What’s Next For Jarrell Miller?

The Heavyweight bout between undefeated rising contender Jarrell Miller and battle tested veteran Fred Kassi was an interesting fight on paper. Miller, a fighter who has risen to top ten contender status in the World Boxing Association (WBA), the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) respective Heavyweight ratings has quickly established himself as a fighter to watch having knocked out fifteen of eighteen professional opponents prior to the fight with Kassi and had also won the North American Boxing Organization (NABO) championship in the Heavyweight division.

In previewing this fight, this observer stated that two questions are usually asked when a fighter establishes himself as a top contender. A question of whether or not that fighter will face a significant test as a top contender followed by a question of how long it might be before that fighter gets an opportunity at a world championship.

Some believed that Fred Kassi may have been the fighter to provide an answer to the first question of whether Miller would face a significant test. After all, Kassi had established himself as an opponent who has given fighters like Chris Arreola and Dominic Breazeale all they could handle and some might argue, Kassi deserved victories against both earning a draw against Arreola and a controversial decision loss against Breazeale.

Although Miller does have punching power, I did wonder how he would do against a fighter with an awkward style as well as hand speed such as Kassi. When the two fighters got in the ring at Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, NY on August 19th however, it did not turn out to be the test for Miller that some, including this observer, thought it might be.

The first round of this fight was dictated by Kassi as he was able to land punches and use lateral movement to evade the pressuring Miller. It was after this round that I felt somewhat validated in thinking that this fight would be one that would answer some questions about Miller, a fighter who has been developing a reputation as a “Knockout Artist.” Even though questions surrounding a knockout puncher’s stamina as a fight progresses are natural to ask, Miller would show in this fight the ability to quickly adapt.

In the second round, Miller began to let his hands go and was able to land to Kassi’s body. Miller would continue his attack in round three in landing offense to the body and head of Kassi. The effects of Miller’s body attack seemed to nullify Kassi’s movement as he was unable to move as quickly away from Miller in the second and third rounds as he was in the first round. It was after the third round where Kassi stopped the fight citing an injury to his right hand.

Even though some may not call this victory for Miller an exciting one, I was impressed by how well he executed his attack of Kassi. It should not be overlooked that Miller not only possesses the ability to knock an opponent out with either hand, but he is also a highly skilled combination puncher and that could be a valuable asset as he progresses toward competing against the top fighters in the Heavyweight division.

The question coming out of this fight is obviously what is next for Jarrell Miller? Although the idea of Miller being in consideration for a potential opportunity at a world championship at this stage could be a possibility, this observer believes that fights against the likes of David Price, Johann Duhaupas, and potentially a bout against someone like former two-division world champion David Haye could all be viable options before Miller sets his sights on one of the world champions of the division.

A victory over the likes of fighters like Haye, a former world champion in both the Cruiserweight and Heavyweight divisions or a win over a fighter like Duhaupas, who gave a spirited effort in his challenge of undefeated WBC world champion Deontay Wilder in September of last year would accomplish two things. It would not only give Miller further momentum toward a potential title shot, but it would also add another notable name and victory to his resume.

Even though this victory over Fred Kassi for Miller did not come via a highlight reel knockout, it was still an impressive performance and did accomplish the goal of taking a crucial step forward in his career against an experienced veteran. It will be interesting to see who Miller fights next and if he can continue to progress.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

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ShoBox 8/19/2016 Weigh-In Results

The official weigh-in for Showtime Sports’ latest edition of it’s ShoBox: The New Generation series took place on Thursday in Rochester, NY. The official weights for the entire card are as follows. 

Main Event: North American Boxing Organization (NABO) Heavyweight championship – 10Rds.

Jarrell Miller (Champion) 296 1/2lbs.         vs.        Fred Kassi 237lbs.

North American Boxing Organization (NABO) Bantamweight championship – 10Rds.

Antonio Nieves (Champion) 117lbs.           vs.        Alejandro Santiago 117 1/2lbs.

Vacant North American Boxing Organization (NABO) Lightweight championship – 10Rds.

Baholdir Mamadjonov 135lbs.                    vs.        Mason Menard 134.5lbs.

Welterweight – 10Rds.

Bakhtiyar Eyubov 142lbs.    vs.        Karim Mayfield 142lbs.

*Other Bouts scheduled to take place: (Weights unavailable as of this writing.)

Middleweight - 4Rds.

Dorell Van Horn         vs.        Henry Beckford

Jr. Middleweight – 4Rds.

Saadiq Muhammad             vs.        Dave Tamaso

Jr. Lightweight – 4Rds.

Saquan Felton                       vs.        Vinnie Denierio

Featherweight – 4Rds.

Glenn Dezum             vs.        Aaron Hollis

ShoBox: Miller vs. Kassi takes place Tonight (Friday, August 19th at Rhinos Stadium, in Rhochester, NY.  The card will be televised in the United States by Showtime at 10PM ET/PT and will also be available on the Showtime and Showtime Anytime apps. Check your cable/satellite provider for time and channel in your area. For more information on Showtime, the Showtime and Showtime Anywhere apps, and available devices please visit: www.sho.com. Check your listings internationally.

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

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Miller-Kassi Preview

In the sport of Boxing, a common topic that you will hear discussed and asked among Boxing fans of any description as well as experts will be in regard to who is the next “Great” and/or rising Heavyweight? Obviously, such a topic will invoke varying opinions as well as stir more than a few debates.

The recent history of the division has seen a bit of an upward trend of such discussion due in large part to the rise of undefeated WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder as well as the emergence of undefeated unified WBA/WBO/IBO world champion Tyson Fury, who ended longtime champion Wladimir Klitschko’s over decade-long reign over the division last November. Although much of the focus of the division has naturally centered on both Wilder and Fury as two of the division’s central figures, undefeated knockout artist Anthony Joshua, who won the IBF Heavyweight world championship earlier this year has also established himself as a player. As Wilder, Fury, and Joshua sit atop a division that has appeared in recent times to be heading toward a period of transition, a question that some might ask could be if there is a prospect on the rise who could also enter into the discussion as a player in the division.

