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HITS and MISSES from Another Huge Weekend of Boxing

HITS and MISSES from Another Huge Weekend of Boxing
Some of boxing’s best fighters were on display over the weekend, including pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford making the third defense of his WBO welterweight title against Egidijus Kavaliauskas in the main event of a Top Rank on ESPN card in New York.
Additionally, lightweight terror Teofimo Lopez took a stab at winning his first world title against dangerous IBF lightweight champion Richard Commey in the co-main event, and welterweight prospect Vergil Ortiz Jr. attempted to finish off his impressive 2019 run by defeating Brad Solomon on a separate card featured in DAZN.
Once again, it’s time to name the biggest hits and misses of another huge weekend in boxing.
HIT: Teofimo Lopez Jr.’s Takeover Being Revealed in Full Measure
Super-charged lightweight talent Teofimo Lopez Jr. completely dismantled Richard Commey on Saturday night in the co-feature of the Terence Crawford-Egidijus Kavaliauskas card at Madison Square Garden.
With all eyes in the sporting world pointed sharply toward the Heisman Trophy ceremony just 15-minutes down the street where LSU’s Joe Burrow was awarded college football’s highest honor, Lopez was striking his own metaphorical pose of sorts after stopping Commey for the IBF lightweight title in just two rounds.
Lopez had certainly looked like generational talent as he worked his way up the ranks, but nobody really knew what might happen when he stepped in against a fighter as exceptional and accomplished as Commey.
But the 22-year-old from Brooklyn proved beyond doubt the elite status he holds among his peers. Now, the world awaits a superfight between Lopez and unified champion Vasyl Lomachenko that would potentially crown the first undisputed champion in the division since Pernell Whitaker accomplished the feat almost 30 years ago.
I say potentially because I don’t think anyone has really decided yet how to interpret the WBC Franchise belt the sanctioning body created earlier this year that Lomachenko wears in comparison to the belt Devin Haney now possesses
MISS: Michael Conlan’s Shortsighted Strategy in Olympic Grudge Match
Top Rank seems to envision a bright future for 28-year-old featherweight contender Michael Conlan, but seeing the undefeated prospect rise through the rankings has left me to question whether he’s more John Duddy than Carl Frampton.
Duddy was a fun professional prizefighter, but one who left his chin out too much to ever seriously compete for a world title. Frampton, on the other hand, is smackdab in the middle of enjoying one of the greatest professional fighting careers of any Irish fighter to date.
Sure, Conlan avenged his controversial 2016 Olympic loss to amateur rival Vladimir Nikitin, 29, from Russia, on Saturday night on the undercard of Crawford-Kavaliauskas by scoring a wide unanimous decision victory.
The problem, though, is that Conlan consistently puts himself into vulnerable situations by trying to trade punches with his opponents rather than boxing them. It might win him some fans right now, but that strategy is sure to falter once he moves up to face top-level opposition for one simple reason: He’s not very good at it.
HIT: Terence Crawford’s Single-Minded Mean Streak to Stop Mean Machine
It’s one thing for an elite fighter like pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford to bolster fantastic boxing skills and the amazing propensity to be just as effective from both the orthodox and southpaw stances, but it’s quite another thing for the welterweight to carry a chip on his shoulder the size of a bowling ball.
When Crawford faces his opponents, one gets the sense that just beating them isn’t quite good enough. He often becomes a fierce and aggressive stalker, and this special trait is something that helped him already achieve historically important credentials such as becoming the lineal lightweight champion in 2016, undisputed junior welterweight champion just a year later, and WBO welterweight champion since June 2018.
Crawford’s patented single-minded mean streak mindset also helped overcome the bigger-than-expected challenge Egidijus Kavaliauskas presented him on Saturday. Kavaliauskas, 31, from Lithuania, was truly the “Mean Machine” his handlers at Top Rank had promoted him to be, even going so far as to hurt Crawford early in the fight.
But Crawford, as it turns out, is the meanest machine of all. The 32-year-old knocked down Kavaliauskas three times total (once in the seventh and twice in the ninth) on his way to scoring an impressive ninth-round stoppage win.
MISS: Top Rank Not Getting Middleweight Prospect Edgar Berlanga More Rounds
Twenty-two-year-old middleweight prospect Edgar Berlanga scored his 13th straight first-round knockout when the Brooklynite stopped Cesar Nunez at 2:45 of round one on the Crawford-Kavaliauskas undercard.
Berlanga appears to be a fighter worth keeping an eye on right now. After all, just about everyone in boxing loves knockout punchers, and make that double for those of them that hail from historically important U.S. boxing hotbeds like Brooklyn.
But is Berlanga really the next great middleweight (or super middleweight) power puncher? Or has he just not been matched tough enough quite yet for us to tell?
Far be it from me (well, mostly) to question the methods of Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum and arguably boxing’s top matchmaker Brad Goodman, but it seems like finding just one opponent in 13 tries that could give Berlanga more than three-minutes or less of work shouldn’t be too big an ask.
