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Avila Perspective, Chap. 170: Looking Back at a Great 2021

Avila Perspective, Chap. 170: Looking Back at a Great 2021
We, who love the sport of boxing, just witnessed one of the greatest 12 months of matchups seen in many years. Believe it.
Virus, schmirus. After an underwhelming 2020 due to the coronavirus spread that paralyzed the entertainment world, including prizefighting, 2021 brought the world a flood of outstanding matchups from February to December.
It was crackling. This is how it happened:
Mexico’s Oscar Valdez opened eyes with a shocking knockout win on Feb. 20 when he delivered a counter left hook to the chin of fellow Mexican Miguel Berchelt. Valdez became a two-division world titlist with the win over WBC super featherweight titlist Berchelt in Las Vegas. That was the bang that started it all.
A week later, fellow Mexican Saul “Canelo” Alvarez stopped Avni Yildirim in the third round on Feb. 27 in Florida. Then the fighter considered by most as the best Pound for Pound in the world, added knockout wins of undefeated Billy Joe Saunders on May 8, at Arlington, Texas and Caleb Plant on Nov. 6 in Las Vegas.
Any questions why Canelo is number one?
Another Mexican pugilist, Juan Francisco Estrada, engaged Nicaragua’s Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in a rematch overdue by nine years. The two battled back and forth feverishly with Estrada claiming the victory by split decision in Dallas on March 13, for the WBC and WBA super flyweight world titles. It was one of the best fights of 2021.
Next, a battle between super lightweight world titlists saw United Kingdom’s Josh Taylor become the undisputed super lightweight world champion with a unanimous decision victory over Jose Carlos Ramirez on May 22 in Las Vegas. Taylor floored Ramirez twice in grabbing all the world titles. It was a dominant performance.
A week later in Los Angeles, one of the veterans of the sport, Nonito Donaire, returned to the ring after more than a year and promptly knocked out WBC bantamweight titlist Nordine Oubaali in the fourth round on May 29.
Also on May 29, but in Las Vegas, WBC lightweight titlist Devin Haney beat Jorge Linares in a very close and entertaining clash. Seven months later Haney would defend against two-division world titlist Jojo Diaz and win another good scrap by decision on Dec. 4 in Las Vegas.
Japan’s Naoya “Monster” Inoue battered Michael Dasmarinas and ended it in the third round to retain the WBA and IBF super bantamweight world titles at Las Vegas on June 19. Inoue proved scary good once again. It seems the only one capable of fighting Inoue on equal terms is Donaire.
Summer and Beyond
Gervonta “Tank” Davis won by stoppage over Mario Barrios in 11th round on June 26 in Atlanta to win the WBA lightweight title. More than 13,000 fans witnessed the knockout win. Then Davis met Mexico’s Isaac Cruz on Dec. 5 in Los Angeles and managed to survive a 12-round battle and win a decision in front of more than 10,000 raucous fans.
July heat saw Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano battle to a split draw after 12 rounds for the undisputed super welterweight world title at San Antonio, Texas. It was back and forth action with the two super welterweights on July 7. Both are slated to do it again in March.
Yordenis Ugas replaced Errol Spence Jr in a match to face boxing legend Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao on Aug. 21 in Las Vegas. Then the Cuban fighter retired Pacquiao with a convincing win by decision. The Filipino all-time great announced he would be hanging up his gloves for good after the loss.
Social media darling Jake Paul challenged former MMA champ Tyron Woodley in a boxing pay-per-view match in Cleveland on Aug. 29. He edged out the UFC fighter by split decision. Four months later they would meet again with Paul winning by dramatic knockout in a cruiserweight fight. Entertainment is entertainment.
On September 25, undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk moved up to heavyweight and toppled unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua by unanimous decision. It was a masterful display of boxing by the Ukrainian fighter. And also proof that size does not matter when skill is involved.
