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Boxing Odds and Ends: Return of the Overweights and More

The 1980s brought two new sanctioning bodies into boxing. The IBF, founded in 1983, and the WBO (1988) came along to challenge the established organizations.
More organizations meant more “champions.” For a time, the heavyweight division was a revolving door of title-holders. The claimants, with very few exceptions, were aligned with Don King.
Many of the 1980s-era heavyweights that came through the revolving door were on the flabby side; their “love handles” made their trunks fit tight. Investigative reporter Jack Newfield blamed King, postulating that his ensemble of heavyweights had become so demoralized by his double-dealing that they had lost the incentive to stay in shape. Budd Schulberg acidly observed that a new classification had been born: the overweights.
We were reminded of Schulberg’s snarky sobriquet while watching the fights this weekend. Don King’s latest heavyweight “champion,” Trevor Bryan, weighed in for his fight with Bername Stiverne carrying 267 ½ pounds. His previous career high was 248 and that was for an opponent with a 2-24 record. The following night, love handles were on display again when Darmani Rock opposed Michael Coffie. Rock, 24, fell from the ranks of the unbeaten when Coffie stopped him in the third round.

rock
It would be too easy to blame Trevor Bryan’s ungainly appearance on King. He was inactive for all of 2019 and all of 2020 and it isn’t as easy to stay in shape nowadays with so many gyms and fitness centers shuttered because of the pandemic. As for Darmani Rock, he actually slimmed down from his recent fights, albeit the 261 pounds he carried were still too many, or at least too indecorously distributed.
Let’s hope the overweights don’t take over boxing’s glamour division.
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Don King’s fiasco in Florida inspired both laughter and derision. The World Boxing News, a popular U.K.-based website, reacted by ex-communicating the World Boxing Association. They removed all WBA belts from their Champions list and said that a unification fight would no longer be recognized as such if it involved the WBA and only one of the other three major bodies.
For the honchos at this web site, sanctioning Bryan vs. Stiverne as a title fight was the last straw. Trevor Bryan is now the WBA “regular” champion which presumably makes Anthony Joshua an irregular champion. The WBA “champion in recess” is Mahmoud “Manuel” Charr who last fought in 2017.
This decision undoubtedly drew a “thumbs up” from prominent boxing writer Dan Rafael who has been in the forefront of the drive to shame the World Boxing Association into cutting back on their number of champions, as they once indicated that they would. Rafael has been flogging the Panama-based organization with words like rancid and putrid since at least 2009.
We doubt that the WBN’s new policy will make a difference, but we can certainly appreciate the sentiment. What we would suggest is that Joe Santoliquito, the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America, draft a letter condemning the World Boxing Association, a letter that every member of the BWAA would be invited to sign, and that this letter would then be forwarded to the heads of the various state boxing commissions with a recommendation that they put the WBA under suspension until such time as the WBA gets its house in order. Every state boxing commission has the authority to suspend an entity or individual whose conduct is deemed to be detrimental to the sport.
Agreed, there are drawbacks. There are still states in the union that have no boxing commission and bad consequences would inevitably follow if fights were diverted to these places where safety precautions are lax. Moreover, a state boxing commission does more than regulate the sport. Although not explicitly stated, a commission is expected to be an arm of economic development and in these trying times where dwindling tax revenues have forced many government agencies to tighten their belts, no commission wants to be in the position of turning away business. Moreover, de-frocking the WBA could open a Pandora’s box as the other organizations are hardly paragons of virtue.
We would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this matter.
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Ryan Garcia created quite a buzz when he posted on his Instagram page a mock-up of a poster promoting a bout between him and Manny Pacquaio. True, everything Garcia does nowadays creates a buzz. The 22-year-old unmarried father of two has the aura of a matinee idol (a term, by the way, that originated in the days of vaudeville where the audience for matinees consisted of many unmarried women who were discouraged from going out after dark without a male escort).
Our first reaction when we heard this was that Garcia, or rather his publicist and/or business manager, was pulling our string. Garcia is a lightweight. Pacquiao’s last 16 fights, beginning with his 2009 bout with Miguel Cotto, were contested at welterweight. True, they could meet in the middle, say at a catchweight of 141 pounds, but at age 42 it’s hard to envision PacMan burning off the weight.
Naysayers assumed that a bout between Garcia and Pacquiao would take the form of an exhibition. A spokesperson for Garcia, Guadalupe Valencia, and Garcia himself, insist the fight will be genuine. Moreover, Valencia told ESPN that Team Pacquiao initiated the talks.
It’s being said that Garcia vs. Pacquiao will take place in late May or early June. We will bet money that it doesn’t happen with the understanding that all bets are off if it’s an exhibition. Regardless, the only title that will be at stake will be one that hasn’t been contrived yet. Ryan Garcia doesn’t currently own one. Manny Pacquiao, who last fought in July of 2019, winning a split decision over Keith Thurman, owned the irregular version of the WBA welterweight title until a few days ago when it was stripped from him. PacMan was simultaneously named the WBA “champion in recess.”
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Undercard Results from the Canelo-Charlo Card in Las Vegas

