Naoya Inoue Was Sensational; Crawford and Spence Have a Tough Act to Follow

Published

2 years ago

July 25, 2023

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Imagine, if you can, three modern-day art critics being transported back in time to the early 16^th 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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Japan’s Little Monster Has Too Much Firepower for Stephen Fulton

Bakhodir Jalolov Returns on Thursday in Another Disgraceful Mismatch

Published

7 hours ago

February 4, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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How good is Bakhodir Jalolov? Some would argue that in terms of pure talent, the six-foot-seven southpaw from Uzbekistan who has knocked out all 14 of his opponents since turning pro, is better than any heavyweight you can name. Others say that this can’t possibly be true or his braintrust wouldn’t keep feeding him junk food. Jalolov has been brought along as gingerly as Christopher Lovejoy who was exposed as a fraud after running up a skein of 19 straight fast knockouts,

One thing that’s indisputable is that Jalolov was one of the best amateurs to come down the pike in recent memory. A three-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist, Jalolov won 58 of his last 59 amateur bouts. The exception was a match in which he did not compete which translated into a win by walkover for his opponent, countryman Lazizbek Mullojonov.

The circumstances are vague. Was Jalolov a no-show because of an injury or illness or a technicality? Amateur boxing, save in a few places or in an Olympic year, is the quintessential niche sport. The mainstream media does not cover it.

What we do know, thanks to boxrec, is that Jalolov caught up with Mullojonov in May of last year in the Russian Far East city of Khabarovsk and won a split decision. And Mollojonov was no slouch. He too won a gold medal at the Paris Games, winning the heavyweight division to give the powerful Uzbekistan contingent the championship in the two heaviest weight classes.

Jalolov, whose late father was a champion free-style wrestler, has answered the bell as a pro for only 35 rounds. The Belgian-Congolese campaigner Jack Mulowayi came closest to taking the big Uzbek the distance, lasting into the eighth round of an 8-round fight. But when Jalolov closed the show, he did it with a highlight reel knockout, knocking Mulowayi into dreamland with a vicious left hook.

The KO was reminiscent of Jalolov’s most talked-about win as an amateur, his first-round blast-out of Richard Torrez Jr at a tournament in Ekaterinburg, Russia, in 2019. Torrez, knocked out cold with a left hook, left the ring on a stretcher and was removed to a hospital for evaluation.

This was the first AIBA-sanctioned international tournament in which pros were allowed to compete and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman was incensed, calling the match-up “criminal” in a tweet that was widely circulated. (Jalolov then had six pro fights under his belt.) They would meet again in the finals of the Tokyo Olympiad with the Uzbek winning a unanimous decision.

Perhaps there will be a third meeting down the road. When Jared Anderson was roughed-up and stopped by Martin Bakole, Torrez Jr (currently 12-0, 11 KOs) vaulted ahead of him on the list of the top home-grown American heavyweights. But Torrez Jr, a short-armed heavyweight who overcomes his physical limitations with a windmill offense, would be a heavy underdog should they ever meet again.

Bakhodir Jalolov’s last bout before heading off to Paris was against the obscure South African Chris Thompson. His match on Thursday at the Montreal Casino in Montreal pits him against an obscure 33-year-old Frenchman, David Spilmont.

Spilmont’s last two opponents were the same guy, an undersized Lithuanian slug who has lost 36 of his 41 documented fights. It seems almost inevitable that Spilmont will suffer the same fate as Thompson who was KOed in the first round.

There’s talk that Jalolov doesn’t really care how far he advances at the professional level; that he has his sights set on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles where he would have an opportunity to become only the fourth boxer to win three Olympic gold medals, joining the immortal Teofilo Stevenson, Hungarian legend Laszlo Papp, and Cuban standout Felix Savon. Were he to accomplish the hat trick, they would build monuments to him in Uzbekistan. But, if that is his mindset, he’s skating on thin ice. There’s no guarantee that boxing will be on the docket at the Los Angeles Games and, if so, the powers-that-be may choose to roll back the calendar to the days when the competition was off-limits to anyone with professional experience.

While it’s true that Jalolov needs to work off some rust, a pox on promoter Camille Estephan and his enabler, the Quebec Boxing Commission, for not dredging up a more credible opponent than the grossly overmatched David Spilmont.

