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Three Punch Combo: The York Hall Tournament, Luis Nery Deconstructed and More
Three Punch Combo: The York Hall Tournament, Luis Nery Deconstructed and More
The eyes of the boxing world will be on Las Vegas this week for the rematch between Deontay Wilder (41-0-1, 40 KO’s) and Luis Ortiz (31-1, 26 KO’s). But as with most weeks in the sport, there is plenty of other action taking place that will be widely available on various platforms.
One such event is the Golden Contract tournament that will take place on Friday at York Hall in London and broadcast in the United States on ESPN+. An eight-man, single elimination tournament in three weight divisions, the tournament was organized by boxing management company MTK Global in association with Matchroom.
This particular quarterfinal on Friday features fighters in the 140-pound division. There are also tournaments in the featherweight and light heavyweight divisions. The featherweight quarterfinals kicked off last month and the light heavyweight quarterfinals will take place in December.
The semifinals for each weight division are expected to take place early next year with the finals being planned for some time around the middle of the year.
The “golden ticket” for the winner of each weight division is a five-fight two-year deal that guarantees six figure paydays along with global exposure.
As of this writing, none of the eight fighters in action Friday knows who they will be facing. The draw will take place later this week. Each fighter will pull a ball out of a bag containing four red balls and four blue balls. The fighters who select the blue colored balls will select their opponents from the fighters who pulled the red colored balls. The blue colored balls will be numbered one to four with the fighter selecting number one picking first.
The best way I would describe the field for this tournament is that it is a step up in quality from the recent Boxcino tournaments but a clear step down from the quality of fighters in the WBSS. Basically, we have some up-and-coming fighters participating along with a mix of veterans who are looking to get back into contention.
Some notable participants in the 140-pound division are young undefeated fighters Darren Surtees (12-0, 8 KO’s) and Logan Yoon (16-0, 12 KO’s). Also, Ohara Davies (19-2, 14 KO’s), Tyrone McKenna (19-1-1, 6 KO’s) and Mohamed Mimoune (21-3, 2 KO’s) are scheduled to be in the field.
I love tournaments and am very much looking forward to this event. Based on the field, we are going to see some very compelling fights, either on Friday or down the road as the tournament progresses.
Under The Radar Fight
It is going to be a busy day of boxing on ESPN+ on Friday. In addition to the aforementioned Golden Contract tournament, ESPN+ will be broadcasting a card from Dubai that is headlined by a very intriguing 140-pound crossroads fight between Jack Catterall (24-0, 13 KO’s) and Timo Schwarzkopf (20-3, 12 KO’s).
Catterall, 26, is a fighter that just oozes talent. Fighting from the southpaw stance, he likes to press forward aggressively behind the right jab. Once in range, he likes to fire off fluid heavy handed combinations to the head and body of his opponent. He is also excellent at using his feet to create angles to land his combinations with precision accuracy.
With all the natural talent Catterall showcased coming up the ladder, the expectations got to be very lofty. However, a pair of performances last year caused those expectations to become a little tempered.
In June, Catterall struggled to navigate range against a tall southpaw in Tyrone McKenna and was fortunate to eke out a close 10-round unanimous decision. Later in October, Catterall stepped in against Ohara Davies. Many expected a breakout performance from Catterall. Instead, fans were presented with][ 12 rounds of listless action in a fight that may have seen more clinches than punches landed. In the end, although Catterall got the nod on the scorecards, his stock took a major hit.
After a stay-busy knockout win against sub.-500 fighter Oscar Amador this past April, Catterall looks to get his career back on track against Schwarzkopf.
Schwarzkopf, 28, is a tough gritty aggressive fighter with proven durability. While he may not have the most talent, he has certainly made the most of all his abilities. Schwarzkopf likes to press forward working behind the left jab from the orthodox stance. He is not afraid to throw all sorts of punches behind that jab, often times loading up looking to land one big punch. True to his nature, he is also not afraid to eat some leather pressing forward while looking for his own opportunities to land clean punches.
There is a lot to like about this fight in my opinion. Catterall is motivated to make a statement coming off two high profile lackluster performances last year. He is going to try to be the first to stop Schwarzkopf.
Given that Catterall is naturally aggressive and may be even more so in this fight, I think that gives Schwarzkopf opportunities to land some shots. Schwarzkopf will not be afraid to stand his ground and exchange. It is his nature.
The best fights are not always the most high-profile fights. Yes, the attention of the boxing world will be in mostly other places this weekend but Catterall-Schwarzkopf could be the fight that steals the show.
Should Luis Nery Be On Upset Alert?