One such prospect could be undefeated rising Heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller. Much like Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua, Miller is a fighter who has been developing a reputation as a “Knockout Artist.” In eighteen fights as a professional Miller has compiled seventeen victories and has scored fifteen knockouts in those seventeen wins while earning a draw in his fifth pro fight against veteran Joey Dawejko in January 2013.

Miller seems to have the ingredients that turn the heads of Boxing fans. An aggressive pressure attacker, with power in both hands as well as the ability to throw punches in combination. What has stood out to me about Miller thus far in his career is not only his ability to get an opponent out of there should the opportunity arise, but also how he uses body punching as a component of his offense that is in some ways similar to how Mike Tyson used to attack opponents to the body. In his last fight in May of this year, Miller stopped Nick Guivas in two rounds to win the vacant North American Boxing  Organization (NABO) Heavyweight title and has moved his way into top ten contender status in both the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) respective Heavyweight ratings.

When a fighter establishes himself as a top ten contender, two questions are normally asked. The first particularly in the case of a fighter who has established himself as a “Knockout Artist” is will he face a significant test as a top contender. The second question that usually follows one of if that fighter will face a significant test is how long could it be before this fighter earns an opportunity at a world championship.

There could be potentially an answer to the first question as Miller will defend his NABO championship on Friday night against veteran contender Fred Kassi at Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, NY in a fight scheduled for ten rounds that will headline the latest addition of Showtime Sports’ popular ShoBox: The New Generation series here in the United States. Kassi, who will enter the fight with a record of 18-5-1, with 10 Knockouts is a fighter that has given two recent world title challengers, Chris Arreola and Dominic Breazeale all they could handle in their respective bouts against him.

Kassi is an awkward fighter who switches between a conventional and southpaw stance during his fights and has good hand speed and defense. Kassi however, has also been a knockout victim once in his career when he suffered a brutal knockout at the hands of Heavyweight contender Amir Mansour in November 2014. A fight that Kassi was on the verge of scoring an upset of Mansour when a flush right hand from Mansour put an end to the fight and knocked Kassi out cold in the seventh round.

Although Kassi is coming off two straight losses, this should not be viewed necessarily as a rising contender being pitted against a fighter who should not be considered dangerous. In thinking of how Kassi might approach this fight, it is logical to assume that he will look to use his awkwardness to nullify some of Miller’s attack and to be more specific his punching power. Jarrell Miller has only been as far as seven rounds once in his career and from a strategic standpoint, Kassi could well look to weather the storm of the power puncher in the early rounds with the intent of extending him further than any other previous opponent while also looking to implement a fight plan to put himself in a position to win the fight.

Kassi is also a solid counter puncher and will no doubt be looking to exploit any openings that Miller might leave him. Even though most would probably consider Miller to be the favorite going into this fight, if he is not prepared or cannot adapt as the fight progresses, it could play right into Kassi’s hands as he likely sees this fight as an opportunity to reestablish himself as a contender in the division by scoring a victory over an undefeated rising contender.

Whether or not Jarrell Miller will be any closer to a potential opportunity at a world championship assuming he wins this fight is something that will probably be determined based on his performance if he is able to earn his eighteenth career victory. This is nevertheless the biggest potential test of Miller’s career thus far and he is facing the type of opponent that every potential “Great” fighter has to go through at some point in their careers. We will see what happens when Miller and Kassi do battle on Friday night.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

ShoBox: Miller vs. Kassi takes place on Friday, August 19th at Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, NY. The card will be televised in the United States by Showtime at 10PM ET/PT and will also be available on the Showtime and Showtime Anytime apps. Check your cable/satellite provider for time and channel in your area. For more information on Showtime, the Showtime and Showtime Anywhere apps, and available devices please visit: www.sho.com. Check your listings internationally.

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

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

Has 2016 Been A Resurgence For Olympic Boxing?

For many years, the Summer Olympics has served as a springboard for top amateur boxers to begin their professional careers after competing for Olympic medals in what has been thought of as the pinnacle of Amateur Boxing. Fighters such as Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael Spinks, Leon Spinks, Pernell Whitaker, Evander Holyfield, and a host of others all received much-needed exposure by way of their participation in Olympic tournaments. Following that exposure at the end of their amateur careers, many of them were able to quickly establish themselves in the professional ranks due in large part to getting exposure out of the gate as they embarked on professional careers.

It goes without saying however, that the exposure and accolades that come with Olympic Boxing has diminished somewhat over the years. Some may remember the well-publicized scandal that emerged in the 1988 Summer Olympics that took place in Seoul, South Korea where Roy Jones, then competing as a Jr. Middleweight was the victim of what most, including this observer feel was a miscarriage of justice in his gold-medal bout against Park Si-Hun of South Korea in a fight that Jones thoroughly dominated, but lost a controversial decision.

The injustice that took place in the Jones-Si-Hun bout led to a change in the scoring format for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. Instead of the traditional 10-point must system where both Amateur Boxing had been scored as is also the case in Professional Boxing, the 1992 Olympics saw the introduction of computerized scoring for its Olympic Boxing tournament. Although the computerized scoring system, which was based on a fighter’s ability to out land their opponent with judges pressing a button for a fighter one punch landed, and was aimed at putting an end to controversy and corruption, the computerized scoring system in reality created more problems than it ever solved.

Although in regard to the United States Boxing team where fighters like Oscar De La Hoya in 1992, David Reid in 1996, and Andre Ward in 2004 were able to win Olympic gold in the respective weight classes, most fights that took place under the computerized scoring system, which this observer has often referred to as the “Nintendo scoring system”, became almost non-competitive to a large extent as fighters were more concerned with trying to land punches that would be clearly visible to judges scoring the fight in the hope of a judge being able to hit a button quickly enough for a punch to count as a point. The scoring format did not seem to take into consideration elements of ring generalship, effective aggression, and defense. Three aspects that are also  considered part of scoring criteria in Professional Boxing in addition to effective aggression.