Not even Gennady Golovkin, the last great middleweight terror, or Deontay Wilder, arguably the hardest puncher in boxing history, scored as many first-round knockouts during the early parts of their careers, and that was probably best for them in long run.
HIT: Vergil Ortiz Jr Cementing His Status as Boxing’s Top Prospect
Welterweight prospect Vergil Ortiz Jr. again showed why most people see the 21-year-old Texan as one of the brightest prospects in boxing by stopping Brad Solomon in just five rounds at Fantasy Spring Casino in Indio, California.
Ortiz had already won all 14 of his professional fights by knockout, including step-up bouts earlier this year against Mauricio Herrera and Antonio Orozco.
While Golden Boy Promotions usually isn’t considered as being in the same league as Top Rank in the matchmaking department, it did seem important for the development of Ortiz to be matched up against a mover like Solomon.
Sure, Ortiz had already tracked down the crafty Herrera, but once the Dallas-native starts competing for world titles he’ll find it more important than ever to have his footwork down pat so he can do the things he wants to do.
Overall, Ortiz enjoyed a great 2019 campaign, going 3-0 with 3 KOs. More importantly, he solidified his status as one of the top prospects in the sport, perhaps even next year’s Teofimo Lopez: a fighter transforming talent into making good on a world title opportunity.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams for Top Rank
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Garcia Promotions’ Event in San Bernardino was a Showcase for Saul Rodriguez

SAN BERNARDINO-Saul “Neno” Rodriguez, out of action for nearly three years, returned to the prize ring on Saturday in San Bernardino at the Club Event Center in a Garcia Promotions event. San Bernardino is in the Inland Empire which is two counties just east of Los Angeles.
Riverside’s Rodriguez (24-1-1) weighed much more than the designated weight and his match with Mexico’s Juan Meza Angulo was demoted to an exhibition because of the weight disparity. Despite wearing head gear, the popular Riverside fighter was able to stop Angulo (6-1) in his first fight since February 28, 2020.
Though Rodriguez looked slightly over-weight as a super lightweight, it didn’t dampen his sharp punching skills. He immediately caught Meza with a well-timed overhand right. Luckily, Rodriguez didn’t put muscle on it. The fight proceeded.
Because of inactivity, Rodriguez seemed to relish getting back to work. He moved around and tried different combinations. Everything seemed to be working in his favor. But Meza countered a left by Rodriguez with a strong right. It proved the popular Riverside fighter needs work on bringing back his left quickly.
After Meza connected things got serious.
Rodriguez immediately opened the third round at a quicker tempo and seemed intent on changing from a wait-and-see attitude to one of bad intentions. Meza didn’t notice the change and looked to catch Rodriguez with a combo and instead was caught with a monster counter-right. Down went Meza with a thud. The fight was stopped.
Fans, many of them wearing Team Neno t-shirts, were deliriously happy to see Rodriguez back in action.
In the co-main event, San Bernardino’s Leo Ruiz clashed with granite-chinned Cameron Krael.
Ruiz (11-0, 7 KOs) unloaded horrific bombs on Krael (19-25-3) who calmly kept his gloves covering his head and although some managed to connect flush, nothing fazed the Las Vegas fighter.
Round after round Ruiz unloaded on Krael only to quickly realize that attempting a knockout was futile. The reputation of Krael’s chin was correct and no need to break a knuckle trying to score a knockout. Instead, Ruiz went six rounds and won every one to take a win by unanimous decision by scores of 60-54 on all three cards.
Other Bouts
Gabe Muratalla (9-0) knocked out Michael Nielsen (6-3) with a four-punch combination in the third round of a bantamweight fight. Body shots dropped Nielsen in the second round.
Ventura’s Jose Delgado (10-1-4), a southpaw, overcome a sluggish start with body shots to defeat San Bernardino’s Jesus Beltran (6-3-1) by majority decision after four rounds in a lightweight fight.
Riverside’s Victor Pelayo (2-0) defeated Milwaukee’s D’Angelo Hopgood (2-1) by decision after four rounds in a very close super bantamweight match. Both fighters showed solid fundamentals in a fight that could have easily been scored a draw. Pelayo won by decision 39-37 on all cards.
Riverside’s Jose Rodriguez (2-0) stopped Henry Mendez (0-9-2) in the fourth round of a super welterweight bout. Mendez was deducted a point in the second round for incessant holding after numerous warnings.
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Alexis Rocha KOs Brave but Overmatched George Ashie on DAZN.

Golden Boy Promotions’ potted their first offering of 2023 at the recently opened YouTube Theater, a 6,000-seat venue situated inside the stadium built to house LA’s two NFL franchises. The main event was a scheduled 12-round welterweight match between Alexis Rocha, a southpaw from nearby Santa Ana and George Ashie, a 38-year-old Ghanaian making his U.S. debut. Ashie was a late substitute for Anthony Young who reportedly suffered a nose injury in training. The match and supporting bouts were live-streamed on DAZN.
