Madrimov-Crawford: Should There Be A Rematch?

The story going into undefeated three-division world champion Terence Crawford's challenge of undefeated WBA Jr. Middleweight world champion Israil Madrimov on August 3rd at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, CA largely centered on the dominant career Crawford had up to the point of this encounter and his attempt to join a select list of fighters, many of whom are Hall of Famers to have won world titles in four separate divisions. While that storyline was simple, perhaps what should have been discussed more was whether or not Crawford, who came into the fight having stopped his last eleven opponents inside the distance, would finally come across an opponent that would produce something we have not seen before in a Terence Crawford fight. An element of doubt. 

Despite coming into the fight as the defending WBA world champion in the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division, and having an extensive amateur background in which he scored three hundred-fifty wins, Israil Madrimov was seen as a significant underdog. This was due largely to his only having ten fights since turning professional as well as Crawford being his first title defense after winning the title earlier this year and Crawford's significant high profile at the top of the sport.

The champion, however, would show immediately that he belonged in the ring against someone of Crawford's caliber. What stood out was Madrimov’s approx. An approach that had an emphasis on movement both with his feet as well as with his upper body. From the opening bell, Madrimov used faints to disrupt Crawford and footwork to prevent Crawford from being able to find a consistent rhythm. This along with being able to land his right hand both as a lead and a counter punch seemed to keep Crawford

 hesitant for a time to let his hands go. 

In truth, what would follow would be the definition of a chess match. Two highly skilled world-class boxers attempting to outwit each other, but each showing a healthy respect for the other by not being aggressive and patiently looking for the right opportunities to throw and land punches. Although fights fought at such a pace are not always the most entertaining to watch, for Boxing purists, it was. It was also the first time that a fighter seemed to be able to compete with Crawford and not allow him to gradually take control of the fight as it progressed.

An interesting contrast between the two fighters also developed over time where for those scoring the bout produced a conundrum. The gradual m volume punching of Crawford, or the consistent accuracy of Madrimov. It was indeed hard to distinguish at times who was getting the upper hand because while Crawford was more active for significant stretches, some may feel Madrimov’s measured approach and accuracy with his offense could have been more effective. As it almost always is when it comes to close fights, it becomes a case of what one prefers, as I have said numerous times over the many years I have covered the sport, based on clean punching, effective aggression, ring generalship, and defense.

Only adding to the conundrum, Madrimov’s constant lateral and upper body movement, also allowed him to do something that we have not really seen done to Terence Crawford in his career, apply consistent pressure where it gave an appearance as though Crawford was having trouble, not being able to control the place, in addition to not being able to let his hands go as consistently as he normally does.

For a long stretch during this fight, I felt the story was not necessarily Madrimov’s measured approach in terms of offense, but more about what he did defensively and thus, what Crawford was not able to do as a result. More often than not, however, there are those whether scoring a fight officially or unofficially that will tend to give the nod to a fighter who is more active offensively. In this case, it is indisputable that over the second half of the scheduled twelve round world championship bout that Crawford was the more active of the two even though he was not always able to land on Madrimov.

From this observer’s perspective, at the end of the fight I had Crawford winning seven rounds to five or 115-113 in points, but it was a case where for the first time since covering him from the early stages of his career, where I did not feel confident in my scoring in the sense that it was not a case of clearly feeling that Crawford won seven rounds, but more of a scenario where at the conclusion of the fight, I had arrived at that scorecard under circumstances where many of the rounds could have been scored either way based again on what once prefers in their own criteria based on the aforementioned criteria in which Boxing is scored. 

This certainly was not the first fight that I found myself under this scenario, but it was the first time in regard to one of Crawford's fights. Nevertheless, it would not have surprised me to see scores going the opposite way in favor of Madrimov, or to see the fight scored a draw. At the end of the evening, it would be Crawford who would win the fight via unanimous decision with two official judges scoring the fight the same as yours truly 115-113, while the third judge turned in a score of eight rounds to four or 116-112 in points, making Crawford a four-division world champion.

