Making The Best Of Unforseen Circumstances, Mercito Gesta Seizes The Day

Originally, this column was to be the follow-up/post-fight feature to the much anticipated Light-Heavyweight clash between former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion Gilberto Ramirez and longtime veteran contender and former world title challenger Gabriel Rosado in what was to be Rosado's debut in the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division. As most now know however, the fight was cancelled on the day before the scheduled March 18th bout at the official weigh-in when Ramirez arrived in being what was described as significantly overweight and in no condition to attempt to get down in weight to a point where the bout was salvageable, resulting in the fight being cancelled.

While this is certainly nothing new in the sport of Boxing as it is unfortunately all too common for there to be complications regarding the weight of a fighter in at least one bout on a full card, the cancellation, though disappointing did not result in the entire card being cancelled along with it as unfortunately also tends to happen when a main event for whatever reason is cancelled. Instead, the fight that was slated as the co-main event would be elevated to the featured bout of the evening at the Walter Pyramid on the campus of Long Beach University in Long Beach, CA.

This bout, much as was the case between Ramirez and Rosado featured the storyline of a former world champion going against a veteran contender and former world title challenger. Some may also continue the similarity by also pointing out that the veteran in this case, as it was with Rosado, could have been making his last stand in an attempt to once again get an opportunity to fight for a world championship. This observer is referring to the encounter between former IBF Jr. Lightweight world champion Joseph Diaz and longtime contender Mercito Gesta. A fight that took place in the 135lb. Lightweight division.

Although yours truly was intending to save his coverage of this fight to be included in an upcoming edition of the periodic feature Jabs and Observations here on The Boxing Truth® where I discuss several topics in the sport including bouts that could not be covered in a shorter timeframe for one reason or another, the unforeseen circumstances of the Ramirez-Rosado cancellation facilitated the need to change those plans. This bout was however, no less intriguing both due to the aforementioned similarities of this bout to the cancelled original main event, but also because of an interesting clash of styles between the two fighters.

Joseph Diaz is known as a boxer/puncher, but has been more than willing to engage with his opponents in heated exchanges as was the case when he won his world title by defeating Tevin Farmer in January 2020, shortly before the circumstances of  the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic brought much of the world including sports to a halt for much of that year. Diaz, who's struggle to make the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight limit, resulted in his losing the title on the weight scale prior to a scheduled title defense in February 2021, had gone on a streak that can be described as akin to a baseball player going through a "Slump" in that since he defeated Farmer, he had gone 1-2-1 in his previous four bouts prior to this fight. 

Mercito Gesta meanwhile is also a fighter that can do a little bit of everything, but was more known as a fighter who had come up short when he stepped up in caliber of opposition including when he challenged Miguel Vazquez for the IBF World Lightweight championship in December 2012. Despite the fact that Gesta had only been stopped once in thirty-nine professional fights prior to taking on Diaz, at thirty-five years old, having been through a long career up to this point, it was understandable how some may have questioned how much Mercito Gesta had left at this stage of his career.

What stood out immediately in this fight was Gesta's ability to use his footwork not only as a means of creating lateral movement, but also to create angles. This resulted in Gesta being able to attack in short, but explosive spurts, often throwing punches in variations of between four and eight punch combinations at a time to the body and head of Diaz. While such offensive tactics are often flashy and attention-grabbing not just for fans watching a fight, but also perhaps the three official judges who are tasked with scoring a bout, what this does from a tactical standpoint is ! make the opponent go on the defensive where they are occupied with trying to protect themselves from incoming punches rather than letting their hands go.

Joseph Diaz did succeed in being able to block a good portion of Gesta's offense by tightening up and staying behind a high defensive guard. This in turn resulted in a lot of Gesta's punches either hitting Diaz' gloves or hitting his arms if they were not able to connect cleanly. What was also noticeable was whenever Diaz was able to let his hands go and connected with punches of his own, Gesta answered back immediately throwing combinations.

As the fight progressed, it became more competitive. The pattern of the fight however, largely remained the same. Gesta getting his punches off first, attacking at varying angles, keeping his opponent from being able to let his hands go consistently, and Diaz attempting to walk Gesta down, try to either corner him or get him against the ropes, and then let his hands go. Although Diaz succeeded in backing Gesta up against the ropes periodically throughout this fight, the issue became whether those instances would be enough for him to earn the nod of the three judges as in seemingly every round, Gesta was outworking him. A round in professional Boxing for men's bouts is three minutes in duration. There are certainly more than a few ways to win a round, but generally the fighter who is busier over the duration of a round will get the nod over a fighter who might be more accurate with his offense.

This is essentially the scenario in which this fight was fought. One of the ways a fighter that is more accurate can win a round over a volume puncher is to land the harder, more damaging punches, if not also score knockdowns, which depending on the number of knockdowns over the course of a fight, could have a significant impact on how a bout is ultimately scored if a fight does go the scheduled distance.

