Tag: Errol Spence

Danny Garcia, focused and hungry, determined to have big 2020

Danny Garcia is fighting Ivan Redkach Saturday with an eye on a much bigger fight — Errol Spence Jr.? Manny Pacquiao? — later this year.

Danny Garcia’s meeting with Ivan Redkach on Saturday in Brooklyn is both a fight and a training session.

Redkach, a 10-year professional, is no pushover. The Los Angeles-based Ukrainian is coming off one of the most important victories of his career, a sixth-round knockout of Devon Alexander in June. This a real fight.

And Redkach is a southpaw, which is where the training session comes in. Garcia thought it was important to face a capable left-hander to prepare him for what might lie ahead.

The fight will be televised on Showtime.

“My mind was set on a southpaw, so after we couldn’t have the Errol Spence Jr. fight, I wanted the next tough southpaw,” said Garcia, whose tentative fight with Spence was shelved after Spence was injured in a car crash. “We’re not looking past Redkach at all, but we wanted the southpaw work for that fight or a [Manny] Pacquiao fight. We’ll be all ready when those fights come up.”

Garcia (35-2, 21 KOs) swears he isn’t overlooking Redkach (23-4-1, 18 KOs), who he recognizes is “hungry.” He can’t get to Spence or Pacquiao without beating Redkach.

And, obviously, that’s the goal. Garcia will be 32 on March 20, an age when many fighters begin to develop a sense of urgency. They want to accomplish – and earn – as much as possible before an inevitable decline.

Danny Garcia must get past Ivan Redkach (pictured) if he hopes to face Errol Spence Jr. or Manny Pacquiao. Amanda Westcott / Showtime

That might be why Garcia seems rejuvenated. In his most-recent fight, in June, the former two-division titleholder looked liked a fighter trying to prove something in a seventh-round knockout of rugged Adrian Granados, who had never been stopped.

That was his first fight since he lost a close, but unanimous decision to Shawn Porter for a vacant 147-pound title in September 2018.

“I’ve been boxing for 21 years,” Garcia said. “All of the big fights and all of the pressure, sometimes you get tired of it. Sometimes it takes something happening to wake you back up. I’ve fallen in love with the sport of boxing again. Sometimes you forget what made you love the sport in the first place. Fighting is what makes me happy, though.

“My last camp before the Adrian Granados fight, I felt really good. I was happy again in this training camp. At this point in my career, I’ve been through it all already. I have to count my blessings and give my fans a great fight.”

This will be only Garcia’s fourth fight  since he lost a split decision to Keith Thurman in March 2017, an average of one fight per year. That’s not the schedule of a hungry fighter.

Once upon a time, he had the opposite reputation. He fought tough opposition often.

Between 2011 and 2016, Garcia fought in succession Nate Campbell, Kendall Holt, Erik Morales (for a vacant 140-pound title), Amir Khan, Morales again, Zab Judah, Lucas Matthysse, Mauricio Herrera, Rod Salka, Lamont Peterson, Paulie Malignaggi and Robert Guerrero (for a vacant 147-pound title).

His record in those fights? 12-0. And only four of the victories came by knockout, meaning he had to find means beyond his power to beat one elite fighter after another. Thus, he became known simply as a winner.

That’s how he climbed onto some pound-for-pound lists and earned the major fights against Thurman and Porter. He’s ready to reclaim his place among the best in the sport, beginning against Redkach Saturday with an eye on a superfight before the end of the year.

“This is a very important fight for me and my future,” he said. “My future starts on Saturday night. I’ve already been in a lot of big fights in my career, so it’s nothing new to me. I know Redkach is hungry, but I know what it takes to win on this level and I’m hungry.”

Frustrated Terence Crawford lashes out at Errol Spence Jr.

Terence Crawford, apparently fed up, called out Errol Spence on social media on Sunday, accusing him of ducking a fight.

Welterweight titleholder Terence Crawford appears to have least one New Year’s resolution: tweet more often. That is, tweet more often at division rival Errol Spence Jr.

