Update:

We want to let our readers know that new material will be released on Thursday, June 18th. 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

Is Povetkin Next For Wilder?

A question that all new champions are asked is how will they respond when they defend their world championship for the first time. For undefeated WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder, the answer to that question came on June 13th when he defended his world title for the first time against WBC number seven rated contender Eric Molina at the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

Although Wilder, who had a career knockout percentage of nearly 97% going into the fight was heavily favored to retain his title over the challenger, Molina showed that he was not interested in being a mere opponent for a world champion making his first title defense. Not only would Molina put up a fight, but he would also become the first fighter to show significant resistance after being hurt by the champion’s power.

The tempo of this fight was dictated by Wilder who established his jab from the outset and mixed in his right hand and combinations in the early rounds. Prior to this fight this observer stated when discussing Eric Molina’s last fight against Raphael Zumbano that it would be interesting to see what strategy he would use in this fight against Wilder. Much like his fight with Zumbano, Molina allowed Wilder to walk straight in and position him on the ropes. Molina also did not let his hands go consistently in the early rounds, perhaps out of respect for Wilder’s punching power.

As the fight progressed however, Molina would begin to let his hands go more frequently having success landing his right hand to the body and head of the champion. Molina also was able to briefly stagger Wilder with a left hook in the third round. Although Molina seemed very disciplined in his attack of Wilder when he did open up threw punches, he did not throw many combinations and appeared to be looking to land one punch that would turn the fight in his favor.

The champion was able to recover quickly from being rocked in round three and would respond by dropping Molina with a left hook in the closing seconds of round four. The challenger showed his mettle by coming out and being willing to engage with Wilder in round five. Molina however, would face more adversity as he was dropped for the second time in the fight by a right hand later in the round.

At this point in the fight, I wondered if it would be allowed to continue following the second knockdown. After being hit by Wilder’s right hand, Molina turned his back as he was going down. Under circumstances where referees have stopped fights due to a fighter turning his back away from combat, Referee Jack Reiss after asking Molina if he wanted to continue following the second knockdown, admonished the challenger not to turn his back and allowed the fight to go on.

Molina however, would be knocked down for the third time in the fight seconds later by another Wilder right hand. Although some may question why Referee Jack Reiss allowed the fight to go on following the second knockdown, I believe Reiss, who is one of the best referees in the entire sport should be commended for giving the challenger every possible opportunity to remain in the fight. Molina once again showed his heart by getting up from the third knockdown and the fight continued.

Despite suffering three knockdowns and being significantly behind on the scorecards, Molina remained determined and continued attempting to bring the fight to Wilder mixing in offense to the body and head. Although Molina was able to be effective in spurts throughout this fight, I feel he was most effective in rounds six through eight where he was able to let his hands go more frequently than had been the case in previous rounds, landing combinations to the body, right hands to the head, and be able to have some success landing uppercuts to the head of the champion.

What was a determined effort by the challenger however, would come to an end in round nine. A flush right hand from Wilder would send the challenger to the canvas for the fourth time in the bout. This time there would be no count from Referee Jack Reiss, who immediately stopped the fight at 1:03 of the ninth round. Deontay Wilder advances to 34-0, with 33 Knockouts. Eric Molina falls to 23-3, with 17 Knockouts.

It was an impressive performance by a world champion in his first title defense, but one where some might be critical of Wilder simply because it took him a while to get his opponent out of there and Molina was able not only provide resistance after being knocked down, but also able to have periodic success throughout the fight. In this observer’s eyes however, although he was faced with an opponent who provided more resistance than some believed would be the case prior to the fight, he was still able to score four knockdowns and ultimately get the knockout win.

Prior to this fight, I stated that if Wilder were to impress his fans and critics alike by making a statement in his first title defense that it may put him on a collision course with unified IBF/WBO/WBA/IBO Heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko, in what would be a fight to determine an undisputed Heavyweight world champion. Wilder however, would appear to be heading toward a fight against longtime contender and former world title challenger Alexander Povetkin, who is currently the WBC’s number one rated mandatory challenger at some point in the near future, perhaps later this year. 

If and when that fight happens it will be interesting to see if Povetkin will look to implement some of the things that Eric Molina was able to have success with in this fight. Povetkin is a fighter who has hand speed, punching power, and has only lost to Wladimir Klitschko. If the fight can be made, it just might be one of the more intriguing fights in the recent history of the Heavyweight division.