What is interesting coming out of this fight is the ramblings of a further significant leap up the weight scale for Crawford to possibly challenge unified Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez are likely to continue, but for the first time in his career, Terrence Crawford was pushed competitively to a point we have not seen before and thus, now the possibility of a rematch should be discussed. In this observer's eyes Israil Madrimov has earned it.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Is Callum Walsh Ready For A World Title Shot?

One of the traditions of St. Patrick's Day week in New York City, NY in many years have been Boxing cards held in Madison Square Garden’s Theater, which in this observer’s youth was known as the Felt Forum. While this has developed into a tradition over many years, there have been times where it has not been held every year, most notably during the global COVID-19 epidemic. Nevertheless, Boxing in New York City during St. Patrick's Day week has served as a springboard of sorts for fighters on the verge of fighting for world championships, from Featherweight contender Michael Conlan, to former Middleweight contender John Duddy, who participated in what turned out to be an all-time classic in The Theater at Madison Square Garden in 2006 when he went toe to toe for twelve brutal rounds against former Jr. Middleweight world champion Luis “Yory Boy” Campas, defeating him via unanimous decision and establishing himself back then as a contender in the Middleweight division.

On March 15th, The Theater played host to a rising prospect, who like Duddy before him many years ago, might look to make a home for himself inside of Madison Square Garden, or at least establish either The Theater or the Garden’s main arena, as a frequent stop as he continues his career. Yours truly is referring to undefeated Jr. Middleweight Callum Walsh. Walsh, who was fighting for the second consecutive time in The Theater after scoring a ten round unanimous decision in November of last year over Ismael Villarreal. In some ways, Walsh took a significant step forward in that fight because it was the first time he had gone ten rounds in his career. This time, the opposition for Walsh would come in the form of Dauren Yeleussinov. A veteran of fifteen professional fights coming into this encounter, Yeleussinov may have been getting what amounted to a last chance to enter into world title contention at thirty-seven years of age.

Nevertheless, Yeleussinov was an opponent that one could expect to see on the way up for a prospect like Walsh. The addition of this bout being for the WBC Continental Americas championship in the Jr. Middleweight division also presented another step up for Walsh. What occurred in this fight was perhaps a prospect showing that he might be ready to face a top contender or potentially challenge for a world championship, but also a testament of one fighter’s durability. For nine rounds, Walsh administered what could be best described as a gradual beating to Yeleussinov. By landing hard, thudding blows to the body and head, Walsh gradually broke Yeleussinov down  as Yeleussinov suffered significant damage to his face throughout the fight including a left eye that was nearly swollen shut. While the fight ultimately proved to be one-sided, what was impressive about Walsh’s performance was the poise he showed in not rushing in trying to get a stoppage and simply took things as they came in getting a ninth round stoppage to move to 10-0, with 8 Knockouts in his career. 

Although there was not much to say about this fight beyond the disciplined approach of Walsh and the mettle of Yeleussinov, by Walsh earning what was his second regional title in the WBC rankings after previously winning the WBC’s USA Silver title. While many overlook the accomplishment of winning regional titles in a career, the purpose those titles serve in an overall picture is it helps elevate a fighter into the world rankings. With this win, Walsh should be rated in the top fifteen in the Jr. Middleweight division. Despite only having ten professional fights it would appear that Walsh may indeed be on the fast track towards a potential shot at a world championship. Whether or not Walsh will be ready when that time comes, assuming he continues to win, it is important to keep in mind that not all fighters respective climbs up the rankings is not exactly the same and there are times where determining whether a fighter is ready will come down to a case by case basis rather than a set number of fights in a career. 

With his next fight tentatively scheduled for June, this observer believes if he can remain active and continue winning, Walsh could well be in position to fight for a world title sometime within the next year. When one also factors in that the Jr. Middleweight division is seemingly in the midst of a period of transition, there will likely be opportunities to move up the ladder of contention quicker because there will also likely be world championships that will have vacancies, and thus, it will allow contenders like Walsh the chance to maneuver to try and get in position to fight for a vacant world title. It may come down to who Walsh is put in with in his next two or three fights that may determine how soon he gets that chance.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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2024 Starts With Controversy

The start of 2024 in the world of Boxing on January 6th saw the return of undefeated former Welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz. Ortiz, who after scoring nineteen consecutive knockouts to start his career and seemed to be on the brink of challenging for a world championship, saw his career come to a halt due to a series of health problems including COVID-19 and dehydration, which stalled his return resulting in scheduled bouts being cancelled.

