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The WBC’s ‘Franchise’ Sticker and More Judges Add to Boxing’s Numbers Glut
The WBC’s ‘Franchise’ Sticker and More Judges Add to Boxing’s Numbers Glut
My late Cuban mother-in-law said a lot of things in her thick accent that might have been somewhat lost in translation, one of her more memorable observations being that “too much of a good thing can turn you crooked.”
The lady whose five children and those who wed their way into the family all knew as Mimi wasn’t referring to boxing in that instance, but she might as well have been. If the sweet science were a calculator, the “addition” key would be nearly worn out and there would be no corresponding “subtraction” key. Just when fight fans think they have a handle on what passes for normal nowadays, new concepts – additions, of course – are tossed out like beads from a Mardi Gras float.
Which is not to say that two more innovations (one already implemented, the other likely to be) from the WBC and its tinkering president, Mauricio Sulaiman, are unnecessary or extraneous. In fact, Mauricio, during a Zoom teleconference with a select few members of the U.S. media on Monday, insisted that in his heart of hearts he is basically a traditionalist as are many hidebound fans of the sport. It’s just that, well, the curmudgeons among us who cling to the hope that someday the fight game will whittle itself back down into eight standard weight classes, from its currently bloated 17, with a universally recognized champion in each are as likely to get that as an international dictum requiring everyone to trade in their automobiles for horse-drawn buggies.
“There is resistance to change. That’s human nature,” Sulaiman said, although the past few decades in which the business and structure of boxing have been radically altered would seem to suggest otherwise. “We like to do things customarily. In boxing, there is a big, big love for the classic, for the past, for the legendary. To implement change is very complicated.”
In an effort to un-complicate matters, the Mexico City-based WBC has designated two of its most worthy champions, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Canelo Alvarez, as “franchise” titlists, with Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) defending his “new and improved” lightweight status from that sanctioning body, as well as his WBA “super” and WBO straps, against IBF 135-pound ruler Teofimo Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) Saturday night in the MGM “Bubble” in Las Vegas. Despite being arguably the most-anticipated fight of 2020, the action will be carried via regular ESPN, a happy fact to be appreciated by fight fans of all persuasions.
Lomachenko-Lopez will be judged, if in fact the outcome goes to the scorecards, by three judges, as usual. But the days of three-person panels deciding who or who doesn’t win fights on points might also soon become a relic from the past, if Sulaiman’s vision of the future gains traction.
“From what I have seen through the remote scoring (judges not at ringside) during this pandemic, I am so convinced that the more judges that score a fight, the possibility of a bad decision goes to the minimum,” said Sulaiman, who envisions a day when five or even seven judges – some at ringside, others seeing the same thing on TV and not from different angles – will eliminate or at least greatly reduce the sort of scoring controversies that have always made what seemed obvious to many not so much to the chosen few with pencils.
“We are in the process of having five judges for a few fights in the jurisdictions where we allow this to happen,” Sulaiman said. “We have done fights with judges on site, combined with remote judges. That has been a tremendous success. I don’t know how easy or how fast this can be implemented, but I know there are jurisdictions (certain state boxing commissions) that simply won’t allow it.”
Judges also will experiment with scoring 10-9 rounds as “close,” “moderate,” “decisive” or “extreme,” the last likely resulting in a 10-8 tally even without a knockdown.
“If you have a judge going all over the place in (scoring) a fight, then you talk to him and you train him,” Sulaiman continued.
If the future scoring of fights sounds more complicated, it probably will be. But like the man said, change can be difficult to implement and accept. New stuff takes getting used to.
Back to the franchise designation, which Sulaiman insisted will be conferred only upon special fighters who reveal themselves to be a cut or two above mere alphabet place-holders. Although Devin Haney (24-0, 15 KOs) is also a WBC lightweight champ, the difference between he and Lomachenko might be akin to levels of royalty, with the Ukrainian southpaw being the king of the division and the Las Vegas resident by way of his native San Francisco more like a prince.
