Hits and Misses from a Huge Boxing Weekend

Published

5 years ago

October 28, 2019

Hits-and-Misses-from-a-Huge-Boxing-Weekend

Boxing fans were treated to some very important fights over the last weekend in October.

The riveting action included the final of the 140-pound tournament in the World Boxing Super Series between Josh Taylor and Regis Prograis, a battle between unbeaten 126-pounders Shakur Stevenson and Joet Gonzalez for the vacant WBO title, the continued rebuilding of 154-pound prospect Erickson Lubin, and a slew of other significant matchups.

But with three massive fight cards spread across DAZN, ESPN+ and SHOWTIME on Saturday, who among the many fighters in action scored the weekend’s biggest hits? And which ones ended up with the biggest misses?

Behold, here were the biggest hits and misses.

HIT: The Coronation of Josh Taylor

Josh Taylor’s coronation as the best junior welterweight in the world didn’t come easy.

In fact, Taylor had to use every ounce of his ability and pour himself out completely to seize the 140-pound throne by defeating Regis Prograis on Saturday night in London. Among the many spoils Taylor earned from outworking Prograis over 12 grueling rounds, perhaps the most important one (to go along with retaining his IBF title and nabbing the American’s WBA belt) was the Muhammad Ali trophy awarded to all WBSS tournament winners.

It’s not so much the hardware. Sure, the trophy is beautiful and also aptly named for one of the most accomplished fighters ever. But the most important aspect of the thing through one-and-a- half seasons of WBSS tournaments is how each trophy winner has gone on to experience amazing leaps in terms of career trajectories after winning it.

Both Callum Smith and Oleksandr Usyk have enjoyed the better parts of their professional fighting careers after winning the WBSS. Now Taylor has the chance to do the same thing.

MISS: DAZN’s Production Quality of Otherwise Great Content

There’s just something off about the production quality of DAZN’s WBSS presentations.

Without knowing the inner workings, the disjointedness of its production—especially in regards to the digital assets used between fights—seems to point to DAZN having been given those highlight reels by the entity that runs the tournament, Comosa AG.

The problem with that model, or whatever process actually exists, is that there’s been a steep drop in quality from standard DAZN boxing shows to the WBSS shows. It really shouldn’t be that way. In fact, the WBSS has proven itself to be so vitally important in the sport in such a short amount of time, that it’s almost as if the opposite should be true: the production of a WBSS event should be among the best in the sport.

But that’s not what’s happening. Instead, it has the appearance of one of those second-rate cards that have become the norm in this age of unlimited over-the-top streaming platforms showing fights that would have otherwise gone unseen under the previous model.

Whatever has to happen to get that corrected needs to happen now. There’s no reason such a huge event should look so paltry on fight night.

HIT: Shakur Stevenson’s Status as Future Pound-for-Pound King

Shakur Stevenson was supposedly in a blood-feud with Joet Gonzalez over having dated that fighter’s sister for the last three years without the approval of the Gonzalez family. That was the promotional angle for the Stevenson-Gonzalez bout in Reno, though on paper it didn’t really need that kind of WWE-type treatment because both Stevenson and Gonzalez were undefeated prospects who many envisioned having stalwart professional careers.

But Stevenson completely dismantled Gonzalez in such a way that it didn’t just prove he was one of the better young fighters in all of boxing. Rather, by the end of the fight, it was clear that Stevenson was on his way to perennially appearing on pound-for-pound lists. Just 22 years old, the former Olympic medalist is now the WBO featherweight champion and is already calling out the likes of IBF titleholder Josh Warrington for unification.

While Stevenson is still a work in progress, it’s not hard to envision him growing into a generational talent. His stalwart defense is reminiscent of a young Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his ice-cold ability to keep his emotions in check over the course of 12 full rounds in the face of a pretty strange circumstance indicates he has all the tools to become something really special.

MISS: The Exploitation of the Gonzalez Family Feud

Admittedly, I hit the full range of judgments and emotions when I was first presented with the promotional angle used for Stevenson-Gonzalez. Perhaps it was just me, but the first idea I had about the whole thing was that it was silly, exploitive and the type of thing that I understand makes sense from a promotional perspective but still hate anyway.

