Category: Uncategorized

Fight Night: Garcia v. Thurman

Back in November, after Danny Garcia (33-0 19 KO) stopped Samuel Vargas, guest commentator Keith Thurman (27-0 22 KO) jumped in the ring and stated “I ain’t no cherry”, as in cherry-picking opponents, referring to Vargas and other past Garcia foes.  Garcia not missing a beat retorted “Yes, you are, that’s why I picked you next”.

This Saturday night, we are in for a treat, it’s not often we get two highly skilled undefeated fighters in their prime getting after it. This will be the tenth unification in welterweight division history and only the third unification between undefeated fighters.

One from the mean streets of Philly, the other Clearwater, Florida. A chess match fought at the highest levels. One a puncher-boxer, the other a boxer-puncher.

Let’s take a deeper look.

Tape Tales

Garcia-     Age- 28   Height-5’8 1/2   Reach-68 1/2”

Thurman-  Age- 25   Height-5’7 1/2  Reach-69”

Last 3-

Garcia-(3-0)

11/12/16 W- TKO 7 Samuel Vargas, 

Let’s call it like it is, this was a tune up, nothing more nothing less. Garcia did what he was supposed to do. A counter right dropped Vargas in the first. Vargas is a tough out but surprising it took six more rounds to finish the job. It was almost like intentional target practice with a tailor made opponent that would allow Garcia to get his work without danger preparing for March.

1/23/16  W- UD Robert Guerrero,

See common opponents.

8/1/15 W- TKO 9 Paulie Malignaggi

This was Garcia’s first go at 147. Good matchmaking picked a slick boxing light hitting veteran with a credible name. A gatekeper of sorts into the welterweight division. In his defense, Malignaggi was coming off a sixteen month layoff and it showed. Garcia bloodied him from pillar to post before stopping him in the ninth.

Thurman- (3-0)

6/25/16 W- UD Shawn Porter, 

Porter is tough as nails, quick, relentless, and with pretty much a granite chin. Thurman had to be at the top of his game and was, connecting on nearly forty-five percent of his punches while being multifaceted in his approach. This was a very close fight but in the end, the judges favored Thurman’s accuracy and power over Porter’s Tyson like aggression. As in the Collazo fight before it, Thurman was hit by a body shot that visibly shook him. In addition, there were many moments of toe to toe action in this one and one observation was the lack of defense on Thurman’s part as he moved in during these exchanges. His defense was non-existent leaving him vunerable to a counter shot.

7/11/15 W- TKO 8 Luis Collazo,

Thurman dominated the first four rounds and the start of the fifth before Collazo landed a perfect left to the body toward the end of the round that buckled Thurman. It was one of the few times in his career that we have seen him in trouble. Had there been more time left in the round it would have been interesting. Nonetheless, Thurman recovered between rounds and was able to continue his dominance which led to a bruised and bloody Collazo unable to continue after seven due to a bad cut over his right eye.

3/7/15 W-UD Robert Guerrero

See common opponents.

Common Opponents May Provide A Bit Of Clarity-

Robert Guerrero-

The only common opponent of the two is Guerrero.

Garcia defeated Guerrero by UD 116-112 on all three cards in a pretty close and competitive fight. Thurman defeated Guerero 120-107 and 118-109 X 2 in a mostly one-sided affair while  being the only one of the two to floor the hard to drop Guerrero.

When asked to compare the punching power of both fighters, Guerrero stated that Thurman is by far the stronger puncher of the two and that Garcia’s power was not a factor at welter. It was Garcia’s second fight at 147 when he fought Guerrero.

Another few Guerrero observations were that Thurman’s jab was double that in power of Garcia’s right hand and while Garcia did have some power he felt it was not of the knockout variety for the weight class. That said, Guerrero notwithstanding, Garcia has stopped two of three opponents at 147.

What Does It All Mean?

Garcia fought twice in 2016, once at the beginning and once at the end. Going in, he will only have three months of inactivity which is to imply that he went right into camp shortly after the holidays. His timing, speed and movement should be at optimal levels.Conversely, Thurman only fought once last year, in June and prior to that, July of 2015. In just about four months short of two years come fight night, Thurman would have only been in the ring twice with only nineteen rounds of work. He’s a pro but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him a bit rusty.

At the age of seven, Thurman began to channel his aggression in the ring under the tutelage of Ben Getty, a father figure who taught Thurman about life and about going for the KO. “You are nothing without your power” Getty would tell Thurman, a life lesson from the school of hard knocks not lost on Thurman as evident by his “KO’s For Life” mantra.  Thurman sadly lost Getty to an unexpected death in 2009 but still honors his trainer every time he steps in the ring.  After Getty’s death, Thurman began working with Dan Birmingham, who did great work with Ronald “Winky” Wright and Jeff Lacy. When Thurman fights, you can often see the beauty of Wright’s boxing and the savagery of Lacy.

It’s no secret what Thurman will do in this fight. You’ll see the boxing, you’ll see the brawling. He’ll look to back up Garcia and impose his will. Thurman is one of the best in the game moving in and out. He footwork is effortless. His defense is not as tight as you’d like it andat times, when he moves in to land power shots, he leaves his chin wide open. He’d be wise to safeguard himself against such an opening facing an excellent counter puncher. If Thurman is able to control the rounds with his boxing against the flat-footed Garcia, he will open up many opportunities to land a game changing shot.

Why all the hate for Garcia? This dude just finds ways to win. He did have several close fights and the grossly mismatched Salka as points of contention apparently supporting your hate argument but many champions have had a similar journey, it’s just Garcia is vilified more.

This will be Garcia’s fourth fight at welter and just about the right time for the power to be settling in. Much has been made of the power with him facing a “true” welter but with over two years to grow into a division with a seven pound difference, lets put that nonsense to rest.