The conundrum here is neither Diaz nor Gesta are known for punching power and as such it became difficult, at least in my eyes, to justify giving Diaz some rounds throughout this scheduled ten round bout that others may have seen as close due to Diaz being able to have moments periodically throughout several of them. The reason for this in this observer's eyes came down to this. When he did let his hands go, Joseph Diaz was both accurate and the punches he threw landed cleanly. At no point however, was he able to hurt Gesta, much less discourage him from returning offense. This in addition to Diaz being unable to score knockdowns is primarily what I based my scoring on in having Gesta ahead 97-93 or seven rounds to three on my unofficial scorecard at the conclusion of the ten round bout.

While it is indisputable that Joseph Diaz applied constant pressure from the outset of this fight and that pressure led to some heated exchanges of offense between the two fighters as well as opened opportunities for Diaz in the latter rounds as I felt he was able to win three out of the last five rounds, ultimately, he simply was not busy enough and allowed Mercito Gesta to put too many of the early rounds in the bank as well as generally outwork him throughout the fight. The assessment of yours truly was seemingly confirmed by two of three official judges that had Gesta ahead, resulting in him winning a ten round split decision by margins of nine rounds to one, 99-91 and eight rounds to two 98-92. The third judge meanwhile had what some might view as a drastic difference in scoring Diaz the winner seven rounds to three or 97-93.

Ultimately, that scorecard though differing from what appears to be a consensus score of not only yours truly, but of two official judges who were scoring the same fight, it did not have as severe an impact as it potentially could have in terms of the outcome. If one were to ask me as for what the reasoning might be for a scorecard that differs from what seemingly is a consensus score, obviously I am unable to get into a judge's head, much less be able to distinguish what he or she might base their scoring on based on established criteria of clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship, and defense. Based on a literal lifetime that this observer has spent covering Boxing on every level imaginable, I can however, suggest that a potential reason could be that Diaz was applying pressure seemingly from the opening bell and that along with being able to block or otherwise deflect a portion Gesta's punches over the course of the fight in addition to his landing cleanly when he was able to let his hands go might be how that judge arrived at a differing scorecard at the end of the bout. It is also important to keep in mind that Boxing is scored on a round by round basis, which leaves opportunity for both interpretation as well as a judge perhaps not knowing what their final score might be as once a round concludes, judges are to score that round only and turn that score in to the athletic commission or regulatory board that is sanctioning and overseeing a fight. If fights do go the distance, scores from each individual round is then tabulated and added up into what is referred to as a master scorecard of the aforementioned parties sanctioning the bout totalling the three judges individual scorecards to then determine a winner.

Although this particular fight might not warrant such a thorough explanation by yours truly in regard to the procedures and process of scoring a fight, the fan should take the time to learn about said protocols. In any event, I do not feel this fight was in any way controversial in terms of how it was scored, but it does boil down to both interpretation as well as one's perspective. For Mercito Gesta, the thirty-fourth win of his forty fight career might be one that could elevate him towards a potential world title shot at Lightweight. After suffering his third consecutive loss in his last five fights, I do not believe that Joseph Diaz is approaching what some might call the twilight of his career. It is clear however, that he has not been the same fighter since he won his world championship as a Jr. Lightweight. Whether the circumstances of COVID-19 which led to a layoff for him or possibly issues outside the ring are contributing factors or not, I certainly can not say, but it would appear that something is not working for him in some aspect and a retooling process should be considered before attempting to go back to the drawing board.

"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 

Diaz vs. Zepeda Set For November 5 On DAZN

 

 

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

Credit: DAZN

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

  

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

Material and Photo Courtesy of: DAZN Used with permission.

 

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.con.

 

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

The Lightweight Picture Going Into 2022

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

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

 

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

 

The Compelling Story of The Lightweight Division Continues

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

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

 

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Looking Back At Thanksgiving Weekend 2021 In Boxing

 When the sport of Boxing is under normal circumstances and not under the scenario of which it has been for nearly two years due to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic, one of the more anticipated periods of time for the Boxing schedule comes over Thanksgiving weekend here in the United States as several interesting cards both here in the country as well as internationally occur over the holiday weekend. 2021 has seen a return of sorts to normalcy as the schedule over the Thanksgiving holiday was certainly full of interesting events.  Now readers know the events that occurred in Madison Square Garden’s Theater where undefeated Undisputed Lightweight world champion Teofimo Lopez finally met unbeaten IBF number one contender George Kambosos for the crown. This column however, will focus on the other action that took place throughout the weekend that saw upsets, returns to the ring of top contenders and former world champions, a women’s world championship fight, and a Unified Jr. Featherweight Unification world championship fight. We will then conclude this column with a short look ahead to what will begin the month of December.

