A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Anthony Joshua
The former heavyweight champion’s new trainer Derrick James said after the fact that all he wanted was a victory over Jermaine Franklin on Saturday at O2 Arena in London. Decision or knockout, it didn’t matter. Mission accomplished. Joshua controlled the fight from the outset with his power jab and plenty of hard, accurate right hands. The smaller Franklin was willing but didn’t have the wherewithal to avoid the incoming shots or deliver his own with any consistency. Thus, no one was surprised when the official scores were announced: 118-111, 117-111 and 117-111, which was music to the ears of those close to Joshua. He was back in the win column after three long years and had taken a significant step in the right direction following crippling back-to-back losses against Oleksander Usyk. The victory could lead directly to a showdown against countryman and titleholder Tyson Fury. Or, if that’s not possible immediately, Deontay Wilder and Dillian Whyte are viable options on Joshua’s continuing journey of redemption. Bottom line: Joshua is back in business.
BIGGEST LOSER
Anthony Joshua
Joshua got the job done but it wasn’t his finest hour. And that might not bode well for him. Let’s face it: He has never been the same since Andy Ruiz Jr. hurt him in the third round and stopped him in the seventh in an unforgettable 2019 upset. He rebounded by outpointing Ruiz in the rematch and then knocking out 39-year-old Pulev but the ferocious knockout artist of the pre-Ruiz years was gone, having given way to a capable, but careful boxer who has no interest in taking unnecessary risks lest he be stopped again. The old, confident Joshua would’ve destroyed a second-tier opponent like Franklin. The current version spent as much time holding his frustrated opponent as punching him late in the fight, when Franklin was particularly vulnerable to a knockout. That was a bad look. Joshua wanted to stop Franklin, he wanted to make a statement, he wanted to show everyone that he’s still the great heavyweight who took out Hall of Famer Wladimir Klitschko in 2017. The problem for him? That’s no longer who he is.
BIGGEST MISMATCH?
Fury vs. Joshua
One should never count out a fighter as talented as Joshua. And make no mistake: Joshua is a fine boxer, as he demonstrated in his second fight with Usyk. He came within a handful punches of turning the tables on his Ukrainian rival, which would’ve been a major accomplishment. I just don’t see how this version of Joshua beats Fury, however. Fury is bigger, better and mentally much tougher than the skittish Joshua. Joshua might be a bigger puncher but how far is that going to take him? He couldn’t stop Franklin. Can he be expected to do so against a man who survived three fights against Deontay Wilder? It doesn’t seem likely. The fight might look a lot like Fury’s meeting with the 39-year-old Klitschko, who has a similar style to Joshua. He fought behind his strong jab and pounded his opponents with straight right hands. A younger, less experienced Fury neutralized everything Klitschko tried to do and won a clear decision in his break-out fight. Would it be any different against Joshua? Not likely.
RABBIT PUNCHCES
Roy Jones Jr., 54, lost a majority decision in a sanctioned bout against former UFC champion Anthony Pettis on Saturday in Milwaukee even though Pettis had no boxing experience. And Jones (66-10, 47 KOs) said more such fights are to come. Fighters in their mid-50s shouldn’t be allowed to take part in sanctioned bouts, in which both parties are expected to hold nothing back in the most dangerous of sports. Shame on officials in Wisconsin. Why not take part in exhibitions if Jones wants to stay in the game, as he did with Mike Tyson in 2020? Then the participants can put on a show and make money without taking risks inherent in genuine fights. This just doesn’t feel right. … Robeisy Ramirez (12-1, 7 KOs) climbed all the way back from his disastrous loss in his pro debut, outclassing and easily outpointing former 122-pound beltholder Isaac Dogboe (24-3, 15 KOs) to win a vacant 126-pound title Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Obviously the two-time Olympic champion from Cuba is an excellent boxer. And he’s going to get better if he remains focused. The southpaw relies almost solely on spacing and his left hand. If he would use his jab and throw more combinations, he could be scary good. … Dogboe didn’t handle his post-fight interview well, arguing in so many words that he was robbed and demanding a rematch. Let’s not be too hard on him; his emotions got the better of him. But, c’mon. It wasn’t a close fight. And he’s not getting a rematch. It’s almost always best to say something like, “Hey, it wasn’t my night tonight,” and move on.
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