A lot of great streaming options across many platforms this month!
The calendar has (finally) turned to February, and we’re that much closer to spring. There’s just one month left to catch up on all the Oscar-nominated movies before the awards ceremony, and the highly-acclaimed Best Picture nominee Past Lives has popped onto Showtime.
You can still watch Oscar nominees like Barbie, Oppenheimer, The Holdovers and Maestro across various streaming services, and action flicks like Jurassic Park and Top Gun: Maverick are always a good choice.
Here are 40 of our picks of some of the best options across Apple TV+, Paramount+, Showtime, Max, Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Peacock.
Video: “End of an Era” documentary chronicles 37 years of boxing broadcasting on Showtime, which will no longer showcase the sport.
Showtime has chronicled 37 years of boxing with “End of an Era,” a 38-minute documentary looking back on many of the greatest fights and personalities through the eyes of the premium network’s broadcasters.
The network aired its final show this past Saturday from Minneapolis.
The video was produced by Emmy Award-winning Sam Shouvlin and Emmy-nominated Nick Manning.
“After nearly 40 years of documenting the sweet science – from ShoBox: The New Generation to the biggest pay-per-view events in television history – ‘End of an Era’ gives viewers a backstage pass to some of the greatest bouts in boxing history, including the ‘Bite Fight’ between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, the epic clash between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo, which many call the greatest fight of all time, and the exhilarating trilogy of bouts between Rafael Márquez and Israel Vázquez,” Showtime said in a news release.”
The documentary was set against the backdrop of Showtime’s final pay-per-view card, on Nov. 25, on which David Benavidez knocked out Demetrius Andrade.
Video: “End of an Era” documentary chronicles 37 years of boxing broadcasting on Showtime, which will no longer showcase the sport.
Showtime has chronicled 37 years of boxing with “End of an Era,” a 38-minute documentary looking back on many of the greatest fights and personalities through the eyes of the premium network’s broadcasters.
The network aired its final show this past Saturday from Minneapolis.
The video was produced by Emmy Award-winning Sam Shouvlin and Emmy-nominated Nick Manning.
“After nearly 40 years of documenting the sweet science – from ShoBox: The New Generation to the biggest pay-per-view events in television history – ‘End of an Era’ gives viewers a backstage pass to some of the greatest bouts in boxing history, including the ‘Bite Fight’ between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, the epic clash between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo, which many call the greatest fight of all time, and the exhilarating trilogy of bouts between Rafael Márquez and Israel Vázquez,” Showtime said in a news release.”
The documentary was set against the backdrop of Showtime’s final pay-per-view card, on Nov. 25, on which David Benavidez knocked out Demetrius Andrade.
Super middleweight contender David Morrell stopped overmatched Sena Agbeko in two rounds in Showtime’s final broadcast Saturday.
Showtime boxing went out with brutal knockout.
That’s thanks to gifted 168-pounder David Morrell, who stopped fellow contender Sena Agbeko midway through the second round of a scheduled 12-round bout Saturday night at The Armory in Minneapolis.
Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs) is only 25. He promised the best is yet to come.
“I’m teaching everyone who is number one,” he said. “I’m ready. I tell everybody, my team, my family. I’m looking forward to next year. For now, I feel happy. Right now, I’m going to go to my house for Christmas and focus on next year.”
Agbeko (28-3, 22 KOs) obviously wasn’t ready for Morrell, who toyed with the Ghanaian from the opening bell.
The former youth amateur star from Cuba poked and prodded, looking for openings for his dangerous power punches as Abegko backpedaled until Morrell finally found the mark.
A right uppercut followed by a short left stunned Agbeko and forced him into a corner, where Morrell unloaded a series of damaging blows to the head and body and took nothing in return.
That prompted referee Mark Nelson to jump between them and stop the fight, which saved Agbeko from taking unnecessary punishment. The official time of the stoppage was 1:43 of Round 2.
Morrell landed 68% of his power shots, according to CompuBox, an indication of how dominating he was.
