HITS and MISSES from the Last Weekend of a Lively November

HITS and MISSES from the Last Weekend of a Lively November

To remain grateful in boxing is relatively easy these days, and that was hammered home over Thanksgiving weekend when a bevy of solid fights featuring some of the best fighters in the world took place just about the time everyone in the U.S. was done stuffing their faces with leftovers.

But what were the biggest HITS and MISSES from another busy weekend in the sport that saw former titleholders preparing themselves for bigger fights down the line as well as undefeated up-and-comers and undeterred underdogs looking for statement wins to add to their ledgers?

HIT: Patrick Teixeira’s Huge Upset Over Previously Undefeated Carlos Adames

At most, Patrick Teixeira was probably meant to give rising undefeated junior middleweight Carlos Adames a tough test on his way to bigger and better things. The two met for a vacant secondary title on the undercard of a Top Rank on ESPN+ card at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, but Teixeira did not comply with those assumed plans by the promoter.

Instead, a bloody battle ensued with Teixeira ultimately scoring the biggest win of his career by scores of 116-111, 114-113 and 114-113 after some highly competitive rounds. The difference came during the final moments of the seventh-round when the southpaw Texiera uncorked a barrage of right hooks followed by a left hand that dropped Adames to the canvas.

That it happened so soon after Teixeira seemed he might be on his way to being stopped himself made for some compelling action. It was the Brazilian’s fifth straight win since his only defeat, a second-round knockout to former world title challenger Curtis Stevens in May 2016.

Now, Teixeira is expected to be elevated to full champion by the WBO because current titleholder Jaime Munguia seems ready to move up to the middleweight ranks. That’s quite the turn of events for Teixeira who didn’t seem on track to win a world title anytime soon.

What an amazing win for a fighter seemingly brought in to just be an opponent.

MISS: Russell Mora’s Premature Stoppage of Valdez-Lopez

After original opponent, Andres Gutierrez, weighed 11 pounds over the 130-pound limit on Friday and was scratched from the fight, late replacement opponent Adam Lopez stepped into a really difficult circumstance against former featherweight titleholder Oscar Valdez on Saturday night in the main event of the aforementioned card.

But Lopez acquitted himself well, dropping Valdez in the second round and giving the undefeated Mexican a very tough fight. After some riveting back-and-forth action, Valdez dropped Lopez with a well-placed left hook to the head followed by a right hand. Lopez rose to his feet and appeared to be weathering the storm when referee Russell Mora shockingly halted the action.

Due to the danger inherent in the sport, it’s certainly understandable why Mora would want to err on the side of caution. But it sure seemed like Lopez was still in the fight, and he probably should have been given the opportunity to continue considering how well he had done before that moment.

HIT: Casimero Punching His Way Into Bigger Bantamweight Fights

Could John Riel Casimero’s third title in as many weight classes have come at a better time in his career?

Casimero cracked Zolani Tete with a series of right hooks on Saturday in Birmingham, England to win the WBO bantamweight title. Tete was originally part of the recently completed World Boxing Super Series tournament but pulled out of his semi-final bout against Nonito Donaire who eventually lost in a Fight of the Year candidate to Naoya Inoue.

Before the injury sidelined his WBSS plans, Tete was favored over Donaire and had won 12 straight bouts. But Casimero stunningly pulled the upset and picked up the WBO bantamweight title in the process to go alongside the other alphabet belts he had won previously at 108 and 112 pounds.

More importantly than the historical nicety of being a three-division world champion though, Casimero made a solid case to get a big fight against Inoue. The thought of that bout isn’t something that really existed before Casimero’s big win over Tete, so seeing the 30-year-old manifest his own destiny was both surprising and admirable.

MISS: Frampton’s Second Act Being So Shockingly Unlike His First

Admittedly, calling Frampton’s dominant performance over Tyler McCreary on Saturday night on the Top Rank card in Las Vegas a miss is probably a little harsh. By all counts, Frampton’s performance was impressive as he boxed his way to a lopsided 10-round decision.

Still, the thing that made Frampton so spectacular during his run up the ranks during the better part of his career was his willingness to take on tough competition. Indeed, that’s the mindset that made Frampton a world champion in two different weight classes and one of the most popular Irish fighters in recent memory.

Frampton faced the inexperienced and unheralded McCreary in the first bout of the multi-fight deal the 32-year-old signed with Top Rank earlier this year after losing to IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington in December 2018. That move made sense for Frampton’s pocketbook. It also nabbed him TV money and allowed him to set up bigger fights down in the line in front of an American audience.

But Frampton doesn’t really seem like the same fighter he was when he stormed across the Atlantic to outfight Leo Santa Cruz in 2016. He doesn’t even really seem like the same guy who had the audacity to try it for a second time the following year.

Instead, Frampton now seems like an older fighter looking to make the most bang for his buck by taking the path of least resistance. That’s probably why after the win his promoters seemed to be targeting WBO junior lightweight titleholder Jamel Herring over any other names in the deep division, many of which seem more dangerous.

HIT: Matchroom’s Monte Carlo Menagerie 

Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn is a welcome addition to the world stage precisely because he always seems to be trying to push boundaries forward. Boxing has always been a global sport, but in recent years it seems to be growing into that in full force thanks to the new technologies and tools that didn’t exist before.

On Saturday, Matchroom promoted a card in Monaco featuring a full slate of interesting and noteworthy action that helped push boxing forward into the next era. Alexander Besputin defeated Radzhab Butaev in a battle of undefeated welterweights vying for a shot at Terence Crawford. Chinese heavyweight prospect Zhilei Zhang defeated Andriy Rudenko by 10-round decision in the 36-year-old’s first fight to go beyond six rounds. And undisputed women’s welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus moved closer to a blockbuster showdown against lightweight champion Katie Taylor by successfully defending her crown against Victoria Bustos.

As suggested by our own Matt Andrzejewski, Besputin is likely on his way to facing Crawford soon because Top Rank and the PBC don’t seem all that interested in working together for fights at 147 pounds. Zhang is just as likely to find himself in a big heavyweight fight soon, even if it’s just on the regional level because his advanced age coupled with his huge fanbase makes matters super urgent. And there probably isn’t any bigger women’s boxing event than the proposed Braekhus-Taylor fight.

What an amazingly strange card, but one that made sense for the location while also helping define important paths forward in 2020.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams for Top Rank

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