Undercard Results from the Canelo-Charlo Card in Las Vegas
In a heavyweight battle slated for 10, Frank Sanchez (23-0, 16 KOs) stopped LA trial horse Scott Alexander (17-6-2) after four frames. Alexander’s corner attempted to stop it in the waning seconds of the fourth, but the referee did not see it and the bell rang before the fight was waived off.
Alexander had one big moment. In the opening round, he rocked Sanchez with a short right hand. But from there, it was all Sanchez in a rather messy fight.
A Miami-based Cuban defector, Frank Sanchez came in ranked #3 by the WBO, #4 by the WBC, and #5 by the IBF. His best win came in this building, a comfortable decision over Efe Ajagba in October of 2021. Alexander also fought here. In his previous visit to the T-Mobile, he was knocked out in the opening round by Zhilei Zhang.
Former WBO light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk, in his third fight back since ending his retirement, improved to 20-0 (16) with a second-round stoppage of 38-year-old Brazilian Isaac Rodrigues (28-5). Gvozdyk, 36, left the sport after getting beat up by Artur Beterbiev, but got the itch and is pursuing a fight with Dmitry Bivol.
In an 8-round middleweight fight, 2012 U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha (24-3-1) won a majority decision over Keandre Leatherwood (23-9-1). The judges had it 76-76 and 78-74 twice. Once a highly regarded prospect, Gausha is spinning his wheels. Leatherwood, from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, had been stopped four times.
Guadalajara super lightweight Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela advanced to 28-3-1 (17 KOs) with a sixth-round stoppage of overmatched Colombia import Yves Gabriel Solano (15-3). This was redemption of sorts for Valenzuela who lost an unpopular 12-round decision to Montana Love in his last outing inside these walls.
Kazakh super middleweight Bek Nuramaganbat (11-0) continued his fast ascent of the 168-pound ladder with a third-round stoppage of Bola Osundairo. A 30-year-old Chicago-based Nigerian, Osundairo was a 2021 USA National Champion at 178 pounds.
A four-round middleweight contest between Abilikhan Amankul (4-0-1, 4 KOs) and Joeshon James (7-0-2, 4 KOs) ended in a draw. Although he didn’t win, Sacramento’s James continued to exceed expectations. In previous contests he KOed previously undefeated Richard Brewart and fought to a draw with Top Rank signee Javier Martinez. Amankul, a 26-year-old Kazakh, lost a split decision to eventual gold medal winner Hebert Conceicao in the Tokyo Olympics.
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David Avila is ringside. Check back later for his report of the Canelo-Charlo fight and the main supporting bouts.
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Opetaia Demolishes Thompson in London; Wallin Upsets Gassiev in Turkey

In his first defense of his IBF cruiserweight title, Australian southpaw Jai Opetaia demolished overmatched Jordan Thompson in the featured bout of a Matchroom card at London’s Wembley Arena. Opetaia (23-0, 18 KOs) overwhelmed Thompson (15-1) from the opening gun and had the six-foot-six Mancunian on the canvas twice before the match was waived off at the 20-second mark of round four.
An Olympian at the age of 16, Opetaia won the title 15 months ago with a unanimous decision over longtime title-holder Mairis Briedis. Noting that Opetaia broke his jaw in two places early in that contest, prominent Australian sporting journalist Simon Smale called it “one of the bravest, gutsiest, victories in Australian boxing history.”
Following that fight, Opetaia had to eat through a straw for several months. Hence, there were questions about whether his jaw would hold up and whether he would show ring rust in his first title defense. But the towering Thompson, whose nickname is Troublesome, although game, proved to be no trouble whatsoever for Opetaia who would be favored to beat any cruiserweight in the world, no matter the locale.
Opetaia may return to England for his next fight which would be a unification match with Bournemouth’s 18-1 Chris Billam-Smith who captured the WBO version of the 200-pound title in May with a surprisingly one-sided decision over favored Lawrence Okolie. The other cruiserweight title-holders are the well-traveled Badou Jack (WBC) and the French-Armenian boxer Arsen Goulamirian (WBA).
Four female fights were on the undercard including two 10-rounders, both of which were won by the “A side” Englishwomen.
In her first title defense, Ellie Scotney, a 25-year-old Londoner, retained her IBF world super bantamweight title and improved to 8-0 at the expense of 37-year-old Argentine veteran Laura Soledad Griffa (20-9). In a rather monotonous fight, Scotney won every round on two of the scorecards and nine rounds on the other.
Rhiannon Dixon, a 29-year-old southpaw, had a surprisingly easy time with Norwegian veteran Katharina Thanderz, a former world title challenger. Dixon (9-0) won every round on all three cards. Thanderz, who trains in Spain, declined to 16-2.
Wallin-Gassiev
In a 12-round heavyweight fight in Antalya, Turkey, Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs) won a split decision over Murat Gassiev (30-2). This was a dull fight. Owing to various issues, Gassiev had answered the bell for only eight rounds in the previous seven years and his vaunted power had deserted him. True, he landed the harder punches, but Wallin, who kept pecking away with his jab, was far busier and won the fight on volume alone. Two of the judges had it 115-113 for the Swede who is 6-0 since going 12 rounds with Tyson Fury. The other judge scored it for Gassiev by a bizarre 117-111.
Opetaia-Thompson photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 254: Canelo vs Jermell Charlo in a Battle of Undisputed Champions