This led to fights almost always being determined by simply who was ahead according to the computer rather than necessarily who was the better fighter. After twenty-four years of computerized scoring, the 2016 games saw a return to basics for Olympic Boxing. Not only has the scoring format returned to the traditional 10-point must system, where the winner of a round receives ten points and the loser of a round receives nine points or less, but there have been other significant changes. For the first time since the 1980 Olympic Games held in Moscow, Russia, the 2016 Olympics was the first where the Olympic Boxing tournament would not include mandated headgear for men competing, while women competing are still mandated to wear headgear.

Although this could be seen as a dangerous change in the format given the ongoing concern throughout all sports of with regard to the dangers of concussions, this change appears to be an attempt to move Olympic Boxing closer to his professional counterpart. After all, most Olympic boxers, particularly those who are medalist turn professional shortly after competing in the Olympic Games and Professional Boxing does not have mandated headgear. The third significant change for the 2016 Olympic Boxing tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has been the inclusion of professional boxers competing against amateurs in the tournament.

This observer has been on record in saying that I was taking a “Wait And See” approach with regard to these changes to Olympic Boxing before forming an opinion one way or another as to whether or not these changes would be good or bad. In all truth and honesty, I applauded the decision to go back to the traditional 10-point must system of scoring as it would not only be a way through even the field among all the athletes competing in the Olympic Boxing tournament, but also a way to hopefully ensure that fighters would not be given a “Tough Break” simply because of a scoring format that was frankly flawed.

The decision to return to no headgear for the men competing in this Olympics for the first time in thirty-six years did have me concerned due in large part to the ongoing research with regard to the effects of concussions throughout all of sports. As this Olympics is now approaching its conclusion, I can say that the decision to forgo the use of headgear has not had the negative impact that I thought it might have prior to the tournament beginning even though there has been an increase in fighters suffering cuts during bouts. The third change however, in allowing professional fighters to take part in this tournament against amateur fighters was a mistake, in my opinion.

Despite the opinion of this observer, the decision to allow professional boxers to compete in this Olympics has not had the negative effect that many thought it would in regard to safety as well as other concerns, as all three of the professionals who qualified for this tournament did not make it far. Longtime professional top Middleweight contender Hassan N’Dam of Cameroon, who entered this Olympics competing as a Light-Heavyweight was dominated in his only bout in a tournament by Michel Borges of Brazil on day one of the Olympics, losing a three round unanimous decision.

Current European Professional Featherweight champion Carmine Tommasone of Italy, competing in this Olympics as a Lightweight was eliminated in his second preliminary fight in the tournament losing a three round unanimous decision to Lazaro Alvarez of Cuba. The third professional who took part in this Olympics, former IBF World Flyweight champion Amnat Ruenroeng of Thailand, who also competed as a Lightweight, was stopped in three rounds by Sofiane Oumiha of France in his second preliminary bout in the tournament.

Whether or not the concept of professionals competing against amateurs in Olympic Boxing is one that will remain after 2016, remains to be seen. It is clear however, in this observer’s eyes that part of the reason the professional fighters who took part in this tournament were not successful was due to the fact that this is an amateur tournament and thus fights are only scheduled for three rounds. A distance that is not common for most top level professional fighters. Even though the inclusion of professional boxers did not ultimately have much effect on this tournament, this observer believes that Olympic Boxing should remain the pinnacle final stage of Amateur Boxing for most top level amateur boxers before embarking on a professional career.

One thing that should not the overlooked is a positive that has come with going back to a traditional scoring format is fights in this tournament has been fought at a much quicker pace than has been the case in previous Olympics due to the flawed computerized scoring format. Fights in this tournament have been determined on a basis of which fighter is able to get off first with their offense as well as effective aggression, ring generalship, and defense. There has not however, been an absence of controversy in the tournament as several fights have gone to the scorecards and have ended up being split decisions.

Much as is the case with regard to Professional Boxing, the potential for controversy especially with regard to the scoring of a fight is something that will never be absent from the sport. It is something that simply comes with the territory and at times not everyone will agree on who wins a fight. It is clear however, that going back to the traditional scoring format has been an improvement as compared to how fights were determined under computerized scoring.

Whether or not 2016 will be viewed as the year of a rebirth of sorts for Olympic Boxing remains to be seen, but as the tournament is ongoing, this observer is encouraged by the direction Olympic Boxing is going and believe that this should be viewed as progress. There is however, more Boxing to take place before the 2016 Olympics concludes.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The second piece of Olympic Boxing material for the 2016 Olympics will be released on Wednesday, August 24th. Stay tuned.

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

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Update

We would like to let our readers know that the first of two pieces discussing the ongoing Olympic Boxing Tournament in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil is currently in the works and will be released on Monday, August 15th. The second of the two pieces will follow on Wednesday, August 24th.  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

Brief Thoughts On Ward-Brand

When undefeated former Super-Middleweight world champion Andre Ward won the Super-Six World Boxing Classic  Super-Middleweight tournament in 2011 with a twelve round unanimous decision over Carl Froch, it was in many ways a coronation of a great fighter. Ward entered the Super-Six tournament as an undefeated professional and the 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the Light-Heavyweight division.  When all was said and done, Ward left the tournament not only as a unified Super-Middleweight world champion, but also regarded as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world having defeated several of the top fighters in the Super-Middleweight division over the course of the Super-Six tournament.

In a scenario where tournament concepts have taken place in Professional Boxing, in most cases the fighter who emerges triumphant at the end of such tournaments is almost branded as not only one of the best fighters in the world, but also a mainstream attraction in the sport. An argument can be made that Ward emerged as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, but has not completely emerged as one of the sport’s mainstream attractions or would be pay-per-view draws.

