A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Tim Tszyu
OK, it was only Carlos Ocampo. Tszyu was expected to defeat the solid, but limited Mexican on Sunday in Broadbeach, Australia to set up a showdown with undisputed 154-pound champion Jermell Charlo in the fall. It was the way he did it that was so impressive. Tszyu needed only 1 minute, 17 seconds to hurt Ocampo (35-3, 23 KOs), put him down twice and deliver a Knockout of the Year candidate in front of his appreciative home country fans. In that short amount of time the son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu made it clear that he has carved out his own name in the sport and left no doubt that he’s a genuine threat to the best junior middleweight on the planet, Charlo. Tszyu (23-0, 17 KOs) was scary before, particularly after victories over respected opponents Terrell Gausha and Tony Harrison. Now it’s reasonable to wonder whether Charlo could survive 12 rounds against him. If nothing else, that matchup – Charlo vs. Tszyu – became a lot more interesting after a memorable performance down under.
BIGGEST LOSER
Regis Prograis
Progais apologized to his hometown fans after his split-decision victory over Danielito Zorrilla in a stinker Saturday in New Orleans. That should tell you something. Everyone is entitled to an off night but the 140-pound titleholder abused that notion, assuming the posture of the aggressor throughout but rarely taking the risks necessary to get close to Zorrilla for fear of getting hurt. Prograis landed a putrid 8.5% of his punches (42 of 297), according to CompuBox. He blamed Zorrilla, suggesting it’s difficult to do your job when your opponent runs for 12 rounds. That’s not fair. Yes, the Puerto Rican used his feet as a primary weapon but that was strategic. He stopped often enough to land some of the hardest punches of the fight. That included a right hand in the opening round that put Prograis down, although the referee ruled it a slip. The winner admitted afterward that the shot gave him pause. In the end, Prograis had his hand raised, which is the principal objective. At the same time, he lost ground in terms of perception. Is he overrated?
RABBIT PUNCHES
Charlo and Tszyu were scheduled to fight in January but Charlo had to pull out after breaking his hand, after which Tszyu fought Harrision in March and then Ocampo. Now focus has returned to Charlo. The WBO has ordered Charlo to defend against Tszyu by Sept. 30 or risk losing that belt. Of course, there are no guarantees that they’ll come to terms but my guess is that the competitor in Charlo will want to prove he’s better than Tszyu. I believe the fight will happen sometime in the fall. … The two judges who had Prograis winning – 118-109 and 117-110 – obviously gave him credit for being the aggressor regardless of his inability to land punches consistently. I believe they gave him too much credit. Yes, Prograis moved forward almost the entire fight but Zorrilla matched him power shot for power shot. In fact, according to CompuBox, they landed the exact same number of power punches, 38. The scoring should’ve been tighter. The third judge and I scored it for Zorrilla 114-113. …
Prograis had a number of miserable rounds. His worst was Round 2, in which he landed none of the 43 punches he threw. That’s a record for most punches thrown without landing one in a single round, CompuBox informed Boxing Junkie. He also landed only one punch in each of three more rounds. Of course, Zorrilla had his own problems. He had two rounds in which he connected on only one punch. And we should keep in mind that CompuBox stats aren’t official. Still, these numbers give you an idea of how horribly one of the world’s top fighters performed. … Bonus stat: Prograis landed 4 of 371 jabs (1.1%). Why bother throwing it? … Sam Goodman (15-0, 7 KOs) turned in a breakthrough performance on the Tszyu-Ocampo card, defeating fellow 122-pound contender Ra’eese Aleem (20-1, 12 KOs) by a split decision (117-111, 116-112 and 112-116). I had it 115-113 for Goodman. Aleem got off to a strong start but a determined, durable Goodman outworked him in the second half of the fight to pull away. The Aussie will be a handful for whomever he faces going forward. … Welterweight contender Shakhram Giyasov (14-0, 9 KOs) showed his class on the Prograis-Zorrilla card, dominating Harold Calderon (27-1, 18 KOs) en route to winning a one-sided decision in a 12-round bout. Giyasov won a silver medal for his native Uzbekistan in the 2016 Olympics. …
News item: Golden Boy Promotions has sued 140-pound contender Ryan Garcia to ensure that he honors the remainder of his contract with the promotional firm. Garcia’s representatives say the move was retaliation after the fighter requested mediation over what his team believes were contract breeches on the part of Golden Boy. What a mess. It’s not difficult to imagine Garcia sitting out the remainder of his contract after losing faith in his longtime promoter, which would be a shame given Garcia’s talent. … Badou Jack, a 200-pound titleholder, reportedly rejected an offer to face 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez. Jack said Alvarez wanted a 180-pound catch weight AND a rehydration clause, which he wouldn’t accept. I don’t blame him. Enough with the rehydration clauses, which place the larger fighter at too much of a disadvantage and could cause health issues. I understand that the bigger draw – Alvarez, in this case – has the right to use his leverage but it’s also important to have a level playing field. If you’re worried about your opponent’s size, face men in your weight class. Here’s an idea: Fight David Benavidez.
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