Showing posts with label Golden Boy Promotions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Golden Boy Promotions. Show all posts

Thursday, June 27, 2024

Fulghum Defeats Alexander In Indio, CA

 Undefeated Light-Heavyweight Darius Fulghum scored an uneventful ten round unanimous decision over veteran Vaughn Alexander on Thursday night at the Fantasy Springs Hotel and Casino in Indio, CA. Alexander, who was a late replacement for Super-Middleweight contender Ronald Ellis, who had to withdraw from the planned Super-Middleweight bout with Fulghum due to illness, spent the majority of the fight trying to stay in close to Fulghum, but only sporadically letting his hands go throughout the ten round bout. When he did let his hands go, however, he landed clean shots that were easy to see. It was what Alexader did not do in the rest of the bout that was the story as the crowd in attendance frequently and unapologetically voiced their dissatisfaction over what was taking place inside the ring.  


What frankly at times resembled little more than a sparring session was controlled by Fulghum, who simply was able to win rounds by being the more active of the two fighters. Fulgham, who had scored knockouts in ten of his eleven professional fights before this encounter did indicate to his corner midway through the bout that he was having problems with his right hand. Whether he did injure his right hand is something not confirmed as of this writing. The official scores were: 99-91, and 98-92 (On two scorecards) in favor of Fulghum. Darius Fulghum advances to 12-0, with 10 Knockouts. Vaughn Alexander falls to 18-12-1, with 11 Knockouts. 


Also on this card:


Cruiserweight Tristan Kalkreuth scored a workmanlike ten round unanimous decision over Anthony Hollaway Oficial scores were: 99-91 (On all three scorecards in favor of Kalkreuth. Tristan Kalkreuth advances to 14-1, with 7 Knockouts. Anthony Hollaway falls to 7-6-3, with 6 Knockouts.


Undefeated Jr. Middleweight Gabe Flores scored the third victory of his young and unbeaten career by scoring  a third round knockout of Josaias Gonzalez. Flores landed hard, thudding shots from the opening bell and gradually battered the “Game” Gonzalez down. The end came when a left hook to the body sent Gonzalez down in a corner of the ring Official time of the stoppage was 2:34 of round three. Gabe Flores advances to 3-0, with 3 Knockouts. Josaias Gonzalez falls to 2-3-1, with 0 Knockouts.


Lightweight Leo Sanchez scored a fourth round knockout of Jenel Lausa to remain unbeaten. Sanchez scored three knockdowns of Lausa between rounds three and four and got the knockout with a left hook to the body that forced Lausa down on his knees for the count. The official time of the stoppage was 1:08 of round four. Leo Sanchez advances to 7-0, with 6 Knockouts. Jenel Lausa falls to 11-4-1, with 7 Knockouts. 


 Jr. Welterweight Cayden Griffiths, a recent high school graduate, began the evening by successfully making his professional debut by scoring a second round knockout of Juan Romero. Griffiths began the fight by looking to land his left hook and in the first round, he was able to drop Romero with a body shot. In the second round, a left hook to the body would drop Romero for the count. The official time: of the stoppage was :43 of round two. Cayden Griffiths advances to 1-0, with 1 Knockout. Juan Romero falls to 0-2, with 0 Knockouts. 


A scheduled eight round Super-Middleweight bout between unbeaten prospect Eric Priest and Janer Gonzalez was scratched prior to the card taking place due to Gonzalez not being cleared by the California State Athletic Commission. (CSAC) No further details are available at this time as to why the commission would not allow the bout to go on as scheduled or if there will be an attempt to reschedule at some point in the future. 


This card, which was promoted by Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions showcased some fighters to keep an eye on as they look to progress in their young careers. This observer was particularly impressed with the performance of Cayden Griffiths in his pro debut. 


