Showing posts with label Oscar De La Hoya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oscar De La Hoya. Show all posts

Sunday, May 5, 2024

Alvarez-Munguia Thoughts

Recent times in the sport of Boxing have been to some it up in a word, “Strange.” Strange in the sense that what has gone on prior to a scheduled bout outside the ring, has turned out to mean as much or more than the fights themselves when they finally take place inside the ring. By now, we are all familiar with the erratic behavior of one Ryan Garcia that occurred before and after his victory over Devin Haney on April 20th, which has taken yet another turn when it was revealed that the fighter, who had scored an impressive twelve round majority decision over Haney in Brooklyn, NY at the Barclays Center, tested positive for banned substances before and after the fight in tests conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Dopping Agency (VADA), which regularly oversees such procedures in combat sports. While the circumstances of Garcia will continue to play out for better or worse, which this observer stands by his previous comments before and after his bout with Haney, the Boxing world focused on what I personally believe to be one of the better fights that had been made thus far on the 2024 schedule when Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez made his sixth title defense against the dangerous undefeated top contender and former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia on May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.


As much as I would like to tell the reader, both those who are knowledgable of the sport and follow both the fights themselves as well as the coverage yours truly has provided for nearly three decades, that the story of this encounter was simply one between two of the top stars in the sport meeting for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world as the latest attraction for the sport during Cinco de Mayo weekend, unfortunately there is more to the story, that took place in the days prior to the fight. In the interest of honesty with the reader, in light of recent events in the sport like the one mentioned above that had taken place previously, I would prefer to discuss what happened in the ring on May 4th before discussing what happened beforehand, which cast a shadow over what at least on paper had the makings of a Fight of the Year candidate.


Of course, it is not often that the sport is treated to an encounter between two of the top stars of the sport. One, who has been arguably the sport’s top economic draw for several years, the other arguably a rising star that may ultimately occupy that position one day. Two fighters with significant fan followings and both who more often than not, give a Boxing fan their money’s worth whenever they compete.  


What stood out to this observer, though at the same time was not surprising was Munguia started this fight aggressively and appeared to try to execute a fight plan with an emphasis of working of his jab and trying to attack Alvarez with volume punching, throwing combinations and keeping Alvarez on the defensive. For a time, the challenger’s tactics appeared to be working, there was even one exchange during the early rounds where Munguia appeared to pop the head of the champion back with a crisp, but fast triple jab. 


After three rounds, I felt that Munguia’s approach was enough to win two of those rounds. I did question however,  whether the high pace in which Munguia was fighting would ultimately turn against him as the fight progressed. One of the trademarks of Saul Alvarez as his career has gone on is his ability to adjust his fight plan as a fight goes on. While Munguia established himself early, Alvarez, a precision counter puncher among the best in the sport, bided his time and waited for his opportunity to strike. 


Such an opportunity would emerge in round four when in the midst of an exchange, the champion would connect with a perfectly timed right uppercut to the head that dropped Munguia. Despite being knocked down for the first time in his career by a shot he did not see, Munguia showed his mettle by getting up, showing an ability to recover, and doing so while under heavy offensive fire from Alvarez.


It was the moment in the fight however, which signaled a turning point in the bout. For it was from that knockdown in the fourth round onward that Alvarez seized control of the fight.  He did this by established, despite Munguia's attempts to maintain a high pace and keep punches coming at Alvarez to the body and head, when Alvarez threw his punches whether it was a short combination where he took the lead, single punches, or counter punches, his punches were harder, did more damage, and dictated the end and flow of the fight. 


Round after round the pattern remained the same. Munguia often trying to bring the fight to Alvarez, the champion doing his best to deflect the challenger's punches either with his gloves, or head movement, and making the most out of the openings Munguia left him to throw and land crisp combinations, power punches, and counter punches. Although Munguia have it everything he had and never stopped trying to land the proverbial “Fight Turning" blow till the final bell, the outcome was academic as Alvarez would retain his undisputed championship via a convincing twelve round unanimous decision.


The sixth successful title defense for Alvarez was simply as dominant as he has been in his entire career, short of him getting a knockout victory. Although he was indeed forced to go the distance for the fifth consecutive time and this forced to box sixty rounds in the process over that stretch, the Undisputed Super-Middleweight champion of the world showed in this fight against a truly dangerous opponent that came to fight that he is far from done, despite some recent criticism that perhaps after sixty-four professional fights prior to this bout, that perhaps his inability to score knockouts in recent times may be a sign that there may be signs of decline in the thirty-three year old four-division world champion. For now, Alvarez has put a stop to those whispers. It would be nice if that were all that needed to be said. 


Unfortunately, the shadow that loomed over what should have been voted simply as two stars of the sport, both in their prime facing each other, must now be discussed. A sub-plot that emerged in the days before the fight centered around Oscar De La Hoya, the former world champion, Hall of Famer, who promotes Munguia and was the a longtime promoter of Alvarez, took his opportunity to fire back in response to Alvarez who had a highly publicized and ugly split with him in 2020. While Alvarez has made accusations in the years since his split from De La Hoya and his company Golden Boy Promotions, at a press conference days before the fight De La Hoya finally responded to his former client saying in essence that he feels Alvarez has forgotten who helped him reach the level he currently is at in the sport and saying his name should be spoken with respect. De La Hoya also addressed his struggles with alcoholism, something that Alvarez has to put it kindly, criticized him for publicly since their split . Alvarez in response got up from his position at a table on stage and proceeded to attempt to get to De La Hoya before being stopped by security that were in attendance.


While some will dismiss this as simply “Prefight Hype" and utter nonsense, much like the recent conduct of Ryan Garcia, also promoted by De La Hoya, and a former stablemate of Alvarez under trainer Eddy Reynoso, I have a simple question for the reader. Where is the responsibility and accountability to the sport.


The responsibility of those in the sport like Alvarez, Garcia, and De La Hoya to represent Boxing with conduct becoming of professionals, responsibility to not only represent the sport well and hopefully help in assisting to grow Boxing for future generations, and the accountability from those who oversee, sanction, and regulate the sport to ensure that not only Boxing as a sport is respected, but to hopefully ensure that failures to adhere to professional standards/conduct are met with disciplinary action.


In short, all three have failed to uphold such a standard recently. Although some may find humor in such conduct, it ultimately hurts a sport that already has too many flaws and things that can and should be criticized including, but not limited to an over use, abuse, and reliance on a dying model of pay-per-view. While the latter has been something yours truly has criticized frequently and will continue to do so as long as it continues to not benefit the sport or the fans who support it, if those who regulate, sanction, and oversee the seemingly have little interest in actually regulating and ensuring the sport is held in high regard, an approach that one often would not see in other organized sports, why bother regulating at all? Perhaps Boxing should now be viewed in the same vein as Professional Wrestling.


Although I as one who also spent several years covering that industry as well as Boxing and other combat sports am being sarcastic with the aforementioned statement, the bottom line is without adequate oversight to not only ensure rules and regulations are followed before, during, and after fights, and those in the sport conduct themselves as professionals as they are supposed to be, it mind as well be held in the same regard as an entertainment realm, which sadly, despite it's status as a form of live-action performance art and the physical risks performers take being well known, is still viewed by some as a joke.


Boxing deserves better. 



“And That's The Boxing Truth." 


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Thursday, April 18, 2024

Haney-Garcia: Should It Go On?

It is often customary prior to what is viewed as a significant or “Major” fight on the Boxing calendar to fall into a seemingly endless cycle of hype surrounding what often becomes more of an event rather than simply an encounter between two world-class boxers. When it comes to the scheduled encounter between undefeated two-division world champion Devin Haney and top Jr. Welterweight contender Ryan García, who are to do battle for Haney's WBC Jr. Welterweight world championship on April 20th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, this observer has been asking himself one question for the previous two months. Should the fight go on as planned? 


