HITS and MISSES from Another Weekend on the Boxing Beat

Fans of professional boxing had plenty of fights to watch over the weekend, and the sport’s busy weekly schedule these days is a good reason to rejoice for living in the year 2020. But not all of the things that happened were equally important or impressive, so here were the biggest HITS and MISSES left standing after all the action was complete.

HIT – A Rare Gary Russell Jr. Sighting Inside a Boxing Ring

WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. defeated Tugstsogt Nyambayar by unanimous decision in the main event of PBC card televised by Showtime at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa., on Saturday night. The 31-year-old is truly one of the most talented fighters in the sport but only seems interested in competing enough times every year to pay his bills in support of his family. It might be frustrating from one perspective to see such a great fighter not fully committed to seeing just how much he might accomplish in the sport. But from a different point of view, it’s kind of refreshing to see someone so focused on his family that he chooses to spend his life ordered to it rather than what he does to make money. Regardless, it’s always nice to see as talented and skilled fighter as Russell compete inside a boxing ring. He looked solid against a tough contender and still seems to be on his way to doing bigger and better things in the sport, even if he only fights once a year or so.

MISS – PBC’s Apparent Disinterest or Inability to Get Russell Jr. Bigger Fights

But maybe Russell’s slower-than-necessary career trajectory isn’t all his fault. Someone needs to explain why it seems so hard for the PBC to get Russell bigger fights. He’s obviously very talented. He holds a world title. He’s already shown the willingness to take on tough challenges as was the case when he lost to Vasyl Lomachenko in 2014. Heck, Russell has even been lobbying for bouts against fellow PBC stars Leo Santa Cruz and Gervonta Davis. But instead of those fights happening, we’re left to ponder how contests between Russell and other top talents would go. The PBC does lots of things right in getting their fighters on TV often, setting them up for careers in broadcasting and paying them well for their talents. But they sure don’t seem great at making big fights happen between their elite stars.

HIT – How Guillermo Rigondeaux Just Keeps Guillermo Rigondeaux-ing

Admittedly, I seem to be one of the few people in boxing who appreciates what Cuban southpaw Guillermo Rigondeaux does in the ring on fight night. To me, his footwork, countering and pristine technique are mesmerizing, and that’s all the truer after seeing him maintain such a high level of craft at age 39. Rigondeaux defeated Liborio Solis by split decision in the co-main event of the Russell-Nyambayar card on Showtime. What amazes me most about Rigondeaux though is his dedication to winning fights at all costs. No matter how many people boo him, or write about his style being boring or even ditch him the way Bob Arum did a few years ago, Rigondeaux just keeps doing what he’s best at. It might not win him a lot of fans, but it sure has won him a ton of fights.

MISS – Boxing’s In-Person Fan Experiences Unnecessarily Lagging Behind 

Having covered UFC 247 in Houston over the weekend for Bleacher Report, the biggest thing that stuck out to me in seeing a UFC card in person for the first time was how much better the overall experience was for the fans. In fact, having covered live events in boxing put on by just about every major boxing promoter in the U.S. over the last 10 years, the thing I left UFC 247 wondering the most about was why boxing lags so far behind in this area. Seriously, the experience the fans have to come to expect from the UFC are worlds apart from what we are used to in our sport. It’s why fans at the Toyota Center in Houston were lined up in droves hours before the event, why the place was packed for the entire undercard and probably why MMA is growing so much faster than boxing. The most frustrating part of the equation, from a boxing-centric perspective, is that just about everything the UFC does to engage with fans and put on great live shows at the venues could be done by boxing promoters. They just don’t do them.

HIT – Kell Brook’s Smart Decision to Go Back Home 

The former welterweight titleholder left longtime trainer Dominic Ingle in an effort to reinvent himself last year only to find out that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. It’s sometimes difficult for people to admit they made a mistake, especially when it comes to having to admit that mistake to the someone spurned for another. But Brook went back to Ingle, the son of a revered trainer, after one fight away (an appearance in which Brook looked dreadful by the way) and looked so much better off for it. Brook is now a junior middleweight. He’s already one of the biggest draws in the sport at 154 so he should be set up for big fights. Most importantly, the 33-year-old looked sharp again in defeating Mark DeLuca in the main event of a card in Brook’s hometown of Sheffield, England. That effort put Brook in line for another big fight, and after seeing him beat DeLuca it certainly looks like he’ll now be ready for it.

Photo credit: Amanda Westcott / SHOWTIME

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