The Lightweight Picture Going Into 2022

 

The recent weeks in the sport of Boxing have been dominated largely by the 135lb. Lightweight division. As events have taken place including George Kambosos’ victory over Teofimo Lopez to win the Undisputed Lightweight championship of the world in late November, which set the focus squarely on the division beyond the coincidence of several bouts, including that one in and around the top of the division taking place within q narrow time frame, this observer has done his best to chronicle those bouts, which unfortunately, included the months-long saga that preceded the Lopez-Kambosos bout.

 

Following successful victories by unbeaten contenders Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis in the week following Kambosos victory over Lopez, the final marquee bout of 2021 at least as far as the Lightweight division is concerned took place on December 11^th in Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. A bout that yours truly referred to as a “Crossroads Fight” in the days prior to the bout. This observer is referring to the battle between former Lightweight world champions Vasyl Lomachenko and Richard Commey. Two fighters that coincidentally lost their respective portions of the World Lightweight championship to the man who is now the former undisputed world champion, Teofimo Lopez.

Some might wonder why yours truly would refer to this encounter as a “Crossroads Fight” given that both Lomachenko and Commey are recent former world champions in the same division. Typically, the term “Crossroads Fight” is used to describe a scenario where two fighters face each other where the loser may head toward retirement. In this case, it is different in that both Lomachenko and Commey are still in their physical primes, but I felt the loser of this fight would be knocked out of world title contention for a significant period of time due largely to the current changing landscape of the division with several top contenders vying for the opportunity to face the new Lightweight champion of the world George Kambosos. This means that the fighter that didn’t come out on top in this fight would be faced with two plausible options. The first would be if they wanted to remain at 135lbs. to essentially be put in a scenario where they would be pitted against both fringe contenders and rising prospects until such time as an opportunity came up where they could work their way back into the world championship picture.  While sometimes it takes fighters in such positions lengthy periods to accomplish this, despite their name recognition, it has happened before throughout the sport. Alternatively, the second and perhaps most logical option would be for the loser of this fight to seek other opportunities at a higher weight, most likely the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division.

 

As this fight approached, I wondered what the combat would look like as both Lomachenko and Commey can box, but both are certainly capable of getting an opponent out of there should the opportunity arise. It was no surprise to me to see Lomachenko execute nearly flawless footwork for which he is known from the outset. Although some may not understand or appreciate the value of lateral movement particularly in a tactical strategy, they should watch footage of Vasyl Lomachenko as he showed in this fight as he has done his whole career as both an amateur and a professional how footwork can be used both as a way of setting up offense as well as defensively.

 

From the opening round, Lomachenko used his legs to create openings to pepper Commey often with blistering combinations of punches, mixing up his level of attack, and making it very difficult for Commey to get his offense going much less find a rhythm. Although Commey showed tremendous heart throughout this fight, there were times as it progressed where I actually expected the bout to be stopped. There was one point in particular in the early rounds when Lomachenko staggered Commey in the closing seconds of a round, but chose to step back likely out of respect for his opponent and allowing him to finish the round.

 

Perhaps the most telling moments of this fight came in the seventh round when Lomachenko knocked Commey down with a flush left hook to the jaw. Commey to his credit showed his mettle by getting up from the knockdown and, despite the fight being allowed to continue, Lomachenko, instead of pressing forward for what would have likely been a stoppage victory, looked over to his opponent’s corner and motioned Commey’s trainer Andre Rozier to stop the fight. Rosier did not stop the bout and the gradually one-sided encounter continued. Despite being tactically out gunned by a superior fighter, Richard Commey continued to show his heart and to his credit was able to recover from circumstances that would have likely ended the night for most fighters in the position he was in, in the seventh round. Commey also never quit fighting and was able to have his share of moments in the latter rounds and did manage to go the distance in losing a twelve round unanimous decision to Lomachenko.

