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Avila Perspective, Chap. 207: Boxing Showdowns in London, Melbourne and Brooklyn

Expect a very long Saturday of boxing.
It’s showdown time with several of the best female fighters on the planet clashing in unification matches in London, England this Saturday, Oct. 15. ESPN+ and Sky will stream the fight 11:30 a.m. PT/2:30 p.m. ET.
If words match action, then expect Claressa Shields (12-0, 2 KOs) and Savannah Marshall (12-0, 10 KOs) in their middleweight contest for undisputed status to provide an eyeful at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday afternoon.
Not to be outdone, the super featherweight unification match between Mikaela Mayer (17-0, 5 KOs) and Alycia Baumgardner takes (12-1, 7 KOs) a backseat to no one in their fight on the same card.
These two women have been trading verbal grenades through social media and now in person. Both can fight and fan expectations are high. (That’s Mayer on the left; Baumgardner on the right.)
ESPN+ will stream the all-female fight card that includes about seven other bouts.
It should be loud and full at the London arena. The United Kingdom has shown that its fans are great supporters of women’s prizefighting. Though that nation was late to the female boxing party, they are now accepting women’s boxing with open arms and pocketbooks.
Top Rank promotes Mayer who began as a teen in the tough and competitive amateur circles in Southern California. After several years she made the US Olympic boxing team and performed well. She then signed with Top Rank and has quickly acquired professional fight skills and a few world title belts as a super featherweight.
Mayer has speed, height and can fight outside or inside as she displayed against France’s Maiva Hamadouche last year in Las Vegas. It was the Fight of the Year in women’s boxing.
Matchroom Boxing promotes Baumgardner who also began as a teen in the amateur boxing program. She also wrestled in high school and has a good sense of balance and power.
Baumgardner’s attributes are more suited for pros than amateurs and it all came together against Terri Harper a year ago. A one-punch knockout rendered the tall British fighter unconscious on her feet. It was the Knockout of the Year in 2021.
The two super featherweights have been warring on social media for years now. Finally, they meet in the prize ring. Who will win?
“I’ve said from the beginning I want to be undisputed,” said Mayer. “I’ve pushed for this fight.”
Baumgardner expects a knockout win.
“My confidence is triggered by her,” said Baumgardner of Mayer. “We’re fighting for unification come Saturday night.”
The middleweight clash between Shields and Marshall has an even longer history. They fought each other as amateurs 10 years ago and the British fighter won. It remains the only loss for Shields in her boxing career.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist and undisputed middleweight and super welterweight world champion Shields doesn’t like any loss hanging over her head like a Sword of Damocles.
Marshall has knocked out nearly every foe she’s faces as a pro and thinks she can do the same to Shields. She grabbed the vacant WBO title and wants the others that Shields still holds.
Shields wants that title back and revenge.
“I know what I’m capable and I know what I am going to do on Saturday night,” said Shields. “We’re going to let her do whatever she wants to do and I’m going to adapt and do whatever I have to do.”
Marshall believes she will beat Shields again.
“I believe I am the better boxer,” said Marshall. “I’m just itching to get in there now.”
The remainder of the boxing card is filled with highly qualified prospects and contenders including Ginny Fuchs, Caroline DuBois, Sarah Liegmann among others.
Because of the time difference American viewers will watch the card starting in the morning or afternoon depending on where they live.
Top Rank has two fight cards in different points of the globe: Australia and Great Britain.
“We’re everywhere,” said Todd DuBoef, president of Top Rank while in London.
Melbourne Rematch
In a rematch Devin Haney (28-0, 15 KOs) defends his undisputed lightweight world championship against former holder George Kambosos (20-1, 10 KOs) on Sunday, Oct. 16. The Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment card will appear on ESPN+ on Saturday, Oct. 15, in America and Europe because of the time difference.
They met four months ago in the outdoor Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. They are back again in the rematch but this time at Rod Laver Arena in the same city.
“I’m going to go in there and do what I’m going to do regardless. No matter what referee is in there, no matter where the fight is at, it doesn’t matter,” said Haney.
Kambosos wants the titles back.
“I love when they doubt me. I love when they think I have no chance. That’s OK. We’ll prove them wrong once again,” said Kambosos.