Before anyone jumps to conclusions, when I question if the fight should go on, it is not another in my long-standing criticisms regarding the pay-per-view model,  in which this will be slated as a DAZN Pay-Per-View offering in North America,  nor is it a concern similar to those that yours truly was very vocal in expressing during the global COVID-19 epidemic where I outright questioned whether due to health concerns, whether it was in the best interest of Boxing to resume under what were at that time, never before seen circumstances. A view that I also expressed regarding other sports as well during that time. Rather, when I ask the question of if a fight should go on, it is in this case, out of concern for the well-being of one of the combatants. I am referring to Ryan García. 


Under most circumstances when someone in my position in covering the sport voices concern for a fighter's well-being, most would probably associate such concern with citing eroding skills that often come with a long career inside the ring. In this case, I would not be doing my job nor the reader any justice if I said that my concern for García was not in relation to his mental health,  a subject he has been open about throughout his career. A major focal point in the lead up to this encounter with Haney has not been on anything related to the styles of the two fighters or what each brings to the battle inside the ring, but rather what can be described as erratic conduct of Garcia at press conferences as well as numerous online videos posted by the fighter himself. Out of respect for the reader, I will not discuss each instance, but Garcia's conduct in which he has ranted, made accusations, and even threatened to sue  the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), to name a few, suggests to this observer, someone who has praised him before when he put his mental health first in taking time away from Boxing, that perhaps he might be struggling with something that might not be known to the public and it would then make one question whether Boxing should be a priority. 


At this point,  I feel it is important for me to state that I am not a mental health professional and I do not have a medical background, and there are surely folks who are more qualified than I on the subject of behavior and whether or not someone might be struggling with something that may be previously diagnosed that could likely share a more educated point of view than I could.  I am simply sharing my point of view having quietly observed the circumstances leading up to this fight. While some may dismiss Garcia's conduct as merely promotional tactics in an attempt to drum up interest in this fight, I simply do not see things with a similar view. As I have continued to observe things, I have kept repeating three words. I am concerned. 


Obviously,  I am not involved with Ryan Garcia's team and I will state for the record that I have never had an opportunity to meet Garcia, but in watching what has gone on, I wondered for a time whether the concern I have might be an overreaction in some way. As a noted historian, I decided to try to jog my memory to try and remember a circumstance where a fighter's struggles outside the ring were such a focal point prior to a bout that it ended up overshadowing the fight itself.  One such instance came to mind. On February 7, 1997 Heavyweight champions Lennox Lewis and Oliver McCall met for the vacant WBC world championship in the Heavyweight division. Both former champions at the time of what was a rematch of a world championship bout three years earlier where McCall scored a second round knockout of the then WBC champion Lewis to become a world champion in his own right.


Prior to the rematch, the main topic of discussion among many was not about the fight itself,  but centered around McCall, who was said to had prepared for the bout while undergoing drug rehabilitation treatment. This along with other troubles McCall was going through outside of the Boxing ring cast some uncertainty regarding what type of bout it would be, despite McCall's success in the first encounter as well as being an underrated fighter who was taken lightly prior to that first fight, despite having been in the ring with many of the top Heavyweights of the late 1980's and 1990's, where he held his own. 


Despite exiting his dressing room at the Las Vegas Hilton, jumping up the ring steps,  and appearing motivated, it was not long before McCall in the midst of the fight began to have what by all accounts seemed to be a breakdown where he refused to engage with Lewis and began crying. The bout would be halted in the fifth round when the late great Referee Mills Lane stopped the fight and the victory was awarded to Lewis beginning his second reign as a world champion. In response to what had occurred the Nevada State Athletic Commission withheld McCall's purse for the bout.


It was and remains one of the most bizarre events this observer has ever seen in his career covering the sport and to my knowledge, to this day, there has never been an explanation for what exactly happened that evening other than to say a man who was going through significant struggles in his life at the time had a breakdown. While as a society there is more known now about mental health as compared to when the Lewis-McCall rematch took place twenty-seven years ago, I will take it a step further by saying based on what I saw that night that there were likely signs that McCall should not have been in the ring and for whatever reason, they were likely ignored. 


With regard to Ryan García, I sincerely hope that those around him are not turning a blind eye to what may be occurring, despite the appearance that some including Oscar De La Hoya, his promoter, and a man who himself has had personal struggles,  have seemed to find humor in his fighter's conduct,  most notably at recent press conferences promoting this bout against champion Devin Haney. While it remains to be seen what the New York State Athletic Commission might do and whether they will license García, despite his threats towards the commission as well as his overall conduct,  this observer believes at least for García, Boxing might not be a priority right now and the last impression I have as this fight approaches is not one of a fighter who is prepared to fight for a world championship for the first time in his career. 


Assuming the fight is allowed to go on as scheduled,  what should one expect in terms of styles? While one should keep in mind the stance of yours truly that perhaps this fight should not go forward out of concern for Garcia's well-being, if we are to assume the fight will go on, this will be the first time that Haney and García will have met as professional boxers,  but they have faced each other three times as amateurs. In those bouts, which took place between 2014 and 2015, Haney emerged with two decision victories, while Garcia was victorious via decision in the second of those three bouts.


It goes without saying that there are differences between the amateur and professional ranks in Boxing and what happened in amateur bouts nearly a decade ago when two fighters were teenagers might not necessarily be an indication of what will happen ten years later as professionals. Both fighters have quick hands and while some might give an edge in power to Garcia based on his twenty knockouts in twenty-four professional victories compared to the champion's fifteen of thirty-one wins,  Haney is very crafty and has shown an ability to dominate world-class opposition by winning every round of a fight and of the two, it is the champion who has more accomplishments at the top level of the sport as a two-division world champion. 


The key will be, if the fight is allowed to go on, whether Garcia will be able to respond to not only the pressure of the event, but also a very crafty and slick opponent that will be in front of him. While the styles of the fighters and the circumstances were different,  the one time Garcia was involved in a fight similar to this in terms of atmosphere and hype,  García was knocked out by Gervonta Davis under circumstances where, despite being knocked down by a left hook to the body, there are some who felt that Garcia could have continued rather than allowing himself to be counted out while on one knee. Although Garcia himself is the only one who can say what happened in that fight, it might give an impression that he does not respond well to pressure and regardless of the view of this observer regarding this fight taking place given his well-being is being questioned, it is something to keep in mind if this fight does indeed happen. 


Usually, at the end of a column discussing an upcoming fight, readers are used to me giving a positive spin on things in hopes that Boxing will be benefited from what takes place rather than ridiculed. In this case,  I truly hope that all my concerns for one fighter's well-being turn out to be unfounded, despite how things would appear. It is also my hope that in the days that follow, we as a sport, and those of us who cover it are not talking about something that probably should have been prevented where the blame will fall squarely on those who were in positions to do something, but chose not to,  whether it be promoters, networks, family members,  or a state athletic commission,  who will be overseeing and sanctioning the bout. If a worse case scenario does indeed occur,  whatever that might be, it will be hard to defend all of the above and not say criticism, ridicule, mockery, and inevitable calls for reform and yes, accountability will not be deserved.


“And That's The Boxing Truth.”


Haney vs. Garcia takes place on Saturday, April 20th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The fight can be seen in North America on DAZN Pay-Per-View beginning at 8PM ET/5?PM PT for $69.99 and will be available through the DAZN app as well as through traditional cable/satellite providers. For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, to subscribe and order this select pay-per-view event please visit: www.DAZN.com



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Friday, December 8, 2023

Garcia Bounces Back With KO Win , But Do More Questions Remain?