The Omaha, Nebraska native unleashed a slew of fiery tweets directed at Spence on Sunday night, apparently in response to a tweet that Spence posted earlier about his willingness to fight anyone in the weight class.

Crawford flexed his fingers and responded in kind.

“So what’s been the hold up homie?” Crawford wrote. “When I came to the division y’all all said I had to get a title first. Now you changed yo mind and talking about wrong side of the street. So I’m just here for another excuse what’s up.”

A Spence-Crawford unification fight is one of the best possible matchups in the sport. But efforts to make it are borderline nonexistent because both fighters are aligned with rival entities. Bob Arum’s Top Rank, which promotes Crawford, generally doesn’t do business with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions, which manages Spence. The Feb. 22 Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder fight is an exception.

The 32-year-old Crawford (36-0, 27 knockouts) is coming off an entertaining beat down of competent but unknown Egidijus Kavaliauskas on Dec. 14 in New York City. Spence (26-0, 21 KOs) is recovering from a car crash in October, in which he was ejected from his Lamborghini. He appeared to be in good health when he was interviewed during the Tony Harrison-Jermell Charlo card on Dec. 21. He said he would return to the ring in the summer. In his last fight, Spence outpointed Shawn Porter in a thrilling title-unification bout on Sept 28.

The promotional gridlock hurts Crawford more than it does Spence, 29. Therein lies the source of Crawford’s evident frustration. Crawford’s 2018 campaign was dogged by his inability to land a significant fight, as Top Rank simply does not have access to the best welterweights in the division. PBC, on the other hand, has a host of viable options for Spence to keep things in-house, including titleholder Manny Pacquiao and Danny Garcia. A Pacquiao-Spence fight, in particular, would do great business.

Crawford isn’t buying that as a legitimate argument. He accused Spence – and for that matter, every other PBC welterweight – of hiding behind their handlers. “… Stop using the f- promoters, managers and advisors for that weak ass excuse y’all doing they work for us y’all dumb mf if you really want a fight you tell them i don’t give two f—s that’s who I want to fight. let yo nuts drop you say you yo own boss…”

 

There is also the question of whether Spence will be ready to engage in a high-level bout anytime soon. If the plan is for Spence to take a tune-up and then aim for showdowns against Pacquiao and Garcia, it may be close to two years before a Crawford fight enters the realm of possibility.

In other words, brace yourselves for more tweets.

Mikey Garcia upbeat, confident coming off loss to Errol Spence

Mikey Garcia said he was “slow, sluggish and tired” in his shutout loss to Errol Spence in March.

Mikey Garcia seems to be as upbeat as possible going into his fight against Jessie Vargas on Feb. 29.

The one-sided loss to Errol Spence last March? It’s like it didn’t happen, according to a report on BoxingScene.com. Garcia insists he believes in himself as much now as he did before Spence shut him down and out.

Garcia (39-1, 30 KOs) went into that fight undefeated.

“My mind is not on the loss,” he told BoxingScene. “It’s to keep moving forward in a positive direction. Losses are a part of boxing. You lost. So what? I fought the best guy in the division and moved up two weight classes. Why should I be sad and crying? If I keep dwelling on the past, then I’ll be depressed. That’s not who I am.

“Fast forward to now, I’m f—— excited! I’ve been on a high hitting on everything that I wanted. This is f—— badass. I can’t believe how I took that loss; it’s like nothing ever happened. I keep going, and I’m doing very well.”

Garcia said he simply had an off night against Spence.

“There’s a lot more I can deliver that wasn’t shown in my last fight,” he said. “I know that for a fact. My fans know that I can provide more, but for whatever reason, I just wasn’t able to. I was slow, sluggish and tired versus Spence.

“Everything that could have went wrong, went wrong, and there was nothing else I could do. I want to prove that I am faster, smarter and stronger.”

Garcia will face Vargas (29-2-2, 11 KOs) at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas on DAZN.

