The Boxing Truth®

The story going into the WBC World Welterweight championship bout between champion Mario Barrios and top contender Ryan Garcia was one that differed from the norm. Of course, the standard narrative when a fighter challenges for a world title as Garcia was here, is one where the onus is largely on the challenger to not only put forth an impressive performance to the best of their ability, but to do so in such a way that they take the title from the champion in a convincing fashion that it not only generates buzz, but also quells any would-be critics. In this case, both fighters had something to prove in the ring on February 21st at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Despite entering what was his third defense of the WBC Welterweight world championship, Mario Barrios was still seeking the validation that often comes with being a world champion. Although he managed to retain his crown in his two previous defenses, he had to settle for two consecutive bouts that ended up being scored dra...

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 le...

It was announced earlier today by the World Boxing Council ’s ( WBC ) annual convention in Bangkok, Thailand that Conor Benn , who recently scored a twelve round unanimous decision in his rematch with former two-division world champion Chris Eubank Jr. on November 15th in a bout held in the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division , has been named the new WBC number one contender in the 147lb. Welterweight division . This announcement puts Benn as a replacement for previous number one contender and Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao , who fought to a draw in July of this year with current WBC World Welterweight champion Mario Barrios . Barrios is rumored to be nearing a title defense early in 2026 against Welterweight contender Ryan Garcia , which has not been officially announced as of this writing. As for Manny Pacquiao, his next move as he intends to continue his comeback in 2026 is uncertain as of this writing. We will keep readers updated on developments as they are made available. Stay tuned....

The fight between Women's WBA Jr. Middleweight world champion Mary Spencer and two-division world champion Mikaela Mayer on October 30th in Montreal,Canada , largely centered on Mayer attempting to add the Jr. Middleweight division to her resume of having won world championships after winning world titles in the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight and 147lb. Welterweight divisions. It was also a fight void of personal animosity and was rooted in respect between the two world champions. This was simply about two champions putting their respective skills against one another. Although as this observer stated in previewing this fight , this amounted to an away game for Mayer by traveling to Casino Montreal to face the Montreal native Spencer for her WBA world championship on her home turf, it did not appear as though that was a factor both in her approach in the lead up to the fight as well as how she approached the combat once the fighters were in the ring. A world champion moving up in wei...

The Welterweight unification between undefeated world champions Jaron Ennis and Eimantas Stanionis was one that represented a step forward for a division still very much in transition. A transition that began with former undisputed champion Terence Crawford choosing to move out of the 147lb. Welterweight division to seek more lucrative opportunities as he is at a stage in his career where after successfully unifying two weight divisions, the Jr. Welterweight division, followed by the Welterweight division in the last several years, where it may be more about what fights will earn him the biggest money possible as well as those mythical “Legacy Defining" bouts, which are always subject to debate, rather than necessarily choosing to stay in one division and trying to dominate against all comers. While almost all great fighters who establish Hall of Fame resumes as Crawford has eventually reach that point, what can be a challenge that can be an at times unwinnable one at least in the...

The bout between undefeated IBF World Welterweight champion Jaron Ennis and former European Welterweight champion and former world title challenger David Avanesyan was one that, though it came about on short notice, presented an interesting test for the unbeaten world champion. When one also factors into the equation that Ennis, known to his fans simply as “Boots," was beginning a new chapter in his career, now aligned with promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing and the fact that this fight was in his hometown of Philadelphia, PA, the circumstances were not ideal. Despite the change in opponent, Ennis met the veteran and durable Avanesyan before a crowd of over 10,000 at the Wells Fargo Center on July 13th. When it comes to fights that are labeled as a “Homecoming" for a fighter touted as one of the rising stars in the sport, or one that is considered a star, the danger is the potential for distractions that could affect the fighter’s focus. In this case, not only was the ...

Boxing's 147lb. Welterweight division has historically been one of the sport's most glamorous divisions full of historic battles featuring some of its biggest stars. Sometimes the term "SuperFight," which this observer only uses when he feels it is truly warranted and not as a mere term for the sole purpose of hype, not only features the top stars in the sport, but also has the rare distinction of bringing resolution to a division such as determining an undisputed world champion. Such a fight will take place on Saturday, July 29th as the two undefeated world champions of the division Errol Spence and Terence Crawford will finally meet to determine the first Undisputed Welterweight champion of the world since 1985 and the first since the inception of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) in 1989. A fight that can be seen on Showtime Pay-Per-View here in the United States Quite frankly, one could write a column discussing why it has taken thirty-eight years for the Welte...

The fight between undefeated WBO Welterweight world champion Terence Crawford and European Welterweight champion David Avanesyan, which took place in Crawford’s hometown of Omaha, NE on December 10th was one that did not have significant public demand. This was due to the desire of most Boxing fans to see Crawford face undefeated IBF/WBC/WBA world champion Errol Spence in what would be a full unification bout for the Undisputed Welterweight championship of the world. As negotiations for that fight between the promotional free agent Crawford and the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters, which represents Spence for a potential showdown in 2022 stalled, it created a necessity for the WBO champion to get back in the ring against the next highest available contender or risk the potential for further “Ring Rust” as it had been more than a year since the champion was last in the ring.  While this observer detailed why that was in previewing this fight, I was nevertheless inte...