents in the featured bouts.
The 30-year-old Bahdi (16-0, 14 KOs) and the 20-year-old Sylva (11-0, 9 KOs) were both undefeated, but Bahdi was accorded scant chance of defeating Jake Paul’s house fighter.
Sylva was 18 years old and had seven pro fights under his belt, winning all inside the distance, when he signed with Paul’s company, Most Valuable Promotions, in 2022. “We believe that Ashton has that talent, that flashiness, that style, that knockout power, that charisma to really be a massive, massive, superstar…” said the “Problem Child” when announcing that Sylva had signed with his company.
Jake Paul was so confident that his protege would accomplish big things that he matched Sylva with Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield. Currently 18-0 and ranked #2 by the WBA, Schofield was further along than Sylva in the pantheon of hot lightweight prospects. But Schofield backed out, alleging an injury, opening the door to a substitute.
Enter Lucas Bahdi who despite his eye-catching record was a virtual unknown. This would be his first outing on U.S. soil. All of his previous bouts were staged in Mexico or in Canada, mostly in his native Ontario province. “My opponent may have changed,” said Sylva who hails from Long Beach, California, “but the result will be the same, I will get the W and continue my path to greatness.”
The first five rounds were all Sylva. The Canadian had no antidote for Sylva’s speed and quickness. He was outclassed.
Then, in round six, it all came unglued for the precocious California. Out of the blue, Bahdi stiffened him with a hard right hand. Another right quickly followed, knocking Sylva unconscious. A third punch, a sweeping left, was superfluous. Jake Paul’s phenom was already out cold.
Sylva landed face-first on the canvas. He lay still as his handlers and medics rushed to his aid. It was scarifying. “May God restore him,” said ring announcer Joe Martinez as he was being stretchered out of the ring.
The good news is that Ashton “H2O” Silva will be able to resume his career. He is expected back in the ring as early as February. As for Lucas Bahdi, architect of the Knockout of the Year, he has added one more win to his ledger, winning a 10-round decision on the undercard of the Paul vs Tyson spectacle, and we will presumably be hearing a lot more about him.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Oleksandr Usyk left no doubt that he is the best heavyweight of his generation and one of the greatest boxers of all time with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury tonight at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But although the Ukrainian won eight rounds on all three scorecards, this was no runaway. To pirate a line from one of the DAZN talking heads, Fury had his moments in every round but Usyk had more moments.
The early rounds were fought at a faster pace than the first meeting back in May. At the mid-point, the fight was even. The next three rounds – the next five to some observers – were all Usyk who threw more punches and landed the cleaner shots.
Fury won the final round in the eyes of this reporter scoring at home, but by then he needed a knockout to pull the match out of the fire.
The last round was an outstanding climax to an entertaining chess match during which both fighters took turns being the pursuer and the pursued.
An Olympic gold medalist and a unified world champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight, the amazing Usyk improved his ledger to 23-0 (14). His next fight, more than likely, will come against the winner of the Feb. 22 match in Ridayh between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker which will share the bill with the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Fury (34-2-1) may fight Anthony Joshua next. Regardless, no one wants a piece of Moses Itauma right now although the kid is only 19 years old.
Moses Itauma
Raised in London by a Nigerian father and a Slovakian mother, Itauma turned heads once again with another “wow” performance. None of his last seven opponents lasted beyond the second round.
His opponent tonight, 34-year-old Australian Demsey McKean, lasted less than two minutes. Itauma, a southpaw with blazing fast hands, had the Aussie on the deck twice during the 117-second skirmish. The first knockdown was the result of a cuffing punch that landed high on the head; the second knockdown was produced by an overhand left. McKean went down hard as his chief cornerman bounded on to the ring apron to halt the massacre.
Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs after going 20-0 as an amateur) is the real deal. It was the second straight loss for McKean (22-2) who lasted into the 10th round against Filip Hrgovic in his last start.
Bohachuk-Davis
In a fight billed as the co-main although it preceded Itauma-McKean, Serhii Bohachuk, an LA-based Ukrainian, stopped Ishmael Davis whose corner pulled him out after six frames.
Both fighters were coming off a loss in fights that were close on the scorecards, Bohachuk falling to Vergil Ortiz Jr in a Las Vegas barnburner and Davis losing to Josh Kelly.
Davis, who took the fight on short notice, subbing for Ismail Madrimov, declined to 13-2. He landed a few good shots but was on the canvas in the second round, compliments of a short left hook, and the relentless Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KOs) eventually wore him down.
Fisher-Allen
In a messy, 10-round bar brawl masquerading as a boxing match, Johnny Fisher, the Romford Bull, won a split decision over British countryman David Allen. Two judges favored Fisher by 95-94 tallies with the dissenter favoring Allen 96-93. When the scores were announced, there was a chorus of boos and those watching at home were outraged.
Allen was a step up in class for Fisher. The Doncaster man had a decent record (23-5-2 heading in) and had been routinely matched tough (his former opponents included Dillian Whyte, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz and three former Olympians). But Allen was fairly considered no more than a journeyman and Fisher (12-0 with 11 KOs, eight in the opening round) was a huge favorite.
In round five, Allen had Fisher on the canvas twice although only one was ruled a true knockdown. From that point, he landed the harder shots and, at the final bell, he fell to canvas shedding tears of joy, convinced that he had won.
He did not win, but he exposed Johnny Fisher as a fighter too slow to compete with elite heavyweights, a British version of the ponderous Russian-Canadian campaigner Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Other Bouts of Note
In a spirited 10-round featherweight match, Scotland’s Lee McGregor, a former European bantamweight champion and stablemate of former unified 140-pound title-holder Josh Taylor, advanced to 15-1-1 (11) with a unanimous decision over Isaac Lowe (25-3-3). The judges had it 96-92 and 97-91 twice.
