An Intriguing Featherweight Crossroads Battle Headlines ESPN+ Card July 23rd

 

As the month of July begins to wind down much of the attention has begun to center on what is ahead in the month of August as well as what might be to follow for the remainder of 2022. A fight that is perhaps being overlooked by some before July concludes will take place in Hinckley, MN on Saturday, July 23rd that features two fighters that may be at the crossroads of their careers. This observer is referring to the Featherweight bout between former WBO Jr. Featherweight world champion Isaac Dogboe and former world title challenger Joet Gonzalez in a fight that will headline a card streamed in the United States by digital subscription sports steaming network ESPN+ from Hinckley’s Grand Casino.  

 

This is a fight that has two fighters that are at a similar point in their careers. While yours truly referenced the term “Crossroads,” the similarities do not end there. Both Dogboe and Gonzalez have similar records, and each have suffered two defeats. If that similarity is not enough to peak interest, both men were last defeated by the same fighter in former world champion Emmanuel Navarrete.  

 

As often happens in the sport of Boxing, there are times where fighters who share common opponents find themselves facing each other with the goal of advancing forward in their respective careers. Gonzalez will enter this fight coming off of a victory in his return to the ring following his loss to Navarrete in October of last year. In that win in March of this year, he scored a ninth round stoppage of Jeo Santisima. Meanwhile former world champion Isaac Dogboe will enter the bout off three straight wins since he lost to Navarrete in May 2019.  

 

While the similarities between the two both in that their last defeat came against the same opponent, that they have each suffered two defeats and similar in overall career bouts with Gonzelez having two more bouts at twenty-seven professional fights to Dogboe’s twenty-five, the question some might have is whether it may also translate into similar styles once the fighters are in the ring. Both fighters also have fifteen knockouts in their careers so this does have the appearance of a fight that could go the distance and is likely to be competitive throughout. 

 

In terms of the styles of the two fighters, what this will be is an encounter between two boxer/punchers that can do a little bit of everything inside the ring. What I often look for when two fighters with similarities between them face each other is who will be able to execute their fight plan better than the other. Although that may seem like a simple answer for some, it can be complex. This is because there are many things that can occur over the course of a fight and there are times where two fighters can each have periods of effectiveness throughout. As is often the case, this fight may be one that will come down to who can dictate the tempo of the combat and whether they will be able to maintain that pace for the duration of the fight.  

 

It is important to keep in mind that both fighters have been involved in fights that ended in close decisions that there were debates as to who won those fights. Even though obviously one can never know, much less predict what an official judge might see and base their scores on, the possibility exists that given the similarities between Dogboe and Gonzalez that this could end in a close decision if it does go the distance. Although anything can happen and the possibility of a knockout occurring in this fight should also not be dismissed, the styles of the two fighters, the similarities between the two, and the fact that both are used to going into the middle and late rounds of a fight would indicate at least on paper that this has the appearance of a fight that will be closely fought from start to finish.  

 

While this observer used the term “Crossroads” to describe where each fighter is in their respective careers, a loss for either fighter would not necessarily mean the end of the road. What it would mean however, is that the fighter who comes out of this fight on the short end, assuming that the bout does not end in a draw or some unforeseen controversial outcome, would likely be knocked down in terms of the rankings in the 126lb. Featherweight division for some time whereas the winner will likely move closer to another opportunity to fight for a world championship. 

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.” 

 

Dogboe vs. Gonzalez takes place on Saturday, July 23rd at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, MN. The card can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 6:45PM ET/3:45PM PT. 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 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. 

 

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An Argument For A Magsayo-Russell Rematch

 

As the month of January 2022 has been a spotty one in terms of the Boxing schedule due in part to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic, there obviously has not been the usual activity in terms of action inside of the ring that we saw in 2021 and before the epidemic began in late 2019. The first notable world championship fight in 2022 however, did take place on January 22nd at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. This observer is referring to the battle for the WBC Featherweight world championship between champion Gary Russell and undefeated WBC number three rated contender Mark Magsayo.