Also on the card are the Moloney brothers Jason and Andrew. Plus, a female bout pits Cherneka Johnson (14-1) against former bantamweight world titlist Susie Ramadan (29-3) fighting for the vacant IBF super bantamweight world title.
Brooklyn and Wilder
It’s the return of Deontay Wilder and the former heavyweight titlist does not have an easy fight against Robert Helenius. Or does he?
Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) meets Finland’s Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs) “the Nordic Nightmare” on Saturday, Oct. 15, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The PBC card will be shown on FOX pay-per-view.
It’s been a year since Wilder last fought and was stopped by Tyson Fury in a rousing 11 rounds of back-and-forth heavyweight action. Whenever Wilder fights you are going to get your money’s worth of action. Somebody is going down.
“One thing about Robert (Helenius) is he has a warrior’s heart and I have a warrior’s heart as well,” said Wilder of his former sparring partner.
In the co-main event former world titlist Caleb Plant (21-1, 10 KOs) returns to the ring and meets Anthony Dirrell (34-2-2, 25 KOs) who fought on the same fight card a year ago. That’s when Plant lost to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in Las Vegas. Dirrell won that night with a sensational uppercut knockout win.
“I’m a go in there and whip his ass, as simple as that,” said Dirrell during the press conference.
The two super middleweights do not appear to have a kinship.
“This aint a therapy session. I could care less about emotions,” Plant said.
Also on the card is the fast-rising Gary Antonio Russell (19-0, 12 KOs) facing Emmanuel Rodriguez (20-2, 13 KOs) in a bantamweight match set for 12 rounds.
Fights to Watch (all times Pacific Time)
Sat. ESPN+ 11:30 a.m. Claressa Shields (12-0) vs Savannah Marshall (12-0); Mikaela Mayer (17-0) vs Alycia Baumgardner (12-1).
Sat. FOX ppv 6 p.m. Deontay Wilder (42-2-1) vs Robert Helenius (31-3); Caleb Plant (21-1) vs Anthony Dirrell (34-2-2); Gary Antonio Russell (19-0) vs Emmanuel Rodriguez (20-2).
Sat. ESPN 7:30 p.m. Devin Haney (28-0) vs George Kambosos (20-1); Jason Moloney (24-2) vs Nawaphon Kaikanha (56-1-1); Andrew Moloney (24-2) vs Norbelto Jimenez (31-9-6).
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Arne’s Almanac: The Good, the Bad, and the (Mostly) Ugly; a Weekend Boxing Recap and More

Arne’s Almanac: The Good, the Bad, and the (Mostly) Ugly; a Weekend Boxing Recap and More
It’s old news now, but on back-to-back nights on the first weekend of May, there were three fights that finished in the top six snoozefests ever as measured by punch activity. That’s according to CompuBox which has been around for 40 years.
In Times Square, the boxing match between Devin Haney and Jose Carlos Ramirez had the fifth-fewest number of punches thrown, but the main event, Ryan Garcia vs. Rolly Romero, was even more of a snoozefest, landing in third place on this ignoble list.
Those standings would be revised the next night – knocked down a peg when Canelo Alvarez and William Scull combined to throw a historically low 445 punches in their match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 152 by the victorious Canelo who at least pressed the action, unlike Scull (pictured) whose effort reminded this reporter of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” – no, not the movie starring Paul Newman, just the title.
CompuBox numbers, it says here, are best understood as approximations, but no amount of rejiggering can alter the fact that these three fights were stinkers. Making matters worse, these were pay-per-views. If one had bundled the two events, rather than buying each separately, one would have been out $90 bucks.
****
Thankfully, the Sunday card on ESPN from Las Vegas was redemptive. It was just what the sport needed at this moment – entertaining fights to expunge some of the bad odor. In the main go, Naoya Inoue showed why he trails only Shohei Ohtani as the most revered athlete in Japan.
Throughout history, the baby-faced assassin has been a boxing promoter’s dream. It’s no coincidence that down through the ages the most common nickname for a fighter – and by an overwhelming margin — is “Kid.”
And that partly explains Naoya Inoue’s charisma. The guy is 32 years old, but here in America he could pass for 17.
Joey Archer
Joey Archer, who passed away last week at age 87 in Rensselaer, New York, was one of the last links to an era of boxing identified with the nationally televised Friday Night Fights at Madison Square Garden.