A few weeks later Tyson Fury knocked out Deontay Wilder on Oct. 9, in Las Vegas. It was their third clash and the most exciting of the three as both fighters were decked. After five total knockdowns, Fury emerged the winner in the 11th by knockout.
Six days later, on Oct. 15, much smaller featherweights battled to the end in San Diego as WBO titlist Emanuel Navarrete outslugged Joet Gonzalez. It was a furious and vicious display of two fighters unwilling to relent or surrender. After 12 rounds Mexico’s Navarrete was declared the winner.
Former featherweight titlist Shakur Stevenson moved up a weight division and toppled the reign of WBO super featherweight titlist Jamel Herring with a stoppage win in the 10th round on Oct. 23 in Atlanta. Stevenson added a second division world title.
In a non-world title fight Jose Zepeda destroyed Josue Vargas in one round on the main event in New York City on Oct. 30. After bragging and shoving and other histrionics by New York City fighter Vargas, the quiet Californian promptly shut him down in less than one round proving sometimes it’s not wise to wake up a lion.
In California, former super welterweight titlist Jaime Munguia engaged in a middleweight slugfest against veteran Gabe Rosado on Nov. 13. Blow after blow were exchanged and neither gave in. After 12 violent rounds Munguia convinced the three judges he was the victor in another top fight in 2021.
Welterweight titlist Terence Crawford met former champion Shawn Porter in Las Vegas on Nov. 20 and ended the fight in the 10th round. Porter announced his retirement immediately after the fight.
One week later, on Nov. 27, Australia’s George Kambosos Jr. upset Teofimo Lopez by split decision for the unified lightweight titles in New York. Both fighters scored knockdowns in the fight.
And then, the “Filipino Flash” Nonito Donaire victimized fellow Filipino Reymart Gaballo by knockout on Dec. 11 in LA. The future Hall of Fame fighter seeks a rematch with Japan’s Naoya Inoue.
The year 2021 saw many other fights too numerous to include. Champions and contenders like Vergil Ortiz Jr., Mairis Briedis, Regis Prograis, Jermall Charlo, Vasyl Lomachenko, Sandor Martin and Demetrious Andrade also performed.
Hopefully, 2022 can match last year.
Irish Bomber
After losing his original foe, WBO light heavyweight titlist Joe “Irish Bomber” Smith (27-3, 21 KOs) accepted last-minute replacement Steve Geffrard (18-2, 12 Kos) out of Miami, Florida, to vie for the title on Saturday Jan. 15. ESPN will televise and stream the Top Rank fight card.
Smith has one-punch knockout power and can never be counted out of a fight. He’s proven that again and again with wins over Bernard Hopkins, Jesse Hart and Eleider Alvarez.
Geffrard replaces Callum Johnson who was forced out due to a positive Covid-19 test. The Florida fighter only has two losses that he sustained in his first two pro fights. After that, he has been undefeated.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank via Getty Images
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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.
The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.
Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.
Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.
Co-Feature
In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.
The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.
A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.
Other Bouts
In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.
Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.
Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.
Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.
Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.
Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.
Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.
Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.
There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0
No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.
There were no knockdowns in this rematch.
The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.
It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.
Nothing changed in their second meeting.
Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.
The blows came in bunches.
In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.
Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.
Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.
During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.
But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.
“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.
Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.
“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.
Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.
“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.
Female Flyweight Battle
Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.
Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.
Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.
The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.
Neither fighter could take over the fight.
After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.
Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.
Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.
Puerto Rico vs Mexico
Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.
Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.
Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.
Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.
ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.
“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.
If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.
For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.
Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.
No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.
Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.
The fight breakdown
Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.
Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.
That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.
More drama.
During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.
New York City got its money’s worth.
Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.
Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?
“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”
Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.
That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?
Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.
Can she draw enough of that fire out again?
“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”
Co-Main in Las Vegas
The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.
Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.
Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.
Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.
Golden Boy in Cancun
A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.
In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.
DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.
Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.
Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.
Fights to Watch
Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).
Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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