November’s Freak Fight in LA Poses a Dilemma for Boxing Journalists

Published

6 years ago

September 5, 2019

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A forthcoming prizefight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles is attracting a lot of buzz. On Nov. 9, Logan Paul and KSI (birth name Olajide William Olatunji) will meet in the ring for the second time. Their first fight, on Aug. 25 of last year, played to a full house at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, and drew $11 million in revenue between gate receipts and the $10 pay-per-view live stream on YouTube. That figure would have been substantially higher if not for widespread live stream piracy.

Logan Paul and KSI boxed six rounds to a draw using headgear and 12-ounce gloves. Both were novices. Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, Great Britain’s most prominent boxing promoter, wanted no part of it. He said he considered the fight an embarrassment to the sport.

Hearn will promote the rematch. It will air on DAZN.

If not for Internet search engines, this grizzled reporter wouldn’t know Logan Paul from the man in the moon. Same goes for KSI. As I have come to learn, both are YouTube sensations, video bloggers who now have millions of followers on various social media platforms. Both have comedic and musical talent – KSI’s first release went to #1 in the U.K. in the R&B album category – but where they really excel is in marketing. Through shrewd self-promotion, both have attracted advertisers with deep pockets and have become millionaires while still in their mid-twenties.

The antics that preceded their first meeting were obviously inspired by the Mayweather-McGregor pre-fight tour, an orgy of F-bombs that pandered to adolescents, whatever their age. Logan Paul and KSI “asserted their superior manliness through base insults about strength, pain tolerance, attire, material possessions and sexual prowess,” wrote Vlad Savov in Verge, a publication that explores the role of mobile technology in shaping popular culture.

Freak fights are nothing new. Philadelphia huckster Damon Feldman (his older brother David Feldman promotes bare-knuckle fights) manufactured a slew of so-called Celebrity Boxing cards including a 2002 one-off that aired on the FOX network. In one of the bouts, infamous figure skater Tonya Harding swapped punches with Bill Clinton accuser Paula Jones who filled in for “Long Island Lolita” Amy Fisher whose appearance was nixed by her parole board. Needless to say, this was beyond tacky.

There have also been many freak fights that weren’t packaged as such. At a press luncheon to hype his match with Mike Tyson, Peter McNeeley asserted that he was going to wrap Iron Mike in a cocoon of horror. “Hurricane Peter” had as much chance of defeating Mike Tyson as a man plucked randomly off the street.

Damon Feldman’s Celebrity Boxing shows, like others of the ilk, were mis-named. They weren’t celebrity boxing matches but has-been-celebrity boxing matches. As Caryn James of the New York Times put it, they offered a 16^th minute of fame to folks that had used up their 15 minutes.

The fight last summer between Logan Paul and KSI in Manchester was a different animal. In terms of their celebrityhood, Paul and KSI were in their prime. Moreover, they were both physically fit and the two cruiserweights — each weighed a shade under 190 pounds — brought to their scuffle more than a modicum of athleticism. Paul was an all-league linebacker at Westlake High School in suburban Cleveland and as a wrestler earned a berth in the state tournament. And both came out of the fight looking as if they had been in a fight.

What converted Eddie Hearn, however, was not the competitiveness of the fight, but the public reaction to it. “What I saw was a phenomenon, a sold-out arena, over one million PPV buys but more importantly an energy of a new audience to the sport of boxing,” he told a reporter to the (London) Sun.

Hearn will be making a few changes. The re-do will stay six rounds, but Paul and KSI will compete without headgear and with 10-ounce gloves rather than the 12-ounce gloves used in their first encounter. You won’t find the outcome of the first meeting up on BoxRec; the sport’s official record-keeper ignores exhibitions. But Paul-KSI II has been certified a legitimate professional fight.

Paul-KSI I was a doubleheader. Their younger brothers were matched-up in the prelim. (At his post-fight press conference, Jake Paul introduced his new clothing line.) The Nov. 9 sequel will be noosed to a conventional undercard. Rumor has it that new Matchroom signee Billy Joe Saunders will defend his newly-won WBO world super middleweight title in the co-feature. There’s also talk that Devin Haney will be added to the card if he emerges unscathed from next week’s encounter with Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev.

Traditionalists view Paul vs. KSI as a slap in the face to all the young fighters who are working hard to hone their craft, paying their dues, so to speak, in hopes of becoming good enough to eventually secure good purses and improve their standard of living. Others, myself included, are less turned-off by the fight than by the inevitable trash talking that will precede it. True, trash talking has always been part of the culture of prizefighting but the new breed of trash talker, a foul-mouthed lout in the Conor McGregor mold, can’t hold a candle to Muhammad Ali who trash talked with an impish wink that didn’t coarsen the language.

The dilemma for boxing journalists is that they can’t just ignore the Paul-KSI fight altogether. They have to report the news and as boxing events go, this is big news, so big that it has forced the promoters of the rematch between Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz, also scheduled for Nov. 9, to find a new date. But to what extent should their stories focus on the exchange of brickbats before the fighters’ touch gloves? Perhaps this is journalism, but if so it’s hackwork.

I know what some folks are thinking: “Dude, chill out, life will go on.” Bob Arum certainly feels that way. “If they make a buck in the ring, who the hell cares? There are things in life to get excited about, and this is not one of them,” said the octogenarian impressario to The Ring correspondent Michael Woods.

Arum certainly makes a valid point, but we are reminded that he hatched one of the greatest freak shows in “sports”, the failed jump over the Snake River Canyon in a steam powered rocket ship by motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel. In terms of the entertainment value it gave, the jump was on par with Tyson-McNeeley.

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Arne K. Lang

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 63: September Sizzles with Fight Cards

Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

Published

2 days ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.

The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.

Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.

Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.

Co-Feature

In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.

The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.

A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.

Other Bouts

In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.

Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.

Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.

Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.

Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.

Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.

Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.

Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.

There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

Published

2 days ago

March 29, 2025

David A. Avila

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.

There were no knockdowns in this rematch.

The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.

It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.

Nothing changed in their second meeting.

Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.

The blows came in bunches.

In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.

Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.

Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.

During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.

But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.

“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.

Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.

“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.

Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.

“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.

Female Flyweight Battle

Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.

Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.

Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.

The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.

Neither fighter could take over the fight.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.

Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.

Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.

Puerto Rico vs Mexico

Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.

Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Published

3 days ago

March 28, 2025

David A. Avila

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Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.

Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.

Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.

“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.

If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.

For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.

Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.

No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.

Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.

The fight breakdown

Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.

Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.

That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.

More drama.

During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.

New York City got its money’s worth.

Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.

Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?

“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”

Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.

That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?

Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.

Can she draw enough of that fire out again?

“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”

Co-Main in Las Vegas

The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.

Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.

Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.

Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.

Golden Boy in Cancun

A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.

In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.

Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.

Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.

Fights to Watch

Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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