Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Video: Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius conducted training sessions for members of the media on Wednesday in Brooklyn, New York.
Heavyweight contenders Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius conducted workouts that were open to the media on Wednesday at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, New York.
Wilder and Helenius will fight Saturday at Barclays Center on pay-per-view.
The fighters on the undercard also trained for reporters.
Here is a video of the session.
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Good, bad, worse: Luis Ortiz made a power play at 42 in his KO victory over Charles Martin.
GOOD
Luis Ortiz has 42-year-old legs and 22-year-old power. We’ll see what he can accomplish under those circumstances.
The Cuban southpaw got up from two knockdowns to stop Charles Martin in the sixth round and remain a relevant heavyweight on New Year’s Day at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Ortiz wasn’t seriously hurt the two times he went down but I wonder whether aging legs played a role in his inability to absorb punches. They just didn’t seem sturdy at times.
The better boxer of the two never strayed from the game plan, though. He continued to fight behind his jab and wait for opportunities to take advantage of his ability to change a fight with one punch.
His chance came in Round 6, when he discombobulated Martin with an overhand left and was able to finish the job moments later.
The victory in what was billed as a title eliminator allowed Ortiz to remain in the thick of the heavyweight mix, although it’s unclear how he might fit in at the moment. Titleholders Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have other plans.
That means Ortiz probably will have to win what would amount to another eliminator, against a heavyweight contender at the level of Andy Ruiz Jr., Joseph Parker, Frank Sanchez and Robert Helenius.
Ortiz still has the ability to be competitive with all of the above and contend for a world title, as he demonstrated on Saturday. That is if his legs cooperate.
BAD
I’ll never forget Emanuel Steward yelling at Wladimir Klitschko to finish off an overmatched, but stubborn Eddie Chambers late in their 2010 fight in Germany.
The late, great trainer knew the value of a knockout in terms of public perception. Fans might admire a fighter who outpoints his opponents. They’ll fall in love with a fighter who ends his fights inside the distance.
Steward would’ve been yelling the same thing at Frank Sanchez on the all-heavyweight Ortiz-Martin card.
Sanchez, a polished boxer, had no trouble with late replacement Christian Hammer. Ortiz’s countryman did more than enough to win the fight, as a shutout decision indicated. He just didn’t do enough to close the show.
He never took the risks, never shifted into another gear, which would’ve been required to stop Hammer (26-9, 16 KOs) give fans something to remember.
I have mixed feelings about Sanchez’s tactics. I acknowledge that Sanchez (20-0, 13 KOs) is who he is, an excellent technician whose instinct is to box, not brawl. That style has always worked for him. Why change?
Well, I also agree with Steward. If Sanchez is ever going to be a star, he’s going to have to do more than outpoint his opponents in dull fights.
WORSE
The Viktor Faust-Iago Kiladze fight might’ve been the most memorable bout on the Ortiz-Martin card – for both good and bad reasons.
Faust (9-0, 7 KOs) and Kiladze (27-6-1, 19 KOs) gave viewers as wild a 4 minutes, 44 seconds of fighting as they’ll ever see, as the principals went down a combined five times before Faust, a prospect from Ukraine, won the scheduled eight-round fight by knockout.
That was the good. Everyone loves crazy brawls. The decision to stop the fight and what followed wasn’t as fun.
Referee Samuel Burgos stopped the fight because he didn’t like what he saw from Kiladze, who was on the wrong end of the fifth knockdown. My first thought was, “Nooooooooo! Kiladze isn’t hurt any worse than Faust is!”
However, after I settled down, I could see I was being selfish. I just wanted the fight to continue. Burgos’ job is to assess a fighter’s condition at a given moment. He did that.
There is no defense for Kiladze’s reaction after Burgos’ waved his arms to signal the end of the fight. The enraged fighter hit the ref with a light jab, which undoubtedly will result in a fine and/or suspension.
I understand Kiladze’s frustration. He had a chance to beat a good prospect, which would’ve been a boon to his career. Still, fighters cannot under any circumstances put their hands on officials.
Strange fight.