After seventeen months out of action, Ortiz finally did return to the ring, this time as a Jr. Middleweight to face veteran Fredrick Lawson at the Virgin Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. The story going into this fight was a simple one. How would Ortiz look after dealing with those health issues, but also returning in a higher weight class.

In Frederick Lawson, Ortiz faced a one time contender as a Welterweight, who came into the fight with a record of 30-3, with 22 Knockouts. Lawson also had an advantage over Ortiz in terms of activity and came into the fight off of two straight wins in 2023.

When it comes to fights where one of the combatants is coming off of a lengthy stretch of inactivity, regardless of what led to that inactivity, it is always interesting to see whether the opponent will be able to force the issue early and make it difficult for the fighter to work off any theoretical “Ring Rust." As most fights do, this encounter seemingly started with a feeling out process where the two fighters were trying to get warmed up and into the task at hand. 

With a little more than two minutes into round one, Ortiz connected with a jab that seemed to graze off the head of Lawson, but did back him up against the ropes. Ortiz proceeded to attack Lawson, who was against the ropes and seemed to be doing a reasonable job in protecting himself from the majority of Ortiz’ attack, but did take some left hooks to the body and some right hands to the head. Despite not appearing to be significantly hurt, Referee Tony Weeks stepped in and stopped the fight at 2:33 of the first round. 

While Tony Weeks is regarded as one of the best referees in the entire sport and has officiated nearly 900 bouts, many of which have been world championship bouts in a thirty-year career , he has not been immune from being questioned regarding a stoppage he made that many felt was the wrong call. Some may recall the June 2017 World Light-Heavyweight championship rematch between Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev, where in a scenario similar to this fight, Ward unloaded on Kovalev in the eighth round, where with Kovalev against the ropes, Ward connected with a series of body shots that appeared to be on the beltline or low with Kovalev leaning over in obvious pain, Weeks stepped in and stopped the fight, but did go on in the days following the bout to say that he missed a low blow and the fight should have gone on.

This time in an interview shortly after stopping Ortiz-Lawson, Weeks in speaking with digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN stated that the reason he stopped the fight was because he saw Lawson's eyes roll back in his head.  Although much like with his stoppage of the Ward-Kovalev rematch, this observer feels Weeks made a bad call or at least was a little too quick in stopping the fight, it is important to remember that as I have often said over the years, more often than not, I will side with a referee under circumstances like this for the sole reason that they are the closest person to the action and as such can see things from inside the ring, up close that others in attendance and those watching a fight on television/streaming may not see. In this case, I did not see what Weeks referenced as his reasoning for stopping this fight. Weeks’ reputation however as one of the best referees in the sport as well as the fact that he was the closest person to the fighters as they were in the midst of combat means that he needs to be taken at his word in obviously he saw something up close that told him instinctively to stop the fight before any permanent damage was done if not God forbid worse. Unfortunately, it leaves not only a bad taste in the mouths of Boxing fans to begin 2024, but also along with the controversy of the stoppage, a feeling of inconclusive, because due to the fact that there was a quick stoppage, justified or not, not much was learned about Ortiz either now as a Jr. Middleweight or in terms of his conditioning, if the fight had gone at least a few rounds. 