The fight between Jr. Welterweight contender Ryan Garcia and contender Oscar Duarte on December 2nd should have represented a fresh start and the beginning of a new chapter in Garcia's career as he looked to bounce back from the first loss of his career earlier this year to Gervonta Davis. Instead, much of the attention prior to the bout, which took place at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX, did not center on the fight itself or what Duarte brought to the table as an opponent and possible threat to Garcia, but rather on what at best can be described as a contentious relationship between Garcia and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya and by extension his promotional company Golden Boy Promotions


It is true that this fight took place under a condition in which this observer cannot recall seeing before, or at least not in this form. In that the bout took place while the fighter Garcia, and the promoter De La Hoya, are engaged in a legal battle against each other in an effort by Garcia to break his existing contract with his promoter. The idea of a promoter and fighter being at odds however, is not a new concept. The idea that a fight promoted by a promoter currently battling the star attraction in said fight while litigation is ongoing is a bit different. 


At minimum, as this observer pointed out in previewing this fight, it had to create distractions for Garcia as well as a situation for De La Hoya, where the pressing question during fight week was not concerning the fight inside the Boxing ring, but concerned his feelings toward his fighter. The contention between the two going into fight week spilled over as both Garcia and De La Hoya traded verbal barbs during the pre-fight press conference and weigh-in.


Seeing the situation play out for the world to see, one would be logical to question why the fighter would agree to participate in a fight promoted by someone that he is trying to distance himself from and why the promoter would want to promote a fight with that fighter, while litigation is ongoing. Truly, something that could only happen in Boxing, or at least that's how it seems. One would also be justified in questioning why something like that would be done before a resolution has taken place between the parties as more than likely anything either fighter or promoter said prior to the bout actually taking place, would likely be used against each other or at least be attempted to in any upcoming legal proceedings.


While what I have described here dear reader, probably sounds more appropriate for a reality TV show, there was still the matter of actual battle inside the ring. The fight between Garcia and Durate took place before a capacity crowd. If nothing else, it demonstrated, despite Garcia's knockout loss to Davis and the very ugly saga between himself and De La Hoya, Garcia is still a rising star in the sport. 


As for the fight itself, under new trainer Derrick James, Garcia showed new elements of his skillset that has not been seen before. A more technical approach with an emphasis on using both his jab and lateral movement against the constant pressure of Duarte, who only knew one direction, forward. Perhaps in response to what happened to him when he was knocked out by Gervonta Davis, when forced to fight on the inside with Duarte where the possibility of being caught with a body shot, like the one that did him in against Davis, was increased, Garcia appeared to turn sideways, some may say partially turn his back. While such an approach borders on the line of legal and illegal, it was for better or worse an effective strategy. It did not, however, endear Garcia to the crowd in attendance, who frequently voiced their criticism via booing throughout the bout. Furthermore, it also created a scenario where Referee James Green frequently interjected himself throughout the fight to issue warnings, which were mostly pointed in the direction of Duarte for hitting Garcia in the back. 


Although I felt Garcia was doing enough to win most of the rounds as the fight progressed, the aggressiveness of Duarte was such that I felt it could sway opinion in his favor simply because of the perception that he was the fighter forcing the action. The question I was also pondering in my mind was whether the high pace in which the fight was fought would take a toll on Garcia later in the fight due not only to Duarte’s pressure and solid punches when he was able to connect, but more specifically the constant movement that he was having to do throughout. 


As the fight continued, I also felt that Duarte’s pressure was effective, but what was also noticeable was the lack of head movement as he came forward in that he was having to go through significant offense from Garcia before he could get on the inside, which he was unable to avoid. This flaw in Duarte’s defense would ultimately lead to his downfall in the eighth round when Garcia was able to catch him with a short left hook to the head, which wobbled his legs and subsequently led to a knockdown from a short flurry of blows. Although Duarte seemed to get up at the count of nine, he was in fact counted out by Referee James Green, giving Garcia an impressive and hard fought knockout win.


Ultimately, this fight did what it was designed to do if you were a member of both Garcia’s camp or his current promoter Golden Boy Promotions. Get Garcia back in the win column. The fact that Garcia was able to do so impressively is an added bonus. Inevitably, there will continue to be questions and criticism of Garcia. Questions such as is he truly recovered from the knockout at the hands of Davis, more so mentally than physically? Is Garcia listening to too many folks in terms of advising him on his career and is that influence at the root of his ongoing problems with Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions? And finally, will he be able to stay on track both inside the ring as well as out of it to stay a viable contender with the hope of eventually fighting for a world championship?


These are all interesting questions that this observer cannot answer. Much as has been the case for numerous young fighters throughout the history of the sport however, there is no shortage of people who are more than willing to tell a fighter what they want to hear and will also offer no shortage of ideas that may not truly have the fighter’s best interest at heart. For the fighter, especially one who has been open as Garcia has regarding struggles with his mental health, it can be difficult to tell the difference between those willing to tell them what they want to hear and those telling them what they need to hear. Even if the latter is not always easy to hear.


“And That's The Boxing Truth."


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Wednesday, November 29, 2023

The Rebuilding Of Ryan Garcia

It may seem like a cliche for some and a subject that gets discussed in several different variations, but for most fighters, a career can be divided into chapters or stages. If the premise of the opening of this column sounds familiar, dear reader, and sounds like something this observer has said before, it's because it is probably true. Nevertheless, for the purposes of this column, the stages that we will focus on are “The Rise" and “The Rebuild."


First, “The Rise." The rise of current Jr. Welterweight contender Ryan Garcia was one that did not see him win a world championship, but did see him placed on what seemingly was a fast-track towards that eventual goal. In some ways, it was a similar rise at least in terms of the popularity Garcia was able to garner as his longtime promoter Oscar De La Hoya enjoyed during his days as a young fighter before he went on to win many world championships in multiple divisions in what became a Hall of Fame career.


Perhaps because of the differences in eras and the advent of both social media platforms and video streaming sites like YouTube, Garcia’s popularity seemingly skyrocketed to the level of near superstar status before he became a contender as a Lightweight before eventually moving up to the Jr. Welterweight division. The difference in the way Garcia built his fan base notwithstanding, he did amass an impressive and undefeated record on his rise and also showed that he could get up when knocked down as he did in his 2021 battle against  former world title challenger Luke Campbell. A fight that Garcia got up off the canvas to score a knockout win, in what to that point was a career-defining moment for him.


While it may have appeared that Garcia's rise was smooth and without bumps in the road, he saw his progress stalled shortly after his victory over Campbell as he took time away from his career to address ongoing struggles with his mental health. A subject that he has been very open about and should be commended for. Nevertheless, the time away from active competition did stall the momentum he appeared to have built for himself. After a lopsided, but less than dominant performance over former world champion Emmanuel Tagoe in his first fight in over a year following his victory over Campbell, Garcia scored a knockout win over Javier Fortuna in July of last year, which set up what was a highly anticipated bout between himself and fellow undefeated star Gervonta Davis.


When the two met in April of this year, the fight was competitive for a time, but it would be Davis who would emerge victorious, dropping Garcia with a body shot in the seventh round where Garcia,on one knee, stayed down for the ten count. The defeat signaled the first loss of Garcia's career and thus ended the stage of his career known as “The Rise."


Now, dear reader, we come to a stage almost all fighters come to at some point in their careers. “The Rebuild.”


First, before we can talk about “The Rebuild," we need to talk about “The Defeat," or to be more specific, what led to it. Was Gervonta Davis simply the better fighter on that particular evening when he and Garcia shared the ring, or was there another reason for the outcome? 


For his part, Garcia has claimed that a rehydration clause in the contract for his fight with Davis in some way hindered his performance. This observer will not waste time trying to prove or disprove that claim because ultimately, the only one who really knows is Ryan Garcia himself. What I can say is having seen the knockout, Garcia was hit with what by all accounts appeared to be a perfectly placed body shot. 