Danny Garcia wants big fight but, he said, he’s focused on Ivan Redkach

Danny Garcia says he has to be at his best against Ivan Redkach so he doesn’t spoil a bigger fight that might lie ahead.

Danny Garcia was rumored to have been a candidate to face Manny Pacquiao in the Filipino icon’s next fight and likes the idea of challenging Terence Crawford. For now, Garcia will have to settle for a fight against Ivan Redkach on Jan. 25 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Showtime.

And he seems to be OK with his immediate fate. His job, he says, is to be prepared when a bigger opportunity arises.

“If the top welterweights want to fight me, I’ll be ready whenever,” Garcia (35-2, 21 KOs) said. “Redkach makes a lot of sense because he’s a southpaw and that would have me ready for Errol Spence Jr. or Manny Pacquiao.  We picked Redkach because he’s dangerous and we knew he’d be tough. I’m definitely not overlooking him. I’m training hard for this fight. For me, this is a big fight.

“If I overlook him, it could ruin everything. I want to show everyone I’m still one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Danny Garcia (left) and Ivan Redkach are scheduled to fight on Jan. 25 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Amanda Westcott / Showtime

Garcia (35-2, 21 KOs) has narrowly lost his last two big fights, a split decision against Keith Thurman in 2017 that cost him his welterweight title and a close unanimous decision against Shawn Porter for the same vacant title in September of last year.

The Philadelphian is hungry to get another major belt wrapped around is waist, although he’s playing it cool.

“I always feel like I’m the best,” he said. “They need me, I don’t need them. I’m one of the best fighters in the world, and I’m going to be here for a while.”

Garcia is pleased to fight again at Barclays, which is near his stomping grounds and has become a second home.

“This is my eighth fight at Barclays Center and I’m excited to be back,” he said. “I’ve fought in a quarter of the events here at Barclays Center, so you could say this is my house. I’ve had some historic fights in here. I love walking in the tunnels and seeing my pictures next to Jay-Z, DMX and Rihanna.

“Come January 25, this is going to be another great night of boxing. I know Ivan is coming to fight. We’ve followed each other’s careers. I know he’s hungry and he wants to show the fans that he belongs on this level.”

Indeed, he does. Redkach (23-4-1, 18 KOs) has had mixed results since 2015, compiling a record of 5-4-1 in 10 fights during that period. However, the Los Angeles-based Ukrainian is coming off arguably his biggest victory – a sixth-round knockout of former two-division titleholder Devon Alexander in June.

The Alexander who Redkach defeated was in decline. Still, he caught the attention of boxing fans with the victory.

“The victory over Devon Alexander was important because he was a well-known opponent,” Redkach said. “Winning in the fashion that I did catapulted me to where I am right now.”

Errol Spence healthy, grateful, ready to take on big-name opponent

Errol Spence said he is feeling good two months after his car accident and ready to resume his boxing career in the spring or summer.

Errol Spence appears to be intact and ready to roll.

Spence was interviewed on Fox before the Tony Harrison-Jermell Charlo rematch Saturday night and looked fantastic given the horrific nature of his car accident in the early morning hours of Oct. 10, in which his speeding vehicle went over a medium and flipped multiple times, ejecting Spence.

Somehow he didn’t suffer serious injuries, which he attributed to a “miracle.”

That will allow him to be back in the ring as soon as May, he said. And he’s not fooling around. He said he doesn’t want a tune-up fight.

“I’m the king of the welterweight division,” said Spence, who holds two of the four major titles. “The other guys wish I wasn’t back so fast but I’m back. And I want to fight the top names in the division. Whether it’s Manny Pacquiao, whether it’s Terence Crawford, whether it’s Danny Garcia, I do want the top names. And I do want to be undisputed welterweight champion of the world.”

Spence, cleared by doctors, said he resumed training last week and felt no ill effects from the accident.

“I wasn’t sore or anything,” he said. “I felt like I took a long rest. So I feel real good. … I’m now rejuvenated and ready to … train hard. And hopefully I’ll fight one of the top fighters.”

