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Logic in Boxing is an Oxymoron
Logic in Boxing is an Oxymoron
In 1996, David Tua KOed future world champion John Ruiz in 19 seconds with a left hook from hell. In 2002, he dispatched former world champion Michael Moorer in 30 seconds with an explosive straight right. A prime Tua was a heavy load for anyone.
After losing to Chris Byrd in 2001, he went on an undefeated streak of 14 including the aforementioned blow-out of Moorer and a slaughter of countryman Shane Cameron, the Mountain Warrior, in a 2009 fight billed as the âFight of the Centuryâ in New Zealand. Tua came into the fight in the best shape of his career having lost a significant amount of weight.
In the first round, Tua hurt and decked Cameron twice with a crushing and accurate attack and even hit him while he was on the canvas. He ended matters 20 seconds into round two with 13 consecutive heavy and accurate blows, all to Cameronâs head. This ending was not for the squeamish or faint of heart.
After beating Friday Ahunanya, the âTerminatorâ was then held to an upset draw by a fading Monte â2Gunzâ Barrett (34-9 coming in) in Atlantic City, NJ. It appeared that Davidâs great run was coming to an end, especially since Barrett came into the fight having lost six of his last nine.
A year later in 2011, Barrett, now 40 years old, beat a sluggish Tua by a clear UD and in New Zealand no less. Tua lost for the first time since being out-classed by Chris Byrd 10 years earlier. Sadly, Tua also told the press that he was broke and homeless and that he was uncertain about his boxing future. He stepped aside from boxing with a myriad of personal issues including depression and a divorce.
Meanwhile, Barrett was scheduled to fight Shane Cameron in July 2012 though he badly wanted a third fight with local hero Tua because he knew it would be a bigger draw. He also resented accusations that he had taken steroids (accusations that never panned out because of procedural irregularities).
Monte was stung by these accusations and lashed out at Tua. âAfter I beat up on Shane,â he said, âIâm going to give Tua one more chance to whip his fat arse into shape and get his act togetherâŠFor me, itâs that or nothing. I want David to take my last fight. After his wife finished pounding on him with their divorce I donât know if heâll have enough for me. I hope he will.â
âDavid doesnât do anyone proud,â continued the vengeful Barrett. âHeâs an embarrassment to New Zealand. Heâs a lazy, fat slob. He doesnât apply himself. He can die a loser and never get a chance to redeem himself or be a man. The first fight his shoulder was hurt and the gloves were too bigâŠ.The second fight he claimed I was taking steroids. Whatâs his excuse for the third fight? I know New Zealand wants to see itâŠ.He will probably make every excuse because heâs a coward. I used to have a lot of respect for David. But he doesnât appreciate the status he has and realize the whole country is behind him.â
Shane Cameron, meanwhile, seemed to be lost in the shuffle, but he remained Monte Barrettâs stepping stone to a lucrative payday. Barrett, a resident of Bayonne, New Jersey, would be risking the WBO Asia and WBO Oriental heavyweight belts that he won when he defeated David Tua, belts formerly held by Cameron.
Barrett vs. Cameron
Cameron won the first three rounds which were uneventful. Early in the fourth, both threw monster right hands simultaneously. Cameronâs got there first, rendering 2Gunz unconscious and producing a very scary moment for everyone at ringside.
This frightening result afformed that Monte had been shot for some time but further certified that David Tua was even more shot. And yet, Tua was able to crush Cameron who in turn crushed Monte Barrett.
Go figure. There was absolutely no logic in what transpired here.
Many more examples would follow. Ricardo Mayorga, for example, scored two wins over Vernon Forrest who owned two wins over Shane Mosley, but Mosley KOed Mayorga twice. Expecting logic to exist in boxing is something one does at his or her peril.
Ted Sares can be reached at tedsares@roadrunner.com
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Fighting on His Home Turf, Galal Yafai Pulverizes Sunny Edwards
The Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England, was the site of tonightâs Matchroom Promotions card featuring flyweights Galal Yafai and Sunny Edwards in the main event. Yafai went to post a short underdog in what on paper was a 50/50 fight, but it was a rout from the start.
Yafai got right into Edwardsâ grill in the opening round and never let up. Although there were no knockdowns, it was complete domination by the Birmingham southpaw until the referee stepped in and waived it off at the 1:10 mark of round six.
âBloodlineâ was the tagline of the match-up. Sunnyâs brother Charlie Edwards, now competing as a bantamweight, is a former flyweight world title-holder. Galal, a gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, is the third member of his family to make his mark as a prizefighter. Brother Kal, also a former Olympian, once held a world title at 115 and brother Gamal was a Commonwealth champion as a bantamweight.
