Garcia-Benn Preview

 On August 22nd, Teofimo Lopez emerged victorious in becoming a three-division world champion when he scored a lopsided twelve round unanimous decision over WBA World Welterweight champion Rolando Romero at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. It was that fight that this observer speculated prior to it taking place, could have been the unofficial start of a four-boxer box-off as there was another world title fight that would take place in the same venue a few short weeks after Lopez ultimately defeated Romero. The second bout will be for the WBC World Welterweight championship as champion Ryan Garcia looks to make the first defense of his world title for the first time against top Welterweight contender Conor Benn in a twelve round bout that can be seen in the United States on digital subscription general entertainment network Paramount+ and internationally on digital subscription sports streaming DAZN either as a standalone pay-per-view option or included as part of a DAZN Ultimate subscription. 

What makes this fight interesting beyond it being the first title defense for Garcia, a fighter who has had some setbacks along the way in his career, but one who has evolved into one of the top stars in the sport of Boxing, is in this case he’s going against a fighter in Benn that not only has the lineage being the son of the legendary two-division world champion Nigel Benn, but Conor Benn has spent his recent fights fighting well above the 147lb. Welterweight division, having competed in two fights against Chris Eubank Jr., the son of his father’s rival Chris Eubank Sr. with those bouts taking place in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. Prior to those bouts, in which Benn went 1-1 against Eubank Jr., he was a career Welterweight and was on the verge of challenging for a world title before Garcia got his opportunities. The question here is after having gone up three weight classes for his last two fights, what condition will he be in after coming back down in weight for this world title opportunity.

There have been times throughout history where fighters either after having won world titles at higher weights or looking for an opportunity to challenge for a world title after competing at higher weights, have come back down in weight with not so successful results. Two notable examples this observer has thought of in recent days as I prepared to pen this column was first in February 1991, the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard  after winning world titles from the 147lb. Welterweight division to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division, moved down in weight after last competing in December 1989 in defense of his WBC Super-Middleweight world championship in his third fight against his longtime rival Roberto Duran, chose to take on WBC Jr. Middleweight world champion Terry Norris inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. From the opening bell, Norris administered a beating to Leonard, dropping him twice throughout the twelve round world championship bout and earning a wide unanimous decision victory to retain his title. After the fight right in the ring after the decision was announced, Leonard announced to the crowd in attendance that this would be his final fight and retired for six years before making another ill-fated combat in March 1997 when at age forty, he suffered the first knockout of his career when he was stopped in five rounds by the late great Hector “Macho” Camacho in five rounds inside the legendary Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. Leonard, as he had done after the loss to Norris, retired following being stopped by Camacho, never to fight again.

A second example came in March 2003 where Roy Jones, a fighter who won world titles from the 160lb. Middleweight division to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division moved up to challenge WBA World Heavyweight champion John Ruiz for his world title and scored a dominant twelve round unanimous decision to become a Heavyweight world champion and in doing so, became the first former Middleweight champion to successfully move up to Heavyweight and win a world title since Bob Fitzsimmons in 1897. As historic as that accomplish was and remains, following that fight, despite Jones not really having anything else to prove and being in a position where he could have retired with an unmatched legacy, he was still a unified Light-Heavyweight world champion at the time he beat Ruiz and opted to move back down in weight to defend his title against Antonio Tarver later in 2003. Jones looked very sluggish and struggled to retain his title in a controversial decision in November 2003. The decision, that many felt should have gone Tarver’s way, fueled demand for an immediate rematch in May 2004. In that rematch, Tarver scored a second round one punch knockout of Jones, and from that point until Jones retired, having competed in his last official fight in 2023, was never the same fighter and his reflexes, punch resistance, and reaction time were clearly compromised after that knockout loss. Whether that was due to moving back down in weight after defeating Ruiz, or the effect of the knockout at the hands of Tarver in the second fight of what became a trilogy is a subject that will be debated by Boxing fans and historians such as yours truly. If one were to ask my opinion on the subject with regard to Jones, I believe it was a combination of both the drop back down in weight as well as the first of what became five knockouts Jones would go on to suffer throughout the remainder of his career that contributed to his decline.

In this case, we are talking about a fighter in Conor Benn that is a lot closer to his physical prime than either Leonard or Jones were when they opted to move back down in weight. Whether or not it will have negative physical effects in this fight or moving beyond this fight remains to be seen. The loss of mass that one puts on as they are preparing to move up in weight is something to consider as this fight approaches, though the fact that Benn is closer to his prime might be to his benefit in that his body might be able to respond better than both Leonard and Jones were as in addition to age and moving up in weight throughout their careers, both had been through their share of grueling battles, which no doubt contributed to their decline.

