Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Middleweight titleholder Demetrius Andrade and Liam Williams reportedly have entered talks for a fight as early as June.
“I want a world title shot without fail. If the right opportunity came, I would even move up to super middleweight,” Willliams told the BBC. “I feel like I am a world-title level fighter. I have a new lease of life, I have found my happiness again in the sport.”
“We are in negotiations, the fight will take place in the next 90-120 days,” Warren told the BBC. “Liam can win this fight, he can beat Andrade, I know he can.”
The ads promoting Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II during the Super Bowl should translate to big money for those with a stake in the fight.
GOOD
A billion or so people watch the Super Bowl worldwide each year, according to most estimates. And more than 100 million Americans tune into the game.
That’s why I’m going to guess that the television spots promoting the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch during the big game were the most-watched boxing ads in the history of the sport.
Of course, that can only be good for the event and boxing.
I don’t think it’s possible to determine the number of pay-per-view buys that will have been generated as a result of the TV spots but it’s fun to speculate and play with the numbers.
Imagine that the ads piqued the interest of only 5 percent of those who saw them. In the U.S. that would be 5 million people if we assume 100 million were tuned in. Those people, who otherwise might not have been interested in or aware of the fight, might now research it or at least pay more attention to the hype surrounding it.
Now let’s say that only 5 percent of those people actually buy the pay-per-view. That’s 250,000 people. Finally, let’s say the promoters will charge a conservative $75. That would be a total of $18,750,000 that those with a stake in the fight might not have made otherwise. And remember: That’s only domestic revenue.
OK, 5 percent of 5 percent might be a bit much. And, yes, many of the 100 million are underage and won’t by the fight. The point is that those ads almost certainly will translate into a lot of money.
One more thing. Fox and ESPN are handling the pay-per-view jointly. The game was on Fox. So, presumably, the ads cost promoters nothing.
BAD
Jay Deas, Deontay Wilder’s co-trainer, recently reiterated what I’ve heard many times over the last few decades: If you try too hard for a knockout, it’s not going to happen.
Wilder is a recent convert to that philosophy. He has said repeatedly that one reason he was unable to tag Tyson Fury earlier than he did in their first fight was that he was overly eager to end the fight. Once he calmed down, he put Fury down twice.
Still, many fighters don’t seem to have gotten the memo.
Take middleweight champ Demetrius Andrade in his fight with sadly overmatched Luke Keeler and, to a lesser extent, Yordenis Ugas against Mike Dallas Jr. on Saturday.
Andrade, one of the most gifted boxers in the sport, looked ridiculous hunting for a stoppage the entire fight in Miami. He threw wild, sometimes off-balance punches in an apparent effort to make a statement against a fighter he knew couldn’t hurt him.
He got his knockout in the end, finally putting the brave Keeler away in the ninth round. I believe he could’ve finished the job sooner – and looked a lot better – by sticking to his style but taking a few more risks than he normally would.
And what statement did he make? That’s not a rhetorical question. I really want to know.
Ugas wasn’t seeking to knock out Dallas quite as overtly as Andrade and he did get his stoppage in Biloxi, Mississippi, but it seemed to me that he too was trying too hard to make some sort of point. Again, I’m not sure what it was.
WORSE
Gervonta Davis is only 25. His long term fate has not been determined. And he’s in control of it.
Davis was caught on a video apparently getting physical with the mother of his child at a charity basketball game in Miami on Saturday, according to TMZ. Witnesses told TMZ that the unbeaten lightweight titleholder and the woman – identified as Andretta Smothers by multiple websites – were arguing when the altercation became physical.
The professional fighter appears to grab the woman near her throat and lead her away. He later acknowledged on Instagram that he became aggressive but denied that he struck her: “I never once hit her . . yea I was aggressive and told her come on . . . that’s the mother of my child I would never hurt her other than that happy New Years . . January was trassshhhhh.”
Davis wasn’t arrested but he was charged – and convicted, at least by many – in the court of public opinion.
The common theme among those who reacted to his actions: A man doesn’t put his hands on a woman. I repeat: A … man … doesn’t … put … his … hands … on … a … woman. Not complicated.
This wasn’t the first time Davis has run afoul of the law. He has been arrested several times for violence, once for allegedly punching a childhood friend and twice more for separate fighting instances.
The pattern isn’t good. Davis seems to be taking the first steps toward self-destruction. He’s a tremendous talent – one seemingly headed toward great things – and he has built a huge following, particularly in his hometown of Baltimore.
It can all be gone in an instant. I can’t imagine that’s what he wants. He’s a role model for thousands of kids in his hometown and beyond. I can’t imagine he wants them to emulate his behavior.
Again, it’s not too late for Davis. Bernard Hopkins spent time in prison as a young man and emerged a wonderful person. I hope that’s the path – minus the prison – that Davis takes.
Gervonta Davis appears on video to get physical with mother of his child
Promoter Eddie Hearn says there are ongoing talks with former NFL star Antonio Brown to fight YouTube creation Logan Paul.