“I understand that there is resistance and uncertainty, but I feel very good about the franchise designation because it will be a concept that applies to only a very few,” Sulaiman explained.
“The winner of this fight will be recognized as the franchise champion of the WBC. I understand that any new thing, any new rule or program, always creates confusion. But Lomachenko is in fact a champion with special attributes. He does not have to face the mandatories that a new champion has to face when he wins a vacant title.”
Where things get more complicated, not simpler, will be when the WBC assumes a loftier-than-thou stance for its franchise stalwarts in unification bouts with champions from the other three world sanctioning bodies. If fairly recent boxing history has taught us anything, it is that the alphabet groups will strip unified champions, as if he were a scantily clad dancer in a gentleman’s cabaret, if they don’t fulfill a particular outfit’s mandatory within a specified time frame.
“The mandatory contender was introduced by the WBC many, many years ago, when (Jose) Napoles and a few other fighters had to wait five or six years to get a title opportunity,” Sulaiman noted. “There was no rule mandating a champion to fight any boxer. (The establishment) of mandatories is a great rule, and very fair. But the rule sometimes has worked contrary to its creation. It has been abused.
“The fact is that, having so many championships, the level of quality of mandatory challengers in certain divisions is very much diluted. Sometimes you have mandatory contenders that you really could doubt that they are the best challengers in the division.
“This situation of fighters belonging to different promoters or networks has always existed. It does complicate matters. For (Mike) Tyson to wait so long to fight Lennox Lewis took many years. For Manny to fight Floyd took many years.”
The establishment of franchise fighters in certain divisions, Sulaiman said, is not designed for that person to run away from a mandatory, but to run to a big fight that people want to see.
Now, getting the other organizations to go along with Sulaiman’s plot to remake boxing is the sticking point. That, too, has been a problem that never seems to go away. Every alphabet president wants his group to lead the parade, not just tagging along.
“I don’t want to talk about other organizations. We’re talking about the WBC,” said Sulaiman, who indicated he had been in contact with the IBF’s Daryl Peoples and the WBO’s Paco Valcarcel (no mention of the WBA’s Gilberto Mendoza) regarding a standardization of ratings. “We have had ideas and we have put them forth. There have been intentions to put in a system where the organizations work together. But in the end, each organization has its own agenda, its own rules, its own ideas.”
And the pile of those rules and ideas just keeps getting larger and larger.
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Women’s Prizefighting Year End Review: The Best of the Best in 2024
Women’s Prizefighting Year End Review: The Best of the Best in 2024
It’s the end of the year.
Here are our awards for the best in women’s boxing. But first, a rundown on the state of the sport.
Maybe its my imagination but it seems that fewer female fights of magnitude took place in 2024 than in previous years.
A few promoters like 360 Promotions increased their involvement in women’s boxing while others such as Matchroom Boxing and Golden Boy Promotions seem stagnant. They are still staging female bouts but are not signing new additions.
American-based promotion company Top Rank, actually lost 50 percent of their female fighter roster when Seniesa Estrada, the undisputed minimumweight champion, retired recently. They still have Mikaela Mayer.
A promotion company making headlines and creating sparks in the boxing world is Most Valuable Promotions led by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian. They signed Amanda Serrano and have invested in staging other female fights
This year, the top streaming company Netflix gambled on sponsoring Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson, along with Amanda Serrano versus Katie Taylor and hit a monster home run. According to Netflix metrics an estimated 74 million viewers watched the event that took place on Nov. 16 at Arlington, Texas.
“Breaking records like this is exactly what MVP was built to do – bring the biggest, most electrifying events to fans worldwide,” said Nakisa Bidarian co-founder of MVP.
History was made in viewership and at the gate where more than 70,000 fans packed AT&T Stadium for a record-setting $17.8 million in ticket sales outside of Las Vegas. It was the grand finale moment of the year.
Here are the major contributors to women’s boxing in 2024.