 

Perhaps it is simply the point of view of yours truly as a veteran Boxing historian and writer, but this encounter did not seem to have much in the way of an abundance of hype in the weeks and days prior to it taking place. This could be due to the circumstances of the ongoing epidemic and possible uncertainty as to whether or not the fight would take place as scheduled. While this is only speculation my part, it was refreshing in a sense that this was simply two highly skilled fighters facing off for a world championship. Although the recent history of the 126lb. Featherweight division has not had the type of name recognition value that the division has enjoyed in decades past both due to fighters either retiring or moving up in weight, this was perhaps the beginning of a new era for the division.

 

In terms of how the two fighters matched up, this figured to be an encounter between a boxer/puncher in the champion Russell going against an unbeaten, but untested challenger a Magsayo. This fight also featured the dynamic of a southpaw going against an orthodox fighter. What stood out almost immediately was the tactical approach in which Magsayo implemented his offense. Under some circumstances when an orthodox fighter faces a southpaw, there can be difficulty for the orthodox fighter to get into a consistent rhythm offensively. This was a case where Magsayo was able to establish distance as well as attack in sporadic spurts with a variety of offense ranging from straight right hands, hooks with both hands, as well as uppercuts, and mixing all the above between the body and the head of the champion Russell. It was also noticeable that whenever Russell would land something significant, Magsayo with immediately counter punch.

 

What was also clear was the champion seemed to have difficulty with his right shoulder, which can turn out to be crucial if you are southpaw fighter because any injury to your right hand or shoulder will compromise your lead hand. As the fight progressed, this is essentially what appeared to be happening as Russell was very sporadic in throwing his right hand and this allowed Magsayo to control the tempo of the combat as well as outwork the champion. Although Russell had successfully defended his title five times going into this fight, it should not be overlooked that this was his first bout in nearly two years as his last bout was in February 2020 shortly before the COVID-19 epidemic began to significantly change day to day life here in the United States and created a lengthy shutdown for many sports including Boxing during that year. Whether or not Russell’s sporadic offense was attributed to an injury as well as inactivity is debatable, but in my eyes Magsayo was doing what all fighters who challenge for a world championship are expected to do, bring the fight to the champion.

 

Despite seemingly controlling the tempo of the combat, as the fight progressed into the middle and late rounds of the scheduled twelve round world championship bout, Magsayo slightly seemed to decrease his activity, perhaps due to fatigue. This created an opening for the champion who had success in spots in landing his left hand and at times being able to catch the challenger as he came forward with the left hand. Even though I felt that Magsayo had carried the fight with his greater activity and ring generalship throughout much of the bout, I did wonder whether or not what Russell was able to accomplish though sporadic particularly over the second half of the fight would be enough to earn rounds on the scorecards.

 

After all, even the most seasoned of observers of which yours truly is one, can never know which way three official judges may be leaning in their scoring of a fight. In many cases, it can come down to what amounts to an educated guess based on the experience that one accumulates from watching fights on every level and every form that the sport of Boxing has to offer. In the interest of honesty with the reader, I will say as a Boxing lifer, there have been more than a few times that I have been surprised and have disagreed with an official decision based on what I saw in a fight.

 

Sometimes in addition to what amounts to an educated guess can also be influenced by a gut feeling that one gets. This was a fight where both fighters had clear moments of success. The question that developed in my mind as the bout approached the final three rounds was whether or not sporadic counter punching by Russell would be enough to overcome the greater activity of Magsayo as well as how the challenger seemingly dictated the combat from the outset. While my gut feeling was that Magsayo had done enough to win the fight on my scorecard, I had learned long ago never to dismiss the possibility of the judges seeing things differently. It was also indisputable that Russell was able to make up some ground down the stretch and at minimum I felt that the possibility was there to see some narrow scorecards in the sense of close scores being rendered.

 

As it would turn out the instinct of this observer to not dismiss how the three judges may have saw things turned out to be correct in terms of seeing close scorecards as at the end of the twelve round world championship bout, two of three official judges scored the fight 115-113 or seven rounds to five in favor of Mark Magsayo making him the winner and new champion via majority decision, while the third judge had the fight even at six rounds a piece or 114-114 in points. Unofficially, I had Magsayo winning the fight eight rounds to four or 116-112 in points.

 

At the end of the day, despite what I felt was a significant lead that Magsayo was able to build early on and through the middle rounds, what things amounted to here was essentially a one round swing in terms of both my unofficial score as well as the official scores. If the reader is a little confused allow me to elaborate. If one round were scored differently on my unofficial card, I would have ended up with the same 115-113 scorecard as two of the three official judges. If one of those judges had scored one round differently, they would have arrived at the same score as the third official judge in rendering a draw, which obviously changes the outcome of the fight. Simply put, it turned out to be a very close and competitive fight particularly down the stretch than what I observed over the first seven rounds in which I felt Magsayo had done enough to pull away with the fight in addition to winning a round down the stretch. It is something that unfortunately has become a habit of mine in saying over the years, but when it comes to close fights, it will often boil down to what a judge prefers in their own criteria in how they score based on clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship, and defense. By its very nature, judging is selective and obviously opinions can vary.

 

Should there be a rematch? This observer would say yes, based not only on the fact that Russell had held onto the WBC Featherweight world championship for over six years, but also what turned out to be a close fight. How soon a rematch can be made will likely come down to the condition of Gary Russell’s shoulder as well as whether or not the World Boxing Council (WBC) will mandate a rematch take place and/or if there was a rematch clause in the contract for this fight. Without getting into the various elements of what amounts to red tape that can prevent a rematch from happening within a reasonable timeframe, if Russell is healthy and does not require much downtime from the apparent injury to his right shoulder, and if both fighters want to fight each other again, why not? It was a good and competitive fight after all.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

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

 

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The Featherweight Puzzle

 

Over the last few weeks, the sport of Boxing at least in regard to the professional side of the sport has seen a focus of sorts on the 126lb. Featherweight division. Of course, readers here on The Boxing Truth®️ have seen the coverage that this observer has provided over the last two weeks of Matchroom Boxing’s second season of its Fight Camp series at the estate of promoter Eddie Hearn and the Hearn family known in Boxing circles as Matchroom Headquarters. Coincidentally, the first two weeks of the season have been headlined by two Featherweight bouts that may have an impact on the upper echelon of the division going forward. 

 

First, it was Leigh Wood, who scored a dominant twelfth round stoppage of top contender Xu Can on July 31^st that earned him an interim/regular championship designation in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Featherweight ratings. This was followed by longtime contender Kid Galahad, who scored an eleventh round stoppage this past weekend (August 7^th) in his rematch with James Dickens to win the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Featherweight world championship. On August 6^th however, an additional Featherweight bout took place at Falls Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where undefeated contender Michael Conlan met former IBF Jr. Featherweight world champion TJ Doheny in a twelve round bout. A fight that took place before a crowd of over six thousand spectators in a purpose filled setting.

 

While it was not long ago in the days predating the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic to see a loud and enthusiastic crowd of spectators attending fights on a regular basis, especially in the Boxing hotbed of the United Kingdom and Ireland, perhaps it was the circumstance that this was the first Boxing event to take place in Ireland with spectators in attendance that made the atmosphere special, though perhaps also a bit uneasy depending on one’s perspective given the circumstances of the ongoing crisis. As for the fight itself, it was a largely tactical bout that was in many was dictated by Conlan’s ability to control distance, pick his shots, defense due to outstanding upper body movement, ability to give angles, and finally attack in spurts.

 

The highlights of the fight came first in the closing seconds of round four when Conlan connected with a flush right hook that stunned Doheny to form him backward, in round five, Conlan followed up with an attack to Doheny’s body, which would force him to take a knee. From that point on, Conlan continued to mix his attack well and, despite Doheny being able to have success sporadically throughout the bout, it would be Conlan who would box his way to a convincing twelve round unanimous decision victory. Although this was an extremely technical performance by Conlan and one might argue that the potential for a stoppage victory was there for him if he had opted to be more aggressive during those periods where he let his hands go, it was nevertheless, a dominant performance for a fighter that is also rated number one in the world by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) in the 122lb. Jr. Featherweight division.

 

The victory for Conlan however, also adds his name to what is becoming an increasingly complicated puzzle in the 126lb. Featherweight division. Now, the reader might be asking “Just what makes the situation in the Featherweight division a complicated puzzle Beau?” I will do my best to explain and hopefully, do so in such a way that it does not give the reader a migraine headache.

 

First, there are five recognized world sanctioning organizations that on their own can create confusion simply because of the number of organizations that regulate and sanction world championship bouts in Boxing’s seventeen weight classes. For the purposes of the current Featherweight landscape, the International Boxing Organization (IBO) does not currently have a world champion in the Featherweight division. There remains the World Boxing Council (WBC) as well as the previously three mentioned organizations, the WBA, WBO, and IBF.

 

In regard to the WBA, the structure of their rankings process is one that I have criticized frequently over the years simply because there is one world champion that is deemed “Super” champion, followed by two fighters that each hold an interim or regular designation in the WBA ratings in a given weight class. While frankly I could pen a column or perhaps several on the fallacies of such a structure, as I have also pointed out frequently over the years in discussing the WBA, it is something that on the surface is well-intentioned as a way of ensuring contenders get an opportunity to fight for a world championship if in the event that due to injuries or other circumstances the world champion does not fulfill their obligations to defend their championship against mandatory challengers, which are annually mandated.

 

The current picture of the WBA Featherweight ratings sees Leo Santa Cruz recognize as world champion, while Leigh Wood holds one Interim/Regular champion designation. Until their meeting on August 6^th, both Michael Conlan and TJ Doheny were rated number four and five respectively in the same ratings. Now, with Conlan earning the second Interim/Regular designation, the question becomes what’s next? In a perfect world, Leigh Wood would be next in line to challenge Leo Santa Cruz as the next mandatory challenger, which is essentially what an Interim/Regular championship designation is, is a mandatory challenger position.

 

For several reasons including, but not limited to different promoters having respective interests involved, competing television networks across both the traditional and streaming realms, the fact that those promoters and networks do not always see the benefit of working together both for their interests as well as the fighters involved, and finally the sanctioning organizations involved, the idea that a fighter that earns a mandatory title shot, getting that opportunity in a reasonable timeframe is never a certainty.

 

In this case, despite his status as the WBA world champion in the Featherweight division, Leo Santa Cruz has not defended the WBA Featherweight world championship in over two years. Instead, moving up to the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division before meeting Gervonta Davis in October of last year in a fight where WBA designations in multiple weight classes, but only one world championship, Santa Cruz’ WBA Jr. Featherweight world championship was on the line, a championship he lost to Davis by knockout, was on the line.  As much as that is a reflection of the fallacy of the WBA’s ratings structure, and keeping in mind that a good portion of Santa Cruz’ inactivity at Featherweight may have been caused by the circumstances of COVID-19, the fact is, the WBA championship has been inactive at 126lbs. with the exception of of the top contenders that have been vying for interim/regular championship designations.

 

Of course, the WBA could mandate Santa Cruz to defend his Featherweight championship against Leigh Wood. The problem will then become whether or not the respective promoters involved, the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters, where Santa Cruz has primarily fought and Matchroom Boxing, Woods’ promoter will be willing to sit down and make the fight. While this does not factor in the competing networks involved Showtime/Fox Sports, who primarily carry PBC events and DAZN, who is firmly alight with Matchroom Boxing , but has also shown a willingness to work with all promoters, that would likely each make offers for the potential fight to air on their respective platforms, the fact that rival promoters rarely see beyond their own interests often in of itself, leads to an impasse, which unfortunately means bouts of significant interest do not get made.

 

The other possibility is the WBA may strip Santa Cruz of their Featherweight world championship and then elevate Wood from holding an interim/regular champion designation to full WBA champion, thus eliminating the need to sanction a fight for a vacant world championship, if that were to happen, which in theory is why interim/regular designations exists beyond ensuring top contenders get their opportunity to fight for a world championship, the question will be whether the organization will then mandate Wood to face Michael Conlan in his first title defense.

 

Although the same conundrum exists in that scenario with Matchroom/DAZN on one end of the table, but different with promoter Bob Arum, his promotional entity Top Rank, Inc, and ESPN on the other side of the negotiating table representing Conlan, the good news is Matchroom and Top Rank have worked together in the past to make fights and the broadcasters involved here also showed a willingness to work together so there at least is a possibility of a Wood-Conlan bout for the WBA championship coming to fruition. Out of respect for the reader, I will not dwell into this possible unification scenarios that would involve the WBC, IBF, and WBO in addition to the WBA. 

 

The scenarios this observer has laid out though I have done my best to explain it simply, can be confusing enough in the context of one column. Although this “Featherweight Puzzle “ will not be solved in short order, The first step towards solving the puzzle and hopefully unification of the Featherweight division in the process will depend largely on whether there can be clarity in regard to the WBA’s end in the equation. I think yours truly is safe in saying the Boxing world hopes clarity comes sooner than later. At least we can hope.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

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

 

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Is It Time For Navarrete To Move Up In Weight Again?

 

In all of combat sports and in particular in the sport of Boxing, there is somewhat of an accepted practice that unless one competes in the Heavyweight division, fighters generally will move up through multiple weight classes during the course of their careers. While of course there are those who manage to stay in one weight division for the majority of their careers, there are usually two reasons why a fighter would move up in weight. One is for financial reasons in that there are likely more lucrative opportunities for a fighter at a heavier weight than where they are currently. Perhaps the most obvious reason however, is when a fighter physically outgrows their current weight class.

 

For two-division world champion Emanuel Navarrete, he has reached the top in both the 122lb. Jr. Featherweight and 126lb. Featherweight divisions. Standing at 5’7, Navarrete is blessed to be in a position where he has natural height and reach advantages over many of his opponents. Navarrete’s first defense of his WBO Featherweight world championship came on April 24^th in Kissimmee, FL where he faced WBO number six rated contender Christopher Diaz before a crowd of nearly 3,300 socially distanced spectators in accordance with COVID-19 protocols at the Silver Spurs Arena.

 

Although it was obvious to this observer that this would be a classic clash of a puncher in Navarrete and a fighter who is more known as a boxer in Diaz, what stood out to me from the outset was the difference in size between the champion and challenger. In this case, Navarrete had a near three inch height advantage and an eight inch reach advantage over Diaz. Taking the statistics of height and reach out of the equation, it appeared to my eyes as though I was watching a fighter in Diaz attempting to complete with an opponent that looked like a full-fledged Lightweight, two weight divisions above the 126lb. Featherweight division.

 

In terms of the combat that took place between the fighters inside the ring, Diaz was able to put forth a determined effort in an attempt to dethrone the champion. As the fight progressed however, the visible difference between the two fighters began to show itself in the fight, Navarrete would score the first knockdown of the bout in round four. Despite appearing to be at a physical disadvantage as well as one in terms of punching power, Diaz remained very “Game”, but he was unable to keep Navarrete from being able to have the advantage and could not land anything to discourage the champion from coming forward. Navarrete would score two additional knockdowns in round eight and a fourth knockdown in the twelfth and final round before Diaz’ corner stopped the fight in the closing seconds of the bout to prevent their fighter from further punishment.

 

While no one can take anything away from the effort that Christopher Diaz put forth in this bout, ultimately it was a fight that the champion dominated. Although this was Navarrete’s first defense of the world championship he won in October of last year, this observer believes it might be time for him to focus on challenging for a world championship in a third weight division. 

 

The next division that follows the 126lb. Featherweight division is the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division. While the Emanuel Navarrete that entered the ring against Christopher Diaz appeared in my eyes to look more like a natural 135lb. Lightweight, it will be interesting to see whether Navarrete will choose to test the waters at Jr. Lightweight first or if he will attempt to go right to the Lightweight division in the near future.

 

Even though it is not uncommon to see fighters gradually move up in weight over time, it will also be interesting to see if Navarrete, who has a career knockout percentage of 80% in thirty-four career wins will be able to carry the punching power that has made him devastating as a Jr. Featherweight and Featherweight as he moves up the weight scale. The answer to that question will likely as it has for many fighters through the years, be used to determine at what weight division will Navarrete find his ceiling. 

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

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

 

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What’s Next For Jamel Herring?

 One of the more anticipated fights that sat idle for some time due largely to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic was the battle between WBO Jr. Lightweight world champion Jamel Herring and former two-division world champion Carl Frampton. An intriguing clash of styles between the taller, longer fighter in the champion Harring and the shorter fighter in Frampton, who has made a career out of defeating opponents that had natural height and reach advantages over him. 

 

Two fighters that are boxer/punchers with some similarities is enough to draw interest on it’s own. When you throw into the equation that Frampton was attempting to become the first Irish boxer to win world championships in three weight divisions after previously holding world championships in the 122lb. Jr. Featherweight and 126lb. Featherweight divisions, it added the element of potential history being made. This all culminated in the two fighters meeting on April 3^rd at Cesars Palace in Dubai, U.A.E. 

 

The dynamic of this fight was both simple and complex. Could Frampton, who stands 5’5 find a way to get on the inside of the 5’10 Herring and could he do so consistently enough to have sustained success. Where the complexity of the equation enters in is, despite having the natural physical attributes of height and reach, particularly for a 130lb. Jr. Lightweight, Herring is also a fighter that can fight successfully on the inside when he chooses to not keep an opponent at distance. It interested this observer to see who would get the better of the exchanges if Frampton were able to get on the inside of Herring’s reach more than occasionally.

 

Both fighters were able to have periods of success throughout the bout, but what stood out to me was the difficulty Frampton seemed to have in trying to negate Herring’s reach. While the task of facing a taller and longer fighter for a shorter boxer can be difficult, one tactical approach is usually for the shorter fighter to try to stay low as they try to close distance. Although this is a task that is often easier said than done, it seemed as though Frampton was having trouble navigating the range between himself and Herring.  This along with sporadic head movement and an inability to stay low where theoretically he could get under Harring’s punches seemed to indicate that this would be a difficult fight for him as Harring got the better of most of the exchanges and dictated the tempo of the combat.

 

Frampton was however, able to have sporadic success in landing body shots and appeared to cut Herring over the right eye in round four with s punches. While this was not confirmed, it nevertheless kept things competitive for a time. After landing a right hand off of the forehead of the champion in round five, Frampton attempted to press forward to try to take advantage of the opening he had created, but as he did so, he left himself vulnerable and walked into a straight left hand to the head from Harring sending him down to the canvas.

 

The champion regained control with this knockdown and brought the fight to its conclusion in round six, first by dropping Frampton with a flush left uppercut to the head, and then continuing the assault until Frampton’s corner threw the towel in to save him from further punishment. Although Frampton deserves all the credit in the world for getting up from the second knockdown, the type of uppercut that would end the night for most fighters on the receiving end of it, I was frankly surprised that the fight was allowed to momentarily continue as Frampton barely beat the ten count and was on very unsteady legs. This does not take anything away from Herring  who knew his opponent was compromised, did not give him any time or breathing room to try and recover, and simply closed the show to get the stoppage and retain his WBO crown.

 

Frampton, who has been through some setbacks and struggles both in and out of the ring in recent years stated before the fight that if he did not win the bout, he would retire from the sport. A man who has been one of the sport’s great ambassadors throughout his entire career remained true to his word and announced his retirement in the ring after the fight. 

 

As for Jamel Herring  the third successful defense of his WBO Jr. Lightweight world championship could now lead to an eventual unification bout with current WBC world champion Oscar Valdez. It is more likely however, that he will be mandated by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) to face the winner of the upcoming bout between undefeated former WBO Featherweight world champion Shakur Stevenson and Jeremiah Nakathila, who are currently rated number one and two respectively in the WBO’s Jr. Featherweight ratings at 130lbs. With that bout targeted to take place in June, it is likely that barring any potential postponements either due to injury or the COVID-19 virus that Harring likely won’t fight until at least sometime in the fall of this year against whomever the winner of that bout will be.

 

What this all could amount to is a potential showdown between whomever is left standing between Herring,  Stevenson, and Nakathila and Oscar Valdez in what will likely be one of the first big money bouts aimed to take place in 2022. While much remains uncertain due largely to the ongoing global COVID-19 crisis, if circumstances allow, there will certainly be a lot of money to be made in the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division in the long-term. If Herring can emerge from this scenario in 2022 as the last man standing of these four fighters, he will certainly become the top fighter in the division, be in position to earn even more lucrative opportunities, and the question will then become whether he will attempt to fully unify the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division or if he will set his sights on the 135lb. Lightweight division or beyond.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

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

 

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