Despite remaining undefeated and nearly dominating all opposition that has been placed before him, Ward also saw his career stall for a period of time due to a well-publicized promotional dispute with his former promoter the late Dan Goossen, which caused him to be inactive for nearly two years between 2013 and 2015. When Ward returned to the ring in June of last year, he did not show any ill effects from the inactivity as he stopped an over matched Paul Smith in nine rounds.

Ward, who had returned to the ring as a Light-Heavyweight then squared off against IBF number one Light-Heavweight contender Sullivan Barrera in March of this year. The victory over Barrera put the former world champion in a unique position of a potential clash against undefeated unified WBO/IBF/WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion and knockout artist Sergey Kovalev for November of this year, provided that both Kovalev and Ward were successful in their previously scheduled bouts prior to the would be pay-per-view showdown between the two.

Kovalev for his part, took care of business on July 11th when the champion successfully defended his title for the eighth time by scoring a twelve round unanimous decision over WBO number eleven rated contender Isaac Chilemba in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Although some were critical of Kovalev for being unable to stop the awkward and “Game” Chilemba, it was as this observer stated in my coverage of that fight, a case where Kovalev simply did what he had to do in retaining his world championship and position atop the Light-Heavyweight division against an opponent that is difficult to look good against.

It was now time for Andre Ward to do his part to set up a showdown with Kovalev later this year. The time came for Ward on August 6th in his hometown of Oakland, CA as he took on relative unknown contender Alexander Brand at the Oracle Arena, a venue that has served as home turf for Ward throughout much of his career.

As was the case when Kovalev took on Chilemba, the question was whether or not Ward would underestimate Brand, an opponent who was treated as a mere “Tune Up” with a lucrative fight with Kovalev waiting in the wings. Whenever an opponent such as Brand is cast as the “Tune Up” for a fighter who has a big payday in the works, the question is always can the fighter who is being called a mere opponent turn what some may see as a mere formality into a fight.

Despite having an awkward and defense oriented style, Brand was simply unable to provide Ward with much offense, but did provide the former world champion with some resistance in being able to go the distance as Ward thoroughly dominated the fight for all twelve rounds and in the process gave the Colombian-based contender Brand a gradual beating as Ward would win every round on the scorecards earning a twelve round unanimous decision. Much as was the case when Sergey Kovalev defeated Isaac Chilemba last month, this was a fight where one fighter Ward simply had a superior skill set and was dominant throughout against a fighter in Brand, who was able to hang in there and occasionally land some punches, but ultimately not enough to provide a significant test for Ward as the former world champion out landed Brand one hundred ninety total punches to only forty-five for Brand over the course of the twelve round bout according to CompuBox.

As was the case when Ward defeated Sullivan Barrera earlier this year, there was no drama that accompanied this fight. Much like Sergey Kovalev, Andre Ward simply did what he had to do against a very “Game” and awkward opponent in Alexander Brand, who took the best that Ward could dish out, but a fighter who was ultimately outclassed.

Kovalev and Ward have now each done their respective part to set up an intriguing showdown between the two currently scheduled to take place on November 19th in a bout that will be televised by HBO Pay-Per-View in the United States. For both fighters, this will be the first time that either has headlined a major pay-per-view card. A classic battle of a puncher and knockout artist in Kovalev against a highly skilled boxer in Ward. Both fighters have faced and defeated all opposition that has been placed before them, both fighters have earned their status as superstars of the sport, although I look forward to providing further analysis as this fight gets closer, this fight does have the potential to not only be a Fight Of The Year candidate, but potentially an all-time classic in this observer’s eyes. A showdown that I am very much looking forward to.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

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Ward-Brand Weigh-In Results

The official weigh-in for the Light-Heavyweight bout between undefeated former Super-Middleweight world champion Andre Ward and Alexander Brand took place earlier today in Oakland, CA. The weights for the entire card are as follows.

Main Event: Light-Heavyweight – 12Rds.

Andre Ward 175lbs.         vs.     Alexander Brand 173 1/2lbs.

North-American Boxing Organization (NABO) Jr. Welterweight title – 10Rds.

Maurice Hooker (Champion) 139lbs.    vs.     Tyrone Barnett 142lbs.*

( * Barnett two pounds over the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight limit. Fight still scheduled to take place as of this writing.)

Welterweight – 6Rds.

Bilal Mahasin 146lbs. vs.        Luis Lugo 146lbs.

Heavyweight – 4Rds.

Darmani Rock 246lbs.           vs.        Mike Kyle 222lbs.

Light-Heavyweight 6Rds.

Junior Younan 172 ¾ lbs.       vs.        Genar Guerrero 171 ¾ lbs.

Featherweight – 6Rds.

Daniel Franco 126lbs.                        vs.        Marcello Gallardo 126lbs.

Super-Middleweight – 6Rds.

Gabriel Halloway 160lbs.       vs.        Raquel Miller 164 ½ lbs.

Ward vs. Brand takes place tomorrow night (Saturday, August 6th) at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA. In the United States, the fight will be broadcast by HBO Sports at 10:30PM ET/PT. Check your Cable/Satellite provider for time and channel in your area. For more information on HBO Boxing  please visit: http://www.hbo.com/boxing. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the fight can be seen on BoxNation at 2AM (Sunday, August 7th Local UK Time.) For more information on BoxNation please visit: www.boxnation.com.

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

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Belated PBC End Of July Thoughts

The popular Premier Boxing Champions series closed out the month of July with three intriguing bouts across two nights and three different networks in the United States. The first of the three main events took place on July 29th at the Videotron Centre in Québec City, Quebec, Canada where WBC Light-Heavyweight world champion Adonis Stevenson made the seventh defense of his world title against WBC number eight rated contender Thomas Williams Jr. in a bout televised by Spike TV.