Fighter of the Year: Amanda Serrano
Other candidates: Katie Taylor, Claressa Shields, Franchon Crews, Dina Thorslund, and Yesica Nery Plata.
Amanda Serrano was chosen for not only taking part in the most viewed female title fight in history, but also for willingly sacrificing the health of her eye after suffering a massive cut during her brutal war with Taylor. She could have quit, walked away with tons of money and be given the technical decision after four rounds. She was ahead on the scorecards at that moment.
Instead, Serrano took more punches, more head butts and slugged her way through 10 magnificent and brilliant rounds against the great Taylor. Fans worldwide were captivated by their performance. Many women who had never watched a female fight were mesmerized and inspired.
Serrano once again proved that she would die in the ring rather than quit. Women and men were awed by her performance and grit. It was a moment blazed in the memories of millions.
Amanda Serrano is the Fighter of the Year.
Best Fight of the Year – Amanda Serrano versus Katie Taylor 2
Their first fight that took place two years ago in Madison Square Garden was the greatest female fight I had ever witnessed. The second fight surpassed it.
When you have two of the best warriors in the world willing to showcase their talent for entertainment regardless of the outcome, it’s like rubbing two sticks of dynamite together.
Serrano jumped on Taylor immediately and for about 20 seconds it looked like the Irish fighter would not make the end of the first round. Not quite. Taylor rallied behind her stubborn determination and pulled out every tool in her possession: elbows, head butts, low blows, whatever was needed to survive, Taylor used.
It reminded me of an old world title fight in 2005 between Jose Luis Castillo a master of fighting dirty and Julio Diaz. I asked about the dirty tactics by Castillo and Diaz simply said, “It’s a fight. It’s not chess. You do what you have to do.”
Taylor did what she had to do to win and the world saw a magnificent fight.
Other candidates: Seniesa Estrada versus Yokasta Valle, Mikaela Mayer versus Sandy Ryan, and Ginny Fuchs vs Adelaida Ruiz.
KO of the Year – Lauren Price KO3 Bexcy Mateus.
Dec. 14, in Liverpool, England.
The IBO welterweight titlist lowered the boom on Bexcy Mateus sending her to the floor thrice. She ended the fight with a one-two combination that left Mateus frozen while standing along the ropes. Another left cross rocket blasted her to the ground. Devastating.
Other candidates: Claressa Shields KO of Vanessa LePage-Joanisse, Gabriela Fundora KO of Gabriela Alaniz, Dina Thorslund vs Mary Romero, Amanda Serrano KO of Stevie Morgan.
Pro’s Pro Award – Jessica Camara
Jessica Camara defeated Hyun Mi Choi in South Korea to win the WBA gold title on April 27, 2024. The match took place in Suwon where Canada’s Camara defeated Choi by split decision after 10 rounds.
Camara, who is managed by Brian Cohen, has fought numerous champions including Kali Reis, Heather Hardy and Melissa St. Vil. She has become a pro fighter that you know will be involved in a good and entertaining fight and is always in search of elite competition. She eagerly accepted the fight in South Korea against Choi. Few fighters are willing to do that.
Next up for Camara is WBC titlist Caroline Dubois set for Jan. 11, in Sheffield, England.
Electric Fighters Club
These are women who never fail to provide excitement and drama when they step in the prize ring. When you only have two-minute rounds there’s no time to run around the boxing ring.
Here are some of the fighters that take advantage of every second and they do it with skill:
Gabriela Fundora, Mizuki Hiruta, Ellie Scotney, Lauren Price, Clara Lescurat, Adelaida Ruiz, Ginny Fuchs, Mikaela Mayer, Yokasta Valle, Sandy Ryan, Chantelle Cameron, Ebanie Bridges, Tsunami Tenkai, Dina Thorslund, Evelin Bermudez, Gabriela Alaniz, Caroline Dubois, Beatriz Ferreira, and LeAnna Cruz.
