Tag: Gennadiy Golovkin

Pound-for-pound: King Tyson can’t be denied after that performance

Tyson Fury climbs from honorable mention to No. 8 on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list after stopping Deontay Wilder on Saturday.

The pound-for-pound concept was devised as a means of comparing fighters regardless of weight.

For example, not so long ago, we could’ve asked: Who would’ve won a bout between Floyd Mayweather and Wladimir Klitschko had they been the same size? Easy. Mayweather, whose skill set was far superior to that of the big Ukrainian and everyone else.

So where does Tyson Fury fit into the equation after his tremendous performance against Deontay Wilder on Saturday in Las Vegas?

Fury, who has been an honorable mention on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list for some time, dominated a feared, previously unbeaten opponent en route to a spectacular seventh-round stoppage before a sell-out crowd at the MGM Grand.

That kind of performance — on that kind of stage — certainly works in Fury’s favor. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Fury would stack up favorably against the stars that make our Top 10 if they fought in same division.

In the end, we decided after some back-and-forth discussion that we had to elevate Fury into the Top 10 in light of his dominance on Saturday but we didn’t want to get carried away: He jumps to No. 8, behind Errol Spence Jr. but ahead of Juan Francisco Estrada. That pushes Kosei Tanaka (No. 15 on the most-recent list) to honorable mention.

Of course, another victory over Wilder or one over Anthony Joshua in an all-U.K. title-unification bout by Fury could push him even higher.

Check out our pound-for-pound list below. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Vasiliy Lomachenko
  2. Terence Crawford
  3. Canelo Alvarez
  4. Naoya Inoue
  5. Oleksandr Usyk
  6. Gennadiy Golovkin
  7. Errol Spence Jr.
  8. Tyson Fury
  9. Juan Francisco Estrada
  10. Mikey Garcia
  11. Artur Beterbiev
  12. Josh Taylor
  13. Manny Pacquiao
  14. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
  15. Leo Santa Cruz

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Teofimo Lopez, Shawn Porter and Kosei Tanaka

Read more:

Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III: It’s seems likely

Tyson Fury prepared to face Anthony Joshua if Deontay wilder opts out

Good, bad, worse: Tyson Fury had perfect game plan, perfect execution

Tyson Fury beats the heavyweight title out of Deontay Wilder

Billy Joe Saunders waits on Canelo Alvarez: ‘I’m ready to fight’

Billy Joe Saunders said he’d be willing to fight Canelo Alvarez in Mexico if that’s what it takes to get the fight made.

Billy Joe Saunders waits. Mostly, he wonders. But there’s still no word from Canelo Alvarez on whom he intends to fight on May 2.

It’s beginning to sound as if the frustrated Saunders won’t wait much longer. Make a decision, Saunders says, or else he is prepared to move on to another option, perhaps against another reported Alvarez possibility, Callum Smith.

“I’m up for the fight,’’ Saunders said about Alvarez during an interview with Sky Sports. “I’ve not priced myself out. I’ve asked right. I’m willing to travel for Cinco de Mayo. I can only do so much. I can only offer myself. If they really want to fight, then let’s get it on. We’ve got 12 weeks. If not, me and Callum Smith will get it on in a big fight. A huge unification fight.

“I hear Smith is the frontrunner. Then I hear I’m the frontrunner. If it doesn’t happen, I think me and Callum should fight.’’

Saunders, a super-middleweight champion, said he would even travel to Mexico to face Alvarez, who hasn’t fought in his home country in more than eight years. His last fight in Mexico was on Nov. 26, 2011, a fifth-round stoppage of Kermit Cintron in Mexico City.

“I would go to Mexico, if they want, as long as they have got a fair, square ring,” Saunders said. “Let’s see who the best is. I fear no man. If they want to fight, I’m ready to fight. I’m the WBO super middleweight champion.

“He’s a three-weight world champion, not four like he keeps saying. I wanted to be busy, I wanted to be out mid-February. But the Canelo fight got mentioned and you have to have patience. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.’’

