A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
It’s always exciting when you realize, with no doubt, that you’re witnessing a rare talent.
For me, that moment came on Saturday night, when the gifted Shakur Stevenson outclassed and then stopped then-WBO junior lightweight champion Jamel Herring in the 10th round to win a major belt in a second division.
We all knew going into the fight that Stevenson was a fine boxer and athlete. However, his performance on Saturday was beyond strong given his opponent; it was dazzling, which changed the way I look at him.
The 2016 Olympic silver medalist toyed with a good, experienced fighter with an overwhelming combination of speed and ability, essentially doing as he pleased for nine-plus rounds. Herring, a proud former U.S. Marine, never quit but he didn’t have the tools necessary to survive the storm.
Stevenson outlanded Herring 164 to 87 (99 to 41 in power shots), according to CompuBox. Also worth noting is that Herring landed only 20% of his punches (87 of 436), which gives you an idea of Stevenson’s defensive abilities.
The new titleholder has outlanded his opponents in his last 43 rounds, which goes back five fights. Think about that.
And it wasn’t as if Stevenson (17-0, 9 KOs) was backpedaling or boxing carefully on Saturday. He stood his ground against a supposedly bigger, strong man, throwing and landing damaging shots both from the outside and toe-to-toe. Turns out he’s tough, too.
In the end, the 24-year-old from Newark, New Jersey, gave the defining performance of his young career on national television. He has arrived as a genuine force in the sport.
Afterward, he reiterated his desire to face fellow 130-pound champ Oscar Valdez in a title-unification bout. I don’t see Valdez doing much better than Herring did. I think it’s going to take the Gervonta Davises and Teofimo Lopezes to test this special fighter.
***
BAD
Herring (23-3, 11 KOs) has no reason to be ashamed given Stevenson’s ability but he had to expect more from himself.
His trainer repeatedly pushed him to work his way inside and let his hands go, which was sound advice. At the same time, that’s easier said than done when you’re being greeted with quick, hard punches that you can’t see coming.
Herring had some good moments when he bullied Stevenson, which was his only hope of winning the fight. However, they were the exceptions. The younger man was too good and too strong – physically and mentally – to bend to his opponent’s will.
In other words, there was nothing Herring could do to turn the tide. For that reason, the moment referee Mark Nelson stepped in to save a bloodied, beaten Herring from more punishment seemed aptly merciful.
Enough was enough. Stevenson had made his point at Herring’s expense.
What now for Herring? He’s 35. The 2012 Olympian had an impressive career, bouncing back from early losses to become a world champion at 33 and make three successful defenses. I would say he got the most out of his talent, which is all any fighter can expect from himself or herself.
It would be a perfect time for him to walk away. And he should do so with his head held high.
***
WORSE
The first ever bridgerweight champion of the world: Oscar Rivas 🔰 pic.twitter.com/9cDvkddwUY
— World Boxing Council (@WBCBoxing) October 23, 2021
I’ll keep saying it: I think the creation of the new “bridgerweight” division was a mistake.
One of the biggest problems in boxing is the proliferation of titles, which have become progressively less meaningful as new belts have emerged. So what does WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman do? He creates an 18th weight class.
Now, as I’ve written, I understand the thought process beyond the added money it will generate for the sanctioning body. Men between 200 and 225 pounds are often at a disadvantage against the biggest heavyweights.
The “bridgerweight” division creates a level playing field for those 224 pounds or less, as we saw on Saturday, when Oscar Rivas (28-1, 19 KOs) outpointed a game Ryan Rozicki (13-1, 13 KOs) to become the first titleholder in the new division.
I had to laugh when I saw that Rivas outweighed Rozicki by almost 20 pounds, thereby giving him a distinct size advantage. Ironic, huh? And it could get worse. Sulaiman has said he wants to lower the cruiserweight limit to 190, which could create 30-plus-pound differences.
Still, I get the line of thinking.
My suggestion was that if Sulaiman insisted upon adding a weight class, then he should eliminate one. That would be the strawweight (105-pound limit) division, which would be consistent with the notion that people in general are getting bigger.
Alas, the WBC now has 18 “champions,” if that’s what you want to call them. If the other three sanctioning bodies follow its lead, we’d have as many as 72 titleholders, not counting the lamentable secondary belts.
Let’s hope the “bridgerweight” division just goes away.
***
RABBIT PUNCHES
The best thing to come out of the Rivas-Rozicky fight was Rozicky’s effort. He was overmatched in terms of both size and ability but gave a strong effort nonetheless, which put him on the map. I assume he’ll go back down to cruiserweight, where I believe he could compete with most contenders. Rivas turned in a so-so performance given his advantages. … Forgive me for not getting excited about Nico Ali Walsh, who stopped someone named James Westley II on the Stevenson-Herring card. I have nothing against the grandson of Muhammad Ali or his desire to maintain the family legacy. He’s pursuing his dreams. The problem is that he’s a club fighter at best and, from my perspective, he won’t evolve into much more. This is carrying on the Ali legacy? Laila Ali, a Hall of Famer, was a worthy successor to “The Greatest.” Ali Walsh’s attempt to pick up where she left off just doesn’t resonate. … Evan Holyfield, the 24-year-old son of Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield, has more to his game than Ali Walsh. The younger Holyfield (8-0, 6 KOs) stopped Charles Stanford in two rounds on the Stevenson-Herring card. He’s tall (6-foot-2) and rangy for a 154-pounder. There might be something to him.