Will the ‘Marination’ of Tyson Fury Backfire (and other Heavyweight Notes)?

Published

4 years ago

March 5, 2019

When Bob Arum and his comrades at ESPN poached Tyson Fury from Showtime, they did it in the belief that Fury was better served by having his rematch with Deontay Wilder “marinate” for a while. Until that day comes, Fury, for his part, would prime the pump with one or more interim bouts.

We wouldn’t be surprised if this backfires.

Styles make fights, goes the old saying, and, in hindsight, Fury vs. Wilder was the perfect pairing for producing a fight that was competitive, entertaining, and replete with drama.

So, here’s the question: Would Tyson Fury be better served by engaging Deontay Wilder in an immediate rematch in which he comes out on the short end of a close call in another entertaining tiff, or would he be better served by taking an interim bout in which he defeats an opponent of modest skill in a dull fight?

A fight fan who tweets under the handle “The Fringe Contender” asked this question in a roundabout way, raising a point that seems to have gotten lost in all the hand-wringing over the stalled rematch: “I think Tyson Fury and others have forgotten how dreadfully boring his fights against, well anyone but Wilder are. Almost worse than boring. Who knows, he might actually drive his market value and high public perception down by having the interim fight. Lol.”

Speculation as to Tyson Fury’s next opponent has centered around Kubrat Pulev and Oscar Rivas, both of whom have ties to Arum’s Top Rank organization. But Pulev is seemingly out of the running as he has a fight scheduled on March 23 against defective Bogdan Dinu.

The venue for Pulev-Dinu is The Hanger at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California, heretofore a venue for mixed boxing and MMA low-budget cards cobbled together by promoter Roy Engelbrecht, a longtime fixture on the Southern California boxing scene.

– – – –

Four heavyweights of note were in action this past weekend, most notably Luis Ortiz who won a lopsided 10-round decision over German-Romanian invader Christian Hammer in the chief undercard bout on the Castano-Lara card at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

How one judges Ortiz’s performance depends on whether one sees the glass half full or half empty. If one was seeing Ortiz for the first time, one likely wondered if this was the same guy who has been routinely identified as the most avoided heavyweight in boxing.

While acknowledging that this was a hard fight, Ortiz gave himself a high grade. “Every heavyweight out there should know that I still have it at 40-years-old,” said Ortiz. “Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, I’m ready.”

It’s interesting that Ortiz referenced himself as being 40 when his 40^th birthday was ostensibly four weeks away. Other athletes from Cuba have been unmasked as older than their listed age and it has long been speculated that “King Kong” is one of them.

No matter how one rates Ortiz’s showing, his performance may redound to his credit in so far as securing a big money match. As a frequent TSS contributor notes, Christian Hammer, a durable fighter with a solid chin, was the perfect opponent if the intent was to make Ortiz look vulnerable.

—-

In Magdeburg, Germany, German heavyweights Agit Kabayel and Tom Schwarz kept their undefeated records intact. Kabayel, who is of Kurdish descent, out-boxed Andriy Rudenko to retain his version of the European heavyweight title. Schwarz blew away Kristijan Krstacic in the second round.

Schwarz (24-0, 16 KOs) was fighting in his hometown. He drew a softie in 38-year-old Krstacic whose 17-1 record going in was forged against a motley cache of opponents. Schwarz had him on the canvas three times before the referee intervened.

Kabayel, now 19-0, was extended the distance, but his Ukrainian adversary, Rudenko, was 32-3 going in and had never been stopped. Kabayel’s next opponent figures to be Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin who is also undefeated (20-0).

In a round robin tournament between Kabayel, Schwarz, and Wallin, there would be no clear-cut-favorite. They range in age from 24 to 28, in height from six-foot-three to six-foot-five-and-a-half, and each carries about 240 pounds. History informs us, however, that white European heavyweights not named Klitschko have low ceilings so it’s doubtful that any of them would pose a serious threat to the likes of Anthony Joshua.

—-

Lou DiBella, the former Senior Vice President of HBO Sports, is a busy beaver. He was the lead promoter for Saturday’s event at Barclays Center and on that same day an edition of his Broadway Boxing Series unfolded in Columbus, Ohio. (It figured that DiBella’s series would travel well. As the late, great R & B singer Wilson Pickett informed us, there’s a Broadway in every town and, yes, that includes Columbus, Ohio; we checked.)

In the main go of DiBella’s Columbus show, Junior Fa improved to 17-0 (10) with a first round stoppage of French import Newfel Ouatah. The fight was a travesty. Ouatah brought a 16-2 record but had defeated only four men with winning records and he was out of his league. Fa scored four knockdowns before the referee pulled the plug.

Travesty or not, it was a nice win for Fa who had several spotty performances last year that DiBella attributed to a health issue (anemia) that has since been remedied.

Fa, who carries 255 pounds on a six-foot-two frame, is on a collision course with fellow Kiwi and former amateur rival Joseph Parker. They split four fights as amateurs. When they eventually meet – assuming no intervening complications – it will be a huge fight in New Zealand and throughout Polynesia. Junior Fa’s roots are in Tonga, Parker’s in Samoa, and the two island nations have a longstanding rivalry that continues today on the rugby pitch.

