Jared Anderson extended knockout streak to 11 by stopping Oleksandr Teslenko in the second round Saturday in New York.
Another fight, another knockout.
Jared Anderson, the 22-year-old heavyweight prospect, maintained his streak of stoppages by putting Oleksandr Teslenko away at 1:33 of Round 2 of a scheduled eight-round bout on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Richard Commey card Saturday in New York.
Anderson has knocked out all 11 of his opponents.
The product of Toldeo, Ohio, fought aggressively from the opening bell, perhaps somewhat recklessly. He landed some power shots but so did his Ukrainian opponent.
Anderson was on the attack in the second round when he followed a left jab with a straight right to the temple that put Teslenko down and hurt him.
Teslenko, clearly in trouble, was able to get to his feet at the count of nine but the referee determined that he was in no condition to continue and stopped the fight.
On the undercard, 19-year-old junior middleweight prospect Xander Zayas (12-0, 9 KOs) of Puerto Rico stopped Alessio Mastronunzio (9-2, 3 KOs) of Italy in the first round of a scheduled six-round bout.
And Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis (4-0, 3 KOs) of Norfolk, Virginia, dropped Jose Zaragoza (8-4-1, 2 KOs) of Mexico twice and stopped him at 2:51 of Round 2 of a scheduled a six-round junior welterweight bout.
Jared Anderson extended knockout streak to 11 by stopping Oleksandr Teslenko in the second round Saturday in New York.
Another fight, another knockout.
Jared Anderson, the 22-year-old heavyweight prospect, maintained his streak of stoppages by putting Oleksandr Teslenko away at 1:33 of Round 2 of a scheduled eight-round bout on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Richard Commey card Saturday in New York.
Anderson has knocked out all 11 of his opponents.
The product of Toldeo, Ohio, fought aggressively from the opening bell, perhaps somewhat recklessly. He landed some power shots but so did his Ukrainian opponent.
Anderson was on the attack in the second round when he followed a left jab with a straight right to the temple that put Teslenko down and hurt him.
Teslenko, clearly in trouble, was able to get to his feet at the count of nine but the referee determined that he was in no condition to continue and stopped the fight.
On the undercard, 19-year-old junior middleweight prospect Xander Zayas (12-0, 9 KOs) of Puerto Rico stopped Alessio Mastronunzio (9-2, 3 KOs) of Italy in the first round of a scheduled six-round bout.
And Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis (4-0, 3 KOs) of Norfolk, Virginia, dropped Jose Zaragoza (8-4-1, 2 KOs) of Mexico twice and stopped him at 2:51 of Round 2 of a scheduled a six-round junior welterweight bout.
Good, bad, worse: Eimantas Stanionis sharp, no Olympic gold for the U.S and a rogue judge.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Sometimes it doesn’t matter much whether you win or lose.
Welterweight Eimantas Stanionis had enough time to make a statement against 40-year-old Luis Collazo even though their fight was cut short and ruled a no-decision as a result of a clash of heads Saturday night in Minneapolis.
Stanionis, a 26-year-old from Lithuania, looked like a legitimate contender by pounding his game, but overmatched opponent from the opening bell to the moment their heads collided in the fourth round, which ended the fight because Collazo couldn’t continue.
The fight was declared a no-decision because it didn’t go four full rounds but we saw what we saw: an efficient offensive machine who landed damaging shots at a remarkable rate of accuracy. Indeed, Collazo, who has a good chin, might’ve been fortunate that the fight ended as early as it did because he was destined to take a prolonged beating.
We shouldn’t read too much into Stanionis’ strong performance. After all, Collazo is at the end of career. However, the New Yorker still has some fight in him and remains crafty. And Stanionis had his way with him for as long as the fight lasted.
Can Stanionis compete with the best 147-pounders in the world? I don’t know. It’s difficult to imagine him beating the likes of Terence Crawford, Errol Spence Jr., Manny Pacquiao and a few other top welterweights. He’s not as quick, athletic or dynamic as they are.