Although the potential Wilder-Povetkin fight will certainly be a hot topic of discussion in regard to the Heavyweight division for weeks and maybe even months to come, there is one other topic that Boxing fans and experts alike should also discuss coming out of this fight. The valiant effort put forth by an extremely “Game” challenger Eric Molina.

Even though Molina, who was rated number nine in the world by the WBC in the Heavyweight division prior to the fight, but announced as rated number seven by the same organization when he entered the ring to face Wilder was not given much of a chance in this fight by some, he proved that he belonged in the ring with Deontay Wilder. Despite suffering the third loss of his career, Eric Molina established himself as a player in the division in defeat and has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Although he came out of this fight on the losing end, he put up a hell of a fight and should be proud of his performance.

“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 

 

Lara Dominates Rodriguez

Top Jr. Middleweight contender Erislandy Lara scored a dominant twelve round unanimous decision over longtime contender Delvin Rodriguez on Friday night at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois. Lara was in command from the opening bell in a bout that at times resembled a sparring session.

Lara’s ability to use angles, be elusive and pick his spots with precision timing was the story of this fight. Lara was able to frequently snap the head of Rodriguez back throughout this fight with crisp and accurate combination punching. The highlight of the fight came in the closing seconds of round six when Lara dropped Rodriguez with a left hand. Although the always “Game” Rodriguez was able to get up from the knockdown and ultimately did go the distance in this fight, he was simply unable to solve the puzzle of Erislandy Lara and was outclassed.

At the end of the twelve round bout, all three official judges Bill Lerch, Steve Weisfeld, and Robert Hoyle scored the fight identically 120-107, a shutout in favor of Erislandy Lara. Erislandy Lara advances to 21-2-2, with 12 Knockouts. Delvin Rodriguez falls to 28-8-4, with 16 Knockouts. Unofficially, I scored this fight the same as the official judges 120-107 in favor of Lara.

For Lara, who holds interim/regular champion status in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Jr. Middleweight ratings, this victory will likely keep him in line for a title shot. It will be interesting however, to see where Lara will fit into the equation as Floyd Mayweather recently announced his intention to relinquish all world titles he currently holds in both the Welterweight and Jr. Middleweight divisions. This would appear to open an opportunity for Lara to fight for a vacant world title seeing as Mayweather holds both the WBC and WBA world championships in the Jr. Middleweight division.

It is also certainly possible if Mayweather, who also holds the WBC, WBA, and WBO world championships in the Welterweight division, does indeed relinquish his championships in both divisions that Lara could be named WBA champion per his holding interim/regular status in the WBA Jr. Middleweight ratings. Following his victory over Delvin Rodriguez Lara expressed his interest in seeking fights against Mayweather or moving up six pounds from the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division to the 160lb. Middleweight division to seek fights against either WBC world champion Miguel Cotto or undefeated unified WBA/IBO world champion Gennady Golovkin.

Although Lara dominated his fight against Delvin Rodriguez, a possible criticism of some might be that Lara did not take advantage of some opportunities throughout the fight when it appeared that Rodriguez could have been on the verge of succumbing to accumulated punishment and did not close the show. Even though the crowd in attendance periodically expressed dissatisfaction during the course of this fight by booing due to lack of action, for Boxing purists Lara put on a masterpiece and even though he did not go for the knockout, it was as close to a perfect performance as one could get from a pure Boxing standpoint.

A conundrum however, that Lara might face as he seeks more lucrative opportunities potentially against the likes of Mayweather, Cotto, or Golovkin is that those fighters might view an encounter with him as a high risk/low reward scenario. Lara is after all highly skilled, very elusive, and has a style that has proven difficult for opponents to solve.

Lara however, has only been defeated twice as a professional by Paul Williams and Saul Alvarez. An argument can be made that Lara could easily be an undefeated fighter. He did after all give Saul Alvarez all he could handle in their fight in July of last year and some feel he deserved the decision in what was a very close fight. Many observers, this one included, also feel that Lara was the victim of injustice in a fight where the three judges who scored the fight in favor of Williams via majority decision were indefinitely suspended by the New Jersey State Athletic Board Of Control following the fight. Despite those setbacks, Lara has remained a key player in the Jr. Middleweight division.