The victory won’t change the way Morrell is perceived because of Agbeko’s limitations but this one was special for Morrell, whose parents were able to travel from Cuba to see him fight in person for the first time.
“Everybody came out for my fight and it’s still very exciting,” Morrell said. “This is the first time my dad and my mom came to watch me fight, so it’s really special to have them here. It’s my night. It’s my time.
“It’s my year, and I’m looking forward to a good 2024.”
He hopes the year will include a meeting with the man he has been chasing for some time, top contender David Benavidez.
Morrell probably will have to wait, as Benavidez is pursing a showdown with undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez for Cinco de Mayo weekend and doesn’t seem interested in meeting his young rival right away. However, Morrell remains focused on the opponent he believes could make him a star.
“In 2024, I want to fight Benavidez,” he said. “One hundred percent.”
The fight won’t be on Showtime, which signed off after showcasing boxing for most of the past four decades. The premium network had partnered the past few years with Premier Boxing Champions, which recently announced a deal with Prime Video.
Many of the most memorable fights in history have been televised on the premium network.
Longtime interviewer Jim Gray spoke for many when he said after the fight, “The echoes of the past will forever be etched in our hearts as the boxers and legendary fights that took place on Showtime have left an indelible impression.
“So we take both the sweetness of these cherished memories and the sorrow of this farewell.”
Super middleweight contender David Morrell stopped overmatched Sena Agbeko in two rounds in Showtime’s final broadcast Saturday.
Showtime boxing went out with brutal knockout.
That’s thanks to gifted 168-pounder David Morrell, who stopped fellow contender Sena Agbeko midway through the second round of a scheduled 12-round bout Saturday night at The Armory in Minneapolis.
Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs) is only 25. He promised the best is yet to come.
“I’m teaching everyone who is number one,” he said. “I’m ready. I tell everybody, my team, my family. I’m looking forward to next year. For now, I feel happy. Right now, I’m going to go to my house for Christmas and focus on next year.”
Agbeko (28-3, 22 KOs) obviously wasn’t ready for Morrell, who toyed with the Ghanaian from the opening bell.
The former youth amateur star from Cuba poked and prodded, looking for openings for his dangerous power punches as Abegko backpedaled until Morrell finally found the mark.
A right uppercut followed by a short left stunned Agbeko and forced him into a corner, where Morrell unloaded a series of damaging blows to the head and body and took nothing in return.
That prompted referee Mark Nelson to jump between them and stop the fight, which saved Agbeko from taking unnecessary punishment. The official time of the stoppage was 1:43 of Round 2.
Morrell landed 68% of his power shots, according to CompuBox, an indication of how dominating he was.
The victory won’t change the way Morrell is perceived because of Agbeko’s limitations but this one was special for Morrell, whose parents were able to travel from Cuba to see him fight in person for the first time.
“Everybody came out for my fight and it’s still very exciting,” Morrell said. “This is the first time my dad and my mom came to watch me fight, so it’s really special to have them here. It’s my night. It’s my time.
“It’s my year, and I’m looking forward to a good 2024.”
He hopes the year will include a meeting with the man he has been chasing for some time, top contender David Benavidez.
Morrell probably will have to wait, as Benavidez is pursing a showdown with undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez for Cinco de Mayo weekend and doesn’t seem interested in meeting his young rival right away. However, Morrell remains focused on the opponent he believes could make him a star.
“In 2024, I want to fight Benavidez,” he said. “One hundred percent.”
The fight won’t be on Showtime, which signed off after showcasing boxing for most of the past four decades. The premium network had partnered the past few years with Premier Boxing Champions, which recently announced a deal with Prime Video.
Many of the most memorable fights in history have been televised on the premium network.
Longtime interviewer Jim Gray spoke for many when he said after the fight, “The echoes of the past will forever be etched in our hearts as the boxers and legendary fights that took place on Showtime have left an indelible impression.
“So we take both the sweetness of these cherished memories and the sorrow of this farewell.”
Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza is high on his network’s upcoming schedule and boxing in general.
Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports and Event Programming at Showtime, has reason to be gratified.
Never-ending behind-the-scenes negotiations among handlers of the top boxers – sometimes smooth, often painstaking and occasionally heartbreaking – has produced a robust schedule of shows on the premium network.
For example, Showtime will have aired nine major boxing cards in a span of 11 weeks through late April this year.
Boxing Junkie asked Espinoza what the packed slate says amid speculation that boxing might not be in the long-term plans of parent company Paramount.
“It’s clear from the quality and quantity that we’re very committed to the sport,” he said. “And that’s going to continue for the foreseeable future. Nothing has changed from our perspective. In fact, we’ve got a number of events we’ve already have and we’ve got nine boxing events over the next 10 weeks going forward.
“This is as busy as any stretch that we’ve had since I’ve been at Showtime, which is over 10 years.”
The schedule (see list below) includes a number of big fights – David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant and Tim Tszyu vs. Tony Harrison, for example – but the gem is a 136-pound pay-per-view matchup between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia on April 22.
Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia is gem of Showtime’s boxing schedule.
Davis, No. 10 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list, and Garcia are gifted all-around fighters and genuine knockout artists. Plus, their massive social media followings make them crossover stars.
Both young men are still building their resumes but they already stir the masses. Espinoza credits their marketing savvy, just as he does with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
“What Tank and Ryan have done is fundamental,” he said. “It’s critical in today’s media market, essentially to connect directly to the fan base. You see that happening all across the industry, whether it’s a product brand endorser or Hollywood star.
“Hollywood stars used to keep a distance with the audience. They weren’t in commercials, weren’t outside movies. That’s flipped. Now people want access to you all the time. Social media is the solution to that.”
How big could Davis and Garcia get?
The era of 1 million pay-per-view buys in the United States appears to have retired with the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. For example, the third fight between the biggest star in the sport, Canelo Alvarez, and the popular Plant did an estimated 800,000 in November 2021.
Davis and Garcia can’t match Alvarez individually but together, Espinoza said, a big number shouldn’t be ruled out.
“We’ve seen lately that what used to be a million [pay-per-view buys] is now 800,000,” he said. “That seems to be somewhat of a ceiling. Look at what Canelo-Plant did. [Deontay] Wilder-[Tyson] Fury did a little lower but in the same neighborhood.
“That’s the biggest in the past few years. But if someone can break out, it might be a combination of Tank and Ryan because of their appeal outside of boxing fans.
“The magic of Mayweather and Pacquiao is they brought in people who didn’t pay attention to boxing on any day of the year except when they fought. I’ll put my money on any breakout on Davis and Garcia.”
Of course, one fight missing from the schedule underscores the reality that there will be disappointments.
A showdown between welterweight pound-for-pound stars Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. was supposed to be the crown jewel of 2022, a battle of unbeaten champions reminiscent of Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns and Felix Trinidad-Oscar De La Hoya.
However, talks ultimately fell apart and there’s no telling when – or if – the fight will happen.
Espinoza is among those who was disappointed.
“All boxing fans were disappointed with that,” he said. “We’re boxing fans ourselves. We were disappointed. I think more often than not boxing does get it right. We’re going to get Tank and Ryan, [which] is a good thing. We may get a big Wilder fight in the near future, as well. We continue to get big fights.
“So there will be occasional misses. Sometimes we are as boxing fans harder on our sport than any other fans are. And often fights that don’t happen get more attention than ones that do. It’s hard not to be cynical but, at it’s best, it’s a beautiful sport.
“It’s more exciting and different from any sport out there but, yeah, it does disappoint us sometimes. We have to continue to work as people … within the sport to make sure those are few and far between.
“Spence-Crawford in particular, I know no one is giving up on that. It didn’t happen last fall [but] there are efforts being made to continue to try to make it happen. I’m not saying it will, but no one is giving up hope or giving up trying.”
Of course, Espinoza feels good about the schedule as it is.
