Three Punch Combo: Pacquiao-Matthysse Redux, a ‘ShoBox’ Preview and More

THREE PUNCH COMBO: This past weekend, Manny Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KO’s) returned to the ring after a little more than a year off and made surprisingly easy work of Lucas Matthysse (39-5, 36 KO’s), stopping him in round seven to win a welterweight belt. Many, including myself, thought Matthysse just may have been too much for Pacquiao at this point in Pacquiao’s career.

The old Pacquiao is back was the theme on social media following the fight, but let’s not go overboard. Something didn’t seem right with Matthysse. There is no question in my mind he came to win and gave all he had left, but he looked lethargic from the opening bell. I understand Matthysse is not the most fleet footed of boxers but he looked even slower than he has in the past. And that fearsome power was just not there. His punches had nothing behind them. Essentially, it looked like Matthysse got old. He exhibited all the signs of a shopworn fighter.

Pacquiao seemed to sense early that this was not the same Matthysse and went to work dazzling us once again. With an opponent there in front of him offering little to no resistance, Pacquiao had nothing to fear. Of course he’d look fantastic with this type of opponent and, yes, display those flashes of the Pacquiao from many years ago. But let’s not go crazy and suddenly put him back in the top pound for pound rankings or think he can compete with the sport’s cream of the crop like Vasyl Lomachenko or Terence Crawford.

Carefully matched, Pacquiao may be able to put together some more performances like he did against Matthysse. But the story will be much different if and when he faces a top fighter in the prime of his career.

ShoBox

I love the ShoBox series on Showtime and it returns this Friday with a tripleheader. The card features one of boxing’s top prospects taking a big step up in class as well as a pair of bouts that on paper appear to be very evenly matched and should be good scraps.

In the main event, fast rising welterweight prospect Jaron Ennis (20-0, 18 KO’s) takes on Armando Alvarez (18-0, 12 KO’s) in a battle of undefeated fighters. Ennis is a former top US amateur who comes into the ring riding a ten fight knockout streak. He has exceptional hand speed and good power in both fists. Ennis is also an excellent body puncher. Perhaps his best punch is the left hook downstairs which has knocked out several previous opponents.

In Alvarez, Ennis is facing a boxer-puncher with decent skills. Alvarez likes to work behind the left jab and set up combinations behind that punch. However, he really is not a big puncher, nor can he come close to matching the speed of Ennis. But Alvarez does represent a good sized step up in class for the hot prospect Ennis. It will be interesting to see how Ennis handles it and if he can impress in what is a big opportunity headlining a televised card.

Another battle of undefeated fighters takes place in the lightweight division between Thomas Mattice (12-0, 10 KO’s) and Zhora Hamazaryan (9-0, 6 KO’s). Mattice made his ShoBox debut in February and struggled mightily for quite some time against the gritty Rolando Chinea. However, in round seven of their scheduled eight round contest, Mattice rallied to hurt and stop Chinea. In that round, Mattice showed his explosive punching power and finishing ability and that makes him a prospect to monitor. But his technique and defense need improvement. He will need to show strides in these areas to beat Hamazaryan.

Hamazaryan, who is aggressive and will rely on volume, is a better version of Chinea. He may not be a one punch guy but he does possess heavy hands. Also, Hamazaryan had a solid amateur background and is much more experienced than the record indicates. He will be a good test for Mattice in a contest that is evenly matched and should be fun to watch as it plays out.

Finally, we have Montana Love (11-0, 5 KO’s) taking on Kenneth Sims Jr. (12-1, 4 KO’s) in a 140-pound contest. The southpaw Love and orthodox fighting Sims are very similar. Each possesses decent skills but limited power. They are both boxer-punchers who like to work behind the jab and will also look for countering opportunities. I see this as a very evenly matched fight between two fighters who are mirror images of one another inside the ring. It may be tactical but should be very competitive and it will be interesting to see if someone can step up to another level in this crossroads fight.

Are We Entering a Golden Age of How Boxing is Being Broadcast?

I woke up this past Saturday morning and went about my usual routine. In the morning, I scour social media and YouTube looking for what live boxing will be broadcast that day. And it almost never fails that I can find a stream of a show, a quality legal stream at that, from somewhere in the world that can fill the day until other boxing action on more traditional platforms get underway.

On this Saturday, I found a stream on YouTube of a show from Russia promoted by RCC Boxing Promotions. The card came in crystal clear and filled most of my day until the Top Rank broadcast began later that day on both ESPN+ and ESPN.  And as I was watching wall to wall boxing, I began to think to myself about how just a few years earlier such streams as the one I easily found on YouTube were tough to find. As a fan, I could only find what was shown on television and frankly the coverage of the sport in the United States was spotty at best. Finding a quality legal stream of an international card was rare and undercards of the shows that were televised in the United States were unavailable. For a die-hard fan like myself, I wanted so much more.

Today, I have more and maybe too much more. But that’s not a bad thing. The way the sport is being broadcast is changing as fans have access to more events than ever before. Promoters in the U.S. and around the world are finding ways to get their boxing cards to the masses. And there is more on the way.

This week, Eddie Hearn will be revealing more details about his digital platform for boxing in the United States. In addition, we saw an announcement earlier this month from Golden Boy and Main Events announcing an agreement with Facebook to stream live shows. The use of digital platforms to broadcast the sport is growing and I expect it will continue to grow.

In my opinion, we have entered a golden age in how the sport is being broadcast. No longer do fans in the United States have just the main HBO or Showtime card on Saturday with maybe another smaller scale show broadcast at some point earlier in the week. Fight cards in their entirety from the U.S. and around the world are regularly available via a legal digital platform. As a die-hard fan, I could not be more excited.

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