I really like the Wilder-Ortiz II undercard, especially the bantamweight contest between Luis Nery (30-0, 24 KO’s) and Emmanuel Rodriguez (19-1, 12 KO’s). And though most sportsbooks have Rodriguez a solid underdog, I think his chances of springing an upset are quite good.
A big part of the reason why most oddsmakers are so down on Rodriguez is that he was knocked out in his last fight. But Rodriguez wasn’t knocked out by just any fighter. He was knocked out by Naoya Inoue who is not only considered to be one of boxing’s top pound for pound fighters but also may be boxing’s top pound for pound puncher.
I think too many people are judging Rodriguez based off that loss. Before that fight, Rodriguez had proven to be a very capable fighter, good enough to capture a world title belt.
Rodriguez, 27, is just entering the prime of his career. He is a boxer-puncher by trade who likes to work behind a well-schooled left jab from the orthodox stance. Naturally very athletic, Rodriguez will work fast handed, fluid combinations behind that jab. He is also very technically sound which should not be all that surprising given his multitude of accomplishments as an amateur.
I know a lot of people in boxing are very high on Luis Nery but I see a lot of flaws in his game that I believe will one day be exposed. Nery falls in love too much with his power and often forgets how to properly set up those power shots. This was very evident in his last fight against Juan Carlos Payano.
Nery, 24, also lacks focus on defense. He does not move his head and often stands in front of his opponent after throwing his power shot with his hands down admiring his work.
I see this as the perfect storm for an upset. An athletic and technically sound fighter like Rodriguez can expose the flaws of a one-dimensional fighter like Nery. We have seen it happen plenty of times throughout boxing history and I for one will be betting on it happening again this weekend.
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Skylar Lacy Blocked for Lamar Jackson before Making his Mark in Boxing
Skylar Lacy, a six-foot-seven heavyweight, returns to the ring on Sunday, Feb. 2, opposing Brandon Moore on a card in Flint, Michigan, airing worldwide on DAZN.
As this is being written, the bookmakers hadn’t yet posted a line on the bout, but one couldn’t be accused of false coloring by calling the 10-round contest a 50/50 fight. And if his frustrating history is any guide, Lacy will have another draw appended to his record or come out on the wrong side of a split decision.
This should not be construed as a tip to wager on Moore. “Close fights just don’t seem to go my way,” says the boxer who played alongside future multi-year NFL MVP Lamar Jackson at the University of Louisville.
A 2021 National Golden Gloves champion, Skylar Lacy came up short in his final amateur bout, losing a split decision to future U.S. Olympian Joshua Edwards. His last Team Combat League assignment resulted in another loss by split decision and he was held to a draw in both instances when stepping up in class as a pro. “In my mind, I’m still undefeated,” says Lacy (8-0-2, 6 KOs). “No one has ever kicked my ass.”
Lacy was the B-side in both of those draws, the first coming in a 6-rounder against Top Rank fighter Antonio Mireles on a Top Rank show in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and the second in an 8-rounder against George Arias, a Lou DiBella fighter on a DiBella-promoted card in Philadelphia.
Lacy had the Mireles fight in hand when he faded in the homestretch. The altitude was a factor. Lake Tahoe, Nevada (officially Stateline) sits 6,225 feet above sea level. The fight with Arias took an opposite tack. Lacy came on strong after a slow start to stave off defeat.
Skylar will be the B-side once again in Michigan. The card’s promoter, former world title challenger Dmitriy Salita, inked Brandon Moore (16-1, 10 KOs) in January. “A capable American heavyweight with charisma, athleticism and skills is rare in today’s day and age. Brandon has got all these ingredients…”, said Salita in the press release announcing the signing. (Salita has an option on Skylar Lacy’s next pro fight in the event that Skylar should win, but the promoter has a larger investment in Moore who was previously signed to Top Rank, a multi-fight deal that evaporated after only one fight.)
Both Lacy and Moore excelled in other sports. The six-foot-six Moore was an outstanding basketball player in high school in Fort Lauderdale and at the NAIA level in college. Lacy was an all-state football lineman in Indiana before going on to the University of Louisville where he started as an offensive guard as a redshirt sophomore, blocking for freshman phenom Lamar Jackson. “Lamar was hard-working and humble,” says Lacy about the player who is now one of the world’s highest-paid professional athletes.
When Lacy committed to Louisville, the head coach was Charlie Strong who went on to become the head coach at the University of Texas. Lacy was never comfortable with Strong’s successor Bobby Petrino and transferred to San Jose State. Having earned his degree in only three years (a BA in communications) he was eligible immediately but never played a down because of injuries.
Returning to Indianapolis where he was raised by his truck dispatcher father, a single parent, Lacy gravitated to Pat McPherson’s IBG (Indy Boxing and Grappling) Gym on the city’s east side where he was the rare college graduate pounding the bags alongside at-risk kids from the city’s poorer neighborhoods.