As is the case when it comes to body punches, it is not always how hard the punch lands, but the position where it lands that often determines how much damage is done. Because the body is one of the more sensitive parts of the human anatomy, often when a punch lands to the body in a perfect spot, it causes a delayed reaction from the fighter on the receiving end and simply not only saps the fighter of whatever energy they might have as well as affect their ability to breathe, but more specifically, it takes the fighter's legs away from them where more often than not, it becomes very difficult for the fighter to get up from a knockdown resulting in a scenario like the one Garcia found himself in where he watched himself be counted out.


Obviously, there have been those who have taken a more cynical viewpoint of what happened to Garcia in that fight and feel that he quit when faced with an adverse circumstance. It should be pointed out however, that Garcia did get up off the canvas to knockout Luke Campbell, ironically with a body shot similar to the one that Davis knocked him out with. Whatever the case might be, if nothing else, the way those two fights ended should serve as an illustration to all fighters on the benefits of a consistent body attack as well as the obvious dangers taking body punches presents.


While the memories of what happened to him against Davis are likely to stay with him for a time, now Garcia must focus on the task of trying to bounce back. A process that is simply known as ”The Rebuild.” Step one in that process in terms of competition will take place on December 2nd in Houston, TX at the Toyota Center when Garcia returns to the ring and the Jr. Welterweight division when he faces contender Oscar Duarte in a twelve round bout that can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN.


The question I have going into this fight centers on Garcia and whether or not he is prepared mentally. For any fighter looking to bounce back from a loss there is a mental block that the fighter has to deal with that is not always easy to overcome. In this case, Garcia is not only coming off of the first loss of his career, but also the first time he was knocked out. There are also the distractions that are a factor going into this fight. Shortly after his loss to Davis, Garcia cut his ties to trainer Joe Goosen and took on a different opponent in his promoter Oscar De La Hoya in an attempt to free himself from his promotional agreement.


Thus far, De La Hoya remains Garcia’s promoter, but the fact that there was and may still be an ongoing litigation between the two has to be at least on some level a distraction unless things have been resolved behind closed doors and simply not made public as of yet. At minimum, it suggests a less than friendly relationship between fighter and promoter. It was however, not long ago that Garcia was viewed as one of the hottest rising stars under De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions so one would think that it would be in the best interest of both to unite in an attempt to get Garcia back on track. 


In terms of his corner, Garcia will be working with his third trainer in a handful of fights by bringing in the highly regarded Derrick James, trainer of former unified Welterweight world champion Errol Spence among others. A criticism that some fighters deal with that ironically Oscar De La Hoya dealt with during his in ring career is by going to several different trainers over the course of a career, it can have a negative impact on a fighter’s style as well as strategies going into a fight. Although there was a mix of good and bad throughout De La Hoya’s career as he was guided by numerous trainers, many of whom are Hall of Famers, the counter argument is by opening yourself up to different philosophies that a new trainer/coach brings with them, it may allow a fighter to see things from a different perspective as well as improve in various areas in terms of technique. Whether or not the addition of James to his corner will be beneficial is something that remains to be seen, but it should also be noted that it is not uncommon for a fighter to switch trainers after suffering a loss.


Garcia's opponent on December 2nd in Oscar Duarte is a fighter with a respectable record of 26-1-1, with 21 Knockouts. A criticism that has surrounded this fight at least in the eyes of some is that Duarte has not defeated a notable fighter on his way to compiling that record. What Duarte does have going for him is he has been unbeaten since 2019 and his lone defeat to a fighter named Adrian Estrella was a ten round split decision loss. Since then, Duarte has run off eleven straight wins, all by knockout. While his resume might lack notable names, that is a statistic that should be viewed with a serious mindset by Garcia and those in his camp.


Garcia is coming off of a knockout loss and the fight plan for Duarte will likely center on trying to test Garcia early. It will be interesting to see if Duarte looks to establish an attack to the body of Garcia. Although sometimes all it takes is for one punch to land in a sensitive spot, the potential perception going forward could be that Garcia does not take body punches well and thus for any future opponents, the body could be an obvious target.


It would not be surprising to see Garcia approach this fight with caution and try to protect his body as much as possible, especially if it becomes clear early on in this fight that it is the intended target for Duarte. Conventional wisdom would suggest that Garcia’s claims of the knockout at the hands of Davis, which was fought at a catchweight of 136lbs., one pound over the 135lb. Lightweight limit and four pounds under the Jr. Welterweight limit where he had fought his previous two fights, was somehow attributed to the rehydration clause, which stipulated that neither fighter could not weigh more than ten pounds heavier than the 136lb. limit on the morning of the fight, is likely going to be tested here. Despite the caliber of competition going into this fight not being at the highest level, Duarte does have all the momentum in his favor and has demonstrated in previous fights that he does have power in both hands. 


While this may have the appearance of a bounce back or “Comeback Fight" for Garcia, who is currently rated number seven in the world in the Jr. Welterweight division by the World Boxing Council (WBC), this should be viewed as a dangerous fight. If he is not mentally and physically prepared, a loss in this bout could set his career back significantly, if not put his Boxing future in doubt.


“And That's The Boxing Truth." 


Garcia vs. Duarte takes place on Saturday, December 2nd at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX. The fight as well as its undercard can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT.


(*U.S Times Only*)


(*Card and Start Time Subject To Change*)


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.com


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



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Wednesday, February 15, 2023

A Boxing Marathon Set To Air On DAZN On February 18th

A consistent theme of this observer’s work particularly here on The Boxing Truth® over the last several years has been the gradual shift of the sport of Boxing away from traditional television platforms and pay-per-view and towards digital subscription-based streaming networks and platforms. While the pay-per-view model unfortunately still exists in 2023 and has even creeped into the subscription-based streaming model, one of the benefits to subscription-based streaming as it relates to Boxing is generally offering more value to consumers as compared to traditional television platforms, including, but not limited to, offering a subscriber the opportunity to see every bout on a card as well as offering multiple events on one platform in a single day.

On February 18th, digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN will offer a full day of Boxing from three different countries that will feature a former world champion continuing his comeback, a fight for a version of the World Featherweight championship, and an encounter between two top Jr. Featherweight contenders looking to take another step towards a world title shot.

First up will be former two-division world champion Felix Sturm, who will return to the ring to face veteran Sukru Altay in Stuttgart, Germany in a ten round Light-Heavyweight bout. Although Sturm is a former world champion in both the Middleweight and Super-Middleweight divisions, he is perhaps best known, particularly to American Boxing fans, for his first professional loss, when he lost a controversial twelve round unanimous decision and his WBO World Middleweight championship to Oscar De La Hoya in June 2004. A fight that many, including yours truly, who covered it, felt that Sturm deserved the decision. Nearly nineteen years later and many fights and ups and downs outside the ring, Sturm, now forty-four years old looks to continue a comeback that began in 2020, but one where he is coming off of a loss.

In that fight one year ago, Sturm dropped a twelve round majority decision to Super-Middleweight Istvan Szili. Now looking to bounce back from what was the sixth loss of his career, Sturm will set his sights on a third weight class, the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division. For his Light-Heavyweight debut, Sturm will face relative unknown Sukru Altay. Quite frankly, this fight can be described as one where the theme is “The Unknown.”

What exactly is “Unknown” the reader might ask? Well in simple terms, both fighters have questions to answer in this fight. It is unknown just how much Felix Sturm has left at age forty-four and being several years removed from both his physical prime as well as when he was a world champion. Although he is coming into this fight off of a loss, the big question at least in my eyes is whether or not his sporadic activity since his return in 2020 has done more harm than good. While some of the issue of his activity could perhaps be blamed on the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic, Sturm has only fought once per year since his return from a four year hiatus in 2020. The biggest enemy for any fighter throughout combat sports is inactivity, especially for a fighter at an advanced age as Sturm now is. This in addition to the obvious question of how he will look as a Light-Heavyweight is the “Unknown” that surrounds him. At his best, Sturm was a solid combination puncher with a tight defensive guard and consistent jab, in which the rest of his offense flowed off of. It will be interesting to see both what the former champion has left as well as what he will bring to the fight.

