Tag: Nico Ali Walsh

Emanuel Navarrete vs. Liam Wilson: LIVE updates, results, full coverage

Emanuel Navarrete vs. Liam Wilson: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.

Emanuel Navarrete stopped Liam Wilson in the ninth round to win the vacant WBO 130-pound title, giving the Mexican a major belt in a third division.

The official time of the stoppage was 1:57.

Wilson (11-2, 7 KOs) gave Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) more resistance than many expected from the late replacement, including a left hook that put Navarrete down and hurt him badly about two minutes into Round .4

However, the current 126-pound champ survived the rest of that round and a difficult Round 5 before he got back to business, which was to outwork and punish his opponent.

Wilson seemed to wear down — perhaps the result of Navarrete’s body work — as the end drew near.

Finally, about 20 seconds into Round 9, Navarrete put Wilson down and hurt him with straight right. Wilson got up but then endured an onslaught of hard, accurate punches that sealed his fate.

The referee stopped the fight to save Wilson from further punishment.

You can read a full report here.

***

Arnold Barboza of Los Angeles defeated Puerto Rican Jose Pedraza by a unanimous decision in a 10-round bout between junior welterweight contenders.

The scores were 97-93, 96-94 and 96-94.

Barboza (28-0, 10 KOs) outboxed and outworked the former two-division titleholder for most of the fight to claim the most significant victory over his career.

Pedraza (29-5-1, 14 KOs) had some of his best rounds down the stretch but came up short. The 33-year-old is now 0-2-1 in his last three fights.

***

Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez (5-0, 5 KOs) of Tulare, California, stopped James Bryant (6-3, 4 KOs) of Reading, Pennsylvania, after the first round of a scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

Torrez put his opponent down and hurt him with a left uppercut in the final seconds of opening round.

Bryant got up on wobbly legs and was able to survive the round. However, his corner stopped the fight as he sat on his stool before the start of the second round.

***

Junior lightweight prospect Andres Cortes (19-0, 10 KOs) of Las Vegas survived a bad cut above his left eye — the result of a clash of heads — to defeat Luis Melendez (17-3, 13 KOs) of Puerto Rico by a shutout decision in a 10-round bout.

All three judges scored it 100-90, 10 rounds to none.

***

Middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh, the 21-year-old grandson of Muhammad Ali, defeated Eduardo Ayala by a unanimous decision in a six-round bout.

The scores were 60-53, 59-54 and 59-54, meaning two judges gave Ayala one round apiece. Walsh (8-0, 5 KOs) knocked Ayala (9-3-1, 3 KOs) down in the second round.

***

Lightweight prospect Emiliano Vargas (3-0, 2 KOs) defeated Francisco Duque (1-2, 0 KOs) by a unanimous decision in a four-round bout. Vargas is the son of former 154-pound champion Fernando Vargas.

***

Emanuel Navarrete of Mexico will face Liam Wilson of Australia for the vacant WBO 130-pound title tonight (Friday) at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona (ESPN, ESPN+).

Navarrete (36-1, 30 KOs) currently holds the WBO 126-pound belt and is a former 122-pound champ.

Oscar Valdez was originally slated to be Navarrete’s opponent but Valdez had to pull out because of an injury. Wilson (11-1, 7 KOs) agreed to step in for what will be his first shot at a world title.

The main portion of the show is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in the broadcast.

Among other featured fights on the card: Arnold Barboza Jr. vs. Jose Pedraza, junior welterweights; Andres Cortes vs. Luis Melendez, junior lightweights; and Xavier Martinez vs. Yohan Vazquez, junior lightweights.

Also, 2020 Olympic super heavyweight silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. will face James Bryant. And middleweight Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, will take on Eduardo Ayala.

Boxing Junkie will post the result of the main event immediately afterward. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes. We’ll also post the results of other featured bouts.

Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.

Enjoy the fights!

[lawrence-related id=35394,35391]

Emanuel Navarrete vs. Liam Wilson: LIVE updates, results, full coverage

Emanuel Navarrete vs. Liam Wilson: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.