In the wake of reports that talks for an Alvarez fight in Japan against Ryota Murata fell apart a few weeks ago, there has been widespread speculation about Alvarez’s opponent for the annual bout celebrating Cinco de Mayo.

Saunders and Smith, also a 168-pound champion, make sense. So far, however, there has only been silence from Alvarez about what – who – is next.

“The problem is, I’ve been here before,’’ Saunders said. “I’ve been here twice with Gennadiy Golovkin, I’ve been here twice with Canelo.

“These big fights? I’ve been before and seen the carpet pulled (out from under me). So I’m not excited. The only time I get excited is when I put pen to paper.”

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao still lead the way

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are still the biggest names in boxing, according to new data from ListenFirst.

Boxing is a long way from escaping the collective shadow of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather is retired (for now) and Pacquiao may be on the back end of his career, but they are still dominating the boxing conversation, at least in the digital universe. That’s what the latest numbers pertaining to social media suggest, according to Forbes, which drew its conclusion from data culled by ListenFirst, an analytics firm that tracks social media engagement.

As of Dec. 31, 2019, Mayweather’s total audience across his social media platforms measured 44.5 million. Likewise, on the same date, Pacquiao had a total audience of 20.6 million.

Compare that to Canelo Alvarez, arguably the most bankable star in the sport today. The Mexican star had a total audience of 11 million on his social media accounts as of Dec. 31. Gennadiy Golovkin tracked at 5.27 million.

According to Forbes, you have to look outside of boxing to find anyone who rivals Mayweather’s reach. UFC’s Conor McGregor had a social media fan base of 48.9 million on the last day of 2019.

Of course, both Mayweather and Pacquiao have seen their influence on social media diminish since their ballyhooed matchup in 2015.

ListenFirst’s Fan Growth score, which measures the increase of a person’s digital audience — Facebook page likes, new Twitter followers and more — shows that Pacquiao’s score dropped from 5.9 million in 2015 to 735,892 in 2019; similarly, Mayweather’s Fan Growth score dropped from 8.7 million in 2015 to 45,861 in 2019. Again, Mayweather is retired while Pacquiao is still active.

And yet, ListenFirst claims that a rematch between Mayweather and Pacquiao remains an attractive possibility, despite some moans and groans from hardcore boxing fans. ListenFirst’s Chief Marketing Officer Tracy David says that as far as mainstream appeal goes, there is no bigger fight in boxing despite the drop off in popularity for both fighters and the fact that Pacquiao’s team recently suggested that Mayweather-Pacquiao II isn’t realistic.

“…[T]hat Mayweather and Pacquiao both have more of a social media following than younger stars like Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin speaks to why there’s still so much anticipation around a potential rematch,” David told Forbes. “Even at a diminished popularity level, Manny and Floyd remain the biggest names in boxing, and a sequel to their 2015 fight would likely be a PPV draw, despite questions about how much each fighter has left in the tank.”

Kell Brook on possible fight with Amir Khan: ‘He’s a waste of time’

Kell Brook wants to embark on a path toward an opportunity to fight for world titles, not talk about Amir Khan.

Kell Brook, a little bit like history, is back. Brook, looking on Saturday like the fighter he was a couple of years ago, resumes his pursuit of world titles.

He’s back in the mix, which means the long-proposed bout with Amir Khan is what it always was. A fantasy.

“He’s a waste of time,’’ Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) said when asked about Khan during a news conference after his seventh-round stoppage of American Mark DeLuca (24-2, 13 KOs) in Sheffield, England.

For years, Brook-Khan was a fight everyone in the U.K. wanted to see. It never happened. Then, Brook began working toward a comeback following successive losses to Gennadiy Golovkin and Errol Spence Jr.

The comeback reignited talk about Brook-Khan. However, Brook struggled through a couple of fights. There were doubts. There was a 14-month layoff. Then, there was DeLuca. Brook finished him and then went onto talk as though Khan possibility was finished, too.

“I’m after belts,’’ he said.