Claressa Shields Movie and More
A motion picture based on Claressa Shields titled “The Fire Inside” debuts on Wednesday, Dec. 25, nationwide. Most boxing fans know that Shields has world titles in various weight divisions. But they don’t know about her childhood and how she rose to fame.
Also, Shields (15-0, 3 KOs) will be fighting Danielle Perkins (5-0, 2 KOs) for the undisputed heavyweight world championship on Sunday Feb. 2, at Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan. DAZN will stream the Salita Promotions fight card.
“Claressa Shields is shining a spotlight on Flint – first on the big screen and then in the ring on Sunday, February 2,” said event promoter Dmitriy Salita, president of Salita Promotions. “Claressa leads by example. She is a trailblazer and has been an advocate for equality since she was a young lady. This event promises to be one of the most significant sporting and cultural events of the year. You don’t want to miss it, either live, in person or live on DAZN.”
Shields is only 29 years old and turns 30 next March. What more can she accomplish?
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Lucas Bahdi Forged the TSS 2024 Knockout of the Year
A Knockout of the Year doesn’t have to be a one-punch knockout, but it must arrive with the suddenness of a thunderclap on a clear day and the punch or punches must be so harsh as to obviate the need for a “10-count.” And, if rendered by an underdog, that makes the KO resonate more loudly.
Within these parameters, Lucas Bahdi’s knockout of Ashton “H2O” Sylva still jumped off the page. The thunderclap happened on July 20 in Tampa, Florida, on a show promoted by Jake Paul with Paul and the great Amanda Serrano sharing the bill against soft opponents in the featured bouts.
The 30-year-old Bahdi (16-0, 14 KOs) and the 20-year-old Sylva (11-0, 9 KOs) were both undefeated, but Bahdi was accorded scant chance of defeating Jake Paul’s house fighter.
Sylva was 18 years old and had seven pro fights under his belt, winning all inside the distance, when he signed with Paul’s company, Most Valuable Promotions, in 2022. “We believe that Ashton has that talent, that flashiness, that style, that knockout power, that charisma to really be a massive, massive, superstar…” said the “Problem Child” when announcing that Sylva had signed with his company.
Jake Paul was so confident that his protege would accomplish big things that he matched Sylva with Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield. Currently 18-0 and ranked #2 by the WBA, Schofield was further along than Sylva in the pantheon of hot lightweight prospects. But Schofield backed out, alleging an injury, opening the door to a substitute.
Enter Lucas Bahdi who despite his eye-catching record was a virtual unknown. This would be his first outing on U.S. soil. All of his previous bouts were staged in Mexico or in Canada, mostly in his native Ontario province. “My opponent may have changed,” said Sylva who hails from Long Beach, California, “but the result will be the same, I will get the W and continue my path to greatness.”
The first five rounds were all Sylva. The Canadian had no antidote for Sylva’s speed and quickness. He was outclassed.
Then, in round six, it all came unglued for the precocious California. Out of the blue, Bahdi stiffened him with a hard right hand. Another right quickly followed, knocking Sylva unconscious. A third punch, a sweeping left, was superfluous. Jake Paul’s phenom was already out cold.
Sylva landed face-first on the canvas. He lay still as his handlers and medics rushed to his aid. It was scarifying. “May God restore him,” said ring announcer Joe Martinez as he was being stretchered out of the ring.
The good news is that Ashton “H2O” Silva will be able to resume his career. He is expected back in the ring as early as February. As for Lucas Bahdi, architect of the Knockout of the Year, he has added one more win to his ledger, winning a 10-round decision on the undercard of the Paul vs Tyson spectacle, and we will presumably be hearing a lot more about him.
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Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Oleksandr Usyk left no doubt that he is the best heavyweight of his generation and one of the greatest boxers of all time with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury tonight at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But although the Ukrainian won eight rounds on all three scorecards, this was no runaway. To pirate a line from one of the DAZN talking heads, Fury had his moments in every round but Usyk had more moments.