It isn’t perfect – when has that ever been the case? – but his network will be featuring many of the top fighters in the world in competitive matchups in the coming weeks and months.
“For those who are really the true fans, who are looking for true quality boxing, who are looking for the fun and excitement of discovering a new fighter, the fun of a hard fought, technical fight, it’s there,” Espinoza said. “There are enough people committed to doing high-quality fights within the sport. A lot of them are here under our roof at Showtime.
“There’s plenty available. If we look at it worldwide, there is as much boxing content available right now as there has been at any point in the recent past. I think that’s a positive thing. We have to accentuate the positive while we acknowledge our failings and some of our shortcomings. …
“Among things we’ve seen are more undisputed champions crowned the last two or three years than probably at any point in the sport’s history. The reality is there are big fights happening. You can’t have undisputed champions without champions fighting other champions.
“So there are signs that things are looking up and moving in the right direction.”
***
Here are the upcoming Showtime cards that have been announced:
MARCH 4
Showtime Championship Boxing Toyota Arena, Ontario, Calif.
Brandon Figueroa vs. Mark Magsayo, featherweights
Jarrett Hurd vs. Armando Reséndiz, Middleweight Bout
Amilcar Vidal vs. Elijah Garcia, Middleweight Bout
MARCH 11
Showtime Boxing International Australia
Tim Tszyu vs. Tony Harrison, junior middleweights
MARCH 25
Showtime Pay-Per-View MGM Grand, Las Vegas
David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant, super middleweights
Jesus Ramos vs. Joey Spencer, junior middleweights
Chris Colbert vs. Jose Valenzuela, lightweights
Cody Crowley vs. Abel Ramos, welterweights
APRIL 7 ShoBox: The New Generation Cache Creek Casino, Brooks, Calif.
Shinard Bunch vs. Bryan Flores, junior welterweights
Neri Ariel Cruz Romero vs. Jose Nunez, junior lightweights
Raul Garcia vs. Robert Terry, junior middleweights
APRIL 8 Showtime Championship Boxing Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, Calif.
Sebastian Fundora vs. Brian Mendoza, junior middleweights
Brandun Lee vs. Pedro Campa, junior welterweights
Luis Nunez vs. Christian Olivo, featherweights
APRIL 22 Showtime Pay-Per-View
Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia, junior welterweights (136-pound catch weight)
MAY 13
Showtime Championship Boxing
Alberto Puello vs. Rolando Romero, junior welterweights (for Puello’s WBA title)
Gary Antuanne Russell vs. Kent Cruz, junior welterweights
Rances Barthelemy vs. Omar Juarez, junior welterweights
JUNE 9 ShoBox: The New Generation Turning Stone Casino, Verona, N.Y.
JUNE 24 Showtime Championship Boxing The Armory, Minneapolis
Carlos Adames vs. Julian Williams, middleweights
Erickson Lubin vs. Luis Arias, junior middleweights
Fernando Martinez vs. Jade Bornea, junior bantamweights (for Martinez’s IBF title)
Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza is high on his network’s upcoming schedule and boxing in general.
Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports and Event Programming at Showtime, has reason to be gratified.
Never-ending behind-the-scenes negotiations among handlers of the top boxers – sometimes smooth, often painstaking and occasionally heartbreaking – has produced a robust schedule of shows on the premium network.
For example, Showtime will have aired nine major boxing cards in a span of 11 weeks through late April this year.
Boxing Junkie asked Espinoza what the packed slate says amid speculation that boxing might not be in the long-term plans of parent company Paramount.
“It’s clear from the quality and quantity that we’re very committed to the sport,” he said. “And that’s going to continue for the foreseeable future. Nothing has changed from our perspective. In fact, we’ve got a number of events we’ve already have and we’ve got nine boxing events over the next 10 weeks going forward.
“This is as busy as any stretch that we’ve had since I’ve been at Showtime, which is over 10 years.”
The schedule (see list below) includes a number of big fights – David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant and Tim Tszyu vs. Tony Harrison, for example – but the gem is a 136-pound pay-per-view matchup between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia on April 22.
Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia is gem of Showtime’s boxing schedule.
Davis, No. 10 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list, and Garcia are gifted all-around fighters and genuine knockout artists. Plus, their massive social media followings make them crossover stars.
Both young men are still building their resumes but they already stir the masses. Espinoza credits their marketing savvy, just as he does with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
“What Tank and Ryan have done is fundamental,” he said. “It’s critical in today’s media market, essentially to connect directly to the fan base. You see that happening all across the industry, whether it’s a product brand endorser or Hollywood star.
“Hollywood stars used to keep a distance with the audience. They weren’t in commercials, weren’t outside movies. That’s flipped. Now people want access to you all the time. Social media is the solution to that.”
How big could Davis and Garcia get?
The era of 1 million pay-per-view buys in the United States appears to have retired with the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. For example, the third fight between the biggest star in the sport, Canelo Alvarez, and the popular Plant did an estimated 800,000 in November 2021.
Davis and Garcia can’t match Alvarez individually but together, Espinoza said, a big number shouldn’t be ruled out.
“We’ve seen lately that what used to be a million [pay-per-view buys] is now 800,000,” he said. “That seems to be somewhat of a ceiling. Look at what Canelo-Plant did. [Deontay] Wilder-[Tyson] Fury did a little lower but in the same neighborhood.
“That’s the biggest in the past few years. But if someone can break out, it might be a combination of Tank and Ryan because of their appeal outside of boxing fans.
“The magic of Mayweather and Pacquiao is they brought in people who didn’t pay attention to boxing on any day of the year except when they fought. I’ll put my money on any breakout on Davis and Garcia.”
Of course, one fight missing from the schedule underscores the reality that there will be disappointments.
A showdown between welterweight pound-for-pound stars Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. was supposed to be the crown jewel of 2022, a battle of unbeaten champions reminiscent of Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns and Felix Trinidad-Oscar De La Hoya.
However, talks ultimately fell apart and there’s no telling when – or if – the fight will happen.
Espinoza is among those who was disappointed.
“All boxing fans were disappointed with that,” he said. “We’re boxing fans ourselves. We were disappointed. I think more often than not boxing does get it right. We’re going to get Tank and Ryan, [which] is a good thing. We may get a big Wilder fight in the near future, as well. We continue to get big fights.
“So there will be occasional misses. Sometimes we are as boxing fans harder on our sport than any other fans are. And often fights that don’t happen get more attention than ones that do. It’s hard not to be cynical but, at it’s best, it’s a beautiful sport.
“It’s more exciting and different from any sport out there but, yeah, it does disappoint us sometimes. We have to continue to work as people … within the sport to make sure those are few and far between.
“Spence-Crawford in particular, I know no one is giving up on that. It didn’t happen last fall [but] there are efforts being made to continue to try to make it happen. I’m not saying it will, but no one is giving up hope or giving up trying.”
Of course, Espinoza feels good about the schedule as it is.
It isn’t perfect – when has that ever been the case? – but his network will be featuring many of the top fighters in the world in competitive matchups in the coming weeks and months.
“For those who are really the true fans, who are looking for true quality boxing, who are looking for the fun and excitement of discovering a new fighter, the fun of a hard fought, technical fight, it’s there,” Espinoza said. “There are enough people committed to doing high-quality fights within the sport. A lot of them are here under our roof at Showtime.
“There’s plenty available. If we look at it worldwide, there is as much boxing content available right now as there has been at any point in the recent past. I think that’s a positive thing. We have to accentuate the positive while we acknowledge our failings and some of our shortcomings. …
“Among things we’ve seen are more undisputed champions crowned the last two or three years than probably at any point in the sport’s history. The reality is there are big fights happening. You can’t have undisputed champions without champions fighting other champions.
“So there are signs that things are looking up and moving in the right direction.”
***
Here are the upcoming Showtime cards that have been announced:
MARCH 4
Showtime Championship Boxing Toyota Arena, Ontario, Calif.