In terms of the fight itself, both Garcia and Benn have shown that they can do a little of everything and each have the type of explosive punching power that if they connect, they can end a fight with either hand. What this fight will come down to in my eyes is who will be able to take the initiative and whether they will be able to maintain that pace for however long the fight lasts. 

Whether or not this fight does indeed lead to a showdown later this year with the recently crowned WBA Welterweight world champion Teofimo Lopez also remains to be seen. With Lopez having put on a stellar performance a few short weeks ago, however, it will be up to Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn to take the attention off of Lopez and put it on themselves. If that translates into a great fight, even better for Boxing as a whole. 

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

Garcia vs. Benn takes place on Saturday, September 12th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen in the United States on general entertainment subscription streaming network Paramount+ beginning at 4PM ET/1PM PT and will be included with a Paramount+ subscription.

For more information about Paramount+ including schedules, list of compatible devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ParamountPlus.com. 

Internationally, the card can be seen on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN either as a standalone pay-per-view option or included as part of a DAZN Ultimate subscription. For more information about DAZN including schedules,list of compatible streaming devices, platforms,Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times and region specific pricing in your area, to subscribe or purchase this event as a standalone offering please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

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Belated: Lopez Out Maneuvers Romero

The fight between WBA World Welterweight champion Rolando Romero and former two-division world champion Teofimo Lopez served as sort of an unofficial start of what could be a four boxer box-off in an effort to partially unify the 147lb. Welterweight division. Coincidentally, two bouts for portions of the World Welterweight championship being scheduled a few weeks apart from each other, each being held in the same venue, the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. While WBC World Welterweight champion Ryan Garcia has business to tend to against top contender Conor Benn on September 12th, it was on August 22nd that Romero and Lopez took center stage. Beyond this being an intriguing encounter between two boxer/punchers, what was of interest to this observer was whether Romero or Lopez would be able to make a strong argument for a potential unification bout with the winner of Garcia-Benn.

What happened inside the ring between champion and challenger can be best described as a tactical chess match, which featured some entertaining moments, but one that probably would not be considered the most entertaining fight to watch, at least in the eyes of some.Lopez served as the consistent aggressor throughout the fight from the start, but what made this fight competitive through the first seven rounds was that when Romero chose to let his hands go, he generally landed the cleaner punches. 

The problem for Romero, however, despite appearing to legitimately stun Lopez in the fourth round with a short left hook, those periods of success when he would land clean punches were void of follow-ups. In that when Romero landed, for whatever reason, he did not press the issue. Perhaps the reason for that was the documented friendship between the two fighters prior to the fight, or simply a respect for Lopez’ punching power, which though he had not scored a knockout in over four years, is not something one should dismiss. Whatever the case might be, this consistent pattern turned what appeared to be a close fight over the first seven rounds into a lopsided one where Lopez pulled away largely because he was busier than the champion. 

Despite Lopez seemingly being able to pull ahead over the second half of the fight convincingly, the official decision would be a majority vote in his favor rather than a unanimous one that he seemed to have earned. While this was not a particularly close fight when all was said and done, the only guess this observer could make as to the narrow scorecards in a fight that I ended up with an eight rounds to four margin or 116-112 in points for Lopez, is that it might logically be explained by how the first seven rounds were scored, which to be honest, there really was not much to separate the fighters round by round, but the rounds Lopez was able to win during that stretch were a result of his consistent aggression. Had Rolondo Romero opted for a bit more aggression of his own rather than tactical sharp shooting that while effective when he was able to execute it, was simply not consistent enough. Simply put, Romero let this fight get away from him and unfortunately for him, it cost him his world title. 

Although the fight was to be honest underwhelming and that is one reason why there is not much analysis yours truly can offer beyond what amounts to a summation, it might have been a case of a bad meshing of styles. As for what this will mean for the overall picture in the Welterweight division, Teofimo Lopez’ stock has obviously gone up as now a three-division world champion. Whether or not he will indeed be next for the winner of Garcia-Benn is to be determined. For Rolando Romero, losing his world title in this fight is by no means a career-ender, but he needs to go back and watch this fight and see where he could have turned it in his favor. He just was not busy over the second half and if one were honest, did not feel comfortable coming out of his shell. If he were a bit more offensive-minded and were able to find a balance between tactical sharp shooting in looking to counter, take advantage of openings, and being offensive where it is harder to deny him the nod in what otherwise might be viewed as close competitive rounds. Regardless of the outcome, Romero is still likely to remain a player in the 147lb. Welterweight division and could easily find himself back in the world title picture in the not too distant future.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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Mini Preview: Romero-Lopez

On Saturday, August 22nd, WBA World Welterweight champion Rolando Romero will make the first defense of his world title against former two-division world champion Teofimo Lopez at the T-Mobile Arenas in Las Vegas, NV. A twelve round world championship bout that can be seen worldwide on DAZN Pay-Per-View or included as part of a DAZN Ultimate subscription. 

