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Naoya Inoue Was Sensational; Crawford and Spence Have a Tough Act to Follow
Imagine, if you can, three modern-day art critics being transported back in time to the early 16th century and being afforded the privilege of watching Michelangelo paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. That would be roughly the level of awe espoused by ESPN+’s blow-by-blow commentator Joe Tessitore and analysts Timothy Bradley Jr. and Mark Kriegel in unanimously critiquing the masterwork crafted by Japan’s miniature “Monster,” Naoya Inoue, who demolished previously undefeated WBC/WBO super bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton Tuesday in Tokyo’s Ariake Arena. From the opening bell for round one to his two-knockdown KO sequence of Fulton in the eighth stanza, Inoue treated the highly regarded, and naturally larger, Philadelphian almost as if he were some semi-anonymous sparring partner.
“We sometimes overuse the word `greatness’ in boxing, but not here, not now,” Tessitore said gushingly from Las Vegas, where he and his cohorts have a Top Rank show to cover on Friday on the eve of the welterweight unification megafight pitting unbeaten champions Errol Spence Jr. and Terence “Bud” Crawford at the T-Mobile Arena. “You are watching greatness (in the person of Inoue), in his absolute prime … That’s the best fighter in the world right now.”
Added Bradley: “I never thought that the boxing world would bring another Manny Pacquiao type of person. But when you look at Inoue, how he’s traveled up these distances (he’s now a four-division world champion, from 108 pounds to his current – for now — 122), I feel like he can travel up as many weight classes as he likes.”
And this, from Kriegel: “I don’t know what’s going to happen Saturday night, but I do know that right now there is a best fighter in the world, and it’s that man right there, Inoue. (Fulton was) an undefeated fighter, a master boxer, a versatile guy, and (Inoue) made him look ordinary.”
In an era where indisputably special matchups of elite fighters are all too rare, this was Christmas in July week for fight fans famished for the sort of pairings that brought, first, Inoue (now 25-0, 22 KOs) and Fulton (21-1, 8 KOs) together and, in a few days, IBF/WBA/WBC 147-pound champ Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) and WBO titlist Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs). But it is perhaps the bruised knuckle incurred by Inoue in training in May that not only made this diamond-tinged double-dip in the same five-day period possible, but considerably raised the stakes for the welterweight kingpins who now might feel obliged to try to match or even exceed the bravura performance turned in by the little Japanese dynamo. It can be argued that Inoue might already have vaulted past not only the winner of that fight, but fellow pound-for-pound aspirant Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs), who defends his IBF, WBA and WBO straps against Daniel Dubois (19-1, 18 KOs) on Aug. 26 in Wroclas, Poland.
Had Inoue squared off against Fulton in May and done precisely what he did Tuesday morning (in the Eastern time zone in America) or Tuesday night (10 p.m. start time in Tokyo), the passage of time might have somewhat lessened the impact of that bout. But now, the manner in which he accomplished that triumph has been elevated to a “Can you top this?” gauntlet flung at the feet of Spence and Crawford, both of whom have insisted that the winner of their much-anticipated showdown almost certainly will have to be anointed as the fight’s game’s unrivaled No. 1 guy.
“It’s the furthest thing from what either guy can be thinking, but how can Spence and Crawford top that?” Kriegel asked, rhetorically.
Well, maybe it would be too much to ask of either superstar welterweight to be more dominant on Saturday night than was Inoue, but nobody will care much if each at least tries to score a comparable grade in an effort to look especially impressive. Of such give-and-take matchups are great fights made, and, let’s face it, some of those pairings in the past have been closer to exercises in tedium than rip-roaring action-fests.
“I have so much admiration for Bud Crawford and Errol Spence. I think the world of those two guys,” Tessitore confessed. “But when I think of the pound-for-pound list … What this guy (Inoue) does for his size, I don’t care. That’s the best fighter in the world right there.
“In a week that is a fight fan’s dream, this is how it starts, with `The Monster,’ Naoya Inoue, making it look easy. That’s what’s so mind-blowing. He goes up in weight against The Guy, the unified champion, and he made it look ridiculously easy.”
You’d never know it from the way he dispatched Fulton, but not every fight involving Inoue has seen him win in a romp. One distinguishing characteristic of the best of the best is the capacity to dig deep and find something within yourself that can turn a potential defeat into a display of inner strength that separates the merely talented from those who have a champion’s dogged refusal to yield to adversity. Just such an acid test was required of Inoue on Nov. 17, 2019, when he took on future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire in the Fight of the Year, recognized as such by this publication, by The Ring magazine and by the Boxing Writers Association of America. Inoue won by unanimous decision, but in doing so he suffered a broken orbital bone and a broken nose.
It should be noted that in Inoue’s rematch with Donaire, on June 7, 2022, he had a much easier time of it in winning on a second-round stoppage, but “The Monster” having been pushed to the limit in their first fight caused Fulton’s fellow Philly fighter, Jaron “Boots” Ennis, to go with his homeboy on Tuesday because, hey, how impressive can it be for someone supposedly so dominant to squeak past a “45-year-old” guy, as Ennis said in disparaging Donaire, who was then 37.
The truest way of gauging ring greatness, Kriegel allowed, is when a great fighter meets and defeats another great fighter, and by most means of measurement inside the ropes Fulton belonged in that exclusive club. It certainly would seem that he is better than the WBA/IBF 122-pound titlist, Marlon Tapales of the Philippines, who appears to be next on Inoue’s dance card, possibly for the fully unified title, before the end of 2023. But Tapales (37-3, 19 KOs), who entered the ring to pose with Inoue for photos, not only has lost three times, but he has been knocked out twice. Figure him to be another way station on Inoue’s upward ascent to literally bigger and presumably better things.
Can the winner of Spence-Crawford do enough to supplant Inoue as boxing’s man of the moment, and of the foreseeable future? It’s entirely possible, but that fighter would have to be nearly flawless to make that deep of an impression. How could he be anything less to climb past someone whom Tessitore said has “a viper’s striking speed and nearly flawless punching technique,” someone hailed by Joe as “the most complete offensive fighter in the game today,” and mostly excellent on defense as well.
For what it’s worth, my personal scorecard had Inoue winning all seven completed rounds for a 70-63 edge going into the eighth, which he would have won by 10-7 had not referee Hector Afu stepped in after Fulton went down for the second time, after an elapsed time of just one minute and 14 seconds. So also check the box for finishing instincts as far as it applies to Inoue, who clearly knows what to do when he gets his man in trouble.
Like the ESPN+ broadcast crew said, it’s back to you, Errol and Bud. You have a tough act to follow.
Bernard Fernandez, named to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the Observer category with the Class of 2020, was the recipient of numerous awards for writing excellence during his 28-year career as a sports writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. Fernandez’s first book, “Championship Rounds,” a compendium of previously published material, was released in May of last year. The sequel, “Championship Rounds, Round 2,” with a foreword by Jim Lampley, is currently out. His third boxing anthology, “Championship Rounds, Round 3,” is now out and available from Amazon and other book-selling outlets.
Photo credit: Naomi Fukuda
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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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