Edwards and Galal Yafai were well-acquainted. They had fought as amateurs and had shared the ring on many occasions as sparring partners. Although Galal was 31 years old, he had only eight pro fights under his belt and was meeting a veteran of six world title fights whose only loss in 22 starts came the hands of the brilliant Jesse âBamâ Rodriguez.
But that loss to Rodriguez in Arizona (Edwardsâ corner pulled him out after nine frames) was of the kind that shortens careers. Although Sunny won a tune-up fight since that setback, tonight he had the appearance of a boxer who had grown old overnight. In fact, after the second round, he was heard saying to his corner âI really donât want to be here.â
Edwards wanted out, but he dutifully answered the bell for the next four rounds. After the bout, he indicated that he had planned to retire after this fight, win, or lose, or draw.
The contest was billed as a WBC âeliminatorâ which positions Galal Yafai (9-0, 7 KOs) for a match with Japanese veteran Kenshiro Teraji, the long-reigning light flyweight title-holder who moved up in weight last month and captured the WBC flyweight title at the expense of Cristofer Rosales.
Other Bouts of Note
Welterweight Conah Walker, from the Birmingham bedroom community of Wolverhampton, won a clear-cut 10-round decision over Lewis Ritson, winning by scores of 98-93 and 97-93 twice.
A former British lightweight champion, Ritson (23-5) lost for the fourth time in his last six starts, but was game to the core. At various times he appeared on the verge of being stopped, but he may have won the final round when he got the best of several exchanges. Walker, a heavy favorite, improved to 14-3-1 (6).
In a 12-round middleweight match, Kieron Conway won his fourth straight, advancing to 22-3-1 (6) with a split decision over a local product, Ryan Kelly (19-5-1). Kelly got the nod on one of the cards (115-114), but was out-voted by his colleagues who had it 116-112 and 115-113 for Conway.
While the decision was fair, this was a lackluster performance by Conway who had fought much stiffer competition and entered the ring a 6/1 favorite.
Twenty-two-year-old junior welterweight Cameron Vuong, a stablemate of Jack Catterall, stepped up in class and improved to 7-0 (3) with a 10-round unanimous decision over Gavin Gwynne. The judges had it 97-94, 96-94, and 96-95.
Vuong, who is half Vietnamese, out-boxed Gwynne from the outside but was far from impressive. A 34-year-old Welshman and veteran of eight domestic title fights, Gwynne (17-4-1) was the aggressor throughout and there were scattered boos when the decision was announced.
In a scheduled 8-rounder that wasnât part of the main card, Liverpoolâs Callum Smith (30-2, 22 KOs) wacked out Colombian trial horse Carlos Galvan in the fifth round. Smith, whose only defeats came at the hands of future Hall of Famers Canelo Alvarez (L 12) and Artur Beterbiev (L TKO 7), knocked Galvan down in the fourth and then twice more in the fifth with body punches before the match was halted. Galvan declined to 20-15-2.
Photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 306: Flyweight Rumble in England, Ryan Garcia in SoCal
Avila Perspective, Chap. 306: Flyweight Rumble in England, Ryan Garcia in SoCal
With most of America in a turkey coma, all boxing eyes should be pointed toward England this weekend.
Former world titlist Sunny Edwards (21-1, 4 KOs) challenges the fast-rising Galal Yafai (8-0, 6 KOs) for a regional flyweight on Saturday, Nov. 30, at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.
Without the fast-talking and dare-to-be-great Edwards, the flyweight division and super flyweight divisions would be in a blanket of invisibility. Heâs the kind of personality the lower weight classes need.
The London kid loves to talk and loves to fight even more.
Edwards was calling out Jesse âBamâ Rodriguez when the San Antonio fighter was blasting out feared Thai slugger Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and dismantling Mexicoâs Carlos Cuadras. And he did this in front of a worldwide audience.
Of course, he fell short of defeating the young superstar but he kick-started the weight division with new life. And here he is again enticing more eyes on the flyweights as he challenges another potential star.
“I was happy and proud of Galal when he won the Olympic gold medal,â said Edwards who has sparred Yafai many times. âWhen me and Galal get in a small space, itâs fireworks.â
Yafai, a 2021 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist, only has eight pro fights but at age 31 doesnât have time to walk through the stages of careful preparation. But with blazing speed to go along with big power in his southpaw punches, itâs time for the Birmingham native to claim his spot on the world stage.
Is he ready?