Antonio Brown, who for now has run out of routes in the NFL, is throwing punches and catching a few too in an apparent attempt to box, at least in the celebrity division.
Promoter Eddie Hearn says there are ongoing talks with Brown to fight YouTube creation Logan Paul.
Hearn made the comments, first to ESPN and then other media, this week while promoting a card Thursday featuring middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade’s ninth-round stoppage of Luke Keeler in Miami, coincidentally – or maybe not – the site of Sunday’s Super Bowl.
“We’ve made two offers now to Antonio Brown, and we’re negotiating a fight at the moment,” Hearn told ESPN. “I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but we’re working on it.
“Obviously, it’s a fight that DAZN is very serious about, very excited about.”
Antonio Brown getting some work in on the pads 👀🥊
(🎥 // @AB84) pic.twitter.com/jxN7zswB0F
— DAZN USA (@DAZN_USA) January 15, 2020
Hearn said Paul has already agreed to terms.
“Really, we’re just trying to tie up Antonio Brown’s end,” said Hearn, who said Brown has been offered a seven-figure deal for an April 25 bout.
No telling what Brown might do next. That was evident throughout last year. After eight seasons and seven Pro Bowl appearances with Pittsburgh, the wide receiver forced the Steelers to trade him to the Raiders in March. But the Raiders released him before the 2019 season opener.
Then New England signed him. But he was in a Patriots uniform for only one game. The Pats released him after two women within 10 days accused him of sexual misconduct.
Brown is now facing a burglary-with-battery charge for an alleged incident involving a truck driver on Jan. 21 in Hollywood, Florida.
Meanwhile, he has reportedly been in a south Florida gym, hitting mitts while exchanging trash-talking tweets with Paul.
On Jan. 7, Brown tweeted Paul, saying: “square up.’’ Paul countered: “I’d drop you faster than the patriots.’’
Paul, who lost to fellow YouTube personality KSI in Los Angeles in November, has repeatedly talked about some kind of bout with Brown.
No word yet on whether the winner gets Conor McGregor or Floyd Mayweather.
Demetrius Andrade put an overmatched Luke Keeler down in each of the first two rounds and stopped him in Round 9 on Thursday night in Miami.
It wasn’t Demetrius Andrade’s prettiest performance but it was emphatic.
Andrade, seeking a knockout almost the entire fight, put an overmatched Luke Keeler down in each of the first two rounds and stopped him in Round 9 in defense of his middleweight title Thursday night in Miami.
Andrade (29-0, 18 KOs) has made only three successful defenses of his belt but, with other top middleweights evidently unwilling to fight him, he said he plans to move up in weight.
“I want to go up to 168 and fight Billy ‘Joke Ass’ Saunders and that’s what I’m going to do,” he said after the fight Thursday.
Andrade scored one of the quickest knockdowns possible, putting Keeler (17-3-1, 5 KOs) down with a left in the first few seconds of the fight. The game, fit Irishman survived. Then, in the final 30 seconds of the second round, a big overhand left put Keeler down again and this time he was hurt. Still, he survived.
After that, Andrade, a southpaw known for his sublime skills, looked sloppy at times as he tried – arguably too hard – to stop an opponent so limited he probably shouldn’t have been in the ring with him.
Finally, with about a minute to go in Round 9, Andrade landed another one of those overhand lefts and hurt Keeler again. This time, the champion battered his prey until referee Telis Assimenios stopped the fight with one second remaining in the round.
Andrade landed a high percentage of his power shots, 50 percent, according to CompuBox. And, in spite of his less-than-refined attack, he was typically difficult to hit. Keeler landed only 10 percent of his punches.
“I thought I was good,” Andrade said. “Luke Keeler is a warrior, a future champ one day. But today was my day. … I went in thinking to myself, ‘I could put him out.’ And that’s what I did.”
Andrade said he hasn’t given up completely on fighting one of the other elite 160-pounder, all of whom fight for rival companies. Eddie Hearn, his promoter, reportedly made an offer to fellow titleholder Jermall Charlo but was turned down.
“Eddie Hearn said he sent an offer [to Charlo] and didn’t get no response,” Andrade said. “If they want to send an offer this way, I will respond.”
Jo Jo Diaz outworked Tevin Farmer to capture a unanimous decision and the IBF junior lightweight championship Thursday in Miami.
Jo Jo Diaz picked a good time to put everything together.
Diaz, who failed in two previous attempts to win titles, outworked Tevin Farmer to capture a unanimous decision and the IBF junior lightweight championship Thursday in Miami.
The judges scored it 116-112, 115-113, 115-113. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112 for Diaz.
“I’m very excited,” an emotional Diaz said afterward. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment for a long time.”
Diaz (31-1, 15 KOs) ran into trouble in the second round, when an accidental head butt caused a horrible cut above his left eye that seemed to portend an early end to the fight. However, his cut man managed the gash well and Diaz fought as if it never happened even though it bled into his eye in the following rounds.
“I pretended it wasn’t there,” he said.
Diaz was simply busier than Farmer, who claimed to have injured his right hand in the first round. The challenger pushed the action, threw more punches, landed more punches and connected on more eye-catching shots than Farmer. That’s a tough formula to overcome.