RABBIT PUNCHES
I never really understood the fuss about Michael Coffie, who lost a decision to Jonathan Rice in a rematch on the Ortiz-Martin card. Coffie (12-2, 9 KOs) is admirable in many respects. The Bronx native is a former Marine who saw action in Afghanistan. He started boxing at an ancient 30 years old yet worked his way into meaningful fights. The problem? He always faced a steep uphill battle to progress beyond journeyman status. And now, after back-to-back losses to Jonathan Rice, he appears to have hit his ceiling. Coffie should take pride in what he was able to accomplish. The odds were against him from the beginning. Meanwhile, Rice (15-6-1, 10 KOs) has some ability. He might be able to beat a next-level heavyweight if he takes his training seriously. He came in too heavy for the fight with Coffie. … We saw a special prospect before the pay-per-view portion of the Ortiz-Martin card. Frank Martin (15-0, 11 KOs) appears to have all the tools – both God-given and learned – required for stardom, as he demonstrated in his fourth-round knockout of Romero Duno (24-3, 19 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round lightweight bout. Afterward, Martin, 26, mentioned Devin Haney’s name. It’s probably too early for that type of challenge but I suspect Martin could be competitive with any 135-pounder right now. …
Gerald Washington (20-5-1, 13 KOs) doesn’t give up, as I learned during an interview after he suffered back-to-back knockout losses against Deontay Wilder and Jarrell Miller in 2017. He bristled when I asked him whether he considered retirement, saying, “I’m not a quitter.” I admired that. Thus, I won’t be surprised if the 39-year-old plods on after being stopped by Ali Eren Demirezen (15-1, 12 KOs) on the Ortiz-Martin card. The problem is that he has now lost five of his last seven fights, an unproductive run that might signal that the end is near. … The knockdown in the last round of the Sanchez-Hammer fight was evidence that the use of replay review should be expanded. That wasn’t a knockdown. Fortunately, the mistake was irrelevant given the one-sided scoring in Sanchez’s favor. However, that type of missed call could decide a close fight. Florida officials might want to take that extra step in the interest of fairness and accuracy.
Good, bad, worse: Luis Ortiz made a power play at 42 in his KO victory over Charles Martin.
GOOD
Luis Ortiz has 42-year-old legs and 22-year-old power. We’ll see what he can accomplish under those circumstances.
The Cuban southpaw got up from two knockdowns to stop Charles Martin in the sixth round and remain a relevant heavyweight on New Year’s Day at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Ortiz wasn’t seriously hurt the two times he went down but I wonder whether aging legs played a role in his inability to absorb punches. They just didn’t seem sturdy at times.
The better boxer of the two never strayed from the game plan, though. He continued to fight behind his jab and wait for opportunities to take advantage of his ability to change a fight with one punch.
His chance came in Round 6, when he discombobulated Martin with an overhand left and was able to finish the job moments later.
The victory in what was billed as a title eliminator allowed Ortiz to remain in the thick of the heavyweight mix, although it’s unclear how he might fit in at the moment. Titleholders Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have other plans.
That means Ortiz probably will have to win what would amount to another eliminator, against a heavyweight contender at the level of Andy Ruiz Jr., Joseph Parker, Frank Sanchez and Robert Helenius.
Ortiz still has the ability to be competitive with all of the above and contend for a world title, as he demonstrated on Saturday. That is if his legs cooperate.
BAD
I’ll never forget Emanuel Steward yelling at Wladimir Klitschko to finish off an overmatched, but stubborn Eddie Chambers late in their 2010 fight in Germany.
The late, great trainer knew the value of a knockout in terms of public perception. Fans might admire a fighter who outpoints his opponents. They’ll fall in love with a fighter who ends his fights inside the distance.
Steward would’ve been yelling the same thing at Frank Sanchez on the all-heavyweight Ortiz-Martin card.
Sanchez, a polished boxer, had no trouble with late replacement Christian Hammer. Ortiz’s countryman did more than enough to win the fight, as a shutout decision indicated. He just didn’t do enough to close the show.
He never took the risks, never shifted into another gear, which would’ve been required to stop Hammer (26-9, 16 KOs) give fans something to remember.
I have mixed feelings about Sanchez’s tactics. I acknowledge that Sanchez (20-0, 13 KOs) is who he is, an excellent technician whose instinct is to box, not brawl. That style has always worked for him. Why change?
Well, I also agree with Steward. If Sanchez is ever going to be a star, he’s going to have to do more than outpoint his opponents in dull fights.
