Povetkin Stops Wach In 12

In a battle of former world title challengers longtime Heavyweight contender Alexander Povetkin scored a dominant twelfth round technical knockout of Mariusz Wach Wednesday night at the Basket Hall Arena in Kazan, Russia.  After having some difficulty early on dealing with the height and reach of the 6’ 7 Wach, Povetkin systematically picked his shots using lateral movement to execute his offense in spurts.

Although Wach was very “Game” in taking whatever Povetkin threw at him, he was unable to land anything significant to break Povetkin’s rhythm or his ability to land combinations. As the fight progressed the question in this observer’s mind was whether or not Wach would be able to go the distance. The accumulation of punishment gradually took its toll on Wach, who by the twelfth and final round was showing signs of fatigue as well as a bad cut under his left eye. It was the condition of the cut, which would ultimately cause Referee Jay Nady to stop the fight in round twelve on the advice of a ringside physician giving Povetkin a convincing victory.

Alexander Povetkin advances to 30-1, with 22 Knockouts. Mariusz Wach falls to 31-2, with 17 Knockouts.  The victory keeps Povetkin, who is currently rated number one in the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) Heavyweight ratings in line for a mandatory challenge of undefeated WBC world champion Deontay Wilder sometime in 2016.

  

Also on this card, in a battle to determine interim/regular champion status in the World Boxing Association’s Cruiserweight ratings Denis Lebedev scored an eighth round stoppage over previously undefeated former world title challenger Lateef Kayode. This fight had several close rounds early on as both fighters looked to execute their respective offense in spurts.  Lebedev however, was gradually able to land the cleaner more effective punches of the two and generally was able to get his punches off first. 

In round seven Lebedev was credited with a questionable knockdown that appeared to be more of a push. Lebedev however, would remove all questions regarding the knockdown in round seven by violently dropping Kayode twice more in round eight forcing  Referee Steve Smoger to stop the fight.

Denis Lebedev advances to 28-2, with 21 Knockouts. Lateef Kayode falls to 21-1, with 16 Knockouts.

It will be interesting to see what will happen for Lebedev in regard to his current standing in the WBA’s Cruiserweight ratings coming out of this fight.  Readers may recall the controversy this observer discussed regarding the announcement last week of the upcoming fight between former world champions Roy Jones and  Enzo Maccarinelli as being for the WBA Cruiserweight world championship. 

  

Although the WBA was quick to deny that it had sanctioned Jones-Maccarinelli as being for it’s Cruiserweight world championship, it will nevertheless be interesting to see whether or not Lebedev will be named full WBA champion seeing as the full championship is vacated or if he will now be placed in a fight to determine a new champion. For now, there are more questions than answers in regard to the WBA’s Cruiserweight ratings and it appears that it will take time to sort out.

In a battle for the International Boxing Organization (IBO) Cruiserweight world championship longtime contender Ola Afolabi scored a devastating fifth round knockout over IBO world champion Rakhim Chakhkiev. Chakhkiev was extremely aggressive throughout much of this fight putting seemingly everything he had into every punch he threw. For a period of time Chakhkiev was able to keep Afolabi on the defensive. Despite Chakhkiev throwing every punch with knockout intent, Afolabi was able to weather the storm without incurring much damage. 

Afolabi however, did suffer a bad cut over his left eye in round three as a result of an accidental clash of heads. As the fight progressed Afolabi was able to slow the pace of the fight down and have periods of effectiveness behind a consistent jab.  In the fifth round the fight would come to a dramatic conclusion.  Afolabi was able to drop Chakhkiev with what appeared to be a right hand, but it was ruled a slip by Referee Grezgorz Molenda. Moments later however, Afolabi would knock Chakhkiev out cold with a brutal right/left combination to the head. 

Ola Afolabi advances to 22-4, with 11 Knockouts. Rakhim Chakhkiev falls to 24-2, with 18 Knockouts.

Also in the Cruiserweight division, in what could best be described as a “Shootout”, Olanrewaju Durodola scored a thrilling second round knockout over previously undefeated Dmitry Kudryashov. Both fighters came out swinging from the opening bell and Kudryashov was able to stagger Olanrewaju along the ropes. Olanrewaju however, would turn the tables on Kudryashov in the second round when he was able to land a flush right hand that staggered Kudryashov.  This would set off a barrage of brutal punches that had Kudryashov out on his feet against the ropes forcing Referee Jay Nady to stop the fight.