But then I noticed I was thinking about the fight a lot more than I did before I learned that the two fighters hated each other over Stevenson dating Gonzalez’s sister. So, by the time the fight was about to start on Saturday night on ESPN+, I was all about completely immersing myself in the presented storyline.

But as the event unfolded, I couldn’t help but feel icky inside. Here was a real family locked in some serious turmoil by events that began long before these two fighters were ever in the position to face each other for a world title. Whatever happened in the ring wasn’t going to change any of that. This wasn’t just some storyline that’s sole purpose was my entertainment. These were broken relationships that no one outside the people involved ever really needed to know about.

To that end, let’s hope we don’t get any more of these type promotions in the future. There’s no need to exploit life’s harder parts in a sport that’s already filled to the brim of numerous heartbreaks and tragedies.

HIT: Dereck’s Chisora’s Plan to Fight Oleksandr Usyk

Dereck Chisora scored a highlight-reel knockout over David Price in the fourth round in the co-main of the Prograis-Taylor card in London.

Chisora never made it to the top of the heavyweight heap, but it’s been a joy to see him keep trying to scale the mountain anyway. The 35-year-old is a mainstay on the British boxing scene, and he’s really upped his game in recent years after linking up with former rival turned promoter David Haye.

While he tends to go overboard with self-promotion antics outside the ring, inside the ring he’s a hustling big man who always brings the action and consistently throws bombs. There aren’t many of those types in the sport, and it’s a good bet that anyone hoping to climb to the top of heavyweight division would be wise in first testing their mettle against Chisora.

After the win, Chisora said he wanted to fight Oleksandr Usyk next. That would be the perfect test for the former undisputed cruiserweight champion who just scored his first win at heavyweight over Chazz Witherspoon last month.

And Chisora isn’t the type to show up for a paycheck. He’s the type who would do everything in his power to wreck Usyk’s plans and grab that long-awaited world title shot for himself instead.

MISS: Joshua Greer’s Lack of Urgency About Getting Better

Joshua Greer’s gimmick is to bring a pillow to his fights for when he puts his opponent to sleep, but over the last few outings, it seems more like he should bring pillows for everyone else in attendance.

The 24-year-old bantamweight prospect seems to have a lot of talent, but having talent only implies the potential to do great things. It’s one thing to be able to do something. It’s entirely another thing to actually do it.

Greer has a wonderful backstory. Like many in the sport, he came out of some really tough circumstances that he says helped him realize just how precarious life can be. It’s hard not to root for a guy like that to be successful.

But after seeing him struggle to earn a close decision win over part-time fighter Antonio Nieves on Saturday in Reno just a few months after escaping with a majority decision over Nikolai Potapov, one wonders if Greer fully understands how important it is to continually get better.

His post-fight comments to ESPN’s Mark Kriegel suggest he doesn’t.

“At the end of the day, all I do is win,” said Greer.

No, Mr. Greer. All you do right now is escape with wins against lackluster opponents that future world champions should dominate.

HIT: The Continued Resiliency of Erickson Lubin

Lubin came up in the sport as an amateur prodigy who skipped trying to make the 2016 Olympic team so he could sign a promotional deal with Mike Tyson’s quickly defunct Iron Mike Productions. That didn’t work out and Lubin ended up fighting under Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions banner where he quickly made a name for himself as a legitimate junior middleweight prospect.

But Lubin’s world title hopes were dashed by then WBC champion Jermell Charlo in 2017 via one-punch knockout. After suffering such a devastating loss in the first round of his first world title opportunity, it might have been easy for Lubin to slip into self-pity and despair. Instead, Lubin simply went back to work and has now won four straight fights including his unanimous decision win over the hard-hitting Nathaniel Gallimore on Saturday night in Reading. PA.

Now, Lubin is right back to where he was before the Charlo loss. He’s a young prospect with lots of potential, and one who is again eager for his chance to win a world title.

