Category: Fighter of the Month

Fighter of the Month: Aging Artur Beterbiev has never looked better

Fighter of the Month: Aging Artur Beterbiev never looked better than he did in his knockout victory over Callum Smith.

Artur Beterbiev was still perfect as he approached his 39th birthday.

The 175-pound titleholder hadn’t fought in a year when he stepped through the ropes to face Callum Smith on Jan. 13 in Quebec City, Canada, but neither his advanced age nor the layoff was evident in his performance.

Beterbiev pummeled his accomplished opponent, dropped him twice and finally stopped him the seventh round, making Smith his 20th knockout victim in as many fights.

The winner was modest afterward, saying, “It’s because of luck. It’s my coach (Marc Ramsay). My team works hard with me, too. Maybe that’s why, too. But I think it’s because of luck.”

Luck had nothing to do with it. He demonstrated in emphatic fashion that he remains one of the best fighters in the world — he’s No. 12 on Boxing Junkie’s pound for pound list — and arguably the top 175-pounder of his generation.

Thus, he earned Boxing Junkie Fighter of the Month honors for January.

Beterbiev’s dominating victory wasn’t the result of sheer aggression. The three-belt champion used his boxing skills and experience to patiently, methodically break down his opponent until the challenger could no longer fight back.

The result was both brutal and thorough, which underscored Beterbiev’s reputation as a fearsome beast.

Indeed, he has never looked better as he approaches the biggest matchup of his decade-long career, a showdown with fellow titleholder Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight championship in late spring or summer.

We’ll see whether Beterbiev is up to the challenge of facing Bivol if they reach a deal. Bivol, the conqueror of superstar Canelo Alvarez, is more skillful than Smith.

However, Beterbiev, who turned 39 on Jan. 21, clearly is threat to anyone at or near his weight. That couldn’t have been more obvious on Jan. 13.

“They talk about his strength and punching power,” said Buddy McGirt, Smith’s trainer, “but he’s a very smart fighter. He’s gonna be tough to beat.”

Ya think?

[lawrence-related id=40481,40466,40446,40442,40384,39939,39539,39258,38748,38381,37946]

Fighter of the Month: Aging Artur Beterbiev has never looked better

Fighter of the Month: Aging Artur Beterbiev never looked better than he did in his knockout victory over Callum Smith.

Artur Beterbiev was still perfect as he approached his 39th birthday.

The 175-pound titleholder hadn’t fought in a year when he stepped through the ropes to face Callum Smith on Jan. 13 in Quebec City, Canada, but neither his advanced age nor the layoff was evident in his performance.

Beterbiev pummeled his accomplished opponent, dropped him twice and finally stopped him the seventh round, making Smith his 20th knockout victim in as many fights.

The winner was modest afterward, saying, “It’s because of luck. It’s my coach (Marc Ramsay). My team works hard with me, too. Maybe that’s why, too. But I think it’s because of luck.”

Luck had nothing to do with it. He demonstrated in emphatic fashion that he remains one of the best fighters in the world — he’s No. 12 on Boxing Junkie’s pound for pound list — and arguably the top 175-pounder of his generation.

Thus, he earned Boxing Junkie Fighter of the Month honors for January.

Beterbiev’s dominating victory wasn’t the result of sheer aggression. The three-belt champion used his boxing skills and experience to patiently, methodically break down his opponent until the challenger could no longer fight back.

The result was both brutal and thorough, which underscored Beterbiev’s reputation as a fearsome beast.

Indeed, he has never looked better as he approaches the biggest matchup of his decade-long career, a showdown with fellow titleholder Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight championship in late spring or summer.

We’ll see whether Beterbiev is up to the challenge of facing Bivol if they reach a deal. Bivol, the conqueror of superstar Canelo Alvarez, is more skillful than Smith.

However, Beterbiev, who turned 39 on Jan. 21, clearly is threat to anyone at or near his weight. That couldn’t have been more obvious on Jan. 13.

“They talk about his strength and punching power,” said Buddy McGirt, Smith’s trainer, “but he’s a very smart fighter. He’s gonna be tough to beat.”

Ya think?

[lawrence-related id=40481,40466,40446,40442,40384,39939,39539,39258,38748,38381,37946]

Fighter of the Month: Naoya Inoue continues to fight like a ‘Monster’

Fighter of the Month: Naoya Inoue made history with his 10th-round knockout of Marlon Tapales on Dec. 26 in Tokyo.

Can anyone compete with Naoya Inoue? The answer to that question appears to be “no.”

Marlon Tapales gave the gifted Japanese star more resistance than most of his opponents but he suffered the same fate as all but three of them, getting knocked out by his fellow unified 122-pound titleholder in the 10th round on Dec. 26 in Tokyo.

