By Norm Frauenheim-

The Arizona boxing market is little bit like the mythic symbol for which the state’s capitol is named. It’s always climbing off the deck like that proverbial bird seen on the side of a Phoenix bus and in the city’s flag. It’s fighting to take flight.

Always fighting.

Appropriately, there’s been more fight than flight in the state’s boxing history. It’s been up-and down, poised somewhere between new heights and familiar depths.

Barring another COVID disruption, the old fight goes on, this time with a real chance to reach an unprecedented peak. Two major cards are scheduled within two weeks in late summer, the first featuring super-middleweight David Benavidez on Showtime on the Suns home floor in downtown Phoenix on August 28 and then junior-lightweight champion Oscar Valdez Jr. on ESPN at Casino del Sol in Tucson on Sept. 10.

It’s a powerful combo, a testament to a lively market that lives on without coverage from the state’s traditional media. Full disclosure: I covered boxing for The Arizona Republic for three-plus decades before the state’s biggest newspaper pulled the plug on me and the sport.

The sport is thriving. Me? I’m older than that ancient bird. I’ll let somebody else decide. But boxing’s resiliency in Arizona is no surprise. It’s deeply rooted in the state’s culture, unique for the number of mom-and-pop gyms throughout neighborhoods in Phoenix and Tucson. They’re next to convenience stores, in backyards and on the sidewalk in front of a barber shop.

It’s appropriate that David Benavidez and his brother, Jose, will be fighting at the newly-named Footprint Center. Boxing’s footprint is everywhere in Arizona.

It was there in the 1950s with Jimmy Martinez, a Phoenix middleweight and an undisputed world traveler whose passport nearly included as many stamps as his record included fights (142). It was there all over again, this time generating headlines when Michael Carbajal came out of his Phoenix backyard, won silver at the controversial 1988 Olympics and fought his way into the Hall of Fame.

In late August and early September, that indelible footprint re-appears, potentially in a way that it never has. Once, twice, it’s a speed bag of affirmation that AZ boxing will outlive just about anything, even newspapers.

“Phoenix, Arizona made me into the vicious puncher and entertaining fighter I am today,’’ David Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs), a former two-time champion at 168-pounds, said after his bout with Venezuelan Jose Uzcategui (31-4, 26 KOs) was formally announced Thursday. “I am grateful to have given up my childhood and be in the gym all day in phx to become something other than just ordinary.’’

Ordinary became extraordinary in the years after Benavidez left home. He hasn’t fought in Phoenix since a victory in May 2015 when he won a prelim on a card that featured brother Jose in a junior-welterweight title win, also in a ring on the Suns home floor at what was then US Airways Center. The arena’s name has changed. So, has David Benavidez. He looms as very real possibility for Canelo Alvarez, the biggest name in the sport.

It’s no coincidence that Canelo’s trainer, Eddy Reynoso will be in Tucson a couple of weeks later with Valdez (29-0, 23 KOs), a two-time Mexican Olympian who went to school in Tucson. Valdez’ strong ties to AZ are evident in his record. He has fought four times in the state, twice in Phoenix and twice in Tucson. His title defense against Brazilian Robson Conceicao (16-0, 8 KOs) is intriguing on a couple of levels.

They have history. Conceicao, a 2106 Olympic gold medalist at the Rio de Janeiro Games, beat Valdez by a single point for a Pan American Games gold medal in 2009.

For Valdez, the fight is his first since his dramatic upset of Miguel Berchelt for the 130-pound title. Few gave Valdez a chance against Berchelt last February. Then again, few have ever given him much of chance against the best, first at featherweight and now at junior-lightweight.

Nevertheless, he fought his way through a broken jaw on a rainy night in an outdoor ring in Carson Calif. to beat a bigger Scott Quigg in Match, 2018   

There were doubts he would be able to come back from that bloody triumph. Valdez, the winner, was put on a stretcher and rushed to the emergency room.  Nearly three years later, he beat a feared, bigger Berchelt in a 10^th-round stoppage.

It was stunning. From A-to-Z, It was a testament to resiliency, a stubborn streak that defines him and the state of the AZ game. 

By Norm Frauenheim–

Opening ceremonies mean first bell for an ancient craft older than the Olympics. Punches for medals. Punches for prize-money. Punches for vengeance. Punches for bribes. Punches for national pride. It’s been hit, miss, memorable and misery for as long as anybody can recall.

The show must go on, this time in Tokyo for troubled Olympics dubbed the Pandemic Games. COVID is no game. I’m not sure these Olympics will be much of a game either. But the modern version of Olympics has survived world wars and boycotts. It has even survived boxing, an Olympic stepchild again at the brink of expulsion for scandals that have become a permanent scar.

Preliminary bouts begin Friday without the usual acronym, AIBA, running the show. In effect, AIBA is on probation for reported financial transgressions, controversial judging and who-knows-what-all. That leaves questions about who and how judges and referees will be appointed. And paid. The International Olympic Committee says it will be running the competition. But if the IOC really knew anything about boxing, the corruption would have ended generations ago.

Boxing, which can be as resilient as it is corrupt, survives in spite of itself. It’s there in part because third-world nations don’t need world-class swimming pools to field a team. A pair of hand-me-down gloves can be a down payment on a ticket to the Olympic ring. According to the IOC, boxers from 73 nations are in Tokyo. Everybody fights. It’s a common language, understood as much as it is forever feared.

But there’s even more. There’s the history. The Olympics just wouldn’t be the same without the names and legends who have stepped through the ropes and onto the medal stand.

Here are a few, a pound-for-pound look at Olympic boxing.

1.   – Teofilo Stevenson. He’s the Olympic legend, one that captures worldwide imagination because there appeared to be no limit on what he could have done. He was the beginning of the Cuban legacy. Fidel Castro had outlawed the pro game. He won three gold medals – 1972, 1976 and 1980. He never fought as a pro. But there was talk that he was better than Muhammad Ali, the original GOAT (Greatest Of All Time.)

2     — Ali. Then named Cassius Clay, he won gold in 1960 at light-heavyweight, He would later change his name and the world. Somehow, he lost the medal. He said he threw it into the river in hometown Louisville. It was a good story, but it isn’t true. The medal was never found. But the Olympics never forgot him. He lit the Atlanta cauldron in 1996.

3     – Joe Frazier. Without Joe, the Ali legend wouldn’t be the same. Frazier, a heavyweight gold medalist in Tokyo in 1964, and Ali created a defining rivalry. There are great rivalries. But there is only one Ali-Frazier

4     — George Foreman. Like Frazier, the Ali story wouldn’t be the same without Foreman, a 1968 gold-medalist who will forever be remembered for a photo of him clutching a small American flag in his bear-paw-sized hand after his victory in Mexico City. Without Foreman, there would have been no Rumble In The Jungle, Ali’s epic victory in Zaire.

5     – Felix Savon. He furthered Stevenson’s Cuban legacy, winning gold in 1992, 1996 and 2000. He might have won a fourth if not for Castro’s boycott of the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

6     — Sugar Ray Leonard. The light-welterweight gold-medalist was the face of America’s 1976 team, the best US team ever. He put boxing at center stage in Montreal at an Olympics otherwise known for Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci. He then became cornerstone for The Four Kings, an era dominated by his rivalries with Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran.

7     — Laszlo Papp. He was Vasiliy Lomachenko before Loma. A Hungarian, Papp was the first three-time boxing gold-medalist, winning at light-middleweight and middleweight in 1948, 1952 and 1956.

8     — Lomachenko. The Ukrainian won gold at featherweight in 2008 and again in 2012. He won a major title in only his second pro fight. His story continues to unfold in a career that saw him come back with an impressive victory after a loss to Teofimo Lopez in October.

9     — Roy Jones Jr. He’s known for what was stolen from him in 1988. Jones, whose great talent was confirmed throughout his Hall of Fame pro career, got robbed of gold in a light-middleweight bout in Seoul. There was evidence when the fixed scorecards were announced. There was further evidence in secret-police files made public after East Germany fell a couple of years later. The IOC has yet to correct the record. It has yet tp give Jones his rightful gold. It’s no coincidence that the boxing scandals continue.

10 – Oscar De La Hoya. The 1992 gold medalist at lightweight had a great story. He won for his mom, Cecilia, who died nearly two years before the Barcelona Games. His victory also set the stage for a brilliant pro career, one that made him a wealthy man in the pay-per-view industry of the 1990s.

11 – Andre Ward. He won gold for his performance and his poise in 2004. The Americans struggled. But Ward quietly and proficiently won gold at light-heavyweight on the day of closing ceremonies in Athens. An American man hasn’t won boxing gold since. He went onto to an unbeaten pro career.

12 – Claressa Shields. She won two gold, first in 2012 in London and again in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Shields, the first American woman to win gold in the Olympic ring, brought international media attention to women’s boxing, new to the Olympics.

13 – Howard Davis. The 1976 lightweight gold medalist, Leonard’s teammate, was voted the most outstanding boxer on a team that also included gold-medalists Leon and Michael Spinks.

14 – Vassily Jirov. The 1996 light-heavyweight gold medalist got world-wide headlines long before Gennadiy Golovkin and long before anybody knew where Kazakhstan was. Jirov, also a former IBF light-heavyweight champ also got the Val Barker Trophy for a memorable gold-medal run that included an upset of favored American Antonio Tarver in the semi-finals.

15 – Floyd Patterson. He won gold as a middleweight in 1952. Likeable yet shy, he went on to fight as an undersized heavyweight, winning the title twice, first against Archie Moore and then in a rematch with Ingemar Johanssen. At the time (1956) of his victory over Moore, Patterson was 21, then the youngest heavyweight champ in history.

Follow all of the action as Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano battle it out for the undisputed Junior Middleweight championship.  The action begins at 9 PM ET as Middleweights Amilcar Vidal takes on Immanuwel Aleem as well as Rolando Romero defends the WBA Interim Lightweight title against Anthony Yigit

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Round 1: Right from Castano..Lead right to the body

Round 2 Big left hook staggers Castano..1-2…

Round 3 Charlo Jabbing..2 Big left hooks from Castano

Round 4 Right to body from Castano…Jab and left hook from Charlo..Sweeping left hook..Right from Castano.. Left hook..right and left to jaw…Right from Charlo…Right from Castano..Right from Charlo..

Round 5 1-2 from Charlo…Lead right from Castano…left hook…1-2 from Charlo..Counter from Castano…Jab and right from Charlo…

Round 6 Jab from Charlo..Counter..Body..Right from Castano..Furry..Castano landing on the ropes

Round 7 Jab from Charlo…2 rights from Castano..Chopping right…left hook to the Liver..Short left from Charlo

Round 8 Short left hok from Cstano..Right hand and left hook..Nice right..Left to head…Jab…Right from Charlo

Round 9 Jab from Charlo..Combination from Castano…Right hand..Body shot

Round 10 Left hook from Castano…Charlo lands a right..Right rocks Castano…Left hook to the body..Hard right..Left hook to the jaw..Right

Round 11 Hard right from Charlo..Left hook to body and head….Right and left from Castano…Left hook..Jab pops Charlo’s head back..Left hook and right hand..Uppercut from Charlo

Round 12 Left hook from Castano…Combination from Charlo..Double left hook from Castano…Body work…Left hook from Charlo..

114-113 CASTANO; 117-111 CHARLO; 114-114

Round 1 Left from Romero..Right drives Yigit back…Bdy shot from Yigit…Counter from Romero..

Round 2 Left from Yigit..Left hook from Romero…Left from Yigit…Right from Romero…2 Lefts from Yigit…Big right from Romero..

Round 3 Right from Romero…Right to body

Round 4 Left from Yigit..Solid left from Romero..3 punch combination

Round 5 Jab from Romero…Counter right from Romero..Left from Yigit…ROMERO DEDUCTED POINT FOR HOLDIMG…BIG RIGHT ATTHE BELL DROPS YIGIT

Round 6  Jab to body from Romero…Clipping right to the jaw..Right

Round 7 Right from Romero…COUNTER RIGHT AND DOWN GOES YIGIT..Big right from Romero....BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GIES YIGIT…FIGHT OVER

Round 1: Jab from Aleem.  Double left hook
Round 2 Lead right from Vidal…Right to the body..Left to the body…Long right…Left hook to body from Aleem
Round 3 Lead right from Aleem…Left hook…Nice left to body from Aleem..Double left to body from Vidal…Body shot from Aleem…Nice left hook to the body from Vidal…Double jab from Aleem…Left hook to liver from Vidal…Lead uppercut
Round 4 Uppercut from Vidal..Right…Left hook to body and head…Left to liver…Right uppercut from Aleem…2 body shots from Vidal..Good action inside…Uppercut and left hook from Vidal..Trading shots at close range…Right uppercut from Aleem…Short uppercut on inside from Vidal…
Round 5 Lead right from Vidal…Double jab from Aleem..Right from Vidal….Nice right…Uppercut and body shot from Aleem..Double left hook…Counter left hook from Vidal…2 right uppercuts from Aleem…Combination from Vidal
Round 6 Left hook to live from Vidal…Aleem lands on the inside…Sharp hook from Vidal…Left hook from ALeem…Vidal lands 2 shots to the body and a right to the head….Right to body hurts Aleem..Straight right and a big left to the body
Round 7 Jab o the body from Aleem..Right…Right uppercut from Aleem
Round 8 Left hook from Aleem..2 rights to body from Aleem…Left hooks to the body…Good counter shot…Left Staggers Vidal
Round 9 Trading heavy flurries…Right to body from Vidal…Combination from Aleem,…double right from Vidal
Round 10 Ripping shots to the body from Vidal….Both guys giving their all down the stretch

95-95; 97-93 TWICE FOR VIDAL

By Norm Frauenheim-

Ray Beltran’s 23 years in the ring include lots of punches. Lots of lessons, too.