In previewing this fight, this observer stated that it would be interesting to see how the champion would approach the fight against Williams, who came into the fight off of an impressive second round knockout over Edwin Rodriguez in April of this year. Stevenson has earned a reputation as a “Knockout Artist”, who has the ability to both end a fight very quickly, or gradually break down an opponent over the course of a long fight.

It also interested me to see how the challenger would respond to Stevenson’s power once the champion found a way to connect with his offense. Williams would answer that question in the first round as he was knocked down by a straight left hand from the champion. Despite being dropped in a scenario where some of Stevenson’s previous opponents have resigned and have gone into survival mode before being stopped by the champion, Williams would show his mettle by getting up from the knockdown and would go on to provide the champion with what some might say was a sturdy test.

Williams would not only show the ability to keep his composure after being knocked down, but would respond by periodically dishing out offense to Stevenson and even occasionally backing the champion up by being the aggressor. The challenger clearly showed that he had come to fight and was not going to go quietly against a champion who had nearly dominated every opponent in his previous championship fights.

What impressed me about Williams’ offense in this fight was how he was able to not only back the champion up, but also how almost all of his offense was thrown in combination, which seemed to make Stevenson uncomfortable. The challenger seemed to have an edge when he was able to keep the fight in close where Stevenson was not able to control distance where the combat would be more to his advantage. To his credit however, the champion was able to take what the challenger threw at him and return offense. After three rounds, this was clearly shaping up to be one of the more competitive and entertaining fights in Adonis Stevenson’s reign as a Light-Heavyweight world champion.

The spirited battle however, would come to a sudden conclusion in the fourth round. After landing some effective body punches throughout the round, Stevenson would end Williams’ evening when he landed a short, but flush left hook on the jaw of the challenger sending him down and out on the canvas in the closing seconds of round four. It was a knockout certainly worthy of Knockout Of The Year consideration, but it was more importantly an entertaining slugfest between one of the two top Light-Heavyweight’s in the world and a very “Game” challenger that more than showed his mettle in defeat.

Graphic Courtesy of:ThrowDownScoring.com/CompuBox

A statistical breakdown of this fight as shown and provided by ThrowdownScoring.com/CompuBox shows that this fight was the definition of a “Shootout.” Stevenson out threw Williams by 103 punches, but in total punches landed the two fighters were nearly even as the champion narrowly edged the challenger out landing him by sixteen punches out landing Williams 78 to 62.

In all truth and honesty, this is a fight where although a clear winner emerged after scoring two knockdowns during the course of the bout, there could be an interest at some point down the line in a rematch between Stevenson and Williams. Williams certainly made an excellent account of himself and if he can find a way to bounce back from this loss and stay in title contention, it should not be out of the realm of possibility that a rematch between the two might happen at some point.

As for what’s next for Stevenson, it appears logical that he will fight undefeated WBC number one contender Eleider Alvarez, who scored a ten round unanimous decision over Robert Berridge on the undercard of Stevenson’s KO of Williams, perhaps as soon as later this year. In this observer’s eyes the winner of the potential Stevenson-Alvarez fight should then be put into position to face the winner of a potential clash between undefeated WBO/IBF/WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev and undefeated former Super-Middleweight world champion Andre Ward for a fight sometime in 2017. As for now the Boxing world will focus it’s attention on Andre Ward’s fight coming up this weekend against Alexander Brand. If Ward is successful, he will challenge Kovalev for the unified Light-Heavyweight world championship in November.

The second of three PBC main events that closed out the month of July took place in the same venue as the third main event on July 30th as former two-division world champion Paul Malignaggi thoroughly dominated Welterweight contender Gabriel Bracero over the course of ten rounds at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY in a fight that was televised by Showtime’s sister channel Showtime Extreme in the United States. Malignaggi, who was fighting for the first time since winning the European Welterweight championship with a twelve round unanimous decision over Antonio Moscatiello last December, used his footwork as well as a consistent jab to outbox Bracero in a fight that should put Malignaggi back in the mix in the talent stacked 147lb. Welterweight division.

Although Malignaggi has lost some fights over the course of his career to the likes of Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan, Shawn Porter, and Danny Garcia, he is a fighter with a high Boxing IQ and has always been willing to face the best fighters in whenever division he has competed in. This observer has stated in the past that although some Boxing fans may not appreciate Malignaggi’s skill, he does deserve recognition as a former two-division world champion. For Malignaggi, the victory over Bracero was his third win in a row since returning to the ring in September of last year following being stopped in nine rounds by Garcia in August of last year. Even though following the loss to Garcia Malignaggi stated that he would probably not fight again, it is clear that the thirty-five year old still has more fight left in him and it will be interesting to see if he can work his way back into world championship contention.

The third and some might argue most anticipated main event that took place last weekend as part of the Premier Boxing Champions series was the highly anticipated battle between undefeated world champions Leo Santa Cruz and Carl Frampton for Santa Cruz’ WBA World Featherweight championship that was televised by Showtime. This was a fight that pitted two boxer/punchers against one another. Santa Cruz the unbeaten three-division world champion, who was making his second defense of the WBA Featherweight world championship going against the also unbeaten Carl Frampton, the Jr. Featherweight world champion who was moving up in weight to challenge Santa Cruz for his crown.

This was in this observer’s eyes a “Toss Up.” Both fighters have a good mix of hand speed and punching power and it just seemed like an evenly matched bout between two of the best fighters in the sport. When it comes to bouts that seem evenly matched on paper prior to a fight taking place, it always interests me particularly in a fight between two boxer/punchers to see which fighter will take the initiative early on and try to dictate the combat.

Both fighters appeared intent on establishing the pace the fight from the outset as both champion and challenger were able to have periods of effectiveness and each landed some combinations in the early rounds. Frampton however, would stagger Santa Cruz in the second round with a counter left hook to the head that began to shift the momentum in his favor.