It takes a considerable amount of resiliency to be humiliated like Lubin was on the national stage against Charlo and not let it affect one’s personal belief. Congrats to Lubin for climbing out of a difficult circumstance to take another run at his dream.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 296: Canelo vs Berlanga and More

Published

7 hours ago

September 12, 2024

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 296: Canelo vs Berlanga and More

Never underestimate the Mexico versus Puerto Rico rivalry.

Undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez of Mexico has fought Puerto Ricans before and should know it is never easy. But this time he chose to toe the line against a young hungry Boricua.

Will this fight be his reckoning?

Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) defends the WBA, WBC, and WBO titles against Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) on Saturday Sept. 14, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. PPV.com along with Jim Lampley will stream the loaded TGB Promotions card. It’s also on DAZN and Amazon Prime.

Mexico’s Canelo has been the face of boxing ever since Floyd Mayweather officially retired. And though he lost to Mayweather in 2013, the dividends from that experience have boosted the redhead to a skill level not seen since Salvador Sanchez.

Not many Mexicans or Puerto Ricans fight at super middleweight. So, this is a first for the rivalry at this weight class. But in the lower weights war has been ongoing between the two countries for decades.

My up-close introduction took place with Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gomez against Sanchez in Las Vegas in August 1981. At the time the Puerto Rican was considered the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world with 32 wins and 32 knockouts.

Gomez was a Mexican killer and dispatched two future Half of Fame fighters in Carlos Zarate and Lupe Pintor. Only Sanchez could beat the Boricua and he was an underdog to the mustached fighter from Santurce, Puerto Rico when they met.

Never underestimate anyone.

Now Berlanga is attempting to do what no other Puerto Rican has been able to accomplish in defeating Canelo.

It’s a big task for the taller fighter.

“I could be the face of Puerto Rican boxing after Saturday night,” said Berlanga, 27, who hails from Brooklyn, New York.

The taller Berlanga has yet to face anyone that compares to Canelo, He’s defeated contenders like Jason Quigley and Padraig McCrory who formerly held the IBO light heavyweight title. But a killer like Alvarez he’s never faced before.

But he’s eager to find out.

“This is the opportunity of a lifetime for Team Berlanga,” Berlanga said at the press conference.

As a professional fighter he needs to take the opportunity.

“We’re gonna make history and become legends,” said Berlanga.

Alvarez has been in this situation dozens of times before. He’s heard all the rhetoric and the boasts and the predictions over the years. After facing the likes of Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Gennady Golovkin and so many others, he’s almost immune to the itchy nervousness of potential danger.

The Mexican champion has his jacket of confidence woven over the years from dozens of battles endured since the age of 15. Now he’s 34 and has he passed his limit?

“I always put 100 per cent into my fights and into training, no matter who I’m fighting. It’s the same mentality every fight. This is no exception,” said Alvarez, who is fighting on Mexican Independence day for the 11^th time in his career.

This, however, is different. This is Mexico versus Puerto Rico and the history between the two countries is fraught with upsets and fierce bloody battles in boxing that have mesmerized the boxing world.

Berlanga’s trainer said it best:

“Believe me, we are grateful to Team Canelo for the opportunity, because it’s the opportunity to knock the king off the throne,” said Marc Ferrait. “as I told Edgar, he’s not going to want to give it to no Puerto Rican, and if we think Canelo doesn’t have it, oh he’s coming. We want the best of him.”

It’s power versus power. All it takes is one punch.

Other Bouts

WBA middleweight titlist Erislandy Lara (30-3-3) defends against Philadelphia’s Danny “Swift” Garcia (37-3) in the semi-main event at T-Mobile Arena. It’s been four years since the Cuban southpaw faced elite competition. Now 41, does he still have it?

Garcia, 36, a former welterweight and super lightweight world titlist, has only fought once above 147 pounds but found success when he defeated Jose Benavidez at 153 pounds two years ago.

Both are experienced, skilled and dangerous.

Super middleweight contenders Caleb Plant (22-2) and Trevor McCumby (28-0) meet in a 12-round clash for the interim WBA title. Whenever Plant fights there is always extra personal incentive thrown in. McCumby knows it.

“I just go in there and handle business,” McCumby said.

Plant seems eager to return to the ring.

“We’ll see on Saturday,” said Plant.