One of those lessons landed all over again Thursday. No payday is ever guaranteed. Beltran’s comeback fight Friday night at Legends Center in Maryvale on the west side of Phoenix has been cancelled. His scheduled opponent didn’t show up for the weigh-in Thursday.

Beltran (36-9-1, 22 KOs), a former lightweight champion, said he was told Wednesday night that Osorio just didn’t want to fight. The bout, which would have been Beltran’s first since a stoppage loss to Richard Commey in June 2019, was supposed to be at 143-pounds. Osorio (12-20-2, 8KOs), of Monterrey, Mex., was 2-6 over his last eight bouts.

“It’s disappointing,’’ said the 40-year-old Beltran, once Manny Pacquiao’s primary sparring partner. “You invest a lot of time and money into training and all.  But it’s part of boxing. Part of the business. I used to fight because of my passion for the game. I still do. But now I also see it as a business.’’

Beltran, who lives in Avondale on the west side of Phoenix, said he hopes to fight on a card featuring super-middleweight David Benavidez-versus-Jose Uzcatequi on Aug. 28. It was announced this week that the Showtime-televised card will be at Talking Stick Arena in a ring on the Suns home floor in downtown Phoenix.

Jose Benavidez Jr. is also expected to fight on the card. It would be Benavidez Jr.’s first bout since a 12^th-round stoppage loss to welterweight champion and pound-for-pound contender Terence Crawford in October 2018. The Benavidez brothers grew up in Phoenix.

“That’s going to be a big night for Phoenix boxing,’’ said Beltran, who was brought to Phoenix from Mexico in the late 1990s by late Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward.

Beltran made his pro debut in Tucson in July 1999.

“At this stage, I just want to stay busy,’’ said Beltran, who says he will fight at junior-welterweight. “I’m hoping for August 28. Then, maybe in September. At this stage, I’ve got to stay busy. I can’t sit around and wait.’’

With the Beltran comeback off Friday night’s card, young featherweights Danny Barrios (5-0 1 KOs) and Edward Ceballos (9-3-1, 5 KOs) will fight in the main event for a 126-pound state title sanctioned by the Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission. First bell is scheduled for 6 p.m.

By Norm Frauenheim-

The Olympics are often portrayed as a standard, the flip side to what the boxing acronyms represent. But the IOC, the International Olympic Committee, is beginning to look like just another ruling body with a rack of made-up belts for sale. The IOC wraps itself in flags, national anthems, mottos and the medal count. But the IOC counts only the money.

A looming disaster in Tokyo exposes the bottom line.

Citius – Altius – Fortius. That’s Latin, Olympic-speak, for Faster – Higher – Stronger. More like Faster – Higher – $tronger.

The IOC landed in Tokyo this week like the WBA seeking a sanctioning fee for an interim title. Opening ceremonies for the already postponed Olympics, the 32^nd in the history of the Summer Games, are supposed to happen on July 23, just 16 days from the date that Japanese health authorities declared a state of emergency.

Sha’Carri Richardson, an American sprinter banned for smoking pot, won’t be the only one not there. Fans won’t be either. They’ve been banned from attending because of the re-emergence of COVID-19. Apparently, The Games must go on. But the delta variant isn’t playing games.

The emergency declaration coincided with IOC President Thomas Bach’s arrival in Tokyo, where he began three days of quarantine at a five-star hotel. Enjoy the room service. It’s hard to know what else there will be to enjoy at a joyless Games. It’ll be an Olympics in the bubble, essentially a television show.

For Japan, it’s already a financial disaster. Japan invested a reported $12.6 billion to organize the Olympics before the Pandemic. Now it’s reported to be at least twice that much.

Who pays? The Japanese, who in polling over the last six months were increasingly opposed to staging the Pandemic Games. The IOC should have listened, or at least been prepared with alternate plans. But the money – rights’ fees, advertising, travel and all the rest – added to a force that led to the danger confronting a nation and the world’s best athletes.

 The debt is staggering. All it buys is the potential for more of a Pandemic that just won’t go away. It scares the stock market. It means empty planes, empty hotel rooms and empty seats all over again. Vaccines are supposed to work. But not everybody is willing to take a couple of jabs. No vaccine for stupidity.

Meanwhile, the ominous news is everywhere, including boxing, which had begun to move ahead with plans for business as usual.

On the same day that Japan’s emergency ban on fan attendance at Olympic venues was announced, there was a Twitter report from Mike Coppinger about a possible COVID outbreak in Tyson Fury’s training camp for a second rematch with Deontay Wilder on July 24 at Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena. As of Thursday, there was no confirmation of the report.

If true, however, it would represent a major setback in boxing’s hopes for business as usual. At best, it would force a postponement, another one in a long series of chaotic delays. At worst, it would mean no fight at all. Only a ruling through arbitration forced the third fight.

But neither Fury-Wilder III nor Tokyo Olympics XXXII is worth the risk of more COVID.  If this Pandemic continues, there won’t be any sanctioning fees left for anybody.Attachments area

Follow all the actions as Chris Colbert defends the WBA Interim Super Featherweight title against former featherweight title challenger Tugstsight Nyambayar.  The action begins at 9 PM ET with a lightweight battle between Michel Rivera and Jon Fernandez.

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Round 1: Jab from Colbert…3 punch combination…Hard Jab…

Round 2 Left to body from Nyambayar…Jab from Colbert..Snapping jab…Right from Nyambayar..left uppercut from Colbert

Round 3 Nice left hook from Nyambayar…chopping right from Colbert…Lead right…Body and right to head…Right from Nyambayar..Colbert lands a flush combination…

Round 4 exchange jabs…Right from Nyambayar…Double-Jab/Right hand from Colbert

Round 5 Double jab rom Colbert…Counter right from Nyambayar…Jab from Colbert…3 punch combination…Jab…Overhand right

Round 6 Body shot from Colbert…Combination..Counter left to liver from Nyambayar…2 rights from Colbert….

Round 7 Right to body from Nyambayar…Combination…Lead right from Colbert…right and left…Body shot

Round 8 2 jabs from Colbert…Sweeping left hook..Right…

Round 9 Nyambayar lands a combination…

Round 10 Barrage of head punches from Colbert…Uppercut/left and right…Combination from Nyambayar…

Round 11 Colbert jabbing and moving

Round 12 Left from Colbert

117-111, 118-110 TWICE FOR CHRIS COLBERT

Round 1 Jab..uppercut and jab from Fernandez…Right….Body shot from Rivera..Uppercut from Fernandez..1-2 to the body…
Round 2 Combination from Rivera…Body shot from Fernandez..Right uppercut..Body from Rivera…Right..Combination from Fernandez..Right from Rivera..
Round 3 Body from Rivera…Jab from Fernandez…Rivera lands a jab…left hook to the body
Round 4 Nice right from Fernandez…3 punch combination from Rivera..Lead left hook to the Liver..Thudding right…Body…Left hook from Fernandez…Lead left hook..Lead right from Rivera….Jab and thudding right…Short left and right uppercut from Fernandez..
Round 5 Right from Rivera…Chopping right from Fernandez…Jab from Rivera…
Round 6 RIGHT HAND AND DOWN GOES RIVERA..Right from Rivera…Left hook from Fernandez..
Round 7  1-2 from Fernandez..Rivera lands a combination to the body….1-2….short right uppercut for Fernandez
Round 8 HUGE RIGHT AND DOWN GOES FERNANDEZ…FIGHT OVER

By Norm Frauenheim

Amateur boxing is talking reform. Again. With another Olympics just a few weeks away, the sport’s international ruling body says it plans far-reaching change for what it promises will be “a fair fight.’’

Fair enough. Easy to do, too. The body, AIBA, took an opportunity to grab the bully pulpit this week with an international news conference less than a month before opening ceremonies. Trouble is, AIBA isn’t supposed to have anything to do with boxing at the delayed Tokyo Games.

The Olympic czars in Switzerland have ordered AIBA to get its house in order. That means cleaning up a reported $16-million debt, a mob-like history of bureaucrats and bosses and decades full of corrupt judging.

Olympic boxing makes the scarred pro game look like Mister Clean. Hard to do. Yet, it hangs on, pushed to the edge of the Olympic fringe because of its long history and its universality. Everybody fights, and everybody has been fighting since at least the ancient Greeks. It’s there, in spite of itself.

But it’s not clear how many people watch anymore. Exasperation at boxing’s failure to root out the corruption forced NBC to drop it as a featured part of its telecast schedule. It’s embarrassing and has been since Roy Jones Jr. got robbed 33 years ago in Seoul. The world saw it. Then, boxing still generated an audience, one that remembered 1976 and a Montreal Olympics that starred Sugar Ray Leonard.

The Jones theft, a decision that cost him the gold medal, might as well be forever framed in yellow-crime tape. It was defining, for him and the Olympics. It was no coincidence, perhaps, that Jones was part of the news conference from Lausanne. He appeared alongside AIBA’s new president, Umar Kremlev, a Russian. Remember, Jones is Russian, too. At least, he has a Russian passport. The American was granted citizenship by Vladimir Putin in 2015.

Whatever the connection, Jones belonged there. Despite all of his great moments in the pro ring and his long run atop the pound-for-pound ratings, he will be remembered for what happened at the 1988 Olympics. His voice is the key to any discussion about Olympic boxing and its troubled path to irrelevance. Say it in Russian. Say it In English. Roy Jones Jr. said it all this week.

“Whenever I see that, it feels like yesterday,’’ Jones said of the photo that shows the ref raising South Korean Park Si-hun’s hand in victory for the light-middleweight gold. “And not in a great way.

“All the judges that were part of that decision were crooked. They’ve all been banned. And I know they were not the only ones.

“So, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The judges were crooked. The whole world knows it. Even my opponent agrees I won the fight. But how come I don’t have my gold medal? How can you beat someone so bad and not get the gold medal, and they don’t go back and fix it? Because I’m still here. And I still earned it. And we have to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.’’

The key is in Jones question: Why-oh-why doesn’t he have the gold? More than three decades have come and gone. Jones was awarded the Val Barker Trophy, the award for being the most outstanding boxer at the Seoul Games. In 2002, the IOC honored him with something called The Olympic Order.

But never the gold.

Kremlev said this week that he wants Jones to finally get that gold. For Olympic boxing, it’s a beginning, really the only beginning.

All of the talk about reform is hollow – Fool’s gold – until Olympic boxing gives Jones his moment on the podium’s top pedestal. In the years since 1988, enough has been revealed to give not only Jones the gold. Give one to Michael Carbajal, too. Carbajal’s loss to Bulgarian Ivailo Hristov was just the beginning of rigged judging in a scheme that included an officer in the former East German police force (Stasi). Years after the Seoul Games and subsequent collapse of East Germany, Stasi files were found to include allegations that the fights were fixed and bribes were paid.

Carbajal, of Phoenix, fought and lost on Oct. 1. Jones lost the next day. The night before the Carbajal fight, talk circulated that the fix was in. A shouting match erupted between the American coaching staff and members of the committee responsible for assigning the judges.

Stan Hamilton, a judge-referee from Knoxville, Tenn., told the Los Angeles Times about a contentious 2 a.m. meeting. Hamilton told sportswriter Earl Gustkey that two judges, Hiouad Larbi of Morocco and Alberto Duran of Uruguay, were supposed to have been suspended for questionable work early in the Olympics. He said neither was eligible to work any gold-medal bout. But they worked both the Carbajal and Jones losses – five judges-to-zero against Carbajal and 3-2 against Jones.

Before the meeting ended, Hamilton said, committee member Vladimir Gordienko, of the former Soviet Union, left and ran into Jim Fox, then executive director of the U.S. amateur federation.

“Gordienko was angry,” Hamilton said. “He found Fox and told him: ‘You will lose, 5-0, to the Bulgarian.’ ‘’

That’s what happened. First, Carbajal, then Jones, both losing with judges working while suspended. Carbajal and Jones moved on, both to Hall-of-Fame careers. Neither Hristov nor Park fought again, amateur or pro.

It was the fix that never got fixed. Until it does, there will never be a new beginning for Olympic boxing.

A fair fight is possible, but first give Jones and Carbajal the gold they fairly won.Attachments area

Follow all the action as Gervonta Davis takes on Mario Barrios for Barrios version of the WBA Super Lightweight title.  The action begins at 9 PM ET with a three fight undercard featuring Erickson Lubin taking on Jeison Rosario; Carlos Adames battling Alexis Salazar, and Batyr Akhmedov fighting Argenis Mendez

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Round 1: Not Much

Round 2 Right from Barrios..Left hook to the body…Left from Davis..Right to body from Barrios…Left hook/Right hand..double jab…Right from Barrios..Left uppercut from Davis

Round 3 Davis lands a left to the body and then to the head..Left to body from Barrios

Round 4 Jab from Davis..Right from Barrios…Another right

Round 5 Right from Barrios.. 2 lefts from Davis…Right to body from Barrios…Left from Davis..Left hook to boy/Right to head from Barrios..Straight left from Davis..Right hook to body from Davis…Left hook to body from Barrios…Hard left from Davis…Body shot from Barrios…barrios cut around his right eye

Round 6  Jab from Barrios..Left from Davis..2 Lefts…Counter right from Barrios…Left from Davis..Uppercut from Barrios..Left and right to body

Round 7 Lead left from Davis…Left..Double Jab/Left hand

Round 8  BIG RIGHT HOOK AND DOWN GOES BARRIOS….BIG STRAIGHT LEFT AND DOWN GOES BARRIOS AGAIN…Huge right hook from Davis..Left and right..Barrios cut under left eye

Round 9 Body shot from Barrios..Combination..Right hook from Davis…Left hook from Barrios..Double jab/left hand from Davis..

