Itauma And Fundora Close Out March With Dominating Performances

 The final weekend of March 2026 in the Boxing world was highlighted by two events on March 28th taking place in Manchester, England and Las Vegas, NV respectively. First, it was fast-rising Heavyweight Moses Itauma, who looked for his fourteenth victory in as many fights in his professional career as he faced veteran contender Jermaine Franklin at the Co-op Arena in Manchester, England.

Coming off of a destructive first round knockout of longtime Heavyweight contender and former world title challenger Dillian Whyte last August in Saudi Arabia, some thought this bout against a durable and always determined opponent in Jermaine Franklin, could have provided a test for the twenty-one year old “Knockout Artist" Itauma. Despite the test some were expecting, which was based on significant evidence in that Franklin had not been stopped in his career and had gone the distance with both Whyte and former two-time World Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, Itauma would provide another example as to why he has been given that label.

From the opening bell, Itauma put Franklin on the defensive. In all truth and honestly with the reader, this observer was not surprised in Itauma’s approach here as I stated in previewing this fight, that it was logical to assume that Franklin would have to weather an early storm if he were to extend him into the middle and late rounds of the fight.

What I frankly did not expect was how Itauma more or less nullified Franklin's offensive output before he could have a chance to find a rhythm, albeit while largely on the defensive. In round three Itauma dropped Franklin for the first time in his career with a perfectly timed left hook to the jaw. Itauma had succeeded in doing something that neither Dillian Whyte or Anthony Joshua were able to accomplish in sending Jermaine Franklin down to the canvas, but he was not done.

Although Franklin did manage to land a few hard shots that did seem to land flush, the tempo of the combat remained the same. Itauma landing harder blows and keeping Franklin in a defensive state. This was until round five when Itauma produced another devastating knockout to go on his resume. Connecting with a flush right uppercut that froze Franklin on his feet, followed by another flush left hand to the jaw that sent Franklin down hard on the canvas. The bout was stopped by Referee Steve Gray. 

With now twelve knockouts in fourteen career bouts, Moses Itauma continues to seemingly be on the fast track towards a world title opportunity. Before discussing what may follow, however, the time has come to discuss the second bout that took place on March 28th.

Yours truly is referring to the third title defense of WBC World Jr. Middleweight world champion Sebastian Fundora, who defended his title against former Welterweight world champion Keith Thurman at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. While this fight had the classic scenario of youth versus experience in a young world champion who may very well be ascending towards the sport’s mythical pound for pound debates going against a former world champion who had more experience and had shared the ring with some of the best fighters of his era, this fight also had the aspect of a fighter in Thurman, who has been plagued by inactivity over the last several years attempting to defy all logic by trying to dethrone a world champion known as “The Towering Inferno” due to his standing nearly 6’6 and being blessed with the type of height and reach advantages that is rarely seen in the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight or even the 160lb. Middleweight division. Despite only having one defeat in his career going into this challenge, which came when he lost his Welterweight world championship to Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao in July 2019 in what proved to be a close and competitive bout and having both the experience and type of skillset that theoretically could have posed a threat to Fundora, Thurman had only fought twice in the last six years due to both injuries and like many fighters aligned with the PBC group of promoters, who also promoted this bout, long stretches of inactivity, which was why many felt his chances here in this fight were illogical and may have amounted to a puncher’s chance. 

The champion immediately stunned Thurman in the opening seconds of the first round with a straight left hand from the southpaw stance and would nearly score a knockdown of the former world champion in an almost carbon copy of what had transpired in the first round when Fundora connected with a left hand that badly buckled Thurman’s legs, but narrowly and some might suggest miraculously, Thurman managed to keep his balance and was able to avoid his gloves touching the canvas. From this point in the fight, the contest had seemingly been decided due largely to Fundora fighting a disciplined fight where he made full use of his height and reach advantage over the 5’8 Thurman, which beyond the challenger being able to land occasionally, resulted in him being unable to get into anything that would resemble a consistent rhythm as well as being forced to move laterally constantly in an attempt to avoid the champion’s come forward pressure approach. 

As I watched this fight, I wondered privately if Thurman would gradually find more success, particularly if he were able to get into the second half of the fight due to the constant need to move in trying to evade Fundora, which while certainly not an easy task to accomplish for any fighter at such a height and reach deficit, much less for someone who is thirty-seven years old and who has not been in active competition on a consistent basis over the last have decade, if he were able to get into the middle and late rounds, all of the aforementioned movement would have to at least slow Fundora down a little as the fight progressed. Despite that private observation by yours truly, it was clear that this developed into a scenario where one fighter was being busted up and suffering a beating at the hands of his younger, taller, and longer opponent. 

Although there would be no knockdown of the former champion Thurman, the effects of the punishment he was taking including suffering a bad cut above his left eye and being increasingly unable to land anything of the type of punches that could have kept Fundora off of him convinced Referee Thomas Taylor to step in and mercifully stop the fight at 1:16 of round six, giving Fundora his third successful title defense and his third consecutive knockout victory since becoming a world champion in March of last year.

The twenty-fourth win in twenty-six professional fights for Sebastian Fundora and being the first fighter to stop Keith Thurman serves as another step in the career of a fighter who may indeed become a part of the pound for pound debates as his career progresses. In terms of what’s next for the champion, this observer believes it may be likely that a potential unification bout between Fundora and the winner of the potential fight between Welterweight world champion Jeron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz, who currently has interim champion status in the WBC’s Jr. Middleweight ratings, may indeed be the aim at least in the short-term. Perhaps in the interim, we could see Fundora face top contender Bakary Samake of France who is the WBC Silver Jr. Middleweight champion. One thing is clear, however, if this version of Sebastian Fundora stays where he maintains discipline and makes full use of his naturally blessed gifts of height and reach, it will be very difficult for opposing fighters from Jr. Middleweight to Middleweight to combat him.

