A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Teofimo Lopez
No one really knew what to expect from Lopez in his challenge of 140-pound titleholder Josh Taylor on Saturday in New York City. The skill set and athleticism have never been questioned. The problem, it seemed, was that he couldn’t get past the emotional issues he has battled since he took down Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020. Well, he proved against Taylor that he could compartmentalize his out-of-the-ring challenges – whatever they are — and make the most of his immense talent once again, outclassing the unbeaten former undisputed champion to win a unanimous decision, claim a major title in a second division and re-establish himself as a star. The fight was close for a few rounds but it gradually become clear that Lopez was both on his game and simply the better fighter, which is saying something given Taylor’s reputation. Suddenly, after taking down the lineal champion, the troubled young man whose career seemed to be jeopardy is now the man to beat at 140 pounds. If he can keep his head in the game – yes, that’s a big if – it seems clear now that he can accomplish great things.
BIGGEST LOSER
Josh Taylor
The pride of Scotland is in serious trouble. His string of victories over elite opponents made him undisputed 140-pound champion, a pound-for-pounder and one of the best ever from his country. And he seemed to be just getting started. Then things began to unravel. He looked ordinary in a split-decision victory over Jack Catterall in February of last year, which could be attributed to difficulty making weight, a nagging leg injury, a bout with COVID and a determined opponent. He didn’t have any excuses on Saturday night. He was simply outclassed by a superior fighter. He complained afterward about the 117-111 card in Lopez’s favor. In my opinion, it was the two 115-113 scores for Lopez that were questionable. The fight wasn’t that close. Now what? Taylor said after his setback that he plans to fight at 147 pounds going forward, which seems to be a natural move. But can you imagine the version of Taylor we saw on Saturday facing the top welterweights? Maybe the move up in weight is all he needs. More likely the fighter who took down the likes of Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez is gone.
BIGGEST WINNER II
Jaime Munguia
The 26-year-old Mexican star deserves credit even though he struggled to get past 37-year-old veteran Sergey Derevyanchenko on Saturday in Ontario, California. No one should’ve been surprised that the Ukrainian pushed Munguia to his limits before losing a close, but unanimous decision in a 12-round 168-pound fight. That’s what he does, fight the best in the business on even terms only to come up just short on the scorecards in the end. Munguia was no exception. The former 154-pound titleholder had to dig deeper within himself than at any time in the past to fend off Derevyanchenko’s spirited effort and perform at his best when the fight was in the balance, which champions do. He won both the 11th and 12th rounds on all three scorecards and put Derevyanchenko down with a vicious left to the body in the final frame to turn potential disaster into a victory. He found a way to win the toughest fight of his life, which was impressive by any standard. I’ve never been higher on Munguia.
RABBIT PUNCHES
You have to feel for Derevyanchenko, who arguably did enough to earn a victory over a rising young star only to fall just short once again. He has now lost close decisions to Daniel Jacobs, Gennadiy Golovkin, Jermall Charlo, Carlos Adames and Munguia. If he wins those fights, he’s a major star. As it is, he’s the unlucky guy who ends up on the wrong end of every disputed decision. Derevyanchenko obviously can still fight at 37. I hope he follows through on his intention to carry on. I still hold out hope that he can win the big one. And I know I’m not alone. … Derevyanchenko reportedly made a decision before the fight that cost him a victory on Saturday. Munguia’s team offered the Ukrainian a substantial amount of money to reduce the fight from 12 to 10 rounds but he declined, evidently believing his conditioning would give him an advantage in the final two frames. Bad move. Derevyanchenko was leading on two cards after 10 rounds and then lost 11 and 12, which gave Munguia the nod. …
Adrien Broner (35-4-1, 24 KOs) dominated Bill Hutchinson (20-3-4, 9 KOs) en route to a near-shutout decision in his comeback fight Friday in Miami but the victory proved nothing given Hutchinson’s obvious limitations. We’ll have to see Broner against a next-level opponent to determine whether the former four-division champion can be a relevant fighter once again. … Flyweight champion Sunny Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) had no trouble in his defense against Andres Campos (15-1, 4 KOs) on Saturday in London, winning a one-sided decision. An actual challenge could come next. Edwards called out fellow titleholder Bam Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) immediately after his victory and Rodriguez quickly embraced the challenge. Edwards-Rodriguez would be a compelling matchup of superb technicians. I would pick Rodriguez to win because of his edge in punching power but it’s essentially a 50-50 fight between little studs.
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