Round 10 Right to body from Barrios…Double left hook..Combination….Huge right hook from Davis…Right hook..Jab from Barrios..Right to the body..Left to body from Davis..Good right to the body from Barrios…left to liver from Davis..Left uppercut from Barrios…Big left from Davis…Exchange of body shots…Big left from Davis…

Round 11 3 punch combination from Barrios…Double jab/left hand from Davis…Right Hook…right to bisy from Barrios…BODY SHOT AND DOWN GOES BARRIOS...BIG LEFT THAT ROCKS BARRIOS AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

Round 1 Jab-Right hand from Lubin…
Round 2 Left and right from Lubin
Round 3 Right hook from Lubin…1-2 buckles Rosario..Good right hook and left…hard right
Round 4 ..Hard right staggers Lubin
Round 5  Lubin steadies himself
Round 6 Nice Uppercut from Lubin…Body shot…Left to the head…HARD RIGHT HOOK TO THE BODY AND DOWN GOES ROSARIO…HUGE STRAIGHT LEFT AND DOWN GOES ROSARIO…HE DOES NOT BEAT THE COUNT

Round 1: Right from Salazar…
Round 2:  1-2 from Salazar…
Round 3 Hard combination from Adames…HUGE LEAD LEFT AND DOWN GOES SALAZAR…THE FIGHT IS OVER

Round 1 Jab from Akhmedov..Left to the body..Counter from Mendez
Round 2 Jab from Mendez..Body work from Akhmedov…Blood around the left eye of Akhmedov…Jab from Akhmedov..Body shot
Round 3 Good right to body from Mendez…Body shot from Akhmedov…Right uppercut to body from Mendez…Right..Body shot…Right from Akhmedov..Nice counter right from Mendez..Lead right
Round 4 Left from Mendez…Left hook..Lead right..Lead left hook…another…sweeping right..
Round 5 Straight left from Akhmedov…Jab…right hook to the body and another…Counter right from Mendez…2 left hooks to the body..Jab from Akhmedov..Head shot from mendez..Body from Mendez…Double jab..left from Ahkmedov…Body shot..
Round 6 Jab from Akhmedov…Left hook from Mendez…Jab..Akhmedov lands a nice jab…Left..
Round 7 Left uppercut and body work from Akhmedov…2 left hooks from Mendez
Round 8 2 straight lefts from Akhmedov..Right hook to the body..double jab and left hand…FIGHT STOPPED IN CORNER…MENDEZ RETIRES ON STOOL

By Norm Frauenheim-

It’s high risk for a fighter who calls himself Hi-Tech.

Vasiliy Lomachenko, a consensus pound-for-pound No.1 for a couple of years in the post-Floyd Mayweather era, is at a career crossroads in a fight that appears to be a way of strengthening his argument for a rematch with Teofimo Lopez.

But Masayoshi Nakatani is a tough way to go. In Nakatani, Lomachenko encounters all of the dimensions –and then some – that troubled the Ukrainian in his move up the scale and into a loss last October to Lopez.

Lomachenko’s scorecard defeat was debatable on a couple of levels. The judging was one-sided, especially the 119-109 and 117-111 scores. ESPN’s Andre Ward, former super-middleweight and light-heavyweight champion, scored it a draw. So did I.

After reviewing the lightweight bout several times, my card could have been 115-113 or even 116-112, — the third official score – all for Lopez. Never for Lomachenko, who has since said he is convinced it was a draw.

From every angle in repeated reviews, Lopez wins the argument with energy, poise, size and – in the end – knowing he was the bigger guy. That was the key then. It might be the key now for Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) Saturday night (ESPN+, 4:15 PT./7:15 pm ET)) against Nakatani (19-1, 13 KOs) at Las Vegas’ Virgin Hotels.

Nakatani is bigger in every significant aspect. At 5-11 ½, he is 4 ½ inches taller than Lomachenko and 3 ½ inches taller than Lopez. In reach, he has a 5 ½ advantage over Lomachenko, 3 ½ over Lopez. The appropriately named tale-of -the-tape doesn’t measure everything, of course. If it did, Russian 7-footer Nikolai Valuev would still be the heavyweight champ. It doesn’t measure those proverbial intangibles. Lomachenko has plenty in terms of footwork, punching angles, smarts and instinct.

Then, again, so does Nakatani. The Japanese fighter’s skill set has been questioned, but there’s not much doubt about his will. He’s there for the distance. For Lomachenko, that’s the problem. And the challenge.

Lomachenko needs a stoppage. He has to do what Lopez could not. His argument for a rematch with Lopez hinges on one because Nakatani is the reference point. Nakatani forced Lopez to go the distance for the first time a couple of years ago in Oxon Hill, MD.

Lopez won a unanimous decision, similar to his decision over Lomachenko in that the scoring didn’t reflect the fight in July 2019. It was close, or at least a lot closer than the 118-110, 119-109, 118-110 cards. Even the ever-confidant Lopez called the bout, a then a lightweight title eliminator, “horrible.’’

A decision — from one-sided to close and everything in between — just won’t do it for Lomachenko. A complication, perhaps, is injury. Since the former featherweight and junior lightweight champion jumped to 135 pounds, he’s been vulnerable. He underwent surgery on his right shoulder the week after his loss to Lopez. He apparently aggravated a lingering injury. But, apparently, it was enough to make him cautious through the first seven rounds against Lopez.

Believe what you want, he can’t afford another injury, even with a definitive stoppage of Nakatani. He’s 33. The best of his prime is probably behind him. Another injury, even in a definitive knockout of Nakatani, would leave him with a dilemma.

Risk further injury against Lopez, perhaps at even heavier weight, 140 pounds?

Move back to 130, where his skill set was dominant in every way?

The latter would end any hope at avenging his loss to Lopez, who is already calling out undisputed junior-welterweight Josh Taylor.

There’s really no choice for a fighter whose Hi-Tech nickname has summed up the variety of options included in his unique skill set. Lomachenko needs a clean stoppage for his career at the top of the game to continue. Attachments area

By Norm Frauenheim-

Silence from Deontay Wilder can be a good thing. But even a little wasn’t enough in a news conference bizarre, even by boxing’s twisted standards. A lot was said about Wilder’s decision to say almost nothing during a scheduled appearance in front of the media this week for the formal announcement of a third fight with Tyson Fury.

Wilder wore sunglasses dark enough to hide his eyes and headphones, presumably the noise-canceling model. He appeared to be a man determined to insulate himself from the chaos he and his craft promise. It was an angry look, appropriate for the stage.

But it was also another costume. The last time he fought, he wore a comic book-like suit of armor into the ring, a get-up he would later blame for his loss to Fury in their second bout. He went on to blame a lot of things. But never himself. It’s hard to blame somebody you don’t know. Increasingly, that’s who Wilder appears to be. There’s a confused sense of self in the ex-heavyweight champ, one that has been further fractured by the loss of his title to Fury 16 months ago.

The belt was his identity. It’s gone.

Power also has been his identity. But Fury left some doubt about its potency. It’s fight-stopping potential is still there, still dangerous enough respect. To fear. But Fury stripped some of the deadly certainty out of Wilder’s right hand and perhaps his mind when he got up – twice — in their first bout, a draw in December 2018.

It looks as if Wilder can’t be sure of much, including himself, these days. Perhaps, the costumes are a way of hiding, or a method of searching for changes that can transform him into the fighter he once knew. For now, however, it just looks like an act, one that’s not fooling anyone, especially Fury.

Fury had all the lines in what was supposed to be the only news conference before their July 24 bout at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

“Thank you everybody for coming out for this one-sided press conference,” said Fury, who knows something about acting and even more about a show-stopping quip.

By then, it was already evident that the silence was just one part of the act. Before the Los Angeles news conference, Wilder talked to UK reporters via Zoom. After the news conference, he met, one-on-one, with Elie Seckbach for the popular ESNEWS on YouTube.

Turns out, silence was a little bit more expendable than the vow it appeared to be during the presser. In Wilder’s ever-changing wardrobe, it was just a costume accessory. This one proved to be awkward for PBC, Top Rank and everybody else trying to conduct the newser.

It ended with perhaps the longest, if not the strangest, face-off ever. Fury and Wilder were asked to pose for the cameras. It’s a ritual that sometimes goes awry because of a shove or a punch. Without the extracurricular violence, it’s a pose meant for video and still photos. Look mean, act angry. It’s marketing. It’s theater. Wilder and Fury walked to center stage, separated by a few feet. Fury smiled, talked some trash. Then, Wilder took off his sunglasses in what could have been interpreted as a threatening gesture. The idea, perhaps, was to show Fury his angry eyes, an intimidating look into his furious soul.

Fury looked. And looked. He also smiled. Wilder looked. And looked.  He also ran his tongue beneath his lower lip, back-and-forth, in a gesture meant to add to a scary mask.

For an estimated five-and-a-half minutes, nobody would break the stare. The first to blink is a sign of weakness. At least, that’s an old theory in an ancient sport. Fury and Wilder might still be standing there if not for the bodyguards and security who stepped between them and begged them to walk away.

Wilder was the first to break it off.  It was time for another costume change.

By Norm Frauenheim-

Manny Pacquiao got back into the gym for some honest work for his summer date with Errol Spence a few days before Floyd Mayweather pulled off another heist, an exhibition he called legalized bank robbery.

The timing was mere coincidence, yet symbolic of how the two are connected by opposite paths each has taken since their fight six-plus years ago fell woefully short of expectations.

The differences have never been more polarized. Pacquiao still embraces risk; Mayweather has never been more risk-averse. Despite their divergent paths since Mayweather’s unanimous decision in 2015 over Pacquiao in the richest fight ever, danger is there for both in what looks to be a dilemma for a troubled business and its polarized fan-base.

Applaud Pacquiao for his courage, but worry that a younger, bigger Spence might hurt him. Defend Mayweather’s right to make as much as he can, but worry about his legacy.

Mayweather’s string of cash grabs continued Sunday in Miami against one of the Pauls. Logan or Jake or Rand? I can’t keep them straight. I also didn’t watch a show without an official winner, although both corners apparently scored a victory for their bank accounts. Showtime’s pay-per-view telecast was expected to hit the one-million mark, according to multiple reports.

Mayweather still sells, although recent photos of him made me think of a word applied to a former boxing entrepreneur and ex-president who was back on the bully pulpit in North Carolina last weekend. The New York Times called him diminished.

Diminished might just be another way of saying Mayweather, 44, is beginning to look old. Apparently, nothing about his net worth has been diminished. Still, there’s a question about whether his string of legalized bank robberies is diminishing the legacy he has defined and marketed with his official record, 50-0.

From this corner, TBE — The Best Ever — looks to be a diminishing acronym. Stop The Steal, Floyd, or the unbeaten legacy will become unrecognizable.

There might be opportunity in that. Mayweather’s diminishment might be Pacquiao’s enrichment. But the risk is huge. In age, Pacquiao is a lot closer to Mayweather than Spence. At 31, Spence is squarely in his prime.

He’s also bigger, a big welterweight, who at opening bell on August 21 is sure to be the middleweight he is about to become. Think Antonio Margarito. Pacquiao beat him decisively on the scorecards in a junior-middleweight bout on the Dallas Cowboys home field in Arlington, Tex. But Pacquiao called it his toughest fight. The bigger Margarito hurt him with body punches along the ropes midway through the bout. Hurt him 11 years ago.

The question is whether Pacquiao can still endure — and recover — from that kind of punishment. He thinks he can, although he hasn’t answered an opening bell in a couple of years. When he faces Spence, it will be about 25 months since his last fight, a split decision over Keith Thurman in July 2019.

“It’ll be a good fight,” Pacquiao told The Philippine Star Wednesday after nearly a week of some preliminary work at his home in Manila. “A lot of world titles will be at stake. Spence is unbeaten, younger. But I’m confident, I have the experience, speed and power.”

The Filipino Senator with Presidential aspirations also has wear and tear, all inevitable after 26 years in the pro ring. The middle-aged Pacquiao is the early underdog. He was at minus-240 this week, according to various on-line betting sites That translates to a 29.41-percent chance of victory. There might be a better chance of him getting hurt.

But the role is not new. Oscar De La Hoya was a huge favorite, Then, there was also fear that a smaller Pacquiao might get hurt. Pacquiao stopped him, forcing De La Hoya to quit after eight rounds. It was a career-defining moment. A moment that happened 13 years ago.

For now, Pacquiao seems to enjoy being the underdog. Maybe, it makes him feel younger.

“It was the same trend when I fought Thurman,” said Pacquiao, who was expected to move his training to his hometown, General Santos City, on Thursday. “In the beginning, he was the favorite, but as people found out how I was training and saw my speed and power hadn’t changed, the odds reversed by the time the fight started.”

He’s an underdog with a legacy that will always be compared to a rival moving in another direction, yet on a parallel track. Each has a risk-to-reward ratio. Each also has own way of calculating it.

For Mayweather, it’s the safest possible bet on more money, his nickname. For Pacquiao, it’s another risky chance at history. 

By Norm Frauenheim-

It’s hard to know what to make of talks for an Anthony Joshua-Oleksandr Usyk fight, especially in the turbulent wake of an arbitrator’s ruling that ended any chance of a Joshua-Tyson Fury showdown in August.

After months of nothing but rumors and unfounded promises, caution is the only way to approach today’s heavyweight division.

Here’s what we do know: Fury has moved on, almost seamlessly, to an agreement to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time on July 24, reportedly somewhere in Las Vegas.

What we don’t know involves Joshua, whose plans and training were disrupted by a former federal judge’s unexpected interpretation of the Joshua-Wilder contract, signed before their second bout and won by Fury in a one-sided stoppage.