Turning back to the first fight that was covered in this column and briefly touching on what may be in store for Moses Itauma, At twenty-one years old and only having fourteen professional fights, it is rare for this observer to proclaim that a fighter with such a resume may be ready for a shot at a world championship. With two devastating knockouts against two legitimate world-rated contenders however, short, yet impressive resume or not, we may see a point perhaps by the end of this year where it will be time to say Itauma should be next in line. While I am not ready to proclaim him as the next challenger to a world champion in the Heavyweight division just yet, the time may indeed be approaching sooner than later. 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Update: While this column was in development, it was announced that Jaron Ennis will challenge WBO World Jr. Middleweight champion Xander Zayas on June 27th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

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Bohachuk-Ortiz Thoughts

The first two weeks of August in Professional Boxing have seen a focus on the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division. First, it was Terence Crawford becoming a four-division world champion by scoring a close twelve round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten WBA world champion Israil Madrimov at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. A fight where for the first time in Crawford's career, he seemed to be pushed in what was a competitive bout from start to finish where there also seemed to be a little doubt under a scenario where Crawford was forced to go the twelve round world championship distance for the first time in eight years.

While this observer feels Israil Madrimov did enough to at least warrant a rematch with Crawford based on how competitive that fight was, the spotlight remained on the division on August 10th when another fight that could well have ramifications for Crawford's future took place. Yours truly is referring to the battle between top contenders Serhii Bohachuk and Vergil Ortiz, which took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV.

The fight, where Interim/Regular champion status in the WBC’s Jr. Middleweight ratings, a designation held by Bohachuk, brought together two fighters who are known for their ability to score knockouts, and this fight at least in theory, would establish a mandatory challenger for current WBC world champion Sebastian Fundora. It would not disappoint.

In contrast to Madrimov-Crawford where the contest was fought at a highly technical and tactical pace, which one might say was similar in some ways to how numerous bouts in the amateur ranks are fought, this was a contest where the two fighters were willing to stand in close and engage with each other, throwing hard punches from the opening bell. Bohachuk scored a knockdown of Ortiz in the first round with an overhand right. While this was incorrectly ruled a slip upon it occuring, it would be corrected prior to the start of the fifth round due to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) using video review of the knockdown, otherwise known as the instant replay rule, which is not the universal standard in the sport that it should be, but is legal and used when appropriate in the state of Nevada. 

The blown call in the first round, corrected via review during the course of the fight notwithstanding, it did little to change the high pace in which the fight was fought in what quickly became a close battle of wills.

Vergil Ortiz seemed to be the more active of the two fighters in several rounds, but Serhii Bohachuk seemed to be landing the harder punches of the two when he did let his hands go. When such a conundrum presents itself, it can be difficult to distinguish who is getting the upper hand, but upon the ruling prior to the fifth round, I immediately questioned to myself as to whether or not the knockdown in the first round would end up being the deciding factor in determining the outcome. Neither fighter really gave up much ground to the other and a brief knockdown, what is often referred to as a “Flash Knockdown" could well determine who wins simply because more often than not, rounds where there is a single knockdown scored is scored 10-8 in favor of the fighter who dropped their opponent.

There seemed to be some clarity, at least in my eyes, when Bohachuk was able to score a second knockdown of Ortiz early in the eighth round.. Much like the knockdown in round one, the second knockdown was not one where Ortiz was in significant trouble and/or hurt, but was briefly knocked down to the canvas. With two knockdowns and thus two 10-8 rounds being scored in his favor, I felt Bohachuk was getting the edge in a close and competitive fight. 

Following the second knockdown, Ortiz was invigorated and responded aggressively in trying to press Bohachuk landing hard, thudding punches. If it were not for the knockdown against him earlier in the round, Ortiz likely would have won it. Ortiz would continue his aggression from rounds nine through twelve in rallying to earn a hard fought twelve round majority decision. 

Although there was not much to distinguish between the two fighters for the first six rounds of the fight, simply because when Ortiz would land something that appeared significant, Bohachuk would respond immediately or it would be the reverse scenario where Ortiz would respond quickly to what Bohachuk had landed, I felt some of the rounds, though very close, swayed towards Bohachuk. This in addition to the two knockdowns he scored in rounds one and eight, resulted in my unofficial scorecard being 116-110 in favor of Bohaychuk. While it was indisputable who got the upper hand from the time of the second knockdown in round eight, I felt Ortiz did not do enough to overcome those knockdowns and frankly felt that he ran out of time. If the fight had been scheduled for the classic world championship distance of fifteen rounds, something this observer has long advocated to see a return to, I may have arrived at a different scorecard at the end of the fight.

Nonetheless, Ortiz emerging victorious in this fight is not something I would call a bad decision or the often tiresome claim many fans use when an outcome does not go in favor of the fighter they support, “A Robbery." It comes down to what a judge favors based on clean punching, effective aggression, ring generalship, and defense. When there are several rounds that could be scored either way, as was the case in this fight, opinions can indeed differ. It just appeared difficult to ignore two knockdowns, which under many circumstances, would determine the outcome.

For the second week in a row, a fight occurred in the Jr. Middleweight division that was close, competitive, and not expected to be in the eyes of many. As was the case with Madrimov-Crawford, I find myself wanting to see more. Perhaps it might be a good idea to stage the respective rematches of these two fights on the same card in the near future.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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2024 Starts With Controversy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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