At the same time, relentless and intelligent pressure from a good fighter like Stanionis can make the life of any opponent difficult. I won’t be surprised if he finds a way to win a coveted title sometime in the near future.
The only thing I know for sure is that he’s earning the right to give it a try.
***
BAD
I wrote last week that we should be encouraged by the performance of the American boxers in the Olympics. They won four medals (three silver and a bronze), their best output since the 2000 Games in Sydney.
That said, an 0-3 record in gold medal matches was disappointing.
Featherweight Duke Ragan came the closest to becoming Olympic champion, losing a 3-2 split decision to Albert Batyrgaziev of the Russian Olympic Committee. Lightweight Keyshawn Davis, perhaps the U.S.’ best hope, fell by a 4-1 split decision to quick, talented Andy Cruz of Cuba. And super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. lost a 5-0 unanimous decision to hulking Bakhodir Jalolov.
A victory be just one of them would’ve given the U.S. its first men’s gold medal since Andre Ward in the 2004 Olympics, 17 years ago. Claressa Shields won back-to-back gold in the 2012 and 2016 women’s competitions.
Again, the four medals — including a bronze by women’s welterweight Oshae Jones — were encouraging. However, those of us hoping for a just a little more will have to wait until the 2024 Paris Games.
The good news is that some good professionals will emerge from the Games. My favorite was Davis, who is already 3-0 as a pro. He didn’t win the gold but he lived up to the hype. He has natural gifts, plenty of skill and poise, qualities that should lead to a successful career in the paid ranks.
I can’t wait to see how he develops.
***
WORSE
The scoring in the Gabriel Maestre-Mykal Fox fight on the Stanionis-Collazo card was disturbing on the surface but got worse the more we learned.
Fox, a tall, athletic welterweight, outboxed Maestre and put him down in what seemed certain to be a one-sided victory for the late replacement. The judges somehow saw it differently, handing Maestre a 115-112, 114-113, 117-110 unanimous decision and the WBA “interim” title.
The 117-110 score, from judge Gloria Martinez-Rizzo, was particularly disturbing. And it wasn’t just the fact that she gave Maestre nine of the 12 rounds, which reflects horribly on her and the WBA.
According to a report on BoxingScene.com, Martinez-Rizzo has posted racist tweets. In one, she refers to former First Lady Michelle Obama as “monkey face.” Fox, who is black, reportedly responded to the tweets: “Wow, I was never gonna win on her card.”
Only in boxing.
After the fight and the ensuing public outcry, WBA President Gilberto Mendoza promised to conduct an investigation of the scoring and indicated that a rematch is possible. That’s the least that can be done for Fox, who turned in the performance of his career.
And we can only hope that we never see Martinez-Rizzo sitting ringside at any fight again.
Good, bad, worse: Eimantas Stanionis sharp, no Olympic gold for the U.S and a rogue judge.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Sometimes it doesn’t matter much whether you win or lose.
Welterweight Eimantas Stanionis had enough time to make a statement against 40-year-old Luis Collazo even though their fight was cut short and ruled a no-decision as a result of a clash of heads Saturday night in Minneapolis.
Stanionis, a 26-year-old from Lithuania, looked like a legitimate contender by pounding his game, but overmatched opponent from the opening bell to the moment their heads collided in the fourth round, which ended the fight because Collazo couldn’t continue.
The fight was declared a no-decision because it didn’t go four full rounds but we saw what we saw: an efficient offensive machine who landed damaging shots at a remarkable rate of accuracy. Indeed, Collazo, who has a good chin, might’ve been fortunate that the fight ended as early as it did because he was destined to take a prolonged beating.
We shouldn’t read too much into Stanionis’ strong performance. After all, Collazo is at the end of career. However, the New Yorker still has some fight in him and remains crafty. And Stanionis had his way with him for as long as the fight lasted.
Can Stanionis compete with the best 147-pounders in the world? I don’t know. It’s difficult to imagine him beating the likes of Terence Crawford, Errol Spence Jr., Manny Pacquiao and a few other top welterweights. He’s not as quick, athletic or dynamic as they are.