Fury looked to be ready for a Joshua bout in Saudi Arabia for a share of oil money reported to be $155 million. Not so fast, the ex-judge ruled. First, fight Wilder.

The immediate guess was that Joshua would move on to the Usyk option as quickly as Fury did. Not so fast.

An early reason for caution surfaced this week. Joshua-Usyk was supposed to be announced Tuesday, the deadline set by the World Boxing Organization for what is supposed a mandatory defense for Joshua.

Mandatory has become a euphemism for messy in today’s acronym-speak. It has led to lousy bouts and all of the usual threats to vacate or strip.

According to news reports, the WBO granted an extension. What else was it going to do? Grant a pardon? It wants the sanctioning fee. The WBO didn’t grant anything. It said, yeah, please take all the time you need to get this done.

Maybe, a deal gets announced within a few days. That would be the good news.

Maybe, talks get extended for another week or two. That’s kind of the same-old-news, given what happened with Fury-Joshua.

Going to a purse bid would be the next step in a tiresome process. That would mean an 80-20 split, the lion’s share going to Joshua

But Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn made that sound unlikely. At least, he did in comments after lightweight Devin Haney’s decision over Jorge Linares last Saturday.

“We’ll either make a deal or we’ll vacate,” Hearn said. “I mean, we won’t be going to purse bids or anything like that.’’

Hearn also forecast that there would be an extension beyond Tuesday’s deadline.

“I do think where we are with negotiations, we would probably say to the WBO: ‘If there’s no deal by Monday or Tuesday, could we have another week, please?’ Hearn said. “Like if both teams say that, then they’ll give you more time, you know?”

Of course. Say no and there’s no fee.

This time, however, there are back-up possibilities, options if for some reason Usyk does not agree to terms. There were none, at least none apparent in the headlong pursuit of Joshua-Fury, still the only heavyweight fight that really matters.

The names of Dillian Whyte, Luis Ortiz and Andy Ruiz Jr. were dropped as possibilities in the event of no agreement with Usyk.

Whyte, a British heavyweight fresh off a stoppage of Alexander Povetkin in March, would keep Joshua’s UK base of fans happy. In the United States? A collective yawn.

The aging Ortiz still has a respected skill set. Yet, the Cuban doesn’t do much to excite fans anxious to see Joshua face the new, instead of the shopworn. It’s a stay-busy date.

Ruiz? A third fight would do well with Mexican-Americans, a key fan demographic on any continent. It also might be an opportunity for Joshua to answer some questions, still lingering after his loss to Ruiz in a 2019 stunner followed by a scorecard victory in a cautious decision in a rematch. A knockout of Ruiz would knock out some of the doubts.

The doubts about Joshua are still there, reflected by odds that had been posted for the expected Fury fight. Fury was a slight favorite, minus-175, which translates to a 63.6-percent of victory.

In Usyk, Joshua would encounter a newly-minted heavyweight, one who hopes to make himself the reigning face of the division. There are still plenty of questions about Usyk after just two bouts in the division. The former cruiserweight champion looked tentative. There were some inevitable questions about his power. But the promise is still intact. Hype and expectations are there.

Joshua-Usyk would be easy to sell. Hopefully, easy to make, too. 

Follow all the action as Nordine Oubaali defends the WBC Bantamweight title against four-division world champion Nonito Donaire.  The action begins at 10 PM ET

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Round 1: Left to body of Donaire

Round 2 Counter right from Donaire..Left from Oubaali..Counter from Donaire..

Round 3 Left from Oubaali..another..Left…Right from Donaire…Right..Left uppercut..left hook..body ,,,LEFT AND DOWN GOES OUBAALI…Left hurts Oubaali…LEFT AT THE BELL AND DOWN GOES OUBAALI

Round 4 Left hook from Doanire and other…Hard roght…Left hook and right hand...LEFT AND DOWN GOES OUBAALI AND THE FIGHT IS OVER

Follow all the action as Devin Haney defends the WBC Lightweight title against former world champion Jorge Linares.  The action begins at 8 PM ET with fights that is featured by a WBC Super Lightweight title bout between Chantelle Cameron and Melissa Hernandez.

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Round 1: Left hook for Linares…Jab from Haney..Jab..Exchange of hooks

Round 2 Uppercut from Haney…Left hook from Linares..Left hook from Linares..Uppercut from Haney..Good body..Left from Linares..Jab from Haney shot…Right from Linares…

Round 3 Overhand right from Haney..Left hook from Linare…Jab go body from Haney

Round 4 Left from Linares…4 jabs from Haney…Good right from Linares…Left hook from Haney

Round 5 Right to body from Haney..Good exchange…

Round 6 Good uppercut from Haney…And another..Good left hook..

Round 7 Right from Haney..Jab to body…Uppercut..Left to body..

Round 8 Big left hook from Haney..Counter right…Good body shot..Uppercut….Double jab

Round 9 Counter right from Haney..Uppercut from Linares..Body work

Round 10  Right from Haney…Body shot..Bug right at the bell hurts Haney

Round 11 Double left from Linares..Haney looks shaky..Left from Haney

Round 12 Right from Haney…Left from Haney..Right from Linares..Jab..Right

116-112 twice and 115-113 for Devin Haney

Round 1 two rights from Cameron…Straight right

Round 2 1-2 from Cameron

Round 3 Right drivers Hernandez to the ropes…Straight right…

Round 4  BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES HERNANDEZ

ROUND 5  Cameron landing...REFEREE STOPS THE FIGHT …CAMERON WINNER BY TKO

Round 1: Good right from Mosley..Overhand right..Nice Jab…Rednessa round left eye of Quigley
Round 2 Jab from Mosley Jr.
Round 3 short left to body from Mosley…Left hook to the temple
Round 4 Good body shot from Quigley..Left hook on inside from Mosley…Nice right to the body
Round 5 Nice left hook from Quigley..Body shot..Body shot
Round 6 Right from Quigley..Good combination..Straight and left hook…
Round 7 Right from Quigley…Short Right uppercut…2 hard jabs…Right from Mosley..Big straight right from Quigley…Right from Mosley..Left hook..Straight from Quigley
Round 8 Right from Mosley…Right to body from Quigley…
Round 9 Right from Quigley..Straight from Mosley
Round 10 Big Right from Quigley…Combination and clubbing right from Mosley..Right from Mosley…Chopping right..Slugging it out at the bell

Round 1 Right Hook from Fuzile..Over hand right from Ward
Round 2 Left From Fuzile..Body shot..Good left..Straight from Ward…Combination
Round 3 Uppercut from Ward
Round 4  RIGHT HOOK AND DOWN GOES WARD..Good combination from Ward
Round 7 BIG RIGHT HOOK AND DOWN GOES WARD…WARD IS BLEEDING …FIGHT OVER

Round 1: Good uppercut from Coe…Left hook to body hurts Tadd…BIG FLURRY AND DOWN GOES TADD… body shot….right to head…..BODY SHOT AND DOWN GOES TADD…
Round 2 good snapping jab from Coe,..Another Jab…LEFT TO BODY AND DOWN GOES TADD FIGHT OVER.

By Norm Frauenheim–

It’s been called a surprise, Maybe, it was. Maybe, it was an artful feint. Whatever it was, an arbitrator’s ruling looks to be a win for Tyson Fury.

Former federal judge Daniel Weinstein abruptly silenced all the hype for a Fury-Anthony Joshua fight in Saudi Arabia with a decision last week that Fury owes Deontay Wilder a second rematch.

Fury-Joshua, a fight for the unified heavyweight title, was said to be a done deal. Now it’s gone, faster than a desert mirage.

There’s anger, seemingly all from Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn, who for months had trumpeted the proposed fight as a showdown for the ages.

But a promised date with history came undone because of a contract clause. It’s as if the king’s clothes suddenly unraveled because of an unseen flaw in an overlooked stitch. Nobody saw it, or if they did, nobody was concerned about it.

Hearn sounds as if he’s embarrassed. Fury has yet to express any frustration. Even Fury had announced on social media that he would be fighting Joshua on August 14.

The next day, Weinstein issued a KO ruling, saying no, Fury would have to honor the clause and fight Wilder before Sept. 15. Within days, Joshua and Wilder had a date, July 24, for a third fight in Las Vegas.

Then, Fury showed up at ringside last Saturday for Josh Taylor’s compelling decision over Jose Ramirez for the unified junior-welterweight titles at Vegas’ Virgin Hotels. He signed autographs. He posed for photos. He smiled. He had the look of a man happy to move on.

“If this was me in that case, I would have done absolutely everything I could to save this fight,’’ Hearn told IFL TV Tuesday. “They didn’t try one thing. That also sits on Tyson Fury, because he didn’t try and do one thing either. There’s nothing I can do about it because, as I said leading up to this fight, the only thing I can’t control is their team. But where are your bollocks, Tyson Fury? If you really wanted this AJ fight, you have not said anything negative about this situation.

“You have not said how disappointed you are, you have not looked at your promoters – who clearly could have terminated this contract a long time ago – and gone: ‘What have you done? You’ve not only cost me fifty or sixty million dollars, you’ve cost me the biggest fight of all time, the undisputed fight because you’ve dropped the ball. And if you haven’t dropped the ball, why are you not fighting this and trying to come up with a Plan B.’

“I’ve not seen one thing from Tyson Fury, where he’s saying – ‘I’m devastated, I can’t believe this, we had a deal in place, I was happy, guys, I’m sorry.’ “

Memo to Eddie Hearn: Fury didn’t say anything negative — isn’t sorry – because he got exactly what he wanted.

Throughout the long-winded negotiation, Hearn was too busy talking to Saudi Princes, instead of listening to what Fury was saying. All along, Fury said he wanted a tune-up.

His decision to walk away from a third bout with Wilder initially came about because he wanted to fight. 

Early last October, Fury declared that the clause for a third fight had expired in the weeks since his stoppage of Wilder on Feb 22, 2020 at Vegas’ MGM Grand.

Fury said he needed to stay busy. He then went ahead with plans for a stay-busy fight in the UK late last year. But those plans were cancelled because of a COVID surge in the UK. Meanwhile, talks with UK rival Joshua had begun. Joshua went on to stop Kubrat Pulev on Dec. 13 in London. But Fury remained idle, yet he continued to hint that he wanted – needed – a tune-up.

Weinstein gave him one.

Wilder’s power is still a risk. It always will be. But Fury has dealt with it. He survived it, getting up twice in their first fight, first in the ninth round and again in 12th, in a Dec. 1, 2018 bout that ended in a split-draw.

In the rematch, Fury went straight at Wilder, suffocating him and never allowing him the leverage he needs to launch his right hand. Fury won easily, forcing Wilder’s corner to throw in the towel in the seventh. It was a surprise. Many corners, including this one, thought Wilder’s power would prevail all over again. But Fury proved that Wilder had only power. Take it away and he was clueless.

Fury’s tactics looked reckless. Five months earlier, He had suffered a nasty cut over his right eye in a tune-up win over a little-known Swede, Otto Wallin. The guess was that Wilder would re-open that cut. A scar is still evident. But Wilder never got close to that scar. He simply didn’t have enough in his limited skillset to set up a shot against the clever, ever-elusive Fury. It’s hard to see it going any other way on July 24. Fury knows exactly who he’s fighting in this tune-up, unlike his tune-up against Wallin.

Meanwhile, Joshua faces a far more challenging task in a mandatory defense against Oleksandr Usyk, who is two fights into his heavyweight career after dominating the cruiserweight division. Usyk beat Chazz Witherspoon and Derek Chisora, but his performance in both left doubts.  There are questions about his power and size against the giants in the heavyweight division. Nevertheless, Usyk still has dangerous potential.

Put it this way: Who would you pick in a Usyk-Andy Ruiz Jr. fight? Ruiz upset Joshua in a stunner on June 1, 2019. Joshua avenged the loss, yet he fought cautiously in winning a decision throughout a rematch in Saudi Arabia. The 6-foot-3 Usyk is an inch taller than Ruiz, listed 6-2. Usyk’s 78-inch reach gives him a four-inch advantage over Ruiz, listed at 74. Usyk is not as heavy as Ruiz, whose battle with weight led to lousy conditioning in the Joshua rematch.

Translation: Usyk is a much bigger threat to Joshua than Wilder is to Fury in a third fight.

Fury should send Weinstein a thank-you note.

By Kyle Kinder-

Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez was just eight years old when he started boxing competitively.  As an amateur he racked up a laundry list of honors, including a 2013 National Golden Gloves Title.  As a professional, he has compiled a perfect record to date; 21-0, 14 kayos.  His 18-plus year journey between the ropes now leads him to Las Vegas on June 12 where he’ll face the toughest challenge of his career against former two-division world champion Jose Pedraza (28-3, 13KO).

“This is a big stepping stone for me,” Rodgriguez, a New Jersey-native, acknowledged.  “If I get through Pedraza…I’ll be at the top of 140, and that’s what we’re aiming for.”

While Scotland’s Josh Taylor just claimed King of the Junior Welterweight Castle with his convincing victory over Jose Ramirez, a win against Pedraza would put Rodriguez right in the mix in a deep 140 pound division.

Perhaps adding a bit of pressure on Rodriguez for his next bout is the fact his contract with Top Rank expires in July.  With that in the back of his mind, he knows the Pedraza fight is an opportunity for him to gain leverage for upcoming contract negotiations, whether those be with Top Rank or another promotional outfit.

