Belated: Wilder Successfully Starts Rebuilding Process/Paul Has A Workout For Eight Rounds Then A Fight Starts

The final weekend of June 2025 in the sport of Boxing was highlighted by two events that for different reasons drew significant interest. First on June 27th, it was the return of former WBC World Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder in Wichita, KS as he faced veteran Tyrell Hearndon in a fight scheduled for ten rounds. In the interest of full disclosure with the reader, this fight, which was broadcast worldwide by digital subscription streaming entertainment platform BLKPrime, was riddled with technical issues, which unfortunately necessitated a delay in this column’s release due to this observer being unable to access the broadcast. While this unfortunately is not the first time that the upstart network/platform has had issues broadcasting their Boxing events after initially making a splash upon its entry into the sport just a few years ago, I felt it important to state not only why there was a delay in this column’s release, but also to illustrate that much like several folks who reached out to yours truly across social media platforms as this fight took place to share their experiences with me, those of us who cover the sport, are at times in the same boat as a fan might be when it comes to technical issues that can befuddle a broadcaster/network’s ability to successfully air events. Although the issues, which seem to be an ongoing problem with regard to BLKPrime, as the network has seen several starts and stops since their initial entry into the sport, is likely worthy of a column of its own, it is not a subject I want to spend too much time on at the present time. 

The delay for yours truly notwithstanding, as well as the justifiable frustration amongst fans who tried to tune in on fight night, it was a fight that symbolized what could be a new beginning for the former World Heavyweight champion in Wilder, who was looking for his first win since a first round knockout of Robert Helenius in October 2022 and was coming off two losses, the most recent a brutal knockout loss at the hands of Zhilei Zhang in June of last year. 

If one is honest, they would say first that this fight was designed for Wilder to have an edge with the goal of trying to restore confidence after those two setbacks,but quite frankly, this was likely also used as an evaluation of sorts by Wilder and his team to see what he has left. Although the knockout at the hands of Zhang was the most recent setback, one needs to keep in mind that Wilder has sustained punishment throughout his career, most notably in his trilogy with Tyson Fury in which Fury, who also suffered punishment over the three encounters, was able to score two knockout wins. After openly questioning whether Wilder’s career had come to an end after the loss to Zhang in a fight where he looked lethargic and was dominated by Zhang before being knocked out in the fifth round, I did not know what to expect going into this fight.

 In 30 years of writing about combat sports with Boxing as my primary, this observer has covered and written about countless fighters who I felt had come to a point where their best days were behind them. I often hesitate to use the term “Shot Fighter" when such situations occur because there are occasions where, despite how a fighter might look in one fight or over a stretch of several bouts where the results indicate a decline, some fighters are able to bounce back. Though I approached this fight with an open mind, I would be lying if I said I felt that the answer would be established in one fight as to whether Wilder could be one of those fighters to do so. 

The reason for this is his opponent Tyrell Hearndon, a veteran of twenty-nine professional bouts leading up to this fight had a decent record in earning twenty-four wins, but those victories came against relatively unknown opposition and seemingly any time Hearndon attempted to step up in competition, he has come up short. Perhaps another reason I felt that an answer regarding Wilder would not necessarily come in this fight was the knowledge that Wilder is among the most devastating punchers in Boxing history with a near perfect career knockout percentage. Unless Hearndon were able to provide what some would call an unlikely test out of the gate, it would be difficult to surmise where Wilder was at given that he had forty-two knockouts in his forty-three career wins and had the capability to end a fight at any moment.

There was one thing, however, that stood out to me when the fight began. To sum it up in a word, “Patience." The patience of Deontay Wilder. Despite his devastating punching power, Wilder has never been known as the most technical fighter and there have been times throughout his career where he has relied on that power perhaps too much, with mixed results. As one who has covered Wilder since his Olympic days where he won a Bronze medal in 2008, this was the first time I can recall seeing Wilder in such a relaxed state in simply being patient. One aspect that was also new at least in terms of degree in which it was used was Wilder’s jab. From the outset Wilder worked behind his jab maintaining a distance with it where the conditions of combat were favorable to him. 

While there were times where Wilder would throw occasional wide, looping punches, he generally relied on his jab and kept Hearndon on the end of his jab. It was this approach by the former world champion that led to Wilder scoring a knockdown of Herndon with a short left hook to the head that countered him as he attempted to press forward. Although a short knockdown where he was able to catch his opponent off balance, this was not the power first type of approach that has been identifiable throughout Wilder’s career.

A calculated, measured approach that Wilder stayed consistent throughout this fight. As the fight progressed Wilder began also landing his trademark right hand, gradually breaking Herndon down, scoring a second knockdown in round six before ultimately getting a stoppage in the seventh round.

An impressive performance marked more by the approach to victory than the fact that Wilder gained his forty-third knockout in forty-four career wins. What is next remains to be seen, but the key will be for Wilder to stay active and continue not only rebuilding his standing in the Heavyweight division, but also continuing to polish and refine the more technical approach he implemented in this fight, which could make him even more of a threat to the upper echelon of the division if he continues to win and gets back in contention.

This leads us to the second half of this column, a look at the Cruiserweight bout that took place in Anaheim, CA on June 28th that saw social media influencer turned aspiring boxer Jake Paul meet former WBC Middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. in a scheduled ten round bout, which was seen worldwide on DAZN Pay-Per-View. Those who have read this observer’s previous coverage of Jake Paul’s career up to this point know that I have openly questioned whether one can establish not only a legitimate Boxing career, but more specifically, get into position to challenge for a world championship by taking an unconventional route by fighting either people with little to no Boxing experience such as fellow influencers, or athletes from other sports such as basketball or the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, or as recently as last November when Paul scored a victory over a 58 year old Hall of Famer in Mike Tyson, who had not competed in an official fight in twenty years prior to that event, and not by facing fighters who are working their way up towards prospect/contender status with an eye towards fighting for a world championship. 

Much as was the case prior to his sharing the ring with Tyson, there was criticism of this bout primarily because Chavez though in his 40’s was years removed from competitive action and was only competing for the second time at Cruiserweight following a return to the ring last year after being off for nearly three years. What resulted did not quell the criticism.

For eight rounds of the scheduled ten, Paul faced little resistance from Chavez, who chose to sporadically throw any punches and to be frank, moved around the ring with his guard up to more or less serve as a moving heavy bag as Paul put round after round in the bank. It was only towards the end of round eight and into the final two rounds that Chavez began to open up and to his credit put pressure on Paul and was able to connect more than occasionally with a few solid punches. To Paul's credit he withstood the blows well and held on for a convincing ten round unanimous decision victory.

Quite frankly, there is not much one can write or analyze about a fight that resembles a workout or a light sparring session for 80% of the fight. Paul, however, did what he had to do and has been officially added to the World Boxing Association's  Cruiserweight rankings at number fourteen. While that will open both the WBA and Paul to more criticism and keeping in mind that regardless of what one might think of Paul as a fighter at this stage, he has proven to be a solid promoter within the sport. Having said this, the period of these type of curiosity events has passed and if Paul wants to finally silence the criticism, he needs to fight fighters who are at or near him in the rankings. If he can continue to win and work his way up either through the WBA or through another sanctioning organization, the criticism will stop and he will earn the respect of even the most jaded amongst Boxing fans, experts and those of us who cover the sport, but it is time for the standards of the sport in which fighters get into position to fight for a world title to be respected. 

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

UPDATE: While this column was in preparation for publication, it was reported by various news outlets including ABC News here in the United States that Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. was arrested by federal authorities in the days following his loss to Jake Paul.and is facing several criminal charges and deportation to his native Mexico. Chavez and his team have denied any wrongdoing. For more detailed information about this ongoing story refer to ABC News at the following link.