A cousin and regular houseguest of Tyson Fury, Lowe fought most of the fight with cuts around both eyes and was twice deducted a point for losing his gumshield.
In a fight between super featherweights that could have gone either way, Liverpool southpaw Peter McGrail improved to 11-1 (6) with a 10-round unanimous decision over late sub Rhys Edwards. The judges had it 96-95 and 96-94 twice.
McGrail, a Tokyo Olympian and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, fought from the third round on with a cut above his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads. It was the first loss for Edwards (16-1), a 24-year-old Welshman who has another fight booked in three weeks.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?
Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?
In professional boxing, the heavyweight division, going back to the days of John L. Sullivan, is the straw that stirs the drink. By this measure, the fight on May 18 of this year at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was the biggest prizefight in decades. The winner would emerge as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 when Lennox Lewis out-pointed Evander Holyfield in their second meeting.
The match did not disappoint. It had several twists and turns.
Usyk did well in the early rounds, but the Gypsy King rattled Usyk with a harsh right hand in the fifth stanza and won rounds five through seven on all three cards. In the ninth, the match turned sharply in favor of the Ukrainian. Fury was saved by the bell after taking a barrage of unanswered punches, the last of which dictated a standing 8-count from referee Mark Nelson. But Fury weathered the storm and with his amazing powers of recuperation had a shade the best of it in the final stanza.
The decision was split: 115-112 and 114-113 for Usyk who became a unified champion in a second weight class; 114-113 for Fury.
That brings us to tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 21) where Usyk and Fury will renew acquaintances in the same ring where they had their May 18 showdown.
The first fight was a near “pick-‘em” affair with Fury closing a very short favorite at most of the major bookmaking establishments. The Gypsy King would have been a somewhat higher favorite if not for the fact that he was coming off a poor showing against MMA star Francis Ngannou and had a worrisome propensity for getting cut. (A cut above Fury’s right eye in sparring pushed back the fight from its original Feb. 11 date.)
Tomorrow’s sequel, bearing the tagline “Reignited,” finds Usyk a consensus 7/5 favorite although those odds could shorten by post time. (There was no discernible activity after today’s weigh-in where Fury, fully clothed, topped the scales at 281, an increase of 19 pounds over their first meeting.)
Given the politics of boxing, anything “undisputed” is fragile. In June, Usyk abandoned his IBF belt and the organization anointed Daniel Dubois their heavyweight champion based upon Dubois’s eighth-round stoppage of Filip Hrgovic in a bout billed for the IBF interim title. The malodorous WBA, a festering boil on the backside of boxing, now recognizes 43-year-old Kubrat Pulev as its “regular” heavyweight champion.
Another difference between tomorrow’s fight card and the first installment is that the May 18 affair had a much stronger undercard. Two strong pairings were the rematch between cruiserweights Jai Opetaia and Maris Briedis (Opetaia UD 12) and the heavyweight contest between unbeatens Agit Kabayal and Frank Sanchez (Kabayel KO 7).
Tomorrow’s semi-wind-up between Serhii Bohachuk and Ismail Madrimov lost luster when Madrimov came down with bronchitis and had to withdraw. The featherweight contest between Peter McGrail and Dennis McCann fell out when McCann’s VADA test returned an adverse finding. Bohachuk and McGrail remain on the card but against late-sub opponents in matches that are less intriguing.
The focal points of tomorrow’s undercard are the bouts involving undefeated British heavyweights Moses Itauma (10-0, 8 KOs) and Johnny Fisher (12-0, 11 KOs). Both are heavy favorites over their respective opponents but bear watching because they represent the next generation of heavyweight standouts. Fury and Usyk are getting long in the tooth. The Gypsy King is 36; Usyk turns 38 next month.
Bob Arum once said that nobody purchases a pay-per-view for the undercard and, years from now, no one will remember which sanctioning bodies had their fingers in the pie. So, Fury-Usyk II remains a very big deal, although a wee bit less compelling than their first go-around.
Will Tyson Fury avenge his lone defeat? Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and the unofficial czar of “major league” boxing, certainly hopes so. His Excellency has made known that he stands poised to manufacture a rubber match if Tyson prevails.
We could have already figured this out, but Alalshikh violated one of the protocols of boxing when he came flat out and said so. He effectively made Tyson Fury the “A-side,” no small potatoes considering that the most relevant variable on the checklist when handicapping a fight is, “Who does the promoter need?”
The Uzyk-Fury II fight card will air on DAZN with a suggested list price of $39.99 for U.S. fight fans. The main event is expected to start about 5:45 pm ET / 2:45 pm PT.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
-
Featured Articles1 week ago
A Shocker in Tijuana: Bruno Surace KOs Jaime Munguia !!
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
R.I.P Israel Vazquez who has Passed Away at age 46
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
Fighting on His Home Turf, Galal Yafai Pulverizes Sunny Edwards
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
The Noted Trainer Kevin Henry, Lucky to Be Alive, Reflects on Devin Haney and More
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Introducing Jaylan Phillips, Boxing’s Palindrome Man
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Avila Perspective, Chap. 306: Flyweight Rumble in England, Ryan Garcia in SoCal
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Cardoso, Nunez, and Akitsugi Bring Home the Bacon in Plant City
-
Featured Articles1 week ago
Results from the Chumash Casino where Akhmedov Gave a GGG-like Performance