This is a fight that in some ways may be the unofficial start or a two fight box off as it will occur only weeks before WBC World Welterweight champion Ryan Garcia defends his portion of the World Welterweight championship for the first time against top Welterweight contender Conor Benn at the same arena. Ironically, Romero defeated Garcia in Times Square in New York City in May of last year for what became the vacant WBA world championship in the Welterweight division. Now over a year later, both fighters are atop the Welterweight division and the possibility of a rematch where the stakes would be higher is obviously there. For Romero, first he must contend with Teofimo Lopez.

Lopez is coming off losing a twelve round unanimous decision to Shakur Stevenson in January in which he lost the WBO World Jr. Welterweight championship. Now eight months later, Lopez attempts to move up in weight as a former Undisputed Lightweight and former Jr. Welterweight world champion in attempting to become a world champion in a third weight division. 

What this fight will come down to in my eyes will center around which fighter will be able to set and dictate the tempo of combat. This is an encounter between two boxer/punchers who have shown the ability to do a little of everything inside the ring. There was a time, however, where Lopez, as a Lightweight, carved a reputation for being able to score quick, and often devastating knockouts. Coming off of a fight where he was bested by a master boxer in Shakur Stevenson, it will be interesting to see if Lopez takes a more aggressive approach here as Romero is also a crafty boxer that likes to give angles and most would say was able to have his way against Garcia last year by implementing such an approach where Garcia was dropped in the second round and simply could not find his rhythm throughout the fight.

As skilled as Romero has proven to be, in his two career defeats against Gervonta Davis and Issac Cruz, he has also shown vulnerability in that both Davis and Cruz were able to catch him and he was not able to stand up to either fighter’s punching power. Although Lopez has not scored a knockout/stoppage in over four years at the time this fight will take place, some will likely give the edge in terms of punching power to him and it is logical to assume that priority number one for the challenger will be to try and cut the ring off from Romero and not allow him an opportunity to be as elusive or establish a rhythm, which Garcia was unable to do when he fought the champion, but clearly worked for both Davis and Cruz when each fought him. 

What is also clear here regardless of the outcome of this fight is the Welterweight division is starting to heat up again with several intriguing bouts both that have been made and could be made in the near future. With many focusing on the fight to come in September between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, both Romero as champion and Lopez as challenger are likely looking to make a statement with their performance that could make a showdown with the winner of Garcia-Benn enticing for whomever that might be in addition to the lucrative side of the equation that will likely be substantial for all involved. 

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

Romero vs. Lopez takes place on Saturday, August 22nd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN as either a standalone pay-per-view offering for $79.99 or included as part of a DAZN Ultimate subscription for $44.99 per month. The card will also be available at the aforementioned standalone price on DAZN on Prime Video. The card will begin at 6PM ET with free preliminary bouts followed by the main card beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT.

(*North American Start Times Only.* *Card and Start Times 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, to order this event or subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

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Barrios-Garcia Preview

On February 21st, the Boxing world will converge on the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV for a truly interesting and some might argue curious world title bout in the 147lb. Welterweight division. WBC World Welterweight champion Mario Barrios will defend his title against top contender Ryan Garcia in a bout scheduled for twelve rounds that can be seen globally as part of a DAZN Ultimate subscription or as a standalone pay-per-view option for non-ultimate DAZN subscribers.

What makes this both an interesting and curious affair between two fighters is both have arguably not been at their best in recent outings. The champion Mario Barrios will be making the third defense of his WBC crown and has not heard his name announced as the winner in his previous title defenses up to this point as his previous two defenses each ended in hotly contested draws. The most recent of those defenses came in July of last year when forty-six year old recent International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee and legend Manny Pacquiao came out of retirement and to most observers, including this one, did enough to warrant a decision victory over Barrios, but did not get the nod of two of three official judges to win the fight.

Although Barrios, who was named WBC world champion in after previous Undisputed World Welterweight champion Terence Crawford vacated the championship and left the Welterweight division, has managed to retain his title in two subsequent defenses after being named champion from previously being a mandatory challenger for Crawford, he has yet to show he can win a fight as a defending champion. While not a circumstance of his making in retaining his portion of the World Welterweight championship in two consecutive bouts that ended in draws, the obvious question that Mario Barrios will have to answer is not only can he retain the title via a victory, but can he do so in such a manner that it will quell skeptics who feel he may have benefited from those two bouts being scored draws rather than having an opinion that he won those fights.

It is often an unfair practice, but it can truly be easy to label a fighter off of a bad performance or one that some might call sub-par. In Barrios’ case he is coming off two fights where perception is not necessarily in his favor and that could prove to be a motivator for a world champion who likely feels he has something to prove both to himself and any would-be skeptics.