WORSE
The Viktor Faust-Iago Kiladze fight might’ve been the most memorable bout on the Ortiz-Martin card – for both good and bad reasons.
Faust (9-0, 7 KOs) and Kiladze (27-6-1, 19 KOs) gave viewers as wild a 4 minutes, 44 seconds of fighting as they’ll ever see, as the principals went down a combined five times before Faust, a prospect from Ukraine, won the scheduled eight-round fight by knockout.
That was the good. Everyone loves crazy brawls. The decision to stop the fight and what followed wasn’t as fun.
Referee Samuel Burgos stopped the fight because he didn’t like what he saw from Kiladze, who was on the wrong end of the fifth knockdown. My first thought was, “Nooooooooo! Kiladze isn’t hurt any worse than Faust is!”
However, after I settled down, I could see I was being selfish. I just wanted the fight to continue. Burgos’ job is to assess a fighter’s condition at a given moment. He did that.
There is no defense for Kiladze’s reaction after Burgos’ waved his arms to signal the end of the fight. The enraged fighter hit the ref with a light jab, which undoubtedly will result in a fine and/or suspension.
I understand Kiladze’s frustration. He had a chance to beat a good prospect, which would’ve been a boon to his career. Still, fighters cannot under any circumstances put their hands on officials.
Strange fight.
RABBIT PUNCHES
I never really understood the fuss about Michael Coffie, who lost a decision to Jonathan Rice in a rematch on the Ortiz-Martin card. Coffie (12-2, 9 KOs) is admirable in many respects. The Bronx native is a former Marine who saw action in Afghanistan. He started boxing at an ancient 30 years old yet worked his way into meaningful fights. The problem? He always faced a steep uphill battle to progress beyond journeyman status. And now, after back-to-back losses to Jonathan Rice, he appears to have hit his ceiling. Coffie should take pride in what he was able to accomplish. The odds were against him from the beginning. Meanwhile, Rice (15-6-1, 10 KOs) has some ability. He might be able to beat a next-level heavyweight if he takes his training seriously. He came in too heavy for the fight with Coffie. … We saw a special prospect before the pay-per-view portion of the Ortiz-Martin card. Frank Martin (15-0, 11 KOs) appears to have all the tools – both God-given and learned – required for stardom, as he demonstrated in his fourth-round knockout of Romero Duno (24-3, 19 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round lightweight bout. Afterward, Martin, 26, mentioned Devin Haney’s name. It’s probably too early for that type of challenge but I suspect Martin could be competitive with any 135-pounder right now. …
Gerald Washington (20-5-1, 13 KOs) doesn’t give up, as I learned during an interview after he suffered back-to-back knockout losses against Deontay Wilder and Jarrell Miller in 2017. He bristled when I asked him whether he considered retirement, saying, “I’m not a quitter.” I admired that. Thus, I won’t be surprised if the 39-year-old plods on after being stopped by Ali Eren Demirezen (15-1, 12 KOs) on the Ortiz-Martin card. The problem is that he has now lost five of his last seven fights, an unproductive run that might signal that the end is near. … The knockdown in the last round of the Sanchez-Hammer fight was evidence that the use of replay review should be expanded. That wasn’t a knockdown. Fortunately, the mistake was irrelevant given the one-sided scoring in Sanchez’s favor. However, that type of missed call could decide a close fight. Florida officials might want to take that extra step in the interest of fairness and accuracy.
Heavyweight contender Frank Sanchez defeated Christian Hammer by a shutout decision Saturday in Hollywood, Florida.
Frank Sanchez’s victory over Christian Hammer was thorough but forgettable Saturday.
The Cuban heavyweight contender, fighting on the Luis Ortiz-Charles Martin pay-per-view card in Hollywood, Florida, easily outboxed Hammer to win a shutout decision.
All three judges had the same score: 100-89, which reflected Sanchez’s dominance and a knockdown in the 10th and final round.
Hammer (26-9, 16 KOs) took the fight on less than a week’s notice after Sanchez’s original opponent, Carlos Negron, tested positive for the coronavirus.
The veteran from Germany didn’t roll over but he also didn’t throw many punches, landing only a few shots per round against an excellent defensive fighter.
Meanwhile, Sanchez (20-0, 13 KOs) landed some power punches — including some punishing blows to the body — but he was content to outbox Hammer, doing enough to win and not taking unnecessary risks.
In preliminary bouts, Ali Eren Demirezen (15-1, 12 KOs) stopped Gerald Washington (20-5-1, 13 KOs) 27 seconds into the eighth round. Washington, 39, has now lost five of his last seven fights.
And Jonathan Rice (15-6-1, 10 KOs) defeated Michael Coffie (12-2, 9 KOs) by a unanimous decision in their 10-round rematch. The scores were 99-91, 97-93 and 97-93. Rice had upset Coffie by a fifth-round knockout in July.
Heavyweight contender Frank Sanchez defeated Christian Hammer by a shutout decision Saturday in Hollywood, Florida.
Frank Sanchez’s victory over Christian Hammer was thorough but forgettable Saturday.
The Cuban heavyweight contender, fighting on the Luis Ortiz-Charles Martin pay-per-view card in Hollywood, Florida, easily outboxed Hammer to win a shutout decision.
All three judges had the same score: 100-89, which reflected Sanchez’s dominance and a knockdown in the 10th and final round.
Hammer (26-9, 16 KOs) took the fight on less than a week’s notice after Sanchez’s original opponent, Carlos Negron, tested positive for the coronavirus.
The veteran from Germany didn’t roll over but he also didn’t throw many punches, landing only a few shots per round against an excellent defensive fighter.
Meanwhile, Sanchez (20-0, 13 KOs) landed some power punches — including some punishing blows to the body — but he was content to outbox Hammer, doing enough to win and not taking unnecessary risks.
In preliminary bouts, Ali Eren Demirezen (15-1, 12 KOs) stopped Gerald Washington (20-5-1, 13 KOs) 27 seconds into the eighth round. Washington, 39, has now lost five of his last seven fights.
And Jonathan Rice (15-6-1, 10 KOs) defeated Michael Coffie (12-2, 9 KOs) by a unanimous decision in their 10-round rematch. The scores were 99-91, 97-93 and 97-93. Rice had upset Coffie by a fifth-round knockout in July.
Fight Week: Luis Ortiz vs. Charles Martin highlights all-heavyweight PPV card.
Kazuto Ioka (27-2, 15 KOs) vs. Ryoji Fukunaga (15-4, 14 KOs)
Luis Ortiz (32-2, 27 KOs) vs. Charles Martin (28-2-1, 25 KOs)
Fight Week: Luis Ortiz vs. Charles Martin highlights all-heavyweight PPV card.
Kazuto Ioka (27-2, 15 KOs) vs. Ryoji Fukunaga (15-4, 14 KOs)
Luis Ortiz (32-2, 27 KOs) vs. Charles Martin (28-2-1, 25 KOs)
A critical look at the past week in boxing GOOD Boxing fans dream all their lives of a fight like the one on Saturday in Las Vegas. Sound like hyperbole? I’ve been covering boxing for most of that past 30 years and have been a fan for much longer. …
GOOD
Boxing fans dream all their lives of a fight like the one on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Sound like hyperbole? I’ve been covering boxing for most of that past 30 years and have been a fan for much longer. I’ve seen many great fights. And I don’t hesitate to say that Tyson Fury-Deonaty Wilder III was one of the best, particularly if you consider the division and magnitude of the event.
The ebbs and flows. The ability of both fighters to overcome extreme adversity, including four of five brutal knockdowns. The will to fight through exhaustion. And a dramatic knockout to cap off the night.
Those are the ingredients of a classic battle. And the fact it happened on a heavyweight championship stage made it all the more memorable.
Fury gave a truly remarkable performance, the greatest of his career. He wasn’t fighting the same man he overwhelmed and stopped in seven rounds last year. He was face to face with a warrior bent on revenge and the powerful right hand that could exact it.
The Englishman took a walk through hell, including two knockdowns in the fourth round that would’ve ended the night of most heavyweights. He withstood the assault, continued to battle and finally stopped his brave, but beaten nemesis in the 11th round to retain the title he took from Wilder in their last fight.
I can’t say with certainty but I believe Fury might’ve clinched a place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Saturday night. These type of performance in these type of fights tend to create legends.
Wilder? The former champ lost a fight but undoubtedly gained legions of fans with his courageous effort. That might not mean much to him now but it will in time.
There were no losers in this incredible fight.
***
BAD
I hate the fact that Fury can’t fight Oleksandr Usyk immediately for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
That matchup would be best for the sport, having a single, recognizable king in the glamour division. No heavyweight in the four-belt era has ever possessed all the hardware. And, of course, the fans would embrace it.
Alas, Usyk is expected to face former titleholder Anthony Joshua sometime early next year. The relatively small, but talented cruiserweight-turned-heavyweight stunned Joshua and the boxing world by winning a unanimous decision and three of the four major belts last month.
Fury could fight the winner of the Usyk-Joshua rematch for heavyweight supremacy but that could be a year from now. And, as we know, anything can happen in that time to prevent the fight from taking place at all.
We have no choice but to be patient and hope.
In the meantime, Fury has some worthy potential opponents for the spring. Dillian Whyte would be a compelling foe, particularly in the U.K. Maybe Fury fights there next.
I also like Andy Ruiz Jr. or Robert Helenius for Fury, if promotional rivalries can be overcome. Ruiz has his history with Joshua, which makes him a compelling story. And Helenius has now destroyed Adam Kownacki in consecutive fights, rejuvenating his career.
You can bet that Fury will give us a show both before and during his next fight, whomever the opponent is. And, of course, he almost certainly will continue to build his legacy by having his hand raised.
Then, if we’re lucky, it will be on to either Usyk or Joshua.
***
WORSE
One must feel for Wilder.
The man swore that we’d see a different fighter from the one who was stopped in seven rounds by Fury in February of last year. And we did. However, he ended up suffering the same fate. He has now lost back-to-back fights to his rival, which is a significant step backward in his career.
Of course, we understand the bitterness he surely is feeling right now.
We can only hope that he will come to understand the gift he gave us on Saturday. Wilder lost a fight but he gained untold admiration from those who saw the fight, which might not lead directly to another title shot but is precious nonetheless.
Few believed Wilder could give Fury much of a fight after the beating he took the last time. In the end, he turned a mismatch into an unforgettable war through sheer determination.
Wilder is known primarily as a puncher. And we knew he was tough, as he showed in his first fight with Luis Ortiz and in the final moments of his last fight with Fury. He wanted to continue. However, we didn’t know he was this kind of warrior, the kind who would risk it all to emerge victorious.
How many times in that fight did he appear to be on the precipice of demise only to somehow find more energy and battle back? I doubt I was alone when I thought during one of those moments, “My God, how is he doing this?”
Indeed, he would’ve gotten up from his third and final knockdown. He simply couldn’t, which referee Russell Mora recognized immediately. Wilder had given more than enough.
If a fighter can lose by an 11th-round knockout and emerge as a winner, Wilder is that fighter.
***
RABBIT PUNCHES
I was impressed with heavyweights Frank Sanchez and Jared Anderson, who won their fights on the Fury-Wilder undercard. Sanchez (19-0, 13 KOs) fairly easily outboxed Efe Ajagba (15-1, 12 KOs) en route to a unanimous decision. And Anderson (10-0, 10 KOs) stopped overmatched Vladimir Tereshkin (22-1-1, 12 KOs) in two rounds. Who’s most likely to win a heavyweight title? Tough one. Sanchez, a product of the Cuban amateur system, is an excellent boxer but doesn’t seem to have a warrior mentality. That could hinder him longterm. Anderson seems to be the complete package but he’s young, only 21. It’s too early to get a bead on him. I’ll be wishy washy: I won’t be surprised if both of them end up with a title one day. … Robert Helenius (31-3, 19 KOs) has brought his career as elite heavyweight back to life with back-to-back victories over Adam Kownacki (20-02, 15 KOs), including a beat down that ended by disqualification on the Fury-Wilder card. The 6-foot-6½ Finn seems to be better than ever 37, which might not be good news for other top heavyweights. This guy is a threat to anyone. …
Slugger Edgar Berlanga (18-0, 16 KOs) received a stiff test from Marcelo Coceres (30-3-1, 16 KOs), surviving a ninth-round knockdown to win a unanimous decision in a competitive fight on the Fury-Wilder card. Berlanga didn’t look like an elite fighter. It’s starting to look as if he won’t live up to the hype. … The biggest surprise on the Fury-Wilder card was former 154-pound titleholder Julian Williams’ split-decision loss to Vladimir Hernandez (13-4, 6 KOs). The Williams who defeated Jarrett Hurd by a unanimous decision to win his belts in 2019 probably would’ve found a way to beat the relentlessly aggressive, but limited Mexican. The current version of Williams (27-3-1, 16 KOs) couldn’t do that. Maybe it was an almost-21-month layoff and a spirited effort on Hernandez’s part. Maybe he’s just not the same fighter after his knockout loss to Jeison Rosario in January of last year. … Another winner on Saturday night was new trainer Malik Scott, Wilder’s trainer. He produced a different fighter from the one who was dominated by Fury last year. His took a significant step in his career as a mentor.
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A critical look at the past week in boxing GOOD Boxing fans dream all their lives of a fight like the one on Saturday in Las Vegas. Sound like hyperbole? I’ve been covering boxing for most of that past 30 years and have been a fan for much longer. …
GOOD
Boxing fans dream all their lives of a fight like the one on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Sound like hyperbole? I’ve been covering boxing for most of that past 30 years and have been a fan for much longer. I’ve seen many great fights. And I don’t hesitate to say that Tyson Fury-Deonaty Wilder III was one of the best, particularly if you consider the division and magnitude of the event.
The ebbs and flows. The ability of both fighters to overcome extreme adversity, including four of five brutal knockdowns. The will to fight through exhaustion. And a dramatic knockout to cap off the night.
Those are the ingredients of a classic battle. And the fact it happened on a heavyweight championship stage made it all the more memorable.
Fury gave a truly remarkable performance, the greatest of his career. He wasn’t fighting the same man he overwhelmed and stopped in seven rounds last year. He was face to face with a warrior bent on revenge and the powerful right hand that could exact it.
The Englishman took a walk through hell, including two knockdowns in the fourth round that would’ve ended the night of most heavyweights. He withstood the assault, continued to battle and finally stopped his brave, but beaten nemesis in the 11th round to retain the title he took from Wilder in their last fight.
I can’t say with certainty but I believe Fury might’ve clinched a place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Saturday night. These type of performance in these type of fights tend to create legends.
Wilder? The former champ lost a fight but undoubtedly gained legions of fans with his courageous effort. That might not mean much to him now but it will in time.
There were no losers in this incredible fight.
***
BAD
I hate the fact that Fury can’t fight Oleksandr Usyk immediately for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
That matchup would be best for the sport, having a single, recognizable king in the glamour division. No heavyweight in the four-belt era has ever possessed all the hardware. And, of course, the fans would embrace it.
Alas, Usyk is expected to face former titleholder Anthony Joshua sometime early next year. The relatively small, but talented cruiserweight-turned-heavyweight stunned Joshua and the boxing world by winning a unanimous decision and three of the four major belts last month.
Fury could fight the winner of the Usyk-Joshua rematch for heavyweight supremacy but that could be a year from now. And, as we know, anything can happen in that time to prevent the fight from taking place at all.
We have no choice but to be patient and hope.
In the meantime, Fury has some worthy potential opponents for the spring. Dillian Whyte would be a compelling foe, particularly in the U.K. Maybe Fury fights there next.
I also like Andy Ruiz Jr. or Robert Helenius for Fury, if promotional rivalries can be overcome. Ruiz has his history with Joshua, which makes him a compelling story. And Helenius has now destroyed Adam Kownacki in consecutive fights, rejuvenating his career.
You can bet that Fury will give us a show both before and during his next fight, whomever the opponent is. And, of course, he almost certainly will continue to build his legacy by having his hand raised.
Then, if we’re lucky, it will be on to either Usyk or Joshua.
***
WORSE
One must feel for Wilder.
The man swore that we’d see a different fighter from the one who was stopped in seven rounds by Fury in February of last year. And we did. However, he ended up suffering the same fate. He has now lost back-to-back fights to his rival, which is a significant step backward in his career.
Of course, we understand the bitterness he surely is feeling right now.
We can only hope that he will come to understand the gift he gave us on Saturday. Wilder lost a fight but he gained untold admiration from those who saw the fight, which might not lead directly to another title shot but is precious nonetheless.
Few believed Wilder could give Fury much of a fight after the beating he took the last time. In the end, he turned a mismatch into an unforgettable war through sheer determination.
Wilder is known primarily as a puncher. And we knew he was tough, as he showed in his first fight with Luis Ortiz and in the final moments of his last fight with Fury. He wanted to continue. However, we didn’t know he was this kind of warrior, the kind who would risk it all to emerge victorious.
How many times in that fight did he appear to be on the precipice of demise only to somehow find more energy and battle back? I doubt I was alone when I thought during one of those moments, “My God, how is he doing this?”
Indeed, he would’ve gotten up from his third and final knockdown. He simply couldn’t, which referee Russell Mora recognized immediately. Wilder had given more than enough.
If a fighter can lose by an 11th-round knockout and emerge as a winner, Wilder is that fighter.
***
RABBIT PUNCHES
I was impressed with heavyweights Frank Sanchez and Jared Anderson, who won their fights on the Fury-Wilder undercard. Sanchez (19-0, 13 KOs) fairly easily outboxed Efe Ajagba (15-1, 12 KOs) en route to a unanimous decision. And Anderson (10-0, 10 KOs) stopped overmatched Vladimir Tereshkin (22-1-1, 12 KOs) in two rounds. Who’s most likely to win a heavyweight title? Tough one. Sanchez, a product of the Cuban amateur system, is an excellent boxer but doesn’t seem to have a warrior mentality. That could hinder him longterm. Anderson seems to be the complete package but he’s young, only 21. It’s too early to get a bead on him. I’ll be wishy washy: I won’t be surprised if both of them end up with a title one day. … Robert Helenius (31-3, 19 KOs) has brought his career as elite heavyweight back to life with back-to-back victories over Adam Kownacki (20-02, 15 KOs), including a beat down that ended by disqualification on the Fury-Wilder card. The 6-foot-6½ Finn seems to be better than ever 37, which might not be good news for other top heavyweights. This guy is a threat to anyone. …
Slugger Edgar Berlanga (18-0, 16 KOs) received a stiff test from Marcelo Coceres (30-3-1, 16 KOs), surviving a ninth-round knockdown to win a unanimous decision in a competitive fight on the Fury-Wilder card. Berlanga didn’t look like an elite fighter. It’s starting to look as if he won’t live up to the hype. … The biggest surprise on the Fury-Wilder card was former 154-pound titleholder Julian Williams’ split-decision loss to Vladimir Hernandez (13-4, 6 KOs). The Williams who defeated Jarrett Hurd by a unanimous decision to win his belts in 2019 probably would’ve found a way to beat the relentlessly aggressive, but limited Mexican. The current version of Williams (27-3-1, 16 KOs) couldn’t do that. Maybe it was an almost-21-month layoff and a spirited effort on Hernandez’s part. Maybe he’s just not the same fighter after his knockout loss to Jeison Rosario in January of last year. … Another winner on Saturday night was new trainer Malik Scott, Wilder’s trainer. He produced a different fighter from the one who was dominated by Fury last year. His took a significant step in his career as a mentor.
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Frank Sanchez outboxed Efe Ajagba to win a unanimous decision on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder card Saturday in Las Vegas.
Frank Sanchez took a significant step forward on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder card Saturday.
The well-schooled Cuban heavyweight outboxed fellow prospect Efe Ajagba to win a one-sided unanimous decision at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, a victory that should move him up the rankings.
Sanchez (19-0, 13) and Ajagba (15-1, 12 KOs) have a similar number of pro fights but the former had a vast amateur background in his native country, which made him an excellent boxer.
Sanchez didn’t land a tremendous number of punches but landed more and cleaner shots — many of them counters — and was an elusive target.
Ajagba will probably regret not throwing more punches in the fight. However, that might’ve been the result of Sanchez’s tactics. He just never gave Ajagba a good target.
Sanchez seemed to catch a break in Round 6, when he fell to a knee after taking a jab from Ajagba. It was ruled a slip.
And then, in Round 8, the winner had both his biggest and most bizarre moment. A hard right forced Ajagba to take a knee, at which time Sanchez landed a left hook.
Of course, it’s illegal to hit a man when he’s down. However, referee Mike Ortega took no action.
In the end, no one was surprised by the scoring. Sanchez won 98-91, 98-91 and 97-92. Boxing Junkie scored it 98-91 for Sanchez.
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