The Galal Yafai Express Rolls On

The story going into the Flyweight bout between 2020 Olympic Gold medalist Galal Yafai and former British Flyweight champion Tommy Frank on August 19th at the Birmingham Arena in Birmingham England was whether Yafai, who entered the bout ranked number fourteen in the world in the World Boxing Council (WBC), could continue on what has been a fast track since beginning his career in February of last year.

Although it is not uncommon to see fighters who are able to benefit from the exposure that the Olympics offers, and to be more specific, those fighters who are able to reach the medal rounds, progress at a faster pace upon embarking on professional careers as compared to those with limited or no amateur experience, Yafai has been able to work his way to a low top-twenty ranking in a world sanctioning organization's rankings in only four professional fights. While Yafai entered the bout unbeaten in four bouts having gone the distance in one of those fights, the question this observer had prior to this encounter was whether Tommy Frank, a fighter with British championship pedigree, would be able to provide Yafai with what would be the first test of his career.

Despite Frank's edge in terms of professional experience over Yafai, it would take the undefeated fast rising contender only a minute and forty seconds to answer that question with an emphatic "NO!" At the sound of the brll to begin the fight, Yafai immediately applied ehat yours truly would call "Suffocating Pressure" on Frank that reminded me of future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao in his prime. In that he immediately cut off the ring and swarmed Frank with a near non-stop attack , which sent the former British champion scrambling looking for space.

Unfortunately for Frank, he had no answer and apprared simply unprepared for the type of attack that Yafai put on him. It was not long before Frank would be knocked to the canvas with a short left hook to the head. While Frank was able to get up quickly, it was academic as Yafai continued his relentless assault on his opponent. With Frank pressed up against the ropes with no way to escape, his corner mercifully threw the towel in giving Yafai a statement-making first round stoppage and a successful defense of his WBC International Flyweight championship. 

In previewing this fight and at the beginning of this column, yours truly made reference to Yafai being on a "Fast Track" towards a world championship shot. After this latest performance, perhaps those of us in Boxing media should refer to the track that Yafai is on as a "Train Track" because his performance in stopping Tommy Frank was the Boxing equivalent of a runaway train steamrolling down a track and wiping out whatever is unfortunately standing in the way. While this observer does not partake in deliberate hype tactics, there is simply no other way to describe what happened in this fight.

Although this performance, as emphatic as it was, will probably not move Galal Yafai into a world championship fight in his next fight, he is clearly on track to potentially challenge for a world championship either at or before his tenth professional fight. With five fights to go before fight number 10 for Yafai, the question is if any potential opponent will he able to stand on the track as "The Yafai Express Train" continues barreling down the track in an attempt to stop what has thus far been a runaway train or if it will continue to be full steam ahead as Yafai continues his trip up the 112lb. Flyweight division.

" And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Galal Yafai vs. Tommy Frank Takes Centerstage August 19th

Originally, August 19th in the world of Boxing was to be spotlighted by the highly anticipated World Light-Heavyweight championship fight between undefeated champion Artur Beterbiev and former Super-Middleweight world champion Callum Smith. As some know, the bout between Beterbiev and Smith has been postponed to January 2024 due to Beterbiev needing time to recover from recent dental surgery. While that fight was initially one of the highlights of the month of August 2023, a bout that could be described by some as under the radar could prove to be interesting. This observer is referring to the Flyweight bout between undefeated Flyweight contender Galal Yafai and former British Flyweight champion Tommy Frank, which will take place at the Birmingham Arena in Birmingham, England that can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN. 