 

First on our journey of events actually took place on Thanksgiving day in London England’s York Hall  where unbeaten Flyweight prospect Harvey Horn  faced veteran Fadhili Majiha in the main event of the card, which was meant as a showcase of sorts for Horn as he looked toward a year of further progression in 2022. Majiha, a veteran of forty-five professional bouts going into the encounter, had taken the fight on short notice. While many assume the scenario of the fighter that steps into a fight on short notice automatically puts that fighter at a disadvantage, this is simply not always accurate.

 

The first three rounds of this fight were largely dictated by Horn. Horn, who entered the fight unbeaten in nine professional bouts and had won the World Boxing Organization’s (WBO) version of the European Flyweight championship prior to this bout, used good lateral movement as well as a consistent straight left hand to keep Majiha off balance and having difficulty in landing his own punches consistently. In round four however, Majiha was able to catch up with the elusive Horn, staggering him with a left hand to the head before setting off a barrage of punches that culminated with a left hook to the body that sent Horn down. The unbeaten Horn was able to get to his feet, but sensing his opportunity, Majiha pressed forward dropping Horn with a right hand to the head in the center of the ring. Horn struggled to get up the second time around and was unable to beat the referee’s ten count. The fight was over.

 

Although this was an upset from the standpoint of Majiha entering the encounter on short notice, he did have considerably more experience than Horn in terms of professional fights. While it is indisputable that Horn was ahead three rounds going into the fourth round of the scheduled ten round bout, sometimes fighters do get caught with punches that they do not see coming and in this case Majiha was able to make the most out of his opportunity both in terms of taking the fight itself and the opportunity that presented itself once it was clear that he was able to hurt Horn. Majiha simply did not let Horn off the hook and that is what ultimately led to the stoppage of this fight.  Given what happened in this fight both in terms of the unexpected result as well as the way it occurred, it would not surprise this observer to see Majiha and Horn in a rematch in 2022 because the fact of the matter is whatever plans that may have been ahead for Horn in potentially getting himself into position to challenge for a world championship in the new year has now been put on hold by a fighter that was likely thought to be a mere opponent that would at minimum allow Horn to get some time inside the ring before the end of 2021. An obvious flaw with that kind of thinking is sometimes fighters are in fighting shape and are simply waiting for the phone to ring with the next opportunity to compete. Such fighters can at times be even more dangerous than they may appear simply because they are in a position where they are taking fights on limited notice. This is essentially what happened in this fight and it will be interesting to see if things might be different in a second bout between the two with both fighters having the benefit of a full training camp to prepare for each other or, if the old cliché of styles make fights will apply in that Majiha just may have a style that will be difficult for a fighter with Horn’s style to overcome, despite how dominant Horn appeared in the first three rounds of the fight.

 

Our next stop in this column takes us to Dubai U.A.E where two fighters returned to action on what is known as “Black Friday” here in the United States, each looking to get back on track in their careers after seeing their careers halted for a period of time due to the impacts of COVID-19. The first fighter to enter the ring was longtime Super-Middleweight contender Rocky Fielding. As some may recall, Fielding, had a brief stint in holding interim/regular champion status in the WBA’s Super-Middleweight ratings, which in short gave him a mandatory challenge, This status was taken from him in December 2018 at the hands of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who knocked him out in three rounds in Madison Square Garden. Fielding had only fought once since that fight in scoring a second round knockout of Abdallah Paziwapazi in November 2019 in his first bout as a Light-Heavyweight.

 

Over two years removed from that fight, Fielding returned to action against veteran Emmanuel Danso. In short, this fight amounted to little more than a brief workout for Fielding against an opponent in Danso, who appeared to be in survival mode from the opening bell. The highlight of this bout came late in the second round when Fielding decked Danso with a left hook to the head. Although Danso was able to get up and finish the round, he did not come out for the third round giving Fielding his twenty-eighth career victory. Unfortunately, there is not much one can say about fights that are fought like this, but if there is a silver-lining, it is that at least Fielding was able to get back in the ring and resume active competition. If circumstances improve with the COVID-19 virus and it’s numerous variants, hopefully, Fielding will be able to continue fighting on a more regular schedule in 2022 as the enemy of any fighter is “Ring Rust” and the more active a fighter is, the better off they will theoretically be as they look to position themselves for world championship fights and more lucrative opportunities.

 

Much like Rocky Fielding, former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion Badou Jack is in a similar position in looking to stay active. Jack, like Fielding also held an interim/regular championship designation in the WBA’s rankings system during his time as a Light-Heavyweight. Although Jack was unable to secure a Light-Heavyweight world championship during his time in the division, the former Super-Middleweight world champion has returned to action, this time as a Cruiserweight. On this card, Jack faced veteran Samuel Crossed. Unlike Fielding, Jack came into this fight off of a victory in June of this year so there was not as much of a question of “Ring Rust” going into this fight for Jack.

