Tag: boxing news

Great Eight: Is Tyson Fury’s reign as heavyweight champion nearing an end?

Great Eight: Is Tyson Fury’s reign as heavyweight champion nearing an end?

The proliferation of titles makes it difficult for all but the most astute fans to determine the cream of the boxing crop.

That’s why Boxing Junkie came up with its “Great Eight” feature, which names the best fighter in each of the original eight weight classes –heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.

Heavyweight includes cruiserweight (and the WBA and WBC’s bridgerweight), light heavyweight includes super middleweight, middleweight includes junior middleweight and so on down to flyweight, which includes junior flyweight and strawweight.

In this installment of “Great Eight,” we explore the possibility that the biggest champion here will be dethroned on May 18.

Tyson Fury has been the Great Eight heavyweight champ since this feature was instituted in 2020, but his reign will be in serious jeopardy when he faces Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed championship on pay-per-view May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) is coming off arguably the worst performance of his career in October, when he got up from a knockdown to eke out a split decision victory over MMA star and boxing novice Francis Ngannou.

The stunning events of that night raised an obvious question: Has Fury, 35, begun to decline going into the biggest fight of his life?

If he’s not at his best against a gifted, experienced technician in Usyk, many believe he will suffer the first defeat in his long career and lose his Great Eight championship.

Even his longtime co-promoter Bob Arum has questions going into the fight in the Middle East.

“I always felt once this fight was made … that Fury was a big, big favorite because I thought his size and boxing ability would be too much for Usyk,” Arum said on the BoxNation podcast. “So I looked at it as a 3- to 4-1 fight in favor of Tyson Fury.

“But I’m very troubled with the way Tyson looked in his last fight with Ngannou in Riyadh. I was there. I just thought he looked dreadful. There are two [possible] explanations: He really didn’t train hard for that fight or, two, when we all put on years — and I should know — we don’t function as well as we do when we’re younger physically.

“Is that what we’re seeing with Tyson based on the Ngannou fight? Or he didn’t take it seriously and wasn’t prepared. That’s what we’ll find out on May 18.”

Arum still believes Fury will win the fight if he’s reverts to his previous form.

“If Tyson is on his ‘A’ game, if it’s the Tyson Fury that fought [Deontay] Wilder the last two times, that fought Dillian Whyte, there’s no way that Usyk or any heavyweight can beat him. But that’s a really big assumption.”

He went on: “To me, I look at the Ngannou fight Fury had and going back on it, I mean the way he labored with Ngannou, particularly when you saw how easily [Anthony] Joshua handled Ngannou, I have a lot of questions.”

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) – Fury will have a chance to prove his subpar performance against Francis Ngannou was an aberration when he faces Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed championship on pay-per-view May 18 in Saudi Arabia. Of course, the winner will be our Great Eight champ.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) – The winner of the Bivol-Artur Beterbiev showdown on June 1 will determine not only the Great Eight champion but also the best 175-pounder of the era. Few possible matchups in boxing are better or more significant than this one.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pounder came up short against 168-pound champ Canelo Alvarez in September but he remains the best at 160 and 154. He doesn’t appear to be negotiating with potential opponents, leaving his future up in the air.

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford hasn’t fought since his epic beat down of Errol Spence Jr. last July and has nothing solid in the works. The WBO has ordered new 154-pound beltholder Sebastian Fundora to fight him but Fundora might fight Tim Tszyu again first.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – “Tank” remains the most-complete fighter at 135 and 130 but boxing wizards Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko might have something to say about who reigns in Great Eight before all is said and done. Now we need to see these pivotal matchups.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) – Inoue gave another dominating performance against Marlon Tapales on Dec. 26, stopping the Filipino in the 10th round to become undisputed champion in a second weight class. Can anyone compete with him? Luis Nery will be the next one to try. They meet on May 6.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – The Mexican 115-pound titleholder has agreed to face Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, our Great Eight flyweight champion, in a blockbuster matchup June 29 in Phoenix. The winner will be the bantamweight king here.

FLYWEIGHT

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) – Rodriguez will hold his position here until the 112-pounder steps into the ring to challenge Estrada at 115, meaning we are likely to have a new flyweight champ in early July.

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Fight Week: Jared Anderson to face veteran Ryad Merhy on ESPN

Fight Week: Rising heavyweight contender Jared Anderson is scheduled to face veteran Ryad Merhy on ESPN Saturday in Corpus Christi, Texas.