Standing across the ring from Barrios on February 21st will be Ryan Garcia. Garcia, who not long ago was viewed as one of Boxing’s hottest rising stars, has seen his career hit a snag in recent times marked by periods of inconsistency and struggles outside of the ring. Despite Garcia maintaining his fan base, one might be curious as to why he is getting a shot at a world championship at this point in time. 

In his fight in May of last year in Times Square in New York City, Garcia was knocked down in the second round and thoroughly out boxed by Rolando Romero in losing a twelve round unanimous decision in a WBA Welterweight elimination bout. This followed Garcia serving a one year suspension for testing positive for Ostarine in the aftermath of his victory over Devin Haney in 2023, a result that was subsequently changed to a no contest. One might question both given what could probably be described as his erratic behavior before and after the Haney fight as well as his defeat to Romero last year as to why the World Boxing Council would grant Garcia this opportunity at their world title as its number four rated Welterweight contender.

It is important to keep in mind that while Garcia is coming off a loss, his fight against Rolando Romero was not sanctioned by the WBC and while one would think a loss would negatively affect any fighter’s standing in a sanctioning organization’s rankings, that simply is not always the case. From an old school perspective, Ryan Garcia though a very good and potentially still yet maybe a great fighter when all is said and done, has not earned this title shot as a fighter. Perhaps it may be accurate to assume that a combination of both Garcia's popularity as well as Barrios seeking an opponent of a reasonably high profile for what is known as an elective defense for him played a role in Garcia getting this opportunity. In fairness to the challenger, it is not unlike a position that other fighters who have had star value in the sport have been able to use to their advantage over the years regardless of wins and losses. 

Garcia, however, has yet to win a world title to this point and it may be logical to wonder what his star value, the proverbial stock a fighter has within the sport, will be if he fails to capitalize on the opportunity that is before him in this fight. It may truly be a roll of the dice for Garcia's future at or near the top of the sport.

A wrinkle that emerged in the promotion of this fight that could have an impact on what happens inside the ring was Barrios hiring the legendary trainer and broadcaster Joe Goosen as his new trainer. Goosen served as a trainer for Garcia both as an amateur and for a period of time as a professional. While it is not uncommon trainers to eventually work against fighters they spent time working with as time goes on, Garcia appeared to not take kindly to Goosen working with his opponent and lashed out at his former trainer at a press conference to announce the fight several weeks ago where both he and his father and now trainer Henry Garvia confronted him. Goosen for his part called it a difficult situation, but stated that things change in Boxing and accepted the job when Barrios and his team offered him the job to come on as his new trainer.

Whether or not the exchange between fighter and former trainee and father, turned new trainer can be dismissed as hype promotional tactics or legitimate bad feelings is likely something that will be left to one's own opinion. What effect that this could have on the actual fight remains to be seen.

The most obvious way one could point to as far as it having a direct influence on this fight could be in Goosen having knowledge as a previous coach/trainer of Garcia's training methods and tendencies, which his current charge Barrios may be able to exploit. What we have here is an encounter between two boxer/punchers where an argument could be made that in terms of punching power, a slight edge may go to the challenger Garcia. Despite that, the question here is whether each fighter’s respective recent performances and to be more specific, the criticism of those performances may result in each implementing a more aggressive approach with the mindset of looking to impress, rather than a tactical one rooted in strategy.

The tagline of the promotion for this fight is truly both ironic and appropriate. “High Stakes.” Both fighters have a lot to gain, but also a lot to lose here. Beyond the WBC World Welterweight championship being on the line, both Barrios and Garcia are gambling their long-term futures in the sport here and this is a case where beyond a win or a loss, it may be even more important in terms of what may be ahead for both fighters as to how they perform rather than their potential futures being strictly viewed based on the outcome. We will see who stands tall on Saturday, February 21st.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.” 

Barrios vs. Garcia takes place on Saturday, February 21st at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight as well as it's full undercard can be seen as part of a DAZN Ultimate tier subscription for $44.99 per month or as a standalone pay-per-view offering for $69.99. The card will begin at 5:45PM ET 2:45PM PT. 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, subscription and pay-per-view options in your region, and to subscribe or order this event please visit: www.DAZN.com.  

(*North American Start Times and Price Points Only*)

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

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Cinco De Mayo Weekend Boxing Marathon 2025 Thoughts

One of the biggest events on the Boxing calendar year to year is Cinco De Mayo weekend. Traditionally, this period is reserved for a marquee event in the sport as a launching point of sorts into the second half of a calendar year. 2025, however, saw three marquee events spread over three straight days as opposed to one major event that usually occurs over the weekend. 