Although Lara may not always be a crowd pleasing fighter to watch, there is no denying his skill level. Regardless of where Lara will choose to fight whether he continues to campaign as a Jr. Middleweight or decide to move up to the Middleweight division, he should get an opportunity to face the best fighters in either division. 

There is no doubt that fighters like Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, and Gennady Golovkin are stars of the sport and in the case of Mayweather and Cotto are first ballot future Hall of Famer’s. All great fighters however, have to from time to time take risks. 

Whether Mayweather, Cotto, Golovkin, or another star in the sport decides to take what may be considered a high risk/low reward scenario by facing Erislandy Lara, it is clear he has earned the opportunity to show when he can do against the best of the best. Whether he gets that opportunity remains to be seen.

“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 

Will Wilder Impress In First Title Defense?

One of the more interesting stories in the Heavyweight division as well as the entire sport of Boxing in recent years has been the rise of Deontay Wilder. Wilder, the 2008 Olympic Heavyweight Bronze Medalist quickly earned a reputation as one of the sport’s feared knockout artists upon turning pro in November 2008.

Much like current unified Light-Heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev and current unified Middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin who both were able to garner significant attention by compiling knockout streaks, Wilder began his career with thirty-two knockouts consecutive knockouts. Wilder’s reputation as a knockout artist eventually earned him a world title shot against WBC Heavyweight world champion Bermane Stiverne.

When Wilder met Stiverne on January 17th of this year however, he proved that he is more than a mere power puncher as he out boxed the champion over the course of twelve rounds to earn a lopsided unanimous decision, the first decision victory of his career. The win for Wilder not only earned him a world championship, but also established him as the first American World Heavyweight champion in the sport in nearly eight years. Although some have been critical of Wilder throughout his career due to questions about his level of opposition prior to his fight with Stiverne, it was an impressive performance that did answer questions about his ability to respond to being taken into the late rounds of a fight and he also showed a solid chin when tested by Stiverne’s power.

Now as one of only two world champions in the Heavyweight division Wilder prepares to make the first defense of his world title against current WBC number nine rated contender Eric Molina on Saturday night at the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. For the undefeated new world champion and Tuscaloosa, Alabama native Wilder, a victory in this fight could lead to a unification bout against current unified IBF/WBO/WBA/IBO world champion Wladimir Klitschko in the near future to determine an Undisputed Heavyweight world champion.

In Eric Molina, Wilder will face a veteran of twenty-five professional fights who will enter this fight having won his last five fights. The most notable victory for Molina in his last five fights came when he scored a fifth round knockout against former world title challenger DaVarryl Williamson in May 2014. In his last fight, Molina scored an eighth round knockout over Brazilian contender Raphael Zumbano on the undercard of Wilder’s fight against Bermane Stiverne.

In that fight Molina was able to have significant success landing his right hand and mixing in uppercuts on Zumbano in a bout that Molina dominated throughout. Molina did show his Boxing ability in that fight as well, but allowed Zumbano to walk straight in and put him in position of having to fight off the ropes. It will be interesting to see what Molina’s strategy will be against a fighter in Wilder who is quicker, has a three inch height advantage, a four inch reach advantage over him, and has significantly more power than Zumbano.

Although Molina has scored three knockouts in his last five fights and has scored seventeen knockouts in twenty-three career victories, what should not be overlooked is Molina’s two losses both came as a result of first round knockouts against Ashanti Jordan in his first pro fight in March 2007 and against former world title challenger Chris Arreola in February 2012. The key to this fight in my eyes will be whether Molina can negate Wilder’s power.

Even though Wilder went the distance in his last fight, he is still a fighter with a career knockout percentage of nearly 97% who has also scored eighteen knockouts in the first round. It is logical to assume that Wilder will look to jump on Molina early should the opportunity present itself.

In what will be the first title defense of a World Heavyweight championship by an American fighter in eight years and eleven days since Shannon Briggs lost his WBO Heavyweight world championship to Sultan Ibragimov on June 2, 2007, one may wonder if this fight will in some ways be the beginning of a new era for the Heavyweight division. This observer is not sure whether this fight will signal the start of a new era. 

If Deontay Wilder however, manages to impress his fans and critics alike by making a statement in his first title defense, it just may put him on a collision course with the most dominant Heavyweight of this era. A fighter named Wladimir Klitschko.

“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