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Wilder-Hearndon/Paul-Chavez Feature Update

We here at The Boxing Truth®️ would like to let our readers know that due to circumstances beyond our control, we are between rounds and the planned feature looking at the recent return of former World Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder as well as the recent bout between Jake Paul and former World Middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been delayed until Tuesday, July 8th. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this might cause, but due to circumstances out of our control, we have had to push this feature, which was planned for this week off until the aforementioned date. From Tuesday, July 8th, we will be back to our regular schedule. In the interim, if anything is sent in from promoters, networks, and others involved in the sport of Boxing, they will be made available for readers as they come in. Once again we apologize for the delay and any inconvenience caused. Stay tuned.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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The Rebuilding Process Begins For Deontay Wilder

There is little doubt that over the last decade and a half few fighters have had the type of success as Deontay Wilder. An Olympic Bronze medalist in the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wilder took that accomplishment and made it part of his identity “The Bronze Bomber." An appropriate moniker given his reputation as a true " Knockout Artist” and having a five year reign atop the Heavyweight division as the WBC’s World Heavyweight champion from 2015-2020 where he successfully defended his crown ten times. The end of that run of dominance in being stopped in his second encounter with Tyson Fury in February 2020, however, began a slow, but consistent decline for Wilder including being on the receiving end of a second stoppage at the hands of Fury in their thrilling third enclosure in October 2021. Since that fight, Wilder has only won one of his last three fights. 

In his last outing in June of last year, Wilder was the victim of a one sided fifth round knockout at the hands of top contender Zhilei Zhang. It was after that fight that many, including this observer, questioned whether that fight would be the end of Wilder’s career. The reason for that is not only due to the losses he has suffered and the toll the trilogy with Tyson Fury took on him, but also the stretches of inactivity in recent years, which also had to have impacted him in those defeats. Now one year removed from the loss to Zhang, Wilder prepares to re-enter competition as he will face veteran Tyrell Herndon on Friday, June 27th at the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, KS in a fight that can be seen on digital subscription general entertainment network BLK Prime and as a pay-per-view offering across cable/satellite providers and PPV.com. 

If one were objective as this observer fortunately is, they would be honest as I will be with the reader in saying that this has all the appearance of a “Comeback Fight" designed to serve as a confidence builder for Wilder and more specifically as a way to both work off ring rust and to evaluate where Wilder is at this stage in his career. While this is not a fight that will put Wilder back in the discussion of top Heavyweight contenders, these types of fights are vital not only as a means of staying active, but also as a way to get a fighter like a former world champion as Wilder is, in the best possible form before trying to get back to the top. 

Frankly, it is a method of gaining and maintaining a fighter’s activity and sharpness that is rarely seen in present times particularly as notable fighters with name recognition, like Wilder, opt to compete sporadically, in part because of the lucrative paydays attached to it, which removes the necessity to remain consistently active at least from a financial standpoint. The obvious flaw, however, despite the fact that those fighters at or near the top of the sport are in a position to make significant money by waiting for the most lucrative opportunities, is that over time inactivity will have a negative impact on those fighters inside the ring. In Wilder’s case, his inactivity has been due both a bitter split with his former manager Al Haymon and the Premier Boxing Champions group of promoters as well as needing to recover from losses, including the knockouts at the hands of Fury and Zhang. At his best, however, Wilder is a devastating puncher that is capable of ending a fight at any time with either hand as illustrated by his forty-two knockouts in forty-three career wins and near 90% career knockout percentage.

How likely are we to see glimpses of that version of Wilder? In Tyrell Herndon, the former world champion will face a veteran of twenty-nine professional fights with a respectable 24-5, with 14 Knockouts record coming into this fight. Although most of Herndon’s victories have come against relatively unknown opposition, he will enter this fight riding a three fight win streak. A red flag as to Herndon’s potential chances, however, and a likely reason he was selected as the opponent for Wilder on this occasion is he has been stopped in four of his five losses, most notably at the hands of unbeaten rising Heavyweight contender and former Olympic Silver medalist Richard Torrez, who stopped him in the second round in October 2023.

What Herndon can point to as something in his favor going into this fight is he has been considerably more active than Wilder, albeit against a lower level of competition since his loss to Torrez. Whether that will be enough to compete effectively with a fighter with the type of power that Wilder has remains to be seen. Herndon is not known for his punching power and some might suggest that his best chance for success here in this fight will be to try and implement a boxer’s approach similar to the one that former WBO Heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker was able to implement when he faced and defeated Wilder in December 2023 in scoring a wide twelve round unanimous decision victory.

As Wilder now tries to bounce back from his third knockout loss, there may be some who believe that he might be damaged after what was a brutal knockout at the hands of Zhilei Zhang. Although that possibility should not be dismissed, it would be ill advised for Herndon to go in with the mentality of trying to get Wilder out of there as Wilder has done to many of his opponents throughout his career. 

While this indeed has all the appearance of a “Comeback Fight" and keeping in mind that there are indeed levels to combat sports and seemingly every metric tips in Wilder’s favor, we won't know what Wilder has until he and Herndon are in the ring and whether this is the start of a rebuilding process of one of the most devastating fighters in the history of the Heavyweight division.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

Wilder vs. Herndon takes place on Friday, June 27th at the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, KS. The fight can be seen globally on digital subscription entertainment streaming network and platform BLK Prime beginning at 9PM ET/6PM PT. The card will also be available on a pay-per-view basis across cable/satellite providers throughout the United States and Canada as well as PPV.com and it's streaming apps on mobile, tablet and connected streaming devices, platforms, and Smart TVs for $24.99. (As of this writing, it appears the event will be available to subscribers of BLK Prime at no additional cost, but is unconfirmed at the time of publishing of this column.)

To subscribe to BLK Prime and for information about where you can download the BLK Prime app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices, and Smart TVs please visit: www.BLKPrime.com  

(*Card and Start Time Subject to Change.*)

(*North American Start Times displayed only, visit BLKPrime.com the local start times internationally.*)

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Cobbs Dominates Broner, Inactivity Kills

The second step for former four-division world champion Adrien Broner on his comeback following the beginning of a new chapter of his career under the promotional banner of Hall of Fame promoter Don King came on June 7th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL. Unlike the first step in this phase of his career when he dominated a very “Game," but out classed Bill Hutchinson in June of last year in winning a ten round unanimous decision, step two, which took place nearly one year to the day of that fight, would come against a serious threat in the form of Blair Cobbs.

Cobbs, a Welterweight who himself recently signed with King looking to continue to bounce back from his lone career setback in March 2022, represented not only a legitimate threat and test for Broner in his second flight in three years from a stylistic standpoint, but also a fighter who has been considerably more active than him and his previous opponent, the unknown Hutchinson.

In previewing this bout, this observer stated that it would depend on which version of Adrien Broner showed up. Whether it would be a contest of Broner’s mix of hand speed, punching power, and superb defense against the quick hands and punching power of Cobbs, or if it would be the Broner that stayed in his defensive shell and sparingly let his hands go.

Cobbs immediately established not only the ebb and flow of the fight by establishing a high pace, but also showed that he had the quicker hands of the two fighters, attacking Broner at various angles, and often throwing crisp combinations. This immediately put Broner in his defensive shell, where he was only willing to throw one punch at a time. 

In the second round, Cobbs nearly shocked everyone when he dropped Broner with a perfectly timed counter left hook to the head that knocked out one of Broner’s teeth and sent him down hard on the canvas.Despite not being the first time he had been knocked down in his career, this was a rare time where Broner appeared legitimately hurt and was nearly counted out as he attempted to get his mouthpiece of the canvas while struggling to get to his feet. Broner was able to beat the count and survived the follow-up barrage to get out of the round. 

Though a testament to both his experience and the caliber of fighter he was at his best to survive a scenario that could have ended the fight, the pattern of the fight had been established and it was something that Broner was unable to change in his favor. A pattern that consisted of Broner coming forward seemingly trying to apply pressure on Cobbs, but throwing one punch at a time, which allowed Cobbs to throw short combinations and remain a moving target.

Although Broner would finally begin to open up more with offense in the later rounds of the scheduled ten round bout it would prove to be too little and too late as Cobbs would go on to win a convincing ten round unanimous decision. With the exception of the knockdown in round two, there was not much to say about this fight beyond one fighter out working and dominating the other over the course of ten rounds. 

While the fight was one-sided, it did serve to underscore what is becoming a theme of not just of the coverage provided by yours truly, but in the entire sport. The subject of how inactivity often leads to decline of fighters, which ultimately negatively impacts their careers. It was after all only a few days ago at the time this column is released to readers, that I released a column discussing the recent knockout loss suffered by Deontay Wilder at the hands of Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia on June 1st where much of it centered on the subject of inactivity being essentially a silent killer of a fighter’s ability and ultimately leads to the downfall of their careers.