The 2025 edition of Cinco De Mayo weekend in Boxing kicked off on Friday, May 2nd with a tripleheader featuring three of the sport’s biggest stars in New York City, NY. Normally when a marquee event takes place in New York City, it is a given that the venue will be the legendary Madison Square Garden. This time, however, the sport broke new ground as this event was held outdoors in the middle of Times Square, known worldwide as the epicenter of the city. As a born and bred New Yorker, this observer was looking forward to this event. Not only because of the history attached to it in being the first sporting event to ever be held in Times Square, not only because the event saw the long awaited return of Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim Lampley after an eight year absence following HBO’s exit from the sport in 2018, but the fights themselves looked intriguing on paper.

With such a unique atmosphere in something that had never been attempted before in place and offering spectacular visuals, the first encounter of this tripleheader, which was seen globally on DAZN Pay-Per-View saw two-division world champion Teofimo Lopez defend his WBO Jr. Welterweight world championship against undefeated WBO number one rated contender Arnold Barboza. Despite looking as though it would be the most competitive and potentially entertaining fight of the entire card, Lopez showed his intelligence in Boxing his way to a wide twelve round unanimous decision to retain his world title in a fight that did not have much in the way of highlights.

In similar fashion, two-division world champion Devin Haney scored a forgettable twelve round unanimous decision over former unified Jr. Welterweight world champion Jose Ramirez in a Welterweight bout. This led to the main event of the first sporting event ever to be staged in Times Square as Ryan Garcia met Rolando Romero in a fight also scheduled for twelve rounds and also in the Welterweight division. 

This fight started out looking as though it would be competitive, but following the one highlight of the bout, Romero scoring a knockdown of Garcia with a counter double left hook to the head in the second round, the bout resembled the previous two bouts on the card. A formulaic type of experience void of highlights and competitive drama, as Garcia seemed unwilling to engage following getting up from the knockdown, as Romero outworked and out maneuvered him the rest of the way to an easy twelve round unanimous decision victory.

Ultimately, what looked as an intriguing set of bouts on paper, did not live up to the occasion and atmosphere of such a unique event. Whether it was a case of the atmosphere somehow getting to the fighters or not being used to competing outdoors in New York City,  the feeling coming out of this event was one that was underwhelming,  but having seen Boxing successfully staged in Times Square,  I openly wonder when the next event will be and who might participate next time around. 

The second event of the weekend brought the Boxing spotlight to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 3rd where Super-Middleweight world champions Saul “Canelo“ Alvarez and William Scull met to determine the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world.  An attraction, which was also shown globally on DAZN Pay-Per-View, offered Alvarez, the division's previous undisputed champion an opportunity to reclaim that status following being stripped of the IBF world championship when a conflict saw Alvarez choose to face the WBO's number one contender Edgar Berlanga than the IBF's mandatory challenger Scull, which then saw the unbeaten Scull win the vacant IBF crown. 

While Scull's victory over Vladimir Shishkin in October of last year,  made this fight with Alvarez more interesting in the sense of reunifying the division than had Alvarez faced Scull as a mandatory challenger, it is a reflection of the flaws of the politics that be in the sport in full display in that Alvarez was not allowed to defend against Berlanga and Scull in succession without losing one of the championships that made up the undisputed championship.  Whether it was a case of bad timing or perhaps a more cynical approach by the IBF to build more interest in the fight between Alvarez and Scull is something the reader can decide for themselves. 

What cannot be debated, however,  is in a scenario quite similar to what had taken place on the other side of the world in New York City the previous evening,  the unification bout between Alvarez and Scull was one that was formulaic. It was also a contest that saw one consistent pattern from start to finish. Alvarez coming forward, trying to bring the fight to Scull, landing body punches, Scull a technical boxer constantly looking to evade Alvarez with his lateral movement and landing sporadic counter punches.

While Scull, a Germany-based boxer is originally from Cuba and was raised in the sport with the Cuban amateur style, which at times has more emphasis on technique and defense rather than consistent offense,  there are times where that style, as effective and dominant as it has proven to be in amateur competition, does not always translate to consistent success in the professional ranks, nor is it the most entertaining style to watch.

In this case, though he clearly succeeded in frustrating Alvarez and did manage to win rounds by limiting Alvarez’ activity,  he was not aggressive and that choice to not let his hands go ultimately proved to be his demise as Alvarez became a two-time Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion by convincing twelve round unanimous decision. Although not the most exciting performance,  Alvarez simply did what he needed to do and this victory will ultimately lead to a much anticipated encounter between Alvarez and current WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion and a former two-division undisputed world champion Terence Crawford in September in Las Vegas. 

