A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
If you like knockouts, you had a good Saturday night.
Three fighters delivered brutal stoppages in high-profile events, two inside two minutes of the first round and one in the ninth. All of them left a strong impression.
Jose Zepeda and Jaron Ennis did the quick, breathtaking work.
The oddsmakers thought that Zepeda vs. Josue Vargas was a 50-50 fight but a chilling left hand to the jaw that put Vargas on his face in the first round initiated a wipe out. Vargas got up but couldn’t survive a subsequent series of shots, which ended the fight after only 1 minute, 45 seconds.
It was a strong statement from Zepeda, who was only two fights removed from his Fight of the Year against Ivan Baranchyk. If anyone forgot that Zepeda (35-2, 27 KOs) has big-time power, he provided a reminder in New York.
Ennis (28-0, 26 KOs) has otherworldly power, as he demonstrated again on the Radzhab Butaev-Jamal James card in Las Vegas. A right to the head and moments later a straight left hand left veteran Thomas Dulorme wondering what hit him and ended their fight only 1:49 into the action.
I’ll say it again: Ennis reminds me of Roy Jones Jr., whose speed, athleticism and punching power made him an all time great. We’ll see how this plays out.
And Radzhab Buteav took a more circuitous route to stopping Jamal James in the main event in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas-based Russian broke down a respected, but physically overmatched opponent to win by a ninth-round stoppage and possibly earn a welterweight title shot. Big night for Butaev.
Three fights, three knockouts. That’s entertainment.
***
BAD
Knockouts come with knockout victims.
One must feel for Vargas, Dulorme and James, although their setbacks won’t necessarily have the same impacts on their careers.
Vargas (19-2, 9 KOs) might be in the best position to bounce back. The talented Puerto Rican is only 23. He can say legitimately, “Hey, I got caught with a big shot. I’ll learn from it.” He probably has many more victories in his future.
Dulorme (25-6-1, 16 KOs) might be in trouble. On one hand, he’s only 31 and gave a solid performance against Eimantas Stanionis in his previous fight. On the other hand, he has now lost three consecutive fights to elite opponents.
And the loss on Saturday was his worst since he was stopped in six rounds by Terence Crawford in 2015. He didn’t even know what hit him.
The good news for Dulorme is that he didn’t take a prolonged beating, which normally means a relatively quick recovery. However, we’ll see whether he can get another big fight after three consecutive disappointments.
James (27-2, 12 KOs) absorbed a lot of punishment against Butaev and is 33, which might not bode well for his future. And while James’ heart can’t be questioned, Butaev might’ve exposed his physical limitations.
That said, James had been on a nice run going into the fight. And maybe a 14-month layoff worked against him.
I suspect James will get another opportunity or two on a big stage before he’s finished.
***
WORSE
The name Cuthbert Taylor is lost to history for all but the most thorough historians, which is a heartbreaking injustice.
Taylor, a Welshman, was a 1928 Olympian and one of the better pros in Europe in the 1930s and ’40s but was denied a chance to fight for a British championship because of a color line that existed until 1948, which was similar to barriers faced by black fighters in the United States.
The British Boxing Board of Control actually enforced a rule that stated only fighters “with two white parents” could compete for titles, according to The Guardian. Taylor’s father was Caribbean, his mother white.
Thus, the slick lightweight with more than 200 pro fights was never allowed to fulfil what might’ve been his destiny.
Well, family members of Taylor, who died in 1977, and a member of the British Parliament are doing what they can to right the wrong: They’re demanding an apology from the BBBofC, which continues to oversee the sport in the U.K.
“Due simply to the fact that his parents were of different ethnic backgrounds, Cuthbert Taylor would never have the recognition and success at professional level that his remarkable talent deserved,” said Gerald Jones, the politician.
“That was all because of a rule that left a stain on the history of one of our country’s most popular and traditional sports, one that has otherwise been known for bringing people from many different backgrounds and communities together.”
He added in an address to Parliament: “This blatantly racist, discriminatory and shameful policy prevented many people from achieving their potential and, unbelievably, the British Boxing Board of Control has yet to apologize.”
That’s the least the BBBofC could do for Taylor.
***
RABBIT PUNCHES
One criticism of Ennis’ performance: He was reckless when he went in for the kill after hurting Dulorme. As a result, he took a hard right that might’ve stopped some fighters. The fact he absorbed the punch without blinking says something about his chin. At the same time, a bigger puncher than Dulorme might’ve seriously hurt Ennis with that shot. … Zepeda seems to be in a good position to challenge undisputed 140-pound champion Josh Taylor, assuming Taylor defeats Jack Catterall on Feb. 26. That would be Zepeda’s third shot at a title, after losing to Terry Flanagan (as the result of an injury) and Jose Ramirez (by majority decision). “I won’t accept anything else. It’s been promised to me too many times. We’re ready,” Zepeda said of another title shot. … I don’t have a problem with the Butaev-James stoppage by referee Celestino Ruiz. James was still competitive only moments earlier, which made the stoppage seem abrupt. However, he had no answer to a series of hard shots in the final seconds and had taken a great deal of punishment over eight-plus rounds. Ruiz did James a favor. … James was losing on two cards (77-74 and 77-74) and winning on the third (76-75) after eight rounds. And he probably would’ve lost Round 9, which would’ve made it difficult for him to win a decision had he survived. Patricia Morse Jarman gave each fighter four rounds, which gave James a one-point lead as the result of a point deducted from Butaev. I think she was too generous to James but her card wasn’t outrageous. …
Lightweight contender Michel Rivera (22-0, 14 KOs) defeated Jose Matias Romero (24-2, 8 KOs) by a shutout decision in a 10-round junior welterweight bout on the Butaev-James card. The talented Dominican outboxed and outworked Romero from beginning to end, which led to the conclusive decision. However, he couldn’t hurt a naturally smaller opponent who stood toe-to-toe with him much of the fight. Was that because Romero is particularly tough? Or was there some deficiency on Rivera’s part? It was probably a combination of both factors. … Rolando Romero is almost certainly out as Gervonta Davis’ opponent on Dec. 5 in Los Angeles because of a sexual assault allegation against Romero, according to multiple reports. Issac Cruz reportedly is a leading candidate to step in as Davis’ opponent. Also, 140-pounder Regis Prograis threw his hat into the ring. I love a Davis-Prograis matchup but the matchup seems to be too big to put together on short notice.
