Avila Perspective, Chap. 269: The TSS Female Fighter of the Year plus 2023’s Indelible Moments

Published

1 year ago

December 29, 2023

The TSS Female Fighter of the Year plus 2023’s Indelible Moments

Our beautiful sport lives on.

We had one of the best years in boxing in 2023. Champions fought champions and drew large crowds everywhere from Tokyo to Los Angeles to Riyadh.

Women’s boxing led the way in the previous year and that seemingly inspired men to follow their path this year. What transpired was a landmark year for boxing.

Let’s start with the women.

The Fighter of the Year for women is Amanda “Real Deal” Serrano who fearlessly fought three times beginning in February against Mexico’s Erica Cruz. After 10 turbulent and bloody rounds Serrano emerged victorious to become the first undisputed featherweight world champion.

She also became the first Puerto Rican undisputed world champion.

In midsummer Serrano fought Brooklyn rival Heather Hardy and then capped the year with a title defense set at 12 three-minute rounds against Brazil’s Danila Ramos. Even more remarkable was in announcing the fight, she challenged all fellow female prizefighters to demand the right to choose three-minute rounds instead of two-minute rounds. Also, to fight 12-round championships instead of 10, as the men do.

Two dozen fellow fighters signed a petition to follow her lead.

Incidentally, Serrano defeated Ramos in the first 12 three-minute round championship fight since 2007.

“Thank you, I’m so honored,” said Serrano who was also selected Fighter of the Year for other publications.

And to further explain why we selected Serrano, she also signed to manage female fighters to guide their future.

Ever since Serrano was signed by innovative Jake Paul, a few years back, her career has skyrocketed. Together they are burning new paths and new fans for the sport of boxing.

Speaking of Jake Paul (pictured above with Amanda), the social media giant took part in a mega fight when he defeated MMA star Nate Diaz last August. The crossover event was a box office and pay-per-view success.

Paul and other social media stars proved there is a market for their brand.

The social media star slash boxer started the year 2023 with a decision loss to Tommy Fury, the half-brother of heavyweight champ Tyson Fury. In the age of maintaining perfect records Paul shrugged off the defeat and proceeded to entice MMA star Nate Diaz into the boxing ring. Once it was announced, the mixture of personalities was a perfect blend. The bad boy of MMA versus the “Problem Child” and nearly 20,000 fans gobbled up tickets to see the clash at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Another 450,000 purchased the pay-per-view.

Those are very good numbers for a non-title fight that generated a total near $30 million dollars.

Paul then followed that up with an electrifying single punch knockout win over pro boxer Andre August in the first round this past December 15. The win over an actual pro boxer in the cruiserweight division added even more credibility to his abilities as a boxer and promoter.

Other Impactful Events

Beginning in February, Shane Mosley Jr, the son of a Hall of Fame boxer, helped bring pro boxing to their hometown of Pomona, California in an event that harkened to the days of the Olympic Auditorium, the Inglewood Forum and even the Hollywood Legion Stadium. It had that nostalgic local feel.

Mosley and a bevy of other local fighters put on one of the best smaller cards of the year. Perhaps the best fight on a Golden Boy Promotions card saw former world champion Luis Nery and top super bantamweight contender Azat Hovhannisyan brutalize each other for 11 nonstop rounds. It was intense and definitely a contender for Fight of the Year with Nery winning by stoppage.

In March we saw super middleweight rivals David Benavidez and Caleb Plant finally meet each other in the boxing ring to settle their feud on a Premier Boxing Champions card. For years each fighter verbally attacked each other’s abilities and finally met on March 25, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. They settled their feud in the ring with Benavidez defeating Plant and each gaining more respect for each other.

In April, the biggest money-making fight of the year saw Ryan Garcia and Gervonta “Tank” Davis meet at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and sell 20,000 tickets worth $27 million in revenue. Plus, more than 1.2 million pay-per-views were purchased. All told, more than $100 million was generated. Each fighter topped $30 million with Davis winning by knockout.

It was the most successful boxing event of the year.

Though Garcia lost his undefeated status he remains a huge draw in the prize ring. The win by Davis proved that offensive fighters are bigger draws than defensive fighters. Both Garcia and Davis proved to be the present-day version of Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy “Hitman” Hearns from the 80s. A rematch in the future would certainly break the cash register.