Joey Archer
Archer made his debut as an MSG headliner on Feb. 4, 1961, and had 12 more fights at the iconic mid-Manhattan sock palace over the next six years. The final two were world title fights with defending middleweight champion Emile Griffith.
Archer etched his name in the history books in November of 1965 in Pittsburgh where he won a comfortable 10-round decision over Sugar Ray Robinson, sending the greatest fighter of all time into retirement. (At age 45, Robinson was then far past his peak.)
Born and raised in the Bronx, Joey Archer was a cutie; a clever counter-puncher recognized for his defense and ultimately for his granite chin. His style was embedded in his DNA and reinforced by his mentors.
Early in his career, Archer was domiciled in Houston where he was handled by veteran trainer Bill Gore who was then working with world lightweight champion Joe Brown. Gore would ride into the Hall of Fame on the coattails of his most famous fighter, “Will-o’-the Wisp” Willie Pep. If Joey Archer had any thoughts of becoming a banger, Bill Gore would have disabused him of that notion.
In all honesty, Archer’s style would have been box office poison if he had been black. It helped immensely that he was a native New Yorker of Irish stock, albeit the Irish angle didn’t have as much pull as it had several decades earlier. But that observation may not be fair to Archer who was bypassed twice for world title fights after upsetting Hurricane Carter and Dick Tiger.
When he finally caught up with Emile Griffith, the former hat maker wasn’t quite the fighter he had been a few years earlier but Griffith, a two-time Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine and the BWAA and a future first ballot Hall of Famer, was still a hard nut to crack.
Archer went 30 rounds with Griffith, losing two relatively tight decisions and then, although not quite 30 years old, called it quits. He finished 45-4 with 8 KOs and was reportedly never knocked down, yet alone stopped, while answering the bell for 365 rounds. In retirement, he ran two popular taverns with his older brother Jimmy Archer, a former boxer who was Joey’s trainer and manager late in Joey’s career.
May he rest in peace.
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Bombs Away in Las Vegas where Inoue and Espinoza Scored Smashing Triumphs

Japan’s Naoya “Monster” Inoue banged it out with Mexico’s Ramon Cardenas, survived an early knockdown and pounded out a stoppage win to retain the undisputed super bantamweight world championship on Sunday.
Japan and Mexico delivered for boxing fans again after American stars failed in back-to-back days.
“By watching tonight’s fight, everyone is well aware that I like to brawl,” Inoue said.
Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs), and Cardenas (26-2, 14 KOs) and his wicked left hook, showed the world and 8,474 fans at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas that prizefighting is about punching, not running.
After massive exposure for three days of fights that began in New York City, then moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and then to Nevada, it was the casino capital of the world that delivered what most boxing fans appreciate- pure unadulterated action fights.
Monster Inoue immediately went to work as soon as the opening bell rang with a consistent attack on Cardenas, who very few people knew anything about.
One thing promised by Cardenas’ trainer Joel Diaz was that his fighter “can crack.”
Cardenas proved his trainer’s words truthful when he caught Inoue after a short violent exchange with a short left hook and down went the Japanese champion on his back. The crowd was shocked to its toes.
“I was very surprised,” said Inoue about getting dropped. ““In the first round, I felt I had good distance. It got loose in the second round. From then on, I made sure to not take that punch again.”
Inoue had no trouble getting up, but he did have trouble avoiding some of Cardenas massive blows delivered with evil intentions. Though Inoue did not go down again, a look of total astonishment blanketed his face.
A real fight was happening.
Cardenas, who resembles actor Andy Garcia, was never overly aggressive but kept that left hook of his cocked and ready to launch whenever he saw the moment. There were many moments against the hyper-aggressive Inoue.
Both fighters pack power and both looked to find the right moment. But after Inoue was knocked down by the left hook counter, he discovered a way to eliminate that weapon from Cardenas. Still, the Texas-based fighter had a strong right too.
In the sixth round Inoue opened up with one of his lightning combinations responsible for 10 consecutive knockout wins. Cardenas backed against the ropes and Inoue blasted away with blow after blow. Then suddenly, Cardenas turned Inoue around and had him on the ropes as the Mexican fighter unloaded nasty combinations to the body and head. Fans roared their approval.
“I dreamed about fighting in front of thousands of people in Las Vegas,” said Cardenas. “So, I came to give everything.”