FIGHT WEEK

Rising heavyweight contender Jared Anderson is scheduled to face veteran Ryad Merhy on ESPN Saturday in Corpus Christi, Texas.

JARED ANDERSON (16-0, 15 KOs)
VS. RYAD MERHY (32-2, 26 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, April 13
  • Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas
  • TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
  • Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound: None
  • Odds: Anderson 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): ***
  • Also on the card: Efe Ajagba vs. Guido Vianello, heavyweights; Robson Conceicao vs. Jose Guardado, junior lightweights; Ruben Villa vs. Cristian Cruz Chacon, featherweights
  • Background: Anderson, viewed by many as a future champion, is nearing his first heavyweight title shot even though he’s only 24 years old. The powerful boxer-puncher from Ohio is ranked by all four major sanctioning bodies – as high as No. 4 by the WBO — after a strong 2023. He stopped George Arias in three rounds in April, nearly shut out former titleholder Charles Martin in July and knocked out Andrii Rudenko in Round 5 in August to bolster his position as a top contender. Anderson was arrested twice since the Rudenko fight. He was booked for improper handling of firearms and driving under the influence in November. The next month he pleaded no-contest to the firearms charge and the DUI was dropped. He was fined and received a suspended sentence. Then, in late February in Michigan, he was charged with a felony after taking police on a high-speed chase and crashing into a median. He is due back in court on April 15. Merhy is a 5-foot-11 former cruiserweight who was born in the Ivory Coast but lives in Belgium. The 31-year-old lost a unanimous decision to Kevin Lerena in May of last year in South Africa, Lerena’s home country. However, he bounced back to record his biggest victory in December, a split decision over 6-foot-7 2016 Olympic champion Tony Yoka. Anderson is 6-foot-4.

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

WEDNESDAY

  • Angelo Leo vs. Eduardo Baez, featherweights, Plant City, Florida (ProBox TV)

THURSDAY

  • Erik Bazinyan vs. Shakeel Phinn, super middleweights, Montreal (ESPN+)

SATURDAY

  • Jordan Gill vs. Zelfa Barrett, junior lightweights, Manchester, England (DAZN)

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Richardson Hitchins ekes out decision over determined Gustavo Lemos

Junior welterweight contender Richardson Hitchins eked out a decision over a determined Gustavo Lemos on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Richardson Hitchins remained unbeaten but struggled in the process.

The 140-pound contender, who is hoping to get big fights, had to dig deep to defeat relative unknown Gustavo Lemos by a unanimous, but tight decision Saturday in Las Vegas.

Hitchins (18-0, 7 KOs) won by scores of 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113, with only the later two tallies reflecting what happened in the ring.

The winner boxed well, fighting effectively behind his jab for most of the fight. However, Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) used constant pressure to force Hitchins to engage with him and often got the better of the action in an entertaining scrap.

The fighters were almost inseparable in terms of CompuBox stats, with Hitchins outlanding Lemos by only 11 punches overall, 172-161.

However, Hitchins had a significant advantage in jabs landed (98-22) while Lemos had a big edge in power shots that connected (139-74). Fighters are typically rewarded more for the latter than the former.

Still, one judge, Tim Cheatham, somehow had Hitchins winning 117-111, nine rounds to three. The 115-113 scores made sense.

The victory makes the 26-year-old from Brooklyn the mandatory challenger for the IBF 140-pound title. Champion Subriel Matias is scheduled to defend his belt against Liam Paro on June 15 in Puerto Rico, meaning Hitchins could get the winner.

Meanwhile, the 28-year-old Lemos, who has a victory over Lee Selby but never fought outside his native Argentina, proved with his strong performance that he’s among the better 140-pounders.

He came up short on the scorecards but probably earned at least one more significant fight.

Richardson Hitchins vs. Gustavo Lemos: Date, time, how to watch, background

Richardson Hitchins vs. Gustavo Lemos: Date, time, how to watch, background.

Richardson Hitchins is scheduled to face fellow unbeaten 140-pound contender Gustavo Lemos on Saturday in Las Vegas.