—

Jalolov vs. Spilmont is ostensibly the co-feature. The main event is a 10-round junior welterweight clash between Movladdin “Arthur” Biyarslanov (17-0, 14 KOs) and Spilmont stablemate Mohamed Mimoune (24-6, 5 KOs). Undefeated light heavyweights Albert Ramirez and Mehmet Unal will appear in separate bouts on the undercard. The Feb. 6 event, currently consisting of seven bouts, will air in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.

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Claressa Shields Powers to Undisputed Heavyweight Championship

Published

2 days ago

February 2, 2025

David A. Avila

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Claressa Shields blasted her way to the undisputed heavyweight championship and nearly knocked out challenger Danielle Perkins in the final seconds, but settled for a win by unanimous decision on Sunday.

Yes, she can punch.

“I just feel overwhelmed and so happy.” Shields said.

Shields (16-0, 3 KOs) proved that even the super athletic Perkins (5-1, 2 KOs), a true heavyweight, could not stop her from becoming an undisputed world champion in a third weight division at Dort Arena in Flint, Michigan, her home town.

In the opening round it was easy to see the size difference. Shields calmly measured Perkins long right jabs then countered with rocket rights through the guard. The speed was evident in Shield’s punches. Perkins used jabs to work her way in but was caught with counters.

“That girl was strong as hell,” said Shields describing Perkins.

Perkins, a southpaw, was somewhat confident that she was the stronger puncher and the stronger fighter overall. But when Shields connected with 10 rocket overhand rights in the third round the power moved Perkins several feet backward.

Suddenly, Perkins realized that indeed Shields has power.

Perkins became more cautious with her approaches. Though the true heavyweight was not frozen in fear, she was wary about getting caught flush with Shields rights. But bullet jabs and lightning combinations still rained on Perkins.

Finding a way to nullify Shields speed was crucial for Perkins.

The former basketball player Perkins continually proved her athleticism with agile moves here and there, but Shields just was superior in every way.

When Perkins became focused too much on the right, a Shields left hook caught the New York native flush. Suddenly there was another Shields weapon to worry about.

Many critics of Shields had focused on her lack of knockouts. But in her previous fight against another heavyweight, the two-time Olympic gold medalist surprised Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse with knockout power. It’s the same power Shields showed Perkins as if firing a fast ball by powering her right with leverage by using her left leg to produce momentum and an explosive punch.

In the 10^th and final round Shields and Perkins exchanged blows. Perkins was looking to connect with one of her power shots when suddenly Shields countered with a perfectly timed right to the chin and down went Perkins with about 10 seconds remaining. She beat the count to finish the round.

“I showed I was the bigger puncher and better boxer,” said Shields. “I knew I could do it because I’m really strong at heavyweight.”

All three judges favored Shields 100-89, 99-90 and 97-92.

It was another convincing performance by Shields. So what is next for the best female fighter pound for pound?

“I want to fight Franchon Crews, Hanna Gabriels,” said Shields also naming a few others. “Flint, (Michigan) I love you all so much.”

Other Bouts

A heavyweight clash saw why there is a rule against holding. Brandon Moore (17-1) and Skylar Lacy (8-1-2) punched and held throughout their eight rounds. Referee Steve Willis finally disqualified Lacy when he tackled Moore and took him through the ropes and on to table below.

No, holding and clinching is not part of the fight game. Now you know why.

Moore was ruled the winner by disqualification due to unsportsmanlike conduct by Lacy at 1:35 of the eighth. No need to describe the fight.

A battle between undefeated welterweights saw Joseph Hicks (12-0, 8 KOs) stop Keon Papillon (10-1-1, 7 KOs) at 1:35 of the seventh round. Hicks stunned Papillon at the end of the sixth, then unloaded in the seventh round to force a stoppage.

Joshua Pagan (12-0) out-battled Ronal Ron (16-8) over eight rounds to win the lightweight match by unanimous decision.

Samantha Worthington (11-0) defeated Vaida Masiokaite (10-27-6) by decision after eight rounds in a super lightweight bout.

Featherweight Caroline Veyre (9-1) out-boxed the shorter Carmen Vargas (5-3-1) to win by decision after six rounds.

Super bantamweight Asheleyann Lozada (1-0) won her pro debut by unanimous decision over Denise Moran (3-1) in a four-round fight.

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Benavidez Defeats Morrell; Cruz, Fulton, and Ramos also Victorious at Las Vegas

Published

3 days ago

February 2, 2025

David A. Avila

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David Benavidez showed fans why they call him “El Monstro” as he plowed through Cuba’s heavy-punching David Morrell to retain a number one ranking in the light heavyweight division by unanimous decision on Saturday.