Despite the view of yours truly that Weeks made a bad call in this fight, there are two things the reader and any would be armchair critic should keep in mind. One, referees and judges are human like the rest of us and are as prone as any of us to have a bad day or as I often refer to it “A Bad Night At The Office." Secondly, regardless of one's opinion, it is always better for a fight to be stopped too soon than wondering why a fight was allowed to go on longer than it should have when discussing a tragedy that has taken place. One thing any fan or critic should also remember is they do not have to live with the circumstances of allowing a fight to go on longer than it should where the result beyond wins or losses are either permanent injury or even death. While such dangers come with the territory in combat sports, it may be perhaps better to think of what a referee might have prevented in a circumstance where the consensus is a fight was stopped too quickly and controversially. One should also ponder what a referee might have to live with if they do not see the warning signs that a fight should be stopped and missing those signs results in tragedy. It is not something to take lightly.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Danny Garcia Shines In 154lb. Debut

 

The story going into the Jr. Middleweight bout between former two-division world champion  Danny Garcia and Jose Benavidez on July 30^th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY centered on two aspects. First Damn Garcia’s return to competition after a near two year absence, and secondly Garcia’s first attempt competing in the normally talent-deep Jr. Middleweight division.

 

As simple as this might sound to the reader, there are times where the story leading into a fight does not require much explanation, even though in this case, it does involve a fighter in Garcia, who prior to his hiatus was regarded as one of the top fighters in the sport of Boxing. Despite the premise being simple to describe, what always interests this observer whenever a fight like this occurs is how a fighter in Garcia’s position would respond to fighting in a new weight class. Something clearly intended to give him a fresh start in his return to the ring.

 

What was also of interest to yours truly, which I touched upon in the days prior to this fight, was how Garcia would take punches from a fighter naturally bigger than him  in the new weight class. Although I felt that Benavidez as the naturally bigger fighter needed to apply pressure on Garcia, what he failed to do in the fight was let his hands go consistently. Despite having periodic success in landing his right hand throughout the fight, Benavidez simply was not active enough over the course of the scheduled twelve round bout to have sustained success.

 

This allowed Garcia to be able to control the tempo of the combat. It also allowed him to skillfully out box Benavidez at a point where his combination punching as well as his ability to evade the majority of Benavidez’ offense with upper body movement, became the story of the fight. Even though Benavidez did succeed in being able to stalk Garcia from early on in the fight, the combination of Garcia’s offense as well as his defensive skills allowed him to box his way to what I felt was a convincing twelve round unanimous decision victory.

 

The view of this observer notwithstanding, sometimes what appears to be a clear unanimous decision to one’s eyes is not always reflected in the official scoring of a fight. While two official judges scored the fight in favor of Garcia by reasonably wide margins, which appeared to be in line with what happened in the fight, a third judge scored the fight a draw. While the subject of scoring in combat sports is in a word subjective and one that yours truly has spent a lot of time discussing over the past two and a half decades that I have covered Boxing and combat sports as a whole, out of respect for the reader, I will not say too much about that particular scorecard beyond my view that the judge who rendered that scorecard may have had a bad night at the office. What I will say however, is at least that one scorecard did not result in a controversial outcome in terms of who won this fight.

 

Although frankly I was hoping to provide much more analysis in this column, there is simply not much to say about a fight that, despite going the distance, was controlled by one fighter from start to finish in a workmanlike, but dominant performance. As for what comes next for Danny Garcia, I believe the most important thing at least for now is for him to stay active and continue to work off what is known as “Ring Rust” after such a lengthy absence from competition. Whether it is good or bad depending on one’s perspective, a fighter in Danny Garcia’s position as a former two-division world champion with name recognition does have the ability to secure big money opportunities and potential world title shots based on that clout he has. For now, activity is the key to not only work off that “Ring Rust,” but also to be sure that he has acclimated fully to the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division.  Danny Garcia’s first step into the Jr. Middleweight waters was a successful one, whether or not his next opponent will be able to provide a sterner test remains to be seen.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

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

 

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Charlo-Castano Thoughts

 

Although much of what has dominated the attention throughout the sport of Boxing recently has had to do with scheduled bouts falling through, being rescheduled for several reasons including, but not limited to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic, there has been several fights that have taken place inside the ring that some might say because of what has been circulating the Boxing news cycle has been under the radar. Among those bouts that perhaps would have received more attention under normal circumstances, was the July 17^th World Jr. Middleweight unification bout between WBC/WBA/IBF world champion Jermell Charlo and undefeated WBO world champion Brian Castano, which took place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, TX.

