Joshua-Helenius may be a Dud, but Heavyweight Boxing is in a Very Perky Phase

Published

1 year ago

August 9, 2023

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Anthony Joshua vs Robert Helenius isn’t the sort of match-up that gets the juices flowing, but it sets the table for a deep run of interesting heavyweight fights over the next six weeks.

When Saturday arrives, Oleksandr Usyk’s defense against Daniel Dubois will be only two weeks away. Usyk and Dubois will be locking horns at a soccer stadium in Wroclaw, a city of about 675,000 in the Silesia region of Poland.

As a pro, Usyk has answered the bell for 168 rounds spread across 20 fights. Remarkably considering his relatively brief career, the Ukrainian southpaw has already captured seven of the eight meaningful belts in boxing’s two highest weight classes. His IBF, WBA, and WBO heavyweight belts will be at risk against Dubois. Tyson Fury owns the missing piece.

The odds suggest that Usyk will have little difficulty retaining his diadems. A quick glance at the prevailing prices informs us that he is anywhere from a 9/1 to a 16/1 favorite.

Believe it or not, however, if this match had been made four years ago, Daniel Dubois would have been installed the favorite. In those days, the six-foot-five Brit was spoken of in the same hushed tones that people talk about Jared Anderson today. He was the Next Big Thing. At this juncture, Usyk had just ripened into a heavyweight.

Dubois has lost only once since bombing out countryman Nathan Gorman in a fascinating crossroads match-up between two unbeaten boxers with contrasting styles. But that defeat, at the hands of Joe Joyce in November of 2020, eroded his stature enormously. Dubois was counted out on his knees in the tenth frame after taking yet another stiff jab on his damaged left eye.

Dubois went on to score a fourth-round stoppage of Don King’s heavyweight hopeful Trevor Bryan in Miami, Florida. Although Bryan wasn’t highly regarded, he held a version of a WBA world title (don’t we all?) and came in undefeated. In his most recent bout, he rallied from the brink of defeat to score a third-round stoppage of South Africa’s Kevin Lerena who punched himself out after putting Dubois on the deck three times in the opening round.

In that bout, Dubois, now 19-1 (18 KOs), was befuddled by Lerena’s southpaw-ness. The fact that Usyk is also a lefty factored large in setting the odds for this fight. The venue also favors Usyk. Wroclaw is home to many transplanted Ukrainians, it’s no coincidence that this fight is being staged two days after Ukrainian Independence Day, and it’s worth noting that Usyk won his first title in this country, snatching the WBO cruiserweight belt from Krzyzstof Glowacki in Gdansk.

Nevertheless, Dubois, who will have a two-inch height advantage and in the vicinity of a 20-pound weight advantage, may have more than a puncher’s chance.

Interestingly, a Ukrainian was the “villain” in the lone previous heavyweight title fight held at this venue. WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko and Tomasz Adamek baptized this stadium in the icebreaker event in 2011. Adamek, a native Pole and a national hero, was making his seventh start as a heavyweight after winning world titles at 175 and 200. To the great dismay of the crowd (purportedly 42,000), Klitschko stopped him in the tenth round.

Zhilei Zhang vs. Joe Joyce.

Four weeks after Usyk-Dubois, on Sept. 23, Zhilei Zhang and Joe Joyce will renew acquaintances at London’s Wembley Stadium. In the first meeting of these former Olympic silver medalists, Zhang scored a sixth-round stoppage. When the bout was called off at the behest of the ringside physician, the towering Chinaman was ahead on the cards and Joyce’s right eye was nearly closed. This was a big upset. Although Zhang had lost only once in 26 starts, and was competitive in defeat against a daunting foe in Filip Hrgovic, Joyce was a 6/1 favorite in man-to-man betting.

Since that encounter, Zhang turned 40, but “The Juggernaut,” at age 37, is no spring chicken himself. The rematch has already attracted heavy betting action with most of it on Zhang and if the odds hold up, he will go to post a small favorite. It’s a very intriguing fight.

Up-and-Comers

For fans of heavyweight boxing, the last Saturday of this month will be a real treat. In addition to Usyk-Dubois, some of the division’s top up-and-comers will be in action on a Top Rank show in Tulsa. The events will not overlap. Both cards will air in the U.S. on ESPN platforms.

Headlining the Top Rank card will be the aforementioned Jared Anderson (15-0, 14 KOs), who is matched against 39-year-old Ukrainian veteran Andrei Rudenko (35-6, 21 KOs). Rudenko has gone the distance with the likes of Alexander Povetkin and Zhilei Zhang, but is 4-4 in his last eight with those four wins coming against opponents who were collectively 21-34-4 at the time that he fought them.

In his last outing, Anderson was forced to go the distance for the first time in his career by late sub “Prince” Charles Martin. Rudenko brings less to the table than Martin and we would be surprised if he is still standing at the final bell.

Two other heavyweight fights are far more intriguing. In the co-feature, a 10-rounder, Efe Ajagba (17-1, 13 KOs) touches gloves with Zhan Kossobutskiy (19-0, 18 KOs). The six-foot-six, 29-year-old Ajagba has won two straight since getting out-boxed by Cuba’s Frank Sanchez on the undercard of Fury-Wilder III. Kazakhstan’s Kossobutskiy, 34, is making his North American debut. One doesn’t know what to expect from him, but he comes highly recommended.

The card also includes Olympic gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov, a recent Top Rank signee.

Bahhodir Jalolov

Jalolov, a 29-year-old Uzbek southpaw with a 12-0 (12 KOs) record in the paid ranks, is arguably the best of the up-and-coming heavyweights not named Jared Anderson. He’s matched against Nigeria’s Onoriode Ehwarieme (20-2, 19 KOs), a Kossobutskiy victim. The bout between these six-foot-seven Goliaths, slated for eight, figures to be over in a hurry, so don’t blink.

Jalolov’s most talked-about triumph came in his amateur days, a frightening one-punch knockout of Richard Torrez Jr in Ekaterinburg, Russia. They met again in the gold medal round of the Tokyo Olympiad. Jalolov won a unanimous decision.

And speaking of Torrez Jr, the pride of Tulare, California, he returns to the ring this weekend (Saturday, Aug. 12) in Glendale, Arizona on a Top Rank show topped by Emanuel Navarrete’s defense of his WBO world featherweight title against former two-division title-holder Oscar Valdez. Torrez Jr opposes 40-year-old Indianapolis southpaw Willie Jake Jr. They were slated to meet on March 25 in Fresno, but Torrez Jr suffered an undisclosed injury in training and was forced to withdraw.

Torrez Jr has looked sensational in his brief pro career. None of his five opponents lasted beyond the third round. He will be part of the main card which airs at 7 pm PT on ESPN with the undercard streaming exclusively on ESPN+ beginning at 3:45 PT.

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Arne K. Lang

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Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

Published

4 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his least three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, delivered the coup-de-gras, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

Published

14 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11^th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is the winner of the Feb. 2 match between Brandon Figueroa and Stephen Fulton. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa/Fulton have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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Eric Priest Wins Handily on Thursday’s Golden Boy card at the Commerce Casino

Published

20 hours ago

January 24, 2025

David A. Avila

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Model turned fighter Eric Priest jabbed and jolted his way into the super middleweight rankings with a shutout decision win over veteran Tyler Howard on Thursday.

In his first main event Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) proved ready for contender status by defusing every attack Tennessee’s Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) could muster at Commerce Casino, the second fight in six days at the LA County venue.

All ticket monies collected on the Folden Boy Promotions card were contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation as they battle wildfires sprouting all over Los Angeles County due to high winds.

Priest, 26, had never fought anyone near Howard’s caliber but used a ramrod jab to keep the veteran off-balance and unable to muster a forceful counter-attack. Round after round the Korean-American fighter pumped left jabs while circling his opposition.

Though hit with power shots, none seemed to faze Howard but his own blows were unable to put a dent in Priest. After 10 rounds of the same repetitive action all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Priest who now wins a regional super middleweight title.

Priest also joins the top 15 rankings of the WBA organization.

In a fight between evenly matched middleweights, Jordan Panthen (11-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated after 10 rounds versus DeAundre Pettus (12-4, 7 KOs). Though equally skilled, Panthen simply out-worked the South Caroliina fighter to win by unanimous decision. No knockdowns were scored.

Other Bouts

Grant Flores (8-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Costa Rica’s David Lobo Ramirez (17-4, 12 KOs) with two successive right uppercuts at 2:59 of the second round of the super welterweight fight.

Cayden Griffith (3-0, 3 KOs) used a left hook to the body to stop Mark Misiura at 1:43 of the second round in a super welterweight bout.

Jordan Fuentes (3-0) floored Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) in the third round and proceeded to win by decision after four rounds in a super bantamweight fight.

A super featherweight match saw Leonardo Sanchez (8-0) win by decision over Joseph Cruz Brown (10-12) after six rounds.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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