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The Hauser Report: A Night at the Fights at Barclays Center

It’s an old story. A man has three or four mistresses, spreads himself thin, and tells each of the women that he loves her. Despite evidence to the contrary, each of the women believes that the man loves her best.
Right now, Al Haymon is romancing Showtime, Fox, Barclays Center, several other venues around the United States, and more than a hundred fighters. It’s an interesting balancing act that continued to unfold on the Showtime Championship Boxing card televised from Barclays Center on March 2.
In recent years, Barclays has established a credible boxing franchise, in large part by casting its lot with Haymon. On September 6, 2018, it announced that it had become “the official east coast venue” for Premier Boxing Champions (Haymon’s primary promotional vehicle) and the exclusive New York City venue for PBC fights. As part of the deal, Barclays will host a minimum of eight PBC fight cards per year.
Meanwhile, on December 14, 2018, it was announced that Brett Yormark (CEO for BSE Global, which oversees Barclays Center) would head an advisory board devoted to “PBC marketing, branding, and growth initiatives.”
But in recent months, Barclays hasn’t hosted the kind of match-ups that boxing fans have come to expect. One year ago – on March 3, 2018 – an excited crowd saw Luis Ortiz do battle against Deontay Wilder. On Saturday night, Ortiz fought Christian Hammer in a half-empty arena. It was the twentieth boxing telecast from Barclays Center for the Showtime-CBS-Haymon combine and one of the least attractive.
As expected, the fighters in the blue corner won all six undercard bouts.
Then Bryan De Gracia (24-1-1, 20 KOs) of Panama fought Eduardo Ramirez (21-1-3, 8 KOs) of Mexico for something called the WBA “gold featherweight championship.” For eight rounds, Ramirez seemed more committed to, and adept at, evading punches than landing them. De Gracia wanted to engage, but Ramirez had enough skills to neutralize his clumsy lunging assault.
Then De Gracia got sloppier. Maybe it was lack of respect for his opponent. After all, Ramirez had been running for most of the fight and had recorded only eight KOs in 25 previous outings. Regardless, one minute 52 seconds into round nine, De Gracia lunged once too often and Ramirez landed a hellacious right uppercut that put him on wobbly legs. If De Gracia had gone down, he might have had time to recover and regain control of his senses. But he stayed on his feet, which enabled Ramirez to pound him some more.
With 54 seconds left in the stanza, De Gracia fell into the ropes with his butt landing on the bottom strand. At that point, referee Benjy Esteves could, and should, have called a knockdown. Instead, he let the action continue before halting the proceedings at the 2:10 mark.
Next up, Ortiz (30-1, 26 KOs), now 39 years old, stepped into the ring to face Hammer (24-5, 14 KOs, 3 KOs by).
Ortiz is a product of the Cuban amateur system. His signature victories were knockouts of Bryant Jennings in 2015 and Tony Thompson one year later. Hammer, who was born in Romania and now lives in Germany, is a high-level club fighter. When a world class fighter meets a club fighter, the world class fighter can be expected to win.
Hammer fought bravely, gave a good account of himself, and landed more lead right hands than he should have. He also took Ortiz’s punches well, but he took too many of them. And he was handicapped by the fact that he appeared to not know how to throw a jab.
Ortiz – a 12-to-1 betting favorite – was the more polished, stronger fighter. He fought sluggishly at times but moved inexorably forward. Both men tired down the stretch with Ortiz prevailing on the judges’ scorecards by a 100-90, 99-91, 99-91 margin.
In the main event, Erislandy Lara (25-3-2, 14 KOs) challenged Argentina’s Brian Castano (15-0, 11 KOs).
Lara, age 35, was born in Cuba and now lives in Houston. Like Ortiz, he was a much-decorated amateur and is a world-class boxer. At one point, he held the WBA 154-pound title, which he lost last year to Jarrett Hurd. But Lara was defeated by Paul Williams (an unjust decision) and Canelo Alvarez in addition to his loss to Hurd and was held to a draw by Carlos Molina and Vanes Martirosyan. The most impressive win on his resume was a 2013 decision over Austin Trout.
Castano is the phony WBA 154-pound “champion,” having decisioned someone named Cedric Vitu for a belt in March 2018. Hurd is the real WBA 154-pound champion.
Lara has slowed in recent years. Castano was the aggressor throughout the bout and came on strong at the end to sweep the last three rounds on each judge’s scorecard en route to a 115-113, 113-115, 114-114 draw.
