2018 Awards Rush: Some Worthy Candidates Too Late to Join Party

Published

6 years ago

December 25, 2018

There was a commercial for a particular brand of coffee that once advised the public that its brewed product was “good to the last drop.”

And so it is with the overseers of many boxing publications and web sites, who, best intentions aside, might now seem oblivious to the fact that the Chicago Tribune, in its haste to be first at the possible expense of being right, infamously printed the front-page headline that “Dewey Defeats Truman” in its Nov. 3, 1948, editions. Oops, Harry S Truman, not Thomas Dewey, actually won that presidential election when all of the nation’s votes were counted.

The Tribune’s legendary rush to judgment, alas, has been repeated or at least hinted at in years since, reinforcing the late Spanish philosopher and essayist George Santayana’s sage observation that those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. On July 6, 2004, the New York Post, based on supposedly unimpeachable sources, “beat” all other news outlets when it ran a front-page headline advising readers that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry had chosen Missouri Congressman Richard Gephardt to be his running mate. But as is the case in Aesop’s Fables, in which the slow and steady tortoise finds a way to beat the hare to the finish line, some races do not go to the swift; the following day the Post sheepishly joined all those smug stragglers in revealing that Kerry’s actual pick was North Carolina Senator John Edwards.

The far-flung events of Dec. 22, in boxing rings in America and the United Kingdom, again demonstrated that a calendar year consists of 365 days, not 355, and it might be best not to make any announcements until all the precincts have reported and the New Year is ushered in by that big ball dropping in Times Square at the stroke of midnight.

In keeping with tradition that might now need to be reconsidered, the Boxing Writers Association of America, which I once served as president and continue to serve as awards chairman, held separate business meetings in Los Angeles and New York in December in which nominations for the BWAA’s annual awards were submitted by members in attendance. The votes from both meetings are the basis for formulating final ballots in each of the categories. For what it’s worth, there is a time imperative to start the ball rolling some weeks before the end of the year, the better to begin the process of collecting the votes of eligible electors, announcing the winners and, in the BWAA’s case, arranging for said winners to attend the BWAA Awards Dinner, the date and site of which usually have not been determined that far in advance. Some awards require significant lead time to prepare.

The Sweet Science also has its “Best of” awards in any given year, as do ESPN, The Ring and any number of other media outlets that don’t want somebody else, or several somebodies, to jump to the front of the line. It’s understandable, and it explains why, on election night, major news networks project certain candidates to be winners even if small percentages of the votes have been tabulated. Usain Bolt might not have won all those Olympic gold medals if other sprinters were allowed to get away with false starts. And, far more often than not, getting there first often is still the correct call.

But Dec. 22 proved that the current system employed by many media outlets is not infallible. TSS’ choice for Knockout of the Year, 21-year-old lightweight Teofimo Lopez’s first-round knockout of Mason Menard on Dec. 8, was posted on this site on Dec. 20 and under normal circumstances might be considered a no-brainer. Lopez’s overhand right landed with such concussive force that Menard was out cold before he plunged on the canvas in the first round, a kayo so emphatic that it reinforced Lopez’s burgeoning reputation as a big hitter and star-in-the-making. Only two weeks later, however, highly regarded heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte, who had traded bombs with Dereck Chisora from the opening bell, delivered a turn-out-the-lights left hook in the 11^th round in London that sent Chisora sprawling onto his back, every bit as knocked out as Menard had been.

As exclamation-point finishes go, there might not be much to choose between Lopez’s crushing of Menard and Whyte’s wipeout of a very game Chisora. But consider this: Whyte trailed, 95-94, on two of the three official scorecards at the time he landed that haymaker of a hook (Chisora was ahead by the same margin on the other card), and with the victory he might have vaulted ahead of Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller as the next opponent to be faced by IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on April 13 in London’s Wembley Stadium. Given the possible implications of a Joshua-Whyte rematch – Joshua stopped Whyte in a dandy fight for the vacant British heavyweight title on Dec. 12, 2015 – would that have been enough to have slid Whyte-Chisora II (another rematch of an exciting original) in ahead of Lopez-Menard? It’s a moot point now, but worth considering.

Nor is Whyte-Chisora II a candidate for BWAA Fight of the Year, which most might assume would have been the case if that ballot had not been finalized beforehand. TSS’ pick for Fight of the Year, the Gennady Golovkin-Canelo Alvarez rematch, is a reasonable enough choice, and that hugely consequential clash for middleweight supremacy likely will go head-to-head for the designation from the BWAA with the epic Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury draw and Jarrett Hurd’s rousing, split decision over Erislandy Lara in their super welterweight unification showdown.