 

The similarities between the two on this card would continue however, as Jack would overpower a “Game”, but overmatched Crossed in scoring a convincing second round stoppage. Jack dropped Crossed with a right hand to the head in the second round, this would be followed by a second knockdown courtesy of another Jack right hand. Despite being out gunned, the twelve fight veteran Crossed showed his mettle by trying to continue on after the second knockdown. Jack, knowing he had his opponent compromised, would close the show by landing a combination to the head highlighted by a left hook that sent Crossed down for the third and final time as the bout was subsequently stopped.

 

Although ultimately both Jack’s bout with Crossed and Fielding’s bout with Danso amounted to miss-matches, the benefit of time inside the ring is crucial and as far as Jack in concerned, 2022 could be a year where he looks to enter the world championship picture in the Cruiserweight division. A division where marquee lucrative fights tend to be few and far between, but never the less offers a fighter like Jack a possible opportunity to attempt to win a world championship in a second weight class. Hopefully, if he were to get that opportunity, it will not come in the form of an interim/regular designation, which as this observer has stated frequently over the years though well-intended does more harm to the sport and creates more problems than it solves.

 

As world championship fights are concerned, “Black Friday” over Thanksgiving weekend concluded with a world championship fight in the Women’s Featherweight division where champion Erika Cruz made the first defense of the WBA Featherweight world championship that she won earlier this year in scoring a technical decision then champion Jelena Mrdjenovich in a fight that was halted due to an accidental clash of heads. Cruz’ first title defense came against WBA number five rated contender Melissa Esquivel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

 

In what was a very competitive fight from the outset, it quickly became a battle of an at times more accurate fighter in Esquivel against a more active and seemingly stronger fighter in Cruz. While the wisdom that some might use is to say that the stronger fighter often gets the better of the action, that was not necessarily the case for a good portion of this fight as Esquivel found success in landing straight clean punches in between the punches that Cruz was throwing.  A challenge that can be present throughout the sport and in particular in Women’s Boxing due to rounds only being two minutes in duration, is to distinguish between who is more active versus who is more accurate and then to determine which element is dictating the tempo of combat. 

 

As someone who has long advocated the need for Women’s Boxing to move to three minute rounds, the same distance as their male counterparts, there were times throughout this fight where I had the conundrum of trying to form an opinion in my mind as to who was getting the better of the action because in many of the rounds, both fighters had periods of effectiveness and because of the limited round length, this made it an extremely challenging fight to score.  Often times when it comes to Women’s Boxing, the fights are generally fought at a fast pace, which I feel can directly be attributed to the two-minute round length. This creates a scenario where fights are often determined by subtle differences between two fighters as many bouts in Women’s Boxing do end up going to decisions.

 

In this case, although Esquivel had periods of effectiveness throughout, the champion Cruz was the one who dictated the tempo of combat by approaching the challenger at odd angles and mixing her offense up, which made it difficult for Esquivel to find a consistent rhythm though the bout remained very competitive until the final bell where Cruz would retain her WBA Featherweight world championship via ten round split decision.  This victory for Cruz may lead to an encounter with Amanda Serrano, the multi-division world champion, who currently holds the WBC and WBO world championships in the Women’s Featherweight division. Although this fight would make the most sense for Cruz both from a financial standpoint as well as a fight that would likely draw attention as a unification bout, Serrano, who will fight former world title challenger Miriam Gutierrez on December 18 on the undercard of undefeated YouTube star Jake Paul’s encounter with unbeaten Cruiserweight Tommy Fury in Tampa, FL, appears to be on a collision course with undefeated Undisputed Lightweight world champion Katie Taylor for a bout sometime in 2022. Taylor herself, will be back in action on December 11^th in Liverpool, England in defense of her Lightweight crown against WBA number one rated contender Firuza Sharipova. Obviously, the outcomes of these two upcoming fights will likely go a long way in determining Cruz’ next move in the new year.

 

Speaking of unification bouts, coincidentally, our last stop chronicling the action that took place over Thanksgiving Weekend 2021 in the sport takes us to Las Vegas, NV, where two undefeated world champions in Boxing’s 122lb. Jr. Featherweight division put their respective world titles on the line. This observer is referring to the bout between undefeated WBO world champion Stephen Fulton and WBC world champion Brandon Figueroa.

 

There is always an element of the unknown when two boxers get into the ring to face each other. Such an element is magnified and anticipation naturally increases when two fighters are unbeaten and each hold a world championship in a given weight class. This was a fight that was fought almost exclusively on the inside. Figueroa generally the fighter coming forward, but Fulton holding his own and at times out landing Figueroa. While a grueling back and forth battle is something that seemed to favor Figueroa going into this encounter, it turned out to be essentially a dead even fight in my view. After twelve back and forth rounds, it would be Stephen Fulton who would earn an extremely hard fought twelve round majority decision to emerge as a unified world champion.

