A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Canelo Alvarez
The super middleweight champion’s unanimous decision victory over Jermell Charlo on Saturday night in Las Vegas was far from the greatest of his decorated career given the fact the challenger moved up two divisions to face the future Hall of Famer. At the same time, Alvarez did exactly what he said he would do: He proved that he’s far from finished as one of the best fighters in the world. Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) insisted that recent sub-par performances – which damaged his reputation – were the result of an injured left wrist and promised he would perform like the great fighter of old now that’s he’s 100% healthy. And he was good as his word. He fought with the passion and sharpness that was missing in recent fights, overwhelming a smaller, but excellent fighter in Charlo with relentless pressure to win round after round and ultimately the fight. The challenger never really had a chance. A giddy Alvarez brimmed with confidence afterward, bellowing during his post-fight interview that, “nobody can beat this Canelo.” He might be right, although Dmitry Bivol certainly will have found that statement interesting.
BIGGEST LOSER
Jermell Charlo
In terms of money, Charlo couldn’t have had a better night. His eight-figure payday will set him and his family up for life. In terms of his performance, well, the undisputed 154-pound champ would probably like to put it behind him as soon as possible. I won’t say that Charlo came merely to survive but he fought on his heels from beginning to end and didn’t take the risks necessary to make the fight competitive, which was disappointing given his dominance at 154 pounds and expectations going into the fight. He admitted afterward that he “should’ve come forward more.” The fact he didn’t do so produced a disappointing fight. Charlo will bounce back, although at his natural weight. He expects to face the winner of the Oct. 14 fight between newly appointed WBO 154-pound champ Tim Tszyu and Brian Mendoza, and he called out 147-pound king Terence Crawford. If he gets and wins those kind of fights, fans will come to realize that while he was horrible against a fighter he called “a beast” at 168 pounds, he remains the dominant figure at 154 and could have similar success at 160. As Charlo said, “I’m not going nowhere.”
WORST DECISION
Erickson Lubin UD Jesus Ramos
I’m still scratching my head. Ramos controlled the first two thirds of his fight against the inactive Lubin, who averaged six punches landed in the first eight rounds (compared to 13 for Ramos), according to CompuBox. Ramos took his foot off the gas in the final four rounds, which opened the door for Lubin to make up some ground on the scorecards. However, it seemed to me – and a lot of others – that Ramos had built too big of a lead to be overtaken. That’s why the officials scoring was so shocking: 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113, all for Lubin. I had it 116-112 for Ramos, eight rounds to four. Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) simply was too passive in too many rounds to have won a unanimous decision. Lubin’s inactivity also was stunning. I kept waiting for the fiery offensive fighter of the past to emerge. He never did, although he picked up his pace in Rounds 9-12. Lubin lucked out. Meanwhile, Ramos (20-1, 16 KOs) learned a painful, but valuable lesson: Never assume you can afford to lower your output down the stretch. You never know what the judges saw — or didn’t see — up to that point.
RABBIT PUNCHES
What’s next for Alvarez? You can read about that here. In short, I have to think that the fight he really wants is a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, although they couldn’t come to terms during earlier negotiations. My first choice? David Benavidez. Maybe the fans can convince Alvarez that that’s the best fight for him. … Mario Barrios (28-2, 18 KOs) recorded the biggest victory of his career on the Alvarez-Charlo card, easily outpointing former 147-pound contender Yordenis Ugas (27-6, 12 KOs). Barrios, a former 140-pound beltholder, fought too carefully to my taste for much of the fight but he ended up closing Ugas’ right eye, putting him down twice and dominating the championship rounds. So, in the end, he had a terrific night. Ugas? The Cuban might not be able to overcome back-to-back losses and a vulnerable eye socket at 37 years old. … Twenty-year-old middleweight contender Elijah Garcia gave a strong performance on the Alvarez-Charlo undercard, stopping rugged Mexican Jose Armando Resendiz (14-2, 10 KOs) in eight rounds. Garcia (16-0, 13 KOs) needs to work on his defense but he’s impressive in all other respects. The southpaw from Phoenix is adept at setting up his shots, punches accurately, has world class power (the right hooks that finished Resendiz were vicious) and fights will poise beyond his years. He’s a threat to anyone now. If he continues to improve, he could become a star. …
News item: Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have signed to fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship sometime this winter in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, assuming Fury gets past MMA star Francis Ngannou on Oct. 28, also in Saudi Arabia. It’s about time. Boxing hasn’t had an undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis a generation ago. And the matchup is fascinating. I think Fury is too big and too good for Usyk but I wouldn’t put anything past the gifted Ukrainian, who has two victories over Anthony Joshua. … Boxing lost a legend when broadcaster Colonel Bob Sheridan died at 79 on Sept. 27. Sheridan reportedly broadcast more than 10,000 fights on radio and TV over the past half century, including some of the biggest events in history. He had a keen understanding of the sport and did an excellent job of projecting the drama of the fights he worked. More important to his colleagues, he was one of the most down to earth, friendly figures in the sport. Also, longtime Cincinnati-based trainer Mike Stafford recently died at 67. He worked with Adrien Broner, Robert Easter Jr. and Rau’shee Warron, among many others. He also worked with children in the community, which endeared him to residents and officials in his area.
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