Similarly, it will also be interesting to see what Sturm’s opponent Sukru Altay will bring into this encounter. The perhaps bigger “Unknown” beyond the questions that surround Sturm is just who is Sukru Altay? Altay will enter this fight with a record of 15-2, with 14 Knockouts. Despite being at a significant experience disadvantage compared to Sturm who will be entering the ring for the fifty-third time in his professional career, Altay does have an 83% career knockout percentage. The potential flaw to that however, is that he has not fought anywhere near the level of competition as Sturm has and that is the big “Unknown” that surrounds him going into this fight. Whether Altay’s record is a case of a fighter lacking opportunity and simply beating whatever opposition that has been put in front of him while waiting for an opportunity to face a notable opponent, or if his record is a product of clever matchmaking is something that remains to be seen.

This brings us to the second main event that will be featured as part of this marathon of Boxing on February 18th.  A highly anticipated encounter for the WBA Featherweight championship of the world between champion Leigh Wood and challenger and WBA number ten rated Featherweight contender Mauricio Lara, which will headline a Boxing card at the Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, England. Wood, who was recently named full WBA world champion in the Featherweight division after previously holding Interim/Regular champion status in the WBA’s rankings will be making his second title defense in his reign, which is now recognized by the WBA following former champion Leo Santa Cruz vacating the championship to compete full-time in the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division. In his last fight in March of last year, Wood scored a scary twelfth round knockout over previously undefeated Michael Conlan in what was a close and competitive fight where Wood knocked his opponent out of the ring and out of the fight in the final round.

As scary as that knockout was, Conlan was okay after spending time in a near by hospital and has resumed his career with two victories since that loss and would appear to be nearing a potential rematch with Wood. Before what would be a lucrative second bout between the two, Wood must get past a very dangerous opponent in Mauricio Lara.

Lara will enter this fight having won six of his last seven bouts with the only blemish coming in his rematch with Josh Warrington, who was between reigns as IBF Featherweight world champion at the time of his two encounters with Lara. As most know, Lara knocked Warrington out in their first encounter, but the rematch between the two ended in a technical draw due to Lara suffering a bad cut in the second round as a result of an accidental head butt.

Since that rematch in September 2021, Warrington has gone on to regain the IBF world championship in the division and would likely welcome a third bout with Lara if Lara can win the WBA world championship in this fight against Leigh Wood as it would raise the stakes of a third bout to also be a unification bout. This will be Lara’s first attempt at a world championship in this fight against Wood and stylistically, this could be a fight similar to Wood’s bout with Michael Conlan as both fighters can do a little of everything and both have shown punching power in previous bouts.

Lara has likely seen Wood’s bout with Conlan where the champion was dropped in the first round and was behind on all three official scorecards prior to Wood being able to catch Conlan in the final round. While if Conlan, who was knocked down in the eleventh round in that fight had been able to continue after being knocked out of the ring in the twelfth round, the bout might have ended in a draw, Lara likely knows if he is able to get out to a lead early in the fight as Conlan had done, he will need to pace himself as Wood tends to come on as a fight progresses and seems to get stronger as a fight moves into the middle and late rounds. With much at stake for both fighters, a world championship on the line, and potentially more lucrative paydays ahead for the winner, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top of a fight that appears to be evenly matched on paper. 

Finally, the day of Boxing on DAZN will conclude with an intriguing Jr. Featherweight encounter between two former world title challengers who are each looking to position themselves for another opportunity at a world title. This observer is referring to the bout between Luis Nery and Azat Hovhannisyan, which will be taking place in Pomona, CA.

The bout, which is scheduled for twelve rounds, brings together two of the top contenders in the 122lb. Jr. Featherweight division. Although both fighters each have career knockout percentages above 70%, this is a clash of styles between a boxer in Nery against a puncher in Hovhannisyan. The similarity between the two fighters however, is that both men have been unbeaten since losing their respective challenges for world titles. Both fighters are likely more than aware of what the other can do and it will be interesting to see how they approach each other in this crucial fight in their respective careers. While a loss for either man would not likely signal the end of the road in terms of their career, another setback at this stage would likely move them back further from potential contention and it will take some time to try and rebound from it.

A tripleheader of Boxing events that offers a little bit of everything for any Boxing fan. Whether this will be the start of what could become a regular occurrence for DAZN and other streaming networks remains to be seen. What a day of Boxing such as this does demonstrate however, is not only the benefit of a subscription-based model, but more specifically the value for the subscription price. Even the harshest critics of the sport should view that as a step forward even in an era where there are those who continue to embrace other models that cost more to the consumer and do not offer value for what they are asked to pay.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.

Sturm vs. Altay takes place on Saturday, February 18th at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany. The fight as well as it’s undercard can be seen on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 10:50AM ET/7:50AM PT.

Wood vs. Lara takes place on Saturday, February 18th at the Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, England. The card can be seen on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning with Before the Bell, which will also feature preliminary bouts beginning at 10:30AM ET/7:30AM PT. This will be followed by the main card, which is scheduled to begin at 2PM ET/11AM PT.

Nery vs. Hovhannisyan takes place on Saturday, February 18th at the Fox Theater in Pomona, CA. The bout as well as it’s full undercard can be seen on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 6PM ET/3PM PT.

*All events will be available on demand.*

*U. S. Start Times Only*

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

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

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

Thursday, December 9, 2021

DAZN ORIGINAL LA GUERRA CIVIL SELECTED FOR OFFICIAL 2022 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAM

Press Release: By DAZN – Feature-length documentary represents Eva Longoria Bastón’s directorial festival debut and the first DAZN Original to premiere at Sundance 

Credit: DAZN

 

LONDON, December 9, 2021 – DAZN Group, the global sports entertainment company, today announced its latest feature length documentary La Guerra Civil has been selected for the official 2022 Sundance Film Festival program. The film will compete in the festival’s World Cinema Documentary Competition and marks the first time that DAZN original content will premiere at Sundance and feature on the international film festival circuit.

 

Directed by Eva Longoria Bastón, Director, Producer, Actress & Activist, and produced by her Emmy-nominated UnbeliEVAble Entertainment (Reversing Roe), La Guerra Civil explores the epic rivalry between iconic boxers Oscar De La Hoya and Julio César Chávez in the 1990s, which sparked a cultural divide between Mexican nationals and Mexican-Americans. The film is a chronicle of a battle that was more than a boxing rivalry, and examines a fascinating slice of the Latino experience in the process. 

 

Executive produced by DAZN’s Grant Best (BAFTA winning Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad) and produced by Bernardo Ruiz (Kingdom of Shadows), La Guerra Civil will have its world premiere on the opening night of 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 20th at the Eccles Theater. The film will land on DAZN next year. 

 

“At the center of La Guerra Civil is an iconic moment in Mexican and Mexican-American sport history. Beyond that though, this is a film about cultural identity, fandom and community. Themes that speak to audiences around the world, whether you’re a boxing fan or not. To unveil this story on a global stage like Sundance, is the ultimate recognition for a filmmaker and DAZN is the perfect partner for making this film accessible to sport fans everywhere,” said Eva Longoria Bastón. 

 

DAZN Group’s EVP Global Commissioning and Original Content, Grant Best, said: “The very nature of DAZN Originals brings fans closer to the heart of sport. Telling the deeper, untold stories behind the athletes you know and love. La Guerra Civil transcends the traditional notion of a sports documentary and explores the intricate story of a deep rivalry between Julio César Chávez’s Mexican heritage and Oscar De La Hoya’s Mexican-American identity, with huge cultural significance.”