While much like the previous evening,  Alvarez-Scull left an underwhelming feeling for this observer, it would be the traditional Cinco De Mayo location of Las Vegas where the 2025 edition would come to a close with another undisputed world championship bout.  This observer is referring to the Undisputed Jr. Featherweight world championship bout between undefeated champion Naoya Inoue and WBA number one contender Ramon Cardenas, which took place on May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

On the surface, this fight, which was broadcast by digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ here in the United States, represented little more than the Japanese superstar Inoue's return to the United States for the first time in nearly five years when the then unified Bantamweight world champion scored a seventh round knockout of Jason Moloney behind closed doors in the convention center of the MGM Grand during the global COVID-19 epidemic where fans were not permitted to attend. 

As the years have gone on Inoue has evolved into one of the biggest stars in the sport albeit away from the United States where his fights thanks to ESPN+ have been made accessible here stateside, but have taken place in the early morning hours as he has opted to compete in his native Japan, where he not only routinely draws massive crowds, but can also get top dollar whenever he competes. While this fight represented a return to America, few gave it more thought than an appearance by one of the biggest stars in the sport, who has consistently been at or near the top of Boxing's mythical pound for pound debates as he has continued going through divisions and becoming a multi-division undisputed world champion in the process. 

Despite entering the fight with a 26-1, with 14 Knockouts record and being ranked number one by the World Boxing Association, not much was known about Roman Cardenas and even though he had been unbeaten since 2017 as well as never being stopped his career, few regarded him as a legitimate threat to Inoue. This perception would prove to be an example of why an opponent should never be underestimated.  

In the second round, Cardenas made himself known by suddenly dropping the champion with a flush counter left hook to the jaw that sent Inoue down to the canvas for only the second time in his career. A scenario that looked eerily similar to the one Inoue found himself in against Luis Nery in May of last year where also in the second round,  he was dropped by a counter left hook after he had thrown a punch and dropped his arm leaving an opening for the left,  this time the fighter known as “The Monster” appeared legitimately stunned. 

To his credit, Cardenas proceeded with caution and did not recklessly approach Inoue, a fighter who had twenty-six knockouts in twenty-nine professional fights coming into this title defense, but nevertheless stood his ground by continuing to apply pressure, continuing to land hard shots when given the opportunity and appearing to hurt the champion whenever he landed punches to the body. Although after four rounds the momentum appeared to clearly be in favor of the challenger, Inoue would show once again why he is regarded as not only one of the best fighters in the entire sport, but a future Hall of Famer. 

In showing the ability to adapt under fire from his opposition, Inoue gradually worked his way back into the fight and by round six had started to turn the ebb and flow his way as his own power punches began to affect Cardenas. The accumulation of blows from Inoue eventually broke the challenger down in scoring a knockdown of Cardenas late in the round. While this knockdown was from the accumulation of punches Inoue was dishing out, the pace of the fight also seemed to show on the challenger, who despite getting up from the knockdown and surviving the round, looked utterly exhausted. 

Sensing that the tide had turned and his opponent was compromised, Inoue forced the issue in round eight pressing forward and unleashing a barrage of unanswered punches with Cardenas pressed up against the ropes to force the fight to be stopped. While the result was what many had expected in Inoue getting a victory to retain his undisputed crown in the 122lb. Jr. Featherweight division,  few expected this to be the thrilling back and forth battle that it turned out to be.  It turned out to not only be a great fight,  but from an entertainment standpoint,  it also turned out that the fight that was treated with little regard amongst all the marquee bouts that were staged over Cinco De Mayo weekend, ended up being both the most competitive and entertaining of them all and arguably turned what had been an underwhelming stretch of events to a memorable night that will be remembered along with many other great fights that have taken place during Cinco De Mayo throughout Boxing history. 

While the 2025 edition of Cinco De Mayo weekend in Boxing was a mixed variety,  overall it should be viewed as successful for all the promoters who took part in it and the two networks who broadcast all the events. With the possibility of more Boxing being staged in Times Square as well as continuing to be staged in Boxing hotbeds of Saudi Arabia and Las Vegas,  this observer openly wonders what's next?  It would not be a bad idea if a rematch between Naoya Inoue and Ramon Cardenas were part of those future plans.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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Follow-Up: DAZN's Three Upcoming Pay-Per-View Cards Now Available For Purchase