 

Normally when a unification bout such as this is signed, it is not uncommon to see elements of hype used as a promotional tool in an attempt to garner interest in the upcoming showdown. This was a rare case however, where such tactics and/or trying to give the impression that there were elements of bad blood between the two combatants was not necessary. This was simply a fight between two of the top fighters in the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division and that element in of itself was enough to drum up interest in the fight, in addition to the interesting clash of styles between the two fighters.

 

What we had in this fight was an encounter between two boxer/punchers, who in the view of this observer could do a little of everything that one might expect from a world-class boxer competing at the highest level of the sport. Both champions had shown in their careers the abilities to box, counter punch, as well as end a fight quickly should the opportunity present itself. In essence, this fight would prove to be exactly that. A bout between two fighters who showed a little of everything offensively as well as defensively against each other creating the classic scenario of a closely fought battle where opinion could sway as to who got the upper hand.

 

As this observer has said frequently through the years, when two fighters are able to have periods of success in many of the same rounds as was the case in this fight, the conundrum that can exist for the three official judges is to determine which fighter was able to leave a better impression with their moments as compared to their opponent. While obviously this is not a perfect nor exact science, it is often the determination of those subtle differences that can determine who leaves the ring victorious in a fight that goes the distance.

 

In this observer’s view, the first six rounds of this unification bout followed a pattern that frankly continued through much of the second half of the fight. Charlo being able to get the better of most of the action during periods where he was able to keep the combat near the center of the ring and use his legs and lateral movement to evade Castano as he attempted to walk him backward towards the ropes. When Castano was able to cut the ring off and limit Charlo’s ability to move, it was he who got the better of the exchanges of offense and seemed at least in my eyes to be the fighter leaving the lasting impression as to whom was getting the upper hand,

 

The impression of this observer notwithstanding, it was nevertheless a close fight and as I viewed the encounter, I began to get that feeling that as years have gone on during the lifetime that I have spent covering and writing about the sport that I have referred to as a Boxing writer’s intuition. While this type of feeling can be applied to anyone that covers combat sports, what I am referring to is the type of “Gut Feeling” that one develops after watching so many fights on every level of the sport of Boxing amateur and professional, that only a true aficionado can truly understand. The feeling/intuition that no matter how you might feel a fight is leaning, no matter how you might be scoring a fight unofficially, you have the sense just based on what you’re seeing that no matter what, at the end of the fight you will hear differing scores and no shortage of opinions as to who won the bout.

 

Such a feeling hit me rather quickly in this fight perhaps because it seemed as though the combat would be fought at a pace where it could almost be described in segments. As such, as the fight progressed I began to question whether either fighter was doing enough where an argument could be made that one stood out clearly from the other. Although I felt Brian Castano was the effective aggressor throughout much of the fight the question for him was whether or not those periods that did not dominate the majority of the rounds, which are three minutes in duration, to get the nod of the three official judges. In contrast, for much of the bout Jermall Charlo’s best moments came when he was able to control the tempo and keep Castano from throwing punches as he attempted to come forward. While there is little dispute that during these periods that Jermell Charlo seemed to have the upper hand, he was not aggressive during those moments and the fact that he was sporadic with his offense until the latter stages of the twelve round world championship bout raised questions as to whether he was able to make the most of his best moments of the fight.

 

A close fight from seemingly every angle that one chooses to view it had the predictable conclusion of a split decision, which was not a surprise to this observer with one judges Steve Weisfeld turning in a score of 114-113 in favor of Castano. As there always seems to be in Boxing when it comes to close fights, the element of “Controversy” reared itself as the scorecard of judge Nelson Vazquez was announced as he would turn in a score of 117-111 or nine rounds to three in favor of Charlo. This “Controversial” scorecard would ultimately be moot as judge Tim Cheatham would turn in a score of 114-114 or six rounds to six resulting in a split decision draw and both world champions retaining their respective portions of the World Jr. Middleweight world championship.