“Itâs a massive fight, it speaks for itself. Sunny is a great fighter, a former world champion, a good name and weâve got history as well,â Yafai said at the press conference.â Iâve got to be a bit smarter, but I know Sunny inside-out.â
Both have blazing speed. Yafai has the power, but Edwards has the experience of pro-style competition.
Promoter Eddie Hearn calls this one of the top fights in British boxing.
“Sunny doesnât care, he wants to be in great fights, he believes in himself and he is rolling the dice again on Saturday night, as is Galal. An Olympic gold medalist from Birmingham with just a handful of fights really, and already stepping up to take on one of the top, top flyweights in the world,â said Hearns.
Ryan Garcia in Beverly Hills
The budding Southern California superstar Ryan Garcia met the boxing media in Beverly Hills to announce an exhibition match against Japanâs kickboxing star Rukiya Anpo on December 30 in Tokyo. FANMIO pay-per-view will show the match if it takes place.
Garcia is still under contract with Golden Boy Promotions and according to the promotion company an agreement has not been established. But with Garcia under suspension for PED use following his last fight against Devin Haney back in April, an opportunity for the popular fighter to make a living will probably be allowed.
As long as everyone gets their cut.
Now 26, Garcia seeks to get back in the prize ring and do what he does best and thatâs fire left hooks in machine gun fashion.
âHe tried to knock out Manny Pacquiao and it pissed me off,â said Garcia on his reasons for accepting an exhibition match with the bigger in size Anpo. âThat rubbed me the wrong way and now Iâm here to show him someone in his prime with speed and power.â
Anpo wants a knockout and nothing else.
âI regret that I couldnât finish Manny Pacquiao,â said Anpo who met Pacquiao in an exhibition this past summer in Tokyo. âThatâs what we train to do in every fight. I have even more motivation this time and I will knock him out and finish Ryan Garcia as a professional.â
Following the press conference on Tuesday, Nov. 26, an e-mail by Golden Boy was sent to the media and stated: âGolden Boy Promotions has exclusive rights to Ryan Garciaâs fights. The organizers of this event (Garcia vs. Anpo) have acknowledged as such and have agreed in writing that our sign-off is needed for this event to occur. As no such sign-off has been given, as of today there is no event with Ryan Garcia.â
Simply said, they get their cut or no fight.
The potential money-making fight has a strong possibility to occur.
Photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom
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The Noted Trainer Kevin Henry, Lucky to Be Alive, Reflects on Devin Haney and More
This past summer, on July 21, Las Vegas boxing trainer Kevin Henry almost died. He was on the Las Vegas Strip, walking north from Caesars Palace, when he was the victim of an auto-pedestrian accident, hit by a careless uber driver exiting the Treasure Island casino after dropping off a passenger.
Henry suffered two broken bones in his neck, shoulder and hip displacements, lost two teeth, and had facial injuries that required plastic surgery. He spent three months in the hospital, the first 20 days in ICU and the final month at an in-patient rehabilitation facility.
The good news is that the pain has subsided and Kevin Henry is back in the gym mentoring boxers and enjoying the camaraderie of his peers.
Kevin, 55, grew up around the sport. His father, the late Norman Henry, was a fixture on the Philadelphia boxing scene going back to the late 1940s when he was Bob Montgomeryâs Man Friday. The elder Henry co-managed Jeff Chandler and others and had a long association with Don King where he defined his role as that of a troubleshooter. Kevin was born in Philadelphia, spent several years in the LA area during the days when his father was a matchmaker for Harold Smithâs MAPS (an acronym for Muhammad Ali Professional Sports), and has been a full-time resident of Las Vegas since 1992.
âWhen I was 16, maybe 17, I was the youngest licensed second in New Jerseyâ says Henry. âIn Philadelphia, I got to hang with great old-school trainers like George Benton. In LA, my home away from home was the Hoover Street Gym. Jackie McCoy, Eddie Futch, and Jesse Reid trained fighters there. A young trainer couldnât ask for a better schoolhouse.
âThe old-school trainers liked me because I was organized. If a kid said to me, oops, I forgot my gym bag or I canât spar because I forgot my mouthpiece â and this happened a lot â Iâd say, no you didnât, I have it right here. And the kids knew if they went out and did something they shouldnât have, that I wasnât going to tattle-tale.â
When Henry moved to Las Vegas, the local heavyweight scene was percolating. Michael Dokes was here as were Oliver McCall and Michael Hunter Sr. The latter two fought each other as they were climbing the ladder and eventually became fast friends.
The ill-fated Hunter would become a member of the family. He married Kevin Henryâs sister. Michael Hunter Jr, a leading heavyweight contender whose victims include the white-hot Martin Bakole and Michaelâs younger brother Keith Hunter, a 15-2 junior welterweight, are Kevinâs nephews.