Not even a flash knockdown for Morrell could make a difference.

Phoenix native Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) gave Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs) his first loss as a professional in front of more than 15,000 fans at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. No one needed to hear the judge’s decision.

“I prepared for everything. I know he’s a great fighter,” said Benavidez. “I thought he was going to hit harder, but he didn’t.”

Before the fight, Morrell was almost an even bet according to oddsmakers, but that was not the case once the fight commenced.

Immediately Benavidez pounded the body and exposed the weaknesses of Morrell’s peek-a-boo defense by using his own left glove to push down the Cuban’s guard. Then immediately firing a crushing right to the jaw.

For the first four rounds Benavidez pounded away on the left and right side of Morrell’s body. And when the openings came the uppercuts caught Morrell’s chin. But he absorbed the blows.

Morrell didn’t waver in trying to find a solution. Though Benavidez connected often to the body and head, the Cuban fighter who moved up from super middleweight displayed a very solid chin.

In the fourth round during a furious exchange Morrell beat Benavidez to the punch that stunned him momentarily. But the blow seemed to spark outrage and a storm of blows followed from Benavidez.

It must have seemed like a nightmare for Morrell.

At times the Cuban fighter would connect perfectly with a right hook and pause. Then Benavidez would return fire with massive blows.

The look on Morrell’s face bore traces of disappointment.

As the rounds continued Benavidez became emboldened by his success. Soon the Mexican Monster began launching lead right uppercuts through Morrell’s guard especially in the sixth round.

“He was easier to hit than I expected,” Benavidez said.

During the breaks Morrell’s corner asked him to pressure Benavidez. It was a fruitless suggestion. How do you corner a Monster?

Benavidez continued to stalk Morrell who never stopped swinging but could not seem to hurt the Monster. In the 11^th round Morrell managed to catch Benavidez perfectly with a right hook and down went Benavidez. He immediately got up and the two fighters unloaded on each other. Morrell fired one punch after the bell and was deducted a point by referee Thomas Taylor. That negated the extra point gained from the knockdown.

“I wasn’t really hurt,” said Benavidez. “That bullshit knockdown caught me off-balance.”

The final round saw both resume their efforts to knock the other out. Both showed great chins and the ability to trade. Benavidez was simply better. Even Morrell didn’t wait for the decision to be read as he raised the arm of the Monster at the final bell. All three judges scored in favor of Benavidez 115-111 twice and 118-108.

“He knows this is Monstro’s world. Big shout out for Morrell, he’s a tough fighter,” Benavidez said.

Other Bouts

In a fight dedicated to honor the late Israel Vazquez, the ultimate Aztec warrior, super lightweights Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (27-3-1) and Angel Fierro (23-3-2) battled like demons for 10 nonstop rounds. Cruz was ruled the winner by unanimous decision.

With little resemblance of defense, Cruz and Fierro whacked each other relentlessly with shots that might have stopped a moving car. Cruz was tagged by a right cross on the top of the head that staggered him momentarily. Fierro was driven back four feet by an overhand right to the chin early in the fight.

Both fighters took cruel and unusual punishment and never wavered more than a few seconds. It was brutal war and fans were the winners after 10 rounds of violent and savage action.

All three judges saw Cruz the winner 96-94, 97-93, 98-92.

“I’m so happy I gave the fans a great fight,” Cruz said.

Fulton Wins

Stephen Fulton (23-1, 8 KOs) defeated Brandon Figueroa (23-2-1, 19 KOs) again and took the WBC featherweight title by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. He had previously defeated Figueroa in 2021 for the WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles.

Most of the action took place in nose-to-nose fashion where Fulton landed the cleaner shots especially with uppercuts. Figueroa had his moments but was unable to hurt the challenger who lost to Naoya Inoue by knockout 17 months ago.

Fulton landed clean shots but as his record shows he lacks the power with only eight knockouts on his record. But Figueroa was unable to hurt or knock down Fulton. After 12 rounds all three judges saw Fulton win by scores of 116-112 twice and 117-111,

“It feels good. I’m champion again,” said Fulton.

Ramos Wins

Jesus Ramos (22-1, 18 KOs) won by technical knockout over former world champion Jeison Rosario (24-5-2) in the eighth round of a middleweight fight. Both fighters attacked the body but by the sixth round Ramos was the busier fighter and began to dominate the fight. At 2:18 of the eighth round referee Robert Hoyle stopped the fight.

“I like to throw a lot of body punches. It’s kind of my style,” said Ramos.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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