He seems to know how fortunate he is.

“I can’t explain it,” said Spence, who faces DUI charges. “All I can do is thank God that I’m here, able to touch my kids and kiss them. I’m here with my mother and father. The fans want me to come back. I definitely want to put on a great when I do come back.

“And the second time around, I’m not taking anything for granted.”

My BWAA 2019 year-end votes and why I’m making them

The process of determining the best of a given year — or decade — isn’t easy but here are my choices for 2019 and the 2010s.

Year-end award debates always bring out the passion in boxing fans. And this year Fighter of the Decade is added to the mix, which ramps up the intensity even further.

The Boxing Writers Association of America has released it’s nominees for 2019 and the decade of the 2010s, which has kicked off the conversation.

Who is Fighter of the Year? The ageless Manny Pacquiao? Canelo Alvarez? What is the Fight of the Year? The five nominees were all thrilling. And Fighter of the Decade? That one takes some long, hard thinking.

Here are my winners in the main categories and the reasons I selected them.

FIGHTER OF THE DECADE

Andre Ward went 11-0 in a very productive decade. AP Photo / John Locher

This one is particularly important, in my opinion, because the winner will be seen as the best of something akin to an era. And once the decision is made, it’s etched in stone.

First, here are the records of the nominees during the decade (in alphabetical order):

Canelo Alvarez 23-1-1 (16 KOs)
Wladimir Klitschko 11-2 (7 KOs)
Floyd Mayweather 10-0 (2 KOs)
Manny Pacquiao 12-4 (1 KO)
Andre Ward 11-0 (3 KOs)

I think it comes down to two fighters: Floyd Mayweather and Andre Ward.

Canelo Alvarez? The Mexican superstar has faced more elite opponents in the decade than any of the other nominees and he has won consistently.

The problem is that he hasn’t given a great performance against any of his best opponents, he arguably lost to Erislandy Lara and Gennadiy Golovkin in their first of two fights, and he was thoroughly dominated by another nominee, Mayweather.

I have a lot of respect for Alvarez but he is not the fighter of the decade.

Klitschko? He finished the 2010s with an embarrassing, one-sided loss to Tyson Fury and a gallant effort in a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua. Pacquiao? The worst record among the nominees, a one-sided loss against Mayweather and a one-punch knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez eliminates him.

That leaves Mayweather or Ward.

A vote for “Money” makes sense. He handled each of his opponents easily, with the exception of his first of two fights with Marcos Maidana. And he won clearly even in that meeting.

The same can be said of Ward, who emerged as a star by cruising through the Super Six World Boxing Classic in 2009-11. He, too, had no trouble with subsequent opponents, his exception being Sergey Kovalev in his first fight. Ward knocked out Kovalev in their rematch.

So where do I land? I lean toward Ward. I think he faced his best opponents when they were younger and fresher than Mayweather’s top foes, although Mayweather’s victory over Alvarez might’ve been the most-dominating performance of the 2010s.

And, finally Mayweather’s victory over MMA star Conor McGregor to run his record to 50-0 probably shouldn’t hurt his standing. I’ll say this, though: It leaves a bad taste in the mouths of many to this day.

Again, my vote goes to Ward.

FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

Could this be the year Canelo Alvarez finally wins Fighter of the Year?

Here are the nominees and the opponents they defeated:

Canelo Alvarez – Daniel Jacobs (UD 12), Sergey Kovalev (KO 11)
Naoya Inoue – Emmanuel Rodriguez (KO 2), Nonito Donaire (UD 12)
Manny Pacquiao – Adrien Broner (UD 12), Keith Thurman (SD 12)
Errol Spence Jr. – Mikey Garcia (UD 12), Shawn Porter (SD 12)
Josh Taylor – Ivan Baranchyk (UD 12), Regis Prograis (MD 12)

I think this is Alvarez’s year. He defeated Daniel Jacobs by a unanimous decision in May, although the fight was close. And he closed out the year by moving up two divisions and knocking out Sergey Kovalev in the 11th round last month.