 Although there were no official knockdowns in this fight, Jay Nady should be applauded for stepping in when he did to prevent Kudryashov from suffering further punishment as he was clearly unable to defend himself and may have been at risk of being seriously injured had the bout continued. The fight, which was for the WBC Silver Cruiserweight title essentially moves Durodola into a mandatory position to challenge current WBC world champion Grigory Drozd. 

 

Olanrewaju Durodola advances to 22-2, with 20 Knockouts. Dmitry Kudryashov falls to 18-1, with 18 Knockouts.

In the Welterweight division undefeated prospect Vishkan Murzabekov scored a third round knockout over Solomon Bogere.  Murzabkov dropped Bogere with a right hand late in round two. Bogere was barely able to beat the count, but Murzabekov would not let him off the hook, scoring three more knockdowns in round three. Bogere suffered a brutal left hook to the head as he was dropped for the fourth and final time before the fight was finally stopped. 

Vishkan Murzabekov advances to 12-0, with 6 Knockouts.  Solomon Bogere falls to 13-3, with 10 Knockouts.

In a unification bout of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and IBO Jr. Welterweight world championships and a battle of undefeated world champions IBO world champion Eduard Troyanovsky scored a sixth round technical knockout over IBF world champion Cesar Cuenca. In a fight that was fought at a tactical pace Troyanovsky was able to get the better of most of the exchanges and won virtually every round based on his being the more active of the two fighters. Troyanovsky also was able to open a cut over Cuenca’s left eye in round five.  In round six the fight was brought to an “Inconclusive” ending as after both fighters went down to the canvas as a result of being tangled in the ropes Cuenca mysteriously quit. Cuenca’s corner was irate at the stoppage and attempted to raise the hand of Referee David Fields.

Eduard Troyanovsky advances to 23-0, with 20 Knockouts.  Cesar Cuenca falls to 48-1, with 2 Knockouts. 

Despite the strange ending of this fight, Eduard Troyanovsky has established himself as the only unified world champion currently in the Jr. Welterweight division and it will be interesting to see what opportunities may be in store for him in the division going forward.  For Cesar Cuenca, there are more questions than answers coming out of this fight and one has to wonder whether there will be any disciplinary action taken by the IBO, IBF, or the Russian Boxing Federation for the actions of Cuenca’s corner following the stoppage.

In the Light-Heavyweight division undefeated prospect Dmitry Bivol scored a fourth round knockout over Jackson Junior. A counter right hand from Bivol ended the fight in round four. Although Junior was able to beat the count he was unable to respond to Referee Pint Prayadsab’s questions of whether he wanted to continue resulting in the fight being stopped.

Dmitry Bivol advances to 5-0, with 5 Knockouts. Jackson Junior falls to 19-5, with 17 Knockouts.

This card provided a little bit of everything. Action, Entertainment, Excitement, and Knockouts.  It is rare especially on a card that features a mix of world championship fights as well as bouts featuring top contenders to see every single bout on a card end with a knockout. This card was a rare exception and should provide a couple of interesting storylines particularly in the Cruiserweight division that was a major focal point of this card.  It will be interesting to see if Denis Lebedev, Olanrewaju Durodola, and Ola Afolabi find themselves as potential opponents for each other in the future.

As for Alexander Povetkin, although some may be critical of him for having trouble getting the stoppage over Mariusz Wach he was impressive in the sense of dominating an opponent who had only previously lost to unified IBF/WBO/WBA/IBO Heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko in his career. As devastating as Klitschko has been throughout his career in knocking out nearly 80% of his opponents, Klitschko was unable to stop Wach within the distance so Povetkin succeeded in becoming the only fighter thus far to stop a very “Game” Mariusz Wach.

In terms of his pending mandatory challenge of WBC world champion Deontay Wilder, it will be interesting to see exactly when that will take place. The WBC has approved an elective defense for Wilder to take place in January 2016. As of this writing Wilder’s opponent for what will be his third title defense remains unknown.