Inoue made history in the process. He became only the second boxer in the four-belt era to win all the major titles in a second division. Terence Crawford was the first to do so.

 

And Inoue continued to build a case that he’s the best fighter in the world, although he sits at No. 2 behind Crawford on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list.

Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) controlled the fight from beginning to end but took more punches than he typically does and had difficulty breaking down the resilient Tapales (37-4, 19 KOs).

The Filipino southpaw went down under a series of hard punches to the head and body in Round 4, which seemed to be the beginning of the end. However, he survived that adversity to do his best work in Rounds 7 and 8.

Tapales found a way to land counter punches more consistently than he had earlier in the fight and took everything Inoue threw at him in those rounds.

However, his rally (if that’s what it was) didn’t last long. Inoue, who remained persistent throughout, gave notice that he wanted another early night by hurting Tapales with a combination of power punches late in Round 9.

The end came in the following round. Naoya split Tapales’ guard with a straight right hand that forced his opponent to his knees and then all fours. And he wasn’t able to get up, making him “The Monster’s” seventh consecutive knockout victim.

That made him an easy choice for Boxing Junkie Fighter of the Month.

And he doesn’t appear to be slowing down at 30 years old. We have a feeling that many more accolades — perhaps No. 1 pound-for-pound? — will come his way before all is said and done.

[lawrence-related id=40369,40363]

Fighter of the Month: Naoya Inoue continues to fight like a ‘Monster’

Fighter of the Month: Naoya Inoue made history with his 10th-round knockout of Marlon Tapales on Dec. 26 in Tokyo.

Can anyone compete with Naoya Inoue? The answer to that question appears to be “no.”

Marlon Tapales gave the gifted Japanese star more resistance than most of his opponents but he suffered the same fate as all but three of them, getting knocked out by his fellow unified 122-pound titleholder in the 10th round on Dec. 26 in Tokyo.

Inoue made history in the process. He became only the second boxer in the four-belt era to win all the major titles in a second division. Terence Crawford was the first to do so.

 

And Inoue continued to build a case that he’s the best fighter in the world, although he sits at No. 2 behind Crawford on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list.

Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) controlled the fight from beginning to end but took more punches than he typically does and had difficulty breaking down the resilient Tapales (37-4, 19 KOs).

The Filipino southpaw went down under a series of hard punches to the head and body in Round 4, which seemed to be the beginning of the end. However, he survived that adversity to do his best work in Rounds 7 and 8.

Tapales found a way to land counter punches more consistently than he had earlier in the fight and took everything Inoue threw at him in those rounds.

However, his rally (if that’s what it was) didn’t last long. Inoue, who remained persistent throughout, gave notice that he wanted another early night by hurting Tapales with a combination of power punches late in Round 9.

The end came in the following round. Naoya split Tapales’ guard with a straight right hand that forced his opponent to his knees and then all fours. And he wasn’t able to get up, making him “The Monster’s” seventh consecutive knockout victim.

That made him an easy choice for Boxing Junkie Fighter of the Month.

And he doesn’t appear to be slowing down at 30 years old. We have a feeling that many more accolades — perhaps No. 1 pound-for-pound? — will come his way before all is said and done.

[lawrence-related id=40369,40363]

Fighter of the Month: David Benavidez made a booming statement

Fighter of the Month: David Benavidez made a booming statement in his knockout victory over Demetrius Andrade.

Well, this is easy.

David Benavidez turned in a special performance last Saturday night in Las Vegas, where he beat up and knocked out previously unbeaten Demetrius Andrade after six rounds of a scheduled 12-rounder.

That made him a no-brainer for Boxing Junkie’s Fighter of the Month for November.

The former two-time 168-pound titleholder’s performance was breathtaking. It took him a few rounds to adjust to his talented opponent’s tricky tactics. However, once he did, he delivered a brutal beating.

The final two rounds amounted to a demolition, as Benavidez pounded Andrade relentlessly and received little in return even though Andrade tried to stay in the fight.

Benavidez landed 74 power punches in Rounds 5 and 6 (to 18 for Andrade), according to CompuBox. That was enough for the loser’s corner to see; they saved their man from undue punishment by stopping the beat down before the start of Round 7.

The winner couldn’t have made a stronger statement.

“For Canelo and everybody else, it just shows I’m not f—ing around,” he said.

Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) mentioned Canelo Alvarez because that’s the man he has been chasing the past few years.

The top challenger hopes his sensational victory over Andrade will finally convince the undisputed super middleweight champion and future Hall of Famer to give him his coveted opportunity, perhaps next Cinco de Mayo weekend.

“I’ve been winning the fights I’m supposed to win in fantastic fashion,” Benavidez said. “[Alvarez] has nobody else to fight.”

