A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
I always scoff when someone says that boxers aren’t as good as they used to be. The fact is the sport continues to produce special fighters who could’ve been successful in any era.
Two prime examples were in action on Saturday at different locations.
Gervonta Davis and Naoya Inoue gave fans a collective glimpse of a bright immediate future, Davis, 25, stopping Leo Santa Cruz with an epic punch on pay-per-view from San Antonio and Inoue, 27, overwhelming Jason Moloney in Las Vegas.
Davis (24-0, 23 KOs) and Santa Cruz engaged in an entertaining firefight for five-plus rounds, which generated a high level of intensity and made the sixth-round ending all the more dramatic. One punch, an epic left uppercut, rendered Santa Cruz unconscious and lifted Davis to phenom status.
Is he a pay-per-view star, as he suggested afterward? I wouldn’t go that far, at least not yet, but he’s well on his way.
Davis’ quickness? His punches fly. His accuracy? He connected on an insane 54.8% of his power punches on Saturday, according to CompuBox. His power? Well, his KO percentage and what we saw on Saturday speak for themselves.
This is special stuff, folks.
Inoue (20-0, 17 KOs) stopped Moloney with a straight right from hell in the seventh round to cap a dominating performance inside the MGM Grand “bubble.” Moloney is a good, strong bantamweight but he simply didn’t have the tools to cope with Inoue’s otherworldly combination of speed, power and all-around ability.
Does the dynamic Japanese fighter have any weaknesses?
TV analyst Andre Ward suggested that he doesn’t move his head enough. OK. He still has room to grow. Let’s be clear, though: Inoue has a top-of-the-line tool chest. That includes resilience, which he demonstrated in his victory over Nonito Doniare in his previous fight.
Again, special stuff. Let’s savor it.
***
BAD
I’ve thought all along that former cruiserweight champ Oleksandr Usyk would have problems against big heavyweights. We got a glimpse of that on Saturday, when he was pushed by Derek Chisora, who was 38.5 pounds heavier than he was.
There’s no way around it: A natural 200-pounder is at a distinct disadvantage against one of the sport’s behemoths. Even Evander Holyfield, an all-time great, struggled against Riddick Bowe and Lennox Lewis.
That said, I don’t understand the criticism of Usyk based on his performance against Chisora in London. That’s the reason this item is filed under “bad.”
The Ukrainian withstood Chisora’s early aggression – taking some good shots, in the process – and eventually used his superior speed and technique to take control of the fight even though Chisora never stopped coming.
I scored it 117-111 for Usyk, nine rounds to three. Judge Robert Williams had a similar score, 117-112. That’s decisive. The other two judges – Jan Christensen and Yuri Koptsev – had it 115-113, seven rounds to five.
Was it a perfect performance by Usyk? No. We might never see one of those against a capable fighter of Chisora’s size for the reasons stated above. That doesn’t mean he can’t continue to win these fights, though.
Remember: Usyk was fighting at heavyweight for only the second time and he hadn’t fought for a year. He is still adjusting. And Chisora, obviously fit and motivated for the fight, couldn’t have fought much better than he did.
If I were in Usyk’s camp, I would be encouraged by what I saw on Saturday. He proved he could handle pressure from a big heavyweight and could use his advantages to win a clear decision. That’s a good night’s work.
That doesn’t mean he’ll necessarily have a similar experience against the likes of Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua. He could be taken out by a single punch at any time. I believe it does mean that he’d have a chance against anyone.
***
WORSE
We all admire fighters who tempt fate by taking on monumental challenges, as Leo Santa Cruz did on Saturday.
The problem is that the fallout can be disturbing. Mikey Garcia was embarrassed by Errol Spence Jr. when he dared to fight him. Kell Brook suffered a broken face when he moved from welterweight to middleweight to face monstrous puncher Gennadiy Golovkin.
And, at least in terms of immediate appearances, Santa Cruz’s demise was particularly upsetting.
I know I’m not alone when I say I’ve grown to admire the Mexican-American, a hard-working, blue-collar champion who almost always makes for entertaining fights. He’s also one of the nicest people you’ll ever want to meet.
To see him lying unconscious under the ropes – knowing that he probably never should’ve fought Davis in the first place – was painful to see. It’s a stiff price to pay for having the bravery to challenge oneself in this way.
I take solace in two things. One, Santa Cruz will have no regrets. He knew the risk but dived in anyway. He’s a true warrior. And, two, I thought of something Manny Pacquiao said after he was stopped by Juan Manuel Marquez with one punch.
The Filipino icon said, in so many words, that bad things can happen in boxing. If you can’t accept that, then you shouldn’t be in the ring.
Pacquiao was born to be in the ring. So was Santa Cruz. “El Terremoto” will be just fine.
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