The seven-bout card headlined by Povetkin-Wach however, should ultimately be viewed as an entertaining night of Boxing where fans got their money’s worth and got more than their share of knockouts. There is not much more a Boxing fan can ask for.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

 

Brief Update:

We would like to let our readers know that new material will be released tomorrow (Wednesday, November 4th.) Stay tuned. “And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

Thoughts on Jones-Maccarinelli

There is no doubt that Roy Jones is a future Hall of Famer. After winning world championships in the Middleweight, Super-Middleweight, Light-Heavyweight, and Heavyweight divisions Jones’ legacy as a great fighter is more than secure. Although Jones has suffered some setbacks in his career over the last decade, he has continued to fight on primarily fighting in the Cruiserweight division.

One of the more interesting storylines in the Cruiserweight division in recent times has been the momentum that Jones has gradually been building since suffering a knockout loss at the hands of Denis Lebedev in May 2011. Since suffering that setback, Jones has been regularly active facing opponents that range from journeyman to fringe contenders winning eight straight fights and earning the World Boxing Union (WBU) Cruiserweight world championship along the way.

As Jones has continued to build momentum a question that some might ask is when will he face a fighter that most would consider a top contender. It was announced earlier this week that Jones, who recently became a Russian citizen will return to the ring on December 12th in Moscow against former WBO Cruiserweight world champion Enzo Maccarinelli.

What was however, perhaps more interesting was the announcement that the fight would be for the vacant WBA “Super” Cruiserweight world championship. For those who may not be familiar with the designation of a “Super” champion in the World Boxing Association (WBA), it is usually reserved for fighters who hold more than one world championship in the same weight class.

In cases where there is a fighter with “Super” status that fighter is considered the official WBA world champion while one or two other fighters may hold interim/regular champion status in the same division. Although this observer has gone on record in the past saying that such a structure although well intended creates confusion primarily among fans, such a procedure has ensured that top contenders who hold interim/regular champion status do get the opportunity to fight for the WBA world championship, even though fighters who hold such status may have to wait a significant period of time before getting that opportunity.

What made the announcement of Jones-Maccarinelli being for a WBA world championship interesting however, is that the championship that Jones currently holds is not regarded by some as being a legitimate world championship and that Denis Lebedev, who currently holds interim/regular champion status was not involved in a fight to determine a new world champion in the WBA’s Cruiserweight division. Although some may have been questioning the decision of the WBA to sanction this fight as being for its world championship, this observer was not as critical.

After all, Roy Jones does hold a world title. All sanctioning organizations at one time or another have struggled for recognition among fans and media as being legitimate, but were able to gain recognition over time. A fighter of Jones’ stature in the sport can certainly bring exposure to the WBU if Jones were able to successfully unify his championship.

The WBA however, denied shortly following the announcement of the fight between Jones and Maccarinelli that it had sanctioned the bout as being for the WBA championship. Whether or not the fight will indeed be for a WBA championship remains to be seen. 

Although there is some confusion as to what will actually be at stake in this fight, perhaps the most interesting announcement of all came from the forty-six year old Jones who has stated that this fight will be his last. Whether or not the fight will indeed be Jones last also remains to be seen, but Jones has nevertheless generated interest as he has continued his resurgence and it is inspiring that a fighter who has been counted out after some setbacks by some has continued his career and has found success in winning eight straight fights.

In regard to the fight itself much like Jones, Enzo Maccarinelli has suffered some setbacks over the course of his career, but did make three successful defenses of the WBO Cruiserweight world championship before losing the title in a unification bout against David Haye in March 2008. Following the loss to Haye, Maccarinelli went on to win the European Cruiserweight championship as well as the British and Commonwealth Light-Heavyweight titles.

The thirty-five year old Maccarinelli will enter the fight with Jones having won his last two fights, most recently against Jiri Svacina earlier this month. Although one could make an argument that Maccarinelli is not the kind of opponent that most would consider a top contender at this stage of his career, the fight between him and Jones is nevertheless an interesting battle between two fighters who one might argue are at similar stages of their careers.