Another former world titlist performing is Rolly Romero (15-2, 13 KOs) meeting Manuel Jaimes (16-1-1, 11 KOs) in a super lightweight match set for 10 rounds. It’s the first time I recall seeing Romero against someone bigger. Interesting.

A super bantamweight battle between former unified world titlist Stephen Fulton (21-1) and Carlos Castro (30-2, 14 KOs) is set for 10 rounds in a featherweight match. Fulton was stopped by Japan’s Naoya “Monster” Inoue a year ago. He’s eager to return.

Fights to Watch

Thurs. DAZN 5 p.m. Ardreal Holmes (15-0) vs Hugo Noriega (10-2).

Fri. DAZN 5 p.m. Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez (35-2) vs Thomas Mattice (22-3-1).

Sat. DAZN 3 p.m. Roiman Villa (26-2) vs Ricardo Salas (19-2-2).

Sat. PPV.COM, Prime ppv, DAZN ppv 5 p.m. Saul Alvarez (61-2-2) vs Edgar Berlanga (22-0); Caleb Plant (22-2) vs Trevor McCumby (28-0); Erislandy Lara (30-3-3) vs Danny Garcia (37-3); Stephen Fulton (21-1) vs Carlos Castro (30-2).

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Canelo vs Berlanga Battles the UFC: Hopefully No Repeat of the 2019 Fiasco

Published

3 days ago

September 9, 2024

Arne K. Lang

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If one happens to be fan of both traditional boxing and MMA, then one has a choice to make this Saturday. Canelo Alvarez will be in action at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas defending his lineal 168-pound world title against Edgar Berlanga and two miles away in a competing Pay-Per-View card, the first-ever sporting event will be staged inside The Sphere, a UFC card bearing the title Riyadh Season Noche 306.

This won’t be the first time that a boxing card featuring the red-headed Mexican superstar went head-to-head with a UFC event. On Nov. 2, 2019, Canelo Alvarez fought Sergey Kovalev at the T-Mobile and 2,500 miles away, MMA stars Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal locked horns at Madison Square Garden. Both cards were PPV. Alvarez vs Kovalev was live-streamed on DAZN; Diaz vs Masvidal on ESPN+.

We don’t know which event generated the most profit, but the way things played out, this was a symbolic win for the UFC. On this night, the venerable sport of boxing and its adherents were reduced to a second-class citizen.

The fault lay with the nitwits at DAZN. They thought it prudent to postpone the start of Alvarez-Kovalev until the Diaz-Masdival fight was finished. What resulted was an interlude that dragged on for a good 90 minutes after Ryan Garcia knocked out Romero Duno in 98 seconds in the semi-wind-up. Then came the ring walks, the National Anthems (there were three), and the long-winded introduction of the combatants. When the bell finally sounded to signify the start of the bout, it was 10:18 inside the arena and 1:18 am for the bleary-eyed folks tuning in back in the Eastern Time Zone. The backlash was fierce.

The competing shows this coming Saturday coincide with Mexican Independence Day Weekend. One might assume that this will give the PBC promotion at the T-Mobile a leg up as Canelo Alvarez is a must-see attraction within the Mexican and Mexican-American communities. However, the UFC card has something going for it that T-Mobile lacks. The venue is itself an allurement. The newest addition to the Las Vegas skyline, The Sphere has the WOW factor. Even long-time Las Vegas locals, supposedly jaded by a surfeit of architectural wonders, are mesmerized by the constantly changing light show on the exterior of the big globe. Inside, visitors will find the world’s highest resolution LED display.

Customizing the interior for UFC 306 was an expensive proposition. UFC honcho Dana White has pegged the cost at $20 million and concedes that without Saudi money it would not have been feasible. He says that Saturday’s show will be “one-off,” not merely the first combat sports event at The Sphere, but also the last because it would be too expensive to replicate. If that be true, attendees are advised to keep their ticket stubs. Years from now, they might command a nice price in the sports memorabilia marketplace.

The T-Mobile has Canelo, but The Sphere has Alexa Grasso who, akin to Canelo, hails from Guadalajara. Ms. Grasso, 31, just may be the second-most-well-known fighter in Mexico. In addition to holding the UFC flyweight title, she is an analyst for the UFC’s Spanish-language broadcasts.