 

In all truth and honesty with the reader, shortly before the knockdown in round seven, I got a quick look at Richard Commey’s eyes and I said to myself “He’s done” in thinking that the fight was nearing its end. The knockdown moments later seemed to fall in line with what I was thinking as the look I observed albeit a brief look was one of a fighter that tried his best, but simply had no answer to combat a fighter of Lomachenko’s skillset, as many opponents both on the amateur and pro levels have experienced similar conundrums against Lomachenko. I was surprised following the knockdown to first not see Lomachenko pounce on his opponent to get the stoppage, but I was more surprised as it became increasingly clear, despite the heart and will Commey was showing, that he was taking a beating that neither his corner nor the referee stopped the fight as short of a puncher’s chance, it was clear to any knowledgeable observer that the fight was out of reach for him in terms of the scorecards.

 

While it is indisputable that any fighter that gets into a ring has a puncher’s chance and keeping in mind that Richard Commey did have the ability to score knockouts, I feel that there would have been no harm in stopping this fight even though Commey deserves all the credit he receives for going the distance. Although his trainer Andre Rozier explained after the fight that he did not want to stop the fight out of respect for his fighter in saying that he did not want to take his pride away from him, I respectfully disagree with the decision even though Commey was able to have his moments periodically after the seventh round.

 

A fighter’s heart and will is something that should always be respected, but it is the responsibility of a fighter’s corner to at times protect the fighter against themself. There is no doubt in my mind that had this fight been scheduled for fifteen rounds or going back to the original bareknuckle format of the sport where bouts were scheduled for ungodly round distances that as long as Richard Commey could stand, he would have continued on as many great fighters and former world champions have demonstrated throughout Boxing history. Thankfully for Richard Commey, he did not suffer any serious injures in the twelve rounds he spent in the ring with Vasyl Lomachenko, but one has to be concerned with what the accumulative effect of punishment that Commey sustained not just in this fight, but throughout his career, which will likely continue, will have on him long-term. Boxing is after all a combat sport and with each fight, particularly one that was fought like this, concern for a fighter’s long-term health should be a consistent topic of discussion. Nevertheless, Richard Commey should hold his head high for the brave effort he put forth in defeat and if he chooses to stay at Lightweight, could find himself back in the mix if he can get a few wins under his belt against either fringe contenders or prospects looking to move up in contention. For now, Commey should take some time to recover and then decide what will be next for him.

 

As for Vasyl Lomachenko, of the three fighters who emerged with victories in subsequent bouts following George Kambosos’ victory over Teofimo Lopez, he perhaps made as strong an argument if not the strongest as for him getting the potential first opportunity to face the new champion. Lomachenko has also stated that he has no problem traveling to Australia, Kambosos’ home country to face him, where Kambosos wants to make his first title defense.  While Lomachenko’s willingness to travel to an opponent's backyard is something that will likely be taken into consideration as Devin Haney has also said he would do the same, unfortunately, the decision will likely come down to which promoter and network puts up the most money to entice Kambosos to do the fight under their banner and on their platforms.

 

In an ideal scenario, being that yours truly also grew up a fan of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) in addition to my love for Boxing and combat sports, having watched many of the PBA’s tournaments on Saturday afternoons on ABC Sports here in the United States in the 1980’s and into the 1990’s where bowling broadcasts would often be the lead in for Boxing broadcasts on Wide World of Sports, an era that I frankly miss that should have never disappeared as far as Boxing is concerned,  I wish there could be something akin to the PBA’s stepladder tournament format where the top four or five fighters face off one by one with the ultimate end game being facing the number one seed for the championship, which in this case would be Kambosos. As simplistic as such a format is, unfortunately for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to rival promoters, sanctioning organizations, competing networks, and the various business interests wherein, Boxing will never adapt such an approach though it is a concept that should probably go on this observer’s annual “Boxing Wishlist”, which is released here on The Boxing Truth® shortly after the start of a new year.

 

For now, we in the sport be it those of us who cover the sport, the fighters themselves, and most of all the fans of Boxing, who continue to support the sport tirelessly will have to settle for the fact that Lomachenko, Haney, Davis, and perhaps the former champion Teofimo Lopez are all in the mix as 2022 looms. We can only hope that the various business elements that be in the sport are not going to take too long to determine who will get the first shot at Kambosos and that such a decision will benefit all involved.