Garcia would be wise to utilize a bit more movement here. If he remains stationary, he’ll end up in the tangled web of Thurman and be susceptible to a huge shot. He is one of the best counter punching pugilists in the game and will have opportunities to do so against an adversary who has lapses on defense on the way in. Garcia has the better resume and has been in the deep end on more than one occasion but has come through. Garcia will be wise to draw on those experiences here. In addition, the whole world will be looking for the left. so there may be opportunities for a counter right here.

And The Winner Is………..

We may have seen something close to this matchup before. In reviewing video on styles, game plans, and past opponents, I found Lucas Matthysse to be eerily similar to Thurman. If you watch the tape of the Garcia v. Matthysse fight, you’ll see it.

In the fight against Garcia, Matthysse started strong, utilizing excellent movement, a great jab, and timely power shots. He backed Garcia up and was imposing his will. Garcia fought compact and cautious during the first few rounds and withstood the early aggression of “The Machine”.

You could slowly see Garcia studying Matthysse, looking for adjustments to the game plan. He would land a body shot at times and just enough power to keep Matthysse honest. Around the end of the third round and into the fourth, Garcia began to settle in. Garcia started to turn the fight in his favor, closing Matthysse’s eye in the process. He continued to attack the body and while he was not letting his hands go early nor using his left hook, he was all in now. In the eleventh, Matthysse touched the canvas for the first time in his career courtesy of a Garcia combination which culminated with a right hand.

This fight has all of the elements to go the same way here. Thurman will no doubt start strong against an opponent who is known to start slow. You will see Thurman landing significant blows similar to Matthysse but again Garcia will weather the storm. Thurman will build a lead but Garcia will begin to adjust his blueprint.

We may also see a flash knockdown early with Thurman not respecting Garcia’s power. This will play on the mind of Thurman who will then be tentative to engage.  Garcia will began to take over as he did with Matthysse and weaken Thurman to the body setting up a possible KO. As stated above, while the left hook is the signiture punch, a big overhand right or right hand uppercut may turn the tide.

Another parallel to the Mattysse fight is the underdog role. Prior to the Matthysse fight, Garcia was a bit agitiated in the fact that Matthysse was not only favored to win but also expected to KO Garcia. Garcia again is the underdog and most observers feel that Thurman will be too much possibly stopping Garcia. There is no more dangerous an oponent than one who has a chip on their shoulder looking for respect with a “me against the world” mentality.

I love Thurman as much as the next guy but there is something amiss here in this matchup. From time to time, a fighter will come accross that one fighter who is not right for them. Garcia may be Thurmans’.

Garcia by stoppage.

” Cause all I do is win win win, and if you goin’ in put your hands in the air, make em stay there…Cause I never been defeated and I wont stop now” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The State Of The Game 

(Note: This article was previously contributed to BTG) 

Back in January of 2014, boxing was on a “rumble young man rumble” type of pace but derailed somewhere along the way. Was it the “Fight of The Century” that wasn’t, the return to network television that lacked the intrigue of yesteryear, or maybe that quite often, most coveted matchups occurred on social media rather than in the squared circle? No matter the reasons ….it’s time to take another look at the state of the game, circa 2017.

We can link the state of the game to many areas of the sweet science but to get down and dirty into our systematic inquiry, we’ll focus only on a few key areas. Areas that have hit the sport with a perfect counter shot to score a knockdown but also areas that are strong and have the sport coming off the canvas.

Any questions from the challenger’s chief seconds? Any questions from the champion’s chief seconds?

Let’s Get It On, Come On………………….!!!!

Matchups/Fighters

Let’s start with the positive. If there is one area that will sustain the sport it is the matchups with the best fighting the best. We had flashes of it closing out 2016, Andre Ward v. Sergey Kovalev, and Vasyl Lomachenko v. Nicholas Walters (at least at the onset). We’ve had a great start to 2017, James DeGale v. Badou Jack, Leo Santa Cruz vs. Carl Frampton II with the trilogy now inevitable, and the upcoming Danny Garcia v. Keith Thurman and Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko donnybrooks.  This is what is right about the game.

Sure, the lack of the coveted Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez matchup is frustrating but outside of that the sport seems to moving in the right direction. There are great fighters all over the divisional landscape, Kell Brook, Errol Spence Jr, The Charlo Brothers, Terance Crawford, Gervonta Davis, Tevin Farmer, Mickey Garcia, Ievgen Khytrov, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr, Naoya Inoue, Artur Beterbiev, Gilberto Ramirez, Jorge Linares….Obviously there are some pretty big names left off the list but done so intentionally to show that the talent pool is rich even without some of the bigger names in the sport listed.

Some great Potential matchups in 2017 or beyond-

Brook v Spence, Gonzalez v. Yafai, Ward/Kovalev/Stevenson, Russell Jr. V Santa Cruz, Lomachenko v. Rigondeaux, Crawford v. Broner, Charlo (Jermall) v. Lara, Eubank Jr v. Lee, Selby v. Frampton, Ramirez v. DeGale…and on and on..great stuff.

And what of Lomachenko?…. the state of the game is solid with this pugilist that is part throwback, part present day, and quite frankly, something from the future. In the top ten pound for pound rankings after only eight fights? Deservedly so and unheard of.

Additionally, very excited for the prospects, keep an eye on up and coming fighters Diego De La Hoya, Josh Taylor, Erickson Lubin, Mark Magsayo, Mario Barrios, and Caleb Plant just to name a few.

The continued revival of women’s boxing would be a good thing as well. Amanda Serrano, Ava Knight, Heather Hardy, and Claressa Shields all have skill sets that are every bit as good as their male counter parts. In 2016, there were positive signs that women’s boxing was on the rise. If the women’s divisions can mirror the success of their UFC counterparts, that would be amazing.

Boxing could benefit from more tournaments in the divisions. The Super-Six put a jolt in the sport, and the Boxino Tournaments have been highly successful in sorting out the second tier of talent and providing a spring board for the winners. Tournaments would force the matchups people want to see and currently there are plenty of divisions that would benefit from them.

As salivating as the matchups and tournaments are, they are contingent upon the promotional companies and networks sorting out their differences so that we can get where we want to be. Regrettably, profits will always drive this argument, it’s a business.  You’ve heard the nonsense, this one can’t fight that one because this company’s fighter can’t fight that company’s fighter and they fight on specific and rival networks so …blah blah blah. Sadly, the state of the game will suffer until we get more cohesion among these entities.

We cannot leave this section without talking about The Notorious CMG, Mo Money Mo Problems…

If you’re a fan of the linguistic arts of reality rap, that opening did not go unnoticed and you got the pun.  The Floyd Mayweather vs. Connor McGregor scrap will most likely happen; however, this does not strengthen the state of the game, it weakens it.  Mayweather just about made it a done deal in a ringside interview this past weekend stating “It can happen…….give the fans what they want to see”

Quite frankly, there are many, many worthy opponents on the boxing side that should get the shot at the Pound For Pound King before The Notorious One. McGregor is a true champion in his world of MMA and a top pound for pound king in his sport as well; however, he has not paid his dues in the boxing world coming up through the gatekeepers and contenders to earn this right. If he wants mo money, he’ll get mo problems. Mayweather will not lose a round to him in a boxing ring; conversely, if they fought in the octagon, Money would probably go to sleep or get submitted, different disciplines that should stay in their own lane. I know, I get it, it’s a money making sideshow that will happen, boxing vs. MMA has been kicked around from time to time but boxing doesn’t need MMA.

State of The Game Grade-Matchups & Fighters- A-

Judging

Ah yes, everybody’s favorite topic. Why is it that every time there is a close fight it was a “robbery”?  Can there ever be a close fight without an uproar? Apparently not. The minute a close fight ends the losing fighter’s faithful takes to social media almost immediately to vilify the judging.  Scoring cannot be an exact science when combined with the human element.

You would think that it would be easy enough to score fights based on the areas you assume are being scored: affective aggression, ring generalship, defense, and hard clean punching but maybe something is amiss with the concept. Scoring four areas seems odd considering a ten point must system. Four does not go into ten or nine so if rounds are scored in four categories why is the winner awarded ten and the loser nine? How can the overview of four competencies subjectively be given a ten or nine?  What if you have a round where neither fighter does anything which we all know happens from time to time?  Ten points would still be awarded to a pugilist that did not exhibit effectiveness in any of the categories.

If scoring is generally based upon the four categories, why wouldn’t you score each category for every round giving the winner of the category a point and the loser of the category none? Deductions due to fouls and knockdowns would still be scored the same way but at the end of the fight. That would surely put the onus on the judges to justify their card and own it.

As a few ring side commentators have been known to say, “Which fighter would have rather been? That is who probably won the round”. Not entirely a bad perspective; however, you could argue that some judges may be operating in that fashion today, which is why in a close fight, at times, the cards are all over the place. Personal preference of who they would rather be in a close fight is most likely the reason majority decisions are generally the outcome of these types of fights. At least two of the three will always choose the same fighter.

Maybe being at ringside is not in the best interest of judging a fight. They are below the action and look upwards with obstructions in their view they must navigate. If a judge cannot see the fighter because of their positioning, a punch may land that only one judge sees. If that happens enough times in a round and over the course of the fight, the cards will be off. Crowd noise may also be an influential contributor as judges may be swayed by what they hear in a given scenario, you would hate to think that it happens but again, they are human. Maybe the solution is to put the judges in separate rooms with a monitor and no sound so they can score the fight without outside influence with the best view in the house, not to mention the availability of instant replay. A bit farfetched but a thought nonetheless.

This is not to imply that there have not been some downright travesties with regards to scoring…. Pacquiao v. Timothy Bradley I comes to mind. A fight scored so terribly it prompted some of these comments:

“It’s either corruption or incompetence. There’ll be a rematch. It speaks to the corruption of the sport. The criminals will be rewarded” –ESPN‘s Teddy Atlas

“People, a great sport is now on a respirator. Boxing is presently a polluted playing field in every respect. Tonight was par for the course.” – Lou DiBella

“It was one of the most outrageous decisions I’ve ever seen.” – ESPN‘s Dan Rafael

Did Bradley really have the advantage for most of the fight in the aforementioned categories? Can you make a case that two of the judges would have rather been Bradley? Unlikely.

And, last year’s Ward v. Kovalev chess match? It’s not often that we get two top five pound for pound fighters squaring off, what an event, what a show it will be! A match fought at the highest of levels, a 50/50 fight that would most likely end up in the judge’s hands. Oh no………

This fight was far from a robbery. It was a very close fight but what about the tenth round? It seems that everyone gave the tenth to Kovalev, everyone that is except the judges???? How can that be?

It is sad that before big fights occur or while close fights are happening, we all cringe at the fact that the judges may come into play. Our comfort level should be at ease if we go to the cards, not the other way around. We expect the rightful winner to be announced.  It is understood that the judges and the masses may not be in agreement in very close fights but until the scoring system is cleaned up and clearer the sport will continue to suffer in this area. Maybe, we need someone to lead a remedial training program for judges having difficulty with their scoring, or at the very least some type of in-service annual training.

State of the Game Grade- Judging  C

Divisions/Belts

There was a time when holding a belt meant something, one champion in each division.  It was the prized possession that was obtained through hard work and beating a long line of contenders for the right to face the baddest man in the division. Today, alphabet soups, with champions, super champions, interim champion, and lineal champions, with over sixty belt holders through seventeen weight classes, the term “champion” has been diluted.

A step in the right direction may be the work being done by The Transitional Boxing Rankings Board. Formed in 2012, this Board consisting of over fifty members representing over nineteen countries aims to provide authoritative top-ten rankings while identifying a singular world champion per division and insisting on the sport’s reform. The Board’s membership includes respected boxing journalists and record keepers who utilize strict reasoning and common sense to carry out their mission.

If boxing can benefit from taking a page from the UFC, it would be here. The UFC has eight weight classes with eight champions for men and three and three for the women. They consistently have solid matchups because contenders must fight each other to earn the right to face the champion and it is less about the “0” and more about the game. This also forces the fighters to remain active. In boxing today, there is way too much inactivity from the top fighters.

Again, there was a time when the sweet science operated in this fashion and only time will tell if the UFC ends up where boxing is now but too many weight classes and champions are not good for the sport.

A few related parting shots …….

Catch Weight Fights-  End this now, if the fighters want a piece of each other and neither is willing to go to the other’s weight, compromise, fight twice, once each at the true weight class of both.  If the weights are too far apart then you may look at a compromise but often times there is far too much squabble over working out the differences.

Rehydration Clauses- What is the value of a belt won at welterweight when the fight night weight of the victor is that of a super middle? Rehydration clauses and the enforcement of such must get better. A few pounds over the limit on fight night is fine but another weight class or four is laughable.

State of the Game Grade–Divisions/Belts- D

Promotions

I’ll have to admit, when the PBC concept was launched, I grabbed the microphone and said “I’d like to thank Al Haymon too!”. Bringing boxing back to network television was a no brainer and great direction in righting the ship. While there were some very good fights, the majority were poor matchups which hurt the model. In addition, network time for the PBC was everywhere but again, the matchups did not sustain the brand.

Golden Boy Promotions threw a 300 million lawsuit against Haymon in 2015 with allegations of antitrust law violations. In the suit, Golden Boy alleged several things to include a violation of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act which by law makes it illegal to serve as both a manager and promoter. Wait, what? I thought he was an advisor? J  In addition, Top Rank Promotions also filed suit against Haymon in 2015 for basically the same violations to include attempts to monopolize the game.

Several months after Top Rank filed their suit, a federal judge ruled that it failed to prove that Haymon had any economic power in the game and ruled that Top Rank could re-submit which they did. Top Rank and Haymon reached an undisclosed settlement last year which led most to believe that embargos between the two companies may soon be lifted allowing significant fights to be made.

Last week, the presiding judge granted a motion for summary judgment in Haymon’s favor regarding the Golden Boy suit.

Good for Haymon on both accounts. He was attacked from the beginning and almost wasn’t given a fair chance. He’ll continue to build on what he started which is a win for the sport. 

One positive thing after the court’s decision was a statement by a Golden Boy spokesman who told ESPN, “Obviously disappointed with the judge’s ruling. However, our top priority at Golden Boy is putting on the best fights for the fans and promoting the best shows in the business. We will continue to focus our energies on working with anyone and everyone to make the best fights happen.”

Hmm…working with anyone and everyone, let’s hope it happens with all three.

State of The Game Grade Promotions- F (Until all companies play nice in the sandbox and thaw the Cold War)

State of The Future

Boxing is at a crossroads. If you have followed the sport your entire life or a considerable amount of time, you know there is a different feel now, you can’t quite put your finger on it but something is different. There was a time that just about every fight would get your blood pumping, now that feeling occurs at random times. As you read that, you began thinking back to those special fights that hold a fond place in your memory bank. You can hear the sounds of the crowd, you can vividly remember the announcers calling the fight, the knockdowns, the knockouts, the sweet science of the game and oh my, the personalities. Where have they gone?

The sport was carried in the past by colorful characters that could fight and would light up a room with their presence…..“I am the greatest…”but now you’d be hard pressed to find anyone outside of boxing fans who know who the champions are, let alone the heavyweight champion. Deontay Wilder is virtually unknown even in the USA outside of boxing circles. Anthony Joshua, Joseph Parker?…Forget it

There was a time when everyone knew who the heavyweight champion was, that’s how boxing ruled the world. After that, the other divisions fell into place with their own stars among household names.

Over the last ten years, there have been just a few names that have carried the sport outside of the normal circles. You could argue that Mayweather , Pacquiao, Saul Alvarez and the Klitschko brothers were known to non fans and casual fans alike. Sure there were more, Jones Jr. Calzaghe, Mosley, Hopkins, Trinidad, Cotto, but unlikely household names.

Where will the next generation of stars/personalities come from to sustain the sport?

With different types of combat sports and outrageous contracts in the big four (football, baseball, basketball and hockey), most athletes suitable for a career in boxing will choose a different path. In addition, generations may have a bit to do with it. The millennial generation wants instant gratification, they “gotta have it now” and they grew up on technology with helicopter parents. They were indoors more than out and if they didn’t make the team because they lacked the work ethic and discipline, that’s ok, mommy and daddy would talk to the coach and “fix things”.

You don’t play boxing, everyone does not get a ribbon, and you can’t be saved by the whirlybird when you’re on the end of a one-two. As such, this new generation is less and less likely to sustain tomorrow’s stars. That said, you will still have the athletes that have to fight to win at life and stay alive in the inner city, away from drugs and a life of crime. Some will find solace in the gym and become champions; as the reality of the inner city does not discriminate against generations.

The fan base of boxing has been declining steadily, again, most likely due to the change in generations. Other combat sports have drawn the attention of the millennials. These sports are more in tuned with the newer generations. Fast passed, happening in the now and they don’t have to wait to see their stars in action once or twice a year.

Boxing needs a strategic planning committee and forward thinkers leading the charge, a regulatory agency with oversight on reform. Clean up the judging and decrease the number of champions and title holders, mandate that all promotional companies will work together for the common good of the game and maybe, just maybe, the current and future generations will navigate their way back for the love of the game.

The sport has always survived and will continue to do so; it just needs a better cut man in its corner.

Mario Barrios Talks Move Up In Weight, Career, And More

Press Release               For ImmediateRelease

BROOKLYN, NY (March 1, 2017) – In preparation for his upcoming fight this Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, undefeated super-lightweight
prospect, Mario Barrios (17-0, 9 KOs) talks about moving up in weight, and the status of his career.  Barrios will face Mexico’s
Yardley Suarez (20-6, 11 KOs) in an eight-round bout, in only his second fight at super-lightweight. 

How is the transition from super-featherweight to super-lightweight coming along?

“With the move to super-lightweight, my body feels a lot stronger.  I’m still growing, so making super-featherweight was just getting to difficult.  Fighting at 140 pounds seems to be the best
option for me right now in my career.  Eventually I’ll be moving up to welterweight at some point.”

What can you tell us about your upcoming opponent, Yardley Suarez?

“I don’t know much about him except that he’s a tough fighter from Mexico with a winning record.  He’s a right hander who’s been in the ring with some good opposition.  I know he’s coming to
fight so I’m not taking him lightly.”

Can you talk about fighting in New York at the Barclays Center?

“This will be my second time fighting out there.  The fans are great and it’s a beautiful venue.  The Barclays Center seems to have taken over the Madison Square Garden as the new boxing arena. 
As a kid, you always dream of fighting in a major city like New York.  I’m just glad I’m able to start building a fan base here.  I’m excepting a live crowd to be in attendance with the Thurman vs. Garcia fight taking place in the main event, and that has
me excited.”

Talk about training with your new coach, Virgil Hunter, and what you like about him?

“In addition to Virgil being a great motivator, he also brings a lot of knowledge and experience to the table.  I’m soaking up all everything that he’s teaching me.  One thing about Virgil,
he’ll let you know exactly how he feels.  I love that he’s a no-nonsense type of guy.  We are working really good together and I’m happy that he’s in my corner.”

Do you feel you need a few more fights at super-lightweight before you start fighting the contenders in the division?

“This will only be my second fight at super-lightweight, so I feel after a few more bouts, I’ll be ready to step up to the top contenders.  I’m still getting used to the weight change, but
like I said, I feel strong, and I’m getting comfortable.”

Snippets On Arguably The Hottest Topics In The Sweet Science This Week

Sweet Home Ala…. BAM

Deontay Wilder ( 38-0 37 KO) stopped Gerald Washington (18-1-1 12 KO ) in the fifth round with a big right hand to successfully defend his WBC title. Wilder didn’t look great prior to the knockout and a little amateurish at times. He is still a bit raw but as long as he has the one-punch KO power he’ll continue to refine the other areas through on the job training. In his defense, this was his first fight after an almost eight month lay off due to bicep and hand injuries sustained in the Chris Arreola fight.

In the Bermane Stiverne fight when he won the title, Wilder looked like he had figured it all out. He boxed beautifully and landed his power in spots. He showed that he didn’t need to rely on only his power to be successful; however, in every fight since, there have only been glimpses of that Bronze Bomber.

After the fight, the talk was a matchup with WBO titlest Joseph Parker (22-0 18 KO); however breaking news is a rumoured WBC mandated rematch with Stiverne.

The wish here is a matchup with Luis Ortiz (27-0 23 KO) and/or the Anthony Joshua Wladimir Klitschko winner.

Unsustained Effort 

Back in 2015, Tony Harrison, rising undefeated prospect, was handily out-pointing Willie Nelson through eight rounds but got caught and stopped in the ninth round. Going into Saturday’s fight with Jarrett Hurd, Harrison had won three straight, two by stoppage, including an impressive victory over hard punching Fernando Guerrero.

Through the first eight rounds, Harrison (24-2 20 KO) exhibited a nice skill set on Saturday night. Early on, Harrison was doing all of the things that you’d want him to do, good lateral movement, an active jab, and combination punching; however, it would again be his defense that would be his demise.

Harrison was controlling most of the first eight rounds but Hurd (20-0 14 KO) slowly started to impose his will. If was almost as if Hurd conceded the rounds to Harrison and chose to look for one perfect counter, which he found in round nine.

As he had done in 2015, Harrison failed to sustain his effort throughout the fight.

Hurd captured the vacant IBF World Super Welterweight belt with the victory.

Lobby Rumble 

Later after the fight, Wilder goes after Heavyweight Dominic Breazeale because Breazeale had an altercation with Wilder’s brother. Wilder and his camp were alleged by the Breazeale camp to have “sucker punched” Breazeale and his coach in front of his wife and kids.

Both Wilder and Breazeale took to social media with their version of the events regarding the ordeal.

Breazeale Link-

Check out @TroubleBoxing’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/TroubleBoxing/status/835843249529049090?s=09

Wilder Link-

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRAXThmgVfr/?taken-by=bronzebomber

Breazeale was on the Wilder undercard stopping heavyweight prospect Izu Ugonoh in the fifth after coming off the canvas in the fourth.

Save it for the ring gents. 

Hold Off Judgement, It May Be Good

It has been announced that Manny Pacquiao (59-6-2 38 KO) and Amir Khan (31-4 19 KO) will knuckleup in April. There was a lot of grumbling after the announcement but this is actually an intriguing matchup.

Sweet Hands

Caleb Plant (15-0 10 KO) a top prospect in the Supper Middles dominated veteran/journeyman/gatekeeper Thomas Awinbono. Plant dropped Awinbono in the first and cruised the rest of the way. We’ve been following Plant and he seems to improve each fight. Smart matchmaking by his team, they are bringing him along at a great pace. His competition gets a bit tougher while he tightens up his game. From Tennessee, Planr recently relocated to Las Vegas to focus on his craft. 

Fight Week

Danny Garcia v. Keith Thurman- Sneak Peak coming soon.

David Haye (28-2 26 KO) v. Tony Bellew (28-2 18 KO)  Does the natural cruiser stand a chance here? Does Haye have memories of being dropped to a knee by him in traning years ago as sparring partners?  Is it the power of Haye that will end things in brutal fashion or is it the boxing and speed of Bellew that can make things interesting?

Bellew was in a Rocky movie….maybe life imitates art??

We’ll find out on Saturday at the O2.

 

Snippets On Arguably The Hottest Topics In The Sweet Science This Week

Axe Handled 

Vasyl Lomachenko is good, that is all. Note: See Pound4Pound Roalty article.

Don’t Quit, Suffer Now And Live The Rest Of Your Life Like A Champion…Or Not…

Nicholas Walters didn’t want to continue after the seventh round against Lomachenko, not exactly what we would expect from an undefeated fighter who was considered to be entering the peak of his career. In his defense, he was facing Lomachenko but WOW. He stated after the fight that a shot from the champion off of his temple had damaged him to the point where it would have been unsafe to continue. Cue the “No Mas” references in 5,4,3..

Luck O’The Irish 

Terry Flanagan (32-0 13 KO) was mentioned as a future opponent for Lomachenko by Bob Arum. Although as expected, he defeated Orlando Cruz (25-5-1 13 KO, by 8th round stoppage) he is going to need some better opposition prior to that opportunity. 

“Haye No Fair, Bellew Gets That Work With Hayemaker?”  

David Haye (26-2 24 KO) and Tony Bellew (28-2-1 18 KO) at the O2 in London on March 4th?? Why?? Bellew who just beat the career long under-achiever B.J. Flores last month gets to move up and face Haye? I’d rather see Bellew against Mairis Briedis than getting Rod Salka’d by a Hayemaker. 

More Than Meets The Eye

At the conclusion of the Kovalev-Ward scrap, I had Kovalev winning by a slight edge without scoring it. After hearing the decision, thought it was wrong but after scoring it, had Ward as the winner oddly with the same score as the judges; however I rightly gave Kovalev the 10th, unlike all three judges cards. Ward 114-113, with Rounds 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 11.

Pound4Pound Royalty

In Standing-8’s fight preview for the Vasyl Lomachenko (7-1  5 KO)  v. Nicholas Walters (26-1-1 21 KO) fight we stated that Lomachenko was, “part throwback, part modern day, and quite frankly, something from the future”, on Saturday night, he again was all three.

From the opening round, there was Lomachenko, transforming into Hi-Tech, a Transformer/Terminator doing what he does best, jab, hook, cross, to the body, to the head, countering, spinning, head movement and the footwork, oh the footwork.

Here’s a clip of the brilliance that is Lomachenko-

After a brief feeling out round to start the bout, the Ukrainian settled in and every round was a carbon copy of the next. Loma does what Loma wants to do.

Jab to the body, jab to the head, hook, cross, tap, tap, boom. Mixes it up on his terms and his terms only. Uses head movement and footwork of the highest levels, counter, spin, etc…Google Search….Sweet Science = Vasyl Lomachenko….

To be fair, Walters had a few moments, ok, less than a few, but… a few shots to the body at times, landing a hook here and there but when he went to land another he was swinging at air.  Round after round Lomachenko systematically broke Walters down.  It was similar to what he did to Gary Russell Jr. except this time his opponent quit.

At the end of the 7th round, Lomachenko was toying with Walters landing a tornado of punches as the bell ended.  Lomachenko motioned Walters to his corner as if to say, “take a seat son, this one’s about done”. 👊

A few moments later Walters and his corner told referee Tony Weeks, dare I say it……”No Mas”.  Lomachenko TKO end 7, successful first defense of his WBO super featherweight title.

In his post fight interview, Lomachenko stated, “I want Vargas” refereing to title holder Francisco Vargas (23-0-2 17 KO). In addition, there is the rematch with Orlando Salido whom promoter Bob Arum said, “That’s unfinished business”.

After only eight fights, and not that he wasn’t already there, you can firmly place Lomachenko in the top 10 P4P, check that, top 5. Yes, after only eight fights as a pro, unheard of.

A few times during the fight, the broadcast team compared Lomachenko to a few greats of the past, Willie Pep, Pernell Whitaker, he does some things that are modern day; however, he is giving us a look into the “Hi-Tech” future of boxing. We have not been here before and it is amazing.

A boxer or puncher on whatever terms he dictates, and whenever he chooses, he is truly special and the epitome of the sweet science.

The Return Of The King

In February of 1988, in a hospital in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Ukraine, Mr. and Mrs. Anatoly Lomachenko welcomed their new baby boy into the world and named him Vasyl, meaning “king”. Ever since the then he has been fulfilling the prophecy.

Vasyl won gold at the 2008 & 2012 Olympic Games, and is arguably the best amateur fighter of all time compiling a mind-boggling record of 396-1, his only defeat, avenged…..twice for good measure.

The blood lines for athletic greatness were strong, his mother a gymnast and trainer, his father an amateur fighter and trainer who has provided the wise guidance to Vasyl since the beginning.

“I can’t even remember how old I was when I first started boxing, but I was very very young” Lomachenko has said. “When I was born, I think they took me straight from the hospital to the gym”

No doubt.