 

DAZN Group’s Chief Operating Officer, Ed McCarthy, added: “This is a fantastic accolade for DAZN in gaining recognition from one of the world’s most iconic film festivals. Eva Longoria Bastón is an incredible talent and one of the most sought after directors and producers in Hollywood. We are honored to be working with her to tell this story of such strong cultural and sporting importance.”

 

DAZN is the first global sports streaming platform. From live matches to original programming, it partners with the world’s leading sports organizations to deliver premium sports to fans in a more accessible and affordable way. DAZN is now live in 200+ countries and territories around the world.

 

DAZN Originals bring fans closer to the heart of sport. Previous series include; Ronaldo: El Presidente – a six-part docu-series that goes behind the scenes of the Brazilian football superstar and global icon’s current life as President of Real Valladolid, Canelo: Road to Greatness, which offers sports fans an intimate look at one of the most successful fighters of all time, Parallel Worlds, connecting global sporting icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin to discover what they share in common, Neymar Jr. and The Line of Kings, exploring the powerful dynasty of Brazilian football through the eyes of global football superstar Neymar Jr. and One NightJoshua Ruiz, retelling the story of one of the biggest upsets in modern boxing history, Andy Ruiz Jr. stunning defeat over Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden (co-produced by DAZN and Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions).

 

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.com.

 

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

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Is Munguia Ready For Middleweight World Title Shot?

 

The Middleweight fight between undefeated former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia, current top rated Middleweight contender and former Middleweight world title challenger Gabriel Rosado was eagerly anticipated from the moment the scheduled November 13th clash was announced. The obvious reason for this is you had two fighters that are known as offensive-minded boxers with one, Munguia, being a noted as a feared “Knockout Artist.”

 

While it is indeed true that Munguia entered the bout against Rosado having scored knockouts in thirty of his thirty-seven career wins including three straight knockouts since moving up from the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division to the 160lb. Middleweight division, like most fighters who are able to garner a reputation for scoring quick knockouts, he had not been tested in his career and with potential title shots looming, it was logical to wonder if the veteran Rosado would be able to provide that tesy for him.

 

In Gabriel Rosado, Munguia faced what amounted to the very definition of a seasoned professional fighter. Rosado a veteran of forty-one bouts going into this fight and had earned a reputation for his willingness to fight anyone regardless if the circumstances were such that he stepped into fights on short notice and/or viewed as a significant underdog depending on his opposition. Rosado however, had developed a bit of a career resurgence after aligning with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach in dropping a disputed split decision to former IBF Middleweight world champion Daniel Jacobs in November of last year and then scoring what many feel is a candidate for Knockout of the Year when he knocked out previously undefeated highly touted prospect Bektemir  Melikuziev in June of this year. A fight where Rosado got up from a knockdown in the first round before knocking Melikuziev out cold with a single counter punch in the third round.

 

Despite the thrilling nature in which that knockout occurred, Rosado still had a hard luck reputation as well having lost thirteen bouts in his career. While it was understandable that he would again be put in position as an underdog going into this fight, Rosado had shown significant improvement under Roach's guidance and thanks to his performance against Melikuziev, had also shown an ability to end a fight suddenly if given the opportunity.

 

It was certainly not surprising to see Munguia attempt to establish a quick pace from the outset when the two fighters met at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. The question this observer had however, was one that can be split into two parts. Would Rosado be able to handle fighting at such a high pace and if so, could he potentially find a way to use Munguia’s aggression against him?

 

One aspect of Rosado's approach that I noticed early on that I felt worked well for him was the periodic use of his jab and what appeared to be a strategy based on trying to land offense to Munguia’s body. While at not point at least in the first half of the fight did Rosado come close to matching Munguia's output, I did feel the strategic approach as well as setting up counter punch opportunities would show more success as the fight progressed.

 

Furthermore, I felt that if Rosado could land offense to Munguia’s body more than occasionally, Munguia’s pace would decline in the middle and later rounds. Rosado was able to execute some effective counter shots particularly in being able to snap Munguia’s head back with his right hand periodically throughout the twelve round bout, but as the fight progressed, he gradually got away from both using his jab and did not attempt to go to the body with consistency throughout. This allowed Munguia to maintain control of the combat in what was an exciting fight albeit lopsided victory for Munguia on the scorecards in earning a convincing twelve round unanimous decision to move his record to 38-0, with 30 Knockouts.

 

While at the end of the day, Munguia simply did what he needed to do in scoring a victory, he was also put to the test by Rosado who gave him a hard fight for all twelve rounds. Although Rosado simply did not throw often enough and was not able to score knockdowns throughout the fight, which could have made a difference in the scoring of the fight, he did succeed in testing Munguia’s chin and Munguia did pass this test. The question now becomes is Munguia ready to challenge for a world championship in 2022?

 

This observer believes that Munguia is ready and could be a likely opponent for the winner of upcoming world championship bouts including undefeated WBO world champion Demetrius Andrade, who will defend his title on November 19th against top contender Jason Quigley seeing as he is currently the WBO number one contender, or a potential opponent for the winner of the December 29th unification bout between IBF/IBO world champion Gennady Golovkin and WBA world champion Ryota Murata. Obviously, there is at least speculation at this point that if Golovkin is successful in that bout against Murata that a possible third bout between he and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is on the table, which would see Golovkin move up eight pounds to the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division to challenge the recently crowned undisputed world champion Alvarez for the crown. Based on this, I believe the more logical scenario for Munguia at this point would be to wait for the Andrade-Quigley winner to emerge and seek an opportunity against that winner.  From a business perspective, a fight between the Andrade-Quigley winner and Munguia seems like it would be straightforward to make seeing as both Andrade’s promoter Eddie Hearn, and Munguia’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya have not only regularly worked together to co-promote fights as they will be with Andrade-Quigley, but also both are aligned with global digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN, which would likely welcome what would be another marquee attraction for their network. One must also keep in mind that Andrade has been clamoring for a marquee opponent and if he should retain his championship over Quigley, would likely welcome the opportunity to fight someone of Munguia’s caliber and growing popularity in the sport.

 

For now, it is simply a process of waiting for Jaime Munguia. Boxing fans can only hope that as the world continues to deal with the impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic that more marquee fights that will have significant interest will be in the works for 2022. One such bout would be Munguia challenging the Andrade-Quigley winner.

 

“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

Thursday, November 4, 2021

Alvarez-Plant: The Battle For Super-Middleweight Supremacy

 

The recent career of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has been marked by a very public split from his longtime promoter Oscar De La Hoya outside of the ring as well as his becoming essentially a free agent while continuing to maintain a relationship with global digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN. Inside the ring however, the last year of Alvarez’ career has seen more frequent activity as well as establishing a working relationship with promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing. A relationship that has seen Alvarez fight three times in under a year in the process winning and successfully unifying three of five Super-Middleweight world championships.  While some may not see a fighter fighting three times in one year as being overly significant, it is extremely rare both due to a fighter like Alvarez’ position as an elite level boxer, but also due to the financial incentives that a fighter like Alvarez can earn on a per fight basis to see a fighter in his position compete so frequently. 

 

Although the public business divorce between Alvarez, De La Hoya, and for a brief period DAZN did not do any of the three any benefit, an argument can be made that perhaps Alvarez being essentially a promotional free agent has allowed him to be as active as he wants to be, which may or may not have been what someone in De La Hoya’s position have wanted. Three dominant victories over Callum Smith, Avni Yildirim, and Billy Joe Saunders over the last year have now led to Alvarez attempting to make history as he will meet undefeated IBF Super-Middleweight champion Caleb Plant on November 6th to unify the 168lb. division and determine the first undisputed world champion in Super-Middleweight history.