Brandon Figueroa vs. Mark Magsayo, featherweights
Jarrett Hurd vs. Armando Reséndiz, Middleweight Bout
Amilcar Vidal vs. Elijah Garcia, Middleweight Bout
MARCH 11
Showtime Boxing International Australia
Tim Tszyu vs. Tony Harrison, junior middleweights
MARCH 25
Showtime Pay-Per-View MGM Grand, Las Vegas
David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant, super middleweights
Jesus Ramos vs. Joey Spencer, junior middleweights
Chris Colbert vs. Jose Valenzuela, lightweights
Cody Crowley vs. Abel Ramos, welterweights
APRIL 7 ShoBox: The New Generation Cache Creek Casino, Brooks, Calif.
Shinard Bunch vs. Bryan Flores, junior welterweights
Neri Ariel Cruz Romero vs. Jose Nunez, junior lightweights
Raul Garcia vs. Robert Terry, junior middleweights
APRIL 8 Showtime Championship Boxing Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, Calif.
Sebastian Fundora vs. Brian Mendoza, junior middleweights
Brandun Lee vs. Pedro Campa, junior welterweights
Luis Nunez vs. Christian Olivo, featherweights
APRIL 22 Showtime Pay-Per-View
Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia, junior welterweights (136-pound catch weight)
MAY 13
Showtime Championship Boxing
Alberto Puello vs. Rolando Romero, junior welterweights (for Puello’s WBA title)
Gary Antuanne Russell vs. Kent Cruz, junior welterweights
Rances Barthelemy vs. Omar Juarez, junior welterweights
JUNE 9 ShoBox: The New Generation Turning Stone Casino, Verona, N.Y.
JUNE 24 Showtime Championship Boxing The Armory, Minneapolis
Carlos Adames vs. Julian Williams, middleweights
Erickson Lubin vs. Luis Arias, junior middleweights
Fernando Martinez vs. Jade Bornea, junior bantamweights (for Martinez’s IBF title)
Bettors are expecting Errol Spence to win on Saturday night.
It’s been a long few years for unified welterweight world champion Errol Spence Jr. In 2019, he was involved in a life-threatening car accident that forced him out of the ring for more than a year. And after returning to defeat Danny Garcia in December 2020, Spence suffered a detached retina during a sparring session in the lead-up to a title fight versus Manny Pacquiao, which forced Spence to withdraw from the fight.
One eye surgery later, Spence is recovered and ready to take on Yordenis Ugas — the same Yordenis Ugas who stepped in for Spence last August and outclassed Pacquiao en route to a unanimous decision victory.
But the past is the past, and now these two champions will unite this Saturday night in Dallas in a three-belt welterweight world title unification. And if you ask the betting public, Ugas doesn’t stand a chance.
Seventy-four percent of bet slips coming into Tipico Sportsbook have Spence, the hometown kid and odds-on favorite (-750) on the moneyline, with the other 26 percent going to Ugas (+400).
Errol Spence vs Yordenis Ugas face-off ahead of their three-belt WBA, WBC & IBF welterweight world title unification fight on Saturday night…
You can follow the action live at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime PPV.
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).
A critical look at the past week in boxing GOOD Edgar Berlanga appears to be a victim of his own success. When you knock out each of your first 16 opponents in the first round, people expect great things from you. And the 24-year-old from Brooklyn …
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Edgar Berlanga appears to be a victim of his own success.
When you knock out each of your first 16 opponents in the first round, people expect great things from you. And the 24-year-old from Brooklyn hasn’t been great in his last few fights, which has changed the way he’s perceived.
Berlanga’s latest so-so performance came Saturday, when he defeated veteran Steve Rolls by a unanimous decision in New York City.
The judges obviously thought Berlanga (19-0, 16 KOs) did enough to earn the decision but he didn’t do much of anything. He stalked his elusive opponent but threw and landed few punches, although he fought with more urgency in the last few rounds.