Discounting Devin Haneyâs father Bill, no boxing coach has spent more time in the company of Devin Haney. Henry was in Devinâs corner for the vast majority of his amateur bouts, including five of Devinâs six meetings with his great amateur rival Ryan Garcia, and their tie continued after Devin transitioned into a pro.
âHe was like a little brother to me,â says Henry. âI remember the first day I saw him. It was at the old Round One gym which isnât here anymore. A Rolls Royce pulled up out front. Derrick Harmon, who fought Roy Jones, was there with me. We figured that the person in the car was probably some famous professional athlete who had come to work up a sweat. But it was Bill Haney with his nine-year-old son. Neither Bill nor his kid knew anything about boxing; Bill wanted someone to teach Devin how to box. The boy was a blank canvas.
âBill left and when he came back, he said, âhow did he do?â He was so proud when we told him his kid was a natural. Derrick and I couldnât believe that the boy had never been in the gym before. We were amazed.â
The precocious Haney, who turned pro in Mexico at age 16, proved to be as good as advertised. He won the WBC world lightweight title in his twenty-fourth pro fight, pitching a shutout over previously undefeated Alfredo Santiago, went on to unify the title with wins over George Kambosos and Vasyl Lomachenko, and pitched another shutout in his first venture at 140, whitewashing Regis Prograis to capture another world title belt.
Kevin Henry was there for some of these fights and was lost in the shuffle at others. It remains a sore spot.
No active boxer has been looked-over by as many prominent trainers as Devin Haney. Bill Haney, who would be a finalist for both the 2023 BWAA Trainer of the Year and Manager of the Year, winning the latter, operated on the assumption that all had something useful to contribute and that from their inputs he could build something that was greater than the sum of its parts. He was bucking several bromides including the chestnut that too many chefs spoil the broth and that brings us to the night of April 20, 2024, when Bill Haneyâs son caught up with his old amateur rival Ryan Garcia at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
In a memorable fight, Garcia buzzed Haney in the opening minute of the match with his patented left hook and would then go on to dominate the second half of the fight, putting Haney on the canvas three times â in rounds 7, 10, and 11 â en route to a scorching upset.
As we know, Garcia, who came in three pounds overweight, would have the âWâ stripped from him when his urine samples revealed the presence of a performance-enhancing drug, ostarine. The New York State Athletic Commission changed the result to a no-contest and that is how it appears at boxrec, the sportâs official record-keeper.
Devin Haney remains undefeated (31-0, 1 NC) but Ryan Garcia knocked the mystique out of him.
In part because of his tender age â he turned 26 earlier this month â Haney was considered a threat to break Floyd Mayweatherâs 50-0 record. No one talks about that anymore and if it should happen, it would command an asterisk.
Kevin Henry was there at the Haney-Garcia fight but, in a sense, he wasnât there.
âThey never put my name on the comp list â he says, âso there was no ticket or pass waiting for me when I got to the arena. I was actually on the subway heading back to my hotel when Devin called me. He said, âwhere you at âbro.â When I explained the situation to him, he said âturn around and come back and go to security.â
âDevin arranged to have a ticket waiting for me. My seat was directly behind his corner. The undercard was already in progress when I got back.
âThis will sound arrogant, but I am certain the outcome would have been different if Devin had a different corner. The most experienced guy in his corner that night was Bob Ware, and Bob isnât a trainer; heâs a cutman. When Devin faced adversity for the first time in his life, there was no experienced head there to get him turned around.
âIn preparation for Garcia, we spent 3-4 weeks at Freddie Roachâs Wild Card Gym. I actually suggested to Bill that he use Freddie in the corner. Freddie sees things that other trainers donât see, even me, and Freddie would have known what adjustments to make. But Bill said no. He didnât want to cede his authority.â
Kevin Henryâs admiration for Devin Haney, as a boxer and a person, hasnât waned. âRyan Garcia came in overweight at the weigh-in and you can just imagine how much weight he put on after he rehydrated. When they stood at center ring to get the refereeâs instructions, Garcia looked like a middleweight to me. Devin dug deep and fought a great fight against a guy who was bigger and on steroids. One of the judges even had it a draw.” (True. Veteran arbiter Max DeLuca scored it 112-112. The other judges had Garcia winning by 4 and 6 points.)
As to what to expect from Devin when he returns, Henry says, âI worry about the mental part; some boxers donât take losing well.â There are no such concerns about Kevin Henry who lost none of his mental acuity in that terrible accident and is back in his comfort zone.
Haney-Garcia photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy Promotions
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