Emanuel Navarrete stopped Liam Wilson in the ninth round to win the vacant WBO 130-pound title, giving the Mexican a major belt in a third division.

The official time of the stoppage was 1:57.

Wilson (11-2, 7 KOs) gave Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) more resistance than many expected from the late replacement, including a left hook that put Navarrete down and hurt him badly about two minutes into Round .4

However, the current 126-pound champ survived the rest of that round and a difficult Round 5 before he got back to business, which was to outwork and punish his opponent.

Wilson seemed to wear down — perhaps the result of Navarrete’s body work — as the end drew near.

Finally, about 20 seconds into Round 9, Navarrete put Wilson down and hurt him with straight right. Wilson got up but then endured an onslaught of hard, accurate punches that sealed his fate.

The referee stopped the fight to save Wilson from further punishment.

You can read a full report here.

***

Arnold Barboza of Los Angeles defeated Puerto Rican Jose Pedraza by a unanimous decision in a 10-round bout between junior welterweight contenders.

The scores were 97-93, 96-94 and 96-94.

Barboza (28-0, 10 KOs) outboxed and outworked the former two-division titleholder for most of the fight to claim the most significant victory over his career.

Pedraza (29-5-1, 14 KOs) had some of his best rounds down the stretch but came up short. The 33-year-old is now 0-2-1 in his last three fights.

***

Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez (5-0, 5 KOs) of Tulare, California, stopped James Bryant (6-3, 4 KOs) of Reading, Pennsylvania, after the first round of a scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

Torrez put his opponent down and hurt him with a left uppercut in the final seconds of opening round.

Bryant got up on wobbly legs and was able to survive the round. However, his corner stopped the fight as he sat on his stool before the start of the second round.

***

Junior lightweight prospect Andres Cortes (19-0, 10 KOs) of Las Vegas survived a bad cut above his left eye — the result of a clash of heads — to defeat Luis Melendez (17-3, 13 KOs) of Puerto Rico by a shutout decision in a 10-round bout.

All three judges scored it 100-90, 10 rounds to none.

***

Middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh, the 21-year-old grandson of Muhammad Ali, defeated Eduardo Ayala by a unanimous decision in a six-round bout.

The scores were 60-53, 59-54 and 59-54, meaning two judges gave Ayala one round apiece. Walsh (8-0, 5 KOs) knocked Ayala (9-3-1, 3 KOs) down in the second round.

***

Lightweight prospect Emiliano Vargas (3-0, 2 KOs) defeated Francisco Duque (1-2, 0 KOs) by a unanimous decision in a four-round bout. Vargas is the son of former 154-pound champion Fernando Vargas.

***

Emanuel Navarrete of Mexico will face Liam Wilson of Australia for the vacant WBO 130-pound title tonight (Friday) at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona (ESPN, ESPN+).

Navarrete (36-1, 30 KOs) currently holds the WBO 126-pound belt and is a former 122-pound champ.

Oscar Valdez was originally slated to be Navarrete’s opponent but Valdez had to pull out because of an injury. Wilson (11-1, 7 KOs) agreed to step in for what will be his first shot at a world title.

The main portion of the show is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in the broadcast.

Among other featured fights on the card: Arnold Barboza Jr. vs. Jose Pedraza, junior welterweights; Andres Cortes vs. Luis Melendez, junior lightweights; and Xavier Martinez vs. Yohan Vazquez, junior lightweights.

Also, 2020 Olympic super heavyweight silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. will face James Bryant. And middleweight Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, will take on Eduardo Ayala.

Boxing Junkie will post the result of the main event immediately afterward. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes. We’ll also post the results of other featured bouts.

Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.

Enjoy the fights!

[lawrence-related id=35394,35391]

Biaggio Ali Walsh, grandson of Muhammad Ali, taking his own path into MMA

Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, is taking his own path into mixed martial arts.