 

While the subject of one judge producing a scorecard that differs significantly from the consensus of the Boxing fans watching a fight, those of us in media who cover the fight in varying capacities, or the other official scores in a fight is certainly not new, it may be appropriate to apply context in this case. First, the scorecard of judge Steve Weisfeld, a veteran of over 2,100 bouts spanning thirty years in a judging career that began in 1991, produced a winner by the narrowest of margins a single point. This margin however, occurred because of how he scored the tenth round of the fight in scoring it 10-8 in favor of Charlo.

 

Although there were no knockdowns throughout the entire fight, there are times where a judges discretion can be applied and while it is normal to see a 10-8 score in a round where one fighter is able to score a knockdown, it can also occur when one fighter wins a round clearly to such degree that a judge may feel that a 10-8 score is appropriate even without the visual aid of a knockdown. In this case, this was during the stage where Charlo did step up his pace and aggression. He also did manage to stun Castano for a period during the round with a combination highlighted by hooks he was able to land to the head. Weisfeld’s scoring of that round resulted in the one point victory for Castano on his card. While this is purely subjective, if Weisfeld had scored the round 10-9 as judges Vazquez and Cheatham did, his scorecard would have been 115-113 or seven rounds to five, a margin that is more common for close fights such as this where a winner is determined and coincidentally, the scorecard this observer had unofficially.

 

Judge Tim Cheatham, a veteran of over 480 bouts spanning twelve years in a judging career that began in 2009, meanwhile arrived with a deadlock score of 114-114 or 6-6 in rounds. A score that I wasn’t surprised to see. Frankly, there is little difference between a 114-114 scorecard and a 115-113 scorecard. The only difference is if a single round is scored the opposite way by a margin of 10-9, you would then arrive at the same score yours truly had unofficially 115-113. This is one reason why when there are many close rounds in a fight, those rounds frequently referred to as “Swing Rounds,” it will often come down to as I have said frequently over many years, what a judge prefers in their own individual criteria based on clean punching, effective aggression, ring generalship, and defense. 

 

Now we come to the “Controversial” scorecard of judge Nelson Vazquez. In this instance, Vazquez turned in a scorecard that differed significantly from his colleagues Weisfeld and Cheatham, but also differed from the consensus amongst Boxing fans and experts alike. While some have pointed the finger of blame squarely at Vazquez for what is viewed by many as a bad decision, much like Weisfeld and Cheatham, Vazquez is a veteran of Boxing scoring. In a judging career that began in 1987, Vazquez has scored over 960 bouts over the last thirty-four years. 

 

The reader may wonder why this observer has opted to give a synopsis of each respective judge’s experience. Instead of expressing the same anger that someone fans and even some others who cover the sport have, I felt it necessary to illuminate that all three judges were among the most experienced and seasoned in the sport having scored bouts on every level including the world championship level. As experienced as judges might be however, they like the rest of us are human and are not going to agree on every round every time they judge a fight. Much like all of us, judges too can have a bad day or as yours truly often refers to it as a bad night at the office.

 

With this in mind, obviously I do not agree with how Nelson Vazquez saw this fight, but like I, he is entitled to his point of view. Although ultimately the split decision draw has left things unsettled as far as the unification process of the Jr. Middleweight division, which involves Charlo, Castano, and for the time being sees current IBO world champion Erislandy Lara on the outside the equation, the Boxing world can prepare for what will likely be a rematch at some point in 2022 between Charlo and Castano.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

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

 

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Has Tszyu Put The Jr. Middleweight Division On Notice?

 

The career of undefeated Jr. Middleweight contender Tim Tszyu has seen him quickly progress from a prospect following in the footsteps of his father the longtime former Jr. Welterweight world champion and Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, to a contender, who appears to be on the cusp of challenging for a world championship of his own. In just eighteen professional bouts over nearly five years as a professional, the twenty-six year old Tszyu has developed a reputation as a “Knockout Artist.” Much like his father, the twenty-six year old Tszyu has the ability and punching power to end a fight at any time with either hand. Tszyu’s progression in his career thus far has largely been highlighted by victories over former WBO Welterweight world champion Jeff Horn and former world title challenger Dennis Hogan. Two fights, which Tszyu scored knockout wins.

