A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NevvImyONeM
Andy Ruiz Jr. wasn’t perfect on Saturday.
The former heavyweight champ was knocked down and hurt in the second round and took more punishment early in his fight against Chris Arreola in Carson, Calif., which had viewers momentarily contemplating the possibility of an upset.
But Ruiz weathered the storm, settled into a groove and controlled the remainder of what turned out to be a one-sided fight. He won 118-109, 118-109 and 117-110.
It was a solid performance given his 17-month layoff, which he said played a role in his early problems.
Ruiz (34-2, 22 KOs) began to turn a competitive fight into his personal showcase in the fifth or sixth round, when he started to land super-quick two- and three-punch combinations and avoid Arreola’s biggest shots.
That was the pattern in the second half of the fight, which allowed Ruiz to run away with the decision.
Ruiz didn’t seem to be pleased with his performance afterward but he probably was being too hard on himself. He shed rust and took a solid step toward another shot at a world title, which was the objective going into the fight.
And he’ll probably look better going forward. He obviously is putting in the work under new trainer Eddy Reynoso, which is how he came in 27.5 pounds lighter than he weighed in the second Joshua fight. Reynoso, one of the hottest trainers in the world, also will continue to polish Ruiz’s already-solid skills.
Andy Ruiz is back.
***
BAD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cexvsqGf7iU
You have to feel for Derek Chisora.
The longtime heavyweight contender has ended up on the wrong side of all four split decisions and one majority decision in his 14-year career, including his setback against Joseph Parker on Saturday in Manchester, England.
He lost split decisions to Dillian Whyte in England, Kubrat Pulev in Germany, Robert Helenius in Finland and now Parker. Plus, he lost a majority decision to Agit Kabayel in Monaco.
Of course, we can argue whether Chisora (32-11, 23 KOs) deserved his fate in those fights but we can agree he was competitive in all of them. You’d think one would’ve gone his way – he certainly does – but none did.
Hence his frustration after the fight on Saturday, which followed a close-decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk in his previous fight.
“I think they don’t like me,” he said.
The good news for Chisora is that he continues to get more opportunities, which should be the case again after a solid performance against the much younger and respected Parker.
He stalked the Kiwi from beginning to end, taking many of Parker’s quick, clean shots but also landing plenty of his own. In particular, Parker couldn’t seem to avoid Chisora’s right-handed bombs, one of which put him down in the opening seconds.
Two judges scored it for Parker (116-111 and 115-113) while the third had Chisora winning (115-113). Boxing Junkie scored it for Parker 115-112, eight rounds to four.
No matter how you saw it, Parker clearly was pushed to his limits.
“He brought the smoke,” Parker said. “If you want to feel it, jump into the ring with him.”
Parker offered Chisora a rematch. Saturday’s loser earned it.
***
WORSE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6Y5x4T9eko&t=37s
Omar Figueroa was excited about what amounted to a fresh start against Abel Ramos on the Ruiz-Arreola undercard.
The former lightweight champ spent a nearly two-year hiatus from boxing reassessing his priorities and letting his body heal from injuries. He seemed to come out the other side of the layoff in a good place both emotionally and physically.
He was in love with boxing again.
Then, when it came time to fight, he simply didn’t have it. Ramos, a rugged fringe contender, took some time to adjust to Figueroa’s awkward style and then proceeded to beat him up for six solid rounds.
Figueroa never stopped trying. He just wasn’t capable of doing anything to stop the assault.
I’ll never forget the image of him on his stool after the sixth round, his head hanging, spitting blood into a bucket. He was a beaten man. His trainer, Joel Diaz, did the right thing by instructing the referee to end the slaughter.
I know I’m not alone when I say that was difficult to witness.
Figueroa was once a good fighter. Between 2015 and 2019, he beat in succession Ricky Burns, Antonio DeMarco, Robert Guerrero and John Molina Jr. He was unbeaten until Yordgenis Ugas outpointed him in July 2019, which he said lifted the pressure of remaining undefeated.
Now he appears to be a shell. I don’t know whether Figueroa will get back into the ring – maybe he’d do better at 140 pounds – but it’s difficult to imagine after what we witnessed on Saturday.
***
RABBIT PUNCHES
Arreola, one of the most-engaging fighters you’ll ever encounter, has acknowledged that he swears too much. But he pushed even his own boundaries when he expressed his frustration over the scoring in a profane, cringe-worthy manner for everyone to hear. We can excuse him, though. To fight your heart out — as he did — and then, from his perspective, receive no respect from the judges must be devastating. Arreola is a good man with a big mouth. … The fight of the night Saturday was Sebastian Fundora vs. Jorge Cota. The junior middleweights went to war from the opening bell and didn’t let up until Cota (30-5, 27 KOs) could take no more at 2:35 of Round 4 on the Ruiz-Arreola card. Fundora (17-0-1, 12 KOs) took more shots that we’re used to seeing but he absorbed them and delivered a beating. No one in boxing is more fun to watch. … Jesus Ramos, the 20-year-old welterweight prospect, easily outpointed former U.S. Olympian Javier Molina (22-4, 9 KOs) on the Ruiz-Arreola card. Ramos (16-0, 14 KOs) can punch and he can also box, as he demonstrated on Saturday. And he fights with poise beyond his years. His goal of winning a world title before he turns 22 doesn’t seem farfetched. … Erislandy Lara (28-3-3, 16 KOs) provided the knockout of the night, stopping Thomas Lamanna (30-5-1, 12 KOs) with a single left hand only 80 seconds into their middleweight fight on the Ruiz-Arreola show. Lara obviously has more to give at 38. … Light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol (18-0, 11 KOs) looked so-so in his unanimous-decision victory over Craig Richards (16-2-1, 9 KOs) on the Parker-Chisora card. He said afterward that he was satisfied with his performance given the fact he hadn’t fought in almost 19 months. That’s reasonable. … Katie Taylor (18-0, 6 KOs) and Natasha Jonas (9-2-1, 7 KOs) gave fans the most-exciting fight on the Park-Chisora show. Taylor, defending her lightweight titles, won a unanimous decision but she has looked better. Of course, Jonas played a role in that by giving a spirited performance. The Liverpudlian has lost her last two fights – she fell just short against Terri Harper in August – yet enhanced her reputation as one of the best in the business. … Chris Eubank Jr. (30-2, 22 KOs) easily outpointed capable Marcus Morrison (23-4, 16 KOs) on the Parker-Chisora card. Eubank was more solid than spectacular. One thing I liked was his patience, which he evidently learned under the tutelage of trainer Roy Jones Jr. I think Jones is going to bring out the best in Eubank.
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