Although both fighters threw their punches in volume throughout this fight, the main difference particularly in the first half of the fight, was Frampton’s lateral movement as well as his accuracy with his offense that gave him a slight edge on my scorecard. As both fighters continued to have their share of moments as the fight progressed, Santa Cruz appeared to gain a slight edge in the second half of the bout.

When it comes to close fights as this observer is often said over the years, it will often boil down to what a judge prefers in their own individual criteria in how they score based on clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship, and defense. Frankly, there was not much to separate the two fighters in my opinion as at the end of twelve exciting and competitive rounds I had the fight scored even on my unofficial scorecard 6-6 in rounds or 114-114 in points, the scene scorecard as official judge Guido Cavalleri. The two other official judges however, Judge Frank Lombardi and Judge Tom Schreck turned in scores of 116-112 (8-4 in rounds) and 117-111 (9-3 in rounds) in favor of Carl Frampton giving him the victory and his second world title in as many weight classes by majority decision.

Although Judges Lombardi and Schreck saw this fight more convincingly in favor of Frampton than this observer did, it was a fight where there really was no loser as both fighters gave everything they had and left it all in the ring in what is surely a candidate for 2016 Fight Of The Year honors. In my eyes, I believe that the two scorecards that earned Carl Frampton the victory in this fight may have largely been based on his accuracy and lateral movement throughout the entire fight, despite both fighters having their share of moments and seemingly taking turns getting the better of exchanges as the fight progressed.

Graphic Courtesy of:ThrowDownScoring.com/CompuBox

A statistical illustration as shown and provided by ThrowdownScoring.com/CompuBox indicates just how action-packed this fight was and how difficult it was to score the fight. Leo Santa Cruz out threw Carl Frampton by an incredible 334 punches throwing a total of 1002 punches over the course of the twelve round championship bout to Frampton’s 668 total punches thrown. Although Santa Cruz also out landed Frampton by thirteen punches, Frampton had a significant edge in terms of his connect percentage landing at over 36% to Santa Cruz’ 25%. If one looks for a statistical basis in which to base scoring of a fight it appears evident that Carl Frampton’s  accuracy gave him the edge in what was a close fight round by round from start to finish. It is important to remember however, that the three official judges who score fights do not have access to CompuBox statistics as they score a fight and those statistics thus do not factor into who ultimately wins a fight on the scorecards. It more often than not boils down to a judge’s own individual criteria that serves as the basis of their scoring particularly in close fights such as Santa Cruz-Frampton.

As is the case with most close fights there was and likely still is some difference of opinion as to who won this fight. One thing is indisputable however, it was a great fight that will only continue to enhance reputations of not only both fighters, but also of the Premier Boxing Champions series and its commitment to bringing competitive and exciting fights to its audience. Even though it would not surprise me to see Santa Cruz and Frampton face other opposition in their next fights, it would shock me if a rematch is not in the works for at least some time in the near future. It was a great fight that is certainly deserving of an encore.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Stevenson-Williams/Santa Cruz-Frampton stats and graphics provided by: ThrowdownScoring.com/CompuBox. Used with permission.   For more information please visit:   www.ThrowdownScoring.com.or www.ThrowdownFantasy.com . You can score live fights by downloading the free Throwdown Scoring app on Google Play or on Apple ITunes.

For more information on the Premier Boxing Champions series please visit:www.PremierBoxingChampions.com.

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

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

PBC Material Update

We would like to let our readers know that a recap of this weekend’s Premier Boxing Champions cards headlined by WBC Light-Heavyweight world champion Adonis Stevenson defending his title against top contender Thomas Williams Jr. as well as the WBA World Featherweight championship fight between undefeated world champion Leo Santa Cruz and undefeated unified WBA/IBF Jr. Featherweight world champion Carl Frampton is currently in the works and will be released on Thursday, August 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

Stevenson-Williams Preview

As Boxing’s Light-Heavyweight division appears to be nearing a potential showdown between undefeated unified WBO/IBF/WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev and undefeated former Super-Middleweight world champion Andre Ward later this year, much of the focus has naturally been centered on Kovalev and Ward as each must defeat an opponent before a fight between the two can take place. For his part, Sergey Kovalev took care of business with his recent title defense over Isaac Chilemba earlier this month.

As the Boxing world now waits to see if Andre Ward can defeat Alexander Brand on August 6th, with so much of the attention being focused on the potential Kovalev-Ward showdown, what can be overshadowed is what else is taking place in the division. One such event will take place on Friday, July 29th as current WBC Light-Heavyweight world champion Adonis Stevenson, the longest reigning world champion currently in the division will make the seventh defense of his world championship against current WBC number eight rated Light-Heavyweight contender Thomas Williams Jr. at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada in a bout that will headline the latest addition of the Premier Boxing Champions series broadcast by Spike TV in the United States.

Stevenson, who became WBC world champion with a first round knockout of former champion Chad Dawson in June 2013 has been on an on-again, off-again collision course with Sergey Kovalev for over three years since each became world champions in the division months apart from each other. As Stevenson and Kovalev have continued to face and defeat other opposition in the division, anticipation for a showdown between the two, one that this observer has been on record calling it the biggest fight that could be made in the Light-Heavyweight division has naturally increased.

Despite an attempt by Stevenson to get at Kovalev following the undefeated unified world champion’s second knockout victory over former WBC world champion Jean Pascal earlier this year during Kovalev’s post-fight interview where when asked who he wanted to fight next, Kovalev responded by saying quote “I would like to fight Adonis Chickenson”, a fight between the two has not materialized.

Stevenson will instead defend his title against top contender Thomas Williams Jr. Williams, a veteran of twenty-one professional fights will be making his first attempt at a world title. In his last fight, Williams scored a second round knockout over Edwin Rodriguez in April of this year. Williams does have a good mix of hand speed, punching power, and will come into the fight having scored knockouts in fourteen of his twenty career victories registering a career knockout percentage of 67%.