In a follow-up to the recent column discussing DAZN’s upcoming three pay-per-view Boxing cards, which will take place within a seven day period. All three events are now available to purchase on DAZN’s website. The first event, which will take place on Saturday, April 26th will be headlined by a long-awaited grudge match between sons of Hall of Fame rivals Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank, Sr., two-division world champion Chris Eubank, Jr. and Conor Benn, which will take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England is available here in the United States for $24.99. This will be followed by back-to-back events on May 2nd and 3rd. First on May 2nd a tripleheader will take place outdoors in Times Square in New York City, NY featuring Ryan Garcia facing Rolando Romero, former two-division world champion Devin Haney facing former Jr. Welterweight world champion Jose Ramirez, and current WBO Jr. Welterweight world champion Teofimo Lopez defending his title against number one WBO contender Arnold Barboza for $59.99. On May 3rd, Super-Middleweight world champions Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and William Scull will meet in Saudi Arabia for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world, which is also priced at $59.99. DAZN, however, is offering an option for both the May 2nd and 3rd events by offering consumers the option to either purchase both events separately at the aforementioned $59.99 per event or as a bundle for $89.99. All three events are available for purchase at DAZN.com We will have coverage of all three events in the coming weeks here on Stay tuned.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, to subscribe, and for region-specific pricing for select pay-per-view events please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

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Gervonta Davis Reminds The Boxing World He Has One Punch Power

 

In December of last year, Gervonta Davis, the former Jr. Lightweight world champion, who had scored knockouts in every one, but one of his professional fights received an unexpected test in the form of Lightweight contender Isaac Cruz. Perhaps what made that unexpected was that Cruz stepped into the fight on short notice when original opponent Rolando Romero had to withdraw from the bout to deal with issues outside of the ring. Nevertheless, the pressure Cruz was able to put on Davis for twelve rounds created something that Davis had not experienced before, uncertainty. Although Davis was ultimately able to adapt and score a twelve round unanimous decision to remain unbeaten, the performance of Cruz provided an impression that perhaps a blueprint of sorts had been made for future opponents on how to fight Davis.  With the issues he was dealing with outside of the Boxing ring resolved, what became an anticipated encounter between Davis and Romero was finally able to take place. On May 28th, a record crowd of over 18,000 spectators crammed into the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY to see Davis and Romero do battle. 

 

The thing that stood out to me almost immediately upon the bout starting was the stance of Rolando Romero. While not always an indicator of what may or may not happen in a fight, if one watches the sport of Boxing enough whether you are a fan of any interest or someone who covers the sport like yours truly, little things can stand out. In this case, I noticed that Romero’s stance was particularly wide in that he would need to lunge forward to throw his offense because his legs were far apart. My first thought was that he would be at risk of potentially getting caught with counter punches and because of his stance would likely be off balance when it occurred. I also felt based on the styles of both fighters that if Romero were to become over aggressive, there was also a possibility of him walking into a punch that he would not see coming and due to the aforementioned issue with his stance, would not be able to defend himself. 

 

While this was something I noticed almost immediately and is something that has come with a lifetime of experience in both watching Boxing on every level imaginable as well as writing about and covering the sport most of my life, the question that formed in my mind was a simple one, but was a question in two parts. Would Romero be able to recognize the issue with his stance and if not, would his corner recognize the issue and advise him of it as the fight progressed. I also wondered aloud as to whether or not Davis and his corner would recognize the issue of Romero’s stance and subsequently look for opportunities to try and take advantage of it. 

 

In previewing this fight, I stated that I thought the possibility existed for this encounter to be similar to the one Davis had against Isaac Cruz in the sense that one way Romero could have consistent success would be to apply steady pressure on Davis in a similar way as Cruz was able to. To be more specific, Cruz’ ability to back Davis up and make him feel uncomfortable as the bout progressed. 

 

Although Romero was able to pressure Davis in spots, this was more of an encounter where each fighter looked to counter the other. What was noticeable was that unlike his bout with Cruz where he seemed to have trouble for a lengthy period controlling the tempo of the combat and getting into a rhythm, Davis was able to let his hands go more regularly in this fight and was able to move more freely than had been the case against Cruz. 

 

The question of whether Davis would recognize the flaw in Romero’s stance did not take long to answer as he approved to look for opportunities to land his left hand whenever Romero would lean and lunge forward and began landing it regularly. As the fight progressed, it appeared as though Davis may have injured his left shoulder or hand as he seemed to let out a yell indicating he was in pain. While I did not happen to see if Davis may have either been hit by a punch from Romero or an instance where he may have hurt himself in the process of throwing a punch, I do recall hearing a short pop when this occurred in I believe the fourth round, but I cannot pinpoint exactly where this occurred. 

 

For his part, after this appeared to take place Davis did not seem to favor either his hand or shoulder in such a way as to indicate that he was hurt and because of that I began to wonder if the yell was a veteran tactic to try and bait Romero into making a mistake. It does need to be pointed out that, despite the success Davis was able to have in landing the left hand, particularly as a counter punch, Romero did take the punches well and did not seem to be hurt by what Davis was able to land. Romero was also able to land some good hooks of his own to the head pf Davis throughout. I did not feel however, that he was in a position where he was able to dictate how the fight was being fought and I felt that at minimum Davis was getting the upper hand by being the more active of the two fighters and seeming to land the more effective punches of the two. 

