The Boxing Truth®

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 w...

The month of January 2024 in the sport of Boxing will come to a close on Saturday, January 27th with an intriguing battle in Boxing's 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. An encounter that some might label a “Crossroads Fight." This observer is referring to the fight between undefeated former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia and former multi-time world title challenger John Ryder. A fight that will take place in Phoenix, AZ at the Footprint Center and csn be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN. What makes this fight interesting is it features one fighter in Munguia, who after having a successful reign as a world champion in the Jr. Middleweight division, has remained unbesten, but has not been able to secure an opportunity to fight for another world championship in either the 160lb. Middleweight or now as a 168lb. Super-Middleweight. While some might argue that Munguia deserves the label as being an avoided fighter in and around ...

Thanksgiving weekend 2023 in the world of Boxing was highlighted by two marquee attractions on November 25th in the Women's Jr. Welterweight and Men's Super-Middleweight divisions. First, it was a highly anticipated rematch for the Undisputed Women’s Jr. Welterweight championship of the world as undefeated champion Chantelle Cameron attempted to score her second victory in a six month span by giving Undisputed Lightweight world champion Katie Taylor a second opportunity to become an undisputed world champion in two weight divisions. In some ways, this rematch offered little upside for the defending champion beyond perhaps a good payday as well as a chance to prove that her victory over Taylor in the first fight was not a case of her catching Taylor on an off night. The second encounter would take place at the same location as the first fight, the 3 Arena in Dublin, in Taylor's home country of Ireland. As this observer pointed out in previewing this fight, despite Taylor hav...

The storyline prior to rising unbeaten Super-Middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga 's fight against former Middleweight world title challenger Jason Quigley on June 24th at The Theater in Madison Square Garden was whether or not Berlanga, who holds the North American Boxing Organization (NABO) championship in the Super-Middleweight division, could produce a performance that would serve as a strong argument for him as being a potential challenger for current undisputed champion of the division Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. As most know however, a slight wrinkle emerged two days before the bout when it was revealed that Alvarez had signed a three-fight deal with the Premier Boxing Champions ( PBC ) group of promoters, which moves Alvarez at least for the time being away from digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN and at least for now to United States premium cable network Showtime , which for Berlanga, who recently signed with Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing , who had...

The official weigh-in for Saturday's DAZN Pay-Per-View main event (In the United States and Canada) at Akron Stadium Undisputed World Super-Middleweight chamipnship fight between defending champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and WBO number one Super-Middleweight contender John Ryder took place on Friday in Guadalajara, Mexico. Ryder, who will be making his second attempt at a world championship came in right at the Super-Middleweight limit of 168lbs. Alvarez, who will be the overwhelming crowd favorite, as this fight has been promoted as a homecoming, came in looking lean at 167 1/2lbs. The bout is scheduled for twelve rounds and will have all four world championships, the WBO, WBC,WBA,IBF crowns which comprise the Undisputed Super-Middleweight chamipnship of the world will be on the line. Weights for the undercard bouts on the card are unavailable as of this writing. Alvarez vs. Ryder takes place on Saturday, May 6th at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico. In North America,...

For some fighters, the path to a world championship fight is not as simple as it might seem. Some are able to get their opportunity off of the strength of an impressive win, which in turn serves as the catalyst to drum up support for said fighter to fight for a world title. While this may seem like the quickest path to one getting a shot, there are countless other fighters that must for lack of a better term rely on the structure that be in the sport, which means for a fighter to work their way to a mandatory position to force a shot at a world championship. This is precisely the path that Super-Middleweight contender and former world title challenger John Ryder has taken, which has seen him fight his way to the number one contender's position in the World Boxing Organization's (WBO) Super-Middleweight ratings, which has now resulted in the native of London, England now being on the brink of the biggest fight of his career. A fight where he will challenge current Undisputed Sup...

As strictly a Boxing match, the encounter between former Super-Middleweight world champions David Benavidez and Caleb Plant checked a lot of boxes that a Boxing fan looks for in the lead up to the fight. A clash of styles that when matched against each other was likely to produce a competitive fight. A rivalry between the two fighters that appeared to grow into legitimate bad blood, and the sub-plot of potentially getting another opportunity to fight for a world championship. With the fight fan's list of what to look forward to checked off, it was time for the two fighters to converge on the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV on March 25th to do battle.  In previewing this bout, this observer stated that it would likely come down to whether or not Plant would be able to deal with the punching power and hand speed of Benavidez. It was also crucial in my eyes that Benavidez not allow Plant, a fighter known for his elusiveness, to be able to set the tempo of the fight and could n...

On Saturday, March 25th, two former world champions will enter the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV with the goal of taking one step closer to challenging once more for a world championship. This observer is referring to the encounter between David Benavidez and Caleb Plant. Two fighters who each know what it is to be a world champion in the talent-deep 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. A division currently ruled by Undisputed world champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. While the goal of both men is obviously an eventual fight with Alvarez, the encounter between the two, which will headline a pay-per-view card broadcast by Showtime Pay-Per-View here in the United States, could possibly be one of the best fights of the year. The reason for that is it is an interesting clash of styles between two boxer/punchers, but one who is more noted for his punching power than the other. David Benavidez is a former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion. He also has a rare d...

  On Saturday, May 8 th   the Boxing world will focus on AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX for one of the most anticipated fights of 2021. The Super-Middleweight unification clash between WBA/WBC Super-Middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and undefeated two-division world champion Billy Joe Saunders, the current WBO Super-Middleweight world champion. A unification bout, which will be broadcast globally by digital subscription sports streaming network   DAZN , that frankly represents a dangerous style match up for Alvarez, the fighter regarded as the top star in the entire sport in the eyes of many.   For the fighter known to fans simply as “Canelo”, this fight will be his third bout in six months after defeating previously undefeated WBA world champion Callum Smith last December in a bout where the vacant WBC world championship in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. Although it is rare to see a fighter of Alvarez’ level compete as often as this recent stre...