The commonality between Deontay Wilder and Adrien Broner is each were long aligned with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters and both went through lengthy stretches of inactivity before eventually breaking away from the PBC to try and resume their careers under different promotional banners. Essentially, both fighters are now in the same position where the question is the same. Should both men fight on or retire? 

Whether one  read or wishes to read that column where I shared my thoughts on Wilder’s situation, I will say again, this observer is not in the business of telling a fighter what they should do as to whether to continue on in their careers as one who's job is to objectively cover the sport.  The situations of these two fighters are examples of a bigger issue in the sport that will not likely be easily solved because though the commonality in this case was the inability of a struggling promotional entity to ensure they had the opportunity to compete on a regular basis, each fighter's circumstances will obviously be different. 

In Broner's case, not only did he have a very public split from the PBC, but he has also had difficulty resuming his career on a consistent basis since parting ways. First, there was the signing of a multi-fight deal with digital streaming network BLK Prime, a new player in Boxing promotion that scheduled a fight for him to take place in Atlanta, GA, only for his scheduled opponent Michael Williams Jr. to suffer a broken jaw while in training for the fight. Ultimately, the failure to get that fight in the ring or to find a suitable replacement led to the parting of ways between Broner and BLK Prime.

Although things appeared to be looking up for Broner after signing with Don King following his victory over Hutchinson, Broner, who was originally supposed to fight back in February, suffered a rib injury which forced him to be sidelined until he fought Cobbs. Complicating circumstances further, something that was not covered by yours truly in the lead up to this fight, which was a case of human error on my part is the fact that Broner split from his longtime trainer Kevin Cunningham while in training for the fight with Cobbs leading him to link up with trainer Calvin Ford with limited time to prepare.  The aforementioned circumstances prior to this fight for Broner are not excuses, but one might question the wisdom in not pushing this fight back further after a split between fighter and trainer in the midst of training camp. It would not appear to be a wise decision viewing things from the outside looking in. If one were to also factor into the equation the ramblings of Broner having a difficult weight cut to get down to the 147lb. Welterweight limit, it also paints a picture of a fighter that at minimum was under prepared for the task at hand. 

Whatever the case might be, much like Deontay Wilder, if Adrien Broner wants to fight on, he needs to find what has been missing and needs to show a commitment to fighting on a regular basis, regardless of the caliber of opposition. The point needs to be stressed, a fighter who is active will give themselves the best chance to succeed as compared to sporadic activity or lengthy stretches of no activity in active competition for years at a time. Inactivity more often than not kills a fighter's ability and that eventually leads to the decline and end of a fighter's career.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.

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Has Deontay Wilder Competed For The Last Time?

There are many stages in a boxer’s career. The rise through the initial beginning of one's career, one would often call the development or prospect stage, which if the fighter succeeds often leads to the chance to become a contender, which then if there is continued success might lead to an opportunity to fight for a world championship. For most fighters that achieve the ultimate goal of becoming a world champion, there will come a point where there is the stage known as “The Comeback." Under most circumstances, but not all, it is a stage that comes following the loss of a world championship for a fighter.

For former longtime WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder, his title reign of nearly five years and ten defenses came to an end when he was stopped in his second fight with Tyson Fury in 2020 shortly before the global COVID-19 epidemic. Following that loss, Wilder claimed that his setback was attributed to some attire that he had worn to the ring on the evening of the rematch as well as severed ties with his longtime trainer and former world champion Mark Breland, who had thrown in the towel to save him from further punishment in that rematch. A decision that many trainers as tasked with at one time or another in a fighter’s career, but one that Wilder nevertheless disagreed with.

Following a year between fights two and three of his trilogy with Fury, due at least in part to the circumstances of COVID-19 as well as a legal battle that Wilder fought to get an opportunity to regain his title, the third and arguably most competitive fight in the trilogy took place in October 2021. Although Wilder came within inches of being able to stop Fury in the fourth round after dropping him twice, the result of fight three was the same as the second encounter, Fury scoring a knockout win, only this time it was a referee who stopped the fight after Wilder had been dropped for his third knockdown in the bout in the eleventh round.

While the third fight between Fury and Wilder was one of the best Heavyweight fights this observer has covered in his career, which after nearly three decades covers an awful lot of ground, what cannot be underestimated is the physical toll fights like that take on both the victor as well as the fighter that does not get their hand raised. It may indeed be viewed as a cliche by some, but fighters do leave something in the ring after every fight and both fighters, Wilder and Fury took significant punishment in those three battles.

For Wilder, obviously the toll he paid in those fights physically is viewed by many as more significant and severe. It was something that initially did not seem as though would be the case as Wilder returned to the ring in October 2022 and scored a devastating one punch knockout of Robert Helenius, which frankly resembled what he was at his best. A fighter with frightening punching power, among the most devastating in the history of the sport, capable of ending a fight in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately for the former world champion, like several fighters who had long been aligned with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters, inactivity and the inability to get back in the ring ultimately proved to be detrimental. 

When Wilder climbed back into the ring in December of last year after breaking away from the PBC to face former WBO Heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia, he displayed all the signs of what is known throughout combat sports as “Ring Rust." In that he was sluggish, did not have his timing, and was behind Parker in terms of pace from the opening bell. The end result, Parker scored a one-sided twelve round unanimous decision.

This led to Wilder’s encounter with top Heavyweight contender  Zhilei Zhang on June 1st in the same venue as his encounter with Parker, the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The positive for Wilder was that this bout was a relatively quick turnaround for him in fighting nearly six months after the loss to Parker. Unfortunately for him, this is where the positive aspect ended.

From the opening bell, Wilder looked lethargic and hesitant to let his hands go. What resulted was Zhang gradually walking Wilder down and landing the harder punches of the two fighters. A stark contrast to how Wilder would typically be in that position and normally have success in the days that preceded his trilogy with Tyson Fury. As many Wilder opponents found out, a scenario like that usually ends one way, with the stalker eventually getting the better of its prey. This too would have a similar conclusion. In the fifth round, Zhang caught Wilder with a counter left hook that appeared to land on the nose, which badly staggered the former world champion into turning his back. Zhang quickly went for the kill as Wilder had done many times to previous opponents and landed another left hook to the head before Wilder could get an opportunity to steady himself, much less prepare for what was coming at him, and knocked Wilder down on his back hard on the canvas. Wilder’s mettle showed itself as he struggled to get to his feet, but he did get up from the knockdown. In no condition to continue on very unsteady legs, the fight was promptly stopped.

Before continuing on with the obvious question of whether this knockout loss will or should signal the end of Wilder's great career, a brief historical note of context that the reader might not know and could find insightful. In the days since Zhang’s knockout of Wilder, I have been asked whether the fact that Zhang rushed forward and hit Wilder with the second left hook was in any way a possible illegal move seeing as Wilder had his back turned and was in no way aware or prepared to try and defend himself as Zhang threw what ultimately proved to be the knockout blow. The simple answer is it was perfectly legal and Zhang did what he was supposed to do in that position.

As a noted Boxing historian with a lifetime of watching fight films having been spent, which began long before this observer entered the sport as one who covers Boxing and by extension all combat sports in the mid-1990’s, a practice I continue to this day, the way this fight ended immediately brought back memories of a fight I studied extensively in my youth, which took place slightly before my time.

On June 20, 1980 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada on the undercard of the first fight of what became a trilogy between Boxing Hall of Famers Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran, former WBA Heavyweight world champion John Tate was knocked out brutally by then Canadian Heavyweight champion and rising contender Trevor Berbick in the ninth round of a world title elimination bout.

Where the circumstances between Tate-Berbick and Zhang-Wilder differ is that at the conclusion of eight rounds in a grueling fight, Tate, who had lost his world title to Mike Weaver earlier that year, was badly fatigued and probably should not have been sent out for the ninth round. Shortly after the bell to begin round nine, Berbick hit tate with an overhand right that had Tate turn his back, literally running across the ring trying to get his bearings. In response, Berbick chased after him throwing a barrage of punches as Tate still had his back turned knocking him face down and out cold on the canvas. 