Alvarez’s performance against Kovalev wasn’t great – the fight was tight on the cards at the time of the stoppage – but the ending was spectacular.

I think Alvarez’s principal rival for the award is the ageless Pacquiao, who, at 40 years old, easily outpointed Adrien Broner and then defeated Keith Thurman by a unanimous decision.

That’s a fine year but, if we want to quibble, the smallish Broner has never performed well at welterweight and Thurman was still in the process of coming back from a long layoff, although the latter victory by Pacquiao was still special.

Errol Spence also had a good year, outpointing Mikey Garcia easily and then eking out a decision over an inspired Shawn Porter. In my opinion, though, Garcia was too small and the Porter fight was too close for Spence to get the award over Alvarez or Pacquiao.

Josh Taylor’s victories over Ivan Baranchyk and Regis Prograis were impressive enough to push him onto some pound-for-pound lists but he didn’t accomplish quite as much as the leaders here.

And I probably wouldn’t have included Naoya Inoue as a nominee because he struggled against a fighter (Donaire) whose best days are far behind him. I’m sure the Japanese star earned points by fighting through injuries against an inspired veteran, which to me was impressive but not enough to make him Fighter of the Year.

FIGHT OF THE YEAR

Shawn Porter (left) and Errol Spence Jr. gave everything they had in their memorable welterweight title fight. AP Photo / Ringo H.W. Chiu

Gennadiy Golovkin UD 12 Sergiy Derevyanchenko
Naoya Inoue UD 12 Nonito Donaire
Manny Pacquiao SD 12 Keith Thurman
Andy Ruiz KO 7 Andy Joshua I
Errol Spence Jr. SD 12 Shawn Porter
Josh Taylor MD 12 Regis Prograis

I’m voting for Errol Spence vs. Porter. Again, all of these fights were entertaining. And I think the most dramatic of the bunch was the first Ruiz vs. Joshua meeting because of stunning nature of the upset and Ruiz’s domination.

However, in terms of sustained, back-and-forth action in what could’ve been a draw, nothing topped Spence vs. Porter. Porter was at his very best, pushing Spence to his absolute limit from beginning to end. Neither fighter could’ve fought harder than they did, which is all we can expect in any matchup.

TRAINER OF THE YEAR

Jay Deas/Mark Breland
Derrick James
Brian McIntyre
Eddy Reynoso
Manny Robles

I think this is Eddy Reynoso’s year, too.

I have to admit that I reserved judgment on Reynoso for years because he didn’t have a track record before Alvarez. Finally, however, I have to acknowledge that Reynoso has done a good job with primary protege.

He also trains Ryan Garcia and Oscar Valdez, who went 2-0 and 3-0, respectively, in 2019.

All in all, 2019 was very kind to Reynoso. And he deserves to be recognized.

BWAA announces nominees for its 2019 year-end awards

The Boxing Writers Association of America has announced its nominees for its 2019 year-end awards.

The Boxing Writers Association of America has announced its nominees for its 2019 year-end awards.

The categories are: Fighter of the Year, Fight of the Year, Trainer of the Year, Manager of the Year, Most Courageous, Long and Meritorious Service, Excellence in Broadcast Journalism and the Good Guy Award.

The BWAA also will select a Fighter of the Decade, which has been dubbed the Joe Louis Fighter of the Decade Award.

The nominees and winners are selected by a vote of BWAA members. The winners will be announced at noon ET on January 17.