 

Unlike Alvarez’ bouts since December 2018 however, this fight will not be broadcast by DAZN around the world, but rather will be broadcast on a medium that Alvarez left when he originally signed with DAZN, pay-per-view as this bout will be broadcast in the United States by Showtime Pay-Per-View and in the United Kingdom on BT Sport Box Office Pay-Per-View. The reason for this whether it is something that will be admitted publicly or not has to do with Caleb Plant’s association with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters and more specifically his advisor Al Haymon who has an exclusive deal with Showtime and Fox Sports in the United States and BT Sport in the United Kingdom.

 

Some may recall that negotiations for this bout broke down for a period of time due to what was reported as Alvarez’ refusing to sign a multi-fight agreement to fight under the PBC banner. While this was a temporary break down in negotiation, it did show Alvarez’ desire to make history by choosing to fight on a different platform and for the time being return to an overpriced and outdated model of pay-per-view, despite being in a position where he had more leverage as the marquee attraction, the “A-Side Fighter” for lack of a better term. While this is no disrespect to the undefeated Plant, who will enter this fight having successfully defended his IBF crown three times since winning the title in January 2019, some may question the motives of the PBC or perhaps Haymon by insisting this fight take place on their platform rather than looking out for the best interest of Plant, who one might argue could have made more money by facing Alvarez under the DAZN platform.

 

Nevertheless, Plant will be making an estimated $10 million for this fight, which is still by far a career high for him. The business elements of the sport, which often does not serve to Boxing’s benefit notwithstanding, Plant does pose an interesting challenge for Alvarez, despite going into this fight as a significant underdog.

 

Why is the undefeated Plant an underdog? The reason primarily is because, despite being unbeaten in twenty-one professional bouts, he has not fought opposition that is comparable to that of Saul Alvarez. Even though it is indeed true that all a fighter can do is face the opposition that is placed before them, an argument can be made that it is a flaw of the PBC model in that there are times where fighters such as Plant either world champions or top contenders struggle to get the type of marquee fights they deserve due to the PBC’s seeming unwillingness to work with promoters from outside their banner on a regular basis. Their insistence that this fight take place under their banner is perhaps a reflection of that argument.

 

Caleb Plant however, is an unbeaten fighter who is a boxer/puncher that likes to gradually break his opponents down over the course of a fight. He has also shown the ability to out work his opponents throughout a fight to win convincing decisions. It is indisputable however, that the story of this fight will be whether or not Plant will be able to do either against a fighter of Alvarez’ caliber in what is a significant step up in class of opposition.

 

What makes Saul Alvarez so dangerous is that he is very compact with his offense, has the ability to hurt an opponent with either hand, and is a world-class counter puncher. Plant does have twelve knockouts in his twenty-one career wins, but is at a significant disadvantage when it comes to overall experience and also experience competing at this level of the sport against Alvarez, who is a veteran of fifty-nine professional bouts and who’s only official loss came against Floyd Mayweather when he was competing as a 154lb. Jr. Middleweight.

 

Although Plant is the naturally bigger man compared to Alvarez, Alvarez has shown since moving to 168lbs. that he is not only capable of fighting men who are taller, longer, and theoretically stronger than himself, but thus far he has been dominant. A reason for this beyond his aforementioned attributes is he continues to evolve and with each fight has proven to be an increasingly difficult puzzle for opponents to solve. How can Caleb Plant be one of the few fighters to have success against Alvarez and possibly defeat him?

 

It is crucial that Plant find a way to get Alvarez’ respect early. Despite facing opposition that seemingly have an edge over him physically in several of his recent fights, Saul Alvarez has almost been like a stalker in the sense that he implements a systematic approach in being able to gradually walk his opponents down and being able to at times quickly negate an opponent’s physical advantages. One aspect that can be overshadowed by how well Alvarez is able to execute his offense is he is also very sound in regard to defense in particular his use of head movement. Plant must find a way to nullify Alvarez’ ability to gain control of the tempo of a fight early on. If he does not and allows Alvarez to get into a rhythm, it may prove to be a difficult task for Plant to win a decision particularly because he is not known as a power puncher and even opponents that arguably have a higher profile have found it difficult to win rounds against Alvarez.

 

Unlike many high-profile unification bouts throughout the sport's history, this fight seems to have more of the business elements that surrounded this fight being made in the minds of many Boxing fans and even some who have painted this as a blow that DAZN will find it hard to come back from. Despite this being for an undisputed world championship and my feeling that the fight should be the focus, I would be lying to the reader if I said I was not curious as to how this fight will do in terms of pay-per-view buys compared to some of Saul Alvarez’ recent fights on a global subscription-based model that is generally of better value to Boxing fans. Even with the likelihood that Alvarez will return to DAZN after this fight due to the financial incentives that are available to him, one would be justified to wonder whether or not there will be some backlash from fans who may not be as eager to shell out $79.99 in the United States for one card when a yearly subscription to DAZN costs the consumer $99 with no pay-per-view add-ons. While the latter has been the subject of much speculation recently, it is revealing that Showtime who has seen the ratings of several of their Boxing broadcasts under perform and has seen several of their pay-per-view events struggle to exceed 200,000 buys at price points similar to this fight that the network currently is planning three pay-per-view events in a 30-day period with Alvarez-Plant being the first of those events.

 

Of course, if you are competing with a network)/platform that is changing the model and that model seems to be more consumer-friendly than what you’re company is offering, the obvious response would be to attempt to downplay and/or outright insult the competitor if you are in Showtime’s position, which has been the case periodically from those running Showtime Sports with regard to the progress DAZN has made. Obviously, DAZN much like other entities have also seen their share of struggles over the last year due largely to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic. This observer will always be honest with his readers and in all truth and honesty, I fail to see how three pay-per-view cards at inflated price points in a 30-day period serves in the interest of the fans that support the sport especially as the COVID-19 crisis remains ongoing. Yours truly has no doubt however, that those at Showtime and perhaps even its parent company ViacomCBS will attempt a public relations spin to make it appear like such practices are beneficial both to the sport itself as well as the fans that support it in good times and bad. If recent history has taught us anything it is that the consumer generally wants more value for their money.

 

As we have seen, most pay-per-view Boxing cards including the recent third bout between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, which tapped out at around 600,000 buys at the same price point as the Alvarez-Plant bout and well short of the one million buys promoters had predicted in order for the event to be profitable, sometimes it does not matter who is on a card or how great a fight might be as Fury-Wilder3 was, if the majority of the public does not see value for their money and more importantly, feels priced out, events like this will ultimately not be successful. It would also be a shame if Alvarez-Plant turns out to be a great fight that only a fraction of a potential audience chooses to tune in to see. No matter what spin a network’s brass or a promoter might attempt, it can simply be described by two words “Bad Business.” For all involved, the network, the promoters, the fans who feel cheated by being asked to pay such expensive fees, but also the fighters who are often lured by the promise of more money via potential pay-per-view revenue that more often than not does not live up to let alone exceed expectations. “Bad Business“ indeed.

 

In terms of what to expect when Alvarez and Plant meet to fully unify the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division on Saturday night, hopefully we will see a fight that exceeds expectations inside the ring. Despite the business elements of the sport that seem to continue to prove that it refuses to get out of Boxing’s way and present the sport in such a manner that it serves Boxing’s best interest as well as the fans who support it,  and not necessarily those who rule on the business end of the sport.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

Alvarez vs. Plant takes place on Saturday, November 6th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. The bout as well as a three-fight undercard can be seen in the United States on Showtime Pay-Per-View for $79.99. The pay-per-view broadcast will begin at 9PM ET/6PM PT and will be available across cable/satellite telco providers in the United States and Canada as well as through the Showtime app on mobile, tablet, connected streaming devices and Smart TV’s. For more information on how to order via the Showtime app please visit: www.sho.com/PPV.