Khan (34-5, 21 KOs) doesn’t have a world title anymore. Instead, Brook talked about Liam Smith, who was at ringside in Sheffield. Smith might represent a quicker path to a ranking that would put him in line for a junior middleweight belt. Smith is ranked No. 2 by one of the acronyms

Nevertheless, promoter Eddie Hearn, of Matchroom Boxing, is not ready to dismiss the Brook-Khan possibility. Hope springs eternal.

“I’d jump at that fight this summer,’’ Hearn said. “It’s a huge fight. Just to be part of the build-up would be special, but we can’t waste our strategy and energy talking about it.”

Oscar De La Hoya: Billy Joe Saunders not Canelo Alvarez’s first choice

Oscar De La Hoya, the promoter of Canelo Alvarez, said that Billy Joe Saunders is not the front runner to face his fighter on May 2.

Billy Joe Saunders isn’t the leading candidate to fight Canelo Alvarez on May 2, according to Alvarez’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya.

Saunders, a 168-pound titleholder had been rumored to be Alvarez’s first choice for his next fight.

De La Hoya was talking about Alvarez’s immediate plans during a SecondsOut video interview when he squelched the rumor.

“I’ll tell you one thing,” he said. “Saunders is not the front runner, that’s for sure. I have no idea who threw that name out there. But once we nail down who it’s going to be, we’ll make an announcement shortly

“I have a trip to Mexico with Canelo and his team [scheduled}. We’ll sit down, I’ll stay there a few days, iron out a deal and take it from there.”

Saunders has been considered a leading candidate for several reasons. One, everyone seems to agree that 168 pounds would be the best weight for him. And Saunders is one of the four super middleweight titleholders.

A fight with Saunders and Callum Smith, another beltholder, would be the easiest fights to make. David Benavidez and Caleb Plant also hold 168-pound titles but they fight for rival Premier Boxing Champions, which would make negotiations complicated.

Another option would be a move back down to 160, although De La Hoya doesn’t seem to be keen on that idea.

“Just because of experience, going up to 160 and coming back to 147, maybe it would be a little difficult for him. But he has the option.”

Alvarez hasn’t fought at 160 since he defeated Gennadiy Golovkin by a majority decision in September 2018.

In his last fight, Alvarez stopped Sergey Kovalev to win a title at 175 pounds. He gave up the title shortly afterward, an indication that he has no plans to fight at light heavyweight.

Pound-for-pound: The fall of Julian Williams

Julian Williams’ knockout loss to Jeison Rosario on Saturday put a damper on his pound-for-pound hopes.

Julian Williams had said that his goal was to become the No. 1 fighter pound-for-pound. Well, that’s going to be a lot more difficult now.

Williams, who had been an honorable mention on the Boxing Junkie list of best fighters, was knocked out in five rounds by relatively obscure Jeison Rosario to lose his junior middleweight titles Saturday in Philadelphia.

“JRock” probably will get another crack at Rosario because of a rematch clause. However, even a victory would only be a small step toward pound-for-pound supremacy.

Williams rebounded from disappointment before, climbing back to elite status after he was knocked out by Jermall Charlo. But coming back from two knockouts? That’s not easy.

Alas, Williams is off our list after his setback Saturday. Replacing him as an honorable mention is Teofimo Lopez, the unbeaten lightweight titleholder who is coming off a sensational second-round knockout of Richard Commey in December.

Lopez, 22, could face his own Waterloo soon; he’s negotiating to meet Vasiliy Lomachenko, Boxing Junkie’s No. 1 fighter. Of course, a victory would catapult Lopez into the Top 10.

You just never know. Ask Williams.