LAS VEGAS-Less than the usual massive crowd gathered for boxing kingpin Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Jermell Charlo in the desert heat outside of the T-Mobile Arena on Friday afternoon. Usually the weigh-ins are slightly bigger for Mexico’s idol.
Is the declining crowd an indicator of Alvarez fans ebbing belief in his abilities?
Still, on Saturday night, two undisputed world champions from differing divisions will collide as Guadalajara, Mexico’s Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) meets Houston’s Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) at T-Mobile Arena for the super middleweight world championship. PPV.Com will stream the clash of champions.
This year has seen a hyper-speed uptick in champions fighting other champions, perhaps the result of watching their female counterparts Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor produce the biggest fight of 2022. This year several marquee collisions were spawned from lightweights to heavyweights.
Or maybe the pandemic lull created a twitch panic among the elite.
Charlo was one of those who had been sidelined while others like Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Naoya “Monster” Inoue and Canelo Alvarez filled their pockets with cash. And others like Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez gained undisputed glory.
Instead of watching on the sidelines, Charlo decided to make his move for greater glory by attempting to dethrone one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, if not the kingpin of boxing when it comes to money.
“If I accomplish this massive goal, it will be hard to top,” Charlo said a few weeks ago during his media workout. “I’ll be in the record book with the greats of boxing for a long time.”
Risks brings rewards.
Canelo, long a member of the boxing elite, has held his position as the box office king for many years now by taking the daunting risks throughout his boxing life.
“Jermell is right, I have nothing to prove. But this time I have something to prove to him,” said Alvarez while in Las Vegas on Wednesday. “He never believed in my skills. He’s been calling me out. Now I have an opportunity to show him my skills.”
Undisputed super welterweight will challenge undisputed super middleweight in a two-division jump not often seen, except for Henry Armstrong, Roberto Duran and Sugar Shane Mosley. It’s the road taken by those who seek to be great.
Both are 33 but the redhead Alvarez has been fighting professionally since he was 15. That’s a lot of bullets in the chamber he has already used. Charlo has height, speed and the ability to adapt to different styles. Stylistically, it’s a battle that makes even the skeptics take pause.
It all depends on Alvarez’s resiliency. Charlo has ring rust, while Alvarez seemingly has lost the hunger. Whose weakness will prove the greater?
“Now is the time for this fight. We’re in our primes and at our best,” said Charlo. “I wanna shake the doubters off and prove to the world why I”m in this position. There’s a reason I made it this far.”
Alvarez remembers being as hungry as Charlo.
“I never overlook any fighter,” Alvarez said. “I know what he’s going to bring and I’m ready.”
Undercard
Several other notable bouts are included on the pay-per-view card.
Former world titlists and current welterweight contenders Yordenis Ugas (27-5) and Mario Barrios (27-2) battle for an interim title set for 12 rounds.
Super welterweights Jesus Ramos (20-0, 16 KOs) and Erickson Lubin (25-2, 18 KOs) match skills in a match that pits a southpaw veteran against an undefeated southpaw from Arizona. For the past three years Ramos has been moving up the ladder and was last seen pounding out highly-touted Joey Spencer. Can he survive Lubin who nearly toppled Sebastian Fundora?
Doors open at T-Mobile Arena at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.
Lampley is back
Legendary HBO announcer Jim Lampley was hired along with ace reporter Lance Pugmire who will co-host the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez versus Jermell Charlo showdown via viewer chat live on PPV.com.
It’s the same concept used by Monday Night Football that features former quarterback greats Peyton Manning and Eli Manning in alternative programming.
Lampley returns to boxing after a five-year absence following HBO’s yanking of the popular program that vaulted elite boxing to the top behind the likes of George Foreman, Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao.
The veteran announcer will be live streaming all the action on media platforms before and during the fight action. He was sorely missed by all who follow the sweet science.
Photo credit: Al Applerose
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