 

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the bout can be seen on BT Sport Box Office Pay-Per-View beginning at Midnight (Sunday, November 7th) for £19.99. For more information and to order please visit: https://www.bt.com/sport/box-office/

 

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

 

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

 

 

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Holyfield-Belfort Preview


One might argue that recent times in the sport of Boxing have evolved into one of the oddest eras in the history of the sport. From YouTube stars/social media influencers embarking on forays in the sport whether serious or not, to retired fighters venturing on an exhibition circuit of sorts, to bouts featuring stars from differing combat sports disciplines, it has certainly not been the norm.  The latest on this odyssey will be the September 11th bout. Originally, this bout was to feature the return of former six-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya, who last competed in 2008, to the Boxing ring to face former UFC champion and MMA legend Vitor Belfort in an eight round Boxing match that unlike some recent events in recent times would be an official fight on both fighter’s Boxing records.  As some know however, De La Hoya was forced to withdraw from the bout, which was to headline a pay-per-view card promoted by Triller and streamed worldwide on FITE as well as carried on traditional cable/satellite providers in the United States, due to contracting the COVID-19 virus.

While Triller’s brief time as a promoter in the sport of Boxing has been marked with several bumps in the road due largely to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic, they have carried on and will move forward with the event with former five-time world champion in two divisions and Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield stepping in to replace De La Hoya. Holyfield, who will turn fifty-nine years old on October 19th, has not fought since a 2011 stoppage of Brian Nielsen in Copenhagen, Denmark will be stepping in on a little more than a week’s notice. Although Holyfield was at one point penciled in to fight an exhibition with Kevin McBride, best known as the man who stopped former Heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson in Tyson’s last official fight in 2005 earlier this year, which was to take place on the undercard of the often postponed Lightweight world championship clash between undefeated champion Teofimo Lopez and undefeated mandatory challenger George Kambosos, which was to take place also under the Triller promotional banner, the fact that Holyfield has been inactive for a lengthy period in addition to his age was likely the reason why the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) declined to license him for the scheduled bout against Belfort.

This resulted in Triller moving the event, which was originally slated to take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA when De La Hoya was still on the card facing Belfort, to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL. While the decision to move the card and not postpone the event was likely due to wanting to get a promoted card actually staged after the plethora of problems Triller has had in recent months due largely to the Lopez-Kambosos postponements as well as the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL has been a hotspot for Boxing events staged in the state of Florida for many years and with the issue of licensing Holyfield likely resolved with the move to Florida, the task of staging an event that is mostly free of complications outside of the circumstances of De La Hoya’s withdrawing also seems likely.

As for what we are likely to see in the fight between Holyfield and Belfort, no one can really say with certainty. This is both due to the age of the respective combatants as well as the limited time both men will have had to prepare. The bout will be scheduled for eight two minute rounds, but will be an officially sanctioned bout, which means the result will go on each fighter’s record. Although Belfort is primarily known as a mixed martial artist (MMA) fighter with a record of 26-14, with 18 Knockouts (Excluding bouts that ended via submission), the forty-four year old Brazilian native has had one official professional Boxing bout and that bout came in 2006, which he won by first round knockout over a fighter named Josemario Neves, which took place in Brazil.

Belfort however, is a fighter who in his prime was known for having extremely quick hands for an MMA fighter and scored knockouts of 69% of his opponents. While not all of those knockouts came as a result of hand strikes (Punches), Belfort was one of the quickest-handed fighters in the sport of MMA and was an excellent counter puncher when given the opportunity.

Even though some may look at this fight as something that is not serious and may have also viewed it with that opinion when it was Oscar De La Hoya competing against Belfort, it is always interesting to see MMA fighters who are or have been known as great strikers with their hands attempt to step into the Boxing ring. Despite Belfort’s lack of overall Boxing experience compared to Holyfield, it will be interesting to see if Belfort is able to land more than occasionally on a fighter of Holyfield’s caliber.

As for what Holyfield will bring into this fight, everyone who has ever seen Evander Holyfield compete knows his reputation for being willing to mix it up and go to war with whomever his opposition was regardless of size or whether or not he may have been outmatched in the opinion of fans and experts alike. Those who have followed the work of this observer over the two decades and a half that I have covered Boxing and other combat sports know that towards the latter stages of Holyfield’s career I was very vocal both in my work both through various online outlets, in print,  as well as in various radio interviews about my concerns for Holyfield’s health because as is the case with many fighters, as he got older, he began to show the signs of a fighter who had been in one too many fights including, but not limited to slowed reflexes and eroding skills. This resulted in Holyfield taking significant punishment and appearing to be too brave for his own good at times.

Some may recall the decision of the former New York State Athletic Commission chairman Ron Scott Stevens, who after Holyfield lost a badly one-sided twelve round unanimous decision to Larry Donald in Madison Square Garden in November 2004, took a bold step in medically suspending Holyfield out of concern for the legend’s well-being. Although seen as overstepping by some especially given that in the United States rules and regulations, including, but not limited to the licensing of fighters vary by state, as someone who covered that fight and had already been expressing concern for Holyfield long before that fight against Donald, I applauded Stevens for at least trying to prevent what may have been a tragedy if it wasn’t addressed by those who regulate the sport, in this case the athletic commissions.

As most know due to the fact that there is no national regulatory board in the United States to oversee and regulate Boxing when it comes to licensing and regulation, the move by Stevens out of concern for Holyfield, did not last long and by 2006, Holyfield was given the green light medically to return to competition only with the provision that the initial medical suspension stand in the state of New York. While Holyfield went on to incredibly challenge for a World Heavyweight championship twice more in unsuccessful fights against former WBO world champion Sultan Ibragimov in 2007 and a highly controversial fight against former WBA world champion Nickoli Valuev in 2008, a fight that many, including yours truly felt Holyfield had won, he was not able to regain a Heavyweight world championship for what would have been a record setting fifth time in breaking his own record as the only man in Boxing history to win a World Heavyweight championship on four separate occasions before retiring.

Holyfield’s legacy has long been cemented as a former Undisputed Cruiserweight world champion, and his vast achievements that followed as a Heavyweight. Although Holyfield has always looked in great condition visually, the obvious question here is what could he possibly have left in terms of Boxing skill. Will the lengthy period he has been inactive help rejuvenate what were seen as eroding reflexes and diminishing skills in his latter career, despite still being able to perform well from time to time?  Obviously, I cannot answer that question, but if Vitor Belfort is able to land offense on Holyfield, the answer will likely come quickly.

As for what this might lead to long-term for both fighters, I cannot say either. My guess however, would be since this influx of exhibitions, and others coming from the outside of the sport appears to be something that will be continuing for the foreseeable future that if neither man here is seriously hurt, other opportunities will likely be available to both men.  We will have to wait and see what is in store when Holyfield and Belfort meet on Saturday night.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Holyfield vs. Belfort takes place on Saturday, September 11th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL. The bout as well as it’s undercard can be seen worldwide on digital combat sports streaming network and pay-per-view platform FITE beginning at 7PM ET/4PM PT for $49.99. There will also be a free portion of preliminary bouts that will be streamed on FITE beginning at 6PM ET/3PM PT (U.S. Times). The pay-per-view card will also be available throughout the United States through cable/satellite providers. Contact your cable/satellite provider for ordering information.

To order Holyfield vs. Belfort on FITE click the following link: Triller Fight Club: Evander Holyfield vs Vitor Belfort - Official PPV Live Stream - FITE.  For more information about FITE including schedules, local start times in your area, list of compatible streaming devices/platforms/Smart TVs, and for instructions on how to download the FITE app please visit: www.FITE.TV.

 

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


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