 

In all honesty, this fight turned out to be one of the better fights of 2021 and given how close the combat between the two fighters was, as well as the outcome of the bout, which will obviously be debated, the conditions appear ideal for a rematch. Whether or not that indeed happens in 2022 remains to be seen.

 

As the month of December begins, two Lightweight fights will take center stage during the first weekend of the month, which given the changing of the guard that occurred with George Kambosos dethroning previously undefeated Undisputed Lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez, which also occurred over Thanksgiving weekend, the stakes of these two Lightweight bouts, which will headline separate cards will likely be elevated as the winners of these two bouts are likely to be vying for an opportunity to face the new champion. The first of these two bouts will take place in December 4th where undefeated top contender Devin Haney will meet former IBF Jr. Lightweight world champion Joseph Diaz. A fight that will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV, which can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN, brings together two of the rising stars in the sport.

 

Devin Haney is coming off what many observers, including this one felt was the toughest test of his career in scoring a hard-fought twelve round unanimous decision over former three-division world champion Jorge Linares in May of this year. Some may recall Linares nearly brought a sudden end to the fight at the end of the tenth round in that bout when he badly staggered the unbeaten Haney and appeared to have him momentarily knocked out on his feet. Haney however, was able to regroup and finished the fight strong to secure the decision victory. Haney, who holds what amounts to an interim championship designation in the WBC’s Lightweight rankings, will be putting his unbeaten record on the line against relative newcomer to the 135lb. Lightweight division Joseph Diaz. Diaz, known to his fans as “Jo Jo,” won the IBF Jr. Lightweight world championship in January of last year shortly before the impacts of the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic really began to emerge, by scoring a narrow twelve round unanimous decision over then champion Tevin Farmer. Diaz’ reign would be a short one as he would lose his title on the weight scale shortly before his first scheduled title defense against top contender Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in February of this year. Although the fight would go on, the title would ultimately be vacated due to a controversial majority draw that many believed Rakhimov deserved the decision. While the title would have been vacated anyway with a Diaz victory due to him failing to make the 130lb. weight limit, the struggle to make weight as well as the difficulty Diaz had in that fight ultimately led to him moving up to the 135lb. Lightweight division.

 

In his Lightweight debut, Diaz scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Javier Fortuna in July, but did sustain a cut over the left eye as a result of an accidental clash of heads during the bout.  What this fight boils down to in my eyes beyond it being a well-matched encounter between two boxer/punchers is whether or not Diaz will be able to provide Haney with a more difficult fight than Linares was able to.

 

While it is important to keep in mind that prior to that bout, Devin Haney had not been significantly tested in his career and that Linares did provide him a legitimate test, Haney is now at the level of the Lightweight division where the fights will be tougher and tougher as his level of opposition continues to increase. Although he has what amounts to a mandatory challenger slot in the WBC’s rankings due to the organization giving “Franchise” status to Teofimo Lopez as an undisputed world champion prior to his loss to George Kambosos, what happens in this fight against a fighter that like Linares is highly regarded in Joseph Diaz will likely determine how soon he will get an opportunity to fight for the world championship. One might assume if Haney is able to win this fight, but does not look impressive in doing so, that a potential bout between him and fellow unbeaten top contender Ryan Garcia, who Haney faced and defeated in the 2015 Youth National Championships as an amateur, could be made before determining whether he is ready to face Kambosos, assuming that Kambosos is not heading towards an immediate rematch with Lopez.

 

There is also the obvious possibility that Diaz might upset any potential plans that Haney might have by scoring a victory in this fight. Diaz has slightly more professional experience than Haney and per his already being a world champion knows what it’s like to be in a hard grueling fight. Haney did get a taste of what a difficult and grueling fight can be like against Jorge Linares and it will be interesting to see if Diaz, who was supposed to face Ryan Garcia prior to Garcia taking a sabbatical to address his mental health earlier this year, saw anything in what Linares was able to do against Haney that he might be able to exploit.

 

Finally, the first weekend of December will conclude on Sunday, December 5^th, when undefeated unified WBA/IBF Jr. Lightweight world champion Gervonta Davis meets top contender Isaac Cruz in a twelve round Lightweight bout, which will headline a card from the about to be renamed Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA and will be broadcast on Showtime Pay-Per-View here in the United States. Davis, who has a record of 25-0, with 24 Knockouts has spent his recent time in the ring earning interim/regular champion status in the WBA rankings in multiple weight classes. While such designations are nothing more than a mandatory challenger position for whomever holds those world championships, Davis has nonetheless looked very impressive in his recent outings in scoring knockouts of Leo Santa Cruz and most recently Mario Barrios in his last fight in June of this year.

 

Davis does have the type of style and punching power that draws interest no matter who he fights and recently it is clear that the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters has been trying to position him as a pay-per-view draw even as the medium of pay-per-view is in decline due largely to both inflated price points, as well as the rise of digital subscription based streaming networks that have emerged as major players not just in Boxing, but in all of sports. One of the criticisms that Davis has faced recently is the desire to only fight against fighters that are also aligned with the PBC. While yours truly is very critical of this approach by any promoter, it is clear that such an approach is not necessarily rooted in the best interest of the fighters themselves and is more to the benefit of those who are involved on the business end of the sport. Although clearly such approaches oftentimes backfire on those who see it as a viable strategy, thus far it has not in regard to Davis though demand has continued to increase for him and other PBC linked fighters throughout the sport to fight against opposition outside of the PBC banner.

 

On this occasion, the unbeaten Davis will face what could be a stern test in the form of Isaac Cruz. Cruz, who will enter the bout with a record of 22-1-1, with 15 Knockouts, comes into the fight with limited time to prepare due to original Davis opponent Rolando Romero being removed from the bout earlier this month due to several allegations made against him outside of the ring. While the unbeaten Romero is in limbo due to said allegations, which ultimately could sideline him indefinitely, this now becomes a significant opportunity for Cruz to step in against a high-profile opponent that if he were to pull off what many would call an upset, could lead to even more opportunities down the road. Cruz has been unbeaten since losing an eight round unanimous decision in 2016 to Luis Montano, in what was his sixth professional bout.

 

What Cruz will bring into this fight is that he is a boxer/puncher that does have deceptive punching power and is capable of ending a fight quickly should an opportunity arise as he showed in scoring a first round knockout of Diego Magdaleno on Halloween night of last year, coincidentally on the undercard of Davis’ knockout of Leo Santa Cruz. The challenge for Cruz coming into this fight beyond the limited time that he has had to prepare is whether or not he will be able to weather an early storm by Davis who usually starts fights at a fast pace and looks to land power shots. 

 

Although Cruz proved that he is also capable of starting quickly and ending a fight quickly as he did against Magdaleno, conventional wisdom would suggest that he will look to counter Davis’ offense and try to extend the fight into the middle and late rounds. Davis has also shown an ability to end fights in later rounds as well as well as maintain his stamina as a fight progresses, so it will be interesting to see whether Cruz will be able to disrupt Davis from being able to get into a rhythm and if he can, whether or not he will be able to maintain it for all twelve rounds if he needs to.

 

Despite the fact that this bout is an interesting clash of styles, what is of perhaps equal interest is the fact that the ViacomCBS-owned Showtime, has chosen to make two curious moves. The first as it relates specifically to the Davis-Cruz bout is to stage it on a Sunday evening on pay-per-view at a $74.99 price point. The second is the fact that the network will stage a second pay-per-view during the month of December when they will broadcast the Jake Paul-Tommy Fury Cruiserweight bout in Tampa FL. Although as of this writing, a price point for the Paul-Fury pay-per-view event has not been announced, it is nevertheless a curious choice to stage two pay-per-view events, which may be similar in price point during the month of December, particularly due to the state of the pay-per-view medium and consistently dwindling pay-per-view buy numbers for the majority of cards aired on the medium.

 

While yours truly has been and will continue to be critical of such an inflated model, the recent news that the PBC will be staging a Heavyweight-themed card on pay-per-view on New Year’s Day, with Fox Sports this time doing the broadcast/distribution duties at an already announced $39.99 price point has me wondering aloud as to how successful these two Showtime Pay-Per-View events will be when the returns come in. In the interest of honesty and with the reader keeping in mind this observer’s vocal support for digital subscription-based streaming options over the pay-per-view model due largely to the value it offers consumers for a monthly or annual subscription as well as often times every bout on a card being televised as opposed to the consumer being asked to pay an oftentimes inflated fee to see a portion of a card, often between three or five bouts on a full Boxing card, which may have between eight or twelve bouts in full, I believe that in regard to Showtime, ViacomCBS is missing what could be a significant opportunity to do Boxing events on it’s digital subscription streaming network Paramount+, which does offer sports content including the Combate Americas mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion as well as several soccer leagues and NFL games broadcast by CBS Sports on it’s streaming network. While the potential of offering these type of cards under something along the lines of “Showtime Boxing on Paramount+” branding would likely increase subscriptions to Paramount+ while also allowing ViacomCBS and Showtime to take advantage of both the live and on-demand aspects of streaming technology for said cards, something that cannot be done via traditional pay-per-view platforms, the success or lack thereof of these two cards may finally be the tipping point to convince the powers that be that it is time to adapt because it is obvious that the cable/satellite medium’s decline is not going to cease any time soon and the solution to the issue of dwindling buy numbers will not be found by continuing to do undervalued pay-per-view cards at inflated prices where ultimately everyone involved from the networks, to the promoters, and finally the fighters, who are lured by the promise of shares of revenue, lose out.

