A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
David Benavidez
David Benavidez has said repeatedly that he has hurt everyone he has faced in the ring. He’s right. He might not knock out all of his opponents – Caleb Plant survived 12 rounds with him, for example – but he’s going to stalk you, he’s going to punish you and, it seems, he’s going to have his hand raised after the fact. That inevitability was on display in its most brutal form on Saturday in Las Vegas, where “The Mexican Monster” walked down, dropped and relentlessly pummeled fellow 168-pound contender Demetrius Andrade until Andrade’s corner stopped the fight after six rounds to save him from a worse fate. Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) never looked more destructive. Afterward he once again called out the king of the division, undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez. Is there anyone who doesn’t believe Benavidez deserves that fight? Is there anyone who doesn’t want to see it? Let’s hope Alvarez sees it that way and finally agrees to face his biggest threat at 168 pounds.
BIGGESET LOSER
Demetrius Andrade
We shouldn’t draw firm conclusions from Andrade’s performance in the first meaningful test of his 15-year career. Benavidez didn’t beat him solely because he was the bigger man, as Andrade (32-1, 19 KOs) suggested multiple times after the fight. The winner obviously knows what he’s doing. But Benavidez’s physical advantage certainly played a role in his victory over an opponent who started his career as a 154-pounder and was fighting at 168 for only the second time. Andrade looked good for a while, outlanding Benavidez and consistently circling away from trouble before he hit the canvas and quickly deteriorated beginning in Round 4. The Andrade of the first few rounds could give anyone trouble, which is a positive sign for him. He asserted afterward that he’s far from finished at 35. He said he’ll go back to the gym, continue to grow into the division and ponder his next move. “I’ll work on my body a little more,” he said, “and I’ll be right back at it.” He will.
BIGGEST WINNER II
Katie Taylor
What more can she accomplish? Taylor (23-1, 6 KOs) was at a crossroads after she lost a decision against then-140-pound champ Chantelle Cameron in May. Many wondered whether the Irishwoman’s time had passed. It hadn’t. The 37-year-old former Olympic champion gave one of her best performances in the rematch with Cameron on Saturday in Dublin, outboxing a naturally bigger opponent to win a majority decision (that should’ve been unanimous) and become an undisputed champion in a second division simultaneously in another entertaining fight. Cameron gave a spirited effort but Taylor consistently beat her to the punch, landing quick, accurate combinations and then clinching to avoid return fire. She was brilliant. The word legend is sometimes thrown around carelessly but that is the type of legacy Taylor has built. If she’s not the greatest female boxer of all time, she certainly is in the conversation.
RABBIT PUNCHES
Subriel Matias (20-1, 20 KOs) gave a David Benavidez-like statement on the Benavidez-Andrade card. The 31-year-old Puerto Rican survived some tough early moments to destroy fellow slugger Shohjahon Ergashev (23-1, 20 KOs) after five rounds to retain his 140-pound title and bolster his reputation as one of the sport’s most dangerous punchers. He has forced his last five opponents to retire on their stools, although Ergashev complained of a leg injury. Matias appears to be in the class of the best fighters around his weight, including his fellow beltholders and the top 135-pounders. He’ll have to face one of them for us to know for sure, though. … Middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo (33-0, 22 KOs) made a successful return after a 2½-year hiatus to focus on his mental health, easily outpointing durable, but overmatched Jose Benavidez Jr. (28-3-1, 19 KOs) in a 10-round bout on the Benavidez-Andrade show. Rust? I didn’t see any. He boxed beautifully, using his superb jab and quick, heavy combinations to dominate the fight. Benavidez was able to survive only because of his unusual durability. Now Charlo can focus on bigger challenges. He could still be in the Alvarez sweepstakes and there are a number of good options at 160. Charlo is back. …
Hector Luis Garcia (16-2, 10 KOs) might be a one-year wonder. The 130-pounder from the Dominican Republic made a splash by outpointing Chris Colbert and Roger Gutierrez last year, positioning himself as a potential star. But he has fallen flat this year, getting stopped by Gervonta Davis at 135 in January and losing a split decision and his title to Lamont Roach on the Benavidez-Andrade card. Garcia took a big swing and missed against Davis. OK. His performance against Roach was less defendable, as he wasn’t active enough to overcome a beatable opponent. It will be difficult for him to rebuild after the back-to-back setbacks. Meanwhile, Roach (24-1-1, 9 KOs) did what it took to become a major titleholder. The well-schooled boxer from the Washington, D.C. area didn’t do much either but he took the fight to Garcia and landed the cleaner punches. Roach obviously is a capable fighter. …
Nevada officials had a bad night. A mistake by referee Tony Weeks cost Garcia his belt. Weeks missed the fact that Roach put Garcia down in the 12th round with a punch that landed behind the head, which is illegal. The result would’ve been a draw had Roach won the round 10-9, which would’ve allowed Garcia to retain his title. Why didn’t officials go to instant replay? If it’s not used for such calls, why not? A bad ruling should’ve been reversed. … In the Matias-Ergashev fight, Ergashev kept his extended lead arm in Matias’ face to keep Matis at a distance favorable to Ergashev. That’s also illegal. Referee Celestino Ruiz should’ve prevented Ergashev from doing that. … And in the Charlo-Benavidez fight, Charlo had a chance to score a knockout late in the final round when referee Harvey Dock more or less tackled Charlo to untangle the fighters. Had Dock let the fighters do their work, Charlo might’ve gotten his stoppage.
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