To date, Rodriguez, a New Jersey native, has fought his entire pro career under the Top Rank banner.  After turning pro in 2013, he overpowered early opposition, mowing down eight of his first nine rivals.  But in 2015 he started to experience shoulder pain, something he initially thought was normal boxing wear and tear.  It was a tolerable soreness, but he eventually found out the source of his pain was abnormal, and there were actual tears.  For over a year, Rodriguez opted to fight through his injuries, but in 2017 he underwent surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Ever the optimist, Rodriguez thinks the times he fought with his shoulder injury actually helped mature him into a more well-rounded boxer.

“Once I had the injury I didn’t know for a long time, I just felt like my arm was injured and I just had to change my style up,” Rodriguez said.  “So I was actually fighting with tears in my shoulder which caused me to change my style up and box more and use more of my footwork and utilize different tools in my arsenal.  In a way, I always look at the positive in everything so I took the time to focus on other things, sharpening my other tools.”

The shoulder surgery and subsequent rehab ultimately kept Rodriguez out of the ring for 22 months.  Since returning to the ring in July 2019, Rodriguez has stopped four of his five opponents before the final bell. 

“Once I was all healed up I felt like my footwork was better, my jab was better, and of course my power came back,” said Rodriguez.

Now, just weeks away from squaring off against Pedraza, Rodriguez is confident all the sacrifices made in the name of boxing since he was an eight year old kid have prepared him to pass his most difficult test with flying colors.  While conscious that Pedraza poses a grave threat to his career progression, Rodriguez can’t find anything about his opponent’s skillset that concerns him.

“I have respect for the fact that he’s been world champion and that he has experience, but I feel like everything that he has, I do it better,” Rodriguez said.  “In terms of hand speed, in terms of power, in terms of foot-movement, head-movement, I don’t think in terms of skill that he surpasses me in anything.”

He added, “We see a lot of holes [in Pedraza’s game].  It’s pretty much whatever fight we want to fight, I think we’ll be good.”

As fighters often do, Rodriguez has played out his upcoming fight in his head multiple times.  He says he has visualized various scenarios and is prepared to adapt with the ebb and flow of the fight to achieve victory.  Deep down however, Rodriguez thinks he becomes just the second boxer to stop Pedraza inside the distance. 

“Based on how this camp is going, I don’t see how this guy is going to pass 6 rounds, I don’t,” Rodriguez said.  “The pressure, the output volume of punches, the bodywork, I feel like I’m the naturally bigger guy too.  I just don’t feel like he’s going to be able to take these punches for that long…We’re right where we want to be.  We’ve had great sparring, and this guy’s going to go through hell on the 12th.”

Follow all the action as Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez meet for the undisputed junior welterweight world title.  The fights begin at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT with two more junior welterweight fights featuring Jose Zepeda battling Hank Lundy; Elvis Rodriguez taking on Kenneth Sims Jr.

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Round 1: Good body shot from Taylor..Left to body from Ramirez…Another body shot..Straight left from Taylor..Nice Body shot after Taylor lands a right..

Round 2 Right from Ramirez..Left to body from Taylor…Lead left..Jab…Double jab from Ramirez…Let to the body..Good uppercut

Round 3 Straight rigt and left hook from Ramirez…Right..uppercut..aylor working on the inside..uppercut…Good straight left..Ramirez lands 2 good righs to the body..Left..Combination..

Round 4 Left from Taylor..Body from Ramirez…Left..Straight right..Hard Body shot from Taylor….Ramirez fighting back

Round 5 Taylor cut around the left eye..Body shot from Ramirez….Rights to the body…Lead left from Taylor…

Round 6 BIG LEFT AND DOWN GOES RAMIREZ…Left hook from Ramirez….Lead right…Good body shot from Taylor…Good left…

Round 7 Double left hands to body from Ramirez….UPPERERCUT AND DOWN GOES RAMIREZ…

Round 8 Uppercut from Taylor

Round 9 Right from Ramirez…Good right..Taylor gets in a left….Uppercut ..Right from Ramirez

Round 10 Left from Taylor…Hard right from Ramirez..Counter left from Taylor

Round 11 Counter left from Taylor…Ramirez lands a combination on the ropes..

Round 12 Left hook from Ramirez…Left from Taylor…Good right from Ramirez…

114-112 ON ALL CARDS FOR JOSH TAYLOR

Round 1
Round 2 Left t the body from Zepeda…Another…right to the body..Left to body…Left
Round 3 Good left from Lundy
Round 4 Left from Zepeda
Round 5 Left from Zepeda..Good left from Lundy
Round 6 Counter left from Zepeda
Round 7 Right hook from Zepeda…
Round 8 Left from Zepeda
Round 9 Left from Lundy
Round 10 Combination from Zepeda…Right to the body

98-92 on all cards for ZEPEDA

Round 1:
Round 2: Left from Rodriguez..Good right from Sims..Another right
Round 3 Left from Rodriguez
Round 4 Good straight left from Rodriguez…Right from Sims..Jab from Rodriguez
Round 5
Round 6 Left hook from Sims…1-2 from Rodriguez…Right from Sims..Check hook from Rodriguez
Round 7 Sims working on the inside and lands a uppercut,,2 rights…body..Right from Rodriguez..Redness around right eye of Right eye and his bleeding from the mouth
Round 8 Right hook from Rodriguez…Combination

76-76; 78-74 TWICE FOR KENENTH SIMS JR.

By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – On the scale, nothing separates them. A fight projected to be even in every way was exactly that at the weigh-in.

Not an ounce separated Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor Friday. It was 139.6 pounds each for all four of the significant pieces to the junior-welterweight title Saturday at Virgin Hotels.

Ramirez has two of the belts. Taylor has the other two. Half-and-half, split right down the middle in a bout (ESPN 8pm ET/5 pm PT) between two fighters with different, yet equal styles.

Take your pick.

In Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs) , there is a versatile skillset, an ability to switch from right to left and agile footwork that allows him to move in, out and away. In Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs), there is dogged grit, a tireless determination to move forward with a will that seeks, even embraces, adversity.

Take your pick.

The best one might be Fight of the Year. Late Friday, only the betting wasn’t divided. Taylor was a slight favorite. In a pick-em fight, it looks as if the bettors favor Taylor because he has more options, more ways to win.

But Ramirez has an instinct that is very hard to beat. Think Erik Morales. Think Michael Carbajal. Think Oscar Valdez Jr. They seemed to get better when hurt. Adversity is an ally. Their way.

For Taylor, the task is to break that will. He’s confident enough to believe he can.  Ramirez is vulnerable, Taylor said.

“Vulnerable to be stopped,’’ he said in a conference call earlier this week.

Taylor is promising a knockout to anyone willing to listen, especially Taylor. Ramirez has been there, face-to-face, for photos Thursday after a news conference and again Friday.

An angry confrontation erupted as Taylor and his cornermen left the weigh-in and encountered a crowd of Ramirez fans in a hallway outside of the ball room. At the hotel elevators, Ramirez and Taylor shoved each other, each exchanging insults and threats. Opening bel can’t come soon enough.

For the last couple of days, the Scotsman called The Tartan Tornado has been The Tireless Trash Talker. It’s only business, perhaps. He says he respects Ramirez. But Ramirez, he says, is his enemy through Saturday.

If trash talk is a calculated weapon, it might be working. Ramirez, the quiet son of farmworkers in central California, reacted to Taylor’s rhetorical footwork Thursday and again Friday. Ramirez told Boxing Scene that Taylor is “a fake” after Thursday’s final news conference.

After they faced off after Friday’s weigh-in, Ramirez matched Taylor, word-for-word, as they stood nose-to-nose. Eventually, Taylor trainer Ben Davison stepped in between the two. As Davison led Taylor away and toward the edge of the stage, Ramirez gestured to him as if to say the Scot was all talk, only talk.

It was noteworthy only because nobody has ever seen Ramirez react with that kind of angry emotion. Was Taylor in his head? Had Taylor distracted him? Or had Taylor only motivated Ramirez even more?

Ramirez has already talked about what a victory could do for him in terms of legacy.

“This is a historical fight for me,’’ he said a few days ago. “You know, this could open up the doors for the Hall of Fame for me in the future.’’

It’ll open a lot of immediate doors for the winner. There’s talk of a fight against welterweight champion and leading pound-for-pound contender Terence Crawford, the last junior-welterweight to hold all four belts.

Crawford has nothing on his schedule. Manny Pacquiao announced Friday that he will fight Errol Spence Jr. on August 21.

“One-forty-seven, 140, 135,’’ Taylor said. “The possibilities, the options after this fight, are massive.’’

Take your pick.

By Norm Frauenheim–

Nothing can mix and confuse extremes quite like boxing. From courage to cowardice, it’s all there all at once. That’s part of the attraction. Part of the problem, too.

This weekend, it’s all there all over again, another example of what has been called life-in-a-shot glass. Good-and-bad, 180-proof, in a cocktail sure to enthrall and exasperate.

Start with the good, Jose Ramirez-versus-Josh Taylor Saturday night (ESPN, 8p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) in a fight at Las Vegas’ Virgin Hotels for all of the relevant belts between junior-welterweights, both unbeaten and in their primes. What’s not to like?

Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs), a confident Scotsman, and Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs), a farmworker’s son from central California, bring all of the personal and physical elements to a bout that promises to be a classic. At every level, it’s compelling.

It’s also a refuge from the other side of a whiplash-like week that sums up the schizoid state of the game.

It’s a short trip from classic to crap, which is a polite way of describing the spit-bucket full of ongoing headlines about Anthony Joshua-versus-Tyson Fury. Will it happen? I don’t care. Not anymore.

It feels as if the heavyweight talks have lasted as long as the Pandemic. They haven’t, of course. Like the virus, however, there just never seems to be a real end to reported negotiations for a fight said to be worth $155-million.

Only the insults escalate in what appears to be a fight with diminishing chances at landing on any calendar in any hemisphere.

The latest problem looks to be an arbitrator’s ruling to uphold Deontay Wilder’s contractual right to a third fight sometime before September 15 or The Twelfth of Never.

Fury has been suggesting he needs a tune-up, which is exactly what Wilder might offer if his performance in losing a seventh-round stoppage to Fury in a rematch last February is any indication.

Meanwhile, Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn is suddenly issuing deadlines instead of promises. And Fury is issuing threats, challenging Joshua to a street brawl instead of a fight that Fury said would happen in Saudi Arabia on August 14.

Joshua-versus-Fury is getting to be a little like Terence Crawford-versus-Errol Spence Jr. Maybe, we’ll see both on Triller a couple of decades from now.

But there is Taylor-versus-Ramirez.

“Now at the end of this pandemic, we have the best fight of the whole pandemic experience,’’ Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. “We don’t have to sell anything about this fight. We just mention the fighters. They are both undefeated, both former Olympians, both world champions. This will be a great fight!”

Arum, a man of many words. has unloaded his share of vitriol during his role as Fury’s co-promoter. But he didn’t have to say much about Ramirez-Taylor

That says volumes about what might be Fight of the Year.

By Kyle Kinder-

Jesse Hart isn’t the only Top Rank fighter angling for a showdown against Brooklyn-born KO-artist Edgar Berlanga (17-0, 16KO).  Unbeaten Tennessean Tyler Howard (19-0, 11KO) is hoping he’ll be the next boxer with a chance to stamp the first “L” on Berlanga’s record. 

Earlier in the year Howard thought he might get a crack at the Puerto Rican wrecking ball, but the stars never aligned.

“To be totally honest this was brought to my attention in January,” the 27 year-old Howard recalled.  “They [Howard’s management team] called me…and said that it was a possibility for me to fight him on the card that just passed in Kissimmee on April 24th.  I tested positive for COVID at that time, and then for whatever reason the fight didn’t develop and Demond Nicholson ended up taking the fight.”

Against Nicholson, Berlanga was made to fight beyond the opening round for the first time in his career.  Not only that, despite sending Nicholson to the mat four times, Berlanga was stretched all eight rounds, where he picked up his first win via decision.

“If that fight had been a nine round fight, Demond Nicholson wouldn’t have made it because Edgar cracked him at the end of the eighth round and hurt him very bad,” Howard said.  “So that was extremely impressive.”

While Howard was complementary of Berlanga’s ability to retain punching power over a twenty-four minute window, he wasn’t impressed by his stamina.

“Edgar performed very well, but he did get tired in the later rounds and I feel like that’s something we can capitalize on,” said Howard.  “And Edgar has been knocked down in the past, he got knocked down in the amateurs and that hasn’t been long ago.  If you got a weak chin, you got a weak chin, and that’s just the way it is.  And I don’t think he fights very well on his back foot.  Whenever Nicholson was planting his feet and trying to walk through him and putting his punches together, he had some success.”

Although Howard’s last three contests have been fought at middleweight, his most impressive win arguably came at super middleweight against once-beaten Isaiah Seldon in 2018.  In that bout, Howard sent Seldon crashing to the mat twice and ended the fight in just :90 seconds. 

Even still, with Berlanga fighting at super middleweight, Howard prefers any potential match be fought at a catchweight.  But he’s realistic about who holds the cards.

“Obviously I’d want to make some kind of catchweight,” said Howard.  “If you look in the past he’s weighed 162, 164.  Recently he’s been making 168.  At the end of the day, he would be the A-side in this, he’s the one that carries the star-power, he’s the one that’s been dominating, he’s earned everything that he’s got.  So if I had to go up to 168 to fight him, I’d go up and do it.”

And while a possible bang up with Berlanga is an idea that has Howard fired up, he doesn’t view his fistic future as Berlanga-or-bust.

“One thing I want to make clear is that I’m not going to put my career on halt for Edgar Berlanga,” Howard said.  “If that fight isn’t there, it’s not there.  The middleweight division is loaded with big fights to be made, they’re everywhere.  I’m definitely not banking my career on a fight with Edgar Berlanga, but if they call me and the money and timing’s right then yeah, I’m down to bump with him.”