Lomachenko (6-1 4 KO) is poetry in motion.  The footwork unmatched, the style as smooth as silk. His skill set is part throwback, part modern-day, and quite frankly, something from the future. Since turning pro in 2013, “Hi-Tech” has dazzled us and caused our minds’ eye to take a moment to process what it just saw . He moves forward then back landing jabs, power crosses and hooks. He works both efficiently to the head and body. The movements as effortless as a painter’s strokes on a canvas,  a physical acknowledgement to the hours of dance lessons learned early in life.

Lomachenko is a refreshing addition to, the at times, monotonous performances in the squared circle. He has speed for days and can also bang as evident by his recent string of three straight knockouts.

When the Ukrainian knuckled up with Gary Russell Jr., he was in with arguably the quickest hands in the game. But there was Lomachenko, masterfully defensive as he countered the speed with his movement while surprising Russel Jr. with his own lightning. A southpaw by trade, he was brilliant, immediately going to Russell Jr.’s body from the opening bell to ensure his opponent’s biggest asset would decrease round by round. It was obvious in the championship rounds that the game plan had been executed for optimal effectiveness.

By besting Russell, Lomachenko captured the vacant WBO featherweight title and oh, while he was at it, tied Saensak Muangsurin’s record for the fastest to win a world title as a pro.

In his last fight on June 11,  Lomachenko stopped the tough as nails Roman Martinez (29-3 17 KO) in the fifth round with a beautiful partial left uppercut-right cross combination . It was evident early on that Martinez was just not in the same class with the fighter who had twenty-eight fewer fights.

Said Lomachenko after stopping Martinez, a fight he dedicated to The Greatest, the late great Muhammad Ali,

“I want to line up all the best fighters at 130 and see who the best fighter is……..I just came to do my job”

Speculation was that Lomachenko would look to avenge the only loss of his young career in his next bout, a rematch with Orlando Salido, but…..The Axe Man cometh.

The rematch against Salido can be scheduled at a later date… or not. To be honest, we’d rather see Lomachenko in against the Walters’ and Rigondeaux’s of the world. Even grossly outweighed and illegally fouled throughout the fight, Lomachenko still only lost by the slightest of margins via split decision. Lomachenko about had Salido out at the end and while Salido is as tough as they come his skill set is not on par and he would be exposed in a rematch.

And now we get to the matter at hand… this Saturday’s meeting against Jamaican Nicholas Walters (26-0-1 21 KO) from the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas for the WBO World super featherweight title. These are the types of matchups that the fans want to see.

Walters is very compact in his approach and doesn’t waste energy. He is very calculated and throws a sneaky and timely right uppercut. At times, he gets a bit wide on his punches and is susceptible to a power shot down the middle. A straight ahead fighter who uses the shoulder roll effectively and understands how to throw punches from it. He also has a significant reach advantage in this one but for a compact fighter not adept on fighting on the outside, it will be interesting to see if it makes a difference.

If there is one Achilles heel for Walters it is his inability to effectively fight off his back foot. In reviewing tape on Walters, when he is forced to work off his back foot, he does not throw punches and his activity level is non-existent. Very few fighters today work on the outside as well as Lomachenko, his movement will force Walters to fight off his back foot and turn him into a mostly defensive fighter looking for one shot.

Walters is at his best when he is in tight and fighting in close quarters. There will be opportunities in this fight for that to happen but few and far between. The Ukrainian will not oblige Walters in a slugfest but will however, pick and choose when he will throw his own power shots for maximum damage. Make no mistake, Lomachenko can bang, but he is like a surgeon, calculated in his approach and will do so on his own terms.

Another key factor will be the head movement of Lomachenko. He is very skilled at slipping and dodging punches while countering with blistering speed. In addition, while using the aforementioned effortless footwork of a dancer, he is known to spin out of harms way while landing punches with bad intentions. If there is one shot that Lomachenko may have an opportunity to land in this fight, it’s the check left hook. It will be interesting to see if it unfolds.

Walters last faced a southpaw in 2014 when he stopped Vic Darchinyan in five but the Armenian had moments due to his unorthodox movement as he forced Walters to fight off his back foot. Again, something Walters will face against Lomachenko; however, against this lefty, he will be in deep and many, many, levels above in class.

Make no mistake, this will be an excellent matchup that will push both fighters, the best fighting the best, how refreshing.

At the end of the day, the call here is Lomachenko. He has too many tools in the tool belt and his ring generalship is about the best in the game. To already be in the P4P fighter discussion after only seven fights is unheard of. Walters will bring out the best in Lomachenko and we will again have to adjust our focus, grab the remote and rewind the tape to validate what we just saw.

…….It’s good to be the king.

Snippets On Arguably The Hottest Topics In The Sweet Science This Week

Boxing Police Called Out On A Robbery Call Saturday Night In Las Vegas

On Saturday night, the demand for a robbery investigation had not been that strong since the Trump v. Clinton scrap. As soon as Andre Ward (31-0- 15 KO) beat Sergey Kovalev (30-1-1 26 KO) by unanimous decision, 114-113 on all three of the judge’s score cards, the word “robbery” was trending. 1-Adam-12, 1-Adam-12, 211 in progress, 1-Adam-12, handle Code-3.

Standing-8 had went on record in last week’s Snippets stating that Ward would be victorious due to being the more skilled of the two and would be able to frustrate the Krusher en route to victory.

Even after taking Ward, still believe Kovalev to be the winner by the slightest of margins….aka…the knockdown. It was a close fight but the knockdown should have been the difference.

This wasn’t a Bradley over Pacquiao robbery….think of it more like when you pay for a medium drink at a convenience store and then go to the drink dispenser and fill up a large. It’s robbery but……..

Let’s move on, Ward won the fight. We cannot go back in time, we can only move forward. 

We here at Standing-8 will be reviewing the tape. Didn’t score the fight live, will score it watching the tape and determine if Kovalev by a point is still the call. 

