A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Tim Tszyu did what he set out to do in his unanimous-decision victory over Terrell Gausha on Saturday, which was to prove that he’s among the best 154-pounders on the planet.
The Aussie wasn’t perfect. He got careless in the first round, when he went down from a straight right. He took a lot of hard shots overall. And his work might’ve been easier had he worked more behind his jab, which wasn’t a factor in the fight.
However, the good far outweighed the bad.
He bounced back immediately from the knockdown, demonstrating that adversity is no threat to him. He imposed his will on Gausha ferociously and effectively in spite of the incoming fire, which allowed him to control the fight and undoubtedly got the attention of potential opponents.
And he never doubted himself for a moment even though he was fighting outside his native country for the first time. He’s a special fighter and he knows it.
I don’t know how he’d fare against Jermell Charlo, a more-complete and more-powerful fighter than Gausha. The same for Brian Castano and Erickson Lubin, whose strengths are formidable.
However, I believe strongly that Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs) has a combination of ability, strength and determination that would pose a challenge for any of the above.
It’s not fair to compare Tszyu to his famous father, Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu. To do that is to set him up for failure, at least at the moment. At the same time, I believe there’s a chance he could turn out to be the most successful son of a great fighter in the history of sport.
It will be fascinating to see how this story plays out.
BAD
.@TerrellGausha means business tonight, dropping Tim Tszyu with a perfectly timed counter-right in RD1. #TyszuGausha #PBConShowtime pic.twitter.com/it68P3us2m
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) March 27, 2022
Gausha (22-3-1, 11 KOs) is a good fighter, as he demonstrated once again on Saturday.
The 2012 U.S. Olympian put Tszyu down, survived some of his own harrowing moments and continued to fight his heart out until the bell to end the 12th and final round. As he said, “I hate losing but I went out like a champion.”
But now what?
Gausha is 2-3-1 in his last six fights, including clear, unanimous-decision losses against Erislandy Lara, Erickson Lubin and Tszyu, and a draw with Austin Trout. He’s 34 years old, an age when things typically begin to wind down.
How many more chances can he be given before the powers to be say, ‘It’s just not going to happen for him?” The number has to be small.
That said, the spirit with which he fought against Tszyu probably gives him hope that he’s not quite finished as a relevant fighter.
He was too passive much of the fight. And he spent too much time taking punches with his back against the ropes, the result of Tszyu’s constant pressure. He never stopped trying, though, never stopped looking for ways to hurt Tszyu even as he was taking a beating.
Fans appreciate that. They’ll probably want to see him again in an important fight.
As Tszyu said immediately after the fight: “All respect to my opponent, Terrell Gausha. He’s one hell of a warrior.”
WORSE
Miguel Berchelt insisted after his second consecutive knockout loss that he’d be back. That’s difficult to imagine.
Two fights ago the 30-year-old Mexican was a world titleholder and one of the most-feared punchers in the sport. Since then he has been knocked out twice, first by Oscar Valdez to lose his belt and then by Jeremiah Nakathila in his comeback fight Saturday.
In the latter bout he looked a deer in headlights, not a former champion who has been fighting professionally for more than a decade.
He appeared to be what one of the broadcasters called “gun shy,” meaning memories of the brutal 10th-round knockout loss to Valdez were dancing cruelly in his head. He was more concerned about avoiding a similar fate that doing what it would’ve taken to win the fight.
That’s a recipe for the disaster that played out, as he took a pounding. You can’t win with that mindset.
I was wondering while I watched in astonishment in the early rounds whether Berchelt would find his inner warrior and begin to throw back at Nakathila. He showed signs of doing so in Rounds 4 and 5, when had his most success.
It was too late, though. His legs were shaky and so was his confidence, even if his instincts did allow him to stand his ground for a bit. That set up a decisive Round 6, in which Nakathila (23-2, 19 KOs) landed at will and convinced the ring doctor that Berchelt had taken enough punishment.
Again, Berchelt (38-3, 34 KOs) said he’ll defeat whatever demons are haunting him. I wish him luck. It is going to take superhuman inner strength for him to regain what he had before the Valdez fight.
RABBIT PUNCHES
Josh Warrington demonstrated the proper way to emerge from a rut Saturday in Leeds, England, his hometown. He had been stopped and fought to a draw with Mauricio Lara in his previous two fights, which left his career as an top fighter in jeopardy. He responded by seizing the featherweight belt of Kiko Martinez (43-11-2, 30 KOs), who went down, suffered multiple cuts and ultimately couldn’t withstand Warrington’s relentless attack. The fight was stopped at 2:12 of Round 7, making Warrington (31-1-1, 8 KOs) a two-time world titleholder and allowing him to regain much of what he had lost against Lara. … Lightweight contender Michel Rivera (23-0, 14 KOs) jabbed his way to a one-sided decision over Joseph Adorno (14-1-2, 12 KOs) on the Tszyu-Gausha card, underscoring his reputation as a fine, polished boxer. The problem for him was that he relied almost solely on that punch. The Dominican is going to have to throw more power punches – ideally in combination – to succeed against next-level opponents. He’s still a work in progress. … Elvis Rodriguez (13-1-1, 12 KOs) looked like a legitimate junior welterweight contender on the Tszyu-Gausha card, beating up and then stopping Juan Velasco (23-3, 14 KOs) in the seventh round. The L.A.-based Dominican has now won two fights since he was upset Kenneth Sims Jr. in May of last year. … The judges scored the Tszyu-Gausha fight 116-111 (nine rounds to three), 115-112 (eight to four) and 114-113 (seven to five). I had it 117-110 for Tszyu, 10 rounds to two. The 114-113 card of Robert Hecko was too tight, in my opinion. Gausha gave a courageous performance but didn’t win five rounds. Tszyu clearly controlled the fight from the second round on, throwing and landing many more punches than Gausha.
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