An interesting question that will be asked of Williams however, will be whether he can deal with a fighter who has hand speed, punching power, and likes to execute his offense in short, but sudden bursts as the champion Stevenson. Although Williams will also enter having won three straight fights, it is logical to assume that most will consider him an underdog in this fight. Williams’ lone career loss came in August 2014 when he was stopped in five rounds by former WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion Gabriel Campillo in a fight that was stopped due to a cut over Williams’ left eye.

The champion Stevenson  will come into the fight having scored knockouts in twenty-two of his twenty-seven career victories registering a career knockout percentage of nearly 80%. In his last fight in September of last year, Stevenson dropped a “Game”, but over matched Tommy Karpency twice before stopping him in the third round.

Even though Stevenson will likely be the favorite as this fight approaches, one may wonder whether or not a combination of failing to bring a fight against Sergey Kovalev to fruition, as well as being inactive for nearly a year will have some effect on Stevenson. Although Stevenson is regarded as one of the two top fighters in the Light-Heavyweight division, it is important to remember that Stevenson is thirty-eight years old and will turn thirty-nine on September 22nd.

It will be interesting to see how Stevenson approaches this fight against Williams, who although he was able to score an exciting knockout over Edwin Rodriguez, also took some punishment during that fight. Stevenson is the kind of fighter who can take an opponent out quickly or gradually break an opponent down over the course of a fight. What interests me about this fight in addition to wondering how Williams will approach Stevenson as well as how he will respond to Stevenson’s power is which fighter will attempt to dictate the pace.

Both fighters have hand speed, both fighters have shown the ability to get an opponent out of there should the opportunity present itself, and both are solid counter punchers who have also shown the ability to take a punch and it will be interesting to see who will elect to be the aggressor in this fight. As for what will be in store for the winner of this fight, the victor will be slated to meet the winner of the bout between undefeated current WBC number one rated Light-Heavyweight contender Eleider Alvarez and veteran contender Robert Berridge, which will take place on the undercard of Stevenson-Williams.

Although it is logical to assume that the winners of these two fights will meet sometime later this year, the Boxing world continues to wait for a potential collision between Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev. One can only hope not only that the winners of Stevenson-Williams and Alvarez-Berridge meet later this year, but more importantly that the winner of that fight will then be slated to face the winner of the potential Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward bout to further unify the World Light-Heavyweight championship. We will see who emerges victorious between Stevenson-Williams and Alvarez-Berridge on Friday night.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

PBC: Stevenson-Williams takes place on Friday, July 29th at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The fight will be televised in the United States by Spike TV beginning at 9PM ET/6PM PT. Check your cable/satellite provider for time and channel in your area. In Canada, the fight can be seen on Canal Indigo pay-per-view for $64.99 HD/$59.99 Standard Definition. For ordering information please visit: http://www.canalindigo.com/fr/evenement/fiche-evenement/267/Boxe-Stevenson-c.-Williams-Jr. For more information on the Premier Boxing Champions series please visit: www.premierboxingchampions.com.

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 Crawford-Postol

The unification clash between undefeated Jr. Welterweight world champions Terence Crawford and Viktor Postol was in many ways refreshing. Not only did the bout pit two undefeated rising stars against one another, but it also brought together two world champions who are regarded as the two best fighters in their division in a quicker way than most of the sport’s would be “Super Fights” have taken to materialize.

The fight itself appeared on paper to be evenly matched. The WBO Jr. Welterweight world champion Terence Crawford, who has over the last two years developed into one of Boxing’s hottest rising stars, who had already won world titles in two different weight classes in twenty-eight professional fights prior to entering the ring for this unification battle was looking to add the status of unified world champion to his resume.  The WBC world champion in the Jr. Welterweight division Viktor Postol was making the first defense of his world championship in this unification battle, but like Crawford had shown a high pedigree in terms of Boxing skill and also entered the fight off of a knockout win over Lucas Matthysse last October where he won the WBC Jr. Welterweight world championship.

Going into this fight I wondered whether or not Postol’s height of 5’11 and having a near four inch reach advantage would give him an edge over Crawford who stands 5’8 with a seventy inch reach. In his fight against Lucas Matthysse, Postol showed the ability to not only throw nearly all of his offense in combination, but also showed the ability to control distance in a bout where he dominated Matthysse before knocking him out in a tenth round.

It interested me to see how Crawford, who is a fighter that likes to switch between an orthodox and southpaw stance throughout his fights would approach a fighter who is not known as a power puncher, but does have a technical Boxing style in Postol. When the two fighters met on July 23rd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV I expected a tactical chess match between the two.

Although this observer felt that Crawford would have some difficulty getting on the inside of Postol, I felt that if he were able to deal with Postol’s reach and find ways to counter his opponent’s offense more than occasionally there would come a point in the fight where Postol would have to answer the question of whether he could deal with Crawford’s punching power. It is important to remember that even though Viktor Postol clearly dominated Lucas Matthysse, there were moments in that fight where Matthysse was able to stagger and hurt Postol. It was also of interest to me to see how Postol would deal with a fighter who was equal with him in terms of Boxing skill and one who is quicker than Matthysse.

The first three rounds were largely dictated by Postol and his ability to apply pressure on Crawford while at the same time using his jab to control distance. I felt Postol did enough to win the first three rounds based on this in rounds that were very difficult to score because of both fighters not leaving many openings for their opponent. There were moments throughout the entire fight, but especially in the first three rounds where both fighters had periods of effectiveness making their opponent miss and landing counter punches. It was setting up to be one of those fights where scoring could differ significantly among Boxing fans and experts alike.