 

“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

Ramirez KO’s Barrera In 4

 

Undefeated former WBO Super-Middleweight world champion Gilberto Ramirez scored a dominant fourth round knockout of former world title challenger Sullivan Barrera on Friday night at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. In the main event of a twelve bout card, Ramirez, now rated number five in the world in the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Light-Heavyweight ratings, quietly bided his time in the first two rounds against Barrera, who entered the fight rated number six in the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) Light-Heavyweight ratings. 

 

What appeared to be setting up as a tactical chess match quickly changed late in the third round when Ramirez connected with a left hook to the liver of Barrera, who went down following a delayed reaction from the punch. Although Barrera was able to get up and survive the round, Ramirez knew he had his opponent in trouble and in round four he continued the attack dropping Barrera for the second time with another left hook to the body. At this stage, Barrera was clearly hurt and it was only moments later when he would be sent down for a third and final time from another left hook to the body forcing the fight to be stopped. Official time of the stoppage was 1:38 of round four. Gilberto Ramirez advances to 42-0, with 28 Knockouts. Sullivan Barrera falls to 22-4, with 14 Knockouts.

 

Also on this card:

 

Former IBF Jr. Lightweight world champion Joseph Diaz scored a twelve round unanimous decision over top Lightweight contender Javier Fortuna. In what was his Lightweight debut, Diaz faced some adversity in this fight first in suffering a cut over the left eye in the third round as a result of an accidental clash of heads then being deducted a point in round four for hitting Fortuna behind the head. Despite those elements working against him in addition to Fortuna’s awkwardness, Diaz was able to gradually take control of the fight by pressing the action, counter punching effectively, and out working Fortuna down the stretch to earn the unanimous decision victory. Official scores were: 117-111, 116-111, and 115-112 for Diaz. Joseph Diaz advances to 32-1-1, with 15 Knockouts. Javier Fortuna falls to 36-3-1, with 25 Knockouts.

 

In a battle for the Women’s WBO World Jr. Flyweight championship Seneisa Estrada successfully become a two-division world champion after previously winning a world championship in the 105lb. Minimumweight division by scoring a ten round unanimous decision over champion Tenkai Tsunami. A tactical, but physical fight saw Estrada make use of her hand speed, combination punching, and lateral movement to out box Tsunami over ten rounds to win the world championship. Official scores were: 99-91, and 98-92 (On two scorecards) in favor of Estrada. Seneisa Estrada advances to 21-0, with 8 Knockouts, Tenkai Tsunami falls to 28-13-1, with 16 Knockouts.

 

 

 

Undefeated Lightweight William Zepeda scored a sixth round stoppage over previously unbeaten Hector Tanajara. Zepeda forced the fight on the inside and got the upper hand by frequently beating Tanajara to the punch and throwing frequent combinations to the body and head. The increasing one-sided flow of the combat was halted at the conclusion of round six when Tanajara’s corner requested the fight be stopped to save Tanajara from further punishment. William Zepeda advances to 23-0, with 21 Knockouts. Hector Tanajara falls to 19-1, with 5 Knockouts.

 

In a battle for the Women’s WBA World Flyweight championship champion Naoko Fujioka scored a hard fought ten round majority decision over Sulem Urbina retain her title for the second time. It was not an easy title defense for the champion as the fight was fought at an extremely high pace from the outset. Although it appeared that neither fighter was able to stand out clearly from the other for a period of time, as the bout progressed, Fujioka became more aggressive and brought the fight to the challenger. By forcing the action and landing a full variety of offense, the champion was able to do enough to retain her crown via majority decision. Official scores were: 95-95 (Even), and 96-94, 99-91 in favor of Fujioka. Naoko Fujioka advances to 19-2-1, with 7 Knockouts. Sulem Urbina falls to 12-2, with 2 Knockouts.

 

A bout for the vacant North American Boxing Organization (NABO Featherweight championship saw Bryan Chevalier score a hard fought ten round unanimous decision over James Wilkins. A grueling fight that was primarily fought in close, the two fighters frequently traded the ebb and flow and had several exchanges throughout. What was not an easy fight to score, it appeared that Chevalier would be at a disadvantage on the scorecards as he was penalized a point in round eight for pulling Wilkins’ head down resulting in Wilkins landing an unintentional low blow that was ruled would not have occurred if Chevalier had not been pulled Wilkins’ head down. Despite the point deduction and seemingly fighting fatigue over the second half of the fight where it appeared Wilkins might have been getting the better of the action, Chevalier was able to get the nod of the three official judges in earning the unanimous decision. Official scores were 97-92, 96-93, and 95-94 un favor of Chevalier. Bryan Chevalier advances to 16-1-1, with 12 Knockouts. James Wilkins falls to 9-2, with 6 Knockouts.