Biaggio Ali Walsh was in a dark place only a few years ago. Drinking, drugs and depression were leading him down a dangerous path. And then he found a purpose in the family business, combat sports.

Ali Walsh is the grandson of boxing Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali.

His aunt, Laila Ali, also built a Hall of Fame boxing career. His brother, Nico, is a professional boxer. And now it’s his turn, although he decided to go into mixed martial arts, not the sport of his famous grandfather.

Still, the late, great heavyweight champion serves as a primary source of inspiration for Ali Walsh, who recently signed an amateur contract with the Professional Fighters League and will fight on the PFL World Championship card Nov. 25 in New York (ESPN+ Pay-Per-View).

“He’s been an inspirational figure since I was a kid,” he told Boxing Junkie. “… It was weird when I would visit him. On one hand it was like, ‘OK, this is my grandfather.” On the other hand he was an icon. He was someone I looked up to, someone the world looked up to.

“He’s just always been an influential part of my life.”

Biaggio Ali Walsh got off to a late start but is confident he can succeed in mixed martial arts.

Ali Walsh carved out his own path in sports. Quick on his feet and physically strong, his passion was football. He was a star running back at Bishop Gorman High school in his hometown of Las Vegas and then played at the University of California and UNLV.

However, when his career ended, he had no idea what might come next. That’s when he “got lost,” as he put it.

Then he made a fateful decision: He enrolled at Xtreme Couture MMA in Las Vegas, a mixed martial arts school founded by Randy Couture. Ali Walsh’s intention was to stay in shape but he soon found a home in the sport, to which he’s now devoted.

Why not boxing? He gravitated to MMA in good part because of the variety of disciplines required to succeed, which he has always found fascinating.

“I went there just to train a little bit,” he said. “The more and more I went I slowly fell in the love with it. I said to myself, ‘Why not?’ I’m still young, I still have a chance.’ I don’t want to be 35, 40 years old and wonder whether I could’ve been a good fighter.

“So I dived into the world of MMA.”

Ali Walsh, 24, had no experience other than occasional street fights. When you’re name is Ali, he said, some people are compelled to pick fights with you. “I’d whoop ass,” he said with a laugh.

The MMA world was a different story, though. He was starting late and the learning curve was steep, which he knew would make the endeavor a daunting challenge. He even Googled, “Is it too late to start MMA at 21?”

Well, Ali Walsh (1-1 in his first two amateur fights) doesn’t believe he started too late. He works full time with coach Dennis Davis and believes he gets better every day.

“I’m going balls to the wall,” he said. “… Randy Couture started MMA when he was 34. I know this is different but it’s not impossible. If you have the will, you can get the skill. I’m just taking it a step at a time.

“I want to get as much experience as possible and just leave it up to my coach when he thinks I’m ready to turn pro.”

What about the pressure that comes with being the grandson of a legend?

That will always hover over him but he’s used to it, having lived with the expectations since he first took up sports as a child. At the same time he now feels mixed martial arts is what he was born to do, his destiny. There is strength in that.

“Fighting,” he said, “is in my blood.”

Biaggio Ali Walsh, grandson of Muhammad Ali, taking his own path into MMA

Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, is taking his own path into mixed martial arts.

Biaggio Ali Walsh was in a dark place only a few years ago. Drinking, drugs and depression were leading him down a dangerous path. And then he found a purpose in the family business, combat sports.

Ali Walsh is the grandson of boxing Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali.

His aunt, Laila Ali, also built a Hall of Fame boxing career. His brother, Nico, is a professional boxer. And now it’s his turn, although he decided to go into mixed martial arts, not the sport of his famous grandfather.

Still, the late, great heavyweight champion serves as a primary source of inspiration for Ali Walsh, who recently signed an amateur contract with the Professional Fighters League and will fight on the PFL World Championship card Nov. 25 in New York (ESPN+ Pay-Per-View).

“He’s been an inspirational figure since I was a kid,” he told Boxing Junkie. “… It was weird when I would visit him. On one hand it was like, ‘OK, this is my grandfather.” On the other hand he was an icon. He was someone I looked up to, someone the world looked up to.