If they did mix it up, that fight would likely take place in late July or early August, as Berlanga is expected to become a father early next month.  But if their paths do cross inside the ropes, Howard fancies his chances. 

“I definitely think I can beat him,” Howard said. “If I didn’t think I could beat him, I wouldn’t take the fight.  But the most important thing is you have to figure out a way to neutralize his power because it doesn’t matter who you are if Edgar Berlanga catches you clean, he’s going to shut your ass down…that’s just the fact of the matter.”

To help prepare for his next fight, whether it be against Berlanga or not, Howard plans to head down to Houston, TX to work with Bobby Benton, who he thinks will help him get the most out of his power.  

“One thing he [Berlanga] will realize real fucking fast is that I can punch too,” Howard said.  “My knockout ratio doesn’t reflect how hard I punch…and my hands are a lot faster than his.  If I can get him on the inside trading with me, I’m going to win those exchanges.”

According to Howard, a potential Berlanga clash “is all about risk versus reward.” 

The risk is obvious, and Howard wants to take it.

The reward? To become a Van Helsing of sorts…to become the man that stops the Monster.

Follow all the action as Luis Nery battles Brandon Figueroa for the WBA/WBC Super Bantamweight titles; The action starts at 10 PM ET with Xavier Martinez taking on Juan Carlos Burgos; The co-feature will pit former unified champion Danny Roman taking Francisco Espinoza

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Round 1: Jab from Nery..Big left…

Round 2 Right to body from Figueroa..Good body work from Nery…Nery throwing power shots….Counter..2 Left from Figueroa…Left hook…Left hook

Round 3 eft and right from Figueroa…Left uppercut..Left and right from Nery…2 lefts from Figueroa..

Round 4 Nice left from Figueroa…Left from Nery..Right from Figueroa…Left hook and left hook from Nery…Right from Figueroa..

Round 5 Body shot from Figueroa..2 lefts from Nery ..2 body shots…left to head..left from Figueroa.

Round 6 Exchanging body shots…Left to body from Nery..Good uppercut..3 left uppercuts…1-2 from Figueroa…

Round 7 Figueroa landing good shots to the head..  Swelling around left eye of Nery...LEFT TO THE BODY AND DOWN GOES NERY….HE CANT BEAT THE COUNT …FIGHT OVER

Round 1 Espinoza coming forward…Nice counter right from Roman…Double jab from Espinoza…counter right from Roman..Left…
Round 2 Right from Espinoza…Counter right from Roman…Right…3 punch combination from Espinoza…Beautiful right from Roman…Combination from Distance..
Round 3 Right from Espinoza…Good exchange….Lead right and uppercut on inside from Espinoza..Right…Body shot from Roman..Counter left
Round 4 Right to body from Espinoza….Lead left hook…Counter right from Roman…Good left to the body..Solid right…
Round 5 Lead left hook/right hand from Roman…Combination
Round 6 Left uppercut from Roman…Left from Espinoza…Counter from Roman…Jab..Right to body…Short left uppercut to body from Espinoza…Left from Roman…
Round 7 Good left from Roman…1-2 from Espinoza…Lead left uppercut from Roman…Body work from Espinoza..Right to body…Left to body from Roman…left uppercut…
Round 8 Left to body by Roman…Big left…Lead left uppercut…Blood on face of Espinoza…1-2 from Roman..Left to body…
Round 9 Doctor looking at Espinoza…left uppercut from Roman…Another left uppercut
Round 10 Double left from Roman…Uppercut…Lead left uppercut…

97-93 AND 98-92 TWICE FOR DANNY ROMAN

Round 1: Counter right from Martinez…2 jabs..Good right hand..Jab to the body..3 punch combination from Burgos..Body shot..1-2…
Round 2 Fierce exchange on the ropes…Martinez counters..Sweeping left hook..Right from Burgos…Jab from Martinez..Martinez gets better of exchange
Round 3  Good ehange…Left and right from Martinez….Right from Burgos
Round 4 Burgos scores with a combination…Right off the ropes…2 left hooks from Martinez…Great exchange
Round 5 Left upperut…Jab from Burgos..Martinez lands a jab….Jab..Combination from Burgos…Good combination on inside from Martinez..2 ,ore shots…uppercut from Burgos..Shoeshine and uppercut
Round 6 Body shot from Burgos..Nice eft-right from Martinez..Body shot from Burgos..Uppercut..Right from Martinez
Round 7 Martinez fighting off the ropes..Right..Body work from Burgos..Right uppercut from Martinez..
Round 8 Short shots from Martinez…Right…Burgos fighting off the ropes…Lead right from Martinez…Right..Double jab-right..Combination from Burgos..Uppercut from Martinez…
Round 9 Left from Martinez…
Round 10 Combination from Burgos…Right from Martinez..Toe to toe action…Left hook to body from Burgos…

99-91 ON ALL CARDS FOR MARTINEZ

By Norm Frauenheim-

Canelo Alvarez’ pursuit of unification is about more than just belts. It’s about consensus.

Canelo, fresh off his stoppage of Billy Joe Saunders Saturday, figures to win the fourth and final piece to the super-middleweight title in a projected bout against Caleb Plant.

Contracts have yet to be signed, but betting odds already have been posted.

Canelo is at -600, meaning he has an 85.71-percent chance at taking Plant’s IBF version of the 168-pound title in a fight expected to happen in mid-September.

Las Vegas looks likely, perhaps at Allegiant Stadium on Sept. 11, two nights before the Raiders opener against the Baltimore Ravens Monday Night Football and five days before Sept. 16, Mexican Independence.

The Raiders’ new home is booked Saturday, Sept. 18, with college football, Iowa State-versus-UNLV.

Where ever or whenever, indoors or outdoors, it’s clear Canelo belongs on the biggest possible stage. Against Saunders on the Cowboys home field at AT&T Stadium in Arlington TX, a crowd of 73,126 set boxing’s indoor record.

His popularity is growing. Canelo is boxing’s biggest draw. No doubt about it. Meanwhile, odds are that soon it’ll be hard to argue with his dominance of the super-middleweight division. David Benavidez might have one and it’s a good bet that we’ll hear it more than once. If Canelo takes that fourth belt, however, he wins the debate.

But consensus is not as simple. Polls never are, and there have been plenty lately about where Canelo belongs, both today and among Mexico’s all-time greats.

Canelo continues to say he wants to make history. Mexico’s boxing history means one face: Julio Cesar Chavez. In a Boxing Junkie poll last week, Canelo was fourth, behind Ruben Olivares, Salvador Sanchez and – of course — Chavez at No. 1.

Over time, the theory is that Canelo might one day supplant Chavez. There are plenty of factors. First, he has to beat Plant, which might not be as much of a lock as early odds suggest. Then what? A fight against a still-maturing Benavidez? A jump to light-heavyweight, which would mean Artur Beterbiev and/or Dmitry Bivol?

Time is still Canelo’s ally. He’s 30. He says he might fight for seven more years. That’s a span that offers countless opportunities to fight major bouts before huge crowds. Think of it as a political campaign. Each bout is a way to eliminate rivals and convince skeptics.

In effect, that’s exactly what Canelo has been doing in that other debate, the current pound-for-pound race. Six months ago, the argument raged. Canelo or Terence Crawford?

Crawford looked good in a stoppage of former champion Kell Brook on Nov. 14. Crawford’s body-of-work, his overall resume, is dismissed by critics, who question the quality of his opposition.

But Crawford’s supporters are impressed by the immediate, the eye test that seems to say that nobody at 147 pounds could beat Crawford’s thorough skillset and predatory instinct.

Trouble is, there’s been no test for any eye to measure since Crawford’s victory over Brook six months ago. There was talk about Manny Pacquiao. Rumors, only rumors.

Crawford has been idle.

Meanwhile, Canelo has been busy, fighting three times – a unanimous decision over Callum Smith on Dec. 19, a stoppage over Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27 and a stoppage of Saunders on May 8.

Busy is convincing, especially in a pound-for-pound campaign that is essentially political. It’ll continue. It always does. Maybe, Crawford gets a chance to re-state his case in a fight against the Josh Taylor-Jose Ramirez winner May 22 in an intriguing junior-welterweight showdown (ESPN) at Las Vegas’ Virgin Hotels. There’s talk that the winner will make the jump, from 140 pounds to 147, for a shot at Crawford.

For now, however, Canelo is winning the debate in a couple of ways. There are notable victories within the ropes. And huge crowds outside of them.

By Norm Frauenheim-

Canelo Alvarez’ evolution continues, proceeding incrementally with stubborn attention to detail. He never quits learning, which helps to explain why he never quits improving.

It also explains why he’s a 7-to-1 favorite over unbeaten Billy Joe Saunders Saturday (DAZN/8 pm ET, 5 pm PT) in a bid to win another piece of the super-middleweight title on the Dallas Cowboys homefield in Arlington, Tex.

A few years ago, those odds wouldn’t have been so one-sided. Then, Canelo (55-1-2, 37 KOs) looked to be vulnerable to the slick sort of skillset possessed by the left-handed Saunders (30-0, 14 KOs).

There were moments when Canelo looked confused in a unanimous decision over Austin Trout in 2013. About a year later, he escaped with a split-decision over Erislandy Lara. In between Trout and Lara, there was a one-sided loss delivered by the masterful Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Lessons, each and every one, for the student in Canelo.

His career has unfolded like one long lesson-plan. Potential for some new move or tactic is always there. For Saunders, it’s reason to be wary. For everybody else, it’s something to respect. Canelo learns and never forgets.

He introduced some head movement a few fights ago. Now, he has begun to master the head games that precede any significant fight. In terms of public interest, Canelo-Saunders looks to be a biggie.

A crowd of more than 60,000 is projected, which would break the Texas-sized record of 59,995 at San Antonio’s Alamodome for the controversial Pernell Whitaker-Julio Cesar Chavez draw in September 1993.

For the last week, it’s been evident that Saunders has tried to distract Canelo. That’s hard to do. In the eight years since Mayweather, only Gennadiy Golovkin has managed to rattle the impenetrable calm that seems to surround Canelo like a fortress. There were words at news conferences and shoving at the weigh-in before their 2018 rematch.

Saunders tried to land a psychological punch. He and his father, Tom Saunders, issued a series of complaints. They grumbled that Eddie Hearn, Saunders longtime promoter, was favoring Canelo. They complained about the assignment of judges. Not one is from the UK, Saunders’ home country. Not one is from Mexico, Canelo’s home country, either.

On and on, it went.

Finally, Saunders complained about the size of the ring, saying he wouldn’t fight in one measuring 18-feet-by-18 feet. Hearn said he assured him that the ring would be 20-by-20. Saunders, who might need every available inch of canvas to elude Canelo, demanded 24-by-24. He and his dad also threatened to withdraw if the demand wasn’t met.

Hearn countered: How about 22-by-22? OK, Saunders said. But this tale of the tape still needed Canelo’s approval.

No problem, Canelo said.

From a man known for his lethal counter-punching, it was brilliant. Ring size wasn’t ever the real issue, anyway. Guess here: This fight could be in a ring as big as an aircraft carrier. Canelo will beat Saunders.

In a fight before the fight, Canelo ended the head games, quickly and quietly, this time with some smart head movement.

He disarmed Saunders, who was left with nothing else to say. It looks as if Canelo’s life-long lesson plan included a course in psychology. He aced that one too.

By Kyle Kinder-

Just after midnight on January 13, 2020, in the center of the boxing ring inside the Hard Rock’s Etess Arena in Atlantic City, Jesse Hart (26-3, 21KO) stood shoulder to shoulder with referee Harvey Dock, awaiting the verdict of his ten round light heavyweight clash against Joe Smith Jr.  Moments later, dinging from the ringside bell echoed through the arena and public address announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. read the judge’s scorecards: 97-92 Smith, 95-94 Hart, 98-91 Smith. 

The split-decision loss capped what had been a frustrating night for Hart, who was hoping to build momentum after scoring a unanimous decision over Sullivan Barrera in his prior outing.  But any immediate feelings of disappointment quickly gave way to concern. 

In the leadup to the Smith match, during training camp, Hart injured his right hand.  He thought he’d be able to fight through the pain, but in round two, after landing a short, awkwardly placed punch, Hart’s injury went from tolerable to severe.  Reluctant and unable to let his right hand go for the final seven-plus rounds, Hart tried to rely on his legs to evade the bigger, plodding Smith.  But it was to no avail.  A post-fight medical evaluation revealed damaged ligaments and a torn tendon, injuries that Hart was told were potentially “career ending.”

“I had one hand, I had to use my legs, I had to use my other attributes and my athleticism came into play,” Hart said about the Smith fight.  “When I have one hand, how am I going to stand in there and trade with a big puncher like Joe Smith, who is a bigger man than me?…People always say don’t make excuses, but that’s just the truth.”  He added, “With one hand, he was just too strong and I couldn’t hold him off with one hand.”

Eager to put the Smith fight in his rearview and fix his right hand, Hart braced for a major operation that would put him out of commission for a few months.  However, due to COVID-19, he wasn’t able to schedule his operation, which fell into the category of “elective surgery”, until June 5th, almost five months after his fight with Smith. 

During various post-surgery doctor visits, Hart sought clearance to resume training, but was continually rebuffed.  So for the last eight-plus months, heeding the advice of his doctors, Hart took it easy. 

“I’ve been really trying to let my hand heal, spending time with my family, my son and my daughter, and just trying to regain focus,” said Hart.  “It took major surgery and a long healing process, being patient, not wanting to punch….but I’m back to 100%, I feel a lot better.” 

Once Hart was finally greenlit to lace up his gloves again, he decided it best to part ways with head trainer Fred Jenkins.  Hart now hones his craft in North Philadelphia’s Philly 1 on 1 Boxing Gym, where he linked up with Boze Ennis, father of unbeaten welterweight phenom, Jaron “Boots” Ennis.  