Although as of this moment there are more questions than answers in regard to whether or not a WBA world championship will be at stake when these two meet in December, if this will indeed be the last time Roy Jones enters the ring as a fighter it will be a historical moment. One should remember despite suffering setbacks over the last decade, Roy Jones was one of the most dominant fighters of his era in the 1990s and early 2000’s. Regardless of those setbacks or what happens when he faces Maccarinelli, Roy Jones will go down in history as a great fighter. If this will be Jones’ last fight the question will be whether he will be able to end his career with a victory.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

 

Is Terence Crawford On A Collision Course With Manny Pacquiao?

The fight between undefeated two-division world champion Terence Crawford and top contender Dierry Jean had what appeared to have what this observer said were the makings of a hell of a fight. Two fighters with similar styles each possessing the type of hand speed and punching power that gave the impression of a bout that would be a competitive fight between two highly skilled world-class boxers.

No matter how a fight might look on paper however, it does not always translate into what one might think will happen once that fight actually takes place in the ring. When Crawford and Jean met on October 24th at the Centurylink Center in Omaha, NE for Crawford’s WBO Jr. Welterweight world championship what took place was a showcase of an undefeated world champion’s skill as he continued his march towards stardom against a “Game” fighter in Dierry Jean who on that evening was over matched.

Although it appeared that the fight would develop into a competitive tactical battle early on, Crawford was able to take control. In what was a competitive first round where Dierry Jean was able to have some success, Crawford made a tactical adjustment late in the round by switching from an orthodox to a southpaw stance.

Crawford would score a knockdown of Jean seconds later with a right hand at the end of round one. It was at this point in the fight where Crawford began to administer a gradual beating to the challenger. Although there was not always a lot of activity in terms of punches landed in several of the rounds in this fight, Crawford’s effective aggression and ability to dictate how the fight was fought was the story.

Crawford had particular success fighting out of the southpaw stance in being able to land his right hand and mixing in combinations as well. Jean simply did not have an answer to combat the southpaw stance of Crawford or Crawford’s ability to be effective in his aggression, get his punches off first the majority of the time, and ability to deflect much of Jean’s offense.

As the fight progressed, Crawford’s dominance continued. The champion would score a second knockdown of Jean in the closing seconds of round nine with a left hand. It would be in a tenth round that Crawford would close the show.

A barrage of punches highlighted by a right hook brought the fight to its conclusion late in round ten as Jean was knocked almost through the ropes and was prevented from going down as the fight was stopped. For Terence Crawford it was a near perfect performance against a very difficult fighter who had never been stopped previously in his career. 

The biggest story coming out of this fight however, is the potential that Crawford could face former multi-division world champion Manny Pacquiao in April of next year in what could be Pacquiao’s final fight. Off of what was an impressive performance, Crawford made as good an argument as a fighter could make if he is indeed being considered as a potential opponent for Pacquiao.

Crawford is a young and unbeaten two-division world champion that stylistically could pose a difficult test for Pacquiao in what would be his first fight since losing to Floyd Mayweather. Although much of the discussion prior to Pacquiao’s return to the ring no matter who the opponent will be, will center on the condition of his right shoulder after suffering a torn rotator cuff prior to his bout with Mayweather, if it will indeed be Crawford who will be standing across the ring from Pacquiao, Pacquiao should be given credit for opting to face not only a fighter on the verge of stardom, but arguably one of the most difficult fighters to fight in either the Jr. Welterweight or Welterweight divisions.

Even though nothing has been announced as to who Pacquiao will fight in his next fight, this observer believes that Terence Crawford is definitely a fighter that should be considered a front-runner in regard to potential opponents. It will be up to fighters in both the Welterweight and Jr. Welterweight divisions to make their case for being a potential opponent for Pacquiao between now and April 2016. Regardless of Manny Pacquiao’s recent loss to Floyd Mayweather he is still a superstar of the sport and a consistent top pay-per-view draw regardless of who he fights.