“He’s just always been an influential part of my life.”

Biaggio Ali Walsh got off to a late start but is confident he can succeed in mixed martial arts.

Ali Walsh carved out his own path in sports. Quick on his feet and physically strong, his passion was football. He was a star running back at Bishop Gorman High school in his hometown of Las Vegas and then played at the University of California and UNLV.

However, when his career ended, he had no idea what might come next. That’s when he “got lost,” as he put it.

Then he made a fateful decision: He enrolled at Xtreme Couture MMA in Las Vegas, a mixed martial arts school founded by Randy Couture. Ali Walsh’s intention was to stay in shape but he soon found a home in the sport, to which he’s now devoted.

Why not boxing? He gravitated to MMA in good part because of the variety of disciplines required to succeed, which he has always found fascinating.

“I went there just to train a little bit,” he said. “The more and more I went I slowly fell in the love with it. I said to myself, ‘Why not?’ I’m still young, I still have a chance.’ I don’t want to be 35, 40 years old and wonder whether I could’ve been a good fighter.

“So I dived into the world of MMA.”

Ali Walsh, 24, had no experience other than occasional street fights. When you’re name is Ali, he said, some people are compelled to pick fights with you. “I’d whoop ass,” he said with a laugh.

The MMA world was a different story, though. He was starting late and the learning curve was steep, which he knew would make the endeavor a daunting challenge. He even Googled, “Is it too late to start MMA at 21?”

Well, Ali Walsh (1-1 in his first two amateur fights) doesn’t believe he started too late. He works full time with coach Dennis Davis and believes he gets better every day.

“I’m going balls to the wall,” he said. “… Randy Couture started MMA when he was 34. I know this is different but it’s not impossible. If you have the will, you can get the skill. I’m just taking it a step at a time.

“I want to get as much experience as possible and just leave it up to my coach when he thinks I’m ready to turn pro.”

What about the pressure that comes with being the grandson of a legend?

That will always hover over him but he’s used to it, having lived with the expectations since he first took up sports as a child. At the same time he now feels mixed martial arts is what he was born to do, his destiny. There is strength in that.

“Fighting,” he said, “is in my blood.”

Nico Ali Walsh, grandson of Muhammad Ali, remains unbeaten

Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, won his fight Saturday to remain unbeaten.

Nico Ali Walsh won again. And he gave a nod to his famous grandfather in the process.

The grandson of Muhammad Ali knocked out Jeremiah Yeager in the second round of their scheduled four-round bout on the Robson Conceicao-Xavier Martinez card Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Ali Walsh (4-0, 3 KOs) put Yeager (1-2-1, 1 KO) down and hurt him with a big left with about 45 seconds remaining in the final round. Yeager was able to get up only to be met with an Ali shuffle and a combination that prompted the referee to stop the fight.

“I didn’t plan [the Ali Shuffle],” he said. “It was emotional, of course. So much has been going on, but yeah, I didn’t plan on doing that. It’s just something that happened.”

Ali Walsh, who had new trainer Richard T. Slone in his corner for the first time, says he continues to improve.

“I think the main thing was staying calm, which I did,” he said. “Another thing was head movement and defense, which I felt like I did improve on.

“I fought last month. So if I can make those small improvements in this such a short amount of time, who’s telling what I can do in my next fight?”

Nico Ali Walsh, grandson of Muhammad Ali, remains unbeaten

Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, won his fight Saturday to remain unbeaten.

Nico Ali Walsh won again. And he gave a nod to his famous grandfather in the process.

The grandson of Muhammad Ali knocked out Jeremiah Yeager in the second round of their scheduled four-round bout on the Robson Conceicao-Xavier Martinez card Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Ali Walsh (4-0, 3 KOs) put Yeager (1-2-1, 1 KO) down and hurt him with a big left with about 45 seconds remaining in the final round. Yeager was able to get up only to be met with an Ali shuffle and a combination that prompted the referee to stop the fight.