 

Recently however, Tszyu had a question asked of him that in some ways is one that is asked of many fighters regardless of their standing in the sport. How would he adapt to a change in opposition on relatively limited notice? This observer is referring to the recent circumstances Tszyu found himself in when his scheduled bout against Michael Zerafa on July 7^th was changed when Zerafa pulled out of the fight in the week prior due to concerns over the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic and newly enacted restrictions in Australia. Although promoters did have the go ahead to stage the fight at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre in Newcastle, Australia, Zerafa citing concerns opted to withdraw from the bout leaving Tszyu in need of an opponent or to postpone the bout until such time that the circumstances of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis could improve and the bout with Zerafa could presumably be rescheduled.

 

While circumstances like this in a fighter being in need of an opponent on short notice is not new throughout all of combat sports when such instances occur, the situation is certainly not ideal for a fighter or the fighter’s team. It is those circumstances however, that could provide an opportunity for an opponent to step in. Although the fighter who is in the position of having to step into a fight with a limited window of time to prepare is almost always at a disadvantage, there remains the element of the unknown that makes a fight intriguing. Fortunately for Tszyu, he would find an opponent on one week’s notice, enter Steve Spark.

 

Even though Spark had faced limited opposition going into this fight with Tszyu, what made his introduction into this equation interesting was that in his thirteen previous professional bouts, Spark had scored knockouts in eleven of his twelve career victories having lost one bout in his second pro bout via majority decision. Any time a fighter registers a career knockout percentage of over 80%, it does give an impression that they could at minimum provide a test even under circumstances of taking a fight on short notice.

 

In some ways however, what occurred when the two fighters squared off resembled Tszyu’s fight with Dennis Hogan earlier this year. A systematic attack where Tszyu gradually walked his opponent down getting in close and not allowing Spark space to maneuver. As was the case in his bout with Hogan, the focal point of Tszyu’s attack was to his opponent’s body. What should not be overlooked however, is while this process for Tszyu was relatively straightforward in its execution, he also took some punches from a “Game “ Spark who did try to make a fight of it. Even though the offense Spark was able to land was not able to hurt Tszyu nor discourage him from coming forward, it did show Tszyu’s ability to take a punch while sticking to his fight plan.

 

Ultimately, it would be Tszyu’s steady pressure and body attack that broke Spark down as two knockdowns in round three, both as a result of left hooks to the body would bring an end to the fight. While this amounted to a “Stay Busy” fight both in regard to the circumstances that led to it as well as what occurred inside the ring for Tszyu, he did show the ability to adapt as well as the ability to take a punch. Under circumstances which could give a fighter more pressure and circumstances where some fighters have been caught off guard, Tszyu’s performance in this fight is really all one could ask for if you’re on Tszyu’s management team and are trying to position him for a world championship bout.

 

Although a fight with Michael Zerafa could still happen, the question is whether Tim Tszyu should be in line to challenge for a world championship? With a unification bout between Jermell Charlo, the IBF/WBA/WBC Jr. Middleweight world champion and WBO world champion Brian Castano scheduled to take place on July 17^th and Tszyu being rated number one currently in the World Boxing Organization’s (WBO) Jr. Middleweight ratings and rated number three by both the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Council (WBC) respectively, it may be a question of whether Tszyu will be next in line amongst the rotation of mandatory challengers for the winner of that fight, which will further unify the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division.

 

While current International Boxing Organization (IBO) world champion Erislandy Lara for now is on the outside of this unification process and even though some do not hold the IBO in high regard and see the Charlo-Castano as a bout for the Undisputed Jr. Middleweight world championship, if a showdown between the winner of that fight and Lara is not in the immediate plans to fully unify the division, it will be interesting to see if Tszyu can upset any potential plans when he does get his opportunity. An opportunity that this observer feels he has earned.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

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