True, relations are now cordial, due in part to the fact that so many Tongans and Samoans share a common religion (Latter Day Saints), but a big inter-ethnic boxing match has a way of re-opening old sores.

– – –

Switching gears, there’s an early frontrunner for Trainer of the Year.

“It says a lot about Buddy McGirt, as a trainer and tonight as a cornerman to have such an instant impact on a fighter. Particularly having had only one training camp with the fighter who doesn’t even share the same language as him,” tweeted the writer of the “Laceupboxing” blog after Sergey Kovalev recaptured his WBO world light heavyweight title with a unanimous decision over Eleider Alvarez on Feb. 2 in Frisco, Texas.

Heading into the fight, Kovalev’s persona was that of a slugger with stamina issues. At age 35, it figured that his best days were behind him. But “Krusher” comprehensively out-boxed Alvarez and finished strong. CompuBox credited him with throwing 816 punches.

McGirt boxed professionally from 1982 to 1997, finishing with a record of 73-6-1. He will be formally inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in June and if he were to be named Trainer of the Year for 2019 he would be a two-time honoree. The Boxing Writers Association of America conferred this award on him in 2002.

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Arne K. Lang

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Mercito Gesta Victorious Over Jojo Diaz at the Long Beach Pyramid

Published

3 days ago

March 19, 2023

David A. Avila

Mercito-Gesta-Victorious-Over-Jojo-Diaz-at-the-Long-Beach-Pyramid

LONG BEACH, CA.-Those in the know knew Mercito Gesta and Jojo Diaz would be a fight to watch and they delivered.

Gesta emerged the winner in a super lightweight clash between southpaws that saw the judges favor his busier style over Diaz’s body attack and bigger shots and win by split decision on Saturday.

Despite losing the main event because the star was overweight, Gesta (34-3-3, 17 KOs) used an outside method of tactic to edge past former world champion Diaz (32-4-1, 15 KOs) in front of more than 5,000 fans at the Pyramid.

The speedy Gesta opened up the fight with combination punching up and down against the peek-a-boo style of Diaz. For the first two rounds the San Diego fighter overwhelmed Diaz though none of the blows were impactful.

In the third round Diaz finally began unloading his own combinations and displaying the fast hands that helped him win world titles in two divisions. Gesta seemed stunned by the blows, but his chin held up. The counter right hook was Diaz’s best weapon and snapped Gesta’s head back several times.

Gesta regained control in the fifth round after absorbing big blows from Diaz. He seemed to get angry that he was hurt and opened up with even more blows to send Diaz backpedaling.

Diaz targeted his attack to Gesta’s body and that seemed to slow down Gesta. But only for a round.

From the seventh until the 10^th each fighter tried to impose their style with Gesta opening up with fast flurries and Diaz using right hooks to connect with solid shots. They continued their method of attack until the final bell. All that mattered was what the judges preferred.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Diaz the winner 97-93 but two others saw Gesta the winner 99-91, 98-92. It was a close and interesting fight.

“I was expecting nothing. I was the victor in this fight and we gave a good fight,” said Gesta. “It’s not an easy fight and Jojo gave his best.”

Diaz was surprised by the outcome but accepted the verdict.

Everything was going good. I thought I was landing good body shots,” said Diaz. “I was pretty comfortable.”

Other Bouts

Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (25-1-1, 20 KOs) knocked out Chicago’s Alex Martin (18-5, 6 KOs) with a counter right hand after dropping him earlier in the fourth round. The super lightweight fight was stopped at 1:14 of the round.

A battle between undefeated super welterweights saw Florida’s Eric Tudor (8-0, 6 KOs) emerge the winner by unanimous decision after eight rounds versus Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain.

The taller Tudor showed polished skill and was not bothered by a large cut on his forehead caused by an accidental clash of heads. He used his jab and lead rights to defuse the attacks of the quick-fisted southpaw Cato-Cain. The judges scored the fight 80-72 and 78-74 twice for Tudor.

San Diego’s Jorge Chavez (5-0, 4 KOs) needed less than one round to figure out Nicaragua’s Bryan Perez (12-17-1, 11 KOs) and send him into dreamland with a three-punch combination. No need to count as referee Ray Corona waved the fight over. Perez shot a vicious right followed by another right and then a see-you-later left hook at 3.00 of the first round of the super featherweight match.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

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Jojo Diaz’s Slump Continues; Mercito Gesta Prevails on a Split Decision

Published

4 days ago

March 18, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Jojo-Diaz's-Slump-Continues-Mercito-Gestra-Prevails-on-a-Split-Decision

At age 30, Jojo Diaz’s career is on the skids. The 2012 U.S. Olympian, a former world title holder at 126 and 130 pounds and an interim title holder at 135, Diaz suffered his third straight loss tonight, upset by Mercito Gesta who won a split decision at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA.. The scoring was strange with Gesta winning nine of the 10 rounds on one of the cards and only three rounds on another. The tie-breaker, as it were, was a 98-92 tally for Gesta and even that didn’t capture the flavor of what was a closely-contested fight.