Inoue looked a little surprised and had a slight Mona Lisa grin across his face. In the seventh round, the Japanese four-division world champion seemed ready to attack again full force and launched into the round guns blazing. Cardenas tried to catch Inoue again with counter left hooks but Inoue’s combos rained like deadly hail. Four consecutive rights by Inoue blasted Cardenas almost through the ropes. The referee Tom Taylor ruled it a knockdown. Cardenas beat the count and survived the round.
In the eighth round Inoue looked eager to attack and at the bell launched across the ring and unloaded more blows on Cardenas. A barrage of 14 unanswered blows forced the referee to stop the fight at 45 seconds of round eight for a technical knockout win.
“I knew he was tough,” said Inoue. “Boxing is not that easy.”
Espinoza Wins
WBO featherweight titlist Rafael Espinosa (27-0, 23 KOs) uppercut his way to a knockout win over Edward Vazquez (17-3, 4 KOs) in the seventh round.
“I wanted to fight a game fighter to show what I am capable,” said Espinoza.
Espinosa used the leverage of his six-foot, one-inch height to slice uppercuts under the guard of Vazquez. And when the tall Mexican from Guadalajara targeted the body, it was then that the Texas fighter began to wilt. But he never surrendered.
Though he connected against Espinoza in every round, he was not able to slow down the taller fighter and that allowed the Mexican fighter to unleash a 10-punch barrage including four consecutive uppercuts. The referee stopped the fight at 1:47 of the seventh round.
It was Espinoza’s third title defense.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Undercard Results and Recaps from the Inoue-Cardenas Show in Las Vegas

The curtain was drawn on a busy boxing weekend tonight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas where the featured attraction was Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue appearing in his twenty-fifth world title fight.
The top two fights (Inoue vs. Roman Cardenas for the unified 122-pound crown and Rafael Espinoza vs. Edward Vazquez for the WBO world featherweight diadem) aired on the main ESPN platform with the preliminaries streaming on ESPN+.
The finale of the preliminaries was a 10-rounder between welterweights Rohan Polanco and Fabian Maidana. A 2020/21 Olympian for the Dominican Republic, Polanco was a solid favorite and showed why by pitching a shutout, punctuating his triumph by knocking Maidana to his knees late in the final round with a hard punch to the pit of the stomach.
Polanco improved to 16-0 (10). Argentina’s Maidana, the younger brother of former world title-holder Marcos Maidana, fell to 24-4 while maintaining his distinction of never being stopped.
Emiliano Vargas, a rising force in the 140-pound division with the potential to become a crossover star, advanced to 14-0 (12 KOs) with a second-round stoppage Juan Leon. Vargas, who turned 21 last month, is the son of former U.S. Olympian Fernando Vargas who had big money fights with the likes of Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya. Emiliano knocked Leon down hard twice in round two – both the result of right-left combinations — before Robert Hoyle waived it off.
A 28-year-old Spaniard, Leon was 11-2-1 heading in.
In his U.S. debut, 29-year-old Japanese southpaw Mikito Nakano (13-0, 12 KOs) turned in an Inoue-like performance with a fourth-round stoppage of Puerto Rico’s Pedro Medina. Nakano, a featherweight, had Medina on the canvas five times before referee Harvey Dock waived it off at the 1:58 mark of round four. The shell-shocked Medina (16-2) came into the contest riding a 15-fight winning streak.
Lynwood, California junior middleweight Art Barrera Jr, a 19-year-old protégé of Robert Garcia, scored a sixth-round stoppage of Chicago’s Juan Carlos Guerra. There were no knockdowns, but the bout had turned sharply in Barrera’s favor when referee Thomas Taylor intervened. The official time was 1:15 of round six.
Barrera improved to 9-0 (7 KOs). The spunky but outclassed Guerra, who upset Nico Ali Walsh in his previous outing, declined to 6-2-1.
In the lid-lifter, a 10-round featherweight affair, Muskegon Michigan’s Ra’eese Aleem improved to 22-1 (12) with a unanimous decision over LA’s hard-trying Rudy Garcia (13-2-1). The judges had it 99-01, 98-92, and 97-93.
Aleem, 34, was making his second start since June of 2023 when he lost a split decision in Australia to Sam Goodman with a date with Naoya Inoue hanging in the balance.
Check back shortly for David Avila’s recaps of the two world title fights.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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