While the 112lb. Flyweight division does not always get much exposure, particularly here in the United States, one thing that makes this fight interesting is that it offers a chance for a higher ranking in the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) for the WBC International championship. Although a regional championship may not seem significant to some fans, what makes it significant beyond the reality of a higher position in the WBC rankings is the quick pace in which Yafai has gotten to this fight. Galal, the third in the line of the fighting Yafai brothers following Kal and Gamal, will be going into only his fifth professional fight when he faces Tommy Frank. After a decorated amateur career in which he represented Great Britain in both the 2016 and the delayed 2020 Olympics, winning the Gold medal in the 2020 tournament in the Flyweight division, Yafai turned pro in February of last year and won the WBC International title with a fifth round knockout of Carlos Bautista. Yafai being able to enter a regional championship fight in his professional debut is representative of his Olympic pedigree and though a fighter entering that type of fight out of the box as a professional is certainly a roll of the dice, Yafai has thus far proven to be someone who, despite his limited experience as a pro, is on the verge of challenging for a world title in stopping three of his four opponents prior to this fight. 

Going into this fight, Yafai is rated number fourteen in the WBC’s Flyweight ratings and obviously the longer he is able to hold onto the international title, the more likely his ranking will be elevated sooner than later. It should not have to be pointed out however, that there is a risk with each fight and if Yafai should lose, obviously the expedited pace in which he has entered the WBC ratings will be halted. 

In Tommy Frank, Yafai will be facing a veteran of nineteen fights with a record of 15-3-1, with 3 Knockouts. While Frank does not, or at least has not, up to this point shown much punching power in only scoring three knockouts in his fifteen career wins, what he does have that could be an asset is experience in being able to go rounds and it is important to keep in, mind that as Yafai has been on the fast track so far in his career, he has yet to be tested. Frank however, is coming into this fight off of a knockout loss to Jay Harris where he lost the British Flyweight championship being stopped in ten rounds. Perhaps some might see that as a red flag against Frank, or to be more specific, his capability in being able to provide Yafai with a stern test, but it is something that will only be found out once the bell rings.

This fight will headline a card promoted by Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing's NXTGEN series. While obviously that series, which prior to the COVID-19 epidemic was a fixture on Matchroom's schedule in showcasing some of the young, up and coming talent in the Matchroom stable, obviously it has been a few years since the series has been in circulation. A fight like this however, featuring an Olympic Gold medalist, who seems to be racing towards a shot at a world championship perhaps within the first ten fights of his career, going against a former British champion looking to bounce back, seems like a perfect vehicle to reintroduce the series. 

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

Matchroom Boxing NXTGEN: Yafai vs. Frank takes place on Saturday, August 19th at the Birmingham Arena in Birmingham, England. The fight as well as it's full undercard can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 11:45AM ET/8:45AM PT with Before The Bell, which will feature preliminary bouts. This will be followed by the main card, which will begin at 2PM ET/11AM 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. 

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NOONGAR BOXER ALEX WINWOOD SOLIDIFIES "UNHEARD OF" RISE WITH NO.2 RANKING IN HIS CLASS

Press Release July 20, 2023 By Dragon Fire Boxing and Jarred Cross- Noongar boxer Alex Winwood has climbed to no.2 in the World Boxing Council's strawweight ratings, earmarking a push to get his hands on a world title in the division.

Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing 

 

WBC's ratings released this week places Winwood behind only Mexican fighter Luis Castillo on the list of challengers to interim champion Yudai Shigeoka and world champion Panya Pradabsri.

 

"This is very special and brings me so much closer to my dream of being a world champion," Winwood wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.

 

This time last year the 26-year-old was yet to enter the ring as a professional.

 

Just three fights in, Winwood's manager Tony Tolj said it's an "unheard of" trajectory into the elite.

 

The International Boxing Federation has Winwood at no.8 and World Boxing Organization at just outside the top ten at no.11 in their latest ratings.

 

"To be honest, his rise is unheard of. There's no other boxer really on this planet, apart from Lomachenko (Ukrainian multi-time, multi-weight class world champion and two-time unified lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomanchenko), that's had three fights and is number two in the world. It's just unbelievable," Tolj told National Indigenous Times on Tuesday.

 

"But it's a testament to him. He only wants to fight the best - and in boxing you can't always fight the best but we've managed to get the highest rated fighters in front of him"

 

His manager said the stratospheric rise comes in large-part to taking on, and moving past, much more experienced opponents.

After bursting onto the scene, Tolj said the WBC quickly wound back any of their concerns about giving an unknown fighter chances at big fights when they realised, as he put it, "this guy is the real deal".