At the same time, relentless and intelligent pressure from a good fighter like Stanionis can make the life of any opponent difficult. I won’t be surprised if he finds a way to win a coveted title sometime in the near future.
The only thing I know for sure is that he’s earning the right to give it a try.
***
BAD
I wrote last week that we should be encouraged by the performance of the American boxers in the Olympics. They won four medals (three silver and a bronze), their best output since the 2000 Games in Sydney.
That said, an 0-3 record in gold medal matches was disappointing.
Featherweight Duke Ragan came the closest to becoming Olympic champion, losing a 3-2 split decision to Albert Batyrgaziev of the Russian Olympic Committee. Lightweight Keyshawn Davis, perhaps the U.S.’ best hope, fell by a 4-1 split decision to quick, talented Andy Cruz of Cuba. And super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. lost a 5-0 unanimous decision to hulking Bakhodir Jalolov.
A victory be just one of them would’ve given the U.S. its first men’s gold medal since Andre Ward in the 2004 Olympics, 17 years ago. Claressa Shields won back-to-back gold in the 2012 and 2016 women’s competitions.
Again, the four medals — including a bronze by women’s welterweight Oshae Jones — were encouraging. However, those of us hoping for a just a little more will have to wait until the 2024 Paris Games.
The good news is that some good professionals will emerge from the Games. My favorite was Davis, who is already 3-0 as a pro. He didn’t win the gold but he lived up to the hype. He has natural gifts, plenty of skill and poise, qualities that should lead to a successful career in the paid ranks.
I can’t wait to see how he develops.
***
WORSE
The scoring in the Gabriel Maestre-Mykal Fox fight on the Stanionis-Collazo card was disturbing on the surface but got worse the more we learned.
Fox, a tall, athletic welterweight, outboxed Maestre and put him down in what seemed certain to be a one-sided victory for the late replacement. The judges somehow saw it differently, handing Maestre a 115-112, 114-113, 117-110 unanimous decision and the WBA “interim” title.
The 117-110 score, from judge Gloria Martinez-Rizzo, was particularly disturbing. And it wasn’t just the fact that she gave Maestre nine of the 12 rounds, which reflects horribly on her and the WBA.
According to a report on BoxingScene.com, Martinez-Rizzo has posted racist tweets. In one, she refers to former First Lady Michelle Obama as “monkey face.” Fox, who is black, reportedly responded to the tweets: “Wow, I was never gonna win on her card.”
Only in boxing.
After the fight and the ensuing public outcry, WBA President Gilberto Mendoza promised to conduct an investigation of the scoring and indicated that a rematch is possible. That’s the least that can be done for Fox, who turned in the performance of his career.
And we can only hope that we never see Martinez-Rizzo sitting ringside at any fight again.
Olympics: Keyshawn Davis was edged by Cuban Andy Cruz in the lightweight gold medal match in Tokyo.
Keyshawn Davis’ exit from the Tokyo Olympics will have a silver lining.
The lightweight from Norfolk, Virginia, lost a 4-1 split decision to gifted Cuban Andy Cruz in the gold medal match early Sunday Eastern Time in the U.S., meaning he had to settle for a silver medal.
However, Davis demonstrated special talent throughout the Games, including in his final match.
Davis was 0-3 against the older, more experience Cuban but fought him on roughly even terms in the biggest fight for both men.
The first round was largely a chess match, as both boxers fought carefully. Cruz, countering nicely, won the round on four of the five cards because he found the target more than Davis did.
Andy Cruz gave Cuba its fourth gold medal and fifth medal overall. Julian Finney / Getty Images
Davis, fighting with more urgency, turned the second round into more of a brawl, forcing Cruz into dangerous exchanges. And it was the American who landed more eye-catching shots.
Thus, he won on all five cards in that round.
Then, in Round 3, Davis might’ve too passive for the first few minutes, which allowed Cruz to take control. Davis picked up his pace in the final minute of the round but it was too late.
All five judges had Cruz winning the frame and the fight. The final scores were 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29, giving Cuba its fourth gold medal of the 2021 Games.