In round four however, Crawford would begin turning the fight significantly in his favor. Crawford was able to step up his offense in the fourth round by landing flush left hands on Postol, but also was able to land some punches in combination as well in what was the first round of the fight that seemed to be clear as to who won the round. In the fifth round, Crawford continued to step up his aggression as he dropped Postol with a right hook to the top of the head at the beginning of the round. Crawford would drop Postol for the second time in the fight later in the round when a flush counter left hand to the head that staggered Postol and caused his gloves to touch the canvas resulting in a technical knockdown. Although these were more or less flash knockdowns, it was clear after rounds four and five that the momentum was in Crawford’s favor.

At this point in the fight, Postol appeared to have clear problems timing Crawford’s movement as well as when Crawford would come forward and land offense in short spurts. From rounds four through nine, Crawford was able to use his lateral movement to more or less pick his shots and although this fight was not one where there was a lot of offensive activity throughout, Crawford’s ability to counter effectively, make Postol follow him, and make him miss became the story of the fight in my eyes.

Although Postol continued to attempt to apply pressure on Crawford and had some moments as the fight progressed, the primary difference other than Crawford’s movement and hand speed was Postol’s inability to cut the ring off and trap Crawford. Postol was penalized a point in round eleven for hitting Crawford behind the head, perhaps in a move of frustration. Crawford would go on to win a convincing twelve round unanimous decision to unify the WBO and WBC world championships in the Jr. Welterweight division.

Unofficially, I scored this fight 116-110 in points or eight rounds to four  for Crawford. My scorecard was largely based on the success that Postol was able to have in the first three rounds of the fight as well as narrowly winning a round down the stretch due to Crawford not being as active perhaps in an attempt to conserve his energy in the later rounds. Although a margin of 8-4 could give the impression that this fight was close, it was a tactical contest from start to finish where Crawford nearly got the better of the action from round four on.

It will be interesting to see where Viktor Postol goes off of what is the first loss of his career. Even though he clearly lost this fight in the eyes of most observers, including this one, he is still one of the best fighters in the Jr. Welterweight division and one loss will not set him back too far where he cannot bounce back and/or potentially become a world champion again should the opportunity present itself. This should be viewed as a world champion having a bad night and the question that will be asked of Postol coming out of this fight will be what did he learn from this loss and how can he improve going forward.

As for what is next for Terence Crawford it appears obvious that he will be in consideration for a potential fight with Manny Pacquiao, who will be returning to the ring in November. Whether or not the fight would take place in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division or in the 147lb. Welterweight division, where Pacquiao has fought the majority of his fights in the last several years is unknown.

Although this fight was not one that could be called exciting or one that had an element of doubt as to who won it, it still brought together the two best fighters currently in the Jr. Welterweight division and that in itself should be considered a win for Boxing fans who have more often than not been asked to wait  significant periods of time for a fight that is labeled a “Super Fight” to take place. In terms of what this fight might mean for a business standpoint, it will be interesting to see what the returns will be in terms of pay-per-view buys for this fight as it was the first of Crawford’s fights to main event a pay-per-view Boxing card.

Even though some may question whether or not this fight should have been on pay-per-view, it is clear that the powers that be in the sport are in the process of developing stars for the future as potential pay-per-view attractions as fighters like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, two of the sport’s biggest marquee draws and pay-per-view generators near the end of their respective careers. Although it appears that Pacquiao has had a change of heart after announcing his retirement following his second victory in his third fight against Timothy Bradley earlier this year and will be returning to the ring later this year, Boxing is always looking for the next “Superstar” of the sport.

 Crawford may well be a “Superstar” in what will become the post-Mayweather-Pacquiao era. Whether or not Crawford will be the man standing across the ring from Pacquiao in November is anyone’s guess, but now that he has tested the waters in the pay-per-view medium and left the ring with a convincing decision victory and unified world champion status in the Jr. Welterweight division, he clearly has the momentum to secure a would be “Super Fight.” It remains to be seen if Crawford will get that opportunity.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

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Crawford-Postol Weigh-In Results

The official weigh-in for Saturday’s World Jr. Welterweight unification bout between undefeated WBO world champion Terence Crawford and undefeated WBC world champion Viktor Postol took place earlier today in Las Vegas, NV.  The official weights for the entire card are as follows.

Main Event: WBO/WBC World Jr. Welterweight Unification Bout – 12Rds.

Terence Crawford (WBO champion) 140lbs.  vs. Viktor Postol (WBC champion) 139 1/2lbs.

Vacant WBO Featherweight world championship – 12Rds.

Matias Rueda 125lbs.  vs.  Oscar Valdez 126lbs.

North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Light-Heavyweight championship – 10Rds.

Tommy Karpency 174 1/2lbs. vs.  Oleksandr Gvozdyk 175lbs.

Super-Middleweight – 10Rds.

Ryota Murata 161lbs.  vs.  George Tahdooahnippah 161 1/2lbs.

Welterweight – 12Rds.

IK Yang 143lbs.  vs.  Lenny Zappavigna 143lbs.

Welterweight – 10Rds.

Jose Benavidez 146 1/2lbs.  vs.  Francisco Santana 148lbs.

Welterweight – 6Rds.

Christon Edwards  144 1/2lbs.  vs.  Edward Williams 144 1/2lbs.

Jr. Middleweight – 6Rds.

Hakim Bryant 155lbs.  vs. Stanyslav Skorokhod 155lbs.

Light-Heavyweight – 4Rds.

Tim Meeks 171lbs.  vs.  Steve Nelson 173lbs.

Crawford vs. Postol takes place tomorrow night (Saturday, July 23rd) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The card will be televised in the United States and Canada on a pay-per-view basis by HBO Pay-Per-View for $59.95 HD/$49.95 Standard Definition. The pay-per-view broadcast will begin at 9PM ET/6PM PT. Contact your cable/satellite provider for ordering information. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the card will be televised by BoxNation at 2AM (Sunday July 24th Local UK Time). For more information on HBO Pay-Per-View and HBO Boxing please visit: www.hbo.com/boxing. For more information on BoxNation please visit: www.BoxNation.com. Check your listings internationally.

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