Check out our pound-for-pound list below. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Vasiliy Lomachenko
  2. Terence Crawford
  3. Canelo Alvarez
  4. Naoya Inoue
  5. Oleksandr Usyk
  6. Gennadiy Golovkin
  7. Errol Spence Jr.
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada
  9. Mikey Garcia
  10. Artur Beterbiev
  11. Josh Taylor
  12. Manny Pacquiao
  13. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
  14. Leo Santa Cruz
  15. Kosei Tanaka

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Tyson Fury, Teofimo Lopez, Shawn Porter

Jamie Munguia’s promoter calls Gennadiy Golovkin ‘ideal opponent’

Promoter Fernando Beltran said that Gennadiy Golovkin is “an ideal opponent’’ for Jaime Munguia.

Jamie Munguia returned to Tijuana this week with a victory that his promoter hopes will finally lead to a fight with Gennadiy Golovkin.

Promoter Fernando Beltran said that Golovkin is “an ideal opponent’’ for Munguia.

“(GGG) is already [37] years old, but he is no longer the destroyer that he was three or four years ago,’’ Beltran said at a news conference welcoming Munguia home after his stoppage of Gary O’Sullivan last Saturday in San Antonio. “His reflexes are half-a-second or a second delayed, and the punches he receives are hurting him.

“I think that at this moment, it would be the fight that suits Jaime the most.”

A Munguia fight with GGG was discussed two years ago. But the Nevada State Athletic Commission said no, citing Munguia’s lack of experience against world-class middleweights. Munguia, trained by four-division champion Erik Morales, also was mentioned as a possible opponent for Canelo Alvarez.

The 23-year-old Mungia (35-0, 28 KOs) won a junior middleweight title, scoring a fourth-round stoppage of Sadam Ali on May 21, 2018 at Verona, N.Y. He defended the belt five times before moving up to middleweight for an 11th-round TKO of O’Sullivan.

“I’ll fight with whomever my promoter and my working team decide,’’ Munguia said at the news conference. “There are several options on the table, but we have to go step by step and see what is best for us.”

Jaime Munguia stops Gary O’Sullivan in middleweight debut

Jaime Munguia stops Gary O’Sullivan in the 11th round of his middleweight debut at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Jaime Munguia’s middleweight debut brought up all the concerns that had tailed him at 154: a slipshod defense, sloppy punches and an inconsistent jab. But none of them, alas, would jeopardize the Mexican on this night against Gary O’Sullivan.

After a rocky start, Munguia, a former junior middleweight titleholder, eventually took control of the 12-round fight, breaking down O’Sullivan en route to an 11th round stoppage in front of a partisan crowd at the Alamodome in San Antonio. 

Munguia unleashed a barrage of punches in the final round, including a strafing right hand that dropped O’Sullivan for the first time in the fight. At that point his corner threw in the white towel. Referee Mark Calo-Oy stopped the bout at 2:17 of the 11th.

Asked to rate his performance, Munguia said “I would give myself about a 8 or 9.”

Up until the middle rounds, the veteran O’Sullivan had some success exposing Munguia’s inherent weaknesses. The Irishman stepped forward for most of the fight, landing some consequential straight right hands as Munguia loaded up on his own punches. Toward the end of Round 2, O’Sullivan caught Munguia’s attention with a mean right hand and followed it up with a couple of 1-2 combinations.

Munguia’s hulking build allowed him to overpower his opponents at 154, but it was clear he could not do the same with O’Sullivan. Munguia acknowledged afterward that he opened himself the most when he threw his flurries.

“I was kind of sure and unsure,” said the 23-year-old, referring to his game plan, “because when I had him hurt was when he would throw hard. So I waited for him to get tired and then go for the finish.”

Munguia (35-0, 28 KOs) perhaps benefited from landing several low blows, two of which forced O’Sullivan (30-4, 21 KOs) to take a knee in Rounds 6 and 7. Calo-Oy docked a point from Munguia in Round 6. In the late rounds, Munguia began breaking down O’Sullivan, who appeared to be on unsteady legs. 

The new weight might’ve helped Munguia in terms of stamina, but it’s clear that he still needs to shore up his defense, a perpetually weak area that an elite middleweight will have no problem taking advantage of. The fact that he struggled visibly at times with O’Sullivan, who is no more than a B-minus-level fighter, speaks volumes. Still, that did not dissuade Munguia from calling out the division’s titleholders.