 

“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

 

The Compelling Story of The Lightweight Division Continues

The Boxing world is still talking about the recent changing of the guard which saw undefeated IBF number one Lightweight contender George Kambosos ascend to the throne of Undisputed Lightweight champion of the world with his recent decision victory over previously undefeated former champion Teofimo Lopez. As normally is the case when there is a changing of the guard atop any division throughout the sport, the scrambling amongst top contenders and top promoters has begun all of whom are vying for one central thing. An opportunity to secure a bout with the new champion. For the fighters the opportunity is obvious, to compete for the Undisputed Lightweight crown Promoters and networks meanwhile, see the opportunity to secure the rights for the new champion’s first title defense for their respective promotional banners and network platforms.

 

In the aftermath of Kambosos’ victory over Lopez on November 27^th in Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY, coincidentally, two Lightweight bouts took place on December 4^th and 5^th that could have an impact on what Kambosos might do next and it is worth noting that the new champion was in attendance at both bouts, no doubt scouting his next potential opponent. The first of these two bouts took place on December 4^th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Los Vegas, NV where undefeated top Lightweight contender Devin Haney squared off with former IBF Jr. Lightweight world champion Joseph Diaz in a twelve round bout.

 

What was of interest for me in regard to this fight was whether or not Diaz could expand upon the test that Haney received earlier this year in his fight against former world champion Jorge Linares. A fight where Haney was badly staggered at the end of the tenth round and appeared as though he may have been saved by the bell. Although to his credit, Haney was able to regroup and finished the fight strong, the fact that he was legitimately hurt for the first time in his career was something that future opponents could try to use to their advantage against him.

 

While some may argue that Linares, a former world champion is nearing the end of a fine career, Diaz is closer to his prime years as a fighter and this seemed like a fight that would provide Haney a test beyond what Linares was able to do if an opportunity arose for Diaz. Despite how things seemed going into the fight, what ended up occurring was more or less a tactical Boxing match, which while competitive throughout, favored Haney as he generally out boxed and outworked Diaz in the majority of the rounds to earn a twelve round unanimous decision victory.

 

One aspect of Diaz’ strategy, which I felt served him well for a period of time was that he tried to pressure Haney from behind a high defensive guard. While this led to sporadic success throughout the bout for him in my view in scoring four out of twelve rounds in his favor, he simply did not throw enough to earn the nod in some rounds that may have been viewed as close and spent much of the time looking to entice Haney to throw punches in which he could try to counter. This allowed Haney to use his movement to evade the pressure Diaz was putting on him and generally win rounds by being more active and landing the cleaner, more effective punches.

 

It can be a challenge for fighters, particularly those that attempt to implement a strategy based on counter punching to find a balance between being a disciplined counter puncher and putting themselves in a position to win rounds by being active. In this case, I felt that Diaz was responsible in the sense of staying defensively sound, but he could not produce an offensive output that was such that may have swayed opinion as to who was getting the upper hand in rounds that were not easy to score and this is what ultimately gave Haney the edge to win the fight and remain unbeaten.

 

The second bout, which may have implications for the future of the Lightweight division took place on December 5^th at the soon to be renamed Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA where former Jr. Lightweight world champion Gervonta Davis met Isaac Cruz in a twelve round bout. The story of this bout was that Cruz had stepped in as a replacement for original opponent Rolando Romero on a little more than one month’s notice to face the heavily favored Davis.

 

While such a scenario does not always lead to competitive fights, Cruz showed immediately that he had not taken the fight for a mere payday and almost as soon as the fight began, immediately backed Davis up against the ropes. This was aided by the fact that Cruz used consistent and effective head movement that did make it difficult for Davis to land consistently. It became clear rather quickly that this would be a tougher than expected test for Davis, a fighter who had scored knockouts in twenty-four of his previous twenty-five bouts in his professional career. Cruz was able to consistently bring the fight to Davis and never really wilted in trying to apply consistent pressure.

 

As the fight progressed however, Davis was able to use more movement to evade some of Cruz’ pressure and in the process was able to get some distance where he was able to get his punches off first. The subtle difference particularly in the middle and late rounds is what allowed Davis, who injured his left hand in the sixth round and who subsequently fought the later rounds using only his right hand to earn a hard fought unanimous decision victory.

 

Similarly to how I saw the Haney-Diaz bout, I scored the Davis-Cruz bout eight rounds to four in favor of Davis. Unlike Haney-Diaz, this proved to be a much more difficult fight for Davis compared to the consistent Boxing performance that Haney was able to put forth. Both fighters however, did maintain their positions as contenders in the Lightweight division and it will be interesting to see if either was able to make a convincing argument to entice George Kambosos to give them an opportunity to fight for the Undisputed Lightweight championship of the world.