“I recently made that switch and I’m starting to get comfortable with Boze and we’re starting to work real good,” Hart said.  He went on to state that while things didn’t necessarily get stale with Jenkins, Boze is “fresher.” 

With a healed right hand and new trainer at the helm, Hart now has his sights set on a potential June 12 matchup in Las Vegas against ultra-hyped super middleweight KO artist, Edgar Berlanga (17-0, 16KO).

“I think he’s a good puncher and over time he’ll develop, but I don’t think much of him,” Hart said of Berlanga. “I don’t think he’s ready for a guy of my caliber.  When Bob [Arum] said he wanted to do that, I literally jumped at that chance.  This is definitely a big fight for me, I won’t lie.  It’s definitely a big risk taking fight for me….I’m taking a gamble, but I know this kid can’t beat me and he won’t beat me in June.”

Hart’s only two losses at super middleweight have come in the form of razor-thin defeats in world title bouts against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez.  Dropping back down to super middleweight from light heavyweight is a welcome change for Hart, who feels he does his best work at 168.

“I’m naturally a super middleweight….I talked to my mother and my mother said she thought I was too big.  She was saying, ‘You’re light Jesse, why are you fighting these big guys?’  She wasn’t always involved in my career, but she was saying the guys at 175 were too big, and my dad was saying that too…but now that I’m back here I feel comfortable.”

As of a week ago, Hart and Berlanga now have a common opponent on their resume in Demond Nicholson.  Nicholson was stopped by Hart in the seventh round of their 2018 contest, but went the distance in an eight round contest against Berlanga, becoming the only Berlanga opponent to make it out of round one in the process.

With regards to the Berlanga-Nicholson fight, Hart said, “Styles make fights.  He didn’t stop Demond Nicholson, but he did knock him down (four times).  I think Berlanga showed he had power, but I don’t think he showed smarts, I don’t think he showed skills, and I don’t think he showed athleticism.  He was getting hit a lot.”

Ever the boxing historian, Hart thinks a potential Berlanga fight would play out like another Philadelphia vs. Puerto Rico battle: Bernard Hopkins v Felix Trinidad.

“You saw what happened with Bernard Hopkins and Tito Trinidad,” the presumed underdog Hart, said. “He didn’t care that the whole Garden was against him.  He went in there and did his job and got Tito out of there.  It’s going to play out like that.  If this fight gets made, it will be a hell of a fight, but I got me stopping him in eight rounds.  I got both of my hands, I’m living right, I’m healthy, there’s no way this thing goes eight rounds June 12.”

Follow all the action as former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. Battles Chris Arreola in a Heavyweight showdown. Also on the card is Sebastian Fundora battles Jorge Cota; Abel Ramos fights Omar Figueroa Jr. and Jesus Ramos takes on Javier Molina on the Pay-Per-View Portion

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Round 1: Good right from Arreola…Hard right from Ruiz..Combination..
Round 2 Good combination from Ruiz….RIGHT AND DOWN GOES RUIZ..Hard right from Arreola
Round 3 Big right from Arreola…Hard left…left from Arreola…Good hook..Right drives Arreola back…Uppercut from Ruiz..Right from Arreola
Round 4 Left hook and right from Ruiz…Right hand and hook
Round 5  Arreola lands a right.  3 Hooks from Ruiz..Left hook
Round 6 Combination from Ruiz Pop’s Arreola’s head back..Hook..3 punch combination..Hard combination…Good body shot..Hard jab…Blood from Bridge of Arreola’s nose
Round 7 Stiff Jab from Ruiz…Left hook..Good jab to the body
Round 8 Good hook from Ruiz…Arreola looks like he could have hurt his shoulder
Round 9 Hard body  from Arreola…Combination from Ruiz…hard right to the body
Round 10  Big Hook from Ruiz…Good right to the body…Right to the body..hard jab to the body..
Round 11 Uppercut from Ruiz…Hard hook…Arreola shoulder hurt again..Cuffing right from Ruiz….Good right
Round 12 Jab from Ruiz…3 punch combination..Right…Big hook and right hand…Body shot..

117-110, 118-109 TWICE FOR ANDY RUIZ JR.

Round 1:

[/su_table]

Round 1: Hard left from Lara..another…Quick left..HUGE LEFT AND DOWN GOES LAMANNA….FIGHT OVER

Round 1 Jab from Avelar; Right Hook from Ramirez…jab

Round 2 Nice counter from Avelar; Good Counter from Ramirez…Jab..left.3 shots…2 counters from Avelar..Good left from Ramirez..

Round 3 BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES AVELAR…HARD RIGHT ROCKS AVELAR…FIGHT OVER

By Norm Frauenheim-

The heavyweight division, once revered, has been reduced to a rumor. Only Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua seems to matter, despite mounting doubts about reported negotiations full of promises and short on specifics.

Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn says it will happen this summer.

Fury co-promoter Frank Warren says it won’t.

That’s where it started months ago.

That’s where it still is, although there’s a growing chorus of frustration from Fury and his American promoter Bob Arum, whose skepticism about a $150 million offer from Saudi Arabia was evident in multiple media reports this week.

A deal hinges on whether the money is really there. A deal – date and place – has yet to be announced, hence deepening suspicions that the offer is bupkis, just more dust in a Haboob.

Meanwhile, Fury has taken to social media and Hearn is his target. Fury, whose trash talk is as deadly as his jab, is ripping Hearn, saying that the UK promoter has cozied up to Canelo Alvarez in the Mexican’s title fight against UK super-middleweight Billy Joe Saunders on May 8 in Arlington, Tex.

For the May fight, at least, Hearn is the promoter of record for both. But Fury is questioning his allegiances, which means Hearn is probably as popular as a piñata back home in Britain.

Such is that state of the heavyweights, a flagship as rudderless as ever. Yet, chaos at the top hasn’t silenced it.

Andy Ruiz Jr. and Chris Arreola, Joe Parker and Derek Chisora will do what Fury and Joshua may — may not — do.

They’re fighting Saturday, Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs) versus Arreola (38-6-1, 33 KOs) in Carson, Calif., on Fox pay-per-view (9 pm ET/6 pm PT) and Parker (28-2, 21 KOs) against Chisora (32-10, 23 KOs) in Manchester, England, on Sky Sports Box Office.

Both fights are interesting. Both are linked. Both Ruiz and Parker are ex-champions.

Ruiz, the first heavyweight champ of Mexican descent, is the most memorable for his stunning stoppage of Joshua at New York’s Madison Square Garden in June 2019. He’s also the most forgettable for his messy loss in a rematch six months later in Saudi Arabia.

Ruiz blamed the scorecard defeat on lousy conditioning. He was about 30 pounds heavier than he is expected to be Saturday in his first bout with Canelo trainer Eddy Reynoso. Ruiz described the defeat as a kind of “self-death’’ during a news conference Wednesday.

“I killed the old Andy and am reborn with the new Andy,” he said.

It was a good line from Ruiz who looked to be re-energized if not resurrected. At 31, Ruiz still has a chance to be a player at heavyweight if –as expected – he beats the 40-year-old Arreola.  Perhaps, a Parker rematch awaits Ruiz, who emerged as a contender in a narrow loss – majority decision – to Parker for a vacant World Boxing Organization title in 2016 in Auckland, Parker’s hometown.

At least, it’s real instead of rumor. No telling what happens to the Fury-Joshua possibility.

Put it this way: Fury expects to take a day off from his training regimen in Las Vegas Saturday. He plans to be in Louisville at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby. The 20-horse field includes a horse named for him after his stoppage of Deontay Wilder in a rematch in February 2020.It’s beginning to look as if the horse, King Fury, a 20-to-1 longshot, has a better chance of winning the Derby than Joshua-Fury has at happening anytime soon.

By Kyle Kinder-

In late spring 2013, having spent his last eight months training with the Danish military, Landry Kore was mentally preparing for deployment to Afghanistan.  Then he answered a life-altering phone call.

The voice at the other end of the line was a familiar one; that of former Danish Olympic boxer and Kore’s old amateur coach, Brian Lentz.  Lentz told Kore about a tryout in Copenhagen being staged by European boxing promotional giants, brothers Kalle and Nisse Sauerland.  The Sauerland’s were scouring Denmark seeking to bolster their roster of talent, which at the time included the country’s top ranked prizefighter, Patrick Nielsen.  

Kore, a former Danish Amateur National Champion, was hesitant.  He was a soldier now.  

He told Lentz, “Listen, I haven’t done any boxing training in eight months.”

But his ex-coach insisted.  “He told me, just come and put your name out there,” Kore recalled. “He convinced me to take a leave for the weekend and go to the audition.”

When Kore arrived at the gym, he quickly grasped the magnitude of the opportunity at hand.

“There were television cameras and newspapers.  Patrick Nielsen was there and [former world super middleweight champion] Mikkel Kessler…there were over 100 people there,” Kore said.   

The fighters, a mix of amateurs and professionals, were asked to workout at various stations.  They performed cardio exercises, smacked speed bags, and pounded heavy bags.  Once boxers completed the circuit of drills they were divided into groups by weight and made to spar in a mini tournament.  Those who impressed during their sparring sessions advanced to the next round, while those who underwhelmed were free to head home. Despite not gloving up for over half a year, Kore, along with three others, progressed to the final round.

Knowing this round-robin style of sparring matches were his last opportunity to impress Team Sauerland, Kore dug deep.  A mix of skilled boxing, ring IQ, and military-induced stamina resulted in Kore dominating all three of his opponents.  Within weeks he was presented with his first professional boxing contract.

But as eager as he was to put pen to paper, Kore first needed to be relieved of his military obligations.

“In Denmark you don’t just go into the Army,” Kore explained.  “I had to go through a selection of 400 people, and I think they accepted around 40.  So they invested in me for eight months.”

He continued, “I had to speak with my captain and say look this is what’s going on right now.  I told him I dreamed about being a professional boxer, but I also somehow got away from that dream, but this opportunity just came to me.”

Kore was prepared for rejection, ready to swallow the bitterest of pills.  Fortunately, he would never have to. 

“You know what, don’t worry about it, I’ll figure something and you can leave,” Kore remembers his captain telling him.  “Today I’m even still friends with him on LinkedIn, he’s been supporting [my career].”

As unconventional a path to professional boxing as Kore’s was, his journey to the sport itself was just as unlikely.

Born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast in 1989, Kore spent his first decade of life surrounded by family and friends, living a normal Ivorian childhood.  When he turned 11 he left for Denmark to reunite with his father, who was living in Copenhagen.  

Shortly after, Kore’s life took a cruel and tragic turn.  About six months after leaving the Ivory Coast, Kore’s mother passed away.  Less than a year later, his father kicked him out of the house.  

“I ended up in a foster home,” Kore recalled.  “It was quite stressful, leaving Africa and all my family, coming to Europe, expecting to live with my father and he put me on the street.”

In foster care, Kore became close with a 16 year-old boy, three years older than him at the time.

“Living with him, he became my brother, even though he was a different skin color than me,” Kore said.  “And one day he came home and said he had an issue with some guy from school.” 

They knew their new rival was a boxer, so naturally Kore and his foster brother headed to the local boxing gym, figuring they’d be able get their licks in a responsible manner, without fear of repercussions.

“I had no idea what boxing was at that point,” Kore admitted.  “We got to the gym and we kept asking to spar.  The coach was like, ‘No, you cannot spar with this guy, but you can get some of the younger fighters who are the same age as you.’ I thought, man they can’t do anything to me, but I actually got my ass kicked.”

Kore continued, “After we went to the gym again, eventually we even forgot the beef we had [with their rival].  But I really fell in love with the sport.  At that time, with all the things happening in my life, coming up to Denmark with my father, and the only person there that I know throwing me out on the street…I felt like boxing was a place where I can find refuge.”

Oh, and the head boxing trainer at the gym Kore happened to stumble into?  None other than former world super feather champion Jimmy Bredahl.  

“He became something of a father figure for me,” Kore said of Bredahl.  

Kore fell in love with boxing at a vulnerable time in his life and the love was mutual.  But like all relationships, Kore and boxing have had their ups and downs.

Months after inking his deal with Sauerland, Kore turned professional in April 2014, earning a four-round unanimous decision victory 28 fight veteran Nikola Matic.  He scored his first knockout five months later against the Czech Republic’s Michal Vosyka.

Four fights and four wins later, Kore and Sauerland parted ways in late 2015.  The following year saw Kore, fighting at middleweight, decisioned veteran Andreas Reimer before brawling with Poland’s Bartolomiej Grafka in a fight that resulted in a no contest.

Without the backing of a well-oiled promotional machine, Kore traveled across the Atlantic for the first time in his career in 2017 and fought his eighth professional bout on a Christy Martin promoted card in Charlotte, North Carolina where he scored an easy KO1 over Richmond’s Travis Davidson.  In his next bout, Kore knocked out Armenian Armen Ypremyan to claim the IBO Mediterranean Middleweight Title for his first taste of alphabet hardware.  

Promoter-less, Kore signed with a German management team in 2018 and began splitting time between Copenhagen and Karlsruhe, Germany.  It’s at the Mach1 Gym in Karlsruhe where Kore practices his craft under the tutelage of top-rated German trainer Dominik Junge.  

After going 1-0-1 in 2019, Kore hoped 2020 would be the year he’d create big waves in the middleweight waters, with a personal goal of cracking the top ten of an alphabet ranking. 

After penning a new contract with an upstart Danish promotional company, Kore’s 2020 began with a bang when he KO’d Frenchman Idaas Redjdal in late February.  Then the COVID-19 pandemic thrust the world into disarray.  Uncertainty ruled the day and Kore and his new team had little control over when his next contest would be.