As for Darius Fulghum, he simply did what he had to do and the old adage of “A Win Is A Win” should apply here. While he had scored many quick knockouts on his way to this point, a fight like what he had against Vaughn Alexander though not crowd-pleasing will serve him better in the long-term in regard to his overall development as a fighter. The circumstances in which this fight came about should not be ignored in that Fulghum’s original opponent for what was to be a bout contested in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division fell out on short notice due to an illness, and in that opponent’s place stepped in a veteran who not only knew how to survive, but also how to make a fight ugly both in terms of the action in the ring as well as what it looked like from a viewer’s perspective. Although if Vaughn Alexander were consistently more active throughout this fight, it may have been more competitive, the silver-lining for Fulghum is he was able to adjust to the change in opposition and got the job done. In doing so, Fulghum learned a valuable lesson that all young fighters have to learn and understand at some point. Even if you are a fighter who is blessed with the ability to end a fight quickly, there are times where you are going to come across a veteran who knows how to survive, knows a few tricks, and will take you the distance. Those fighters who eventually learn that lesson more often than not, come to see fights like this as a benefit in the long-term because it provides a crucial element that all fighters need. “Experience.”


“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”


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Friday, December 8, 2023

Garcia Bounces Back With KO Win , But Do More Questions Remain?

The fight between Jr. Welterweight contender Ryan Garcia and contender Oscar Duarte on December 2nd should have represented a fresh start and the beginning of a new chapter in Garcia's career as he looked to bounce back from the first loss of his career earlier this year to Gervonta Davis. Instead, much of the attention prior to the bout, which took place at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX, did not center on the fight itself or what Duarte brought to the table as an opponent and possible threat to Garcia, but rather on what at best can be described as a contentious relationship between Garcia and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya and by extension his promotional company Golden Boy Promotions


It is true that this fight took place under a condition in which this observer cannot recall seeing before, or at least not in this form. In that the bout took place while the fighter Garcia, and the promoter De La Hoya, are engaged in a legal battle against each other in an effort by Garcia to break his existing contract with his promoter. The idea of a promoter and fighter being at odds however, is not a new concept. The idea that a fight promoted by a promoter currently battling the star attraction in said fight while litigation is ongoing is a bit different. 


At minimum, as this observer pointed out in previewing this fight, it had to create distractions for Garcia as well as a situation for De La Hoya, where the pressing question during fight week was not concerning the fight inside the Boxing ring, but concerned his feelings toward his fighter. The contention between the two going into fight week spilled over as both Garcia and De La Hoya traded verbal barbs during the pre-fight press conference and weigh-in.


Seeing the situation play out for the world to see, one would be logical to question why the fighter would agree to participate in a fight promoted by someone that he is trying to distance himself from and why the promoter would want to promote a fight with that fighter, while litigation is ongoing. Truly, something that could only happen in Boxing, or at least that's how it seems. One would also be justified in questioning why something like that would be done before a resolution has taken place between the parties as more than likely anything either fighter or promoter said prior to the bout actually taking place, would likely be used against each other or at least be attempted to in any upcoming legal proceedings.


While what I have described here dear reader, probably sounds more appropriate for a reality TV show, there was still the matter of actual battle inside the ring. The fight between Garcia and Durate took place before a capacity crowd. If nothing else, it demonstrated, despite Garcia's knockout loss to Davis and the very ugly saga between himself and De La Hoya, Garcia is still a rising star in the sport. 


As for the fight itself, under new trainer Derrick James, Garcia showed new elements of his skillset that has not been seen before. A more technical approach with an emphasis on using both his jab and lateral movement against the constant pressure of Duarte, who only knew one direction, forward. Perhaps in response to what happened to him when he was knocked out by Gervonta Davis, when forced to fight on the inside with Duarte where the possibility of being caught with a body shot, like the one that did him in against Davis, was increased, Garcia appeared to turn sideways, some may say partially turn his back. While such an approach borders on the line of legal and illegal, it was for better or worse an effective strategy. It did not, however, endear Garcia to the crowd in attendance, who frequently voiced their criticism via booing throughout the bout. Furthermore, it also created a scenario where Referee James Green frequently interjected himself throughout the fight to issue warnings, which were mostly pointed in the direction of Duarte for hitting Garcia in the back. 


Although I felt Garcia was doing enough to win most of the rounds as the fight progressed, the aggressiveness of Duarte was such that I felt it could sway opinion in his favor simply because of the perception that he was the fighter forcing the action. The question I was also pondering in my mind was whether the high pace in which the fight was fought would take a toll on Garcia later in the fight due not only to Duarte’s pressure and solid punches when he was able to connect, but more specifically the constant movement that he was having to do throughout. 


