A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Amanda Serrano – The featherweight queen couldn’t have had a much bigger night. She withstood a spirited effort from a bloodied Erika Cruz to win a unanimous decision Saturday night in New York City, thereby making her the first Puerto Rican native to become an undisputed champion in the four-belt era. That had been her goal for years. And the victory evidently will lead directly to arguably the biggest possible fight in women’s boxing, a rematch with Katie Taylor on May 20 in Ireland. Promoter Eddie Hearn, who handles both stars, made the announcement in the ring after the fight on Saturday. The only thing Serrano (44-2-1, 30 KOs) can do to make her professional life even better is to beat Taylor, which she failed to do last April at Madison Square Garden. Can she do it? Well, she certainly has the ability. And she said she learned in the first fight what she must do to win the second time around. Stay tuned.
BIGGEST WINNER II
Emanuel Navarrete – The Mexican star was facing a late-replacement opponent – Liam Wilson – who was better than many had expected Friday in Glendale, Arizona. The Aussie seemed to be naturally bigger than Navarrete, who was making his debut at 130 pounds. And Navarrete was nearly stopped in a harrowing fourth round. Yet, in spite of all that, he put Wilson down, hurt him badly and stopped him moments later in the ninth round Friday to join a select club by winning a major world title in a third division. His ability to overcome such obstacles says a lot about his mettle. There are concerns. I’m not sure he was 100% ready – physically and mentally – to face an obscure late replacement, who got the fight when Oscar Valdez pulled out. I’m guessing Navarrete learned a lesson in that regard. And maybe it would be wise to go back down to 126. Still, overall, Navarrate (37-1, 31 KOs) has reason to celebrate. He had a good night in the end.
BIGGEST WINNER III
Alycia Baumgardner – The Detroit fighter is on a roll. Baumgardner (14-1, 7 KOs) defeated Mikaela Mayer by a split decision to win three of the four major junior lightweight titles and establish herself as a major player last October. And she easily outpointed Elhem Mekhaled to join the ranks of “undisputed” on the Serrano-Cruz card, which is a significant accomplishment. A rematch with Mayer could provide her a platform to take another step toward true stardom. There are concerns regarding Baumgardner, too, though. She looked fantastic against Mekhaled in spurts, when she landed some of the quickest, cleanest combinations you’ll ever see. However, there were other times when she seemed unusually tired. Her conditioning might be something she’ll have to work on to realize her full potential. The talent is there, though. She’s a gifted boxer and fighter at heart. She’ll only continue to get better.
BIGGEST LOSER
Liam Wilson: Wilson (11-2, 7 KOs) is a loser only in the sense that he lost a fight on Friday. Otherwise, he opened many eyes. He didn’t seem to be the least bit overwhelmed by the moment in his first shot at a major world title and first fight outside his native Australia. He clearly belonged. He obviously was well prepared for the fight, both in terms of fitness and strategy. And he nearly pulled off an enormous upset in a dramatic fourth round, the result of a mammoth left hook that staggered Navarrete. The Mexican was a few punches from getting knocked out, which would’ve changed the lives of Wilson and those close to him in significant ways. The fact Wilson wasn’t able to finish the job is a painful disappointment. However, even in defeat, he made a strong statement. He’s a capable all-around fighter with elite power and an abundance of confidence. His best days most likely are ahead of him.
WORST POLICY?
Did Navarrete benefit unfairly from extra time when he went down in the fourth round, as Wilson claimed? Yes, although we’ll never know to what degree. He spit out (or lost) his mouthpiece when he hit the canvas in an apparent attempt to gain extra time to recover, a common practice in boxing. That required referee Chris Flores to pick it up and give it to Navarrete, who then appeared to have trouble getting it onto his teeth. Flores evidently was following Arizona guidelines when he did what he did. The question is: Should the rules be changed? I don’t know. On one hand, I wish that fighters who lose their mouthpieces would be required to fight without one until the end of the round. That would be fair to the opponent. On the other hand, I obviously don’t want to compromise the well being of that fighter. I would encourage commissions to do research to determine whether fighting without a mouthpiece for a minute or two presents a major or minor health risk and then act accordingly.
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