 

Jr. Lightweight contender Lamont Roach scored a second round stoppage of a “Game,” but over matched Daniel Rosas. From the opening bell, Roach systematically walked Rosas down and unleashed a full arsenal of offense throughout. The gradual battering was halted when a right hand to the body forced Rosas to hunch over in pain, which forced the fight to be stopped. Official time of the stoppage was 2:14 of round two. Lamont Roach advances to 21-1-1, with 9 Knockouts. Daniel Rosas falls to 22-5-1, with 14 Knockouts.

 

Lightweight Miguel Gaona successful made his professional debut by scoring a hard fought four round unanimous decision over Gilberto Aguilar. A bout that saw plenty of exchanges between the two fighters, Gaona generally got the better of the action throughout and was able to earn a unanimous decision victory. All three official judges scored the bout 39-37 in favor of Gaona. Miguel Gaona advances to 1-0, with 0 Knockouts. Gilberto Aguilar falls to 0-3, with 0 Knockouts.

 

Jr. Featherweight Azat Hovhannisyan scored a ten round unanimous decision over Jose Gonzalez. Hovhannisyan consistently pressured Gonzalez throughout the fight landing the harder punches and keeping Gonzalez from being able to turn the ebb and flow in his favor. The highlight of the fight for Hovhannisyan came in round eight when a barrage of punches sent Gonzalez down to the canvas. Despite being clearly fatigued, Gonzalez was able to get up from the knockdown and battled to the final bell. Official scores were: 100-89, and 99-90 (On two scorecards) in favor of Hovhannisyan. Azat Hovhannisyan advances to 20-3, with 16 Knockouts. Jose Gonzalez falls to 23-9-1, with 13 Knockouts.

 

Heavyweight Mihai Nistor improved to 3-0 in his career by scoring a second round stoppage of Colby Madison. In what can be described as a slugfest that did not see much technique between the two combatants, Nistor was credited with a knockdown in the first round when Madison took a knee against the ropes even though a punch did not appear to land. Madison complained that he had been hit behind the head, but the call of a knockdown stood. Moments later, Madison would respond by dropping Nistor with a counter round hand to the head. In round two, almost the exact same scenario occurred when Madison scored his second knockdown of the fight with another right hand to the head of Nistor. Nistor would respond however, following his second knockdown by dropping Madison with a flush overhand left to the jaw. Madison was able to beat the count getting up at the count of nine, but the bout was stopped by Referee Raul Caiz Sr. at 2:16 of round two. Mihai Nistor advances to 3-0, with 3 Knockouts. Colby Madison falls to 9-3-2, with 6 Knockouts.

 

A battle of unbeaten Jr. Welterweights saw Starling Castillo score a devastating one punch second round knockout over previously undefeated Miguel Contreras. Contreras appeared to get the better of the action in the first round getting on the inside of the taller and longer Castillo and landed some hard body shots. In round two however, Castillo brought a sudden end to the fight when he connected with a straight left hand to the head that knocked Contreras out cold before he hit the canvas. The bout was immediately stopped. After a few minutes of being observed by ringside physicians, Contreras was able to leave the ring under his own power, despite going down hard on the canvas. Official time of the stoppage was :46 of round two. Starling Castillo advances to 15-0, with 12 Knockouts. Miguel Contreras falls to 11-1, with 6 Knockouts.

 

In the opening bout of the card undefeated Featherweight Gregory Morales scored a six round unanimous decision over veteran Rodrigo Guerrero. Morales was put through his paces by Guerrero, a veteran of forty professional bouts, but he simply out worked him over six rounds to earn the convincing unanimous decision victory. Official scores were: 59-55 (On all three scorecards) for Morales. Gregory Morales advances to 13-0, with 8 Knockouts. Rodrigo Guerrero falls to 26-12-2, with 16 Knockouts.

 

This marathon of Boxing, which was promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions signaled not only the debut of Gilberto Ramirez under the Golden Boy promotional banner, but also a bit of a transitional process for Golden Boy following a well-publicized split with its former top draw Saul “Canelo “ Alvarez. While there has also been speculation regarding Golden Boy’s long-term plans particularly in regard to its broadcast deal with global digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN, who was caught in the middle of the dispute and ultimate split between the promoter and Alvarez, Golden Boy’s strongest point as a promotional entity has always been its ability to develop rising prospects into contenders, then to world champions while also developing those fighters into stars throughout the sport of Boxing. 

 

With Gilberto Ramirez now in a position as one of Golden Boy’s top fighters in it’s stable, the recent troubles of the past could well be viewed in time as a bump in the road for De La Hoya and Golden Boy especially if they are able to maintain their relationship with DAZN as the network continues its global expansion, which could ultimately benefit Ramirez, Golden Boy, and several other world champions, prospects and contenders that were featured on this card or will be featured in the future.

 

“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