As the fight continued, I also felt that Duarte’s pressure was effective, but what was also noticeable was the lack of head movement as he came forward in that he was having to go through significant offense from Garcia before he could get on the inside, which he was unable to avoid. This flaw in Duarte’s defense would ultimately lead to his downfall in the eighth round when Garcia was able to catch him with a short left hook to the head, which wobbled his legs and subsequently led to a knockdown from a short flurry of blows. Although Duarte seemed to get up at the count of nine, he was in fact counted out by Referee James Green, giving Garcia an impressive and hard fought knockout win.


Ultimately, this fight did what it was designed to do if you were a member of both Garcia’s camp or his current promoter Golden Boy Promotions. Get Garcia back in the win column. The fact that Garcia was able to do so impressively is an added bonus. Inevitably, there will continue to be questions and criticism of Garcia. Questions such as is he truly recovered from the knockout at the hands of Davis, more so mentally than physically? Is Garcia listening to too many folks in terms of advising him on his career and is that influence at the root of his ongoing problems with Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions? And finally, will he be able to stay on track both inside the ring as well as out of it to stay a viable contender with the hope of eventually fighting for a world championship?


These are all interesting questions that this observer cannot answer. Much as has been the case for numerous young fighters throughout the history of the sport however, there is no shortage of people who are more than willing to tell a fighter what they want to hear and will also offer no shortage of ideas that may not truly have the fighter’s best interest at heart. For the fighter, especially one who has been open as Garcia has regarding struggles with his mental health, it can be difficult to tell the difference between those willing to tell them what they want to hear and those telling them what they need to hear. Even if the latter is not always easy to hear.


“And That's The Boxing Truth."


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Monday, August 8, 2022

Diaz vs. Zepeda Set For November 5 On DAZN

 

 

Press Release: August 8, 2022 By DAZN – LOS ANGELES, CA (August 8, 2022) - Out to prove they are worthy of fighting for a world championship fight in the near future, South El Monte’s Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. (32-2-1) will face Mexico’s undefeated rising star, William “Camaron” Zepeda (26-0, 23 KOs) of San Mateo Atenco, Mexico in a dangerous 12-round lightweight main event that will be broadcast live worldwide exclusively on DAZN on Saturday, November 5. 

Credit: DAZN

 

In the crossroads matchup, former IBF junior lightweight titleist Diaz, Jr. has his eyes locked on continuing his campaign to take over the lightweight division despite a minor setback after facing Devin Haney in December 2021.

 

“I am very excited to be back in the ring and do what I love,” said JoJo Diaz, Jr. “I’m going to take on the toughest challenge that will bring out the best in me. I’m going to show the shrimp what it's like to swim with the sharks.” 

 

Undefeated Zepeda will be looking to climb the ranks with a victory over Diaz, Jr. giving him a spot to become a top contender for a world title. With an impressive knockout ratio over 90 percent, Zepeda will be looking to impress fans with his aggressive style. 

 

“I am ready to dance with JoJo and give him trouble,” said William Zepeda.  

 

“This fight proves that Golden Boy Promotions isn’t scared to put its fighters in tough matches to give fight fans the boxing entertainment they’re looking for,” said Oscar De La Hoya. “JoJo Diaz, Jr. and William Zepeda are both hungry fighters ready to put their reputation on the line to prove they are worthy contenders in the lightweight division. Both are aggressive southpaws fighters who come forward and are unafraid to give fans a show.”

 

“The lightweight division continues to be one of the most compelling in boxing today and this exciting matchup between JoJo Diaz, Jr. and William Zepeda is going to be an exciting showdown between two serious contenders,” said Joseph Markowski, EVP, DAZN. “We look forward to broadcasting this event worldwide on DAZN as part of an ever-growing lineup of fight nights this fall.”

 

More information on venue and the undercard will be announced in the coming weeks. 

 

Diaz, Jr. vs. Zepeda is a 12-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The fight will take place on Saturday, November 5 and will be broadcast live exclusively on DAZN worldwide. 

  

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #DiazJrZepeda

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, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.con.

 

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

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Thoughts On Garcia-Fortuna

As the fight between undefeated top Lightweight contender Ryan Garcia and Javier Fortuna approached, this observer found himself not feeling the normal anticipation that I normally have prior to a fight where there is significant interest. For someone who covers Boxing on every level imaginable and does so full time, I would be lying to the reader if I said that every single fight had the same level of anticipation.
In the days prior to this fight, the anticipation level at least for me seemed to bottom out. Perhaps it in part had to do with the fatigue that one can experience during a calendar year covering the sport of Boxing, but I thought to myself that the question going into this fight was in a way too simple. Would Javier Fortuna be able to impose his will on Ryan Garcia and pose more of a challenge than Garcia’s previous opponent Emmanuel was able to do earlier this year.

There were times after all when Garcia’s fight with Tagoe, his first since returning from a hiatus to focus on his mental health, resembled a sparring session due largely to Tagoe’s inability to make things difficult for Garcia in a fight where Garcia was able to control the combat from start to finish. While that can be attributed to both Garcia’s overall skillset as well as perhaps a bad style matchup for Tagoe once the fight was underway and he was unable to adjust, I did wonder whether or not this would be a different scenario and if Fortuna could make things more difficult for Garcia.

The slight wrinkle of the bout between the two Lightweights taking place one weight class above the 135lb. Lightweight division, in the 140lb Jr. Welterweight division did also make me wonder if this was a one-off way for Garcia to test the waters of the Jr. Welterweight weight limit before going back down to 135lbs. to seek a potential world title shot against the winner of the contracted rematch between undefeated Undisputed Lightweight world champion Devin Haney and former champion George Kambosos. Unfortunately for Fortuna, the decision for this fight to take place above the Lightweight division would prove to be not to his benefit.

In previewing this bout, I stated that it would boil down to whether or not Fortuna would be able to keep Garcia from getting into a rhythm. I elaborated furthest that one of the ways he could accomplish that would have been to make it a rough fight particularly if he were able to get close and force the fight on the inside. From the opening bell, Garcia seemed to systematically walk Fortuna down. The combination of the pressure as well as Garcia’s longer reach kept Fortuna from being able to find consistent success beyond occasionally landing hard counter punches.

While Fortuna’s punches did have power and seemed to get Garcia’s attention when they landed, he was not able to keep Garcia from coming forward and could not break his rhythm. It would be a matter of time before Garcia’s own power punches began to break Fortuna down. First it would be a left hook to the body that caused a delayed reaction from Fortuna prior to going down to the canvas. Quite frankly, having covered countless fights that ended via similar body shots, I thought the fight would be over as it is rare to see a fighter get up from a punch that not only takes their legs away from them, but also for lack of a better term paralyzes their ability to move for a period of time. To his credit, Fortuna was able to get up, but it would be the first of what became three knockdowns as he would be flooded in rounds five and six. The second knockdown coming from a flush right hook to the jaw in round five before Garcia closed the show by dropping Fortuna with a flush left hook to the head in round six before the fight was stopped.

Although much like his last bout against Emmanuel Tagoe, he did not face much of a test, Ryan Garcia was impressive in getting a knockout victory in his second fight since his return to the ring. Despite much of the discussion regarding Garcia both before and after his hiatus has centered on his being a potential challengers for the World Lightweight championship, following his knockout win over Javier Fortuna, Garcia stated his intention to stay in the Jr. Welterweight division going forward and called out former Jr. Lightweight world champion Gervonta Davis, who has spent the past few years collecting interim/regular champion designations in the World Boxing Association (WBA) rankings in multiple divisions including the Jr. Welterweight division.

Of course, yours truly does not have to tell those who follow the sport that there are significant obstacles that stand in the way of a potential fight between Davis and Garcia. Mainly rival promoters and rival networks, one of which continues to insist on using a pay-per-view model while the other is primarily subscription-based, but has been open to using pay-per-view on what they insist will be an occasional basis. I speak obviously of Showtime and DAZN as far as the network players involved and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and Golden Boy Promotions, the promoters.

While I can spend days talking about the flaws of the pay-per-view model, as well as the grandstanding and verbal back and forth between promoters and network executives, the latter of which indicates that they are more interested in talking about their competition and attempting to dismiss them rather than focusing on their own product, one can hope that for once all the above will put their egos aside and do right by the fighters and hopefully, right by the sport and the fans that support it. It may indeed be “Wishful Thinking” on the part of this observer, who only has the best interest of Boxing at heart, but imagine what could be done if all involved checked their egos at the door.

That dear reader can only be described in one word. "Progress.”