RICHARDSON HITCHINS (17-0, 7 KOs)
VS. GUSTAVO LEMOS (29-0, 19 KOs)

Richardson Hitchins (left) and Gustavo Lemos enter their fight Saturday with perfect records.  Ed Mulholland / Matchroom
  • Date: Saturday, April 6
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Las Vegas
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Junior welterweight (140 pounds)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound: None
  • Odds: Hitchins 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): ***
  • Also on the card: Diego Pacheco vs. Shawn McCalman, super middleweights; Skye Nicolson vs. Sarah Mahfoud, featherweights (for vacant WBC title); Galal Yafai vs. Agustin Mauro Gauto, flyweights; Marc Castro vs. Abraham Montoya, junior lightweights
  • Background: Hitchins is a 2016 U.S. Olympian and a rising young 140-pound contender from New York City. The 26-year-old, an excellent technician, is coming off the biggest victory of his career: a near-shutout decision over former three-time world title challenger Jose Zepeda on Sept. 23. Hitchins is ranked in the Top 3 in three of the four major sanctioning bodies, No. 2 by the WBC. Lemos is best known for his fifth-round knockout of one-time 126-pound titleholder Lee Selby at 135 pounds in March 2022, which sent the aging Welshman into retirement. The IBF’s No. 7-ranked 140-pounder also is on a run of 10 consecutive knockouts. However, he has faced no one else of note. And the 28-year-old resident of Buenos Aires has never fought outside of his native country, which makes it difficult to gauge the threat to Hitchins he will pose on Saturday.

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Richardson Hitchins believes he’s on the road to stardom

Junior welterweight contender Richardson Hitchins believes he’s on his way to stardom going into his fight against Gustavo Lemos.

Richardson Hitchins is loaded with ability, he insists. He has just needed a platform to demonstrate it.

The 140-pound contender from Brooklyn has a big one on Saturday night at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, where he’ll take on Gustavo Lemos in an IBF title eliminator (DAZN).

Hitchins, 26, sees it as just another step toward stardom.

“I think I am a star already and superstar status comes with me promoting myself, making the best of my opportunities and getting to that superstar status,” he said on Matchroom’s “Flash Knockdown” podcast. “My name is buzzing already as if I am a world champion.

“People put me in these fantasy fights like, ‘I want to see Richardson Hitchins vs. Devin Haney, vs. Subriel Matias,’ and this is just in a year that I’ve been with Matchroom. Once I’ve had a little bit of exposure to the boxing fans, my name is on the scene.

“So I feel like slowly but surely, people are seeing my talent and that will turn me into the superstar that I want to be once I get my hands on the world championships and big fights.”

Hitchins (17-0, 7 KOs) is coming off a breakthrough victory, a near-shutout decision over three-time title challenger Jose Zepeda in September.

He’s now ranked by three of the four major sanctioning bodies, No. 3 by the IBF. That organization’s Nos. 1 and 2 positions are vacant, which means he’s the top contender for Subriel Matias’ title.

Lemos (29-0, 19 KOs) is a 28-year-old from Argentina who is best known for stopping former 126-pound titleholder Lee Selby in March 2022, although he has never fought outside his native country.

Hitchins is confident things will go well in what he sees as a significant opportunity: Fighting as a headliner on a major card.

“I feel good, I feel ready for the moment,” he said. “This is what I’ve been doing my whole life. This will just be another day in the ring for me and picking up another victory. That’s what we plan to do on Saturday.

“This is big, I’m not going to lie. It’s a huge opportunity. When I first fought on a Matchroom card in Ohio (in 2022) I said, ‘I’m supposed to be the main event right now.’ And I don’t even think it was a year later that I was headlining my first card.

“I felt Matchroom was giving opportunities to fighters that were on a lesser level than me, and I felt I belonged at the level where I was headlining my own cards and be on the verge of a world title.

“I proved myself slowly but surely that I belong with the elite guys in the division, and now is the time to stamp my name in the division and in the sport.”

Hitchins doesn’t have a style that appeals to fans who crave action. The 2016 Olympian, who competed for his parents’ native country of Haiti, is a polished technician.

He’s committed to the hit-and-not-be-hit approach to boxing. That has worked for him, as all but one of his victories have come by unanimous decision or stoppage. And most observers believe his split decision over veteran Argenis Mendez in 2020 should’ve been unanimous.

Hitchins believes he will win over fans with his dominance.

“I’m one of those fighters that people say, ‘Oh he’s boring,’” he said. “But I’m also one of those fighters that could box a perfect fight and not have a glove landed on me. So I feel like that’s my motto, and I’m sticking to hitting and not getting hit, and elevating my game, that’s what we focus on in camp.