“They said March, then in May, June, July,” Kore said.  “During all this time at some point, my body said you need to relax.  I was training too much, overtraining.  I was training for a fight and then about a week or two before a fight the Danish government said no events….so I had to stop training.”

Kore eventually eased off the gas and split with his Danish promoters.  In March 2021 Kore made a curious, but calculated career move for someone with only one fight in America and inked a deal with California-based promoter Shane Shapiro and his promotional company, No Limit Mindset. 

Junge and Shapiro had a prior relationship, and Kore was impressed with the way the young promoter had managed the career of Turkish-German super middleweight Cem Kilic.  A few phone calls later, Kore was convinced that signing with No Limit Mindset was the right decision for his career.

“When I spoke with Shane, the whole vibe, the energy, it was completely different,” Kore said glowingly.  

With his promotional situation straightened out, Kore, who hasn’t fought in 14 months, has his sights set on returning to the ring as soon as possible.

“Shane is planning something for the end of May or June,” Kore said.  “He really wants me to get in the ring, but there have been so many things in Germany, the restrictions and lockdowns, not even allowing professional athletes to train.” 

The 31 year-old Kore continued, “It doesn’t really matter where the fight is, I just want to have progression in my career.  The goal is to climb the rankings and get into the top ten.  This is what I want, this is what I dream of, this is what I’m willing to do everything for.  If the fights are in the US, then let’s go.” 

Currently, Boxrec.com rates Kore, whose record stands at 11-0-1 with 6 kayos, as Denmark’s top-ranked male boxer.  He admits that at present, though, the state of the country’s female fight game is a bit healthier than the men’s.

“Right now the female fighters are doing pretty good, but the males…the young guys are still prospects,” Kore said.  “The promoters just need to keep these young guys busy.  It looks like maybe one or two more years before it looks like anything.”

While a younger generation of Danish fighters may be a few years away from earning legitimate contender status, Kore knows he’s knocking on that door.  

He anticipates he’ll return to the ring with a “comeback fight” against a modest level of competition.  After that, he believes just one or two wins against “next-level” competition will catapult him into a top ten ranking and position him for a crack at a world title.  That’s the roadmap to glory that Kore has laid out in his mind.  With Shapiro and Junge in his corner, Kore believes he now has the right team around him to help him fulfill his dreams. 

Time and again, whether in life or in the ring, Kore has shown an extraordinary ability to overcome adversity.  He may get knocked down, but you can’t count him out.  Only a fool would doubt him.

By Norm Frauenheim-

It’s a powerful introduction. Edgar Berlanga’s intro is memorable because of power for which there’s been no time for a counter.

Hello-goodbye. That’s about how long it has taken in Berlanga’s 16 fights, all of which have ended within the first round.

Berlanga is also generating a predictable buzz, a welcome one in a business drifting toward a carnival featuring You Tube wannabes and aging legends trying to squeeze a few more dollars out of their fading name-recognition.

Jake Paul, Logan Paul, Peter, Paul and Mary. Who cares? Plenty do, it turns out. You-Tuber Jake Paul’s one-round skit in a win over Ben Askren last Saturday reportedly drew a pay-per-view audience estimated between 1.2 and 1.6 million. Canelo Alvarez must be jealous.

Yes, there’s money in virtual power, an irresistible illusion for gamers and an opportunity for anyone seeking a quick buck.

But Berlanga’s power is real, sustainable if he can prove that there’s something more. The task continues this Saturday (ESPN, 10 pm ET/7 pm PT) against Demond Nicholson (23-3-1, 20 KOs) in a super-middleweight fight on a card featured by Emanuel Navarrete’s featherweight title defense against Christopher Diaz in Kissimmee, Fla.

Berlanga-Nicholson is scheduled for eight rounds, not that seven of them – second through the eighth – will matter. Berlanga’s professional apprenticeship suggests they will not. Therein, however, is the dilemma for a 23-year-old Puerto Rican who grew up in Brooklyn.

He goes into the bout with hype surrounding the first-round KO streak. Can he make it 17 straight? But his development hinges on what he can do beyond the first. He’s a fighter hoping for a career that goes the distance. At some point, he’s got to prove that he can with skills not yet seen. Until he does, he remains a prospect.

Berlanga knows what awaits him. He’s heard the questions at the heart of the dilemma.

“Everybody’s always like, ‘Oh, how he’s gonna do when he goes to the second?’ ‘’ he said Tuesday during a zoom session with the media. “At the end of the day, listen man, I’ve been boxing for 16 years.

“You know, I got all the experience in the world. I’ve been all over the world. I’ve sparred and I’ve got the most experience I could as an amateur, and even just sparring and everything, you know. So, for me to go into the second round, I know everybody out there will make it seem bigger than what it is.’’

From this corner, going into the second round would represent a second step in his promising career. A graduation, of sorts. The power is proven. But feared power can be fickle.

To wit: Deontay Wilder. No fighter in today’s generation was more celebrated or feared for his power than Wilder, whose 32 stoppages include 20 in the first round. Wilder grew certain that the power in his right hand would always prevail.

There were doubts, however, skepticism about whether he had a jab, footwork or any of the other skills he’d eventually need. Tyson Fury proved he did not in a seventh-round stoppage of a heavyweight rematch in February 2020.

Wilder went on to blame the loss on armor in a costume he wore into the ring, on a spiked water bottle and who-knows-what-all. What he didn’t blame was the one-dimensional belief in his power.

It proved to be more feint than faith.

A powerful lesson.

By Bart Barry (For the final time)–

Editor’s note: After 16 years of boxing writing, Bart Barry now retires.  As we’ve allowed him a space for interviewing himself about the craft each year of the last five, we believe this is the best way for him to explain his departure.

BB: Promise our readers this isn’t about current events.

BB: It surely is not.  It isn’t about exhaustion, either.  It’s about logistics.  A simple lack of electricity for the foreseeable future.

BB: In these United States of America in the year 2021?

BB: No more USA.  By this time next week, as you know, we’ll be fully relocated to a very small, mostly indigenous town in the mountains of Mexico’s southernmost state.  There’s not yet reliable electricity there – no internet, no way to watch fights, no WiFi for miles.

BB: No sense in the hoopsjumping needed?

BB: None.  This has been a fantastic run with wonderful people and asking more would evince greed.  We’re taught, as contemporary Americans, maybe contemporary humans, even –

BB: Cut the prepositions.

BB: – there’s no easing the wrists while there’s milk yet to be wrung.  Thank you, no.  When coincidence intervenes and gives you a chance to be grateful and leave gracefully, there’s no inquisition.

BB: This won’t be a grievance-filled greatest-hits piece?

BB: No, certainly not.

BB: Why now?

BB: Blood pressure and cryptocurrency.  Last Thanksgiving, after an impressive bit of lockdown weightgain and a right miserable stretch at the day job –

BB: Data analytics?

BB: At a large bank, yes.

BB: Carry on.

BB: A trip to the dentist uncovered dangerously high blood pressure.  It was serious enough for me to write letters to my wife, daughter and son, last testaments more than wills, that discovered for me I hadn’t one more item on the to-do list.  Helping my wife build a house in the mountains of her home country was the last goal I had.  From there, in other words, there was only existing.

BB: Without regrets.

BB: There was a place to live, now, and 25 years of frustration and bad timing in the stock market finally hit with Ether cryptocurrency.

BB: Something we wrote about a few years ago.

BB: In part, yes.  I was enchanted by its frictionlessness back then.  And decentralization.

BB: Not any more?

BB: Now it’s more about an unfinished thought I have that combines lots of complexity reasoning and cooperation and the enduring failure of economics –

BB: Its illusion of precision.

BB: That there’s immense value out there, outside what the U.S. dollar captures.  Vaporware built on dog memes, intrinsically, is no more absurd than green pieces of paper with dead men’s faces on them.  Supporting the former, wethinks, makes more sense than dying for the latter.

BB: Sounds partially finished, anyway.

BB: It’s a thought I can see out the window and across the street.  I want to hold it.  But it’s much farther than my arm can stretch.

BB: Do you think there’s any chance you’ll grasp it if you stop writing?

BB: No, I do not.  I am OK with that.

BB: Isn’t that complacent?

BB: It may be, yes.  I can accept that.  The compulsion, the gnawing sense I have a talent I’ve not justified, is gone now.

BB: What will you miss about this?

BB: The people.  Being ringside.  The routine.

BB: That’s all?

BB: This is harder than expected.

BB: We’re already retired.

BB: I think so, yes.  When a fighter announces his retirement immediately after losing, we know, he retired during training camp.

BB: Now we’ve just wasted 70 minutes looking for a picture of you and Norm (Frauenheim) and Roberto Duran from 2006.

BB: Turns out, that’s my favorite memory in 16 years of writing about our beloved sport.  It happened so early, too.  It was a midday press conference at a Phoenix hotel.  Duran was part of a shortlived outfit called DRL Promotions.  There was a different press conference for the Coyotes hockey club or something, too, that same afternoon.  So nobody showed up.  Except for Arizona boxing’s one legendary writer and Manos de Piedra.  Norm interviewed him, and I translated, and I recall thinking, in the moment, the experience exceeded all expectations I had when I started writing about the sport.

BB: Gratitude, in other words.

BB: Yes.  In real-time.  That’s good as life gets.

BB: Other memories to recount?

BB: Don’t want to do that.  I’ll forget some and feel I’ve offended someone.

BB: OK, what’s the hardest you laughed at ringside?

BB: Tom (Hauser) recounted some absurd tale to me about a fan approaching Steve Albert on the street and telling him how much he loved his work, only to be surprised to learn Albert was on TV.  I still laugh at that sometimes.  I don’t know why it remains so funny – probably Tom’s delivery.

BB: Best fight you covered from ringside?

BB: Would have to be Vazquez-Marquez 3 in Carson, Calif., wouldn’t it?

BB: Sure.

BB: Or Marquez-Diaz 1 in Houston.  Sitting between Doug (Fischer) and Steve (Kim), two guys whose work at MaxBoxing inspired so many of us, and thinking Nacho would have to stop the fight to save Marquez from himself.

BB: What about Margarito-Cotto 1?

BB: That was sensational, but the memory got sullied later.  Marquez-Pacquiao 4 is another candidate.

BB: Marquez turns up a lot.

BB: I guess he’s the fighter I most wanted a prizefighter to be.  The synonym for me.  Though Izzy Vazquez is the person I most wanted a prizefighter to be.

BB: No heavyweights for the casuals?

BB: I didn’t cover a great era.  Or even a very good one.  The current guys are entertaining, I guess, but you can’t set them beside Pacquiao or Marquez.

BB: There was Briggs-Liakhovich at Bank One Ballpark.

BB: Yes there was.

BB: How shall we end?

BB: I was read by writers I admire – my greatest accomplishment.

BB: Some ending gratitude?

BB: To Bob Benedetti, my first editor and publisher; to John Raygoza, for creating 15rounds.com and taking me with him to Desert Diamond Casino; to Phil Soto and Lee Samuels, for my first credential; to Tom Hauser for inviting me to write a book with him; to Norm Frauenheim for being a genuine and wonderful mentor; and finally, to Marc Abrams, without whom none of these last 15 years could’ve happened.

*

To acquire the only signed first draft of this last column, as an NFT, click here.

By Norm Frauenheim-

Tyson Fury is in Las Vegas this week, but is he tuning up his vocal chords or his jab?

It’s hard to know, given the ongoing talk about the when and where surrounding a fight with Anthony Joshua for the undisputed heavyweight title.

Daily headlines have become a tease, a rhetorical fan dance promising something big, very big, yet delivering little, very little.

Maybe, this is the week. At least, that’s what Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn promised a few days ago. Hearn talked about the end of week, which presumably would mean now.

But timetables are like glass jaws. They are there to be broken, especially in a business often ruled by Fury-co-promoter Bob Arum’s old comment: “Yesterday I was lying, today I’m telling the truth.” A line to set your clock by, if there ever was one.

So, if Friday and Saturday pass without something specific about the when and where of Fury-Joshua, the dance goes on. By now, just about everywhere has been mentioned. Saudi Arabia, the United States, China, Qatar, Singapore, Dubai and the UK have all been teased by Hearn.

“Both sides have approved the site offer that they want to go with, and now we’re just finalizing the site deal and we’re in a great place,’’ Hearn told Behind The Gloves after reportedly speaking Tuesday with Fury after he arrived in Vegas to begin training.

Yet, Hearn’s comment was notable for what it still lacked. No place, no date. Speculation has the fight going to Saudi Arabia. Speculation has it happening on July 24. But more speculation only spawns more skepticism

Last Tuesday appeared to be leverage, a drop-dead date. That’s the day Fury said he needed to know something specific about what would be the first in a two-fight deal.

“We have to go to Monday, Tuesday by the latest,’’ Fury said, also to Behind The Gloves, last weekend. “If I don’t know anything by Tuesday, I’m just going to move on, because it’s been a long time in the making.’’

More to the point, it’s been a long time since Fury has fought. Nearly 14 months have come and gone since he stopped Deontay Wilder. If the idle time hasn’t left rust, it has created an impatience in Fury, whose earning potential is at its peak. He’s 32.  

Fury’s father says it’s time, past-time, for his son to fight. If not a summer-date against Joshua, John Fury suggested a tune-up for the heavyweight champ who likes to sing before and after bouts. Bye-Bye, Miss American Pie, he sang to the media during a post-fight news conference after he fought Wilder to a draw in their 2018 fight.

“We will fight anyway, with or without AJ (Joshua),” John Fury told Sky Sports. “We have made this quite clear.’’

Only a place and date could make it any clearer.