Under Card Blues

We know that Ward v. Kovalev sells itself but how about putting together a card worthy of the event? Ok, I get it, it’s a business, you want to make the fortunes that come with pitting two top five P4P fighters against one-another but don’t want to pay out much.  The Stevens -De La Rosa fight was a nice start; however, although the others should have been better than they were, they all could have been opening bouts and nothing to build us up for the main event. It would have great to see the females of the sport get a shot on the card with the debut of Claressa Shields.

Notorious CMG-Mo Money, Mo Problems TMT 

MMA v. Boxing, Boxing v. MMA, blah, blah, blah….It is two different sports, stop the madness. Floyd Mayweather v. Connor McGregor will probably happen as a boxing event but only because it will sell. It would be a lopsided affair favoring Mayweather as it would be for McGregor if they fought under MMA rules. Boxing rules, Mayweather doesn’t lose a round, MMA rules, Mayweather goes to sleep.

Prayers Up-Blessings Down

Thoughts and prayers are with Edward Gutknecht who was taken to the hospital after his loss to George Groves.

Return Of The King

Vasyl Lomachenko (6-1  4 KO) returns this Saturday against Nicholas Walters (26-0-1 21 KO). There is more greatness to come from the Ukrainian and Walters will bring out the best in him. As he did when he fought Gary Russell, Hi-Tech will continue to show us what the sweet science is all about and why he is already a Top 10 P4P fighter seven fights in.  Great matchup!

 

Snippets On Arguably The Hottest Topics In The Sweet Science This Week

Forgot About Dre

They forgot about Dre in the past. It was the Super 6 tourney, names like Froch, Abraham, and Kessler were the buzz. When the dust settled, Andre Ward (30-0 15 KO) stood alone. On Saturday night, Ward faces Sergey Kovalev (30-0-1 26 KO) in one of the most highly anticipated fights in many years. It is not often you get two top ten, check that, top five (arguably) pound for pound fighters getting after it.

The call here is Ward. He has more tools in his tool belt, and is quicker with a better ring IQ. He should be able to frustrate Kovalev with his movement and will surprise the Russian with his strength. Don’t sleep on Ward’s 15 KO’s, he’ll sting you if you don’t respect his underrated power. The only achillies heel for Ward is that, at times, he likes to stay in the pocket and try and give better than he is getting…..if he does that with Kovalev…….

Nowadays everybody wanna talk like they got something to say
But nothing comes out when they move their lips
Just a bunch of gibberish
And motherf@*&%$s act like they forgot about Dre

 

 King Kong, Box Office Flop in Monaco

For the man being touted as the next big thing in the heavies, Luis Ortiz (26-0 22 KO) was dreadful in Monaco. Granted, Malik Scott (38-3-1 13 KO) was an opponent who didn’t engage much, but come on man!!! If you’re suppose to be the new destroyer in the division,  your job is to stop opponents like Scott, not carry them.

Ortiz won….wait for it….by unanimous decision and had Scott down several times, once on a body shot, once on a shot to the temple, and for good measure, a few flash knockdowns which were not counted. Scott was never in serious trouble, a bit wobbly at times but he is the Odd Guy after all. Scott apparently averaged 13 punches a round. Yes, you read that correctly. Scott’s a cool cat but even by his own admission on social media, he wasn’t good in this one. 

This performance should get Ortiz a few willing dance partners but…..was it a fluke performance against an unwilling foe, ring rust, or was the hype unjustified? Only time will tell.

Philadelphia Freedom

Danny Garcia (33-0 19 KO) TKO 7 over Samuel Vargas (25-3-1 13 KO) on Saturday night. Ok, unlike Ortiz, Swift did what he was supposed to do to a foe not on his level. From the opening bell, Garcia used very short quick compact punches along with his trademark left hook to dominate Vargas.

In the 2nd, Garcia landed a monstrous counter right and dropped Vargas towards the end of the round. Vargas was able to beat the count with the bell ending the round a few moments later; however, in the 7th, Vargas wasn’t as fortunate. Garcia unloaded a barrage of punches causing the referee to jump in and stop the contest. 

Garcia looked quick and disciplined in his approach. Although he did throw and miss some wild punches from the heavens, he was mostly economical and compact in his delivery. His opponent may have had something to do with it but he looked good nonetheless.

Cherry Picking

After successfully defeating Vargas, Garcia was in a war of words with his next opponent, Keith “One-Time” Thurman, who was a guest commentator for the PBC specifically for the Garcia fight. They jawed at each other with Thurman telling Garcia “I ain’t no cherry” referring to Garcia’s past opponents. Garcia spun it on him saying, “Yes you are, that’s why I picked you next” Ouch, shots fired. In any event, it should be good next March 4.

I Hurd About A Guy Named Jo Jo

Jarrett Hurd is a top prospect at 154 and as expected he defeated Jo Jo Dan, but what heart by the Romainian. Taking the fight on short notice, Dan showed incredible fortitue and was having moments at times through the first five rounds before the stoppage in the sixth. 

Down But Not Out

Javier Fortuna (31-1-1 22 KO) survived a first round knockdown at the hands of Omar Douglas (17-1 12 KO) in route to a unanimous decision. Both of these guys are entertaining for diffrent reasons, Fortuna for the high skill set of a boxer/puncher, and Douglas for his relentless non-stop style. Both are worth the price of admission.

“Ain’t Gonna Be No Rematch”….”Don’t Want One”….

Make the bad man stop. All the May-Pac rematch talk has got to end. What does the sport or the fans gain by this? Nothing. It has been said that the definition of insanity is doing something over and over and expecting a different result. Keep watching Mayweather and expect a different result….you’re going to go insane….

Standing-8 To Get Rolling Again Soon

The updates and content on Standing-8 has been minimal for several weeks; however, it will be picking up again real soon. Like a fighter that is out on their feet and comes back to score a knockout……..