Lacy built a 12-6 record across his two seasons in Team Combat League while representing the Las Vegas Hustle (2023) and the Boston Butchers (2024).
For the uninitiated, a Team Combat League (TCL) event typically consists of 24 fights, each consisting of one three-minute round. The concept finds no favor with traditionalists, but Lacy is a fan. It’s an incentive for professional boxers to keep in shape between bouts without disturbing their professional record and, notes Lacy, it’s useful in exposing a competitor to different styles.
“It paid the bills and kept me from just sitting around the house,” says Lacy whose 12-6 record was forged against 13 different opponents.
As a sparring partner, Lacy has shared the ring with some of the top heavyweights of his generation, e.g., Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. He was one of Fury’s regular sparring partners during the Gypsy King’s trilogy with Deontay Wilder. He worked with Joshua at Derrick James’ gym in Dallas and at Ben Davison’s gym in England, helping Joshua prepare for his date in Saudi Arabia with Francis Ngannou and had previously sparred with Ngannou at the UFC Performance Center in Las Vegas. Skylar names traveling to new places as one of his hobbies and he got to scratch that itch when he joined Whyte’s camp in Portugal.
As to the hardest puncher he ever faced, he has no hesitation: “Ngannou,” he says. “I negotiated a nice price to spend a week in his camp and the first time he hit me I knew I should have asked for more.”
Lacy is confident that having shared the ring with some of the sport’s elite heavyweights will get him over the hump in what will be his first 10-rounder (Brandon Moore has never had to fight beyond eight rounds, having won his three 10-rounders inside the distance). Lacy vs. Moore is the co-feature to Claressa Shields’ homecoming fight with Danielle Perkins. Shields, basking in the favorable reviews accorded the big-screen biopic based on her first Olympic journey (“The Fire Inside”) will attempt to capture a title in yet another weight class at the expense of the 42-year-old Perkins, a former professional basketball player.
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Mizuki Hiruta Dominates in her U.S. Debut and Omar Trinidad Wins Too at Commerce
Japan’s Mizuki Hiruta smashed through Mexico’s Maribel Ramirez with ease in winning by technical decision and local hero Omar Trinidad continued his assault on the featherweight division on Friday.
Hiruta (7-0, 2 KOs), who prefers to be called “Mimi,” made her American debut with an impressive performance against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez (15-11-4) and retained the WBO super flyweight world title by unanimous decision at Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.
The pink-haired Japanese southpaw champion quickly proved to be quicker, stronger and even better than advertised. In the opening round Ramirez landed on the floor twice after throwing errant blows. On one instance, it could have been ruled a knockdown but it was not a convincing blow.
In the second round, Ramirez again attacked and again was met with a Hiruta check right hook and down went the Mexican. This time referee Ray Corona gave the eight-count and the fight resumed.
It was Hiruta’s third title defense but this time it was on American soil. She seemed nervous by the prospect of getting a favorable review from the more than 700 fans inside the casino tent.
For more than a year Hiruta has been training off and on with Manny Robles in the L.A. area. Now that she has a visa, she has spent considerable time this year learning the tricks of the trade. They proved explosively effective.
Though Mexico City’s Ramirez has considerable experience against world champions, she discovered that Hiruta was not easy to hit. Often, the Japanese champion would slip and counter with precision.
It was an impressive American debut, though the fight was stopped in the eighth round after a collision of heads. The scores were tallied and all three saw Hiruta the winner by scores of 80-71 twice and 79-72.
“I’m so happy. I could have done much more,” said Hiruta through interpreter Yuriko Miyata. “I wanted to do more things that Manny Robles taught me.”
Trinidad Wins Too
Omar Trinidad (18-0-1, 13 KOs) discovered that challenger Mike Plania (31-5, 18 KOs) has a very good chin and staying power. But over 10 rounds Trinidad proved to be too fast and too busy for the Filipino challenger.
Immediately it was evident that the East L.A. featherweight was too quick and too busy for Plania who preferred a counter-puncher attack that never worked.
“He was strong,” said Trinidad. “He took everything.”
After 10 redundant rounds all three judges scored for Trinidad 100-90 twice and 99-91. He retains the WBC Continental Americas title.
Other Bouts
Ali Akhmedov (23-1, 17 KOs) blasted out Malcolm Jones (17-5-1) in less than two rounds. A dozen punches by Akhmedov forced referee Thomas Taylor to stop the super middleweight fight.
Iyana “Roxy” Verduzco (3-0) bloodied Lindsey Ellis in the first round and continued the speedy assault in the next two rounds. Referee Ray Corona saw enough and stopped the fight in favor of Verduzco at 1:34 of the third round.