Then we would know with certainty whether Benavidez is as good as he appears to be.

[lawrence-related id=39932,39928,39911,39880,39876]

Fighter of the Month: David Benavidez made a booming statement

Fighter of the Month: David Benavidez made a booming statement in his knockout victory over Demetrius Andrade.

Well, this is easy.

David Benavidez turned in a special performance last Saturday night in Las Vegas, where he beat up and knocked out previously unbeaten Demetrius Andrade after six rounds of a scheduled 12-rounder.

That made him a no-brainer for Boxing Junkie’s Fighter of the Month for November.

The former two-time 168-pound titleholder’s performance was breathtaking. It took him a few rounds to adjust to his talented opponent’s tricky tactics. However, once he did, he delivered a brutal beating.

The final two rounds amounted to a demolition, as Benavidez pounded Andrade relentlessly and received little in return even though Andrade tried to stay in the fight.

Benavidez landed 74 power punches in Rounds 5 and 6 (to 18 for Andrade), according to CompuBox. That was enough for the loser’s corner to see; they saved their man from undue punishment by stopping the beat down before the start of Round 7.

The winner couldn’t have made a stronger statement.

“For Canelo and everybody else, it just shows I’m not f—ing around,” he said.

Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) mentioned Canelo Alvarez because that’s the man he has been chasing the past few years.

The top challenger hopes his sensational victory over Andrade will finally convince the undisputed super middleweight champion and future Hall of Famer to give him his coveted opportunity, perhaps next Cinco de Mayo weekend.

“I’ve been winning the fights I’m supposed to win in fantastic fashion,” Benavidez said. “[Alvarez] has nobody else to fight.”

Then we would know with certainty whether Benavidez is as good as he appears to be.

[lawrence-related id=39932,39928,39911,39880,39876]

Fighter of the Month: Tim Tszyu gave another dominating performance

Fighter of the Month: Tim Tszyu gave another dominating performance against Brian Mendoza in Australia.

Tim Tszyu demonstrated in his strongest terms yet on Oct. 15 that he’s not just the son a famous fighter.

The offspring of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu methodically dismantled a solid opponent in Brian Mendoza over 12 rounds to retain his newly awarded 154-pound title in his native Australia, making him an obvious choice as Boxing Junkie’s Fighter of the Month for October.

Tszyu (24-0, 17 K0s) doesn’t do any specific thing extraordinarily well but his lack of an obvious weakness makes him an extraordinary fighter.

Mendoza (22-3, 16 KOs) was a problem in the first half of his meeting with Tszyu, during which the hard-punching American – coming off sensational knockouts of Jeison Rosario and Sebastian Fundora – arguably outworked the champion.

However, Tszyu took firm control from the seventh round on. He fiercely played the role of the power puncher, landing heavy blow after heavy blow — including a number of punishing uppercuts — to pull away from Mendoza on the scorecards.

Mendoza demonstrated impressive resilience – a lesser opponent wouldn’t have survived – but he had neither the skill set nor the firepower to withstand Tszyu’s punishing attack.

According to CompuBox, Tszyu outlanded Mendoza 120 (of 406) to 93 (of 433) overall and 98 (of 258) to 71 (of 225) in power punches.

Tszyu has now beaten in succession Terrell Gausha, Tony Harrison, Carlos Ocampo and Brian Mendoza, a run that has lifted him to the top of the junior middleweight division.

However, he told many outlets before the Mendoza fight that he won’t be satisfied until he beats the longtime 154-pound king: Jermell Charlo, who chose to fight Canelo Alvarez instead of Tszyu and lost a one-sided decision on Sept. 30.

Charlo said after his setback that he planned to back down to 154, which could set up one of the most-compelling matchups in the sport.

“Charlo, where you at?” Tszyu said after his victory. “Where you at buddy? In his delusional head, he’ll probably think he is going to beat me. Come get it.”

Charlo might not like what he gets if that fight happens.

[lawrence-related id=39372,39356]

Fighter of the Month: Tim Tszyu gave another dominating performance

Fighter of the Month: Tim Tszyu gave another dominating performance against Brian Mendoza in Australia.

Tim Tszyu demonstrated in his strongest terms yet on Oct. 15 that he’s not just the son a famous fighter.

The offspring of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu methodically dismantled a solid opponent in Brian Mendoza over 12 rounds to retain his newly awarded 154-pound title in his native Australia, making him an obvious choice as Boxing Junkie’s Fighter of the Month for October.

Tszyu (24-0, 17 K0s) doesn’t do any specific thing extraordinarily well but his lack of an obvious weakness makes him an extraordinary fighter.