“Everything else is just getting in shape and making sure my body is in physical condition to endure punishment if needed or to go any grueling rounds if that’s what it comes down to.”

Mike Tyson says meeting with Jake Paul is exhibition but ‘this is a fight’

Mike Tyson said that his meeting with Jake Pau on July 20 will be an exhibition but added that “this is a fight.”

The Mike Tyson-Jake Paul bout on July 20 will be an exhibition, not a sanctioned bout.

That clarification came from Tyson, who added that because it’s an exhibition doesn’t necessarily mean it will be fun and games. He said he and his young opponent will be all business in the ring.

“This is called an exhibition, but if you look up ‘exhibition’ you will not see any of the rules will be fighting under. This is a fight,” Tyson said, per Fox News.

Tyson, who will be 58 on June 30, and Paul, a 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer, will meet on pay-per-view from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the 80,000-seat home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Tyson was last in the ring in April 2020, when he and Roy Jones Jr. engaged in an exhibition.

The former heavyweight champion weighed 220 pounds for that fight. Paul has been fighting as a cruiserweight, with a limit of 200.

Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) hasn’t taken part in an official bout since June 2005, when he was stopped by journeyman Kevin McBride. He retired shortly afterward.

Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) is coming off back-to-back first-round knockouts, against Andre August in December and Ryan Bourland in March.

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Pound-for-pound: Did Isaac Cruz do enough against Rolando Romero to crack list?

Pound-for-pound: Did Isaac Cruz do enough against Rolando Romero to crack Boxing Junkie’s list?

Isaac Cruz made a strong impression with his eighth-round knockout of Rolando Romero on Saturday in Las Vegas.

But did the new 140-pound titleholder from Mexico do enough in that fight — and does he have the resume — to climb onto Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list?

Not quite.

Everyone agrees that Cruz is evolving into a formidable fighting machine, a pressure fighter with the fitness, durability and punching power to dominate opponents.

However, we shouldn’t overreact to a one-sided victory over Romero, a good, but limited fighter. And Cruz still doesn’t have a victory over a top-tier opponent, although he gave Gervonta Davis hell in defeat in 2021.

Bottom line: Cruz has to beat a pound-for-pounder or someone of that caliber to leave no doubt that he belongs with the best in the business.

And those matchups will come soon enough if Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) continues to win. Perhaps showdowns with the likes of fellow beltholders Devin Haney or Teofimo Lopez — or maybe even a rematch with Davis — are in his near future.

A victory over any of the above would be enough to lift Cruz to the next level. Stay tuned.

What about Sebastian Fundora?

The new 154-pound champ defeated rising star Tim Tszyu by a split decision in the main event on Saturday, an accomplishment for which Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) deserves credit.

However, we can’t draw firm conclusions because Tszyu was effectively blinded by blood in his eyes, the result of a ghastly cut on his hairline. Plus, Fundora was knocked out by Brian Mendoza in his previous fight.

Fundora’s time might come, just not now.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 10 Devin Haney is scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 on pay-per-view from Las Vegas.

Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to defend his undisputed 122-pound championship against Luis Nery on May 6 in Japan.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Scheduled to face No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – Scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against No. 11 Jesse Rodriguez on June 29 in Phoenix.
  6. Canelo Alvarez – Scheduled to face Jaime Munguia for the undisputed 168-pound championship on May 4 in Las Vegas.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
  9. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  10. Devin Haney– Scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 in Las Vegas.
  11. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – Scheduled to face No. 5 Juan Francisco Estrada for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.
  12. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to face No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
  13. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  14. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia.
  15. Shakur Stevenson– Reportedly near a deal to defend his 135-pound title against Artem Harutyunyan on July 6 in Newark, New Jersey.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): David Benavidez (has agreed to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June but no announcement has been made); Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (no fight scheduled); Teofimo Lopez (reportedly near a deal to defend his 140-pound title against Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami).

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Fight Week: Richardson Hitchins to face unbeaten Argentine Gustavo Daniel Lemos

Fight Week: Richardson Hitchins is scheduled to face fellow unbeaten 140-pound contender Gustavo Daniel Lemos of Argentina on Saturday.

FIGHT WEEK

Richardson Hitchins is scheduled to face fellow unbeaten 140-pound contender Gustavo Daniel Lemos on Saturday in Las Vegas.

RICHARDSON HITCHINS (17-0, 7 KOs)
VS. GUSTAVO DANIEL LEMOS (29-0, 19 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, April 6
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Las Vegas
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Junior welterweight (140 pounds)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound: None
  • Odds: Hitchins 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): ***
  • Also on the card: Diego Pacheco vs. Shawn McCalman, super middleweights; Skye Nicolson vs. Sarah Mahfoud, featherweights (for vacant WBC title); Galal Yafai vs. Agustin Mauro Gauto, flyweights; Marc Castro vs. Abraham Montoya, junior lightweights
  • Background: Hitchins is a 2016 U.S. Olympian and a rising young 140-pound contender from New York City. The 26-year-old, an excellent technician, is coming off the biggest victory of his career: a near-shutout decision over former three-time world title challenger Jose Zepeda on Sept. 23. Hitchins is ranked in the Top 3 in three of the four major sanctioning bodies, No. 2 by the WBC. Lemos is best known for his fifth-round knockout of one-time 126-pound titleholder Lee Selby at 135 pounds in March 2022, which sent the aging Welshman into retirement. The IBF’s No. 7-ranked 140-pounder also is on a run of 10 consecutive knockouts. However, he has faced no one else of note. And the 28-year-old resident of Buenos Aires has never fought outside of his native country, which makes it difficult to gauge the threat to Hitchins he will pose on Saturday.

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

THURSDAY

  • Tito Sanchez vs. Erik Ruiz, junior featherweights, Indio, California (DAZN)
  • Jordan Panthen vs. Ravshan Hudaynazarov, junior middleweights, Costa Mesa, California (TrillerTV+)

FRIDAY

  • Ernesto Mercado vs. Deiner Berrio, junior welterweights, Houston (DAZN)

SATURDAY

  • Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Jack Culcay, junior middleweights (for vacant IBF title), Falkansee, Germany (no TV in U.S.)
  • Richie Rivera vs. Mathew Obinna, light heavyweights, Uncasville, Connecticut (StarBoxing.TV)

Weekend Review: Sebastian Fundora seizes opportunity, Isaac Cruz serves notice

A critical look at the past week in boxing BIGGEST WINNER Sebastian Fundora Give Fundora full credit. Sure, he was fortunate when his elbow collided with Tim Tszyu’s head and caused a deep cut on the champion’s hairline in the third round, …

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER
Sebastian Fundora

Give Fundora full credit. Sure, he was fortunate when his elbow collided with Tim Tszyu’s head and caused a deep cut on the champion’s hairline in the third round, effectively blinding him from then on. That’s boxing, the fighters agreed afterward. Crazy things happen. Sometimes they become insurmountable obstacles, which was the case for Tszyu. Sometimes they’re opportunities, which you either seizer or squander. Fundora did the former. The 6-foot-5½ physical anomaly came in with a good game plan, which was to finally commit to using his height and reach advantages. And he simply stayed the course after the cut occurred, pumping his jab into Tszyu’s face and following with enough power shots to keep him at a safe distance and win rounds. As a result, Fundora won a split decision to take Tszyu’s WBO 154-pound belt and win the vacant WBC title. Some will look back on the victory and say Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) was lucky, lucky to get the fight immediately after a knockout loss to Brian Mendoza, lucky to win it because of a freak accident. The fact is he was both lucky and good, which is a combination that’s difficult to beat. He did what he had to do in strange circumstances to realize a lifelong dream.

 

BIGGEST WINNER II
Isaac Cruz

No one is going to be in a hurry to face this little monster. Cruz used his typical nonstop pressure to batter WBA 140-pound titleholder Rolando Romero before finally stopping him in the eighth round to win his first major belt on the Fundora-Tszyu card. Romero had the right strategy. He tried to slow Cruz down by timing him with hard shots when he was coming in and using his feet to avoid dangerous exchanges. However, it was like trying to protect yourself from a tsunami with a cocktail umbrella. It was impossible. Romero didn’t have the power to give Cruz pause, not even once. That made the result inevitable. And it raised a legitimate question: Can anyone hurt “Pitbull,” whose chin would make Julio Cesar Chavez and Marvin Hagler proud. It took a great fighter in Gervonta Davis to beat this version of Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs). And “Tank” was barely able to have his hand raised. A victory over the limited Romero (15-2, 13 KOs) doesn’t prove that Cruz can beat or even compete on the same level as the 140-pound likes of Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez but an indestructible little punching machine isn’t the ideal opponent for anyone. That includes the best in the division.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

I feel strongly that Fundora and his handlers should give Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) an immediate rematch. The champion gave the challenger an opportunity to fight for the title on short notice even though the adjustment from averaged-sized Keith Thurman to a giant would be difficult. And, obviously, Tszyu was the victim of terrible luck. The right thing to do is to give him a chance to avenge the defeat in the next fight for both men. … Tszyu will be back. I still feel he’s a better fighter than Fundora, as he seemed to show in the first few rounds. If he gets a rematch, I think he’ll win. If he doesn’t, he’ll continue to beat top contenders and become a champion again sooner rather than later. … I wouldn’t be too hard on Romero for his pre-fight trash talk. He was selling the fight and himself, which is what promoters hope to see. But, yes, he had to eat his words. He learned the hard way that Cruz was the opposite of an easy mark. …

Erislandy Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs)  isn’t as good as he once was at 40 but he’s still better than almost anyone else, as he demonstrated against Michael Zerafa (31-5, 19 KOs) on the Fundora-Tszyu undercard. The 160-pound titleholder stopped his Australian opponent with a vicious left hand less than two full rounds into the fight, proving again that he has more to give even though he was returning from a 22-month layoff and has lost a step late in his career. One thing he still has working for him is his boxing acumen, which is as sharp as ever. And who knew he could become a knockout artist? He has stopped his last three opponents. We’ll see whether he will continue to have success against next-level opposition. I won’t be surprised if he does. … Julio Cesar Martinez (21-3, 15 KOs) was fortunate to get past pesky Angelino Cordova (18-1-1, 12 KOs) on the Fundora-Tszyu card. The WBC 112-pound champ never really figured out his awkward opponent, who peppered him with light punches and never stood still. However, the champ never lost focus and continued to bring the heat. That resulted in a majority decision victory in his seven title defense, including one no-contest. Martinez doesn’t have pound-for-pound talent but he is consistent. …

Serhii Bohachuk (24-1, 23 KOs) was taken the distance for the first time but still tuned in an excellent performance against Mendoza (22-4, 16 KOs) on the Fundora-Tszyu card, suffocating his veteran opponent with nonstop pressure and winning a one-sided decision. If you can hurt Bohahuck — as Brandon Adams did his his KO victory over the Ukrainian — you have a chance to beat him. If you can’t, it’s going to be difficult to get past him. He appears to be a threat to anyone at 154 pounds. … Floyd Mayweather protégé Curmel Moton (3-0, 2 KOs) might’ve been the most talented fighter on the Fundora-Tszyu card. The 17-year-old 130-pound prospect battered a pretty good opponent in Anthony Cuba (7-1-2, 3 KOs) to win a shutout decision in an eight-round fight. Moton is remarkably skillful and poised for his age. It seems possible to me that he could win a major title as a teenager, which is a rarity. … Gilberto Ramirez (46-1, 30 KOs) made history on Saturday in Inglewood, California, easily outpointing the naturally bigger Arsen Goulamirian (27-1, 19 KOs) to become the first Mexican to win a 200-pound title. Ramirez isn’t a great fighter but he’s an excellent, durable boxer who knows how to win fights, the only exception being his setback to the gifted Dmitry Bivol. Mexicans should be proud of their countryman. …

Oscar Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) is back in business after stopping Liam Wilson (13-3, 7 KOs) in seven rounds to win the WBO “interim” 130-pound title Friday in Glendale, Arizona. He could be elevated to full champion if titleholder Emanuel Navarrete moves up in weight as planned. It remains to be seen whether Valdez can beat a top talent after losses to Shakur Stevenson and Navarrete.

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Bloody mess: Photos from Sebastian Fundora’s gruesome upset of Tim Tszyu

Bloody mess: Photos from Sebastian Fundora’s gruesome upset of Tim Tszyu on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Sebastian Fundora upset Tim Tszyu by a split decision to become a unified 154-pound champion in a horribly bloody fight Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) suffered a deep cut on his hairline when his head collided with Fundora’s elbow in the third round, making it difficult for the Aussie to see. Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) also bled from his nose and mouth.

Here are images from the fight. All photos by Steve Marcus of Getty Images.

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