While Zhilei Zhang’s knockout of Wilder was also brutal in how it came about, at least Wilder was able to get up and did not take the type of punishment that Tate did nearly forty-four years ago. Like Zhang however, Berbick, who would go on to lose to Larry Holmes in his first attempt at becoming a world champion in 1981 before becoming a world champion in 1986, did what he was supposed to do, despite the brutality of the knockout that followed when an opponent turns their back to you in the midst of combat. Although the one exception to such a scenario would be if a referee steps in when a fighter turns their back, until the referee makes what is a judgment call to either step in, possibly rule a knockdown, or stop the fight, the fighter in the position of facing an opponent that has turned their back following a legal punch also has to make a decision. Whether to wait and see if the opponent is going to turn back around and resume battle, or to press forward and force the issue. Under the rules, unless the referee steps in, the fighter in the position that both Berbick and Zhang were in, is supposed to keep fighting.

With the brief explanation aided by historical context now concluded, has Deontay Wilder competed for the last time? I am not in the business of telling a fighter what they should do as my responsibility is to objectively cover the sport. Having stated the obvious, there are a few things to consider before any armchair critics form their opinion. One, Deontay Wilder has taken part in some grueling battles, most notably among them the three fights with Fury and two fights with former top contender Luis Ortiz, who challenged Wilder twice for his world title. Each fight, whether a win or a loss, takes something out of a fighter, which often starts in preparation for those fights in training. 

Secondly, like many fighters previously aligned with the struggling PBC group of promoters, inactivity also plays a major factor in a fighter’s decline. Wilder has not been an exception to that generally accepted rule of inactivity being a silent killer of a fighter's skills and ultimately their career. Part of the problem in addition to a struggling promotional entity, which is in a way understandable given the economics of the sport, is fighters in Wilder's position as being one of the top fighters in his division for most of the last decade do not want to compete regularly without significant financial incentives attached, which in this case, means multi-million dollar paydays per fight. Though the struggles of a promoter or promotional entity is the main culprit if said entity cannot provide fights to fighters under their banner on a consistent basis, the fighter must also come to the realization that while the goal of any fighter should be to try and earn as much money as they can, while they can, and hopefully, be wise with their earnings for life after Boxing, by refusing to stay active, insisting on an outdated model of pay-per-view each time they compete, if nothing else, as a means of trying to earn more money than a fighter’s given purse for a bout, they are trading their athletic prime in the process by not fighting regularly.

In contrast, fighters in previous eras in the sport including many Hall of Famers fought regularly in between marquee fights as a means of staying active and staying in ring shape. Often, this ranged from every couple of weeks, to months as opposed to fighting once or twice in a given year. This thus gave those fighters the best opportunities possible to try and succeed when those fights of significant interest came along.

While the above scenario is not aimed at Deontay Wilder directly, fighters who stay active, even if it comes against perceived lesser caliber of opposition in between “Big" or “Marquee" fights will always have better odds of success than one that insists on top dollar, an outdated model, and does not hold their promoter, who is supposed to represent them, to a standard to make sure they have the opportunity to be active on a regular basis. This is an old school philosophy, but one that continues to prove itself as more beneficial as time goes on and more and more fighters fall into a similar pattern.

Third and perhaps most crucial of things one should consider before forming an opinion is, Wilder, who has been under the guidance of former opponent Malik Scott following his first loss to Tyson Fury in 2020, has not been the same fighter. Although there was a glimmer of the Wilder of old both in his third fight with Fury as well as in his knockout of Robert Helenius, something has been missing.

Whether the reluctance to let his hands go on a consistent basis is and has been a result of both inactivity as well as possible lingering effects from the two losses to Fury, both knockouts, Wilder has not been the devastating fighter that he once was. Although it might be tempting to point the finger of blame in the direction of Malik Scott, the bottom line is these are questions and scenarios that not only one should consider before forming an opinion, but also for Wilder himself to ponder before he decides what he wants to do.

Whatever the decisions Wilder makes moving forward, if he wants to continue his career, he needs to realize that not only does he need to find what has been missing, but he also needs to stay active if he wants to succeed. The bottom line is there is no way around it and no loophole that will lead to success beyond a true old school approach. No matter who is in his corner if he decides to fight on, without that realization and approach, Wilder's best days will continue to be behind him. Only Wilder can make the decision whether to fight on or bow out after a great career as one of this generation’s great Heavyweight champions and hardest hitters.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Harrison On Dubois-Joshua And Wilder's Future

Press Release: June 6, 2024 By Bettingsites.co.uk - Bettingsites.co.uk recently interviewed former Olympic Gold medalist and former Heavyweight contender Audley Harrison where he shared his thoughts on a potential bout between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois as well as gave his opinion as to what former World Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder should do following his recent loss.

Audley Harrison

Daniel Dubois Will Get Caught By AJ If He Doesn’t Take My Advice

Audley Harrison: “Dubois needs a finisher. That’s the kind of trainer I am, I can see straight away what somebody is doing wrong. I know if I had him in the gym, the stuff I’d have him doing would clean him up. I can see what he needs just to finish him off and it would help him against somebody like Joshua. Even Joshua, I can watch him and see what he needs to complete his style.”

“There’s a few things he’s going to have to clean up to go through Joshua. I’m very technical. Defensively his hands have got to come up just a little bit more. He wants to roll his shoulders. He needs to keep his hands higher. If AJ throws quick punches, he’s going to get caught. His shoulders want to be a bit looser and just come up a little, so that he can ride the shots a little better.”

Deontay Wilder Should Quit Now – He Has Nothing To Prove

Audley Harrison: “There’s nothing more for him to achieve. He moved to Malik (Scott) but they’re not going to be able to change his style. His style is to go forward and you can’t learn to fight on the backfoot. He’s an Olympic Bronze Medalist, he’s been a World Champion. He changed his life around, financially for his daughter. Technically he didn’t finesse it, but he defended his world title many times and changed his life. He should walk away with his head held high.”

Material Courtesy of: Bettingsites.co.uk  Used with permission.

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Previewing Boxing's Day Of Reckoning

As 2023 winds down and most of the world is preparing for the end of year holidays as this column has been composed by this observer in advance, the Boxing world is truly a sport that never stops even for the holidays. This year, Boxing is preparing for a truly unique event known as the “Day Of Reckoning," which will take place in the unique location of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, forty eight hours before Christmas that can be seen globally on DAZN Pay-Per-View. 

What makes this event unique is not only the location in which it will take place, but the fact that it is truly a stacked card that has a little something for every Boxing fan. Co-headlining the event is two Heavyweight bouts featuring former world champions in separate bouts. First, it will be an encounter between two former world champions as former WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder who will return to the ring for the first time in over a year to meet former WBO Heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker in a fight scheduled for twelve rounds.

The story of this fight centers on Wilder and his return to the ring. In his last bout in December of last year, Wilder scored a one punch first round knockout of Robert Helenius. While there was simply not much to say about that fight other than the description of a one punch knockout, what came from that was a well publicized split between Wilder and the Premier Boxing Champions group of promoters, which seems to be a more frequent occurrence with several fighters looking to part ways with the PBC due to its uncertain future, despite signing a new broadcast agreement with Amazon Prime Video in a move to seemingly move upcoming PBC events to streaming exclusively. As has been the case with other fighters that have been aligned with the PBC, the question that will face Wilder will be whether inactivity will impact him going into this fight. Although at least in theory Wilder will now be able to be more active going forward, inactivity is nonetheless a detriment to any fighter and even for one with the type of one punch power that Wilder has, the older a fighter becomes and the less active they are as time moves on could become an increasing issue.

I'm Joseph Parker, Wilder faces a man, who like himself, is a former world champion and has faced many of the top Heavyweights of his era. The story for Parker however, differs in that there are some who feel that he now might be on the decline of what has been a fine career. It is an opinion that might be largely based on Parker's last loss, which coincidentally was the first knockout loss of his career at the hands of Joe Joyce in September 2022. One aspect that might work in Parker's favor is, despite that loss, he has remained active in winning his last three fights and scoring knockouts in two of those three victories.

