Trae Young continues to make NBA history and find his name next to some of the best to play the game.
Trae Young continues to make NBA history and find his name next to some of the best to play the game.
ANOTHER 40-point game.@TheTraeYoung joins LeBron and KD as the only players in NBA history with at least ten 40-point games before turning 22. pic.twitter.com/iL2Pp04JWX
Young became the third player in NBA history to drop 40-points in ten games before turning 22, joining LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Young has had nine such games this season with his latest 40+ point performance coming last night against the New York Knicks, dropping 48 points. One point shy of tying his career-high of 49, which he has hit twice, Young was efficient, shooting 13-of-30 and 6-of-13 from behind the arc.
Accompanying his high scoring rate were 13 assists for his fifth-best passing performance of the season. Over the past nine games, Young has been sharing the rock at a high clip averaging 12 assists a game.
Young has had a fantastic sophomore season, being named an All-Star starter after being drafted by Team Giannis. Young will also compete against fellow Sooner Buddy Hield in the 3-point contest on All-Star weekend.
All-Star festivities are set for this weekend and all events will be broadcasted on TNT.
According to a medical report posted on his Twitter account, the Cuban lightweight sustained a “complete tear through the Achilles tendon with associated retraction of approximately 3.0 cm.”
The injury was diagnosed by radiologist Dr. Eric M. Godreau in Miami, where Gamboa lives.
Gamboa’s advisor, Tony Gonzalez, told ESPN.com that the fighter will have surgery in the next several weeks.
“That he was able to fight for as long as he did with this injury is incredible,” Gonzalez told the website. “From everything I have read and videos I have watched about this kind of injury, he wasn’t supposed to be able to do what he did. Speaking to him in my office when the dust settled, I asked him, ‘How were you able to do this?’ He told me when he went down in the second round is when he felt the pain. He said the shot [from Davis] didn’t put him down. He said he was fine. He said, ‘What put me down was I felt a snap in the back of my leg. When I got up, I started looking at the back of my leg.’ It’s amazing. I’m without words.
“He wasn’t supposed to even go to the third round with this kind of injury. If he is at 100 percent, connect the dots. We believe a rematch is warranted. He couldn’t move laterally the way he wanted to, couldn’t sit down on his punches. Gamboa at 100 percent wasn’t even supposed to last four or five rounds. But he had a Grade 3 rupture and went to the 12th round. I’ve never seen anything like it with this type of his injury. We are not trying to tarnish what Gervonta did but Gamboa feels being 100 percent it would have been a completely different fight. He knows it, I know it, Davis knows it.”
How Gamboa managed to go 11-and-a-half rounds on a bum Achilles is anyone’s guess. If nothing else, the report boosts Gamboa’s considerable moxie in that fight. Conversely, it further underscores Davis’ less than impressive performance in an otherwise successful promotion in his adopted hometown of Atlanta. Although Davis ended up knocking out Gamboa in the 12th round, the hard-hitting Baltimore native appeared lethargic at times and unable to put away a fighter long past his prime.
Not surprisingly, Gamboa called out Davis for a rematch, writing, “I went 12 with Davis and did my best under the circumstances. Like I said, lets dance again when I’m at 100.”
Don’t get you hopes up for seeing a Gervonta Davis-Vasiliy Lomachenko lightweight fight anytime soon.
A lightweight bout between Gervonta Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko could be one of the great matchups the sport has to offer.
But you may as well shut it out of your mind considering that Davis recently poured a bucket of icy cold water over the potential mega bout.
Davis made his feelings clear during a post-fight press conference on Saturday night after he knocked out Yuriorkis Gamboa in the 12th round at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. He cited his ability to draw better at the gate and relative youth as reasons the fight isn’t a priority.
“I feel like no one is above me,” Davis responded when asked if he would pursue a fight with Lomachenko. “I’m the cash cow, I believe so, at 135, 130. I’m selling out [arenas] and putting butts in the seat, so. I don’t think he’s doing that. Line ’em up. I’m a fighter, willing to fight anybody.”
It was a disappointing and evasive response that seemed to reinforce the sport’s political division. Lomachenko is a flagship fighter under Top Rank, while Davis is aligned with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions. Both entities have their own exclusive output deals, which makes cross-promotional fights that much harder to consummate.
No one is disputing that Davis is a budding star. The Baltimore native drew a reported 14,000 to the fight in Atlanta, a city deprived of significant boxing cards in recent years. He is clearly resonating with African-Americans, which apparently includes a number of noted denizens from the Hip Hop world. But Davis has yet to headline his own pay-per-view card. ( Leonard Ellerbe told reporters that they would seek to put Davis on that platform in 2020, presumably against Leo Santa Cruz). And while drawing upwards of 10,000 spectators to an arena is commendable these days, it is hardly jaw-dropping.
Davis continued: “I’m not trying to be cocky, but (fighters want to fight me because) it’s a big risk, but it’s also a big payday. (Lomachenko is) at the end of his career, I believe so. Well, he’s up in age, and he’s trying to make the biggest fights that he can make in a short period of time. Everybody has their different path. I’m only 25 year old. My stretch is a little longer than his, so we’re taking our time.”
The comments were in stark contrast to what Davis told TMZ this past summer when confronted with the same question. Would he welcome a fight with Lomachenko?
“I think I’m old enough to take on the challenge,” Davis said. “I have enough skills. I’m maturing as a fighter as a person. I think it’s time.
“… [Lomachenko-Davis is] probably one of the biggest fights. Me and [Lomachenko] or Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, those are the two biggest fights we can make in boxing.”
Jean Pascal believes he controlled his fight against Badou Jack and deserved the victory Saturday in Atlanta.
It was close. It was controversial.
But don’t call it a robbery, says Jean Pascal.
“I won this fight, it was a close fight, but I won it,” Pascal said at a late news conference after his split-decision victory over Badou Jack Saturday in a light heavyweight bout on Showtime. “Badou is a great fighter, but no one can say he was robbed. I won that fight.
“I’m the champ. I think I was in control the whole fight. I kept the middle of the ring most of the time. Badou is a great fighter, but I won.’’
Many in announced crowd of more than 14,000 at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena booed the scoring – 114-112 on two cards for Pascal and 114-112 on the third for Jack.
Pascal appeared to control the first five-to-six rounds, which included a knockdown of Jack in the fourth. But Jack gained momentum midway through the bout. He consistently landed more punches over the final six rounds. Boxing Junkie scored it 115-111 for Jack.
Jean Pascal’s fire combined with a passionate response from Badou Jack made for an exciting light heavyweight fight Saturday night.
GOOD
I don’t know what got into Jean Pascal but I hope it’s catching.
The Haitian-Canadian fought Badou Jack with the hunger of a 21-year-old trying to establish himself in boxing, not an aging veteran, winging hard punches at a high rate from the opening bell on the Gervonta Davis-Yuriorkis Gamboa card Saturday in Atlanta.
His best moment came in the fourth round, when he landed a right to the side of Jack’s head that sent him sprawling to the canvas.
Pascal, 37, couldn’t maintain his pace beyond the first half of the fight, which opened the door for the more-steady Jack to take control of the later rounds and score his own knockdown in the 12th and final frame.
Still, Pascal’s youthful energy and a passionate response from Jack gave fans a terrific light heavyweight bout that stole the show at State Farm Arena.
I had a problem with the decision – a split verdict for Pascal – because I thought Jack was the tortoise to Pascal’s hare. I thought he controlled the fight with his jab, outworked Pascal overall and was much more precise in his punching.
CompuBox supports those observations: Jack outlanded Pascal 244 to 155 and had an edge in his connection rate, 39 percent to 28.
That said, I don’t want to be overly critical of the judges for two reasons. One, they had similar scores. All three had it 114-112, two for Pascal and one for Jack. That kind of consistency is ideal. And, two, the fight was damn good. That’s also ideal.
BAD
Gervonta Davis (left) landed plenty of power shots and ultimately stopped a gimpy Yuriorkis Gamboa but something was missing. Amanda Westcott / Showtime
I was expecting one of two things from the Davis-Gamboa fight: a firefight for as long as it lasted or a spectacular performance from Davis. Neither happened, which was a shame.
The foot injury Gamboa suffered when he went down in the second round – or whatever it was – precluded any chance that the 38-year-old Cuban would be competitive. We can’t expect much from an old, declining fighter with an Achilles injury.
That would seem to have made Gamboa easy prey for a knockout artist like Davis, who had stopped 21 of his previous 22 opponents. It didn’t. Gamboa, clever if nothing else, did what he could to survive and Davis was unable to put him away until the 12th and final round.
“Tank” might’ve had an off night. It happens. Or Gamboa might’ve been trickier than we realize. Most likely, Gamboa didn’t train properly leading up the fight, which would explain the fact he initially missed weight and then gave a sluggish performance.
Whatever the reason, a fight that should’ve been exciting was mildly entertaining at best. Davis did land a high percentage of his power shots, which we’ve come to expect. He just didn’t throw many punches, 321 the entire fight, according to CompuBox, and seemed to be tired in the later rounds.
I don’t know whether Davis’ stock suffered as a result of his performance but I’m guessing a lot of people were disappointed.
WORSE
Davis is a role model for a lot of young people, including his daughter. He should keep that in mind when it comes to his behavior. Amanda Westcott / Showtime
A bit of unsolicited advice for Davis: Be a professional.
The Gamboa fight was billed as Davis’ debut at 135 pounds, although he had fought over 130 at least nine times. Still, he was moving up in weight. And he initially weighed in 1.2 pounds over the limit before making weight on his second try.
Seriously? This is supposed to be your biggest fight and you miss weight?
I don’t want to draw conclusions based on an extra 1.2 pounds but it raises questions in my mind about Davis’ training for the fight. And that was reinforced by his so-so performance, at least by his standards. Is he willing to put in the work to become great or not? It’s not going to happen without the effort.
And was the shove at the weigh-in necessary? Perhaps it was orchestrated to promote the fight, although I doubt organizers would trot out such a tired gimmick. Either way, pushing your opponent and igniting a melee does nothing but make you look bad.
Davis has the potential to be a great fighter, his performance against Gamboa aside. That means he could enjoy fame and fortune. And he already is a role model for a lot of kids in Baltimore and perhaps beyond, who will follow his lead.
With that in mind, I would hope Davis learns from his missteps and grows as both a man and a fighter.
Jean Pascal controlled the first half of the fight and held on to beat Badou Jack by a split decision on Saturday in Atlanta.
Jean Pascal started on fire, slowed almost to a crawl but hung on to win a split decision over Badou Jack in a 12-round light heavyweight bout on the Gervonta Davis-Yuriorkis Gamboa card Saturday in Atlanta.
Pascal opened their fight like a mad man, firing hard shot after hard shot in an immediate test of Jack’s resilience. The onslaught included a right to the side of the head that put Jack down in Round 4, which gave Pascal a 10-8 round and control of the fight at that point.
However, by the middle rounds, Pascal had begun to slow down while Jack maintained a solid pace and seemed to seize the momentum.
Jack punctuated his performance by putting a seemingly exhausted Pascal down early in the final round but failing to finish him off, which cost the Swede the fight.
Two judges scored it 114-112 (seven rounds to five) for Pascal and one had Jack winning by the same score. Boxing Junkie scored it 115-111 for Jack.
“I think I was in control the whole fight,” Pascal said in the ring afterward. “I kept the fight in the middle of ring most of the time. I was the better fighter. Badou Jack is a great fight but I won the fight.”
Pascal (35-6-1, 20 KOs) fought with overwhelming intensity early in the fight. He threw a lot of punches and he threw them hard, as if he was attempting to end the fight early. Jack blocked a lot of those shots but enough got through to make Jack’s life very difficult.
Jack maintained his poise, though, even after the knockdown. While Pascal, 37, slowed down, Jack, 36, stayed busy. Pascal had his moments in the second half of the fight but, clearly, the busier, more precise Jack controlled the action.
The knockdown in the final round probably clinched it for some observers but two judges saw things differently, which gave Jack (22-3-3, 13 KOs) another in a frustrating series of controversial decision losses.
“Of course I feel I won the fight but it is what it is,” Jack said. He was then asked whether he would describe the fight as a bad decision. “I’m not sure,” he responded. “Maybe he was the better man tonight. I don’t know.
