Munguia-Derevyanchenko is the 2023 TSS Fight of the Year

Published

1 year ago

December 28, 2023

Munguia-Derevyanchenko is the 2023 TSS Fight of the Year

What makes a fight, any fight, worthy of consideration as the “Fight of the Year”? Is it:

*The biggest, most-anticipated pairing of the year, regardless of the amount of action and drama that takes place, or doesn’t, inside the ropes?

*Some sort of highly unusual occurrence (think the Holyfield-Tyson II “Bite Fight,” Bowe-Holyfield II’s “Fan Man” paraglider intrusion or the Golota-Bowe I disqualification in which the loser was seemingly well on the way to victory until he inexplicably opted to again use the sudden disqualification winner’s protective cup as a preferred target, inciting a half-hour riot in Madison Square Garden)?

*A 50-50 bout, or something very close to it, that features oodles of back-and-forth trading with the identity of the eventual victor very much in doubt until the official scorecard totals are read?

In many instances the first option might be the choice for FOY if the incredible hype is justified, a la the legendary first pairing of Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns on Sept. 16, 1981, a Superfight in every sense that shall forever remain a foremost example of what happens when the best fights the best and both principals are in their primes and at the absolute height of their remarkable powers.

Not that anyone is imprudent enough to think of Jaime Munguia and Sergiy “The Technician” Derevyanchenko as latter-day Leonards and Hearnses, but the two closely matched super middleweights (perhaps more so than some had anticipated) hurled themselves at one another over 12 rounds in a reasonably similar manner on June 10 in Ontario, Calif., even if the prize that was at stake – the vacant WBC Silver 168-pount title – was of lesser importance and not everyone was apt to be satisfied with the outcome in any case. That outcome, a razor-thin unanimous decision for Munguia (42-0, 33 KOs), likely would have gone down as a majority draw were it not for the favored Mexican’s 12^th-round knockdown of the gritty Derevyanchenko (14-5, 10 KOs), whose supporters in the Toyota Arena were vocal in their displeasure that the then-37-year-old had been the victim of a heist by pencil.

So tight was the scoring through 10 back-and-forth rounds that Lou Moret and Francisco Villareal both had Derevyanchenko ahead by margins of 96-94 (the third judge, Rudy Barragan, had it 95-95), thus necessitating Munguia not only to win the final two stanzas to salvage a draw, but to register a knockdown in one of them to get his nose a smidgeon in front at the final bell.

So, it came down to the third option that determined TSS’ selection of Munguia-Derevyanchenko as its 2023 Fight of the Year, for much the same reason why other highly competitive bouts have been cited in the past. When in doubt, always go with the fight that reveals the intangible attributes of the fighters involved, which can and often do mean as much or more than their respective ring skills in crunch time.

Not that it featured any ear-chomping or an out-of-the-sky drop-in, but Munguia-Derevyanchenko might have wound up as a unanimous decision for the Brooklyn-based Ukrainian had he not resisted a request by Munguia’s promoter, Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya, to reduce the bout from the contracted 12 rounds to 10. By holding fast to his desire for the bout to remain a 12-rounder, a tiring Derevyanchenko saw his lead vanish as all three judges scored the last two rounds 10-9 and then 10-8 for Munguia. Even had Derevyanchenko managed to remain on his feet instead of going down in the 12^th round, he likely would have come away with a majority draw.

For Derevyanchenko, who went the 12-round distance in world title shots against future Hall of Famer Gennadiy Golovkin (for the vacant IBF middleweight belt) and WBC middleweight champ Jermall Charlo, this latest near-miss was particularly vexing.

“I feel like I’ve been robbed of a decision win in the Golovkin fight and now the Munguia fight,” Derevyanchenko told ESPN two days after he saw Munguia’s hand raised in victory. “Everybody is saying my fight on Saturday was the Fight of the Year. If I don’t get an immediate rematch, then the boxing system is broken. Munguia is a classy guy. He said he would give me my rematch with him. Let’s see if it happens.”

Maybe it will, but at least not for a while, if ever. Munguia, 26, no doubt is pleased to be 42-0 instead of 41-0-1, and so it would appear is De La Hoya, who has scheduled his emerging action hero, who appeared to have a few rough edges to be smoothed in his super middleweight debut, down for a Jan. 27 date with Englishman John Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) in Phoenix instead of a quick do-over with Derevyanchenko. The Golden Boy is daring to think another possible Fight of the Year is possible, and another big step forward for Munguia, who is ranked No. 1 by the WBO and No. 2 by the WBC at 168 pounds (Ryder is ranked eighth by the WBC, 11^th by the IBF and ninth by the WBO).

“Jaime Munguia against Ryder,” De La Hoya said of what would seem to be another entertaining clash. “The guy (Ryder) who went the distance with Canelo (Alvarez). Imagine what Jaime Munguia is thinking. `I want to knock out Ryder, what Canelo could not do. That would be a huge statement.”

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Bernard Fernandez

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

Published

21 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 last 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, applied the exclamation point, 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

1 day 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 Brandon Figueroa should he defeat former Inoue foe Stephen Fulton next weekend. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa 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

2 days 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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