He seemed to blame Rolls (21-2, 12 KOs) afterward, saying he had to chase the reluctant 37-year-old Canadian the entire fight. Well, if that’s true, it’s his job to cut off the ring and he failed to do that.
And Rolls did a pretty good job for a frightened opponent, making almost every round competitive by sticking and moving. It was a solid game plan and he employed it effectively, at least enough to frustrate Berlanga much of the fight.
So what went wrong for Berlanga?
One problem: 16 consecutive first-round knockouts to start his career means he gained less than 16 full rounds of experience in those fights. That’s nothing. He had an extensive amateur career but he remains raw as a professional.
Another possible problem: Berlanga just isn’t as good as we thought he was. He looked terrific during his knockout streak, ordinary against Marcelo Coceres and Rolls.
One more possible problem: He reportedly works with several trainers, which might be overkill. He might be trying to process too information, which is difficult for a young fighter. Perhaps he needs to settle on one trainer and see how things go.
The good news for Berlanga – and the reason he’s categorized as GOOD here – is that he’s young, he has good backing and, yes, he has some talent.
He could still realize the destiny he sees for himself if he acknowledges that he has a lot of room to grow and takes the proper steps to do so.
BAD
Steve Rolls (left) gave a solid performance in defeat against Edgar Berlanga on Saturday night. Al Bello / Getty Images
I scored Berlanga-Rolls 96-94 – six rounds to four – for Rolls, who I thought outworked Berlanga much of the fight.
Was he robbed? No. I thought it was a close fight that could’ve gone either way. I also believe that Berlanga had the advantage of being the “house” fighter, the fighter expected to win, which might account for the two 97-93 scores in his favor.
In my opinion, Rolls at least came close to pulling off what would’ve been the biggest victory of his career, one that would’ve moved him a giant step closer to his dream of fighting for a world championship.
Now, who knows whether that will ever happen for him? He turns 38 next month, which might mean the fight against Berlanga was his last on a big stage.
I fear that Rolls will be remembered exclusively for his failed attempt to take down future Hall of Famer Gennadiy Golovkin, who stopped him in brutal fashion in the fourth round in June 2019.
I hope that those who saw the fight on Saturday night don’t forget that he gave a solid performance against a highly regarded opponent even if he was overly concerned about Berlanga’s power. He proved in that fight that he’s a good fighter.
WORSE
Jermall Charlo will defend his middleweight title against Maciej Sulecki on June 18.
Boxing’s territorial nature has destroyed another great potential fight.
Middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo and contender Jaime Munguia – both highly regarded, undefeated fighters – were near an agreement to fight in June. And then the talks fell apart, which leaves us with Charlo vs. Maciej Sulecki instead.
I won’t even try to unpack the reasons in detail other than to say that it came down to the networks. DAZN (Munguia) wanted to be part of a joint pay-per-view and Showtime wouldn’t agree to that, instead offering to give DAZN the rematch.
Just like that, a wonder matchup was dead, at least for now.
There’s nothing wrong with Charlo’s fight with Sulecki, a solid contender from Poland who has a victory over Gabriel Rosado. I look forward to the fight.
The problem is that a matchup between Charlo and Munguia – who have a combined record of 71-0, with 53 knockouts – is one of the better possible fights in the sport. Charlo is one of the best in the business and Munguia is moving steadily in that direction.
That’s why I know I wasn’t the only one who was disappointed to learn that Charlo had gone from the possibility of fighting Canelo Alvarez to probably fighting Munguia to actually fighting Sulecki.
I understand that the networks and their partners have to look out for their own interests. That’s business. I also understand the fans’ frustration.
A critical look at the past week in boxing GOOD Edgar Berlanga appears to be a victim of his own success. When you knock out each of your first 16 opponents in the first round, people expect great things from you. And the 24-year-old from Brooklyn …
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Edgar Berlanga appears to be a victim of his own success.
When you knock out each of your first 16 opponents in the first round, people expect great things from you. And the 24-year-old from Brooklyn hasn’t been great in his last few fights, which has changed the way he’s perceived.
