The Boxing Truth®

WBO Jr. Welterweight world champion Teofimo Lopez scored a lackluster twelve round unanimous decision over WBO number ten rated Jr. Welterweight contender Jamaine Ortiz on Thursday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV. From the opening bell, Ortiz figuring out of a southpaw stance made the fight a tactical chess match by making the champion come after him with the strategy of trying to catch him as he came forward.  The elusive approach, while not crowd pleasing seemed effective as it managed to quell the normal offensive rhythm of Lopez. With both fighters landing in single digits in most of the rounds in the twelve round world championship bout, the lone highlight came in seven when an accidental clash of heads opened a cut above the right eye. Despite the abysmal performance where Lopez openly expressed his frustration during the fight, Lopez' aggression was enough to earn the nod of the three official judges in earning a twelve round unanimous decision. Offi...

  Former two-division world champion Emanuel Navarrete can call himself a three-division world champion after scoring a thrilling come from behind ninth round knockout of Liam Wilson on Friday night at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, AZ to win the vacant WBO Jr. Lightweight world championship. A very competitive fight from the outset, Navarrete as is his custom tried to overwhelm Wilson with high volume punching. What appeared to be setting up to be a close tactical fight suddenly changed in the fourth round when Wilson connected with a flush left hook to the jaw that sent Navarrete down hard in a corner of the ring for the first time in his career. The fighter, who had held world titles in the Jr. Featherweight and Featherweight divisions prior to this fight, appeared to drop his mouthpiece following the knockdown, which bought him crucial extra seconds to try and compose himself. Despite this, Navarrete was clearly hurt and appeared to be out on his feet at this stage of th...

The month of August 2022 closed with both curiosity and intriguing in two events being staged on August 27th in two different countries. First, it was the debut of the MisFits Boxing series that pits celebrities and social media personalities in the Boxing ring to do battle. An event that was streamed on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN as part of its subscription offering as well as a low cost pay-per-view offering depending on what country or region you were viewing the event from. The United Kingdom, Ireland, and those of us in North America (United States and Canada) were offered the event at a low cost of $9.99 for current subscribers. Some readers will recall a column penned by this observer last week where I asked a simple yet complex question because it could be answered in a variety of ways. Does “Celebrity Boxing “ hurt or benefit the sport? I also concluded that column by saying that I would be tuning in, in part out of curiosity as well as a Boxing scribe ...

  As the month of August 2022 winds down, there remains one interesting bout on the Boxing schedule that could well play a factor in whatever happens in the remaining months of the year and into 2023. This observer is referring to the Jr. Welterweight battle between former world champions Richard Commey and Jose Pedraza. The bout, which will take place on August 27 th at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, OK, and will be broadcast here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ brings together two seasoned veterans of the sport that are both at similar stages in their careers.     Former IBF Lightweight world champion Richard Commey will come into this fight off of a twelve round unanimous decision loss to former three-division world champion Vasyl Lomachenko last December in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Despite the loss to Lomachenko, Commey as always put forth a very “Game” and determined effort in defeat. Now coming off ...