At his best, Parker has a well-balanced style with a good mix of hand speed, punching power, in addition to being able to approach his opponents at varying angles. The question here for Parker is whether he will be able to use that technique and be able to do so for however long this fight lasts. Deontay Wilder has never been known as the most technically skilled boxer, but he can be losing a fight by being out boxed over several rounds and turn things around in an instant because of his punching power. While Parker himself has punching power of his own, conventional wisdom would suggest that this is a scenario where he might have to be close to perfect especially from a defensive standpoint for the entire fight if he is to have a realistic chance in this fight.

Also on this card, undefeated WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol will defend his title against top contenderLyndon Arthur. While this card is heavily focused on the Heavyweight division, this fight could have ramifications for the Light-Heavyweight division in terms of possible unification in 2024.

 To date, Dmitry Bivol has proven to be a difficult puzzle for opponents to solve, most notably, Saul “Canelo" Alvarez, whom Bivol scored a dominant twelve round unanimous decision over in May of last year. Despite a convincing victory over arguably the top draw in the sport from a fan recognition standpoint, Bivol has not been able to take advantage of that victory in part because of on again, off again negotiations with Alvarez for a rematch that Alvarez insists he wants. As has been the case for some fighters who are dominant in their respective division, but do not get the recognition or respect that are due, even after defeating one of the biggest stars in the sport, Bivol is in a position where he seemingly won the lottery, but has yet to cash the ticket.

Although as it has been for other fighters that have been in a similar position in that it has to be a source of frustration for Bivol, the task at hand is to try and maintain his position while waiting for another lucrative opportunity. In Lyndon Arthur, Bivol will face a twenty-four fight veteran, who is on a four fight winning streak with all four of those wins coming by knockout. What this will come down to in my eyes is whether Arthur will be able to deal with the highly technical Boxing style of Bivol, which has an emphasis on technique in addition to other attributes that Bivol has in his arsenal like punching power. While all the boxes seem to favor Bivol in comparison to Arthur, the one thing that could work against him is the fact that he may have some lucrative fights ahead for him if he should defeat Arthur. Not only the potential rematch with Alvarez, which would likely be another career-high payday for him, but also a potential encounter with the winner of the upcoming championship fight between undefeated WBC/IBF/WBO world champion Artur Beterbiev and former WBO Super-Middleweight world champion Callum Smith in January 2024. 

No matter how focused a fighter might be or might claim to be, the knowledge of what might be ahead at minimum has to be on their mind. Whether or not Lyndon Arthur, who is in the position of having nothing to lose, and everything to gain will be able to take advantage of that, if Bivol is off his game, is something that remains to be seen.

Although this observer would like to go through each fight on this card to provide detailed analysis, as it is truly one of the more stacked cards in recent memory, due to the constraints of one column, the focus will return to the Heavyweight division for the second task of the two main events as former two-time Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua will attempt to finish 2023 by going 3-0 when he faces top contender Otto Wallin in a fight scheduled for twelve rounds. Joshua, who has spent his last two fights under the guidance of Derrick James has scored two victories including a one punch knockout of Robert Helenius over the summer. Now with a relatively quick turnaround between fights for a top-level fighter and in particular, one of Joshua’s star power by facing a dangerous opponent in Otto Wallin.

Some may recall Wallin for his twelve round battle with Tyson Fury during the period when Fury was between his two reigns as a World Heavyweight champion in September 2019. To date, the unanimous decision loss to Fury is Wallin’s only loss, but he did succeed in opening a deep gash over Fury’s right eye, which required forty-seven stitches after the bout. Wallin also succeeded in giving Fury a tougher than expected fight where he did not get full credit in terms of the scoring from the official judges. Since that fight, Wallin has been unbeaten winning six straight fights including a split decision over Murat Gassiev in his last fight in September. 

Wallin is a southpaw and has shown he can be a crafty boxer throughout his career. What makes this noteworthy is two of Joshua’s three losses came against Oleksandr Usyk, a master southpaw boxer, who ended Joshua’s second reign as a world champion and defeated him in a rematch. Joshua’s last two fights have been what can be described as a work in progress as he has shown a more technical approach and patience. While he showed against Robert Helenius in August that he still has one punch power. The question going into this fight will be whether or not Joshua has learned how to combat a skilled southpaw or if facing fighters that box out of a southpaw stance is something that would amount to a flaw in his skillset. Wallin does have fourteen knockouts in his twenty-six wins and though logic would suggest that he will try to out box Joshua, he does have deceptive power and Joshua has been caught before, most notably in his first fight against Andy Ruiz in June 2019. 

Although the spotlight of this card is firmly on both Joshua and Deontay Wilder, with the aim of a potential showdown between the two in 2024, likely also in Saudi Arabia, three other Heavyweight bouts on the card featuring recent world title challenger Daniel Dubois facing undefeated former top contender Jarrell Miller, current undefeated top contender Fillip Hrgovic facing Mark De Mori, and finally undefeated contender Frank Sanchez facing Junior Fa, puts the spotlight firmly on the Heavyweight division as a whole and obviously every one of these fighters including Joseph Parker and Otto Wallin, are viewing this as an opportunity to upset any potential plans for Joshua and Wilder, either through facing them directly or by producing a performance in their respective bouts that makes it very difficult to ignore them as potential opponents in 2024 and beyond.

While the decision of the various promoters and digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN to make this card, as well matched as it is, a pay-per-view offering so close to Christmas, especially in light of the recent event headlined by the WBC Jr. Welterweight world championship fight between Regis Prograis and Devin Haney, also a DAZN Pay-Per-VIew offering on December 9th only generating 50,000 buys, will be a subject of criticism, this card is indeed stacked and in addition to all the Heavyweight bouts not only has Dmitry Bivol defending his Light-Heavyweight championship, but also features undefeated former IBF Cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia squaring off against undefeated contender Ellis Zorro, one can at least say that everyone involved have made the best effort they can to put forth a full card of action, which should produce a full day of Boxing here in the United States with a late morning start. Whether it ultimately proves successful in terms of buys however, is something that remains to be seen.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

“Day Of Reckoning” takes place on Saturday, December 23rd at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The card can be seen globally on DAZN Pay-Per-View for $39.99 beginning at 11AM ET/8AM PT. (*U.S. times and North American Price Only.*) For more information on how to order this pay-per-view event and to subscribe to DAZN as well as additional information such as schedules, local start times in your area and prices in your region of the world, please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

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DAZN Named Official Broadcaster For Day Of Reckoning Pay-Per-View Boxing Card December 23rd In Saudi Arabia

Press Release: November 1, 2023 By DAZN - LONDON AND RIYADH – 24 November 2023: Riyadh Season and DAZN, the sports entertainment platform, today announce that "Day of Reckoning" will be available globally on DAZN.

 

On 23 December, Boxing’s greatest champions will come head-to-head in what promises to be an action-filled night of entertainment. “Day of Reckoning” will be available on DAZN as a pay-per-view event* in the UK, US and over 200 markets worldwide. Fans will be able to watch live and on-demand from smart TVs, tablets, mobiles and games consoles.

 

In addition, this historic fight night will be made available on a range of domestic broadcasters in key markets, which are yet to be announced.

 

In an unprecedented card, former two-time Unified World Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua goes up against Otto Wallin in the Co-Main Event as the pair close in on challenging for world title honours.

In the other Co-main Event, former WBO World Champion Joseph Parker takes on the Bronze Bomber and former WBC world title holder Deontay Wilder.

Recent world title challenger Daniel Dubois will bid to put his name back up in lights when he enters into a battle of the giants against Big Baby Jarrell Miller and IBF No.1 contender Filip Hrgovic fighting Mark De Mori in another heavyweight shootout.

WBA World Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol will make an 11th defence of his title against Lyndon Arthur and IBF World cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia will take on Unbeaten British Cruiserweight Ellis Zorro.

 

Back with the heavyweights, the fearsome Arslanbek Makhmudov will face the European champion Agit Kabayel. and top heavyweight contender Frank Sanchez will close in on a world title shot if he can overcome Junior Fa in Riyadh.

 

His Excellency Advisor Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, highlighted the significance of the partnership with DAZN platform. He emphasised that the company's extensive expertise in sports streaming services, coupled with their professionalism and exceptional capabilities, make them an ideal partner for handling such significant events. This agreement also fulfils the long-standing demand of boxing enthusiasts to witness "The Day of Reckoning" with the highest quality and international standards.