Memorable Moments in 2023

Another potential Fight of the Year saw Jaime Munguia of Mexico and Ukraine’s Sergey Derevyanchenko clobber each other for 12 rounds in a brutal display. Their blows were concussive and could be heard and felt throughout the Toyota Arena in Ontario, Calif. Munguia remained undefeated but needed a knockdown from a body shot to emerge victorious. Fans gasped when the battle between the two warriors finally ended.

In June, we saw the return of Teofimo Lopez meet undisputed super lightweight champion Josh Taylor of Scotland in Madison Square Garden. After struggling against decent but not super-talented opposition, the Brooklyn fighter Lopez unleashed his incredible array of fighting ability against champion Taylor. The boxing world was surprised and Lopez proved to be the talented star forgotten but not gone. The world awaits the “Takeover’s” next fight and hopefully against another star.

The year got even better in the heart of summer.

Welterweight champion Terence Crawford had chased Errol Spence Jr. for years in attempting to decide the true world champion of the 147-pounders. Both were undefeated and both claimed to be the true welterweight champion. They finally met in late July at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It was five years in the making and after nine one-sided rounds Crawford proved too strong and dominated Spence with three knockdowns before the fight was mercifully stopped.

Crawford’s victory made him an undisputed welterweight world champion. He had already achieved undisputed world championship status as a super lightweight and the win over highly regarded Spence was the cherry on top of the banana split. The Nebraska fighter takes my vote as the best fighter pound-for-pound in the world.

Another pound-for-pound fighter Saul “Canelo” Alvarez returned to Las Vegas. The undisputed super middleweight champion was challenged by undisputed super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo. Challenge accepted. The twin brother from Texas saw Alvarez in person fight a year earlier. He determined Canelo was beatable and made it public that he wanted to fight the Mexican redhead. The two met at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in September and the world saw the weight difference proved too much even for the talented Charlo. The match also proved that a motivated Alvarez is a dangerous foe.

In October, in a less ballyhooed matchup, newly crowned WBC super featherweight titlist O’Shaquie Foster defended his title against top contender Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez in Cancun, Mexico. Because the referee correctly restricted Foster from clinching as a defensive tactic, the Texan was forced to battle inside and out against the powerful Hernandez and another Fight of the Year candidate erupted. It was a good one. After 12 exciting and awe-inspiring rounds, Foster finally stopped Hernandez at 2:38 of the final round to cap the title fight. It was extremely fun to watch.

In November, following Thanksgiving Day, undefeated fighters David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade met in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Once again Benavidez proved that brilliant fighting skills are simply not enough. He pummeled Andrade and proved to be the best fighter other Canelo Alvarez in the super middleweight division. The performance also added to his market appeal and could lead to a clash with the big dog Alvarez.

And what about Devin Haney.

Fresh from a close win over Ukraine’s super talented Vasyl Lomachenko, the Las Vegas-based Haney brashly challenged super lightweight titlist Regis Prograis. It was a dangerous challenge against a powerful champion and looked to be a very tough match. It wasn’t. Behind a beautiful left jab, Haney kept Prograis at a suitable distance and dropped the champion in the third round with a lightning right. After the knockdown Haney cruised to victory. The buttery smooth fighter has established credibility as a true artist in the prize ring. Currently he’s in talks to meet Ryan Garcia in a super lightweight clash in March. Both have a history in the amateurs with each beating the other. Now they’re pros.

Finally, a few days before Christmas, the heavyweights were on display with many of the best signed and ready to confront each other in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was a roster of the best heavyweights in the world not named Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk. But with Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Joseph Parker, “Big Baby” Miller and others, it was an extravaganza that showcased the excitement of the heavyweight division. Knockouts were the theme and they were in abundance. The heavyweights are back.

Let’s not forget Japan’s “Monster” Naoya Inoue who became undisputed super bantamweight world champion with a knockout win over Marlon Tapales just three days ago. If not for Crawford’s dominating win over another pound-for-pound fighter in Errol Spence, the Japanese star would be this reporter’s Fighter of the Year.

Inoue deserves recognition as one of the most exciting fighters in this decade.

There were several other prize fights that appealed to the public and foreshadowed another great year for boxing. Though Showtime Boxing television ended, the sport continues to prove boxing will never die. Pro boxing has existed since the 1600s and will continue to have an audience.

Lookout 2024.

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David A. Avila

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Ringside at the Cosmo: Pacheco Outpoints Nelson plus Undercard Results

Published

2 days ago

January 25, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Ringside at the Cosmo: Pacheco Outpoints Nelson plus Undercard Results

LAS VEGAS, NV – Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions was at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas tonight for the second half of a DAZN doubleheader that began in Nottingham, England. In the main event, Diego Pacheco, ranked #1 by the WBO at super middleweight, continued his ascent toward a world title with a unanimous decision over Steven Nelson.