 

In his pro career so far, Winwood has wrapped the Western Australian light flyweight, WBC International Light Fly and WBC International minimum weight belts around his waist.

 

The latest came after shedding off a couple of kilos from his already slight frame - a decision Tolj sees as a thoughtful approach towards he and trainer Angelo Hyder's aim to produce a world champion within six fights in Winwood.

 

Should he get there, Winwood would be the fastest Australian man to do so.

 

In a sport of fine margins, light fly see's a lot of bigger builds cutting down to the class with an inch of two extra of height and reach.

 

That variance might have contributed to Winwood's less dominant amateur record.

 

Tolj said his man is now "licking his lips" at minimum weight.

 

Winwood has said he has no intentions of taking on "taxi drivers" in the ring, with his management's eyes also on climbing up the ladder again for his next bout.

 

"We're looking at everyone above us and now that's Castillo. We've instructed Alex just yesterday to 'mate, start looking at footage of him,'" Tolj said.

 

"Ideally we plan to stick with the WBC as they've looked after us, but we've got an eye on every single champion out there with the IBF, WBA and the WBO."

 

A mild-mannered man, Winwood defied the brash convention's often associated with someone in his job and at his level.

Tolj said he identified something in him from early on. Not just in professionalism and intent, but as something well worth putting time into and for others to keep an eye on.

 

"The sky is the limit with him (Winwood)," Tolj said.

 

"He's got a very good personality, and he's actually enjoyable to spend time with. And the way that he's always looking out for other people, not just himself is a breath of fresh air into boxing."

 Material Courtesy of: Jarred Cross Photo Courtesy of: Dragon Fire Boxing Used with permission.

 

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

Paul-Fury: What We Learned

The question that this observer asked in the days prior to the scheduled Cruiserweight encounter between unbeaten hopefuls Jake Paul and Tommy Fury was whether the third attempt to get the two to face off in the ring would finally result in an actual fight between the two. While I did little to hide my cynicism in asking that question, it was fair to ask after two previous cancellations and a lot of grandstanding between the two and their respective teams that can be described in a single word. “Nonsense.” After those cancellations and endless verbal exchanges between the two, it finally culminated in two men, each very much trying to prove themselves as boxers meeting in a Boxing ring in Saudi Arabia.

Despite the skepticism and cynicism of yours truly prior to the scheduled bout on February 26th, what resulted when it was time for the two men to do battle turned out to be a pleasant surprise. What was surprising? After all the “Nonsense,” the Boxing world was actually treated to a competitive fight. Although if one is objective they would say that both Paul and Fury were at a similar stage in their respective forays in the sport in neither having faced a prospect going into the bout, the difference in experience was apparent from the opening bell in that Tommy Fury’s background in Boxing as a primary discipline showed itself almost immediately.

One thing that stood out that Fury was able to do that previous opponents Jake Paul had faced, who predominantly came from the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), was he used his jab as a primary weapon. Fury’s jab accomplished two things. The first was obviously being able to hit Paul with it as well as being able to use it to both control distance and set up other offensive opportunities and combinations. Secondly, Fury’s use of the jab allowed him to both set the tempo of the combat as well as to be first with his punches. The combination of these aspects did not allow Paul to get into a rhythm and also exposed inexperience in terms of knowing how to deal with a crafty boxer.

Although Paul had established punching power in his previous fights, particularly with his right hand, he appeared dependent on landing it in this fight, appeared to telegraph his punches, and did not appear to know how to set up his offense from a technical as well as tactical standpoint. An additional aspect that was missing from Paul’s approach that can be attributed to inexperience is he also did not seem to know how to try and cut the ring off from Fury, which may have limited Fury’s ability to move. Despite the bout being fought in an eighteen foot ring, smaller than a traditional 20x20 ring, which seemed to favor Paul as the power puncher, Fury did not seem bothered by the smaller ring and continued to get his punches off first. What also added to the difficulty for Paul from a defensive standpoint is he did not move his head as Fury threw his jabs and eventual combinations. This resulted in Paul being hit much more frequently than had been the case in his previous fights.

To Paul’s credit however, he took the punches Fury dished out and kept coming forward, which if one is objective you should respect it as he proved he can take a punch and that is something that all boxers regardless of how they enter the sport eventually have to prove. Despite his inexperience, Paul did hang in there and did manage to land power punches as the fight progressed even though he could not take control of the tempo of the combat. As Tommy Fury also had questions regarding his ability to take a punch, he was also able to show an ability to take punches when Paul was able to connect.

Although I felt that Fury was ahead as the fight progressed due largely to his ability to out box Paul, both fighters would be penalized a point for rough housing while in clinches and Paul was able to connect with a short jab at the beginning of the eighth and final round, which knocked Fury to the canvas. While this was the definition of what is often referred to in the sport as a  “Flash Knockdown” in that Fury was caught off balance and subsequently went down, despite not appearing to be hurt, his gloves nevertheless did touch the canvas and it was thus a clean knockdown.

The two point deductions, plus the knockdown against Fury in the final round did complicate things slightly in terms of the scoring of the fight at the conclusion of the eight round bout. Unofficially, I arrived at a score of 76-73 in favor of Fury having scored the eighth round 10-9 in favor of Paul. While rounds in which a knockdown is scored is usually scored 10-8 in favor of the fighter that scored the knockdown, there are instances where a round can be scored 10-9. This was such an instance where the knockdown of Fury occurred in the early seconds of the final round and he was able to get up and arguably win the remainder of the round, thus resulting in a 10-9 score from yours truly, but it is subjective and often boils down to a judge’s discretion. Coincidentally, my final score of 76-73 in favor of Fury ended up being the same as two of the three official judges, which resulted in Fury winning a split decision.

Although I am curious to know how the three judges scored that eighth round, which due to each fighter previously being penalized a point, turned out to be crucial in terms of the scoring of this fight, I felt Fury simply did too much over the course of the fight to not get the decision. Paul did seem to land the harder punches when he was able to land on Fury, and this in addition to the knockdown he was able to score is what likely resulted in one official judges giving him the nod by a single point 75-74. From my perspective, Paul was not able to do enough over the course of the fight and that is ultimately what led to how I saw the fight in terms of scoring.

As for what will come from this fight, Tommy Fury will supposedly earn a ranking in the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) Cruiserweight ratings. Where exactly Fury will be placed is not known, but there is also a possibility of a rematch between he and Paul as Paul does have a rematch clause. For Jake Paul, if he were to exercise that clause, he will need to go back and not only study this fight thoroughly, but he will also need to make adjustments particularly with regard to learning head movement and defense if he wants to be successful in a potential rematch.

Ultimately, what we learned from this fight is that both Jake Paul and Tommy Fury were indeed serious and it turned out to be a better fight than many had expected. What should also be learned here is if one truly wants to be a boxer, they will need experience against those who have backgrounds in the sport if they want to succeed and there is only so far one will go by choosing to face those who do not have backgrounds in Boxing. While what is now referred to as “Crossover Boxing,” or “Influencer Boxing” where those who come into the sport from other realms will face fellow celebrities and or other combat sports veterans with either limited or no Boxing experience will likely continue as long as it appeals to the casual fan, at the end of the day, the standard of the sport of Boxing needs to be respected as well as the obvious dangers the sport also poses to one’s health. It is not something that can be treated with kid gloves.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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The World Cup Boxing Series: Boxing’s Newest Tournament Concept

 

The sport of Boxing is no stranger to tournament style competition. While many likely associate the idea of Boxing being contested under tournament style formats with the amateur ranks with several tournaments taking place yearly and of course, Olympic competition occurring every four years, the professional side of the sport has seen its share of tournament concepts as well. While many of these tournaments have served a purpose of unifying world championships in a given weight division, often accompanied by significant elements of hype by the respective promoters and television networks involved, there have also been reality television style competitions such as The Contender and The Next Great Champ series that did serve as a way to introduce several fighters to a more casual audience and in the case of Sergio Mora, the winner of The Contender's first season, an eventual world champion, who since retirement has gone on to become one of the sport's respected expert commentators.

 

At last year's annual World Boxing Council (WBC) convention a new unique tournament concept was introduced known as The World Cup Boxing Series (WCBS), which would consist of a mini tournament concept with four fighters being selected to compete in two bouts with the winners of those two fights meeting in the tournament final. While those of us who grew up in the New York area of the United States as this observer did, likely associate the WCBS abbreviation that this tournament coincidentally has, with the call letters of both the ViacomCBS owned television and radio networks of the same abbreviation based in New York City, this tournament concept is unique in that it offers a straight-forward approach that in theory, would not have a long, drawn-out process to complete and would hopefully be absent of any complications and turmoil that has often reared it’s head in previous tournament concepts.

 

The debut of the World Cup Boxing Series tournament would/will take place in the talent-deep 135lb. Lightweight division with the winner of the two bouts earning the WBC's Latino Lightweight championship. Although some will likely criticize the WBC, at times justifiably for its practice of developing and awarding championship belts of various labels and distinctions, while the WBC Latino championship is one that can get lost in the mix of the various regional championships that are associated with the sanctioning organization, the bigger aspect is that the winner of this tournament will likely be moved up in the WBC's world Lightweight rankings.

 

On February 24^th, the debut of the World Cup Boxing Series began in Obregon, Sonora, MX. In the first semi-final bout, Isai Hernandez faced Irving Castillo. An important thing to keep in mind in addition to both of these tournament bouts being scheduled for eight rounds is that all four of these fighters who were selected to participate in this tournament are at the prospect level of the sport, which gives this tournament concept a real sense of it being a development tool to gage talent that may be on the verge of contender status and/or fighters that have not been able to benefit from television exposure before. Not unlike a concept premium sports cable network ESPN in some ways pioneered when they began broadcasting the sport in 1980 and awarded ESPN branded championship belts to the winners of tournaments they held on their network featuring fighters who at that time were at similar stages as the four fighters competing in this tournament being promoted by soon to be inducted Hall of Famer Roy Jones' RJJ Boxing, who’s events are streamed on the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) MMA promotion's digital subscription-based combat sports network UFC Fight Pass.

 

The Hernandez-Castillo bout saw Castillo begin the fight by using his 5’5 frame to keep the 5’2 Hernandez at distance where the shorter Hernandez had trouble getting his punches off due to being kept on the outside. As the fight progressed, Hernandez was able to force the combat on the inside. This resulted in an at times ugly fight to watch as both fighters had periods of effectiveness, but neither of them were able to stand out clearly from the other, which can be attributed to the height difference between the two and a bad clashing of styles. Ultimately, Castillo was able to get the nod of two of three official judges in earning an eight round majority decision to move on to the final of the tournament.

 

As for who Irving Castillo will be facing in the final, coincidentally, the main event of the card in Sonora, MX, featured the second semi-final bout between Luis Torres and Rodolfo Flores. From the opening bell Torres stalked Flores with an almost systematic confidence. The difference in punching power also appeared early on as Torres frequently knocked Flores off balance when he would land cleaning. To his credit, Flores had a fighter’s instinct and tried to fight back and impose his will on Torres. What resulted in the second round however, was Flores becoming over aggressive and being knocked down with a short right hook to the head. Torres would score a second knockdown of Flores in round three with a flurry of punches, but then would be deducted a point moments later when he threw Flores to the canvas as he attempted to finish the fight after Flores had gotten up from the second knockdown. A point deduction that would prove to be insignificant as Torres would continue his attack and ultimately be able to force a stoppage of the fight in the fourth round. 

 

This now sets up the finals between Luis Torres and Irving Castillo, which will tentatively take place on June 2^nd on another RJJ Boxing promoted card. If everything goes as planned, which unfortunately due to a variety of circumstances including, but not limited to an ongoing global epidemic is never a sure thing, it will be interesting to see what will be next for the World Cup Boxing Series after this inaugural Lightweight tournament.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

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

 

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