A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
William Zepeda
It’s easy to understand why fans – particularly those from Zepeda’s native Mexico – are falling in love with him. Everyone adores a take-no-prisoners warrior who throws a crazy amount of punches, all of which are meant to inflict serious harm. That’s what we witnessed in it’s most brutal form on Saturday in California, where the 135-pound contender pummeled a good opponent in veteran Mercito Gesta until the carnage was stopped in the sixth round. The winner connected on 286 of a remarkable 618 punches in the five-plus rounds, according to CompuBox. More striking, 242 of the punches he landed were power shots, which is how he was able to break down a tough foe like Gesta. The formula could take Zepeda (29-0, 25 KOs) a long way. Can he beat the likes of 135-pound luminaries Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko? I have my doubts because of their special skill level. At the same time, history tells us that Zepeda’s pressure-fighting approach to the sport might be the style that could give slick technicians problems. Think Floyd Mayweather vs. Jose Luis Castillo. Let’s hope Zepeda gets the opportunity to face that type of opponent soon. He has earned it.
BIGGEST WINNER II
Luis Alberto Lopez
Lopez (29-2, 16 KOs) is similar to his countryman Zepeda, a fit, durable bruiser who outworks his opponents. The 126-pound titleholder did that again on Friday in Corpus Christi, Texas, delivering a unanimous-decision victory over determined, but overmatched veteran Joet Gonzalez. Lopez threw 881 punches (landing 195) over the 12 rounds, which is a busy night for almost anyone in the sport. The victory was his third in a row over quality opponents, following a decision over Josh Warrington to win his belt in December and a fifth-round knockout of Michael Conlan in his first defense in May. That’s the kind of run that gets the attention of pundits, fans and prospective opponents. One difference between Lopez and Zepeda? The 126-pound division isn’t nearly as top heavy as 135, meaning the IBF beltholder would have a good chance of beating any of his fellow titleholders – Rey Vargas (WBC), Leigh Wood (WBA) and Robeisy Ramirez (WBO) – and becoming a unified champion. Lopez has come a long way since he was outpointed by Ruben Villa in 2019.
BIGGEST LOSERS
Joet Gonzalez and Mercito Gesta
Gonzalez (26-4, 15 KOs) and Gesta (34-4-3, 17 KOs) probably will never win their biggest fights – if they get more of them – but you have to respect them. They both gave absolutely everything they had against overwhelming opposition over the weekend, which is all anyone can expect of a fighter. That’s little consolation for Gonzalez, who has now failed in three attempts to win major world titles. The 29-year-old Angeleno has become one of those fighters who is considered capable but not good enough to reach the pinnacle of the sport, a legacy that can haunt a boxer for the remainder of his days. Gesta won his first two fights after a 2½-year layoff, including an encouraging decision over former titleholder Joseph Diaz Jr. in March. However, a brutal knockout loss in his third fight on Saturday put an agonizing end to his momentum. And, at 35, one wonders how many more meaningful opportunities he’ll receive. We might’ve seen the last of the Filipino warrior as an elite fighter.
BIGGEST NO-BRAINER
Referee seminars
I spent a day at Jack Reiss’ recent three-day “Sole Arbiter” refereeing seminar in Ventura, California. My main take away? The conference or something like it should be mandatory for anyone who ends up as the third person in the ring, a sentiment expressed by every participant with whom I spoke that day. Reiss, fellow refs Russell Mora and Thomas Taylor, and guest speakers pack an impressive amount of material – power-point slides, video review and more – into 26 hours of instruction, providing both experienced and developing officials with the input they need to become better referees. To be clear: Many referees are good at what they do, particularly in jurisdictions that provide quality training and maintain high standards. However, even those officials can improve. And God knows that some refs are clueless because of a lack of universal standards and questionable selection processes, which is a frightening thought because the lives of the fighters are in their hands. If you want to realize your potential as a referee, find a way to get to “Sole Arbiter.” You’ll be inspired by the instruction and passion of everyone involved. And you’ll leave with more valuable tools than you came with. You owe it to yourself, you owe it to the boxers.
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