“… I thought I was winning. Maybe I’m wrong.”
Jack said he’d love to fight Pascal again. And the Haitian-Canadian seemed amenable to the idea. The controversial result almost makes it imperative.
Lionell Thompson defeated slugger Jose Uzcategui by a unanimous decision on the Gervonta Davis-Yuriorkis Gamboa card Saturday in Atlanta.
Lionell Thompson got over a hump in his career.
Thompson, a 34-year-old who had come up short in his biggest fights, defeated former super middleweight titleholder Jose Uzcategui by a unanimous decision on the Gervonta Davis-Yuriorkis Gamboa card Saturday in Atlanta.
The scores were 95-94, 96-92 and 96-92 for Thompson, who moved down to 168 pounds from 175 for the fight.
Uzcategui (29-4, 24 KOs) stalked Thompson the entire fight but couldn’t cut off the ring to land punches with any consistency, as Thompson jabbed and moved beautifully to avoid punishment and win rounds.
And Thompson (22-5, 12 KOs) landed some solid power shots, including a straight right that put Uzcategui down in the final seconds of the opening round.
Thompson was cut above the right eye from a punch in Round 3 and was docked a point for allegedly holding Uzcategui excessively. However, neither the cut not the point played a role in the fight as Thompson stuck to his game plan — jab and move — and won the fight going away.
Thompson had fought his entire career as a light heavyweight, at which he was stopped by Sergey Kovalev in 2012, or even a little heavier. He seems to have found a home at super middleweight.
Uzcategui, a Mexican-based Venezuelan, has now lost two of his last three fights. He lost his 168-pound title to another slick boxer, Caleb Plant, by a unanimous decision in January,
Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury sell their fight on ESPN college football stage.
It didn’t take long for Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury to find the biggest stage available to hype their heavyweight rematch, which was formally announced late Friday.
Separated by 1,845 miles, Wilder was in Atlanta and Fury in Glendale, Arizona, a Phoenix suburb, to talk about a rematch that hasn’t exactly been a rumor for the last year
Each was part of ESPN’s pre-game show for college football’s championship doubleheader Saturday, first Oklahoma-Louisiana State in Atlanta and then Ohio State-Clemson in Glendale.
“I’m looking forward to setting the record straight,’’ Fury said a few hours before the scheduled kickoff.
The record, of course, is the Wilder-Fury draw more than a year ago – on Dec. 1, 2018 – at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. It was as controversial as it was dramatic, two elements that Fury promoter Bob Arum thinks can generate 2 million pay-per-view buys for the sequel at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.
After February 22nd there will be no more unanswered questions. I will finish what I started, and this time @Tyson_Fury will not be getting up off that canvas so quickly. I’ve proven myself time and time again and I will do it again in February. #WilderFury2pic.twitter.com/GkYSzNCBAU
He got up – rose – from the canvas after a crushing, right-left combination from Wilder put him on his back in the 12th-round. The crowd roared in appreciation of Fury, especially after years of substance abuse and over-indulgence. Fury’s weight was reported to be at nearly 400 pounds months before the first fight.
“I rose from the canvas like a Phoenix from the ashes,’’ Fury said while seated in a stadium just a few miles from the desert city named after the mythic bird.
Fans loved him for his astonishing resilience. Yet, those same fans hated the scoring, a split draw for a bout in which Fury appeared to dominate most of the rounds with a superior skill set.
That skill set appears to be a factor in the opening odds for the rematch. Fury has been installed as slight favorite by William Hill, a London-based bookmaker. The U.K. heavyweight is a 13-8 favorite, meaning there’s a 60.91 percent possibility of him beating Wilder, according to the bookmaker.
Wilder, of course, has his own ideas, or at least he has a right hand. When it lands, it’s over. It’s a formula that has played out in virtually every Wilder fight other than Fury.
“After February 22nd there will be no more unanswered questions.’’ Wilder said in Tweet. “I will finish what I started, and this time @Tyson_Fury will not be getting up off that canvas so quickly. I’ve proven myself time and time again and I will do it again in February. #WilderFury2’’