“Branding,” Charles Jay once wrote,” goes beyond mere name recognition. Branding is a promise. It’s something that the brand stands for, what the consumer can depend on.”
Right now, PBC, Showtime, and Barclays have some decisions to make regarding the quality of their brand.
The two most attractive PBC fights on the calendar so far this year have been the January 19 match-up between Manny Pacquiao and Adrien Broner in Las Vegas (on Showtime PPV) and the scheduled March 16 bout between Errol Spence and Mikey Garcia in a Dallas suburb (on Fox-PPV). Fight fans would be better served without the pay-per-view price tag attached to these fights.
Meanwhile, no one knows with certainty what Deontay Wilder will do next. Showtime and Barclays have suggested that they’ll host Wilder vs. Dominic Breazeale on May 18. That would be an exciting night of boxing. Wilder-Breazeale on Showtime PPV would be less enticing for boxing aficionados. Or Team Wilder might find a way to bypass Breazeale and fight a less threatening opponent.
And let’s not forget; until February 19, Showtime and Barclays thought that Wilder would be fighting Tyson Fury at Barclays Center on May 18 on Showtime Pay-Per-View.
Photo credit: Stephanie Trapp / SHOWTIME
Thomas Hauser’s new email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book – Protect Yourself at all Times – was published by the University of Arkansas Press. In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism.
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Argentina’s Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12th round, Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez came off the deck to win his rematch with Kazuto Ioka and retain his piece of the world 115-pound title. The match was staged at Ioka’s familiar stomping grounds, the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
In their first meeting on July 7 of last year in Tokyo, Martinez was returned the winner on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and a bizarre 120-108. The rematch was slated for late December, but Martinez took ill a few hours before the weigh-in and the bout was postponed.
The 33-year-old Martinez, who came in sporting a 17-0 (9) record, was a 7-2 favorite to win the sequel, but there were plenty of reasons to favor Ioka, 36, aside from his home field advantage. The first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four weight classes, Ioka was 3-0 in rematches and his long-time trainer Ismael Salas was on a nice roll. Salas was 2-0 last weekend in Times Square, having handled upset-maker Rolly Romero and Reito Tsutsumi who was making his pro debut.
But the fourth time was not a charm for Ioka (31-4-1) who seemingly pulled the fight out of the fire in round 10 when he pitched the Argentine to the canvas with a pair of left hooks, but then wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum swing.
Martinez set a fast pace and had Ioka fighting off his back foot for much of the fight. Beginning in round seven, Martinez looked fatigued, but the Argentine was conserving his energy for the championship rounds. In the end, he won the bout on all three cards: 114-113, 116-112, 117-110.
Up next for Fernando Martinez may be a date with fellow unbeaten Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the lineal champion at 115. San Antonio’s Rodriguez is a huge favorite to keep his title when he defends against South Africa’s obscure Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.
As for Ioka, had he won today’s rematch, that may have gotten him over the hump in so far as making it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. True, winning titles in four weight classes is no great shakes when the bookends are only 10 pounds apart, but Ioka is still a worthy candidate.
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Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

In a torrid battle Mexico’s Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and his staccato attack staved off the herky-jerky non-stop assaults of Philippine’s Charly Suarez to win by technical decision and retain the WBO super feather world title on Saturday.
What do they feed these guys?
Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) and his elongated arms managed to connect enough to compensate against the surprising Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) who wowed the crowd at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on the side of Navarrete’s left eye and forced a stoppage midway through the fight.
From the opening round Navarrete used his windmill style of attack with punches from different angles that caught Suarez multiple times early. It did not matter. Suarez fired back with impunity and was just as hungry to punch it out with the Mexican fighter.
It was savage.
Every time Navarrete connected solidly, he seemed to pause and check out the damage. Bad idea. Suarez would immediately counter with bombs of his own and surprise the champion with his resilience and tenacity.
Wherever they found Suarez they should look for more, because the Filipino fighter from Manila was ferocious and never out of his depth.
Around the sixth round the Mexican fighter seemed a little drained and puzzled at the tireless attacks coming from Suarez. During an exchange of blows a cut opened up on Navarrete and it was ruled an accidental clash of heads by the referee. Blood streamed down the side of Navarrete’s face and it was cleared by the ringside physician.
But at the opening of the eighth round, the fight was stopped and the ringside physician ruled the cut was too bad to continue. The California State Athletic Commission looked at tape of the round when the cut opened to decipher if it was an accidental butt or a punch that caused the cut. It was unclear so the referee’s call of accidental clash of heads stood as the final ruling.
Score cards from the judges saw Navarrete the winner by scores of 78-75, 77-76 twice. He retains the WBO title.
Interim IBF Lightweight Title
The sharp-shooting Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) maneuvered past Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the interim IBF lightweight title after 12 rounds.
Both fighters were strategic in their approach with Muratalla switching from orthodox to southpaw at various times of the fight. Neither fighter was ever able to dominant any round.
Defense proved the difference between the two lightweights. Muratalla was able to slip more blows than Abdullaev and that proved the difference. The fighter from Fontana, California was able to pierce Abdullaev’s guard more often than not, especially with counter punches.
Abdullaev was never out of the fight. The Russian fighter was able to change tactics and counter the counters midway through the fight. It proved effective especially to the body. But it was not enough to offset Muratalla’s accuracy.
There were no knockdowns and after 12 rounds the judges scored it 118-110, 119-109 twice for Muratalla who now becomes the mandatory for the IBF lightweight title should Vasyl Lomachenko return to defend it.
Muratalla was brief.
“He was a tough fighter,” said Muratalla. “My defense is something I work on a lot.”
Perla Wins
Super flyweight Perla Bazaldua (2-0) eased past Mona Ward (0-2) with a polished display of fighting at length and inside.
Combination punching and defense allowed Bazaldua to punch in-between Ward’s attacks and force the St. Louis fighter to clinch repeatedly. But Ward hung in there despite taking a lot of blows. After four rounds the Los Angeles-based Bazaldua was scored the winner 40-36 on all three cards. Bazaldua signed a long term contract with Top Rank in March.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Late Bloomer Anthony Cacace TKOs Hometown Favorite Leigh Wood in Nottingham

Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions was at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, tonight with a card featuring hometown favorite Leigh Wood against Ireland’s Anthony “Apache” Cacace.
Wood, a former two-time WBA featherweight champion, known for dramatic comebacks in bouts he was losing, may have reached the end of the road at age 36. He had his moments tonight, rocking Cacace on several occasions and winning the eighth round, but he paid the price, returning to his corner after round eight with swelling around both of his eyes.
In the ninth, Cacace, an 11/5 favorite, hurt Wood twice with left hands, the second of which knocked Wood into the ropes, dictating a standing 8-count by referee John Latham. When the bout resumed, Cacace went for the kill and battered Wood around the ring, forcing Wood’s trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel. The official time was 2:15 of round nine.
Akin to Wood, Northern Ireland’s Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) is also 36 years old and known as a late bloomer. This was his ninth straight win going back to 2017 (he missed all of 2018 and 2020). He formerly held the IBF 130-pound world title, a diadem he won with a stoppage of then-undefeated and heavily favored Joe Cordina, but that belt wasn’t at stake tonight as Cacace abandoned it rather than fulfill his less-lucrative mandatory. Wood falls to 28-4.
Semi-Wind-Up
Nottingham light heavyweight Ezra Taylor, fighting in his hometown for the first time since pro debut, delighted his fan base with a comprehensive 10-round decision over previously undefeated Troy Jones. Taylor, who improved to 12-0 (9) won by scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.
This was Taylor’s first fight with new trainer Malik Scott, best known for his work with Deontay Wilder. The victory may have earned him a match with Commonwealth title-holder Lewis Edmondson. Jones was 12-0 heading in.
Other Bouts of Note
In his first fight as a featherweight, Liam Davies rebounded from his first defeat with a 12-round unanimous decision over Northern Ireland’s previously undefeated Kurt Walker. Davies, who improved to 17-1 (8), staved off a late rally to prevail on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. It was the first pro loss for the 30-year-old Walker (12-1), a Tokyo Olympian.
In a mild upset, Owen Cooper, a saucy Worcestershire man, won a 10-round decision over former Josh Taylor stablemate Chris Kongo. The referee’s scorecard read 96-94.
Cooper improved to 11-1 (4). It was the third loss in 20 starts for Kongo.
A non-televised 8-rounder featured junior welterweight Sam Noakes in a stay-busy fight. A roofer by trade and the brother of British welterweight title-holder Sean Noakes, Sam improved to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of overmatched Czech import Patrik Balez (13-5-1).
Photo credit: Leigh Dawney / Queensberry
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