 

Just as it appeared as though this bout would settle into a tactical Boxing match, despite the styles of the two fighters, Davis would bring the fight to a sudden conclusion in round six. In a sequence where Davis was backing up slightly towards the ropes, he caught a lunging Romero as he leaned forward with a left hook to the head that sent Romero down on the canvas. Although Romero showed his mettle vy trying to get to his feet, he was on very unsteady legs and the bout was stopped 

 

Although Davis had caught Romero with similar punches throughout the fight, the difference here and what made this one punch knockout spectacular boils down to both how Davis was able to perfectly time his shot and the follow through in terms of the execution of the punch. While this proved to be Davis’ twenty-third knockout in twenty-five professional fights and keeping in mind his reputation as a “Knockout Artist” because of that record, there is something to be said about the way this knockout occurred from the standpoint that Davis bided his time, tactically set his opponents up and once the opportunity presented itself, executed brilliantly in such a way that even though it was a devastating one punch knockout, he did not rely solely on his punching power to get it done though the power was certainly there for Davis when needed. 

 

The question now is what is next for Gervonta Davis, well, he did maintain his status as holding the number one ranking in the WBA’s Lightweight ratings per his holding an interim/regular championship designation. While as most longtime readers know, this observer has pointed out the flaw of such designations regularly though they are well intended as a means of trying to ensure that fighters who earn title shots get their opportunity one way or another, in this case, Davis held that designation in both the 135lb. Lightweight division as well as the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division. The reason why this could prove to be a benefit is, the upcoming Undisputed Lightweight world championship fight between undefeated champion George Kambosos and undefeated WBC number one contender Devin Haney has the potential to be a two-fight series at minimum should Haney defeat Kambosos per the terms of the contract for that fight. 

 

What that could mean for Davis is a real possibility of being frozen out of the equation in what could develop into a trilogy between Kambosos and Haney should two fights indeed take place between the two and, each fighter emerges with one victory, which would obviously lay the groundwork for a third bout. So, this creates a scenario where Gervonta Davis has two options. Option one could be to continue fighting top contenders in the Lightweight division and continue to try to drum up support for him to fight whomever emerges out of the Kambosos-Haney situation with the Undisputed Lightweight crown, or he could try to secure a fight in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division where he could try to secure a fight with current undisputed world champion Josh Taylor. The decision of who Davis fights next will likely be influenced by whomever his promoter might be going forward as he is likely to become a promotional free agent after fighting many of his bouts over the last several years under Floyd Mayweather’s Mayweather Promotions promotional banner, which is aligned with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters.  

 

If Davis does not resign with Mayweather, but chooses to remain under the PBC umbrella with a different promoter, the potential of a fight against Taylor or other fighters in either the Lightweight or Jr. Welterweight divisions that are not under the PBC umbrella might be difficult to make. One fight that I personally would like to see would be a fight between Davis and undefeated top contender Ryan Garcia, who is promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. While Garcia will be facing Javier Fortuna in his next bout in July, another issue that could prevent that fight from happening assuming Garcia defeats Fortuna is that Davis’ bouts in recent years have been broadcast by Showtime here in the United States, whereas Golden Boy and Garcia have a broadcast agreement with digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN.  

 

Although DAZN somewhat reluctantly recently ventured into the pay-per-view model after marketing itself as a viable pay-per-view alternative, and keeping in mind that the model remains largely in decline for a variety of reasons, the possibility exists of maybe a joint pay-per-view between the two networks, despite the fact that they have failed to work together in the past, if Davis does choose to remain with the PBC and Showtime as the network that broadcast his bouts both through their main cable network as well as through pay-per-view. One potential possibility that might be unlikely is a rematch with Rolando Romero, who did say at the post-fight press conference that he does want a rematch and insisted that he was caught by “A Good Shot,” which resulted in a loss for him. 

 

Even though Romero was ahead on one of three official judges' scorecards at the time of the stoppage, it is hard to see interest in a rematch at least in terms of immediately simply because this fight ended with one punch and, despite the scorecard of one official judge, the tempo of the fight was largely controlled by Davis prior to the stoppage. It may be more likely both due to Davis’ seemingly upcoming promotional free agency as well as the Kambosos-Haney bout, which will take place on June 5th in Melbourne, Australia, (June 4th in the United States) that he will wait for a time before deciding his next move. 

 

Nevertheless, Gervonta Davis succeeded not only in remaining undefeated with his victory over Rolando Romero, but also in reminding the public that he does have the ability to end a fight with one punch. If there were thoughts that perhaps Isaac Cruz potentially exposed a blueprint on how to fight him, it might be wise to rethink that at least for now. 

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.” 

 

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

 

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