Gloria Munguilla (7-1) and Brook Sibrian (5-2) lit up the boxing ring with a nonstop clash for eight rounds in their light flyweight fight. Munguilla proved effective with a slip-and-counter attack. Sibrian adjusted and made the fight closer in the last four rounds but all three judges favored Munguilla.
More Winners
Joshua Anton, Tayden Beltran, Adan Palma, and Alexander Gueche all won their bouts.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 309: 360 Promotions Opens with Trinidad, Mizuki and More
Avila Perspective, Chap. 309: 360 Promotions Opens with Trinidad, Mizuki and More
Best wishes to the survivors of the Los Angeles wildfires that took place last week and are still ongoing in small locales.
Most of the heavy damage took place in the western part of L.A. near the ocean due to Santa Ana winds. Another very hot spot was in Altadena just north of the Rose Bowl. It was a horrific tragedy.
Hopefully the worst is over.
Pro boxing returns with 360 Boxing Promotions spotlighting East L.A.’s Omar Trinidad (17-0-1, 13 KOs) defending a regional featherweight title against Mike Plania (31-4, 18 KOs) on Friday, Jan. 17, at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.
“I’m the king of L.A. boxing and I’ll be ready to put on a show headlining again in the main event. This is my year, I’m ready to challenge and defeat any of the featherweight world champions,” said Trinidad.
UFC Fight Pass will stream the Hollywood Night fight card that includes a female world championship fight and other intriguing match-ups.
Tom Loeffler heads 360 Promotions and once again comes full force with a hot prospect in Trinidad. If you’re not familiar with Loeffler’s history of success, he introduced America to Oleksandr Usyk, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and the brothers Wladimir and Vitaly Kltischko.
“We’ve got a wealth of international talent and local favorites to kick off our 2025 in grand style,” said Loeffler.
He knows talent.
Trinidad hails from the Boyle Heights area of East L.A. near the Los Angeles riverbed. Several fighters from the past came from that exact area including the first Golden Boy, Art Aragon.
Aragon was a huge gate attraction during the late 1940s until 1960. He was known as a lady’s man and dated several Hollywood starlets in his time. Though he never won a world title he did fight world champions Carmen Basilio, Jimmy Carter and Lauro Salas. He was more or less the king of the Olympic Auditorium and Los Angeles boxing during his career.
Other famous boxers from the Boyle Heights area were notorious gangster Mickey Cohen and former world champion Joey Olivo.
Can Trinidad reach world title status?
Facing Trinidad will be Filipino fighter Plania who’s knocked off a couple of prospects during his career including Joshua “Don’t Blink” Greer and Giovanni Gutierrez. The fighter from General Santos in the Philippines can crack and hold his own in the boxing ring.
It’s a very strong fight card and includes WBO world titlist Mizuki Hiruta of Japan who defends the super flyweight title against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez. It’s a tough matchup for Hiruta who makes her American debut. You can’t miss her with that pink hair and she has all the physical tools to make a splash in this country.
Two other female bouts are also planned, including light flyweight banger L.A.’s Gloria Munguilla (6-1) against Coachella’s Brook Sibrian (5-1) in a match set for six rounds. Both are talented fighters. Another female fight includes super featherweights Iyana “Right Hook Roxy” Verduzco (2-0) versus Lindsey Ellis (2-1) in another six-rounder. Ellis can crack with all her wins coming via knockout. Verduzco is a multi-national titlist as an amateur.
Others scheduled to perform are Ali Akhmedov, Joshua Anton, Adan Palma and more.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m.
Boxing and the Media
The sport of professional boxing is currently in flux. It’s always in flux but no matter what people may say or write, boxing will survive.
Whether you like Jake Paul or not, he proved boxing has worldwide appeal with monstrous success in his last show. He has media companies looking at the numbers and imagining what they can do with the sport.
Sure, UFC is negotiating a massive billion dollar deal with media companies, as is WWE, both are very similar in that they provide combat entertainment. You don’t need to know the champions because they really don’t matter. Its about the attractions.
Boxing is different. The good champions last and build a following that endures even beyond their careers a la Mike Tyson.
MMA can’t provide that longevity, but it does provide entertainment.
Currently, there is talk of establishing a boxing league again. It’s been done over and over but we shall see if it sticks this time.
Pro boxing is the true warrior’s path and that means a solo adventure. It’s a one-on-one sport and that appeals to people everywhere. It’s the oldest sport that can be traced to prehistoric times. You don’t need classes in Brazilian Jiujitsu, judo, kick boxing or wrestling. Just show up in a boxing gym and they can put you to work.
It’s a poor person’s path that can lead to better things and most importantly discipline.
Photos credit: Lina Baker
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