Here are the nominees (in alphabetical order):

Joe Louis Fighter of the Decade

Canelo Alvarez
Wladimir Klitschko
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Manny Pacquiao
Andre Ward

Sugar Ray Robinson Fighter of the Year

Canelo Alvarez
Naoya Inoue
Manny Pacquiao
Errol Spence Jr.
Josh Taylor

Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier Fight of the Year

Gennadiy Golovkin-Sergiy Derevyanchenko
Naoya Inoue-Nonito Donaire
Manny Pacquiao-Keith Thurman
Andy Ruiz-Andy Joshua I
Errol Spence Jr.-Shawn Porter
Josh Taylor-Regis Prograis

Eddie Futch Trainer of the Year

Jay Deas/Mark Breland
Derrick James
Brian McIntyre
Eddy Reynoso
Manny Robles

Cus D’Amato Manager of the Year

Keith Connolly
Luis DeCubas Jr.
Peter Kahn
David McWater
Rick Mirigian

Marvin Kohn Good Guy Award

Anthony Dirrell
Norm Frauenheim
Jose Ramirez
Tim Smith
Mauricio Sulaiman

Sam Taub Excellence in Broadcast Journalism Award

Tim Bradley Jr.
David Dinkins
Jim Gray
Mauro Ranallo
Andre Ward

Barney Nagler Long and Meritorious Service Award

Teddy Atlas
Michael Buffer
Bob Canobbio
Henry Hascup
John Sheppard

John McCain-Bill Crawford Courage Award

Marc Abrams
Brian Custer
Mauro Ranallo
Jose Santa Cruz
Adonis Stevenson

Good, bad, worse: Terence Crawford gave inspiring performance

Terence Crawford received more resistance than expected from Egidijus Kavaliauskas but responded like the champion he is.

GOOD

I’m sure there are people who believe Terence Crawford was exposed somehow in his title defense against Egidijus Kavaliauskas on Saturday night in New York. I don’t agree … at all. In fact, I think more of him now that I did before the fight.

So a good fighter (which is what Kavaliauskas is) landed some flush punches to Crawford’s face and body in the first half of the fight. So what? Fighters who take risks also take punches, even great fighters (which is what Crawford is). Crawford’s moments of vulnerability mean nothing to me.

And it’s not as if Crawford acted confused or disheartened when the clever Lithuanian had success. Instead, he got angry. He dug in, refusing to retreat, as if to say, “I’ll show you who the better man is,” and then did.

Crawford switched to an orthodox stance in the seventh round, which made it more difficult for Kavaliauskas to land his right. That was the turning point in the fight.

In the next two-plus rounds, Crawford, on fire with determination, put Kavaliauskas down three times – once in the seventh and two times in the ninth – and hurt him in the process. The referee saved the challenger from further punishment 44 seconds into Round 9.

Was it the most dominating performance ever? No. It was impressive, though. I loved Crawford’s reaction to Kavaliauskas’ success. I thought when it became clear that Crawford was trying to knockout his tormentor, “Those are the instincts of a champion.” And the way he finished off Kavaliauskas was breathtaking, both in its efficiency and thoroughness.

That’s what a great fighter does, battle fearlessly  through adversity and win in spectacular fashion.

 

BAD

Richard Commey fell into a desperate situation very quickly. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

I’m using the word “bad” here as something positive, as in Teofimo Lopez is a “bad” man.

The Honduran-American’s fight against lightweight titleholder Richard Commey on the Crawford-Kavaliauskas card was supposed to be a 50-50 proposition. Instead, it was a showcase for the next great star.

Lopez essentially ended the fight with a crushing right hand that put Commey down and left him discombobulated early in the second round. The Ghanian managed to get up but a vicious barrage of hard shots from Lopez ended the fight, giving him a major 135-pound title in his 15th fight.

That’s what you call a career-defining victory. And he’s only 22.

A star was born? No, a star was born 22 years ago. Lopez has unusual God-given gifts, which have been finely honed over the years. Add to that his power, his killer instinct, his poise and his ability to do a back flip and you get a truly special fighter.

And he’s just getting started.

Next up? Could be Vasiliy Lomachenko, which is playing with fire. All the momentum he has built could come to a sudden halt against the No. 1 fighter pound-for-pound. One thing, though: Lopez is naturally bigger than Lomachenko. Is that equalizer?

Should be interesting.

 

WORSE

Terence Crawford reiterated after his victory on Saturday that he’ll fight anyone, anytime. Let’s hope his top rivals were listening. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

I agree with those who say this: If Crawford wanted to fight the welterweights at Premier Boxing Champions, he probably shouldn’t have signed a long-term contract with Top Rank.