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Gervonta Davis Reminds The Boxing World He Has One Punch Power

 

In December of last year, Gervonta Davis, the former Jr. Lightweight world champion, who had scored knockouts in every one, but one of his professional fights received an unexpected test in the form of Lightweight contender Isaac Cruz. Perhaps what made that unexpected was that Cruz stepped into the fight on short notice when original opponent Rolando Romero had to withdraw from the bout to deal with issues outside of the ring. Nevertheless, the pressure Cruz was able to put on Davis for twelve rounds created something that Davis had not experienced before, uncertainty. Although Davis was ultimately able to adapt and score a twelve round unanimous decision to remain unbeaten, the performance of Cruz provided an impression that perhaps a blueprint of sorts had been made for future opponents on how to fight Davis.  With the issues he was dealing with outside of the Boxing ring resolved, what became an anticipated encounter between Davis and Romero was finally able to take place. On May 28th, a record crowd of over 18,000 spectators crammed into the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY to see Davis and Romero do battle. 

 

The thing that stood out to me almost immediately upon the bout starting was the stance of Rolando Romero. While not always an indicator of what may or may not happen in a fight, if one watches the sport of Boxing enough whether you are a fan of any interest or someone who covers the sport like yours truly, little things can stand out. In this case, I noticed that Romero’s stance was particularly wide in that he would need to lunge forward to throw his offense because his legs were far apart. My first thought was that he would be at risk of potentially getting caught with counter punches and because of his stance would likely be off balance when it occurred. I also felt based on the styles of both fighters that if Romero were to become over aggressive, there was also a possibility of him walking into a punch that he would not see coming and due to the aforementioned issue with his stance, would not be able to defend himself. 

 

While this was something I noticed almost immediately and is something that has come with a lifetime of experience in both watching Boxing on every level imaginable as well as writing about and covering the sport most of my life, the question that formed in my mind was a simple one, but was a question in two parts. Would Romero be able to recognize the issue with his stance and if not, would his corner recognize the issue and advise him of it as the fight progressed. I also wondered aloud as to whether or not Davis and his corner would recognize the issue of Romero’s stance and subsequently look for opportunities to try and take advantage of it. 

 

In previewing this fight, I stated that I thought the possibility existed for this encounter to be similar to the one Davis had against Isaac Cruz in the sense that one way Romero could have consistent success would be to apply steady pressure on Davis in a similar way as Cruz was able to. To be more specific, Cruz’ ability to back Davis up and make him feel uncomfortable as the bout progressed. 

 

Although Romero was able to pressure Davis in spots, this was more of an encounter where each fighter looked to counter the other. What was noticeable was that unlike his bout with Cruz where he seemed to have trouble for a lengthy period controlling the tempo of the combat and getting into a rhythm, Davis was able to let his hands go more regularly in this fight and was able to move more freely than had been the case against Cruz. 

 

The question of whether Davis would recognize the flaw in Romero’s stance did not take long to answer as he approved to look for opportunities to land his left hand whenever Romero would lean and lunge forward and began landing it regularly. As the fight progressed, it appeared as though Davis may have injured his left shoulder or hand as he seemed to let out a yell indicating he was in pain. While I did not happen to see if Davis may have either been hit by a punch from Romero or an instance where he may have hurt himself in the process of throwing a punch, I do recall hearing a short pop when this occurred in I believe the fourth round, but I cannot pinpoint exactly where this occurred. 

 

For his part, after this appeared to take place Davis did not seem to favor either his hand or shoulder in such a way as to indicate that he was hurt and because of that I began to wonder if the yell was a veteran tactic to try and bait Romero into making a mistake. It does need to be pointed out that, despite the success Davis was able to have in landing the left hand, particularly as a counter punch, Romero did take the punches well and did not seem to be hurt by what Davis was able to land. Romero was also able to land some good hooks of his own to the head pf Davis throughout. I did not feel however, that he was in a position where he was able to dictate how the fight was being fought and I felt that at minimum Davis was getting the upper hand by being the more active of the two fighters and seeming to land the more effective punches of the two. 

 

Just as it appeared as though this bout would settle into a tactical Boxing match, despite the styles of the two fighters, Davis would bring the fight to a sudden conclusion in round six. In a sequence where Davis was backing up slightly towards the ropes, he caught a lunging Romero as he leaned forward with a left hook to the head that sent Romero down on the canvas. Although Romero showed his mettle vy trying to get to his feet, he was on very unsteady legs and the bout was stopped 

 

Although Davis had caught Romero with similar punches throughout the fight, the difference here and what made this one punch knockout spectacular boils down to both how Davis was able to perfectly time his shot and the follow through in terms of the execution of the punch. While this proved to be Davis’ twenty-third knockout in twenty-five professional fights and keeping in mind his reputation as a “Knockout Artist” because of that record, there is something to be said about the way this knockout occurred from the standpoint that Davis bided his time, tactically set his opponents up and once the opportunity presented itself, executed brilliantly in such a way that even though it was a devastating one punch knockout, he did not rely solely on his punching power to get it done though the power was certainly there for Davis when needed. 

 

The question now is what is next for Gervonta Davis, well, he did maintain his status as holding the number one ranking in the WBA’s Lightweight ratings per his holding an interim/regular championship designation. While as most longtime readers know, this observer has pointed out the flaw of such designations regularly though they are well intended as a means of trying to ensure that fighters who earn title shots get their opportunity one way or another, in this case, Davis held that designation in both the 135lb. Lightweight division as well as the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division. The reason why this could prove to be a benefit is, the upcoming Undisputed Lightweight world championship fight between undefeated champion George Kambosos and undefeated WBC number one contender Devin Haney has the potential to be a two-fight series at minimum should Haney defeat Kambosos per the terms of the contract for that fight. 

 

What that could mean for Davis is a real possibility of being frozen out of the equation in what could develop into a trilogy between Kambosos and Haney should two fights indeed take place between the two and, each fighter emerges with one victory, which would obviously lay the groundwork for a third bout. So, this creates a scenario where Gervonta Davis has two options. Option one could be to continue fighting top contenders in the Lightweight division and continue to try to drum up support for him to fight whomever emerges out of the Kambosos-Haney situation with the Undisputed Lightweight crown, or he could try to secure a fight in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division where he could try to secure a fight with current undisputed world champion Josh Taylor. The decision of who Davis fights next will likely be influenced by whomever his promoter might be going forward as he is likely to become a promotional free agent after fighting many of his bouts over the last several years under Floyd Mayweather’s Mayweather Promotions promotional banner, which is aligned with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters.  

 

If Davis does not resign with Mayweather, but chooses to remain under the PBC umbrella with a different promoter, the potential of a fight against Taylor or other fighters in either the Lightweight or Jr. Welterweight divisions that are not under the PBC umbrella might be difficult to make. One fight that I personally would like to see would be a fight between Davis and undefeated top contender Ryan Garcia, who is promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. While Garcia will be facing Javier Fortuna in his next bout in July, another issue that could prevent that fight from happening assuming Garcia defeats Fortuna is that Davis’ bouts in recent years have been broadcast by Showtime here in the United States, whereas Golden Boy and Garcia have a broadcast agreement with digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN.  

 

Although DAZN somewhat reluctantly recently ventured into the pay-per-view model after marketing itself as a viable pay-per-view alternative, and keeping in mind that the model remains largely in decline for a variety of reasons, the possibility exists of maybe a joint pay-per-view between the two networks, despite the fact that they have failed to work together in the past, if Davis does choose to remain with the PBC and Showtime as the network that broadcast his bouts both through their main cable network as well as through pay-per-view. One potential possibility that might be unlikely is a rematch with Rolando Romero, who did say at the post-fight press conference that he does want a rematch and insisted that he was caught by “A Good Shot,” which resulted in a loss for him. 

 

Even though Romero was ahead on one of three official judges' scorecards at the time of the stoppage, it is hard to see interest in a rematch at least in terms of immediately simply because this fight ended with one punch and, despite the scorecard of one official judge, the tempo of the fight was largely controlled by Davis prior to the stoppage. It may be more likely both due to Davis’ seemingly upcoming promotional free agency as well as the Kambosos-Haney bout, which will take place on June 5th in Melbourne, Australia, (June 4th in the United States) that he will wait for a time before deciding his next move. 

 

Nevertheless, Gervonta Davis succeeded not only in remaining undefeated with his victory over Rolando Romero, but also in reminding the public that he does have the ability to end a fight with one punch. If there were thoughts that perhaps Isaac Cruz potentially exposed a blueprint on how to fight him, it might be wise to rethink that at least for now. 

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.” 

 

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

 

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