Grasso will be defending her belts against Russia’s Valentina Shevshenko in the co-main. In the featured bout, bantamweight belt-holder Sean O’Malley will defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili.

The T-Mobile card on Prime Video comes with a suggested list price of $89.99 for U.S. buyers without a Prime Video account. That tab has been widely assailed as a rip-off. “It’s gouging fight fans, plain and simple,” says Kevin Iole who covered both boxing and MMA for Yahoo. (For the record, the UFC show on ESPN+ comes with a list price of $79.99, $10 cheaper if bundled with an ESPN+ subscription. The UFC folks are holding their breath that the event can be translated to the small screen without compromising the clarity of the picture. The logistics are daunting.)

The main bouts on the UFC card will be far more competitive based on the prevailing odds, but when it comes to combat sports, this reporter is a traditionalist. Agreed, that can be interpreted as an old fuddy-duddy stuck in his ways, but in my eyes boxing, a sport that rests on a far more arresting historic foundation, trumps the Johnny-come-lately that is the UFC.

Check back later this week as TSS West Coast Bureau Chief David A. Avila offers up a closer look at Alvarez vs Berlanga and some of the supporting bouts.

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Niyomtrong Proves a Bridge Too Far for Alex Winwood in Australia

Published

5 days ago

September 7, 2024

Arne K. Lang

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Today in Perth, Australia, Alex Winwood stepped up in class in his fifth pro fight with the aim of becoming the fastest world title-holder in Australian boxing history. But Winwood (4-0, 2 KOs heading in) wasn’t ready for WBA strawweight champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong, aka Knockout CP Freshmart, who by some accounts is the longest reigning champion in the sport.

Niyomtrong (25-0, 9 KOs) prevailed by a slim margin to retain his title. “At least the right guy won,” said prominent Australian boxing writer Anthony Cocks who thought the scores (114-112, 114-112, 113-113) gave the hometown fighter all the best of it.

Winwood, who represented Australia in the Tokyo Olympics, trained for the match in Thailand (as do many foreign boxers in his weight class). He is trained by Angelo Hyder who also worked with Danny Green and the Moloney twins. Had he prevailed, he would have broken the record of Australian boxing icon Jeff Fenech who won a world title in his seventh pro fight. A member of the Noongar tribe, Winwood, 27, also hoped to etch on his name on the list of notable Australian aboriginal boxers alongside Dave Sands, Lionel Rose and the Mundines, Tony and Anthony, father and son.

What Winwood, 27, hoped to capitalize on was Niyomtrong’s theoretical ring rust. The Thai was making his first start since July 20 of 2022 when he won a comfortable decision over Wanheng Menayothin in one of the most ballyhooed domestic showdowns in Thai boxing history. But the Noongar needed more edges than that to overcome the Thai who won his first major title in his ninth pro fight with a hard-fought decision over Nicaragua’s Carlos Buitrago who was 27-0-1 heading in.

A former Muai Thai champion, Niyomtrong/Freshmart turns 34 later this month, an advanced age for a boxer in the sport’s smallest weight class. Although he remains undefeated, he may have passed his prime. How good was he in his heyday? Prominent boxing historian Matt McGrain has written that he was the most accomplished strawweight in the world in the decade 2010-2019: “It is not close, it is not debatable, there is no argument.”

Against the intrepid Winwood, Niyomtrong started slowly. In round seven, he cranked up the juice, putting the local fighter down hard with a left hook. He added another knockdown in round nine. The game Winwood stayed the course, but was well-beaten at the finish, no matter that the scorecards suggested otherwise, creating the impression of a very close fight.

P.S. – Because boxrec refused to name this a title fight, it fell under the radar screen until the result was made known. In case you hadn’t noticed, boxrec is at loggerheads with the World Boxing Association and has decided to “de-certify” the oldest of the world sanctioning bodies. While this reporter would be happy to see the WBA disappear – it is clearly the most corrupt of the four major organizations – the view from here is that boxrec is being petty. Moreover, if this practice continues, it will be much harder for boxing historians of future generations to sort through the rubble.

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