The early rounds were fought at a faster pace than the first meeting back in May. At the mid-point, the fight was even. The next three rounds – the next five to some observers – were all Usyk who threw more punches and landed the cleaner shots.
Fury won the final round in the eyes of this reporter scoring at home, but by then he needed a knockout to pull the match out of the fire.
The last round was an outstanding climax to an entertaining chess match during which both fighters took turns being the pursuer and the pursued.
An Olympic gold medalist and a unified world champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight, the amazing Usyk improved his ledger to 23-0 (14). His next fight, more than likely, will come against the winner of the Feb. 22 match in Ridayh between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker which will share the bill with the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Fury (34-2-1) may fight Anthony Joshua next. Regardless, no one wants a piece of Moses Itauma right now although the kid is only 19 years old.
Moses Itauma
Raised in London by a Nigerian father and a Slovakian mother, Itauma turned heads once again with another “wow” performance. None of his last seven opponents lasted beyond the second round.
His opponent tonight, 34-year-old Australian Demsey McKean, lasted less than two minutes. Itauma, a southpaw with blazing fast hands, had the Aussie on the deck twice during the 117-second skirmish. The first knockdown was the result of a cuffing punch that landed high on the head; the second knockdown was produced by an overhand left. McKean went down hard as his chief cornerman bounded on to the ring apron to halt the massacre.
Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs after going 20-0 as an amateur) is the real deal. It was the second straight loss for McKean (22-2) who lasted into the 10th round against Filip Hrgovic in his last start.
Bohachuk-Davis
In a fight billed as the co-main although it preceded Itauma-McKean, Serhii Bohachuk, an LA-based Ukrainian, stopped Ishmael Davis whose corner pulled him out after six frames.
Both fighters were coming off a loss in fights that were close on the scorecards, Bohachuk falling to Vergil Ortiz Jr in a Las Vegas barnburner and Davis losing to Josh Kelly.
Davis, who took the fight on short notice, subbing for Ismail Madrimov, declined to 13-2. He landed a few good shots but was on the canvas in the second round, compliments of a short left hook, and the relentless Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KOs) eventually wore him down.
Fisher-Allen
In a messy, 10-round bar brawl masquerading as a boxing match, Johnny Fisher, the Romford Bull, won a split decision over British countryman David Allen. Two judges favored Fisher by 95-94 tallies with the dissenter favoring Allen 96-93. When the scores were announced, there was a chorus of boos and those watching at home were outraged.
Allen was a step up in class for Fisher. The Doncaster man had a decent record (23-5-2 heading in) and had been routinely matched tough (his former opponents included Dillian Whyte, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz and three former Olympians). But Allen was fairly considered no more than a journeyman and Fisher (12-0 with 11 KOs, eight in the opening round) was a huge favorite.
In round five, Allen had Fisher on the canvas twice although only one was ruled a true knockdown. From that point, he landed the harder shots and, at the final bell, he fell to canvas shedding tears of joy, convinced that he had won.
He did not win, but he exposed Johnny Fisher as a fighter too slow to compete with elite heavyweights, a British version of the ponderous Russian-Canadian campaigner Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Other Bouts of Note
In a spirited 10-round featherweight match, Scotland’s Lee McGregor, a former European bantamweight champion and stablemate of former unified 140-pound title-holder Josh Taylor, advanced to 15-1-1 (11) with a unanimous decision over Isaac Lowe (25-3-3). The judges had it 96-92 and 97-91 twice.
A cousin and regular houseguest of Tyson Fury, Lowe fought most of the fight with cuts around both eyes and was twice deducted a point for losing his gumshield.
In a fight between super featherweights that could have gone either way, Liverpool southpaw Peter McGrail improved to 11-1 (6) with a 10-round unanimous decision over late sub Rhys Edwards. The judges had it 96-95 and 96-94 twice.
McGrail, a Tokyo Olympian and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, fought from the third round on with a cut above his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads. It was the first loss for Edwards (16-1), a 24-year-old Welshman who has another fight booked in three weeks.
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