A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
JAKE PAUL
Jake Paul knew how to get back on track after losing to fellow boxer Tommy Fury in February: face an MMA fighter, particularly an aging one. It’ll work almost every time. The YouTuber-turned-combat sports star received some resistance from a gritty Nat Diaz but dropped the former UFC star and walked away with a one-sided decision Saturday at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. He’s now 5-0 against MMA stars. Was Paul great? Of course not. He remains a relatively crude technician, which is consistent with his level of experience. However, he was more than good enough to handle an opponent making his boxing debut. Why anyone would be surprised at the result is beyond me. And, of course, the same would be true if the roles were reversed, which evidently could happen. Paul (7-1, 4 KOs) said afterward that he wants to face Diaz (0-1) under MMA rules in a rematch. Seriously? Diaz is a master of jiu jitsu, which emphasizing grappling. And, with 35 MMA fights, he’s seasoned in his sport. Paul would have no chance to win under MMA rules. To be clear: Boxing and MMA are two different sports. Crossing over and expecting to be successful generally doesn’t make sense. Watch the Tyson Fury-Francis Ngannou boxing match on Oct. 28. You’ll see one more time.
RABBIT PUNCHES
Amanda Serrano (45-2-1, 30 KOs) had no trouble in her rematch with Heather Hardy (24-3, 4 KOs) on the Paul-Diaz card, winning a near-shutout decision in the 10-round bout to retain her undisputed 126-pound championship. The pound-for-pounder still wants another crack at 135-pound queen Katie Taylor, who defeated Serrano by a split decision in April of last year. Taylor is moving up to 140 to challenge champion Chantelle Cameron on Nov. 25, so Serrano will have to wait. However, expect her to stay busy. She recently signed a deal with the PFL, meaning she intends to partake in MMA again. She’s 2-0-1 in mixed martial arts, an indication that she knows what she’s doing in the cage. Let there be no doubt that Serrano has become one of the best combat sports athletes ever. …
Are we finally finished with Dillian Whyte? The longtime heavyweight contender is out as former champion Anthony Joshua’s opponent this coming Saturday after failing a drug test. (Joshua’s handlers were seeking a replacement as late as Sunday evening.) I get that Whyte has a following in the U.K., which is why he was given the chance to meet Joshua in a rematch in London. To the rest of us Whyte is a retread who continues to get big opportunities even though he has hit his ceiling, as knockout losses to Joshua, Alexander Povetkin and, most recently, Tyson Fury seem to indicate. What now? He remains an attraction in his home country, which could get him more opportunities. The question is whether the failed drug test will have eroded any of his popularity or promoters’ desire to feature him. …
News item: 135-pound titleholder Devin Haney is intent on challenging 140-pound champ Regis Prograis, although some reports indicate he’s still considering a defense against Shakur Stevenson at lightweight. I understand why Haney would want to face Prograis instead of Stevenson or Gervonta Davis, the two most threatening 135-pounders. He could win a title in a second division and Prograis probably is a better matchup for him than Stevenson or Davis. The problem is that Haney will not have proved he’s the best lightweight if he moves up in weight permanently. He would have to beat either Stevenson or Davis or both to accomplish that. Can Haney live with that perception? If I were Haney and believed in myself, I’d have that defining 135-pound bout (or bouts) and then make the next move. He’d be missing important opportunities.
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