 

Shay Segev, DAZN Group CEO, said “With over 100 fights this year, DAZN is the undisputed global home of boxing. We work tirelessly with our partners to deliver a great schedule of boxing entertainment and to grow the sport.

 

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Riyadh Season is a valued partner of DAZN. Their incredible ability and determination to deliver top sporting events for fans in Saudi and around the world is unparalleled. It is nothing short of an honour to have been chosen as their global broadcast partner for this historic fight night. Putting the fan and their desire for quality entertainment above all else unites us. DAZN’s unmatched ability to stream content in over 200 markets made us the obvious choice for their ambitions.”

 

The "Day of Reckoning" comes after the "Battle of the Baddest", which was held on October 28 and saw record numbers of fans from around the world tune into DAZN to watch Tyson Fury defeat Francis Ngannou in a spectacle for the ages.

 

ABOUT RIYADH SEASON

 

Saudi Arabia's capital embraces one of the world's biggest entertainment events every year during winter. Since the launch of the Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting activities, and other unique cultural events.

 

 

 

ABOUT DAZN

 

DAZN is a global leading sports streaming service with domestic strong presence in Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Portugal, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, the US and UK. Its wide range of content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LALIGA, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world - Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC. DAZN is the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match outside North America.    

 

DAZN is building the ultimate sports entertainment business where fans from across the globe can watch, read, bet, play, share, socialise, buy tickets and merchandise, all in one place, with one account, one wallet and on one app.    

 

For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit dazngroup.com. 

 

 

*The 23 December fight night will be charged as an additional pay-per-view (PPV) in certain key markets and included as part of a DAZN subscription in others.

US + Canada: 39.99 USD

UK: 19.99 GBP

Rest of the world: 21.99 USD in local currency

 

Prices include all tax (if applicable).

 

Full details of PPV markets will be provided on DAZN.com

Material and Photo Courtesy of DAZN Used with permission.

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Joshua And Navarrete Triumph On A Memorable Day In Boxing

Following a week where his bout required a substitution, former two-time Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua returned to the ring to face longtime Heavyweight contender Robert Helenius at the O2 Arena in London, England. The main story of this fight was that because Helenius took the bout on a little more than four days notice, what type of fight would occur inside the ring when he faced Joshua on August 12th. This was a question that proved to be warranted because Joshua after all did lose his first world championship in June 2019 to Andy Ruiz, a fighter who took that fight on limited notice. The commonality between the two bouts unfortunately was that each came as a result of Joshua’s original opponent testing positive for banned substances. 

Although it is hard to ignore that coincidence, that would prove to be the only similarity between the two bouts. While in his first encounter with Ruiz, Joshua was reckless when he was able to score a knockdown of Ruiz in a memorable third round, which resulted in him getting caught, knocked down, and ultimately losing his title via stoppage, this time around the primary takeaway was Joshua’s patience. In that he was able to implement a tactical strategy where the primary weapon was his jab. An approach that was nearly identical to the one Joshua used in his bout with Heavyweight contender Jermaine Franklin in April of this year. 

A fighter implementing a tactical strategy is something that does not always lend itself to the appreciation of Boxing fans, especially when the fighter who is executing such a strategy is known for scoring quick knockouts as Joshua is. It is an approach however, that more often than not, proves to be successful. This fight would prove to be no different as Joshua frequently landed his jab and was able to control the tempo of the fight simply based on being able to land it frequently. While not always entertaining, it does a few things that some fans might overlook, one, it can limit an opponent’s ability to throw punches simply because it is a weapon that can make an opponent reluctant to throw punches because of the possibility of getting countered. The second thing a consistent jab can do beyond winning rounds and limiting an opponent’s offense is, it can gradually bust an opponent up and cause among other things swelling and bleeding. 

This set up a scenario where much like Joshua's performance against Jermaine Franklin earlier this year, it was a workmanlike performance where Joshua simply bided his time and took his time gradually mixing in hooks and right hands behind his jab. It would be a right hand in the seventh round that landed high on the head of Helenius that sent the longtime contender down hard and out on the canvas, the fight was over.

While some might be critical of Joshua's performance as was the case after his victory over Franklin, I felt that he was consistent and with this fight being his second under new trainer Derrick James, he is gradually showing improvement while also showing new wrinkles to his Boxing style. It is something that is not always appreciated, but it does show that a boxer's skillset never stops evolving as long as the fighter is committed to learning new things among the polishing and refinement process that takes place as a fighter prepares for competition. This fight should also prove that the biggest benefit to a fighter is being active regardless of what level you might be at in the sport.

With two wins in 2023, Joshua appears to be heading towards a showdown with former WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder. While this is a fight that has been a wish for many Boxing fans for years and would have been bigger than what it would be now if it had taken place while both Joshua and Wilder were world champions as it would have led to an undisputed champion being crowned in the division, it is still one of the bigger fights that could be made currently and the only question might be whether that fight would be next or if Joshua might be able to get one more fight in before facing Wilder.

The key for Joshua will be to stay active because being active will allow him the best opportunity for success when fights that are more lucrative come along. Despite the economics that be in the sport that do not always promote the idea of consistent activity for fighters at or near the top level of the sport, we have seen time and time again the flaws of inactivity when a fighter or more specifically their promoters and management teams only want marquee fights where either the fighter underperforms or outright loses to an opponent that prior to that fight was more active and in competition on a regular basis.

Anthony Joshua's comeback continuing was not, however, the only bout that took place on August 12th of significant interest to the Boxing public. Following Joshua's win over Helenius, the Boxing world focused its attention on the Gila River Arena in Glendale, AZ for a fight that many observers, including yours truly, felt that a Fight of the Year candidate would take place. The battle for the WBO Jr. Lightweight world championship between champion Emanuel Navarrete and former WBC Jr. Lightweight world champion Oscar Valdez did not disappoint.

In previewing this fight, I started that both Navarrete and Valdez had similar styles and with each being a fighter that likes to come forward, it ultimately proved to be worth the anticipation that preceded it. From the opening bell, the two fighters engaged in a battle that was fought at a high pace with each having his share of moments throughout. 

What stood out to me however was the difference in size between the two fighters. Although both men made the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight limit, Navarrete looked like the much bigger fighter to the extent that he looked like perhaps a full 135lb. Lightweight or maybe even a 140lb. Jr. Welterweight compared to Valdez, who looked smaller in comparison. There were a few additional things that would ultimately prove to be crucial in this fight. First, despite the near non-stop pace in which this bout was fought, Navarrete was able to control a significant portion of the combat with his jab and this in addition to seeming to land the harder punches of the two in a toe to toe battle gave him the edge, despite Valdez having several moments throughout the fight where he appears to stun Navarrete. 

The courage both men displayed in this fight is something that can also not go unnoticed as by the late rounds of the scheduled twelve round world championship bout, Valdez was figuring with his right eye shown shut as a result of the jab and power punches of Navarrete. Despite fighting with an apparent injury to his right hand, Navarrete was able to kerp what was an ungodly pace in throwing 1,038 total punches and landing 216 according to CompuBox compared to Valdez' 436 total punches thrown and landing 140. While Valdez was ultimately the more accurate of the two, which made the fight competitive and close in landing nearly 33% of his total punches to Navarrete's near 21%, it was the greater activity of the champion that led to him retaining his title via twelve round unanimous decision. Unofficially, I had Navarrete winning this fight eight rounds to four or 116-112 in points.

While I felt Navarrete won this fight clearly, I also felt that it was highly competitive and have a strong feeling as someone who has covered several notable series of fights over the years including many trilogies that this might be the conclusion of chapter one in the story of Emanuel Navarrete versus Oscar Valdez. Boxing is a sport, but part of it is the constant desire of promoters and networks to want to put on the most competitive and most entertaining fights for their respective audience. Although this desire does not always happen on a consistent basis for several reasons related to the business of the sport, which more often than not does not serve in Boxing's best interest, this is a case where two fighters are willing to face each other and both said following the fight that if the fans wanted to see a rematch, they would be open to it. Style wise, the competition level and intensity will likely be the same no matter how many times Navarrete and Valdez fight. 