 

Unfortunately, it is not as cut and dry as it perhaps should be to determine who may be first in line for Kambosos. This is due to both Haney and Davis holding what amounts to interim/regular champion status in the WBC and WBA Lightweight ratings respectively. There is also some who think the issue of Kambosos being an undisputed world champion is something to dispute. This is due to the World Boxing Council’s decision to designate Teofimo Lopez as it’s “Franchise” champion shortly after he became undisputed champion with his decision victory over Vasyl Lomachenko in October of last year. While such a designation is merely a label, Boxing’s other respective sanctioning organizations do not recognize the new champion Kambossos, who beat Lopez as an undisputed champion.

 

Even though 90% of this can be summed up simply as Boxing’s various political elements rearing their collective heads in not so productive ways, this fact could delay fights from being signed because promoters may see a route to get a sanctioning organization to potentially strip Kambosos of a piece of the undisputed championship as an easier way to go for their fighter to be recognized as a legitimate world champion rather than engage in a negotiation process where Kambosos per his being champion is in the obvious position of being able to dictate the terms of a potential fight. While such “Franchise,” “Interim,” and “Regular” champion designations remain more of a detriment to the sport than a help and remains one of the reasons why Boxing can’t seem to get out of it’s own way at times, unfortunately, this is the scenario of things within the sport that needs to be revamped significantly.

 

As for former unified Lightweight world champion Vasyl Lomachenko, He will be the next potential opponent for Kambosos looking to make an argument for himself as he will face former IBF Lightweight world champion Richard Commey at Madison Square Garden’s Theater, the same venue where Kambosos defeated Lopez for the Undisputed Lightweight world championship, on December 11^th in a fight that can be seen on ESPN and ESPN+ here in the United States.

 

This amounts to a “Crossroads Fight” between two former world champions who coincidentally each lost their portions of the Lightweight world championship to Lopez and each has only fought once since suffering those respective defeats, each scoring knockout wins in those bouts. Perhaps, the similarities between Lomachenko and Commey end there. Vasyl Lomachenko is known for his immaculate foot work, ability to change angles and vary his attack at odd angles against his opponents. This has resulted in him winning world titles three divisions from the 126lb. Featherweight division to the 135lb. Lightweight division. Although he lost what ended up being a close fight to Lopez, Loma, as he is known to his fans, is still one of the top fighters in the entire sport and should be considered as a potential opponent for Kambosos along with Haney and Davis.

 

Before Lomachenko can set his sights on trying to become a two-time Lightweight world champion he must deal with a highly skilled boxer/puncher in former IBF Lightweight world champion Richard Commey. Commey suffered a second round knockout loss at the hands of Lopez in December 2019, nearly two years to the day of this encounter with Lomachenko. Although what happened to Commey in that fight can be best described as one fighter simply getting caught and being unable to recover, he has put together a fine career in his own right having scored victories in thirty of his thiry-three career bouts. While Commey has more professional experience compared to the seventeen bouts Lomachenko has fought, Lomachenko has a plethora of amateur experience having won three-hundred ninety-six bouts as an amateur and only losing two bouts as a professional against the highest level of competition available.

 

The key to this fight in my eyes will be whether or not Commey will be able to get Lomachenko’s respect early in the fight.  One thing that Teofimo Lopez was able to do that worked out well for a significant stretch of his fight with Lomachenko, which ultimately led to his victory was he made it very difficult for Lomachenko to get into a consistent rhythm offensively and also limited his movement. Commey must take the initiative and find a way to make Lomachenko uncomfortable. Both fighters are capable of scoring a knockout should the opportunity present itself, but the winner of this fight might be determined by who is able to dictate the combat and the answer to that question might come early in the bout.

 

No matter who wins between Lomachenko and Commey, odds are we will not be any closer to determining who will be the first to challenge George Kambosos for his undisputed crown. With this being the last significant Lightweight fight on the schedule to take place in 2021 however, at minimum, the debate of who out of the three winners of these bouts made the most convincing argument should become clearer.

 

“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