A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Stephen Fulton warned us ahead of time.
The then-junior featherweight contender suggested he might stand toe-to-toe with brawler Angelo Leo on Saturday night rather than use his superior speed and skill set by boxing and moving.
Not only did Fulton go to war with Leo in close quarters, he performed as if he were in his comfort zone – outslugging the slugger — in a masterful demonstration of his ability in Uncasville, Conn. and on national television.
The scores were 119-109, 119-109 and 118-110, all of Fulton, who took Leo’s junior featherweight title and made this statement with his actions to fellow 122-pound champions Murodjon Akhmadaliev and Luis Nery: “I’m coming for you next and I have a lot of ways I can beat you.”
The brilliance of Fulton’s performance goes beyond beating Leo at his own game.
The 26-year-old Philadelphian threw 1,183 punches overall (almost 100 per round) and an astounding 913 power shots, according to CompuBox, against a rugged fighter who generally smothers his opponents with pressure. Remarkable.
And Fulton seemed to be as fresh at the final bell and he was at the opening bell, this after a grueling, nearly 2,000-punch (Leo threw 810) battle in the trenches. It was a testament to his conditioning.
Also, remember: He was coming off a prolonged battle with COVID-19, which prevented him from fighting Leo for the then-vacant title as planned on Aug. 1.
I don’t know whether Fulton will beat his fellow titleholders to become undisputed champion – which is his goal – but I certainly won’t be surprised if he does. His diverse talents, his determination and his work ethic could take him a long way.
***
BAD
You have to feel for Leo.
No one fights harder than the product of Albuquerque, as we saw at the Mohegan Sun. He took a beating from Fulton but never stopped coming, never stopped winging punches in a determined effort to hold onto his first title belt. It was a courageous performance on his part.
He simply ran into a better fighter in Fulton. No shame in that.
Here’s a positive spin on Leo’s fate: Had Fulton been able to fight on Aug. 1 as planned, Leo probably wouldn’t have become a titleholder at that time. He outpointed capable, but less-talented late replacement Tramaine Williams to realize a lifelong dream of wearing a major belt.
No matter what happens going forward, he can always say he was a world champion.
And Leo, also 26, isn’t going anywhere. You can see by the way he trains and fights that he’s fully committed to the sport. He’ll get some rest, take a look at the video with his team to learn what he can from the setback and then get back into the gym.
We didn’t get to hear what Leo had to say after the fight because he was taken to a hospital for precautionary reasons immediately after the winner was announced.
You can bet he would’ve said, “This is boxing. I’ll be back.”
***
WORSE
I understand why Canelo Alvarez decided to fight Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27. The Mexican star wanted a fight in February, Yildirim is the mandatory challenger to his WBC 168-pound title and he wants to keep his belt, which is part of a plan to unify all the titles.
Here’s the problem: No one wants to see that fight.
I’m only being honest when I say that the limited Yildirim has virtually no chance of winning the fight. And aren’t fights at all levels of the sport supposed to be at least reasonably competitive? The fans deserve that much.
Again, I don’t blame Alvarez. He’s simply working within the system. The system is the problem. Mandatory challengers were created to force champions to face top contenders. Instead, because of the self-serving manner in which fighters are ranked, the opposite occurs.
Yildirim is coming off a technical-decision loss to Anthony Dirrell two years ago. How is he even in this position? There are certainly better fighters than Yildirim at or near Alvarez’s weight who would love a crack at one of the biggest figures in the sport.
The only way we’re going to see change is if the fighters and their handlers buck the system. Some stars have refused to pay sanctioning fees. I support that. And, more generally, we all should put more emphasis on matchups than titles.
Remember: There are so many championship belts that we’ve lost count. And the more titles there are, the less they mean. That’s why the top fighters want to unify them. They know that’s a path to a more genuine championship.
I’ll watch the Alvarez-Yildirim fight because I’m a fan of boxing and Alvarez. Let’s call it what it is, though: a glorified workout.
***
RABBIT PUNCHES
Ra’eese Aleem (18-0, 12 KOs) gave an impressive performance in his knockout victory over Victor Pasillas (16-1, 9 KOs) on the Fulton-Leo undercard. The matchup of unbeaten young contenders was expected to be a 50-50 fight but Aleem proved to be too quick and simply too good for Pasillas, who was stopped in the 11th round. Aleem put the top 122-pounders on notice. … Lightweight contender Rolando Romero (13-0, 11 KOs) bounced back nicely from a shaky performance in his previous fight, stopping last-minute replacement Avery Sparrow (10-3, 3 KOs) in seven rounds on the Fulton-Leo card. Romero boxed well while still delivering his potent power shots, which he didn’t do in a controversial decision over Jackson Marinez in August. … The Boxing Writers Association of America announced it’s 2020 award winners. Here they are: Fighter of the Year, Teofimo Lopez; Fight of the Year, Jose Zepeda vs. Ivan Baranchyk; Trainer of the Year, Teofimo Lopez Sr.; Manager of the Year, David McWater (Lopez); and Courage Award, Magomed Abdusalamov family. The younger Lopez upset Vasiliy Lomachenko to become undisputed lightweight champion on Oct. 17.
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