Ultimately, August 12, 2023 was a memorable day in the sport of Boxing. Not only did the Boxing fans get to see the next chapter in the comeback story of a former Heavyweight champion of the world that almost didn not happen, which resulted in what could be a candidate for Knockout of the Year, but what followed later in the day was a fight that lived up to every bit of hype as the potential Fight of the year for 2023. The real winners were the Boxing fans.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

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Fury-Chisora 3 Preview

Normally when there is a trilogy of fights between two fighters, the third bout is usually the deciding encounter between the two, usually with each fighter having won one fight each in a conventional scenario. There are times however, when a trilogy comes about not to determine who is the better fighter, but because one fighter is able to secure an opportunity. In the case of the rivalry between undefeated two-time Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury and longtime contender and former world title challenger Dereck Chisora, their third bout comes more than eight years after their second bout with Fury having won both of those fights. 

Obviously, a lot can happen in eight years time and these two are different fighters than the ones that first met in July 2011 for the British and Commonwealth Heavyweight championships. Although Chisora was stopped in their second bout in November 2014 and is many years removed from his one previous attempt at a world championship when he lost a decision to Vitali Klitschko for the WBC world championship that Fury now holds, he has seen a recent career resurgence following some hard luck decisions that have gone against him. In his last bout, Chisora scored a hard fought twelve round split decision over former world title challenger Kubrat Pulev in July of this year, the second of the two encounters between the two.  

After forty-five bouts in a career that began fifteen years ago in 2007, Chisora has admitted that he does not have too many fights left in him. Despite losing two fights to Tyson Fury, the stakes are obviously higher this time around with a world championship on the line. Fury meanwhile, has spent the last several months retiring and unretiring from the sport seemingly in an attempt to goad the media as well as former two-time Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua, who has been a potential opponent for him for the last several years. In his last fight, Fury successfully made the second defense of his WBC championship by scoring a sixth round knockout of longtime mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte in Wembley Stadium.  

Although Fury has managed to stay unbeaten in the years since he last fought Chisora, he has also like his next challenger gone through ups and downs both in and out of the ring. Many will recall the punishment Fury sustained in two of his three bouts with Deontay Wilder, the man who Fury won two bouts via knockout to win the WBC championship and successfully defend it against in one of the sport’s most memorable trilogies in the recent history of Boxing. While Fury did not show any signs of decline in his most recent title defense against Whyte, it should be obvious to any level-headed observer that fighters have two things that they combat over the course of their careers that ultimately take a toll on them. One is the natural passage of time, after all, we are all human and fighters like the rest of us do age with time. The second thing a fighter combats over the course of that time in terms of both preparing for competition and during the actual fights themselves is the accumulative effect of all the punishment both in training and in competition that ultimately leads to a fighter’s decline.  

For Fury, the question going into this fight is simple. After thirty-three pro bouts in a career that began in 2009 as well as his struggles with mental health outside the ring, and the wars he has been in inside the ring, at thirty four years of age, it is fair to ask whether his heart is truly in it now after retiring once and relinquishing what was a unified crown several years ago to address his mental health, as well as his recent retirements and unretirements, which may or may not be a case of an athlete having a bit of fun at the expense of both media and fans. It is also fair to question how prepared he is to face Dereck Chisora a third time after failed negotiations for a fight with Joshua on relatively short notice failed to materialize and Fury’s potential unification bout with undefeated unified WBA/IBF/IBO/WBO Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk, which is said to be aimed for sometime in 2023. 

While it is understandable on one hand given the ups and downs Chisora has gone through in the ring, which tends to be the case for many fighters over a long career as well as his previous two losses to Fury how he is viewed as an underdog going into this fight, Chisora is literally in a position where he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. If this is indeed a scenario where the champion having won two previous fights against him is looking ahead to a more lucrative fight, if Chisora is ready for this fight, there may be a surprise.  

How can Chisora pull off a significant upset at a latter point in his career? Having covered the previous two fights there is only one way I can see Chisora having success. He must bring the fight to Fury from the outset and stay on him for however long the bout lasts. There are two important things to consider in this fight, both of which, led to defeat for Chisora in the previous two bouts against the champion. One, Fury is 6’9 and in recent fights has scaled to nearly 280lbs. Despite his height and weight, Fury is also one of the more elusive Heavyweights currently in the sport and has proven to be both difficult to hit and also shown an ability to quickly recover when he has been caught and knocked down most notably in the first and third bouts against Deontay Wilder. Chisora must find a way to get inside Fury’s eighty-five inch reach and do so consistently if he wants to be successful. If the natural advantages Fury has over the 6’1 ½ Chisora are not frustrating enough to combat, Fury is also skilled in the mental aspects of the sport and has shown the ability to goad his opponents into making mistakes during bouts, this was noticeable in the first encounter between these two fighters in particular. Chisora must keep his mind on the task at hand even if he is able to have success in this fight, he must be tactical and not allow Fury to try and bait him into making mistakes. 

While on the surface this fight has an appearance of another title defense for an undefeated world champion against a longtime contender who after a decade of waiting is getting his second opportunity at a world championship at a stage in his career where he might be nearing retirement, both Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora have sizable fan followings and no matter how the odds may appear, a sizable crowd is expected in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England to see the two men renew their rivalry, this time with the WBC’s version of the World Heavyweight championship on the line. 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.” 

Fury vs. Chisora 3 takes place on Saturday, December 3rd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. The fight as well as it’s full undercard can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 1PM ET/10AM PT (U.S. Time). ESPN+ is available through the ESPN app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs. For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com. *Check your local listings internationally.  

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison  

October 15, 2022 Was A Memorable Day For Boxing

 

Saturday, October 15, 2022 turned out to be one of the most anticipated days on the Boxing calendar in the latter months of the year. What was largely to be highlighted by the return of former longtime WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder, the day turned out to offer a little of everything for any Boxing fan. This was due to the postponement of the highly anticipated Women’s world championship unification doubleheader which featured undefeated world champions Claressa Shields and Savanah Marshall meeting for the Undisputed Middleweight championship of the world and an intriguing Jr. Lightweight unification bout between Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner putting their respective world championships on the line in the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division as the co-main event being moved to October 15^th due to the original date of the card September 10^th being moved one month following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8^th.

 

While some Boxing fans particularly on social media voiced we’ll call it displeasure at the postponement, likely both out of anticipation of the two world championship bouts, as well as not understanding the significance of the circumstances throughout the United Kingdom following the queen’s passing, and also for the fighters created a question of what impact would the postponement have on them as the card was postponed a mere day before it was to occur at London’s O2 Arena, both bouts lived up to every possible expectation and one might argue were quite similar in how each fight was fought in terms of how competitive they were. In the first of the two bouts, Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner engaged in a ten round give and take battle.

 

The general ebb and flow of the fight consisted of Baumgardner seeming to land the cleaner, more effective punches, particularly power punches in the early rounds. A weapon in her arsenal that turned out to be noteworthy throughout the fight that I felt gave her an edge was how she was able to land overhand rights. Mayer however, was able to change the way the combat was being fought in the middle rounds. She was able to do this largely by using her jab to control distance and create opportunities to throw and land hooks and combinations behind the jab.

 

While the two minute round length in which fights in Women's Boxing are fought often serve more as a detriment than an asset particularly in regard to the task of scoring, what this created was the ideal scenario of a close fight that could be scored either way and as I often have said through the years, will often come down to what a judge prefers in their own criteria based on clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship, and defense. This was a car where I felt that Baumgardner landed the harder punches and did just enough to fend off the rally that Mayer was able to put together in the middle and late rounds to get the decision. At the end of the ten round world championship bout, I had arrived with a scorecard of six rounds to four or 96-94 in points for Baumgardner. It was not surprising to see scorecards resulting in a split decision in favor of Baumgardner with two official judges scoring a 96-95 scorecard in favor of each fighter with the third judge scoring seven rounds to three or 97-93 in favor of Baumgardner making her the winner and new unified world champion in the 130lb. Jr Lightweight division.

 

Often times on a full card of Boxing, a fight like this which was exciting and highly competitive is enough to satisfy even the most jaded of Boxing fans. The fans in attendance at the O2 Arena would be treated to another great fight as Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall took to the ring to determine the Undisputed Middleweight championship of the world.