Pacheco glides round the ring smoothly whereas Nelson wastes a lot energy with something of a herky-jerky style. However, although Nelson figured to slow down as the fight progressed, he did some of his best work in rounds 11 and 12. Fighting with a cut over his left eye from round four, a cut that periodically reopened, the gritty Nelson fulfilled his promise that he would a fight as if he had everything to lose if he failed to win, but it just wasn’t enough, even after his Omaha homie Terence “Bud” Crawford entered his corner before the last round to give him a pep talk (back home in North Omaha, Nelson runs the B&B (Bud and Bomac) Sports Academy.

All three judges had it 117-111 for Pacheco who mostly fought off his back foot but landed the cleaner punches throughout. A stablemate of David Benavidez and trained by David’s father Jose Benevidez Sr, Pacheco improved to 23-0 (18). It was the first pro loss for the 36-year-old Nelson (20-1).

Semi wind-up

Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz, who as a pro has never fought a match slated for fewer than 10 rounds, had too much class for Hermosillo, Mexico’s rugged Omar Salcido who returned to his corner with a puffy face after the fourth stanza, but won the next round and never stopped trying. The outcome was inevitable even before the final round when Salcido barely made it to the final gun, but the Mexican was far more competitive than many expected.

The Cuban, who was 4-0 vs. Keyshawn Davis in closely-contested bouts as an amateur, advanced his pro record to 5-0 (2), winning by scores by 99-91 and 98-92 twice. Salido, coming off his career-best win, a 9^th-round stoppage of former WBA super featherweight title-holder Chris Colbert, falls to 20-2.

Other TV bouts

Ernesto “Tito” Mercado, a 23-year-old super lightweight, aims to become the next world champion from Pomona, California, following in the footsteps of the late Richie Sandoval and Sugar Shane Mosely, and based on his showing tonight against former Beijing Olympian and former two-division title-holder Jose Pedraza, he is well on his way.

After three rounds after what had been a technical fight, Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) knocked Pedraza off his pins with an overhand right followed by short left hand. Pedraza bounced back and fell on his backside. When he arose on unsteady legs, the bout was waived off. The official time was 2:08 of round four and the fading, 35-year-old Pedraza (29-7-1) was saddled with his third loss in his last four outings.

The 8-round super lightweight clash between Israel Mercado (the 29-year-old uncle of “Tito”) and Leonardo Rubalcava was fan-friendly skirmish with many robust exchanges. When the smoke cleared, the verdict was a majority draw. Mercado got the nod on one card (76-74), but was overruled by a pair of 75-75 scores.

Mercado came out strong in the opening round, but suffered a flash knockdown before the round ended. The referee ruled it a slip but was overruled by replay operator Jay Nady and what would have been a 10-9 round for Mercado became a 10-8 round for Rubalcava. Mercado lost another point in round seven when he was penalized for low blows.

The scores were 76-74 for Mercado (11-1-2) and 75-75 twice. The verdict was mildly unpopular with most thinking that Mercado deserved the nod. Reportedly a four-time Mexican amateur champion, Rubalcava (9-0-1) is trained by Robert Garcia.

Also

New Matchroom signee Nishant Dev, a 24-year-old southpaw from India, had an auspicious pro debut (pardon the cliché). Before a beaming Eddie Hearn, Dev stopped Oakland’s Alton Wiggins (1-1-1) in the opening round. The referee waived it off after the second knockdown.

Boxers from India have made large gains at the amateur level in recent years and Matchroom honcho Eddie Hearn anticipates that Dev, a Paris Olympian, will be the first fighter from India to make his mark as a pro.

Undefeated Brooklyn lightweight Harley Mederos, managed by the influential Keith Connolly, scored his seventh knockout in eight tries with a brutal third-round KO of Mexico’s Arturo de Isla.

A left-right combination knocked de Isla (5-3-1) flat on his back. Referee Raul Caiz did not bother to count and several minutes elapsed before the stricken fighter was fit to leave the ring. The official time was 1:27 of round three.

In the opener, Newark junior lightweight Zaquin Moses, a cousin of Shakur Stevenson, improved to 2-0 when his opponent retired on his stool after the opening round.

Photo credit: Melina Pizano / Matchroom

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

Published

3 days ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Najee-Lopez-Steps-Up-in-Class-and-Wins-Impressively-at-Plant-City

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

3 days ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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

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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