At least Wilder-Fury has a chance at being voted BWAA Fight of the Year. For the fighters themselves, mere participation in such a classic apparently doesn’t count for much, as is often the case when draws are involved. Although attendees at both BWAA business meetings, which took place prior to Wilder-Fury, nominated the winner for a place on the Fighter of the Year ballot, there was no winner, although backers of each man have their own thoughts about that. If nothing else, Wilder-Fury I – there has to be a do-over soon, right? – proved that it is possible to not only have an individual or a team lose on a tie, but for both parties to do so.

At least TSS’ Upset of the Year – Eleider Alvarez’s seventh-round knockout of favored WBO light heavyweight titlist Sergey Kovalev – left no doubt as to whom the winner was, or deserved to be. Were it not for the way that fight ended, Tony Harrison’s disputed unanimous- decision dethronement of WBC super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo, also on Dec. 22, and in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, might have entered into the discussion.

No system for determining, well, anything is flawless. There isn’t always enough time to do a job perfectly, no matter how much we might wish to, not with budget restrictions and deadline pressure complicating the process. On Dec. 22, a day that might have altered at least some people’s perception of a couple of End-of-Year awards, 96.98 percent of the year’s boxing business already had been concluded. It might not seem like there was much time to squeeze in a very late surprise here or there, but it left a heck of a lot more room for revision than is given to anyone who purchases a Powerball Lottery ticket.

But someone occasionally wins the big Powerball prize, and maybe even will do so when the numbered ping pong balls come up again on Dec. 26. A hopeful ticket holder could learn that his longest of long shot dreams have come true the day after Christmas, but so what? Like they say, better late than never.

Bernard Fernandez is the retired boxing writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. He is a five-term former president of the Boxing Writers Association of America, an inductee into the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Atlantic City Boxing Halls of Fame and the recipient of the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism and the Barney Nagler Award for Long and Meritorious Service to Boxing.

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Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh

Published

1 day ago

December 21, 2024

Arne K. Lang

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.

Photo (c): Mark Robinson

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 10^th 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.

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Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Fury-Usyk-Reignated-Can-the-Gypsy-King-Avenge-His-Londe-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.

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Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Arne K. Lang

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Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year

The Dec. 14 fight at Tijuana between Jaime Munguia and Bruno Surace was conceived as a stay-busy fight for Munguia. The scuttlebutt was that Munguia’s promoters, Zanfer and Top Rank, wanted him to have another fight under his belt before thrusting him against Christian Mbilli in a WBC eliminator with the prize for the winner (in theory) a date with Canelo Alvarez.

Munguia came to the fore in May of 2018 at Verona, New York, when he demolished former U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali, conqueror of Miguel Cotto. That earned him the WBO super welterweight title which he successfully defended five times.

Munguia kept winning as he moved up in weight to middleweight and then super middleweight and brought a 43-0 (34) record into his Cinco de Mayo 2024 match with Canelo.

Jaime went the distance with Alvarez and had a few good moments while losing a unanimous decision. He rebounded with a 10th-round stoppage of Canada’s previously undefeated Erik Bazinyan.

There was little reason to think that Munguia would overlook Surace as the Mexican would be fighting in his hometown for the first time since February of 2022 and would want to send the home folks home happy. Moreover, even if Munguia had an off-night, there was no reason to think that the obscure Surace could capitalize. A Frenchman who had never fought outside France, Surace brought a 25-0-2 record and a 22-fight winning streak, but he had only four knockouts to his credit and only eight of his wins had come against opponents with winning records.

It appeared that Munguia would close the show early when he sent the Frenchman to the canvas in the second round with a big left hook. From that point on, Surace fought mostly off his back foot, throwing punches in spurts, whereas the busier Munguia concentrated on chopping him down with body punches. But Surace absorbed those punches well and at the midway point of the fight, behind on the cards but nonplussed, it now looked as if the bout would go the full 10 rounds with Munguia winning a lopsided decision.

Then lightning struck. Out of the blue, Surace connected with an overhand right to the jaw. Munguia went down flat on his back. He rose a fraction-of-a second before the count reached “10,”, but stumbled as he pulled himself upright. His eyes were glazed and referee Juan Jose Ramirez, a local man, waived it off. There was no protest coming from Munguia or his cornermen. The official time was 2:36 of round six.

At major bookmaking establishments, Jaime Munguia was as high as a 35/1 favorite. No world title was at stake, yet this was an upset for the ages.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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