On top of that, Farmer didn’t seem to be himself. Known for his quickness and athleticism, he was unusually flatfooted and relatively easy to hit. The now-former champion said the hand injury prevented him from jabbing as he would’ve liked but he had no answer when asked why he looked lethargic.
Farmer (30-5-1, 6 KOs) certainly kept the fight competitive, often giving as much as he took inside, but he couldn’t do enough to slow down a Diaz determined to finally win a world title.
“He put up a hell of a fight. No excuses,” Farmer said. “I couldn’t use the jab like I wanted but he capitalized on it. That’s what a world champion does. He must’ve have seen it and he won the fight.”
The fight was likely only the first installment of a burgeoning rivalry. Farmer said afterward that he planned to exercise a rematch clause in the contract they signed.
“We’re going to do it again,” he said. “Absolutely.”
Murodjon Akhmadaliev defeated Daniel Roman by a split decision to take Roman’s two 122-pound titles on Thursday in Miami.
Daniel Roman’s handlers had reservations about him defending his titles against gifted 2016 Olympian Murodjon Akhmadaliev. They were right.
Akhmadaliev defeated Roman by a split decision to take Roman’s two 122-pound titles on the Demetrius Andrade-Luke Keeler card Thursday in Miami, thus equaling Leon Spinks’ feat of becoming a unified champion in only eight fights.
All three scores were 115-113. Two went to Akhmadaliev, one went to Roman, who was making his fifth title defense.
“I was never a world champion as amateur,” an emotional Akhmadaliev said through a translator after the fight. “And Now I’m the first in Uzbekistan to be a world champion. And in only eight fights. That’s amazing.”
Roman (27-3-1, 10 KOs) and Akhmadaliev (8-0, 6 KOs) were supposed to have fought last September but Roman suffered a shoulder injury and the fight was postponed. The shoulder is healed but resulted in a truncated training camp, which lasted only six weeks.
Meanwhile, Akhmadaliev was being hyped as perhaps the next great little fighter, one with unusual natural gifts – speed, athleticism, power – and a strong amateur pedigree.
And, indeed, the Uzbek used those tools to give Roman problems. Akhmadaliev landed quick, punishing shots consistently and was an elusive target because of his quickness and defensive skills.
Still, Roman, a less gifted but determined fighter, managed to score with well-timed body shots and uppercuts that scored points and made it difficult for Akhmadaliev to put punches together that might’ve stopped Roman.
That’s why the back and forth fight was so close on the cards. Of course, that was no solace to Roman.
“You have to learn to accept to victory and accept defeat as well,” he said. “Yes, I would like a rematch. If he gives me a rematch, why not. This loss is only going to make me a better fighter like the two other losses I got.”
Demetrius Andrade’s title defense against Luke Keeler on Thursday is likely to get lost in the hoopla surrounding the Super Bowl.
Demetrius Andrade, unbeaten and unappreciated, is in Miami this week for a bout Thursday on DAZN that promoters hope will get some attention from the media mob gathered for Super Bowl LIV.
It doesn’t always work that way. Don King staged a card in Phoenix in 1996, a couple of days before the Dallas Cowboys’ 27-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX at Sun Devil Stadium in nearby Tempe.
It was a good card, noteworthy for Bernard Hopkins’ stoppage of Steve Frank in the second defense of a middleweight title he would go on to defend 18 more times for a record 20 straight. But nobody was there. The Super Bowl does more than attract attention. It dominates in a way that shoves everything else off stage.
Andrade (28-0, 17 KOs) makes a third middleweight title defense against Luke Keeler (17-2-1, 5 KOs) of Ireland at the Meridian at Island Gardens. But it might be out of sight. Out of mind. Media are waiting only for the San Francisco 49ers-Kansas City Chiefs kickoff.
One day, maybe the bout will be remembered as significant. Andrade, who signed a four-fight extension with Matchroom this week, hopes so. He goes into the bout fighting to get some respect from the acknowledged middleweight champions.
Canelo Alvarez has called him boring. Instead of Andrade, Canelo reportedly is talking about Cinco de Mayo in Japan against Ryota Murata, who holds a secondary belt.
“That’s his business, not mine’’ Andrade told Boxing Social at a news conference Monday in Miami. “Canelo wants to do what he does. Everyone knows he’s been trying to figure out obstacles, other ways, to get away from me. It’s all good.”
The immediate business is Keeler, who has called Andrade “delusional.” The former U.S. Olympian from Rhode Island, Keller says, is overlooking him.
“Delusional?’’ said Andrade, who won his middleweight belt in October 2018. “That’s a good one. I’ll give Luke credit where it’s due. It’s hard to get people in the ring with me, and it’s his first world title fight. I’m expecting him to bring his A-game.
“I’m bringing mine too, as I know what it’s like. I’ve been to the Olympics and to me there’s no bigger platform, but this is a massive stage.’’
Big enough for Andrade to deliver a threatening promise.
Said Andrade: “I’m going to give him the beating of his life.’’