Ashie, who was fighting above his normal weight class and carried a career-high 146 pounds, was brave but out-gunned. Rocha knocked him down in the third frame with a right hook and hurt him several more times as the fight progressed although Ashie never stopped trying. In round six, an accidental clash of heads left Rocha with a nasty cut on his left eyebrow. He fought with more urgency after this incident and knocked Ashie out cold in the next round. The official time was 2:08 of round seven.
It was the fifth straight win for Rocha who improved his ledger to 22-1 (14 KOs). After the bout, he expressed an interest in fighting Terence Crawford. Ashie fell to 33-6-1 (25).
Other Bouts of Note
Floyd “Austin Kid” Schofield, a precocious 20-year-old lightweight, had Albert Mercado on the canvas in the second round but was unable to put him away despite hurting him multiple times and went 10 rounds for the first time in his young career.
Schofield, the 2022 TSS Prospect of the Year, improved to 13-0 (11), winning 100-89 on all three cards. Mercado, a 35-year-old Connecticut-born Puerto Rican, declined to 17-5-1 but retained his distinction of having never been stopped.
Super middleweight Bektemir Melikuziev, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist for Uzbekistan who lives and trains in Indio, California, overpowered San Diego’s Ulises Sierra who was on the deck twice from body punches before the fight was waived off at the 2:59 mark of round three. It was the fourth straight victory for Melikuziev (11-1, 9 KOs) after suffering a stunning one-punch knockout at the hands of seemingly shopworn Gabriel Rosado with whom he is pursuing a rematch. Sierra was 17-2-2 heading in with eight of his wins coming in Mexico.
In a match framed as a WBO minimumweight title eliminator, Oscar Collazo (6-0, 4 KOs) scored an impressive fifth-round stoppage of Yudel Reyes. Collazo knocked Reyes down twice in the fifth round, the second with a vicious right hand that put Reyes down so hard that the referee didn’t bother to count. The official time was 2:59 of round five.
In theory, Collazo’s next fight will come against the Filipino Melvin Jerusalem who won the title earlier this month with a second-round stoppage of Masataka Taniguchi in Osaka. Reyes, a 26-year-old Mexican making his U.S. debut, declined to 15-2.
Photo credit: Al Applerose
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Artur Beterbiev TKOs Anthony Yarde in a London Firefight

The presumption, echoed by ESPN boxing commentator Bernardo Osuna, was that tonight’s bout at Wembley Arena in London between Artur Beterbiev and Anthony Yarde would be explosive and entertaining for as long as it lasted. That proved to be true and when the smoke cleared, Beterbiev, the rugged Montreal-based Russian had retained his three light heavyweight title belts and had added another knockout to his ledger, his nineteenth as a pro in as many opportunities.
Both men landed hard shots during the fight and both were marked up at the finish. Yarde had a cut under his right eye and Beterbiev had a cut on his left eyelid.
A chopping right hand from Beterbiev late in the first minute of the eighth round marked the beginning of the end for Yarde, the muscular 31-year-old Londoner who entered the contest sporting a record of 23-2 with 22 knockouts. The punch sent him reeling backward toward his corner where he landed on his knees. He beat the count, but turned toward his corner rather than referee Steve Gray.
Gray let the bout continue, but Beterbiev pressed his advantage and after a few more unanswered punches Yarde’s trainer Tunde Ajayi stepped up on the ring apron and summoned Gray to stop it. The official time was 2:01 of round eight.
Beterbiev hasn’t lost since losing a decision to amateur nemesis Oleksandr Usyk in the quarter finals of the 2012 London Olympics. At age 38, he shows no signs of slowing down.
In his post-fight interview, the self-effacing Russian said, “I hope some day I will be a good boxer,” and acknowledged that he would welcome a unification fight with fellow Russian Dmitry Bivol, the WBA title-holder.
WBA Title Fight
In a bout that was in theory the co-feature but went off during the earlier portion of the ESPN+ livestream, Artem Dalakian (21-0, 15 KOs) retained his WBA world flyweight title with a unanimous and somewhat controversial 12-round unanimous decision over Costa Rica’s David Jimenez (12-1). The judges had it 116-112 and 115-113 twice.
An Azerbaijan-born Ukrainian, Dalakian was making the sixth defense of the title he won in 2018 with a 12-round decision over Brian Viloria in Los Angeles in his lone previous appearance at a venue in the English-speaking world. His five title defenses were in Kiev. Jimenez was coming off a 12-round majority decision over Ricardo Sandoval in what ranked as one of the bigger upsets of 2021.
A Split for the Itauma Brothers
Promoter Frank Warren’s newest signee, 18-year-old heavyweight Moses Itauma, made a big splash in his pro debut, blasting out Czechoslovakia’s Marcel Bode (2-2) in 23 seconds. Moses and his older brother Karol Itauma are sons of a British citizen of Nigerian ancestry and a Slovakian mother.
In a shocking upset, Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna, a 36-year-old Argentine who had lost six of his previous eight fights, forged a fifth-round stoppage of well-touted Karol Itauma who was 9-0 (7 KOs) as a pro coming in. Itauma ate numerous straight right hands before a straight right hand knocked him down for the count. The official time was 1:04 of round five. Maderna improved to 29-10 (11).
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