The U.S. had one more chance to win a gold medal at the time this was posted. American super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. was set to fight Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan for the tournament championship later in the session.
No American had won a gold medal since Andre Ward in 2004.
Olympics: Keyshawn Davis was edged by Cuban Andy Cruz in the lightweight gold medal match in Tokyo.
Keyshawn Davis’ exit from the Tokyo Olympics will have a silver lining.
The lightweight from Norfolk, Virginia, lost a 4-1 split decision to gifted Cuban Andy Cruz in the gold medal match early Sunday Eastern Time in the U.S., meaning he had to settle for a silver medal.
However, Davis demonstrated special talent throughout the Games, including in his final match.
Davis was 0-3 against the older, more experience Cuban but fought him on roughly even terms in the biggest fight for both men.
The first round was largely a chess match, as both boxers fought carefully. Cruz, countering nicely, won the round on four of the five cards because he found the target more than Davis did.
Andy Cruz gave Cuba its fourth gold medal and fifth medal overall. Julian Finney / Getty Images
Davis, fighting with more urgency, turned the second round into more of a brawl, forcing Cruz into dangerous exchanges. And it was the American who landed more eye-catching shots.
Thus, he won on all five cards in that round.
Then, in Round 3, Davis might’ve too passive for the first few minutes, which allowed Cruz to take control. Davis picked up his pace in the final minute of the round but it was too late.
All five judges had Cruz winning the frame and the fight. The final scores were 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29, giving Cuba its fourth gold medal of the 2021 Games.
The U.S. had one more chance to win a gold medal at the time this was posted. American super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. was set to fight Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan for the tournament championship later in the session.
No American had won a gold medal since Andre Ward in 2004.
U.S. lightweight Keyshawn Davis outpointed Armenian to reach the gold medal match in the Tokyo Olympics.
Keyshawn Davis continues to live up to the hype.
The U.S. lightweight, who was considered a gold medal threat going into the Olympics, defeated Hovhannes Bachkov of Armenia by a unanimous decision in the semifinals early Friday ET in the U.S. to reach the championship match early Sunday ET.
Davis will face Cuban Andy Cruz, who shut out Harry Garside of Australia immediately after Davis’ victory over Bachkov.
Davis, a 3-0 pro from Norfolk, Virgina, used constant movement and quick, eye-catching combinations (as well as holding when he it behooved him) to frustrate Bachkov for most of their fight. The Armenian spent much of the first round chasing his elusive opponent and rarely catching him.
U.S. lightweight Keyshawn Davis (left) enjoys the moment as he learns he will fight for a gold medal. Danielle Parhizkaran / USA TODAY Sports
Bachkov’s pressure paid some dividends in the second and third rounds, as he bulled his way inside and landed some clean shots. However, Davis, the much quicker and slicker of the two, continued to do a good job of playing the matador and scoring with fast, hard shots that caught the judges’ eyes.
Davis was confident that he had won after the final bell sounded. He had a wide grin on his face as he and Bachkov awaited the announcement of the victor. And Davis was right. Moments later he had his hand raised, signifying a trip to the gold medal match.
“One more to go,” the 22-year-old said as he left the ring.
Davis should have his hands full in the final. Cruz, 25, won back-to-back gold medals at light welterweight in the 2017 and 2019 World Amateur Championships.
U.S. super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. of Tulare, Calif., will face No. 1-seeded Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan in the gold medal match early Sunday ET.
U.S. lightweight Keyshawn Davis outpointed Armenian to reach the gold medal match in the Tokyo Olympics.
Keyshawn Davis continues to live up to the hype.
The U.S. lightweight, who was considered a gold medal threat going into the Olympics, defeated Hovhannes Bachkov of Armenia by a unanimous decision in the semifinals early Friday ET in the U.S. to reach the championship match early Sunday ET.
Davis will face Cuban Andy Cruz, who shut out Harry Garside of Australia immediately after Davis’ victory over Bachkov.