“I didn’t plan [the Ali Shuffle],” he said. “It was emotional, of course. So much has been going on, but yeah, I didn’t plan on doing that. It’s just something that happened.”

Ali Walsh, who had new trainer Richard T. Slone in his corner for the first time, says he continues to improve.

“I think the main thing was staying calm, which I did,” he said. “Another thing was head movement and defense, which I felt like I did improve on.

“I fought last month. So if I can make those small improvements in this such a short amount of time, who’s telling what I can do in my next fight?”

Nico Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali’s grandson, wins by majority decision

Nico Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali’s grandson, defeated Reyes Sanchez by a majority decision Saturday in New York.

Nico Ali Walsh is fortunate to have maintained his perfect record.

The grandson of Muhammad Ali eked past Reyes Sanchez by a majority decision in a four-round middleweight bout on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Richard Commey card Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Ali Walsh (3-0, 2 KOs) seemed on the verge of ending the fight in Round 2, when he hurt Sanchez (6-1, 2 KOs) with a wide right with about 30 seconds to go but he couldn’t finish the job.

Sanchez rebounded well, fighting aggressively in Round 3 and landing many power shots as the inexperienced Ali Walsh suddenly seemed lost.

Round 4 was close, which left the decision in doubt. However, the judges thought Ali Walsh did enough to win. The scores were 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38.

Nico Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali’s grandson, wins by majority decision

Nico Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali’s grandson, defeated Reyes Sanchez by a majority decision Saturday in New York.

Nico Ali Walsh is fortunate to have maintained his perfect record.

The grandson of Muhammad Ali eked past Reyes Sanchez by a majority decision in a four-round middleweight bout on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Richard Commey card Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Ali Walsh (3-0, 2 KOs) seemed on the verge of ending the fight in Round 2, when he hurt Sanchez (6-1, 2 KOs) with a wide right with about 30 seconds to go but he couldn’t finish the job.

Sanchez rebounded well, fighting aggressively in Round 3 and landing many power shots as the inexperienced Ali Walsh suddenly seemed lost.

Round 4 was close, which left the decision in doubt. However, the judges thought Ali Walsh did enough to win. The scores were 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38.

Good, bad, worse: Vergil Ortiz looks sharp, Casimero-Rigo dud, Pacquiao’s new foe

Good, bad, worse: Vergil Ortiz looks sharp, Casimero-Rigo dud, Pacquiao’s new foe.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

Vergil Ortiz gave his most-impressive performance on Saturday in Frisco, Texas, not far from his hometown of Dallas.

The fight wasn’t his easiest. That was the work of rugged opponent Egidijus Kavaliauskas, who pushed Ortiz harder than anyone else had early the fight. That included a right uppercut that hurt Ortiz in Round 2.

However, Ortiz overcame the resistance and methodically fought behind his powerful jab to break down Kavaliauskas and ultimately put him down five times. By Round 8, the Lithuanian was finished. He went down four times before referee Laurence Cole stopped the fight, giving Ortiz his 18th knockout in 18 fights.

Ortiz looked like a seasoned veteran even though he’s only 23 years old.

What now? He has beaten Maurice Hooker and Kavaliauskas (22-2, 18 KOs) in succession, which seems to demonstrate that he’s ready for the best in division.

He’s ranked No. 1 by the WBO, meaning he’s first in line to challenge champion Terence Crawford, who stopped Kavaliauskas in nine rounds in December 2019. However, citing boxing politics, he wouldn’t predict what might be next for him.

He simply said he’s ready and willing to face anyone who fights at 147 pounds. Whomever is next had better be ready for him.

***

BAD

Sometimes boxers and fans have competing interests.

The primary objective of every fighter is to have his hand raised after his or her fight, regardless of how that might look. The wish of every fan is to be entertained.

Guillermo Rigondeaux is good at the former, lousy at the latter.

The two-time Olympic champion from Cuba served up another dud on Saturday in Carson, Calif., where he frustrated both 118-pound titleholder John Riel Casimero (31-4, 21 KOs) and those watching by running the entire 12-rounder.

The fight was competitive because Rigondeaux landed shots here and there – 44 total, according to CompuBox – and was an elusive target for Casimero, who connected on only 47 punches.

One judge scored it for Rigondeaux (115-113) but two had Casimero winning (117-111 and 116-112), giving Casimero the victory. Boxing Junkie scored it 114-114, a draw.

However, the contest was almost completely devoid of action as a result of Rigondeaux’s tactics, a fact that was met with vociferous booing from around the third round on. The fans weren’t happy.

Rigondeaux, 40, was unapologetic afterward, a stance that can be justified. He thought his best chance to win a major title was to fight as he did, which is understandable. And he thought he did enough to win the fight.

Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. One thing is obvious: Few will have felt sorry for Rigondeaux (20-2, 13 KOs) after he ran for an entire world championship fight.

He was asked afterward whether he would continue to fight. He replied by saying that he had just proved he could compete with an elite young opponent, meaning he plans to go on with his career.

But who’s going to want to watch?

***

WORSE

Manny Pacquiao (left) works the mitts with trainer Freddie Roach. Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images

The summer had served up a number of disappointments.

It was announced early in the week that welterweight titleholder Errol Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs) suffered a retinal tear and had to pull out of his anticipated showdown with Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) on Aug. 21 in Las Vegas.

A few days later, the Aug. 28 fight between super middleweight contender David Benavidez and Jose Uzcategui was postponed after Benavidez tested positive for COVID-19.

And, of course, those news items followed the postponement of the third fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, which was set for July 24. Fury also tested positive for the coronavirus.

The difference between Pacquiao-Spence and the other two aforementioned fights is that it might never happen.

Pacquiao, who will now fight titleholder Yordenis Ugas, is 42 and nearing the end of his career. Any of his fights could be his last, although Spence has said he hopes to fight the winner of the upcoming fight.

Ugas (26-4, 12 KOs) is legitimate opponent for Pacquiao, who is coming off his sensational victory over Keith Thurman two years ago. The Cuban is an excellent all-around fighter, with victories over Amir Imam, Jamal James, Bryant Perrella, Thomas Dulorme and Abel Ramos.

And some believe he deserved the decision when he challenged then-titleholder Shawn Porter in March 2019.

That said, Pacquiao-Ugas doesn’t have the same cache that Pacquiao-Spence had. Perhaps the latter fight can still happen.

***

RABBIT PUNCHES

I have no faith in the WBA – the worst of the dreaded sanctioning bodies – but I applaud President Gilberto Mendoza’s decision to suspend judge Gloria Martinez Rizzo and order an immediate rematch between Mykal Fox and Gabriel Maestre.

Mendoza also has taken steps to reduce his ridiculous number of titles, which is another positive.

Fox seemed to outbox Maestre on the Eimantas Stanionis–Luis Collazo card on Aug. 7 but lost a unanimous decision. Martinez Rizzo’s score of 117-110 for Maestre was particularly outrageous to most viewers, who were convinced Fox deserved the decision. Later, racist tweets posted by Martinez Rizzo were uncovered. Fox is black.

I hope that Martinez Rizzo never again serves any function in boxing. …

One must feel for Emmanuel Rodriguez (19-2, 12 KOs) and Gary Antonio Russell (18-0, 12 KOs). The 118-pounders were only seconds into their title eliminator on the Casimero-Rigondeaux card when a clash of heads injured Rodriguez and ended the fight, which was a no-contest. Let’s hope they can reschedule the fight soon. …

Bantamweight contender Rau’shee Warren, 34, demonstrated on the Casimero-Rigondeaux card that he’s not finished as an elite fighter. The three-time U.S. Olympian and former 118-pound titleholder unleashed surprising power to put Damien Vazquez (15-3-1, 8 KOs) down twice in the first round and stop him in the second. Warren (19-3, 5 KOs) hadn’t stopped an opponent since 2015. …

Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, is a nice story but we must be careful not to burden the 21-year-old with high expectations. He stopped Jordan Weeks (4-2, 2 KOs) in the first round of his pro debut on the Joshua Franco–Andrew Moloney card Saturday in Tulsa, Okla., demonstrating some impressive power in the process. However, he is in the early stages of his development. We’ll see how things go. …

Franco (18-1-2, 8 KOs) did a nice job of wrapping up his trilogy with Moloney (21-2, 14 KOs), outboxing the Aussie to win a clear decision and putting himself in a strong position to fight for a legitimate world title. Many believe Moloney deserved to win their first fight, which Franco nabbed by a close decision. Their second fight was a no-contest stemming from an accidental clash of heads. Moloney was devastated afterward but he shouldn’t be so hard on himself. He demonstrated again that he’s a capable fighter. He’ll be back.

Meanwhile, 118-pound contender Jason Moloney (22-2, 18 KOs), Andrew’s twin, bounced back from his knockout loss to Naoya Inoue by outpointing Joshua Greer (22-3-2, 12 KOs).

Good, bad, worse: Vergil Ortiz looks sharp, Casimero-Rigo dud, Pacquiao’s new foe

Good, bad, worse: Vergil Ortiz looks sharp, Casimero-Rigo dud, Pacquiao’s new foe.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

Vergil Ortiz gave his most-impressive performance on Saturday in Frisco, Texas, not far from his hometown of Dallas.

The fight wasn’t his easiest. That was the work of rugged opponent Egidijus Kavaliauskas, who pushed Ortiz harder than anyone else had early the fight. That included a right uppercut that hurt Ortiz in Round 2.

However, Ortiz overcame the resistance and methodically fought behind his powerful jab to break down Kavaliauskas and ultimately put him down five times. By Round 8, the Lithuanian was finished. He went down four times before referee Laurence Cole stopped the fight, giving Ortiz his 18th knockout in 18 fights.

Ortiz looked like a seasoned veteran even though he’s only 23 years old.

What now? He has beaten Maurice Hooker and Kavaliauskas (22-2, 18 KOs) in succession, which seems to demonstrate that he’s ready for the best in division.

He’s ranked No. 1 by the WBO, meaning he’s first in line to challenge champion Terence Crawford, who stopped Kavaliauskas in nine rounds in December 2019. However, citing boxing politics, he wouldn’t predict what might be next for him.

He simply said he’s ready and willing to face anyone who fights at 147 pounds. Whomever is next had better be ready for him.

***

BAD

Sometimes boxers and fans have competing interests.

The primary objective of every fighter is to have his hand raised after his or her fight, regardless of how that might look. The wish of every fan is to be entertained.

Guillermo Rigondeaux is good at the former, lousy at the latter.

The two-time Olympic champion from Cuba served up another dud on Saturday in Carson, Calif., where he frustrated both 118-pound titleholder John Riel Casimero (31-4, 21 KOs) and those watching by running the entire 12-rounder.

The fight was competitive because Rigondeaux landed shots here and there – 44 total, according to CompuBox – and was an elusive target for Casimero, who connected on only 47 punches.

One judge scored it for Rigondeaux (115-113) but two had Casimero winning (117-111 and 116-112), giving Casimero the victory. Boxing Junkie scored it 114-114, a draw.

However, the contest was almost completely devoid of action as a result of Rigondeaux’s tactics, a fact that was met with vociferous booing from around the third round on. The fans weren’t happy.

Rigondeaux, 40, was unapologetic afterward, a stance that can be justified. He thought his best chance to win a major title was to fight as he did, which is understandable. And he thought he did enough to win the fight.

Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. One thing is obvious: Few will have felt sorry for Rigondeaux (20-2, 13 KOs) after he ran for an entire world championship fight.

He was asked afterward whether he would continue to fight. He replied by saying that he had just proved he could compete with an elite young opponent, meaning he plans to go on with his career.

But who’s going to want to watch?

***

WORSE

Manny Pacquiao (left) works the mitts with trainer Freddie Roach. Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images

The summer had served up a number of disappointments.

It was announced early in the week that welterweight titleholder Errol Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs) suffered a retinal tear and had to pull out of his anticipated showdown with Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) on Aug. 21 in Las Vegas.

A few days later, the Aug. 28 fight between super middleweight contender David Benavidez and Jose Uzcategui was postponed after Benavidez tested positive for COVID-19.

And, of course, those news items followed the postponement of the third fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, which was set for July 24. Fury also tested positive for the coronavirus.

The difference between Pacquiao-Spence and the other two aforementioned fights is that it might never happen.

Pacquiao, who will now fight titleholder Yordenis Ugas, is 42 and nearing the end of his career. Any of his fights could be his last, although Spence has said he hopes to fight the winner of the upcoming fight.

Ugas (26-4, 12 KOs) is legitimate opponent for Pacquiao, who is coming off his sensational victory over Keith Thurman two years ago. The Cuban is an excellent all-around fighter, with victories over Amir Imam, Jamal James, Bryant Perrella, Thomas Dulorme and Abel Ramos.

And some believe he deserved the decision when he challenged then-titleholder Shawn Porter in March 2019.

That said, Pacquiao-Ugas doesn’t have the same cache that Pacquiao-Spence had. Perhaps the latter fight can still happen.

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RABBIT PUNCHES

I have no faith in the WBA – the worst of the dreaded sanctioning bodies – but I applaud President Gilberto Mendoza’s decision to suspend judge Gloria Martinez Rizzo and order an immediate rematch between Mykal Fox and Gabriel Maestre.

Mendoza also has taken steps to reduce his ridiculous number of titles, which is another positive.

Fox seemed to outbox Maestre on the Eimantas Stanionis–Luis Collazo card on Aug. 7 but lost a unanimous decision. Martinez Rizzo’s score of 117-110 for Maestre was particularly outrageous to most viewers, who were convinced Fox deserved the decision. Later, racist tweets posted by Martinez Rizzo were uncovered. Fox is black.

I hope that Martinez Rizzo never again serves any function in boxing. …

One must feel for Emmanuel Rodriguez (19-2, 12 KOs) and Gary Antonio Russell (18-0, 12 KOs). The 118-pounders were only seconds into their title eliminator on the Casimero-Rigondeaux card when a clash of heads injured Rodriguez and ended the fight, which was a no-contest. Let’s hope they can reschedule the fight soon. …

Bantamweight contender Rau’shee Warren, 34, demonstrated on the Casimero-Rigondeaux card that he’s not finished as an elite fighter. The three-time U.S. Olympian and former 118-pound titleholder unleashed surprising power to put Damien Vazquez (15-3-1, 8 KOs) down twice in the first round and stop him in the second. Warren (19-3, 5 KOs) hadn’t stopped an opponent since 2015. …

Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, is a nice story but we must be careful not to burden the 21-year-old with high expectations. He stopped Jordan Weeks (4-2, 2 KOs) in the first round of his pro debut on the Joshua Franco–Andrew Moloney card Saturday in Tulsa, Okla., demonstrating some impressive power in the process. However, he is in the early stages of his development. We’ll see how things go. …

Franco (18-1-2, 8 KOs) did a nice job of wrapping up his trilogy with Moloney (21-2, 14 KOs), outboxing the Aussie to win a clear decision and putting himself in a strong position to fight for a legitimate world title. Many believe Moloney deserved to win their first fight, which Franco nabbed by a close decision. Their second fight was a no-contest stemming from an accidental clash of heads. Moloney was devastated afterward but he shouldn’t be so hard on himself. He demonstrated again that he’s a capable fighter. He’ll be back.

Meanwhile, 118-pound contender Jason Moloney (22-2, 18 KOs), Andrew’s twin, bounced back from his knockout loss to Naoya Inoue by outpointing Joshua Greer (22-3-2, 12 KOs).