 

For ten rounds, the two world champions engaged in a toe to toe battle that frankly could have been fought in a phone booth as there was little to no separating between the fighters and that made it very difficult to tell who had the upper hand. This was due to the moon-stop pace that the combat was fought. As exhausting as it had to be for the fighters, it was also an exhausting fight to watch.

 

Although it was difficult to determine who had the upper hand, there was one subtle difference that proved to be the difference. Shields threw every punch in combination and, despite getting tagged with some heavy shots from Marshall throughout and seeming to allow Marshall to take control in sports where she chose to sit against the ropes, the sheer volume of offense by Shields proved to be too much for Marshall on this evening as Shields would earn a convincing ten round unanimous decision to become the Undisputed Middleweight champion of the world.

 

With the win, Shields put herself in a class by herself as being the only fighter in history male or female to successfully become Undisputed world champion in three separate weight divisions having previously fully unified the Super-Middleweight and Jr. Middleweight divisions prior to this fight. Although I would certainly like to see a rematch between Shields and Marshall, I wonder if Shields will attempt to go up to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division next. As is often the case for fighters that are able to move up and down the weight scale and compete at the highest levels of the sport, the question for Claressa Shields will likely be when and where she will find her ceiling in terms of how far she can move up or down in weight and at which weight she feels most comfortable. For someone who has also embarked on a career in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), it’s clear that she is a generational fighter and no matter what she does going forward in either sport, we are seeing something that has not been done before and will likely see Shields become a first ballot Hall of Famer when her career is over.

 

Following the Women’s world championship unification doubleheader, the focus shifted to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY where two former world champions looked to bounce back from setbacks. First, it was former IBF Super-Middleweight world champion Caleb Plant in his first fight since losing to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in a unification bout last November facing former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion Anthony Dirrell.

 

What was an at times ugly fight to watch due to several instances of holding and clinching throughout the fight, Plant showcased his movement and hand speed in spots throughout and generally seemed to get the better of the action in this observer’s view. Plant however, would surprise everyone by producing what may be viewed as a candidate for Knockout of the Year at the end of 2022. Despite not being known for his punching power, Plant produced a devastating knockout of Dirrell with a left hook to the body followed by a left hook to the head combination that sent Dirrell down and out on the canvas. Although Plant was stopped by Alvarez last year, many would say that he accounted himself well in defeat and coming off of what was the first loss of his career, he needed a statement-making performance to show that he remains a player in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. Something that he was able to accomplish in such a fashion that it could well lead to a rematch with Alvarez down the line.

 

While under most circumstances a knockout like the one Plant produced would be the center of discussion in the days following, the Plant-Dirrell bout served as the co-main event for the return of former longtime WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder, who was returning to the ring following his second knockout loss to Tyson Fury in October of last year as he faced former European Heavyweight champion Robert Helenius.

 

Although the premise of this fight centered squarely on what version of Deontay Wilder would be entering the ring following two knockout losses to Fury and to be more specific, what effects those two fights had on him, frankly we did not get an answer to those questions, at least not in this fight. Helenius began the bout willing to engage with Wilder and trying to apply pressure on him. Wilder suddenly brought an end to the fight by throwing a perfectly timed counter right hand that caught Helenius on the button as he was coming forward sending the former European champion down on his back. The fight was immediately stopped.

 

Simply put, there is not much you can say about a fight that ends with one punch, but for the near completed round that Wilder and Helenius shared the ring together, there appeared to be no ill effects for Wilder. For his part, Helenius did appear to have a good fight plan and was holding his own before simply getting caught in the closing seconds of the first round.  

 

While there are still questions that should be asked in regard Deontay Wilder, the win of Helenius puts him in position to fight former unified IBF/WBA/WBO/IBO Heavyweight world champion Andy Ruiz in what would be a final elimination bout to determine a new mandatory challenger for the world championship currently held by Tyson Fury. Ruiz put himself into position to fight for the mandatory spot by scoring a twelve round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Luis Ortiz in September. Although the unofficial four-man WBC tournament to determine a mandatory challenger was not made official, it seems like a bout between the former world champions Wilder and Ruiz makes the most sense for both seeing as both are aligned with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters and on the surface that fact would give the appearance that it is an easy fight to make.

 

Fury meanwhile has spent the last several months following his successful fifth round knockout of Dillian Whyte in April, retiring, then un-retiring, then retiring again, and un-retiring again, all the while negotiating with fighters for potential fights. Fury has since signed to face former world title challenger Dereck Chisora in his next title defense on December 3^rd. Although Fury has defeated Chisora twice before, one may question whether Fury’s heart is truly on continuing his career or on other ventures. Chisora meanwhile, is enjoying a bit of a resurgence and will be getting his second opportunity at a world championship should the planned third bout between the two come off as planned.

 

For both Wilder and Ruiz, the focus should be on getting their own fight finalized for early 2023 and for the winner of that fight trying to force a bout with the winner of the planned Fury-Chisora III bout. For now, stay tuned for the continuation of the Heavyweight division.

 

Finally, the day of action on October 15^th concluded with the second encounter between undefeated Undisputed Lightweight world champion Devin Haney and former Undisputed Lightweight champion George Kambosos in Melbourne, Australia. A rematch that was contractually stipulated prior to Haney defeating Kambosos for the championship back in May of this year.

 

In that fight, Haney out boxed Kambosos over twelve rounds to earn a convincing twelve round unanimous decision to win the championship. The question going into this rematch was a simple one. Could Kambosos approach this fight differently in such a way that it might change the outcome this time around? For part of the second encounter, Kambosos did try to force the fight on Haney rather than trying to box him as he did in the first fight. This included the former champion periodically being able to catch Haney with flush hooks to the head throughout.

 

As the fight progressed however, Haney as he was able to do in the first fight, was able to find his rhythm and proved to be too slick and too quick for Kambosos, ultimately Boxing his way to a twelve round unanimous decision to retain his championship in his first title defense. While much of this fight seemed to be formulaic as it progressed, I feel that this was a case of the old adage of “Styles Make Fights” as opposed to the performance of George Kambosos.

 

From a stylistic standpoint, Devin Haney may simply have a style that for a fighter with George Kambosos’ style proves to be a difficult puzzle that he struggles to solve. Although Kambosos has now lost two fights to Devin Haney, he is still a player in the 135lb. Lightweight division and could well find himself challenging for a world championship five pounds up the scale in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division down the line.

 

As for Devin Haney, his future could also be in the Jr. Welterweight division in the near future, but it is likely that Haney may be looking for a potential title defense against former unified three-division world champion Vasyl Lomachenko. Lomachenko will return to the ring on October 29^th when he faces unbeaten contender Jermaine Ortiz in Madison Square Garden. Even though Lomachenko is a significant favorite going into that fight, it is likely that Haney will wait until the outcome of that bout before entering potential negotiations with Lomachenko for a potential bout in 2023.

 

While such days such as October 15, 2022 prove to be of great value to Boxing fans due to the amount of bouts spread over multiple cards offered, some may say that it is both a blessing and a curse from the standpoint of the fan needing to decide what they will watch first, what they might watch on delay, or what they are not interested in watching. Although in the current age we live in where thanks to digital streaming, the option to watch any sporting event on one’s own schedule has never been easier and will likely only improve with time, a challenge for promoters and networks will continue to be trying to get as many eyes on whatever bouts they are presenting as possible in terms of live viewing. When you also factor in that two of these cards, the Wilder-Helenius and Haney-Kambosos II cards competed head to head against each other, with one on pay-per-view and the other on ESPN+ and the main ESPN network here in the United States, in addition to the plethora of other sporting events taking place including, but not limited to the MLB playoffs, the beginning of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, and finally College Football among others, you can see the dilemma such scheduling can present for some Boxing fans who are likely fans of other sports as well.

 

While yours truly personally loves marathon Boxing days like the one we saw on October 15^th, and even though it might be unrealistic to expect networks and promoters to try and schedule around other sports, the reality is, it will continue to be an issue for some fans and ultimately, make effect both viewership and buy numbers for the sport. It is therefore something that even as technology improves and provides the fan/consumer with more options that networks and promoters will have to combat if they want their events to be successful.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison