Will Edgar Berlanga's Gamble Pay Off Against Alvarez?

The sport of Boxing and by extension combat sports is far from an exact science. While that statement by its nature is one that can cover a lot of ground, for the purposes of this column, the term “Exact Science" will be in regard to the development of a young fighter. To be more specific, when the decision is made to allow the fighter to step up in caliber of competition.

In the case of undefeated Super-Middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga, it seems like it was only yesterday that he was a rising prospect, who began his career with a streak of sixteen knockouts. As impressive as that is, what makes it more impressive is all of those knockouts came in the first round. It should not be a surprise based on that statistic that Berlanga, who turned professional in 2016 has moved up the ladder of contention rather quickly, though the first four years of his career resulted in only sixteen rounds inside the ring.

A conundrum that all fighters who have risen through the ranks as Berlanga has is to deal with the label of “Knockout Artist." As much attention as the fighter who earns that label receives for having such an ability as scoring quick and often devastating knockouts, equal attention, perhaps more so, is given when the fighter fails to continue scoring knockouts as frequently as the level of competition increases. Berlanga has not been an exception as following an eight round decision over veteran Demond Nicholson in April 2021, Berlanga has only scored one knockout since his initial string of sixteen consecutive knockouts ended with that decision victory.

While some perhaps unfairly will and have seen this as a reason to criticize the twenty-seven year old native of Brooklyn, NY, his competition level, as it does for all fighters who continue to progress, has increased. Though some may take issue with some of Berlanga’s performances since that run of sixteen knockouts came to an end, what should not be overlooked is he has been given time to get more time in the ring under his belt, has learned how to go the distance and that can only help a fighter in their development. Now, with a record of 22-0, with 17 Knockouts and a number one ranking in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Super-Middleweight ratings, Berlanga now prepares to take another step up as he will challenge unified WBO/WBA/WBC Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez on September 14th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. A world championship bout that can be seen on Prime Video Pay-Per-View.

The obvious question going into this fight is whether Berlanga is ready for what is a significant step up. Not only because it's his first opportunity to fight for a world championship, but also, because he is now going to be in the ring with a future Hall of Famer in Alvarez, who until recently, was the longtime undisputed world champion of the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. While the International Boxing Federation's (IBF) decision to strip Alvarez of its world championship for his failure to fulfill his mandatory defense obligation against current number one contender, the unbeaten William Scull, which was due in the rotation of mandatory defenses among the various organizations, whose world titles Alvarez holds, means that this will obviously not be for an undisputed world championship, Berlanga will still be facing the number one fighter in the division. 

Therefore, if Berlanga would emerge victorious in this fight, his path to being an undisputed champion would obviously likely be a short one as he will likely look to make a fight with the winner of the bout between Scull and Vladimir Shishkin, the IBF’s number one and two contenders respectively, who are tentatively set to meet for the vacant IBF world championship later this year. The task of dethroning Alvarez, however, is not likely to be an easy one. 

In his last fight, Berlanga ended a five fight knockout drought, by scoring a sixth round knockout of previously unbeaten former IBO Light-Heavyweight world champion Padraig McCrory in February of this year in Orlando, FL. While that win showed that Berlanga still has the type of punching power that can end fights if given the opportunity, McCrory, despite being a former world champion and undefeated at the time he fought Berlanga, is not considered a household name having fought his previous eighteen bouts in the United Kingdom and Germany. Nevertheless, the knockout win over a former world champion did succeed in getting Berlanga this opportunity to challenge Alvarez,

In contrast to Berlanga, Alvarez is coming off a successful title defense in May in scoring a twelve round unanimous decision over previously undefeated former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia in the same venue in which this fight will take place. Alvarez, though still dominant as the longtime king of the Super-Middleweights has a bit of a streak going as well, in that for the third consecutive fight, Alvarez was able to knock down his opponent in Munguia as he had done to previous opponents Jermell Charlo and John Ryder, but he could not finish either of them. 

Although this is due to the toughness and resilience of all three, some might view Alvarez’ inability to score stoppages/knockouts in those fights as a sign of possible decline. Alvarez is only thirty-four years old, but one must keep in mind that he has had sixty-five professional fights in his career and the possibility of wear and tear from so many fights as well as moving up and down the weight scale winning numerous world championships in multiple divisions along the way, all taking an accumulative toll is real.

This is a case, however, where the onus is not on the champion, who not only has a significant edge in overall experience against top caliber opposition, as well as well over a decade fighting in bouts fought at the highest level of the sport, but it is on the challenger to show he is not only ready, but can compete effectively at this level. In thinking of how this fight might be fought, two things stood out to this observer as logical. 

One, Alvarez is a fighter that is a precision counter puncher and is otherwise very compact in how he sets up and throws his punches. This is something one should expect to see the champion implement in this fight. Given the challenger’s reputation in having scored early knockouts, it is logical to think that Alvarez will be looking to bait Berlanga into making mistakes, perhaps from the opening bell. A tactic that the champion has used at times is to sit on the ropes in a defensive posture and waive his opponent in, inviting them to come forward and throw punches. While this is an obvious tactic to try and bait the opponent into making mistakes, one opponent refused to take that bait when he fought Alvarez.

This observer is referring to unbeaten now unified Light-Heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol. A fighter, who not unlike Berlanga, began his career with a string of early knockouts, was labeled a “Knockout Artist," but over time evolved into a master boxer that can do a little of everything. In his fight with Alvarez, Bivol not only did not allow himself to be baited by Alvarez’ tactics, but executed a near flawless fight plan, which had an emphasis on tactical Boxing. The result was a convincing decision win for Bivol in defense of his Light-Heavyweight championship in being the only fighter to beat Alvarez in over a decade.

Edgar Berlanga has shown that he is a fighter that does not strictly have punching power, but most would say and would be correct that Dmitry Bivol is at another level in terms of being a master boxer. Nevertheless, Berlanga needs to find a way to be tactical in this fight and not rely strictly on his punching power. It is also crucial that he pace himself early on. One needs to keep in mind that Berlanga has never fought at this level before and as such, this is new territory for him. There are countless stories of fighters allowing what is known as “The Big Fight Atmosphere" to get to them in some way. Whether it is being overcome by the atmosphere of the event where they freeze under the pressure of it, or, being influenced by it where they are overly aggressive, the atmosphere of the event can often be as difficult an opponent to combat as the one a fighter has standing across from them in the ring. 

Berlanga needs to approach this fight with caution from start to finish. Even if he is able to find success at points and perhaps hurt Alvarez, he needs to remember who he is in the ring with and everything the champion has shown he is capable of. Equally important, the challenger must maintain his stamina. Alvarez’ fight plan is rooted in his experience and as such, if he does not bait Berlanga into making a mistake that he can capitalize on early, the plan will likely be to extend Berlanga into the middle and late rounds at a pace that the challenger is not used to, to either try and stop him late in the fight or box his way to victory to retain his world championship. 

While this is yet another chapter in the Hall of Fame career of Saul “Canelo" Alvarez, there comes a point in just about every star fighter’s career where one might wonder if the time has come where for lack of a better term the torch will be passed from one great fighter to potentially another who will carry it for a significant period of time. Yours truly cannot say whether we might be approaching one of those moments, but it is certainly a possibility that a fighter, even a great one such as Alvarez, might get old in one fight on one night. Whether Edgar Berlanga ends up being the fighter to make such a scenario occur is a question yet to be answered. 

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

Alvarez vs. Berlanga takes place on Saturday, September 14th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight as well as it's full undercard can be seen on Prime Video Pay-Per-View presented by Premier Boxing Champions beginning at 6PM ET/3PM PT with the main card beginning at 8PM ET/6PM PT for $89.95. To order this pay-per-view card download the Prime Video app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs or click the following link to order: Canelo vs. Berlanga. (*Card and Start Time Subject To Change.*) (*Check your local listings internationally.*)

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Alvarez-Munguia: A Fight Of The Year Candidate?

Despite suffering a setback in May 2022 in losing a twelve round unanimous decision to Dmitry Bivol in a failed bid to become a two-time Light-Heavyweight world champion, the career of Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez has continued to go strong as he has remained a fully undisputed champion in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division since he completed the unification process in stopping Caleb Plant in November 2021. The fact that Alvarez has remained undisputed champion for nearly three years is an accomplishment few can lay a claim to. Not only because of the obvious hurdles that a champion encounters every time they enter the ring to defend their championship, but also and perhaps more specifically, the red tape that occurs with regard to the respective sanctioning organizations, all of whom have obligations that their portion of a world championship that is part of a unified or undisputed crown, must be defended against a mandatory challenger of their designation on an annual basis, which if a champion fails to do so or is not granted an extension, often results in the title being stripped from the champion.

The political elements of the sport aside, Alvarez as a Super-Middleweight has been nothing short of dominant in continuing to defend his crown against the best the division has to offer. In his last outing,  Alvarez dominated former Undisputed Jr. Middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo in September of last year. Frankly, it was a case of Alvarez’ natural strength and skill being too much for Charlo, who moved up two weight divisions to try and defeat Alvarez. A one-sided victory for Alvarez, a twelve round unanimous decision, marked his sixth successful title defense since first becoming a Super-Middleweight world champion in December 2020 with a unanimous decision over then WBO world champion Callum Smith and the third since he fully unified the division. 

While there remains no shortage of potential challengers in and around the Super-Middleweight division, most notably undefeated former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion David Benavidez, who is the current top contender for Alvarez in the World Boxing Council (WBC) Super-Middleweight ratings and is reportedly moving up to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division after not being able to secure an opportunity against Alvarez, the champion has opted to move forward.  Although if one were to make a list of current Super-Middleweight contenders, there would be many who would point to Benavidez as possibly the most dangerous among them, Alvarez has chosen what could very well be an opponent that is just as dangerous for what will be his seventh title defense. The undefeated top contender and former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia in a fight that will take place on May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV and will be available on a pay-per-view basis through both Prime Video and DAZN.

This is not the first time that Alvarez and Munguia have been potential opponents. Some may recall in 2018 when Alvarez was between the first two fights of his trilogy with Gennady Golovkin, Munguia, who was then a world champion in the Jr. Middleweight division, was slated to move up to the 160lb. Middleweight division to face Alvarez. While there have been no shortage of similar scenarios throughout Boxing history where a world champion in a lower weight division has moved up in weight to seek among other things, more lucrative paydays, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) declined to sanction what was at that point a potential bout between the two due to what they deemed to be an experience disadvantage between the two. 

Since then, the two fighters have gone in different directions, with Munguia seemingly chasing Alvarez from a distance.  It is indeed true that, despite following Alvarez up in weight through the Middleweight and Super-Middleweight divisions as well as remaining unbeaten in the years since he was denied an opportunity to fight Alvarez, Jaime Munguia has not fought for a world championship in the years since he relinquished his Jr. Middleweight crown. 

In some ways, one might view that as both an injustice as well as somewhat refreshing in the sense that because there are seventeen full weight divisions in the sport, with only one sanctioning organization recognizing a would-be eighteenth division, the Bridgerweight class, it is common to see world champions move up and down the weight scale depending on what opportunities might be available and get into position to fight for more world titles in very little time, even at times getting that opportunity as soon as they move up in weight.  While no circumstance is exactly the same, the fact that Munguia has had to fight his way through, including being tested along the way as any would-be contender even though his status as an unbeaten former world champion remains in tact, has allowed him to make a strong case for himself for the opportunity that is now here against Alvarez.

The question is, what are his chances? One must keep in mind that Munguia has thirty-four knockouts in his forty-three career wins and his punching power has remained as he has moved up in weight. After spending some time under the guidance of the former world champion and Hall of Famer Erik Morales, Munguia will now be led into the biggest fight of his career by another former fighter in the form of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach. There is one similarity between Roach and Morales. As fighters, both were offensive-minded, and that mentality remains for both as trainers, with Roach a disciple of his former trainer the late great Eddie Futch, being regarded as one of the top trainers in the sport.

Munguia’s first outing with Roach in his corner was successful in January of this year when he scored a ninth round stoppage of former world title challenger John Ryder, sending the always “Game" fighter into retirement. Many will recall Ryder’s valiant effort when he challenged Alvarez for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight crown almost exactly one year ago. In a fight where Alvarez dished out a brutal beating and broke Ryder's nose, Ryder still fought on and made it to the final bell of that encounter.

While some might use the comparison of how Alvarez and Munguia each went on to victory over Ryder as a way to compare who might have an edge between the two as this fight approaches, there will likely also be some who will point out that by the time Munguia fought Ryder, Ryder was on the downside of a fine career and had been in several grueling battles before his twelve rounds with Alvarez. So, the fact that Munguia was able to stop Ryder, whereas Alvarez went on to  a decision victory to retain his championship, may not in any way serve as a reflection of what might happen in this fight. 

What will this fight look like once the champion and challenger are in the ring? The main objective for the challenger as has been the case for most of Alvarez’ previous opposition, will be to apply consistent pressure. The pressure applied however, must be done tactically and not recklessly. Alvarez’ two official losses came against fighters who were master boxers in Floyd Mayweather and Dmitry Bivol. While neither implemented a pressure approach against Alvarez and implemented a more tactical strategy where they did not allow Alvarez to get into a rhythm and dictated the fight from start to finish, the champion is not someone who fights well under pressure and there are many throughout the sport, this observer included who felt his first two fights against Gennady Golovkin, a fighter who similar to Munguia likes to come forward, apply pressure, and break his opponents down, could have gone in favor of Golovkin rather than a draw being rendered in the first fight followed by Alvarez winning the second fight, and ultimately winning the trilogy and seemingly sending Golovkin into retirement. 

Although I felt Golovkin won the first two fights, and simply started too late in the third bout, which allowed Alvarez to win the third bout more convincingly, the common element in the first two fights that could be viewed as a mistake Golovkin made, which Munguia must try to avoid here as he now faces Alvarez is in the middle and late rounds, Golovkin backed off from applying pressure just enough where it allowed Alvarez time to adapt. While I felt and still feel that Golovkin did enough to win both of those fights when the final bell rang, if Munguia has success early on in this fight, he must not get complacent and allow Alvarez any wiggle room to get back into the fight on the scorecards if this goes the distance. Simply put, he must leave no doubt as to who is the better fighter.

Of course, there is the possibility that this fight wil not go the distance. For his part, Alvarez has scored knockouts in thirty-nine of his sixty-four professional fights, so he also has the punching power to get an opponent out of there if the opportunity arises. The one thing we have never seen to this point in Alvarez’ career is what would hapen if he is hurt, knocked down, and legitimately in trouble in a fight. Even Gennady Golovkin, a fighter who was one of the most feared knockout artists in the sport with a career knockout percentage of nearly 89%, who had a percentage over 90% prior to his first encounter with Alvarez in September 2017 could not knock Alvarez off his feet, but was able to land several hard shots throughout his three bouts with him and Alvarez was able to stand up to what Golovkin had. If one is to go on evidence up to this point in Alvarez’ career, where he has shared the ring with several Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers, they would conclude that he has a granite chin. What will be interesting to see is not only if Munguia is able to test Alvarez’ chin as others have, but potentially focus a significant portion of his offensive approach to the body. An element Golovkin seemed to implement in parts of the first two fights against Alvarez, but did not sustain it. 

One tactical element that Munguia could use in this fight that Dmitry Bivol was able to do in his victory over Alvarez was he did not allow himself to be baited into traps. There were several instances throughout the fight where Bivol refused to press the action when Alvarez was on the ropes and inviting him to come forward and engage him on the inside. The styles of Bivol, a master boxer and Munguia, a power punching pressure fighter, are different, but what the challenger needs to try and avoid is being baited into traps, especially if it is evident that he is having success and the bait tactics attempted by the champion are an attempt to turn the ebb and flow in his favor, as was the case against Bivol, which did not succeed.

Although this fight might not amount to much more than simply the latest chapter in what will be a Hall of Fame career for the current Undisputed Super-Middleweight champion of the world, the fact that Alvarez not only fully unified the Super-Middleweight division, but has kept it that way in the years since is deserving of praise. Alvarez must keep in mind however, despite his status as now a long-reigning undisputed champion and as one of the biggest stars in the sport of Boxing, every challenger sees him as an opportunity not only for a big payday, not only as a chance to become an undisputed champion, but if they do indeed beat him, an opportunity to hit the proverbial jackpot. While some may feel other contenders might deserve the opportunity to fight Alvarez, Jaime Munguia is the fighter who has the opportunity now and he should be viewed with the respect normally given to a top contender and based on his resume, should be regarded as a dangerous opponent. 

Cinco de Mayo weekend in the sport of Boxing traditionally has been filled with historic battles in the past. Whether Alvarez-Munguia will be the latest to join that long list remains to be seen. 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Alvarez vs. Munguia takes place on Saturday, May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen on both Prime Video and DAZN on a pay-per-view basis for $89.99 and will also be available through traditional cable/satellite providers. The card will begin at 6PM ET/3PM PT with preliminary bouts followed by the pay-per-view portion of the card beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT.

To order this pay-per-view event on Prime Video, download the Prime Video app on mobile, tablet, or connected streaming devices/Smart TVs or Click here. To order on DAZN, download the DAZN app on your device of choice or Click here.

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

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Did Munguia Do Enough To Get Alvarez' Attention?

In the present day in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division, every fight outside of those that are contested for a world championship, which in present context is the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world, held by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, is essentially an audition for potential challengers to show why they should be the next challenger for Alvarez. When one also factors into the equation that Alvarez is also one of the biggest draws in the sport of Boxing, there is also plenty of financial incentive in addition to the chance to fight for an undisputed championship.

One such audition took place on January 27th when undefeated former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia squared off with former two-time world title challenger and recent Alvarez opponent John Ryder in Phoenix, AZ. The story of this fight in the lead up was simple. One fighter was seeking an opportunity for what would be the biggest fight of his career due to the aforementioned elements, the other was seeking a potential second opportunity after putting forth a “Game” and determined effort against the champion. For Munguia, this fight also represented his first working with former contender of yesteryear and Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

Whether it can be attributed to Roach now being in Muguia’s corner, Munguia began this fight coming forward and putting pressure on Ryder. A reversal from his last bout against former world title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko where it was Derevyanchenko pressuring Muguia and pushing him back, this time it was Munguia, who was pushing his opponent back. What followed over nine rounds was a physical dissection where Munguia simply broke Ryder down.

Munguia did this largely by changing levels and finding a home for his right hand. It was the right hand that led to knockdowns in rounds two and four. While it appeared after the second knockdown that Munguia simply had too much punching power and hand speed for Ryder, to good credit Ryder did try to slow the ebb and flow of the combat, and did have some periodic success in landing his own right hand and hooks in the middle rounds. 

The story of the fight however, did not change, in that as “Game" as Ryder was and has been throughout her entire career, he simply could not find an answer to avoid the right hand of Munguia and the consistent attack to the head and body ultimately resulted in Munguia knocking him down for a third time with a flush overhand right in round nine. Although Ryder got up, it would not be long before he would be sent down for the fourth time as a result of a hook to the body. 

Ryder staggered to his feet, but his corner chose to throw the towel in to save him from further punishment, ending the fight and making Munguia the second fighter to stop Ryder in his career. Inevitably, there will now be comparisons to Alvarez, who scored a lopsided unanimous decision over Ryder in May of last year.

The one thing that Munguia can say is he did stop Ryder inside the distance and did so in impressive fashion. Whether or not that will result in him being among the next in line for Alvarez, who likely has a mandatory defense in his future of one of the championships that comprises the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship, at minimum, this performance should be something to get Alvarez’ attention and a potential encounter between the two may be sooner than later providing that Alvarez is able to retain his crown in the meantime and Munguia is able to not only maintain his current position, but continue to move up the ladder towards that showdown.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.

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Can Munguia Get A Shot At Alvarez By Beating Ryder?

The month of January 2024 in the sport of Boxing will come to a close on Saturday, January 27th with an intriguing battle in Boxing's 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. An encounter that some might label a “Crossroads Fight." This observer is referring to the fight between undefeated former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia and former multi-time world title challenger John Ryder. A fight that will take place in Phoenix, AZ at the Footprint Center and csn be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN.

What makes this fight interesting is it features one fighter in Munguia, who after having a successful reign as a world champion in the Jr. Middleweight division, has remained unbesten, but has not been able to secure an opportunity to fight for another world championship in either the 160lb. Middleweight or now as a 168lb. Super-Middleweight. While some might argue that Munguia deserves the label as being an avoided fighter in and around what is at times referred to as a “Weight Neighborhood," he has remained not only undefeated, but also as a potential opponent for the current Undisputed world champion of the Super-Middleweight division, Saul “Canelo" Alvarez.

With the obvious aim of trying to secure a title shot against Alvarez, Munguia, who is undefeated in forty-two professional fights with thirty-three knockouts, will turn to a man who's most recent outing was against Alvarez. Yours truly is referring to John Ryder, who traveled to Mexico in May of last year where he put forth a very “Game" effort in losing a twelve round unanimous decision in a failed attempt to dethrone Alvarez. 

This presents an interesting scenario as this fight approaches that is somewhat of an unwritten approach that is implemented at times by fighters who are labeled as avoided by trying to face fighters that have faced their target opponent in an attempt to stir not only public opinion, but also said target into a potential encounter. While this approach is in some ways as old as the sport itself, the obvious danger to said approach is by establishing a common opponent between the fighter seeking opportunity and the target opposition, it also allows the fighter with the previous experience against the target opponrnt, in this case Alvarez, an opportunity to bounce back and thus try to themself secure another opportunity.

Such a scenario is often interesting because of several factors. The most obvious among them is the question of whether the result of the fighter looking for an opportunity with a target opponent against a fighter who fought that potential opponent will be any different or perhaps better should that fighter also defeat said opponent. In this case, Alvarez defeated John Ryder via a unanimous decision in a fight where, despite being dropped and suffering a beating over twelve rounds including a broken nose, Ryder was able to go the distance with the champion and even had some success in the latter stages of that fight. The fact that Alvarez though having retained his undisputed championship convincingly, could not stop Ryder inside the distance will obviously create the potential comparison with Munguia, a fighter that has a near 80% career knockout percentage.

While some were critical of Ryder getting that opportunity against Alvarez, despite being a mandatory challenger at the time, the determined effort he put forth in that fight endeared him to Boxing fans and even though some might view him as a sacrificial opponent for Munguia, Ryder is still one of the top fighters in the Super-Middleweight division and no doubt views this fight as an opportunity to catapult himself back into the discussion of potential challengers for Alvarez. Ryder going twelve hard rounds with one of the top stars in the sport and withstanding everything Alvarez threw at him til the final bell, likely gives him confidence going into this fight against one of Boxing's noted “Knockout Artists."

Although Munguia has at times struggled to maintain that reputation as he has moved up in weight, he has scored knockouts in three of his last four bouts. With this in mind, the main question going into this fight will be whether Ryder can withstand Munguia’s punching power. John Ryder is a seasoned veteran who knows how to grind out tough decisions by forcing his opponents to engage in rough and often grueling fights where the main tactic has been his ability to apply pressure.

Whether or not Ryder can do that against someone of Munguia's reputation remains to be seen. It is also important to keep in mind, despite Munguia's ability to score quick and often devastating knockouts, there have been times throughout his career where even his best efforts, some fighters, much like Ryder was able to do against Alvarez, were able to go the distance with Munguia, most notably former world title challengers Gabriel Roaado and most recently Sergiy Derevyanchenko, who Munguia was able to drop, but could not finish. 

While it is by no means set in stone that the winner of this fight will be in the immediate future for Alvarez, who likely will have some mandatory title defenses in the pipeline in order to remain an undisputed champion, nevertheless, there is an opportunity for both Munguia and Ryder to try and produce the type of performance that will drum up public demand for either to get an opportunity to fight for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world. Only time will tell whether the winner of this fight will be able to maneuver themselves into such an opportunity during 2024 or beyond.

“And That's The Boxing Truth."

Munguia vs. Ryder takes place on Saturday, January 27th at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ. The card can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning with preliminary bouts at 5:30PM ET/2:30PM PT. This will be followed by the main card beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT.

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. 

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Alvarez Sets The Stage For Rematch With Bivol

The story of Saul "Canelo" Alvarez' defense of his Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world against WBO number one mandatory challenger John Ryder was not about a fight between two of the best the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division has to offer, but about an event. An event of an undisputed world champion coming home to defend his crown before over 50,000 spectators in his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico at Akron Stadium.

In terms of the actual fight, despite being heavily favored due largely to his status as one of the superstars in the sport of Boxing, the last year was not entirely kind to Saul Alvarez. It was at this time last year when Alvarez had moved up in weight to challenge undefeated WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol. As most know, in a fight that went the distance, Alvarez was thoroughly out boxed and out worked by a master boxer in Bivol. Although losing one fight should not define a fighter's career, the twelve round unanimous decision loss to Bivol did knock some of the perceived luster off Alvarez in the sport's mythical pound for pound debates as being regarded as the best fighter in the world.

While this observer normally tries to avoid such debates because by it's very mature, the term "Pound For Pound" is subjective, open to interpretation, and seemingly changes month to month depending on who one asks, there is no doubt that when he met Bivol on one night in May 2022, Saul Alvarez did not emerge as the better fighter. The setback against Bivol was followed by a tougher than expected defense of his Super-Middleweight crown against longtime rival Gennady Golovkin in the third and one can assume final meeting between the two future Hall of Famers in September of last year. 

Despite retaining his title via twelve round unanimous decision in that fight, Golovkin who's best days as a fighter, may well be behind him, was able to make the fight close over the second half of the bout and there may be an argument that had he fought all twelve rounds as aggressively as he did over the final six rounds, he may have pulled out a win over Alvarez. Alvarez was also dealing with an injured left hand going into that fight, so there was also the question of how he would perform following surgery after his second win over Golovkin that surrounded this fight against John Ryder.

In previewing this bout, this observer stated that the obvious approach for the challenger would be to establish the tempo of the combat from the outset and make it difficult for Alvarez to get into a rhythm. Despite the fight being fought in a small ring that was said to be eighteen feet, Ryder instead seemed content to box with Alvarez in the pocket. While the eighteen foot ring on the surface seemed tailor made for Alvarez, it would have also benefited a fighter like Ryder, who is typically a straight forward pressure fighter.

Although there were moments where Ryder was able to get Alvarez against the ropes throughout this fight, the challenger's approach was not one that suited him well as the fight progressed. A jab in round three appeared to break Ryder's nose as he began to bleed severely from both the nose and the mouth. Alvarez was able to follow thet by dropping Ryder with a perfectly timed one, two combination to the head in round five.

At this point in the fight, I frankly thought that it would be only a matter of time before it would be stopped. My thought process being not so much that Alvarez was dominating the bout to such a degree that Ryder was in danger, but more so due to what appeared to be Ryder dealing with a broken nose and subsequently looking as though he was having trouble breathing. Despite this and my natural instincts having seen and covered thousands of fights on every level of the sport in having what some might call a gut feeling as to when a fight is likely to be stopped due to an injury like this, Ryder as he has done for his entire career, remained determined, very "Game," and did what he could to remain in the fight with the champion.

It was likely such grit and determination that gave Ryder the benefit of doubt as the fight moved into the middle and late rounds, despite the circumstances he was facing. Perhaps one criticism that some might point to in regard to Alvarez as the fight progressed was even though he appeared to have an opportunity to get a stoppage at some points due to Ryder's condition, he did not force the issue too much to try and end the fight early.

While no one can take anything away from the heart John Ryder showed in this fight, which should endear him to Boxing fans as it was a display of courage that some fighters under similar circumstances might have chosen to bow out gracefully once the injury occured, and keeping in mind that this was the first fight for Alvarez coming off of a surgery, perhaps a reason why Alvarez did not try to force the issue here could be that he was showing respect to Ryder. In that, despite being in control of the fight, Alvarez in a gesture of sportsmanship allowed Ryder the chance to go as long as he could rather than trying to get him out of there quickly.

It is also worth reminding the reader and any potential critics that this was Alvarez' first fight in his native Mexico, and to be more specific, his hometown in over a decade. So in addition to likely developing respect for his opponent due to his valiant effort, the possibilty of Alvarez looking to extend the fight to allow himself and the fans in Akron Stadium to enjoy the moment, also exists. While this by no means is a suggestion on the part of yours truly that Alvarez did not put in a solid performance, did not do what he needed to do in order to retain his championship or for lack of a better term, carried his opponent to the final bell of the scheduled twelve round world championship bout, it is something to keep in mind because there will likely be those who will view this as a sign of decline in Alvarez simply because he did not press the issue to get a stoppage.

In some ways, it reminded me of the November 2010 bout between future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao and controversial former Welterweight champion Antonio Margarito. The fight, which took place in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX for a vacant Jr. Middleweight world championship saw Pacquiao batter Margarito for the majority of the twelve round bout. The effects of the punishment dished out by Pacquiao ultimately resulted in Margarito suffering a broken right eye socket as his face became grotesquely swollen as the fight progressed. Although I felt that fight should have been stopped by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation who oversaw and sanctioned the bout as it was clear that Margarito could not see out of his right eye, a point of view that I made clear in my coverage of that fight, now almost thirteen years ago at the time of this column's publication, Margarito deserved credit for the heart he showed that night and, despite his career being controversial and tainted due to a suspension for attempting to put plaster of paris on his hand wraps prior to his fight with Shane Mosley in 2009, which he served a suspension for by the California State Athletic Commission and because of that, his career accomplishments prior to that have to be questioned, in some way, his performance and bravery did earn him some of the respect he lost due to the controversy prior to his bout with Mosley.

In a similar way as Saul Alvarez would approach the remainder of his fight with John Ryder, Manny Pacquiao, a fighter known for a relentless swarming offensive style, particularly in his prime, did not press the issue and chose to out box Margarito to the final bell in seeming to give Margarito the chance to go for as long as he could or for as long as the officials who were overseeing the bout would allow him to. As Margarito was able to do that night in November 2010 in losing to Pacquiao, John Ryder would go the distance in this fight with Saul Alvarez.

The outcome of this fight ultimately would be academic as Alvarez would win a wide and convincing twelve round unanimous decision to retain his Undisputed Super-Middleweight chamipnship of the world. John Ryder however, was able to perform well down the stretch and should remain in the mix at 168lbs. once he has had the opportunity to heal from his injury.

As for the champion, this fight took care of one mandatory defense obligation amongst the four world championships that Alvarez holds that comprise the Undisputed Super-Middleweight chamipnship of the world. While there are three other challengers representing the WBC, WBA, and IBF that Alvarez is going to have to face in a reasonable time to keep the championship fully unified, he insisted after the successful defense over John Ryder that he wants to move back up to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division to seek a rematch with Dmitry Bivol in September.

If that fight does indeed take place, regardless of the outcome, Alvarez will likely have to make a decision regarding the undisputed championship he holds in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division by the end of this year. Logically, if Alvarez were to lose to Bivol a second time, there are two realistic options for him. 

One would be to commit to the aforementioned sanctioning organizations that are waiting for their mandatories to be fulfilled for the current cycle, to fulfill those obligations throughout 2024 and possibly 2025 assuming he retains the championship in those bouts, or he might want to consider retirement. In his last two fights since his loss to Bivol, Alvarez has gotten the job done convincingly. Styles however, do make fights and based on what this observer saw and covered when he faced Bivol one year ago, Bivol might just be a fighter with a style that Alvarez will always have trouble with and may well be unable to solve Bivol's puzzle. Although Alvarez successfully moved up and won a world championship in the Light-Heavyweight division before relinquishing it to return to Super-Middleweight, he may be at the point where there is nothing left to prove at Super-Middleweight as he is atop the whole division and if he is unsuccessful against Bivol, it may be an indication as most fighters who move through multiple weight classes eventually find out, that they've hit a ceiling and for Alvarez, that puts him in situation where there could be nothing left for him to accomplish as a fighter, which is why retirement might be the only other option if he is unable to avenge his loss to Bivol.

For now, Alvarez has done his part to set up a potential rematch. The question is whether Bivol will want the rematch having dominated Alvarez before, the scenario is slightly different this time. Alvarez is still one of the biggest stars in the sport, but an argument could be made that after what happened last year, it is Alvarez who needs a fight with Bivol more than the WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion needs him.

"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

Alvarez-Ryder Weights

The official weigh-in for Saturday's DAZN Pay-Per-View main event (In the United States and Canada) at Akron Stadium Undisputed World Super-Middleweight chamipnship fight between defending champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and WBO number one Super-Middleweight contender John Ryder took place on Friday in Guadalajara, Mexico. Ryder, who will be making his second attempt at a world championship came in right at the Super-Middleweight limit of 168lbs.

Alvarez, who will be the overwhelming crowd favorite, as this fight has been promoted as a homecoming, came in looking lean at 167 1/2lbs. The bout is scheduled for twelve rounds and will have all four world championships, the WBO, WBC,WBA,IBF crowns which comprise the Undisputed Super-Middleweight chamipnship of the world will be on the line. Weights for the undercard bouts on the card are unavailable as of this writing.

Alvarez vs. Ryder takes place on Saturday, May 6th at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico. In North America, the fight can be seen on DAZN Pay-Per-View for $54.99. Outside of the United States and Canada, the bout can be seen on DAZN internationally as part of a standard monthly or annual DAZN subscription and an on demand replay of the bout as well as it's full undercard will be made available following the event. The broadcast will begin at 6PM ET/3PM PT with The DAZN Boxing Show: Before the Bell, which will feature preliminary bouts. The pay-per-view broadcast will begin at 7PM ET/4PM PT. (* U.S. Times Only*)

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 and verify if pay-per-view access is required in your region for this event please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

For non-DAZN subscribers/users in North America, the card will also be available on traditional cable/satellite providers and PPV.com and the PPV.com app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs, for $79.99. Visit www.PPV.com to order and for instructions on where to download and access the PPV.com app or contact your cable/satellite provider for ordering information.

(*Card and start time subject to change, check DAZN.com for local start times internationally.)

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

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

Can Ryder Upset Alvarez?

For some fighters, the path to a world championship fight is not as simple as it might seem. Some are able to get their opportunity off of the strength of an impressive win, which in turn serves as the catalyst to drum up support for said fighter to fight for a world title. While this may seem like the quickest path to one getting a shot, there are countless other fighters that must for lack of a better term rely on the structure that be in the sport, which means for a fighter to work their way to a mandatory position to force a shot at a world championship.

This is precisely the path that Super-Middleweight contender and former world title challenger John Ryder has taken, which has seen him fight his way to the number one contender's position in the World Boxing Organization's (WBO) Super-Middleweight ratings, which has now resulted in the native of London, England now being on the brink of the biggest fight of his career. A fight where he will challenge current Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez for all the marbles in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. Ryder's second opportunity to fight for a world championship will not just be for an undisputed championship, but will also come against one of the biggest stars in the sport when he faces Alvarez in Guadalajara, Mexico on May 6th, which can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN and DAZN Pay-Per-View here in the United States and in Canada.

By now, this observer does not need to go into a long in-depth chronicle of the career of Saul Alvarez, a fighter known to his fans simply as "Canelo." Alvarez' status as a future Hall of Famer is cemented at this stage of his career. The current Undisputed Super-Middleweight King has however, hit a bump in the road recently when he was thoroughly out boxed when he moved up to Light-Heavyweight to challenge undefeated WBA world champion Dmitry Bivol in May of last year. Although Alvarez was able to bounce back from the twelve round unanimous decision loss to Bivol by decisioning Middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin in their third meeting in September of last year, there are some who question whether Alvarez has truly recovered from the loss to Bivol from a psychological standpoint.

It may indeed be true that Alvarez was out boxed by a master boxer in Bivol, but this observer does not necessarily feel that, that loss or what proved to be a more difficult fight than some might have expected the third time around against a fighter in Gennady Golovkin, who is closer to the end of his career than he is the prime of his career, necessarily signals a decline in Alvarez, but there is no disputing that 2022 was not the best year for him. Now as Alvarez prepares to defend his crown for the first time in 2023, he will be fulfilling his mandatory defense obligations as far as the WBO is concerned when he faces Ryder in his hometown at the Akron Stadium. What has all the appearance of a "Homecoming Fight" for Alvarez and has even been marketed as such taking place during Cinco De Mayo weekend, this may turn out to be a more dangerous fight than some might expect.

Despite suffering five losses in his career up to this point, John Ryder has only been stopped once in his career and that stoppage came eight years ago at the hands of Nick Blackwell. Ryder has since proven to be quite durable and even in fights he has lost such as to former Super-Middleweight world champion Callum Smith, in his first attempt at a world championship, there is some argument as to Ryder having been on the bad end of some decisions that could have gone either way. Since his loss to Smith in November 2019, Ryder has won four straight fights that has served to build a wave of momentum including a twelve round split decision win over former IBF Middleweight world champion Daniel Jacobs in February of last year that secured him the number one ranking in the WBO ratings.

In addition to the momentum he has been able to build going into this fight, the challenger may have something else working in his favor. Although there is no disputing that Alvarez is one of the biggest stars in the sport, his position has also afforded him the opportunity to schedule his fights or at least his intention to fight well in advance of when he actually competes. In the current scenario, Alvarez has already stated that he would like a rematch with Dmitry Bivol in September. Therefore, the possibility exists that the champion could well be overlooking an opponent with an eye on avenging his defeat to Bivol.

While it is important to keep in mind that John Ryder will be walking into the equivalent of a lion's den by facing Alvarez in his hometown with a potential record crowd of supporters on his corner, Ryder literally has nothing to lose here and if Alvarez is not taking this fight seriously, it could play right into his hands. How can John Ryder pull off an upset on what will be hostile ground? 

The most obvious approach will be for Ryder to establish the tempo of the combat immediately and make it difficult for Alvarez to get into a rhythm. This can prove to be easier said than done, however, Ryder does have a style where he does come forward and he can make fights difficult on opponents by grinding out rounds where he is able to outwork them in volume of punches, while also making it difficult for his opponent to get his punches off. While the approach is not necessarily the most entertaining to watch, it is effective when Ryder is able to execute it effectively.

What Ryder needs to keep in mind however, in his approach of how he tries to attack Alvarez, is that Alvarez has always been very compact with his offense and in particular is a very dangerous counter puncher in addition to having punching power. Although anything can happen once two fighters are in the midst of battle, there are likely some who feel that John Ryder will essentially have to fight a perfect fight here if he is going to have a chance to win this fight, particularly if the bout goes the distance as every advantage one could point to outside of the matching between the two fighters, also favors the champion from the home crowd advantage, to that advantage possibly being able to influence how a bout is scored, which could prove crucial if there are rounds throughout the fight that might seem close.

Although judges are not supposed to be influenced in any way when they score a fight beyond what is going on in the ring, the atmosphere of a massive and loud crowd does indeed play a role otherwise one is not human. This does not mean to suggest any possible corruption, but the point this observer is making is with what is likely to be a massive and loud crowd in attendance, the possibility that judges might have trouble maintaining focus due to noise is very real, which unfortunately can play a role in the outcome if the fight does indeed go all twelve rounds.

Despite the fact that everything seems to favor Alvarez and keeping in mind that this is a mandatory defense of one of the  world championships that he holds that compromise the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world, a real question that should be asked as this fight approaches in addition to whether Alvarez is looking ahead towards a potential rematch with Dmitry Bivol, is just how long will Alvarez remain in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. At this stage of his career and keeping in mind that he did briefly hold a world championship in the Light-Heavyweight division, it is likely a fight by fight process for him as opposed to committing to trying to have as lengthy and successful reign as champion as possible. Whether John Ryder can surprise many and dethrone Alvarez in his "Homecoming" remains to be seen.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

Alvarez vs. Ryder takes place on Saturday, May 6th at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico. In North America, the fight can be seen on DAZN Pay-Per-View for $54.99. Outside of the United States and Canada, the bout can be seen on DAZN internationally as part of a standard monthly or annual DAZN subscription and an on demand replay of the bout as well as it's full undercard will be made available following the event. The broadcast will begin at 6PM ET/3PM PT with The DAZN Boxing Show: Before the Bell, which will feature preliminary bouts. The pay-per-view broadcast will begin at 7PM ET/4PM PT. (* U.S. Times Only*)

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 and verify if pay-per-view access is required in your region for this event please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

For non-DAZN subscribers/users in North America, the card will also be available on traditional cable/satellite providers and PPV.com and the PPV.com app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs, for $79.99. Visit www.PPV.com to order and for instructions on where to download and access the PPV.com app or contact your cable/satellite provider for ordering information.

(*Card and start time subject to change, check DAZN.com for local start times internationally.)

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

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

Benavidez-Plant Thoughts

As strictly a Boxing match, the encounter between former Super-Middleweight world champions David Benavidez and Caleb Plant checked a lot of boxes that a Boxing fan looks for in the lead up to the fight. A clash of styles that when matched against each other was likely to produce a competitive fight. A rivalry between the two fighters that appeared to grow into legitimate bad blood, and the sub-plot of potentially getting another opportunity to fight for a world championship. With the fight fan's list of what to look forward to checked off, it was time for the two fighters to converge on the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV on March 25th to do battle. 

In previewing this bout, this observer stated that it would likely come down to whether or not Plant would be able to deal with the punching power and hand speed of Benavidez. It was also crucial in my eyes that Benavidez not allow Plant, a fighter known for his elusiveness, to be able to set the tempo of the fight and could not start slow as he had done in previous fights as the possibility existed that Plant could build an early lead on the scorecards

For most of the first six rounds of the fight, this is exactly what Plant was able to accomplish. Using his ability to move laterally and approach Benavidez at varying angles, Plant was able to pick his shots by throwing and landing short, crisp combinations to the body and head and then move before Benavidez could return offense. This essentially was the pattern in which the fight was fought for a significant period of time. What yours truly also stated was that Benavidez needed to avoid following Plant around, needed to find a way to cut the ring off to try and limit his movement, and needed to let his hands go consistently.

Throughout most of the first half of the twelve round bout, Benavidez seemingly fell into that trap, which is a testament to what appeared to be an effective fight plan that Caleb Plant was able to execute. It also should not be overlooked that as Benavidez followed Plant around, it was Plant who was able to frequently make the undefeated former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion miss with the punches that he did throw. Plant, the former IBF Super-Middleweight world champion, also succeeded in keeping Benavidez from being able to establish any kind of consistent rhythm offensively by implementing this strategy, with an emphasis on movement and trying to out box his opponent.

At the halfway point of the fight, I felt that Plant had won five of the first six rounds based largely on his execution of his fight plan. While I did not feel the bout was close in terms of scoring at this point, one thing that also stood out was when he was able to connect with his punches, David Benavidez was the harder puncher of the two. Although that should not be surprising to most knowledge Boxing fans, who are familiar with the styles of the two fighters, the question that formed in my mind as the fight progressed was whether or not power punches would be enough for Benavidez to be able to get the job done in this fight as it appeared going into the second half of the fight that he was being out boxed and out worked by Plant.

During the second half of the fight however, the ebb and flow changed as the pressure of Benavidez as well as fatigue began to slow Plant down, which made him more of a stationary target. This along with Benavidez being able to land punches more consistently, seemed in some ways to mirror Plant's only career defeat at the hands of current Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who was able to gradually break Plant down and stop him in eleven rounds in their unification bout in November 2021. Much like Benavidez, Alvarez was able to land the harder shots particularly to the body, which slowed Plant down. In this case, perhaps because of what happened to him against Alvarez, Plant though slowed considerably as the bout progressed tried to go toe to toe with Benavidez, despite it not being to his advantage.

Some might also point to the fact that Caleb Plant was able to get away with what at times appeared to be excessive holding throughout the fight when Benavidez was able to get close. While the tactic of holding an opponent is one that a boxer uses both as a means of defense as well as a way to physically turn an opponent where they are not able to get punches off and then be able to maintain distance when separated by the referee, I will say that I felt the holding by Plant did border on excessive, particularly in the second half of the fight when he was unable to use his legs as he had done over the first six rounds to evade Benavidez.

It needs to be pointed out however, that skilled boxers as Caleb Plant certainly is will look to take advantage of whatever they are able to get away with as long as they are allowed to by the referee. The referee for this bout was Kenny Bayless, who is one of the most respected referees throughout the entire sport that is frequently called upon to officiate bouts all over the world, not just in the state of Nevada in a career where he has officiated close to 900 professional bouts as a referee, many of those bouts having been for world championship fights. Why am I taking the time to point out the credentials of the referee of this fight the reader might ask?

Well, if you are knowledgeable about the sport and you have spent as much time covering it as I have in having spent most of my life writing about and covering Boxing as well as other combat sports, you unfortunately get used to hearing the criticism of fans of referees, judges, and hear the subsequent accusations of potential corruption hurled in the direction of those who are criticized. Although I have not spent too much time as I write this column to see if there has been such criticism of Bayless, I do not feel there was anything suspicious going on in terms of potential corruption. I do feel however, that Bayless should have at least warned Plant about holding as the fight progressed. Referees and judges, like the rest of us, are human and are just as prone to having an off night at the office for lack of a better term as any of us. Bayless is still one of the best in the sport, but it is quite possible that he indeed had an off night here and that did serve to benefit Plant.

Unlike in the Alvarez fight where the effects of pressure, punishment, and fatigue led to his downfall, just as it appeared this fight was heading for a similar outcome, Plant was somehow able to survive a terrible beating that Benavidez dished out in the later rounds. This was particularly surprising in the eleventh round where I frankly thought he was taking too much punishment and wondered if Bayless or his corner would stop the fight as a result. Although Plant did not get knocked down during this period of the fight and deserves a lot of credit for being able to survive and go on to finish the fight, I felt the eleventh round was lopsided to the degree that scoring that round 10-8 in favor of Benavidez was appropriate. As it would turn out, that decision by yours truly would end up producing a rarity on my unofficial scorecard at the end of the fight.

At the end of the twelve round bout, I arrived with an even score in terms of rounds in having scored six rounds a piece between Benavidez and Plant. In points however because I scored the eleventh round 10-8, a score that most of the time is reserved for when there is a knockdown, in favor of Benavidez, I arrived with Benavidez winning the fight 115-113 in points, akin to a seven rounds to five scorecard. 

Ultimately, Benavidez would win the fight via unanimous decision by margins of 115-113 (Seven rounds to five), 116-112 (Eight rounds to four), and 117-111 (Nine rounds to three). While I do not feel a nine rounds to three scorecard was an accurate illustration of how close this fight was, it is indisputable that once Caleb Plant was not able to use his movement, the dynamic of the bout changed and it was a different type of fight from the second half of the contest on through the end of the fight. 

The victory for David Benavidez now moves him into a mandatory position to challenge Saul Alvarez as far as the World Boxing Council's (WBC) Super-Middleweight ratings is concerned. The likelihood of Benavidez getting that shot in the near future seems unlikely due both to Alvarez' upcoming title defense against WBO mandatory challenger John Ryder in May and assuming he retains his undisputed championship in that fight, his desire to seek a rematch with undefeated WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol, who defeated Alvarez last year in defense of his Light-Heavyweight crown. This as well as the uncertainty of the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters, who currently promote Benavidez, seems to keep him out of the equation at least in the immediate future, though he did do his best to call Alvarez out for a fight later this year shortly after defeating Plant. 

As for Caleb Plant, the second loss of his career will do little to negatively affect his standing in the Super-Middleweight division. He has however, earned the chance to rest after what was a very tough and grueling fight. The uncertainty that the PBC, who also promotes Plant, currently finds itself in will likely allow Plant all the time he needs to recover and decide what he wants to do before going back to the drawing board. The one thing Plant can take from this loss is he performed well and even though he did lose this fight, the way he fought, particularly in the later rounds will endear him to fans going forward and his stock in the division will go up as a result.