“I want to fight against the best of the division,” he said, “whether that’s Canelo (Alvarez), (Gennadiy) Golovkin, or (Jermall) Charlo.”

Munguia’s handlers, Golden Boy and Zanfer Promotions, may want to slam the brakes on their charge. 2020 should be another year of development; the lions can wait. 

Eric Gomez: 168 pounds is Canelo Alvarez’s ‘best weight class’

Golden Boy Promotions President Eric Gomez believes 168 pounds is the best weight for Canelo Alvarez at this stage of his career.

Canelo Alvarez’s immediate future remains up in the air.

Golden Boy Promotions President Eric Gomez told ESPN.com that Alvarez will fight next on May 2, which was expected. He generally fights on Cinco de Mayo weekend.

Who will he fight? No one is off the table, although Brits Callum Smith and Billy Joe Saunders seem to be in the mix.

The only thing that seems likely is that Alvarez will fight at or around 168 pounds, although anything is possible in that regard too. He’s coming off a KO victory over Sergey Kovalev to win a 175-pound belt in November but gave it up.

“I personally feel that’s the best weight class, where he’s going to be the best at, at this point in his career,” Gomez said. “That’s the weight class he’s going to feel the best, the strongest. But it doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t go back to light heavyweight, he still has that possibility.

“Giving up the title, yes, it was about the weight, but it wasn’t all about the weight.”

A fight with Smith or Saunders makes sense because it would allow Alvarez to win a 168-pound title and enhance his exposure in the U.K., wherever the fight takes place. Alvarez beat Rocky Fielding to win what the WBA calls its “regular” super middleweight title but Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize that belt.

Of course, Alvarez could also fight Gennadiy Golovkin a third time.

“We’re not ruling out anybody – everybody, even at 160 pounds,” Gomez said. “If he wants to go back to 160 pounds or if there’s any of the champions that want to move up, face him, we’re not ruling anything out.”

Pound-for-pound: What will the list look like in 2020?

Nos. 1 and 2 Vasiliy Lomachenko and Terence Crawford are still amazing in their early 30s but many gifted fighters are hot on their heels.

The Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list has been fairly stable since its inception. That could change in 2020.

Nos. 1 and 2 Vasiliy Lomachenko and Terence Crawford are still amazing in their early 30s but a number of gifted fighters — some much younger — are hot on their heels.

No. 3 Canelo Alvarez is always a threat to climb higher if Lomachenko and/or Crawford slip. No. 4 Naoya Inoue, only 26, already is No. 1 on some lists. No. 5 Oleksandr Usyk, now a heavyweight, probably will rise if he takes down the giants in the sport.

No. 6 Gennadiy Golovkin still lurks but is 37. No. 7 Errol Spence Jr., recovered from his car accident, has No. 1 pound-for-pound written all over him. No. 8 Juan Estrada is probably underappreciated. No. 9 Mikey Garcia shouldn’t be dismissed because of his loss to Spence. And No. 10 Artur Beterbiev, an imposing brawler, is on the ascent.

That’s a strong Top 10.

Beyond them, our Nos. 11-15 are all poised to move up if the opportunities are there. And hot young fighters like Gervonta Davis, Jose Ramirez and Teofimo Lopez are knocking on the door.

Bottom line: There are many talented, hungry fighters who dream not only if winning titles but also gaining recognition as the very best in the sport.

Check out our final Top 15 list of 2019 below. Check back next year. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Vasiliy Lomachenko
  2. Terence Crawford
  3. Canelo Alvarez
  4. Naoya Inoue
  5. Oleksandr Usyk
  6. Gennadiy Golovkin
  7. Errol Spence Jr.
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada
  9. Mikey Garcia
  10. Artur Beterbiev
  11. Josh Taylor
  12. Manny Pacquiao
  13. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
  14. Leo Santa Cruz
  15. Kosei Tanaka

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Tyson Fury, Shawn Porter, Julian Williams