Mendoza (22-3, 16 KOs) was a problem in the first half of his meeting with Tszyu, during which the hard-punching American – coming off sensational knockouts of Jeison Rosario and Sebastian Fundora – arguably outworked the champion.

However, Tszyu took firm control from the seventh round on. He fiercely played the role of the power puncher, landing heavy blow after heavy blow — including a number of punishing uppercuts — to pull away from Mendoza on the scorecards.

Mendoza demonstrated impressive resilience – a lesser opponent wouldn’t have survived – but he had neither the skill set nor the firepower to withstand Tszyu’s punishing attack.

According to CompuBox, Tszyu outlanded Mendoza 120 (of 406) to 93 (of 433) overall and 98 (of 258) to 71 (of 225) in power punches.

Tszyu has now beaten in succession Terrell Gausha, Tony Harrison, Carlos Ocampo and Brian Mendoza, a run that has lifted him to the top of the junior middleweight division.

However, he told many outlets before the Mendoza fight that he won’t be satisfied until he beats the longtime 154-pound king: Jermell Charlo, who chose to fight Canelo Alvarez instead of Tszyu and lost a one-sided decision on Sept. 30.

Charlo said after his setback that he planned to back down to 154, which could set up one of the most-compelling matchups in the sport.

“Charlo, where you at?” Tszyu said after his victory. “Where you at buddy? In his delusional head, he’ll probably think he is going to beat me. Come get it.”

Charlo might not like what he gets if that fight happens.

[lawrence-related id=39372,39356]

Fighter of the Month: The great Oleksandr Usyk. Who else?

Fighter of the Month: The great Oleksandr Usyk. Who else?

Editor’s note: The is the first installment of Boxing Junkie’s new feature “Fighter of the Month.

Boxing Junkie’s first Fighter of the Month selection couldn’t have been more obvious.

Heavyweight titleholder Oleksandr Usyk gave a virtuoso performance in his rematch with former champion Anthony Joshua on Aug. 20 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, winning a split decision that most believe should’ve been unanimous.

The scores were 116-112, 115-113 and 113-115.

The fight was close for nine rounds, as Joshua, who had lost a decision and his belts to Usyk last September, fought with more urgency the second time around.

The Englishman was actually leading on two of the three scorecards after nine rounds.

However, Usyk, who Joshua trainer Robert Garcia said afterward was mentally stronger down the stretch, took charge in the final three rounds to have his hand raised, underscore his greatness and bolster the spirits of his besieged countrymen.

Usyk won the three final rounds on the two cards that favored him, which sealed his victory. The third judge had Usyk winning two of the last three rounds.

The former undisputed cruiserweight champion is approaching legend status, having ruled one division and twice beating a significantly bigger rival who once seemed destined for greatness.

However, his biggest challenge might lie ahead. His victory appears to set up a showdown with fellow beltholder Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship, in which he already is at least a 2-1 underdog according to outlets that have posted odds.

If that fight happens and Usyk can pull off a victory, people will start tossing around the term ”all-time great.” And they might be justified.

[lawrence-related id=32329,32265,32257,32254,32240,32205,32157]

[vertical-gallery id=32170]

Fighter of the Month: The great Oleksandr Usyk. Who else?

Fighter of the Month: The great Oleksandr Usyk. Who else?

Editor’s note: The is the first installment of Boxing Junkie’s new feature “Fighter of the Month.

Boxing Junkie’s first Fighter of the Month selection couldn’t have been more obvious.

Heavyweight titleholder Oleksandr Usyk gave a virtuoso performance in his rematch with former champion Anthony Joshua on Aug. 20 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, winning a split decision that most believe should’ve been unanimous.

The scores were 116-112, 115-113 and 113-115.

The fight was close for nine rounds, as Joshua, who had lost a decision and his belts to Usyk last September, fought with more urgency the second time around.

The Englishman was actually leading on two of the three scorecards after nine rounds.

However, Usyk, who Joshua trainer Robert Garcia said afterward was mentally stronger down the stretch, took charge in the final three rounds to have his hand raised, underscore his greatness and bolster the spirits of his besieged countrymen.

Usyk won the three final rounds on the two cards that favored him, which sealed his victory. The third judge had Usyk winning two of the last three rounds.

The former undisputed cruiserweight champion is approaching legend status, having ruled one division and twice beating a significantly bigger rival who once seemed destined for greatness.

However, his biggest challenge might lie ahead. His victory appears to set up a showdown with fellow beltholder Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship, in which he already is at least a 2-1 underdog according to outlets that have posted odds.

If that fight happens and Usyk can pull off a victory, people will start tossing around the term ”all-time great.” And they might be justified.

[lawrence-related id=32329,32265,32257,32254,32240,32205,32157]

[vertical-gallery id=32170]