That said, I also agree with the thrust of Tim Bradley’s ringside diatribe against the PBC 147-pounders for refusing to cross promotional barriers and fight Crawford.

Like it or not, Crawford is the top welterweight and arguably the best fighter in the world. And fighters constantly say, “I want to fight the best.” Fighters also say regularly in so many words, “I want to give the fans the fights they want.” It couldn’t be more obvious that the fans want to see the PBC welterweights fight Crawford.

So why haven’t any of the them – Errol Spence, Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Manny Pacquiao, et al – taken the steps necessary to make it happen?

I can only come to two conclusions: One, they don’t want to fight the best. And, two, they really don’t care what the fans want. If they did, they would demand to fight Crawford. None of them have, not even Spence, the one fighter fans had been dying to see in the ring with Crawford before his car accident.

And it’s not like PBC and Top Rank are complete strangers. For example, the companies will work together on the Deontay Wilder (PBC)-Tyson Fury (Top Rank) rematch in February.

I understand the business of boxing. Promoters and managers are territorial. They want to keep their big fights – and the money they generate – in house if possible. To be sure, PBC and its welterweights aren’t breaking new ground.

It’s just a shame, from the standpoint of Crawford and the fans, that a fighter as good as he is can’t test himself against the best possible opponents because of boxing politics.

Terence Crawford and his cul-de-sac at welterweight

Whatever happens on Saturday night, Richard Commey and Teofimo Lopez have a future path. The same can’t be said for Terence Crawford.

NEW YORK – Whoever wins the lightweight title fight between champion Richard Commey and Teofimo Lopez on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden will have a lot more going on for him than just bragging rights or, in Lopez’s case, new hardware.

He’ll have a little something called momentum.

Commey-Lopez is not only the best on-paper matchup of the night, far exceeding the main event between welterweight titleholder Terence Crawford and Egidijus Kavaliauskas (we’ll get to that later). The winner could also go on to face Vasiliy Lomachenko in a unification of three of the four major lightweight belts next year. With apologies to newly minted lightweight titleholder Devin Haney, whose network allegiances make him a non-starter in this discussion, that is as about as good as it can get today in a sport beset by shoddy matchmaking and warring tribalism.

In other words, Commey-Lopez isn’t your typical boxing one-off that takes place in isolation, subject to a short half-life and a few forgettable column inches. No, its precise appeal is that it is freighted with significance beyond the 36 minutes (likely less) of combat that will unfold in the ring on Saturday night. And that’s a breath of fresh air, considering that the value of certain titleholders today are inseparable from the presumed significance of the particular alphabet-soup trinket they hold. One thinks immediately of WBO super middleweight titleholder Billy Joe Saunders and the WBO middleweight titleholder Demetrius Andrade, both of whom have fought virtually nobody of note to merit the high perch they occupy in their respective divisions.

Commey-Lopez is the latest brick laid down by promoter Top Rank toward what figures to be the edifice that will one day house the lightweight division’s most accomplished fighter. And the company did it by dutifully adding the most consequential 135-pounders, such as Ray Beltran, to their stable. They did it by scooping up Lopez from the 2016 Olympics, by getting in touch with Commey’s promoter Lou DiBella last year, by having Lomachenko outslug the likes of Pedraza and Luke Campbell (for a vacant title) earlier this year.

Commey-Lopez: Call it the big picture approach.

Alas, the same can’t be said for the fight that follows on Saturday night. Indeed, there is an air of banality surrounding titleholder Terence Crawford’s fight against undefeated Lithuanian contender Egidijus Kavaliauskas.

Even the fight’s usual carnival barkers seem to have caught on to this and have adjusted their brand of ballyhoo accordingly. Instead of selling Crawford-Kavaliauskas as a matchup of supreme consequence, they have sought to paint it as a rare opportunity to catch one of the great improvisers in the sport in action. During an ESPN segment, Teddy Atlas compared Crawford’s ring “instincts” to Jimi Hendrix riffing on the guitar, Bobby Fischer overlooking a chess board, and Louis Armstrong blowing the trumpet. “(Crawford) creates it as he does it,” Atlas said. “He’s got the greatest instincts I’ve ever seen.” Sitting beside Atlas, Max Kellerman, no stranger to rhetorical overkill himself, guffawed upon hearing that comment.

Actually, from a contemporary standpoint, Atlas isn’t entirely wrong. Few fighters have shown themselves to be as versatile and creative in the ring as Crawford. At some point, however, such claims must be born out in the ring against the very best.

Unfortunately, Crawford is Exhibit A in the ramifications wrought by the sport’s frustrating political divide. Unlike its lightweight stable, Top Rank simply does not have the key players at welterweight to fulfill on the promise of a generational talent like Crawford. Unlike Commey-Lopez, Crawford-Kavaliauskas doesn’t lead anywhere. There is no conceivable Lomachenko for Crawford waiting in the wings. Crawford’s best possible opponents – Errol Spence, Manny Pacquiao, Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman – are all aligned with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions, which understandably prefers to do their own round robin of fights. Moreover, whatever hope there was that the two sides could come together to stage a Crawford-Spence bout appears to have gone out the window in the wake of Spence’s harrowing car accident in October. At the very least, that fight is on the back-burner.

Crawford’s seemingly hamstrung future has had the effect of completely whitewashing his opponent, Kavaliauskas, a two-time Olympian who is known to crack with both hands. Kavaliauskas is no schlub, but his last fight, a draw against a distinctly mediocre Ray Robinson, did much to lower his stock. But Crawford, to be sure, is simply graded on a different scale. It is difficult to imagine what Kavaliauskas could bring to the ring that will trouble Crawford.

A saving grace for Crawford may be the current crop of elite junior welterweights who will all likely move up to 147 at some point, including Top Rank stablemate Jose Ramirez, Josh Taylor and Regis Prograis. But that development might take a year or more, which is an eternity for a fighter who is already 32 years old. 

The difference with Hendrix and Armstrong? They were soloists whose virtuosities did not necessarily rely on anyone else. In boxing, they call that shadowboxing.

Bob Arum believes Errol Spence could be sidelined throughout 2020

Promoter Bob Arum said he has inside information that leads him to believe Errol Spence, injured in a car crash, will not fight in 2020.

Bob Arum says he has “grave doubts” about whether Errol Spence Jr. will fight in the “foreseeable future.’’

In an interview with iFL TV, Arum said he has been told that Spence, who was thrown from his Ferrari in a scary crash on Oct. 10, will be out of the ring throughout 2020 and possibly the following year.

“I have received some inside intelligence that allows me to say that,’’ Arum said.

Arum declined to identify his source.

“I don’t think that would be appropriate, but it is good information,” Arum said. “It’s – very unfortunately –very good information.”

Arum made the comments in relation to a question about the chances of Terence Crawford fighting Spence in a welterweight unification bout. Arum, Top Rank’s chairman, promotes Crawford, who faces Lithuanian Egidjius Kavaliauskas on Saturday night at New York’s Madison Square Garden on ESPN. Spence is tied to Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions.

“I don’t think (Crawford-Spence) will happen next year,” Arum said. “I don’t think it’ll happen the year after. And it’s not because promoters don’t want it to happen.’’

There have been no updates from Spence or PBC regarding his future since the single-car crash in Dallas. Spence, who scored a split decision over Shawn Porter on Sept. 28 in Los Angeles, reportedly suffered facial lacerations and damage to his teeth. He was charged with DUI after his release from a Dallas hospital.

“Let’s pass on Errol Spence because until we see him face-to-face, until he appears in public, until we can establish that he’s ready to go back into the ring, it’s unfortunate, but let’s not talk about him,’’ Arum said. “He’s a lovely young man. That was a horrible accident that he had. And just leave it at that.”