 Whether or not Pacquiao’s next fight will be his last is a subject that will likely be debated. In this observer’s eyes a potential fight between Pacquiao and Crawford would be an interesting battle and any questions as to what Pacquiao has left to give as a fighter will likely be answered.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

 

Brief Update:

We would like to let our readers know that new material will be released tomorrow (Monday, October 26th). Stay tuned. “And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

ShoBox 10/23/2015 Results

Undefeated rising Middleweight prospect Rob Brant captured the vacant WBC Continental America’s Middleweight championship with a hard-fought ten round majority decision over Louis Rose on Friday night at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix, AZ. The first half of this fight was dictated by Brant’s ability to land a consistent jab and landing the cleaner more effective punches overall.

As the fight progressed however, Rose was able to pick up his pace and gain ground on the scorecards due to being the more active of the two fighters. At the conclusion of what was a very competitive bout throughout the official scoring was as follows. Judge Gonzalo Valenzuela scored the fight 95-95 a draw. This was overruled by Judges Craig Harmon and Derek Zazuetta who each scored the fight 96-94 in favor of Brant. 

Unofficially, I scored this fight the same as Judge Gonzalo Valenzuela 95-95. This was a fight where you could make a justifiable argument that each fighter was able to win half of the contest. Brant winning the first half by landing the cleaner punches, Rose winning the second half by being the more active of the two fighters. 

It can be an interesting conundrum when fights are fought like this one was to determine which fighter has an edge. In this case two of three official judges scored the fight by a margin of 6-4 in rounds for Brant, likely based on how effective he was in dictating the fight early on and generally landing the cleaner punches. There was no doubt however, that Rose was able to narrow the gap in the middle and late rounds.

Rob Brant advances to 18-0, with 11 Knockouts. Louis Rose falls to 13-3-1, with 5 Knockouts.

Also on this card, undefeated Heavyweight prospect Jarrell Miller scored a third round knockout over Akhror Muralimov. Muralimov was able to have success in landing to the body of Miller and was also successful in landing as the constantly pressuring Miller came forward. Miller however, would bring the fight to a conclusion by landing a flush straight right hand to the head of Muralimov that sent him down for the full count of ten. Official time of the stoppage was 1:03 of round three.

Jarrell Miller advances to 15-0-1, with 13 Knockouts. Akhror Muralimov falls to 16-2, with 13 Knockouts.

In the Light-Heavyweight division Samuel Clarkson scored a devastating second round knockout over Lavarn Harvell. Clarkson was able to score two knockdowns of Harvell in the first round both as a result of right hands. Harvell was able to survive the round, but Clarkson would bring an end to the contest early in the second round with a barrage of punches along the ropes. Although Harvell was able to beat the count on unsteady legs, the fight was stopped. Official time of stoppage was :48 of round two.

Samuel Clarkson advances to 17-3, with 11 Knockouts. Lavarn Harvell falls to 15-2, with 8 Knockouts.

This card was in many ways what Boxing fans have come to expect from Showtime Sports’ long-running ShoBox series. This series continues to feature fighters that range from prospects to contenders and showcases fighters at various stages in their development.

On this card fans were treated to two knockouts and an extremely competitive Middleweight contest where two fighters Rob Brant and Louis Rose may find themselves pitted against each other again at some point down the line. Regardless of the outcome of that fight, both fighters are likely to benefit in terms of the experience they gained which will likely benefit them going forward.

As for Jarrell Miller with now four straight knockout victories and being unbeaten in fifteen professional fights it will be interesting to see how he progresses in the Heavyweight division. Although it may be tempting to see Miller put in against a top twenty contender, it can be a conundrum for those handling a fighter to decide when the time is right to step up in class of opposition.

There have been fighters who were able to step up successfully with as many or fewer fights than what Miller has currently. It is important to remember however, that not every fighter who has a similar record as Miller has been able to step up against fringe or legitimate contenders. We will see how Miller continues to progress as a year 2016 approaches.

For Light-Heavyweight Samuel Clarkson he has seen his career gain traction after suffering some setbacks early in his career. Clarkson’s victory over Lavarn Harvell earned him his seventh straight win and his fourth consecutive knockout. Clarkson is a fighter that if he continues to win will certainly generate buzz and if he can continue to build momentum he could become a player in the Light-Heavyweight division.

It is certainly clear that Brant, Rose, Miller, and Clarkson have established themselves as fighters to watch in the future. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for these four fighters.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison