The Hauser Report: Is the Clock Winding Down for Vasiliy Lomachenko?

Published

2 years ago

October 30, 2022

The-Hauser-Report-Is-the-Clock-Winding-Down-for-Vasiliy-Lomachenko ?

Vasiliy Lomachenko continued his sojourn through boxing with a unanimous-decision victory over Jamaine Ortiz at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater on Saturday night. But there were signs that his magic wand might be less magical than before.

Lomachenko, now 34 years old, has piercing blue eyes and a well-groomed beard. Regardless of what his body might say, his age shows in his face. Throughout his career, he has combined captivating ring skills with a willingness to go in tough. But as Vasiliy went up to 135 pounds in search of greater challenges and more lucrative paydays, he lost some of the competitive edge that he enjoyed over smaller fighters. Two years ago, Teofimo Lopez brought him down to earth with a 119-109, 117-111, 116-112 performance.

Ortiz (16-0-1, 8 KOs) was considered a safe opponent. Jamaine had decisioned Jamel Herring in his last fight. But nothing on his resume suggested that he’d pose any problems that Lomachenko couldn’t solve. Vasiliy was a 20-to-1 betting favorite.

“I’m not his promoter,” Lomachenko said when asked about the apparent disparity in skills between the two fighters. “I’m not his trainer. I’m not thinking about if this step up is too much for him or not.”

Lomachenko, who is a Ukrainian national and member of his country’s territorial defense battalion, was also reluctant to comment on a range of issues relating to the war in Ukraine. “I am a bad judge of politics,” he noted. When asked specifically about the propriety of Russian athletes such as Dmitry Bivol and Alex Ovechkin being allowed to compete in the United States, he answered, “I’d have to know more about their personal circumstances to comment on those situations.”

The October 29 fight card was constructed around Lomachenko, with Top Rank using his presence to fulfill contractual obligations to seven other fighters who are at various stages of development in their respective ring careers and to build them for the future. All seven emerged victorious. None of their opponents came to lie down. But when two men fight and one is better than the other, the better fighter usually wins. And when one fighter is much better than the other, “usually” changes to “almost always.”

Junior-welterweight Abdullah Mason (now 5-0, 4 KOs) looked good in knocking out Angel Barrera in four rounds. Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan (8-0, 1 KO) disappointed. Ragin won a 79-73, 78-74, 77-75 decision over Luis Lebron that elicited cries of “Bull****! Bull****!” from the crowd. Heavyweight Richard Torrez stopped Ahmed Hefny in an inartful beatdown that was more evocative of “the culture of bruising” than “the sweet science.” In other bouts, Robeisy Ramirez, Delante Johnson, Troy Isley, and Haven Brady prevailed.

Nico Ali Walsh (Muhammad Ali’s grandson) was also on the card.

When Nico (now 7-0, 5 KOs) turned pro in August 2021, Top Rank was told that he wasn’t focused on belts nor did he expect to become a great fighter. Rather, he was boxing because he wanted to challenge himself and experience the core of what his grandfather experienced in the ring.

In line with that thinking, the original plan was for Nico to have a handful of fights leading to a big payday somewhere in the Middle East and then get out of boxing. Now, Bob Walsh (Nico’s father) acknowledges, “Nico has the bug.” And Nico says, “When I was little, I said I wanted to be a world champion like my grandfather. But it was like saying I wanted to be a comic book superhero. Now it’s attainable. It’s real.”

Nico entered the ring at the Hulu Theater wearing a vampire cape in honor of Halloween and evoking memories of Leon Spinks (who Muhammad Ali nicknamed “Dracula” because Spinks was missing numerous front teeth – a condition that gave Leon the appearance of having fangs). Billy Wagner (Nico’s carefully chosen opponent from Montana) had toughman skills.

Nico staggered Wagner with a jab in round one that, judging by the blood, broke Billy’s nose. Thereafter, he controlled the fight with his jab en route to a unanimous-decision triumph.

But Nico got hit with punches that he shouldn’t have been hit with. And I’ll repeat what I’ve written before.

Nico is an exceptionally gifted young man. He’s not an exceptionally gifted fighter. I’d rather that he not get hit with more blows to the head in sparring and in fights. And I’d rather that he not inflict punishment like that on other young men either

As for the main event . . .

Lomachenko has never been a fighter who strikes fear into the hearts of opponents by blasting them out with overwhelming power. He relies on speed, reflexes, conditioning, and a keen boxing mind to outbox them.

Fighters who rely on preternatural reflexes and speed get old at a younger age than their brethren. Vasiliy’s age is now showing.

The 26-year-old Ortiz fought aggressively in the early going and, at times, appeared to be the quicker of the two fighters. After six rounds, he was even on two of the judges’ scorecards and leading 58-56 on the third. Then Lomachenko’s craftsmanship and conditioning turned the tide.

It was a good, spirited, action fight. Referee Charlie Fitch did an excellent job, letting the fighters fight out of clinches and only inserting himself in the proceedings when necessary. The 117-111, 116-112, 115-113 decision in Lomachenko’s favor was a good one.

One might also note that Lomachenko is no longer the amateur standout who had trouble dealing with roughhouse tactics in his ambitious early days as a pro. He now knows, and is willing to employ, some of those tactics himself.

The victory brought Lomachenko’s record to 17-2, with 11 KOs. As for what comes next; Devin Haney holds the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO 135-pound belts by virtue of two victories over George Kambosos. Haney is the opponent that Lomachenko and Top Rank say they want next. But Devin has only one fight left on his contract with Top Rank which might complicate matters.

“Hopefully, we can get it on,” Haney said after Lomachenko-Ortiz. “We’ll see when we go to negotiate.”

Those negotiations might be further complicated by unrealistic financial demands fueled by the infusion of “crazy money” in boxing (e.g. see BLK Prime’s apparent willingness to pay $10 million to Terence Crawford to fight David Avanesyan in December).

Also, while Lomachenko is a small 135-pound fighter, Haney is now a big one. Haney-Lomachenko presupposes that Devin (who has been struggling a bit to make weight) doesn’t move up to 140 pounds.

Meanwhile, Lomachenko is no longer “The Man” at 135 pounds. He’s part of a group that includes Haney, Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia, and (soon to be added) Shakur Stevenson. How Vasiliy would fare against these fighters today is an open issue. In his mind, he knows what he has to do to beat them. But his body might no longer be able to do it.

* * *

Last week, I posted an article on The Sweet Science about the decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to allow slap fighting to move forward as a sanctioned “sport.” [https://tss.ib.tv/boxing/featured-boxing-articles-boxing-news-videos-rankings-and-results/74363-the-hauser-report-slap-fighting-a-bad-idea-whose-time-shouldnt-come].

There has been a lot of commentary about slap fighting since then with some people not grasping what’s at stake. Coincidentally, neuro-scientist Christopher Nowinski (a former college football player who wrestled under the WWE banner and is now CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation) spoke out recently about the National Football League’s concussion protocol. Here’s what Nowinski said:

“I hate that I have to remind you of this. But these are human beings with futures, that will someday be husbands and fathers. And we need to protect their brains the best we can while they’re out there helping you make money. How are we so stupid in 2022?”

Pay attention, Nevada.

* * *

The November/December issue of “The Ring (which was mailed to subscribers in October) came with the advisory that, after one hundred years, “The Ring” will no longer publish a print edition.

The inaugural issue of “The Ring” appeared in February 1922. To put that date in perspective, Calvin Coolidge was president of the United States. John F. Kennedy was four years old. For the first time in his illustrious career, Babe Ruth no longer took the mound as a pitcher. Rocky Marciano had yet to be born. There were no fights on radio or television because there was little radio and no television.

In the century that followed, “The Ring” chronicled boxing history, sometimes better than anyone else. But without an inspirational change in vision, the print edition was no longer economically viable.

“The Ring” says that it will maintain an online presence. But there’s a special feel to paper. It’s sad that “The Ring” as boxing fans knew it for a century is no more.

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Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book – In the Inner Sanctum: Behind the Scenes at Big Fights – was published by the University of Arkansas Press. In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism. In 2019, Hauser was selected for boxing’s highest honor – induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank via Getty Images

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Thomas Hauser

Thomas Hauser is the author of 52 books. In 2005, he was honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America, which bestowed the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism upon him. He was the first Internet writer ever to receive that award. In 2019, Hauser was chosen for boxing's highest honor: induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Lennox Lewis has observed, “A hundred years from now, if people want to learn about boxing in this era, they’ll read Thomas Hauser.”

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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

Published

1 day ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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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

Published

1 day ago

March 29, 2025

David A. Avila

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

Published

3 days ago

March 28, 2025

David A. Avila

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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