"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 

DAZN Continues To Roll The Dice

As previously announced earlier this week, Undisputed Super-Middleweight champion of the world Saul "Canelo" Alvarez will defend his crown on May 6th against WBO number one contender and mandatory challenger John Ryder in Mexico, signaling Alvarez' first fight in his home country in more than a decade. While this column will not discuss the fight in detail as we are still more than two months away from the scheduled date, the bout already has generated controversy.

How has a fight that is still weeks away from taking place already raised the ire of Boxing fans? The Alvarez-Ryder bout will be broadcast on DAZN internationally, which means that it will be part of a standard monthly or annual subscription to the digital streaming network in many countries around the world. In the United States and Canada however, the fight will be available on DAZN Pay-Per-View. Why has that decision already raised the ire of many? It is important for this observer to state as I have in the past when discussing the business of the sport of Boxing that I do not currently work for any other outlet or network outside of my own The Boxing Truth®, which I own and operate. Having said that, I would not be objective if I did not say that I have been a vocal advocate for the subscription-based model that both DAZN and ESPN's digital streaming network ESPN+ operate under as it generally offers much more value for subscribers as compared to pay-per-view, which over the last twenty years has frankly resembled that of a compulsive gambler in that both the frequency of events once touted and reserved for fights of significant public demand, have increased to insane levels and along with it so has the prices for such events have increased to where in the United States, one can expect most pay-per-view Boxing events to have a starting price at or above $70, which when one also factors in taxes and additional fees means the final price is actually closer to $90 on a per event basis. This does not also add to the equation that there are times where networks that produce these events will continue to roll the dice and raise the price point even further akin to one playing one too many rolls on a craps table or one too many spins on a slot machine trying to hit the ever elusive "Jackpot," which in this case, means revenues via pay-per-view buys that will make an event a rousing success. The problem with such a mentality is as most those who deal with gambling problems eventually discover, what is hoped for is rarely achieved, and more often than not, the opposite of hitting the "Jackpot" or in this case achieving massive revenues in the form of pay-per-view buys result in both promoters, networks that put on the events, and more importantly the fighters losing money. 

In the current landscape, as of this writing, there are three pay-per-view Boxing events that have been announced between late March and the scheduled May 6 bout between Alvarez and Ryder, with more potentially to be added either before and after that date. When one also factors in that DAZN will be a co-broadcaster for the April 22 pay-per-view bout between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, along with Showtime and both networks are selling the pay-per-view broadcast on their respective platforms with each's respective branding, one would be justified to question the wisdom of DAZN opting to roll the dice again and to be more specific, do so in relatively close proximity to the April 22 date in producing another pay-per-view event (At least in North America) mere weeks after that event. Considering the co-production with Showtime, who may be nearing an exit of the sport by year's end due to a major restructuring of it's Paramount Global, being rumored to be priced at $100 as of this writing, the question of wisdom in the decision process perhaps becomes more important and the ire/outrage of the Boxing fan becomes more understandable.

An element that has not been touched upon by yours truly thus far is the fact that fighters have been conditioned to expect substantial money via pay-per-view, which unfortunately for many does not materialize into significant income for them when all is said and done for reasons including, but not limited to the revenue split model, which more often than not favors cable/satellite providers, pay-per-view distributors, and finally the promoters and networks, before it trickles down to the fighters. When one takes into the equation that many pay-per-view attractions fail to reach a break even point for all involved, let alone profitability, which I have felt along with the model being outdated compared to what else is available to consumers, can be directly tied to the ever increasing price points for such events, which whether networks want to admit it or not, consumers continue to largely reject.

While all the aforementioned points this observer has made should not be viewed as an indictment against DAZN in particular, as I still feel they have a more economically reasonable model in place with their subscription service if they commit to it, the points I have made is more of an indictment on the pay-per-view model itself, which no longer offers value to the consumer for the price and very rarely is used only for the true "Big Fights" / "Special Events" that it was originally intended to be.

Although Saul Alvarez is one of the top stars in the sport, if he is using the model as a requirement for a broadcaster like DAZN to be able to carry his bouts, unfortunately it does a disservice to Boxing and the fans that support both him, the sport, and other fighters who have been conditioned to have a similar mentality. Despite my view that DAZN would be better served to try and work out a deal with Alvarez and other fighters that fight on their network similar to that of the 11 fight, $365 Million guarantee with incentives for subscription milestones being met that Alvarez received shortly after premium cable network HBO announced it's exit from Boxing after forty-five years in 2018, that saw Alvarez featured as the centerpiece of DAZN's streaming network and marketing the subscription model over pay-per-view, a deal that seemed beneficial until the COVID-19 epidemic and a well-publicized split between Alvarez and his longtime promoter Oscar De La Hoya, which for a time also brought an end to his relationship with the network, an opinion which I stand by as evidence continues to show the decline of pay-per-view, at least for now DAZN continues to dip their toes in the pay-per-view model, which they continue to insist will be strictly on a case by case basis.

A potential problem for the network however, is whether subscribers will continue to support the network if it eventually becomes clear that in order to see the marquee stars of the sport, a subscriber will unfortunately be asked to shell out an additional fee on top of what they pay monthly or annually. Considering that the network raised their subscription rates to $24.99 per month or $224 yearly in the United States in February, there is reason to be concerned when they are also continuing to dip their toes in the pay-per-view model. While I remain supportive of a subscription-based model that I truly believe both as someone who has covered Boxing and combat sports most of his life, but also as a consumer, that has better value, I have also been around long enough to know red flags when I see them.

For most of it's forty-five year run, HBO was firmly established as one of the sport's power players even as unfortunately, Boxing moved away from free over the air television, where revenues were earned not only by ratings, but also by significant advertising, which is still something Boxing sorely needs. Up until a certain point in the late 1990's even as the network had created it's own pay-per-view network TVKO (Later renamed HBO Pay-Per-View) many of Boxing's biggest fights aired on HBO or similarly it's longtime rival Showtime. Eventually, HBO became more reliant on the pay-per-view model, even at times moving fights off their network to pay-per-view, but only opting to serve as a distributor of such events. While I spent a good portion of my career as a writer up to their 2018 exit calling out the network for that as well as other decisions related to how they presented the sport, eventually the over reliance on pay-per-view, increased prices, lack of value, and ultimately arrogance of those running the network at that time in assuming that such decisions would not have a negative impact on their network, led to their demise. 

With Showtime seemingly heading in a similar direction now having moved more and more Boxing events away from their subscribers and to pay-per-view, as well as the former head of Showtime Sports Stephen Espinoza touting how "Pay-Per-View is a tool," but failing to come up with any legitimate justification for using the model on an all too frequent basis as well as displaying a similar arrogance as those who ran HBO when they were still part of the sport, with the restructuring of the network's parent company Paramount Global now underway and Espinoza now recognized as one of the presidents of CBS Sports under the Paramount banner and with Showtime soon to be absorbed into the Paramount+ streaming network, it would appear that it is indeed heading for a similar exit as it's longtime rival HBO.

What both network's forays into the sport and what have proved to be bad decisions, which as of now has led to one exit with perhaps the other with one foot out the door, should show DAZN as a network that is seven years into it's existence that has expanded rapidly including it's 2018 launch here in the United States, is essentially a playbook on what not to do if they want to both survive and thrive in the sport of Boxing. Unfortunately, no matter how big a star might be in the sport, the Boxing fan/subscriber will remain the ultimate authority and if events used for the antiquated model of pay-per-view do not do overwhelmingly well in terms of buys, no matter what a promoter or network executive might say in attempt to spin the obvious slap in the face of fans/subscribers especially when those same people not only criticized the pay-per-view model for many of the points yours truly has made, but also succeeded in showing that a better model that offers more value for the price does indeed exist, DAZN, much like a compulsive gambler may find that they have rolled the dice one time too many, which more often than not means one thing. "Craps." For a network that has been a credit to Boxing since it's inception, it would truly be a shame to see it go down the same path as the former power players of Boxing television in the United States, especially when the evidence to avoid that same path is clearly visible. 

As someone who always has the best interest of Boxing at heart and sees untapped potential in DAZN as a network, particularly here in the United States, I sincerely hope this is not the start of something akin to two stories about networks involved in the sport of Boxing that I have seen play out before, both as a fan growing up and as someone who has covered the sport since the mid-1990's. If it indeed is, the victims will continue to be the sport itself and the fans who support it. Although I am a proud Boxing lifer, in the interest of both objectivity as well as honesty, I will concede that for those who are not involved in the sport beyond being a fan, there is only so many times a fan will allow themselves to be slapped in the face and will willingly pay expensive fees to watch the sport they love before both out of anger as well as fiscal responsibility, they say enough is enough. Regardless of who might be at the top of a Boxing card. 

"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 

Jacobs-Ryder: Controversy Or Appropriate Decision?

 

Anyone who covers the sport of Boxing and to be more specific those who specialize in penning columns on a variety of subjects including previews and post-fight analysis can likely relate to the uniqueness of one's creative process. For yours truly, there are times when a basic concept will start to form in my mind of what I will be writing in a forthcoming column at several times. Times which can be the practice of me sitting at my desk and staring at the dreaded blank page waiting for inspiration to strike, or in the context of current technology, being able to pick up my cell phone or a tablet at any time when an idea/concept comes to mind. There are even times when I will start forming an idea in my mind as I cover a fight thinking with each passing round that the forming concept will indeed be what I end up going with when all is said and done.

 

In some instances however, a concept that forms in the mind that seems by all accounts to be supported by what one is seeing with their eyes as a bout occurs, can take a surprising and one might say drastic turn that results in a general concept being completely done away with. Such an instance occurred for this observer during the February 12^th Super-Middleweight bout between former IBF Middleweight world champion Daniel Jacobs and former world title challenger and longtime Middleweight and Super-Middleweight contender John Ryder, which took place at the Alexandria Palace in London, England.

 

A bout that had the premise of two fighters, one a former world champion, the other a longtime contender that were each at a “Crossroads.” An obvious storyline that accompanied this encounter at least in the eyes of some was that it could well have been a scenario where the fighter who did not emerge victorious could see their career come to an end.

 

As those who read the preview column penned by yours truly, which was released here on The Boxing Truth® on the eve of the fight, I did not necessarily share the point of view that a loss for either fighter in this fight would necessarily mean the end of the road for them. This was due largely to the current landscape of the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division being in a state of flux as current undisputed world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez plots his next move, which may see him move up in weight and potentially open up significant opportunities for contenders if he were to vacate the respective world championships that currently comprise the Undisputed Super-Middleweight world championship.

 

There was however, one wrinkle in the equation that I briefly made reference to prior to this bout that could not and was not overlooked by yours truly. The fact that for the first time as a professional, Daniel Jacobs, a native of Brooklyn, NY would be fighting in an atmosphere that is not the easiest to prepare for. An atmosphere truly unique throughout all combat sports. For the first time, Jacobs would be fighting in front of a British Boxing crowd.

 

Those who are familiar with the Boxing and by extension the combat sports scene throughout the United Kingdom will likely agree with this observer that there truly is nothing like the atmosphere that fans throughout the United Kingdom provides. From true enthusiasm to extremely vocal support, which often includes elements of chanting and singing both before and during the course of a fight, more than a few fighters who had traveled to the U.K. have found it difficult to adjust to such an atmosphere, even someone as experienced as Jacobs.

 

Why was this of such interest? For the simple reason that Jacobs would be fighting a boxer in Ryder, who is from London. This essentially meant that Jacobs would be walking into what for all intents and purposes, was the Boxing equivalent of a lion’s den. To his credit however, the former world champion did not appear awed by the circumstances and for much of the first six rounds of this fight was able to do something that many fighters who have traveled to the United Kingdom to compete have found difficult to accomplish. Jacobs was able to implement an approach and strategy that seemingly brought an enthusiastic crowd down to relative calm. By implementing a measured offensive approach, which had an emphasis on movement, using his jab, and counter punching, Jacobs seemed to clearly win the first half of the scheduled twelve round bout where the consensus was that the pace he set forth was allowing him to control the combat and generally get the better of the action during periodic exchanges where John Ryder simply had trouble getting into a rhythm and getting his punches off consistently. While not necessarily the most crowd pleasing fight to watch during this stage of the bout, Jacobs did what he needed to do and was clearly ahead on my scorecard as the fight moved into the seventh round.

 

As that round began, the start of the second half of the fight, I felt that the material that I would be writing post-fight would center on Jacobs putting forth a workmanlike performance in a bout that barring something dramatic, had all the appearance of a fight that would likely be scored wide in favor of Jacobs if it went the distance. What did happen may not have been dramatic, but it did certainly create a debate. It was over the remaining six rounds that John Ryder was able to put together a rally and, in the process, bring the crowd back into the fight. In contrast to how the first six rounds were fought with Jacobs being able to largely keep Ryder at distance with his jab and being able to use movement to maintain that distance, from round seven on, Ryder was able to force the combat on the inside and once in close, he was very effective in being able to land to the body and head of Jacobs.

 

Part of the reason why Ryder was able to be as successful as he was during this stage of the fight was Jacobs got away from throwing his jab as consistently as he had done in the first six rounds of the fight. This along with also not using his legs to establish distance between himself and his opponent, created the opportunity that Ryder needed to get himself into the fight. It was also at this point in the bout that There’s combinations to the body and head appeared more effective than what offense Jacobs was able to put forth.

 

Clearly at this point, any idea that was forming of penning a column centering on a workmanlike performance by Jacobs had left my mind and a simple yet complex question depending on one’s perspective came to mind in the latter stages of the twelve round bout. Would the rally that Ryder was able to put together in winning several of the remaining six rounds be enough to pull out a victory?

 

 

It was indisputable that the momentum had shifted to Ryder in the second half of the fight. From my perspective however, Ryder was not able to do enough over the first six rounds to sway how I scored the fight. At the conclusion of the bout, I arrived with a score of eight rounds to four or 116-112 in points in favor of Jacobs. This was based largely on what he was able to do over the first six rounds of the fight in being able to control the tempo of the combat and quietly build a lead. I also felt that Jacobs was able to eek out two of the final three rounds as he was able to get his jab working again and gain slight separation between himself and Ryder in what were close rounds to score. While I felt Ryder still had the momentum in his favor due to the pressure he was able to apply and the work he was able to do on the inside, he needed to score a knockdown or two to have been able to change the result of my scorecard.

 

The view of this observer not withstanding, I was not surprised to see a split decision rendered at the end of this fight. When one views a fight round by round as is how Boxing on every level of the sport is supposed to be viewed and in this case, views the fight in a first half/second half context, it was not hard to understand that the potential for a close fight was there where opinions could vary. Although ultimately John Ryder would be declared the winner on two official scorecards resulting in the biggest victory of his career, I simply felt he did not do enough to win the fight and to be more specific, he ran out of time in terms of rounds without being able to score knockdowns to have been able to change how I scored the bout.

 

While this is simply one Boxing journalist’s/historian’s perspective, in the days since the bout took place, there have been a mix of opinions ranging from those who felt Ryder was able to do enough to win it, to those who accused the judges of bias in calling it a “Hometown Decision.” While it is not uncommon to see such opinions and accusations expressed in an era where social media provides all a platform to share their views, whether those views have credibility or not, I can only speak for myself. As someone who has spent most of his life writing about and covering Boxing and by extension combat sports and is proud to call himself a Boxing lifer, I have seen countless decisions on every level the sport has to offer, amateur, professional, traditional, and bareknuckle that I did not agree with. Does that necessarily mean that a decision that I personally felt should have gone the other way means that there is something unethical or a potential conspiracy having taken place? Obviously, the answer is a matter of opinion and will vary from person to person and fight by fight.

 

In this case, I do not see John Ryder’s victory over Daniel Jacobs as controversial in nature nor based on the fact that I scored the fight unofficially for Jacobs do I feel the decision rendered was appropriate. At the end of the day, judges like the rest of us are all human and as such, it comes down to one’s perspective and a matter of opinion as to who wins a fight that goes the distance. A rematch however, would be appropriate.

 

“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