Davis, a 3-0 pro from Norfolk, Virgina, used constant movement and quick, eye-catching combinations (as well as holding when he it behooved him) to frustrate Bachkov for most of their fight. The Armenian spent much of the first round chasing his elusive opponent and rarely catching him.
U.S. lightweight Keyshawn Davis (left) enjoys the moment as he learns he will fight for a gold medal. Danielle Parhizkaran / USA TODAY Sports
Bachkov’s pressure paid some dividends in the second and third rounds, as he bulled his way inside and landed some clean shots. However, Davis, the much quicker and slicker of the two, continued to do a good job of playing the matador and scoring with fast, hard shots that caught the judges’ eyes.
Davis was confident that he had won after the final bell sounded. He had a wide grin on his face as he and Bachkov awaited the announcement of the victor. And Davis was right. Moments later he had his hand raised, signifying a trip to the gold medal match.
“One more to go,” the 22-year-old said as he left the ring.
Davis should have his hands full in the final. Cruz, 25, won back-to-back gold medals at light welterweight in the 2017 and 2019 World Amateur Championships.
U.S. super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. of Tulare, Calif., will face No. 1-seeded Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan in the gold medal match early Sunday ET.
Olympics: American Duke Ragan came up just short against Russian Albert Batyrgaziev in the featherweight gold medal match in Tokyo.
Duke Ragan fell just short in his bid to become the U.S.’ first Olympic gold medal winner since 2004.
Albert Batyrgaziev of the Russian Olympic Committee defeated Ragan by a 3-2 split decision in the featherweight championship match early Thursday Eastern Time in the U.S., meaning the Cincinnati fighter had to settle for the silver medal in Tokyo.
Batyrgaziev, a lanky southpaw, used volume punching to keep Ragan on the defensive in the first two rounds, both of which the Russian won on four of five cards. The American landed some eye-catching shots but couldn’t keep pace with his opponent.
Then, fighting with more urgency, he matched Batyrgaziev punch for punch – and then some — to win the third round on four of five cards.
However, it was too late for Ragan. Three judges had Batyrgaziev winning, 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28, while two scored it for Ragan, 29-28 and 29-28.
Had Ragan gotten the nod, he would’ve been the first American Olympic champion since Andre Ward 17 years ago.
Batyrgaziev and Ragan are both 23 and in the early stages of their professional careers, to which they will now return.
Now it’s up to lightweight Keyshawn Davis and super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. to end the U.S. gold medal drought in the Olympics.
Davis will face Hovhannes Bachkov of Armenia in the semifinals early Friday ET. Torrez will face No. 1-seeded Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan in the gold medal match early Sunday ET. Jalolov is the reigning amateur World Champion.
Olympics: American Duke Ragan came up just short against Russian Albert Batyrgaziev in the featherweight gold medal match in Tokyo.
Duke Ragan fell just short in his bid to become the U.S.’ first Olympic gold medal winner since 2004.
Albert Batyrgaziev of the Russian Olympic Committee defeated Ragan by a 3-2 split decision in the featherweight championship match early Thursday Eastern Time in the U.S., meaning the Cincinnati fighter had to settle for the silver medal in Tokyo.
Batyrgaziev, a lanky southpaw, used volume punching to keep Ragan on the defensive in the first two rounds, both of which the Russian won on four of five cards. The American landed some eye-catching shots but couldn’t keep pace with his opponent.
Then, fighting with more urgency, he matched Batyrgaziev punch for punch – and then some — to win the third round on four of five cards.
However, it was too late for Ragan. Three judges had Batyrgaziev winning, 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28, while two scored it for Ragan, 29-28 and 29-28.
Had Ragan gotten the nod, he would’ve been the first American Olympic champion since Andre Ward 17 years ago.
Batyrgaziev and Ragan are both 23 and in the early stages of their professional careers, to which they will now return.
Now it’s up to lightweight Keyshawn Davis and super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. to end the U.S. gold medal drought in the Olympics.
Davis will face Hovhannes Bachkov of Armenia in the semifinals early Friday ET. Torrez will face No. 1-seeded Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan in the gold medal match early Sunday ET. Jalolov is the reigning amateur World Champion.
