A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkUCINYpVkM
It remains to be seen whether Oscar Valdez will evolve into a great fighter but he certainly was great for at least one night.
Everything he has learned and dreamed of came together to produce one of the more remarkable performances in recent memory, utter demolition of Miguel Berchelt that was punctuated by three knockdowns and what probably will be the Knockout of the Year in Round 10.
Remember: Berchelt was considered one of the best fighters in the world pound-for-pound – he’s Honorable Mention on Boxing Junkie’s list – and was on a hot streak heading into the fight.
Indeed, he was no ordinary titleholder, of which there are many. He was a fighter who seemed to be heading in the direction of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, a superb fighter in his prime. And Valdez outclassed him.
That’s why the magnitude of Valdez’s accomplishment cannot be overstated. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Of course, we shouldn’t be shocked. Valdez (29-0, 23 KOs) was an outstanding amateur; he was a 2008 Olympian for his native Mexico. He reigned as a featherweight titleholder for three years. He obviously has punching power, as his record indicates. And he’s tough. He fought through a broken jaw to beat Scott Quigg.
However, he didn’t look great in his previous two fights. Late replacement Adam Lopez put him down in the second round of their fight before he was knocked out himself in seven. And while he stopped Jayson Velez in the 10th round this past July, something was missing.
Nothing was missing on Saturday.
Valdez was too quick for Berchelt, as new trainer Eddy Reynoso said he would be. He was too athletic; Berchelt couldn’t corner him consistently enough to turn the tide. He was too powerful, as the three knockdowns and a monumental fight-ender demonstrated.
And, most important, he was just too good for Berchelt. If Oscar Valdez wasn’t considered one of the best fighters in the world before Saturday, he is now.
***
BAD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hx9vBHgkrg
I don’t want to be too hard on Adrien Broner in the wake of his controversial unanimous-decision victory over Jovanie Santiago on Saturday in Uncasville, Conn.
“The Problem” hadn’t been in the ring for more than two years, which probably played a role in his slow start in the fight. He reportedly lost 35-plus pounds, which also could’ve affected his performance.
And Santiago, a relative unknown going into the fight, appeared to be a capable, tough opponent who could end up becoming a contender.
All that said, the version of Broner we saw in the ring was not a legitimate threat to 140-pounders like Josh Taylor, Jose Ramirez and Regis Prograis, as he wants to portray himself. I doubt he could even beat next-tier 140-pounders like Jose Zepeda or Viktor Postol.
The judges had Broner winning 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 but I thought Santiago deserved the decision, scoring it 114-113 (seven rounds to five) for the Puerto Rican. And I know I’m not alone.
Broner, 31, was typically inactive, landing an average of only 8.2 of 28.2 punches per round. That sort of output didn’t work in his most-recent setbacks – including losses to Mikey Garcia and Manny Pacquiao — and some would argue it wasn’t enough against Santiago.
Maybe, as the ESPN broadcasters suggested, he remains gun shy after taking so many big shots in his loss to Marcos Maidana in 2013.
Of course, it’s important to note that Broner picked up his pace in the second half of the fight against Santiago, which might indicate that he needed to shed rust from his layoff.
And he said after the fight that he planned to get right back into the gym to continue his comeback, which is a good sign. He also said he wants to fight regularly to avoid falling back into his self-destructive habits. Smart.
I would suggest he spend as much time as possible working on his craft — and his mindset — because he’s a long way from where he wants to be.
***
WORSE
I’m not big on conspiracy theories but it’s difficult to understand the scoring in the Broner-Santiago fight. And a decision by Mohegan Sun officials, who oversaw the fight, added to my disgust.
I thought the fight was close and could’ve gone either way. Judge Glenn Feldman had it 115-112 for Broner, which was reasonable. That’s not the case for Tom Carusone and especially Peter Hary, who scored it 116-111 and 117-110 for Broner.
That means Hary gave Broner nine of the 12 rounds, which wasn’t reasonable.
I’m also not big on CompuBox statistics, which I believe are sometimes inaccurate and certainly inconclusive. However, they often provide another perspective from which to analyze a fight. And the numbers seemed to reflect reality on Saturday.
Consider that Broner didn’t out-land Santiago in any round yet Hary gave him nine of them. Yes, Broner had some success with his jab but Santiago landed 2½ times more power shots (124 to 49) than he did. Even if CompuBox is off — and I’m not saying it was — it’s clear that Santiago landed more meaningful blows.
Doesn’t make sense.
And while a point deduction for punching after the bell in the fourth round played no role in the decision – thank goodness – it was a genuine head scratcher. A commission official acknowledged what was clear on replay video, that both fighters threw punches after the bell rang.
According to the broadcast team, the official justified the decision to dock only Santiago a point because his punch came “way after the bell.” Huh? It was almost as if they wanted Broner to win.
Again, doesn’t make sense.
I don’t have a problem with Broner getting the decision. He rallied in the later rounds to close the gap, from my perspective. At the same time, scores that are far too wide and a strange decision by the officials leave a bad taste in my mouth.
***
RABBIT PUNCHES
As Broner has said, A.B. is going to be A.B. He’s going to make outlandish comments. That’s who he is and it’s obviously one reason people find him interesting.
However, his profanity-laced tirade against unofficial Showtime scorer Steve Farhood was unnecessary. Farhood scored the fight as I did, 114-113 for Santiago, which obviously irked Broner.
“F— Steve Farhood,” he said to punctuate his comments on the subject.
The guess here is that Broner has had objections to Farhood’s scoring or comments in the past, which might explain his over-the-top anger. That doesn’t excuse his reaction, though. Everyone who knows Farhood knows he’s an honest and capable broadcaster. He didn’t deserve that verbal attack. …
Otto Wallin (22-1, 14 KOs) probably isn’t in the class of Tyson Fury (against whom he lost a decision) or Anthony Joshua but he might be the next best thing.
The 6-foot-5½-inch Swede looked sharper than ever against 6-foot-7 Dominic Breazeale (20-3, 18 KOs) on the Broner-Santiago card, outclassing the former title challenger to win a well-deserved unanimous decision.
Wallin is quick and athletic for a man his size. He’s a good, disciplined boxer. He doesn’t have unusual power but he can do some damage. Breazeale’s battered face was an indication of that.
And you have to love Wallin’s post-fight comments. He was asked who he’d like to fight next and he responded by saying he only wants to get better.
I believe he’s a legitimate threat to any heavyweight contender and could one day pose a problem even for Fury or Joshua. …
Robert Easter Jr. (23-1-1, 14 KOs) gave a strong performance in his unanimous-decision victory over Ryan Martin (24-2, 14 KOs) on the Broner-Santiago card. His jab should be a model for other fighters. It found the mark the entire fight and threw Martin completely off his game.
Easter, a former lightweight titleholder, is ready to face a contender at junior welterweight.
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