Originally listed as a 12-rounder, the match was reduced to 10 and that, it turned out, did Diaz no favors. However, it’s hard to feel sorry for the former Olympian as he came in overweight once again, having lost his 130-pound title on the scales in February of 2021.

Diaz also has issues outside the ropes. Best elucidated by prominent boxing writer Jake Donovan, they include a cluster of legal problems stemming from an arrest for drunk driving on Feb. 27 in the LA suburb of Claremont.

With the defeat, Diaz’s ledger declined to 32-4-1. His prior losses came at the hands of Gary Russell Jr, Devin Haney, and William Zepeda, boxers who are collectively 83-2. Mercito Gesta, a 35-year-old San Diego-based Filipino, improved to 34-3-3.

Co-Feature

Chihuahua, Mexico super lightweight Oscar Duarte has now won nine straight inside the distance after stopping 33-year-old Chicago southpaw Alex Martin in the eighth frame. Duarte, the busier fighter, had Martin on the deck twice in round eight before the fight was waived off.

Duarte improved to 25-1-1 (20). Martin, who reportedly won six national titles as an amateur and was once looked upon as a promising prospect, declined to 18-5.

Other Bouts of Note

New Golden Boy signee Eric Tudor, a 21-year-old super welterweight from Fort Lauderdale, overcame a bad laceration over his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads in round four, to stay unbeaten, advancing to 8-0 (6) with a hard-fought unanimous 8-round decision over Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain. The judges had it 80-72 and 78-74 twice. It was the first pro loss for Cato-Cain (7-1-1) who had his first five fights in Tijuana.

In the DAZN opener, lanky Hawaian lightweight Dalis Kaleiopu went the distance for the first time in his young career, improving to 4-0 (3) with a unanimous decision over 36-year-old Colombian trial horse Jonathan Perez (40-35). The scores were 60-52 across the board. There were no knockdowns, but Perez, who gave up almost six inches in height, had a point deducted for a rabbit punch and another point for deducted for holding.

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‘Big Baby’ Wins the Battle of Behemoths; TKOs ‘Big Daddy’ in 6

Published

4 days ago

March 18, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Big-Baby-Wins-the-Battle-of-Behemoths-TKOs-Big-Daddy-in-6

Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne weighed in at a career-high 277 pounds for today’s battle in Dubai with Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, but he was the lighter man by 56 pounds. It figured that one or both would gas out if the bout lasted more than a few stanzas.

It was a war of attrition with both men looking exhausted at times, and when the end came it was Miller, at age 34 the younger man by nine years, who had his hand raised.

Browne was the busier man, but Miller, whose physique invites comparison with a rhinoceros, hardly blinked as he was tattooed with an assortment of punches. He hurt ‘Bid Daddy’ in round four, but the Aussie held his own in the next frame, perhaps even forging ahead on the cards, but only postponing the inevitable.

In round six, a succession of right hands knocked Browne on the seat of his pants. He beat the count, but another barrage from Miller impelled the referee to intervene. The official time was 2:33. It was the 21^st straight win for Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs). Browne declined to 31-4 and, for his own sake, ought not fight again. All four of his losses have come inside the distance, some brutally.

The consensus of those that caught the livestream was that Floyd Mayweather Jr’s commentary was an annoying distraction that marred what was otherwise an entertaining show.

As for what’s next for “Big Baby” Miller, that’s hard to decipher as he has burned his bridges with the sport’s most powerful promoters. One possibility is Mahmoud Charr who, like Miller, has a big gap in his boxing timeline. Now 38 years old, Charr – who has a tenuous claim on a WBA world title (don’t we all?) — has reportedly taken up residence in Dubai.

Other Bouts of Note

In a 10-round cruiserweight affair, Suslan Asbarov, a 30-year-old Russian, advanced to 4-0 (1) with a hard-fought majority decision over Brandon Glanton. The judges had it 98-92, 97-93, and a more reasonable 95-95.

Asbarov was 12-9 in documented amateur fights and 1-0 in a sanctioned bare-knuckle fight, all in Moscow, entering this match. He bears watching, however, as Glanton (18-2) would be a tough out for almost anyone in his weight class. In his previous fight, at Plant City, Florida, Glanton lost a controversial decision to David Light, an undefeated Australian who challenges WBO world title-holder Lawrence Okolie at Manchester, England next week.

A 10-round super featherweight match between former world title challengers Jono Carroll and Miguel Marriaga preceded the semi-windup. Carroll, a 30-year-old Dublin southpaw, overcame a cut over his left eye suffered in the second round to win a wide unanimous decision in a fairly entertaining fight.

It was the sixth straight win for Carroll (24-2-1, 7 KOs) who elevated his game after serving as a sparring partner for Devin Haney. Marriaga, a 36-year-old Colombian, lost for the fourth time in his last five outings, declining to 30-7.

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