Berlanga’s latest so-so performance came Saturday, when he defeated veteran Steve Rolls by a unanimous decision in New York City.
The judges obviously thought Berlanga (19-0, 16 KOs) did enough to earn the decision but he didn’t do much of anything. He stalked his elusive opponent but threw and landed few punches, although he fought with more urgency in the last few rounds.
He seemed to blame Rolls (21-2, 12 KOs) afterward, saying he had to chase the reluctant 37-year-old Canadian the entire fight. Well, if that’s true, it’s his job to cut off the ring and he failed to do that.
And Rolls did a pretty good job for a frightened opponent, making almost every round competitive by sticking and moving. It was a solid game plan and he employed it effectively, at least enough to frustrate Berlanga much of the fight.
So what went wrong for Berlanga?
One problem: 16 consecutive first-round knockouts to start his career means he gained less than 16 full rounds of experience in those fights. That’s nothing. He had an extensive amateur career but he remains raw as a professional.
Another possible problem: Berlanga just isn’t as good as we thought he was. He looked terrific during his knockout streak, ordinary against Marcelo Coceres and Rolls.
One more possible problem: He reportedly works with several trainers, which might be overkill. He might be trying to process too information, which is difficult for a young fighter. Perhaps he needs to settle on one trainer and see how things go.
The good news for Berlanga – and the reason he’s categorized as GOOD here – is that he’s young, he has good backing and, yes, he has some talent.
He could still realize the destiny he sees for himself if he acknowledges that he has a lot of room to grow and takes the proper steps to do so.
BAD
Steve Rolls (left) gave a solid performance in defeat against Edgar Berlanga on Saturday night. Al Bello / Getty Images
I scored Berlanga-Rolls 96-94 – six rounds to four – for Rolls, who I thought outworked Berlanga much of the fight.
Was he robbed? No. I thought it was a close fight that could’ve gone either way. I also believe that Berlanga had the advantage of being the “house” fighter, the fighter expected to win, which might account for the two 97-93 scores in his favor.
In my opinion, Rolls at least came close to pulling off what would’ve been the biggest victory of his career, one that would’ve moved him a giant step closer to his dream of fighting for a world championship.
Now, who knows whether that will ever happen for him? He turns 38 next month, which might mean the fight against Berlanga was his last on a big stage.
I fear that Rolls will be remembered exclusively for his failed attempt to take down future Hall of Famer Gennadiy Golovkin, who stopped him in brutal fashion in the fourth round in June 2019.
I hope that those who saw the fight on Saturday night don’t forget that he gave a solid performance against a highly regarded opponent even if he was overly concerned about Berlanga’s power. He proved in that fight that he’s a good fighter.
WORSE
Jermall Charlo will defend his middleweight title against Maciej Sulecki on June 18.
Boxing’s territorial nature has destroyed another great potential fight.
Middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo and contender Jaime Munguia – both highly regarded, undefeated fighters – were near an agreement to fight in June. And then the talks fell apart, which leaves us with Charlo vs. Maciej Sulecki instead.
I won’t even try to unpack the reasons in detail other than to say that it came down to the networks. DAZN (Munguia) wanted to be part of a joint pay-per-view and Showtime wouldn’t agree to that, instead offering to give DAZN the rematch.
Just like that, a wonder matchup was dead, at least for now.
There’s nothing wrong with Charlo’s fight with Sulecki, a solid contender from Poland who has a victory over Gabriel Rosado. I look forward to the fight.
The problem is that a matchup between Charlo and Munguia – who have a combined record of 71-0, with 53 knockouts – is one of the better possible fights in the sport. Charlo is one of the best in the business and Munguia is moving steadily in that direction.
That’s why I know I wasn’t the only one who was disappointed to learn that Charlo had gone from the possibility of fighting Canelo Alvarez to probably fighting Munguia to actually fighting Sulecki.
I understand that the networks and their partners have to look out for their own interests. That’s business. I also understand the fans’ frustration.
