Lara-Foreman Weigh-In Results

The official weigh-in for Friday night’s first Premier Boxing Champions card of 2017 headlined by unified WBA/IBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Erislandy Lara and former WBA Jr. Middleweight world champion Yuri Foreman took place on Thursday in Hialeah, FL. The official weights for the entire card are as follows.

                                                                

Main Event: WBA/IBO Jr. Middleweight world championship – 12Rds.

Erislandy Lara (Champion) 154lbs.  vs.  Yuri Foreman 153lbs.

Super-Middleweight – 10Rds.

Anthony Dirrell 169lbs.  vs. Norbert Nemesapati 168lbs.

Bantamweight – 8Rds.

Juan Carlos Payano 118lbs.  vs.  Isao Carranza 118lbs.

Lightweight – 6Rds.

Edgardo Rivera 134lbs.  vs.  Dennis Galarza 135lbs.

Cruiserweight – 4Rds.

Robert Daniels 180lbs.  vs.  Antonio Alicea 179lbs.

Welterweight – 8Rds.

Alex Martin 146lbs.  vs.  Miguel Cruz 146lbs.

Middleweight – 6Rds. *

Joey Hernandez vs. Edwin Palacios

(* Weights for the Hernandez-Palacios bout are unavailable. Fight still scheduled to take place as of this writing.)

PBC: Lara vs. Foreman takes place Tonight (Friday, January 13th) at Hialeah Racing & Casino. In the United States, the card is being broadcast by Spike TV beginning at 9PM ET/PT. Check your cable/satellite provider for time and channel in your area. Check your listings internationally. For more information on Spike TV and Spike Sports please visit: www.Spike.com. 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.

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The Heavyweights In 2017

One of the main storylines in the Heavyweight division in 2016 was the highly anticipated rematch between undefeated unified WBO/IBF/WBA/IBO Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury and former longtime champion Wladimir Klitschko. Due to a plethora of circumstances however, the rematch between the two did not take place and ultimately Fury relinquished his unified world championship.

Although the situation involving Fury, Klitschko, and the circumstances which led to the rematch not occurring dominated much of the landscape of the division in the last year, there were other events that took place and fighters who were able to establish themselves as players in the absence of both Fury and Klitschko. The most established of those fighters was undefeated WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder, who will be entering his second year as a world champion in 2017, successfully defended his title twice in 2016 scoring knockouts of top contender Artur Szpilka and former world title challenger Chris Arreola.

Wilder has successfully defended his portion of the World Heavyweight championship four times since winning the title from Bermane Stiverne in January 2015 and now finds himself as the longest reigning champion in the division currently. An interesting question that will be asked of Wilder as he prepares for his fifth title defense on February 25th against current WBC number twelve rated contender Andrzej Wawrzyk will be how he can come back from injuries after suffering a broken right hand and torn right biceps in his last title defense against Chris Arreola.

If the champion can show no ill effects from the injuries he suffered in that fight and can successfully defend his title for the fifth time, it would not surprise this observer to see him in a unification bout for what would be his sixth defense of the WBC world championship. As for whom that opponent would be assuming Wilder is successful against Wawrzyk in February, there could be a few possible options, each presenting an interesting challenge.

The most likely opponent in my eyes would be undefeated IBF Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua. Joshua, who won the IBF world championship in April of last year with a second round knockout of Charles Martin, went on to successfully defend his championship twice scoring dominant knockout wins over Dominic Breazeale in June and in his last fight in December against former world title challenger Eric Molina.

Much like Wilder, Joshua has thus far been the definition of a “Knockout Artist” winning all eighteen of his professional fights by knockout. Before a potential fight between Wilder and Joshua can be made, it was announced shortly after Joshua’s victory over Eric Molina that he will make the third defense of his IBF world championship against Wladimir Klitschko on April 29th at the legendary Wembley Stadium in London, England. In addition to Joshua’s IBF crown, it was also announced that the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) Heavyweight world championship will also be at stake.

 Although there is much more to discuss with regard to the Heavyweight division, a logical scenario that would play perfectly into one of the subjects on this observer’s “Boxing Wishlist For 2017” would be for the winner of Joshua-Klitschko to face the winner of Wilder- Wawrzyk to further unify the World Heavyweight championship. As there always seems to be in the sport of Boxing however, there are other scenarios that could be a factor in whether such a concept of further unification takes place as described.

In regard to the World Boxing Council (WBC), the status of its number one contender position is very much in the air. One thing that Deontay Wilder has been unfairly criticized for during his title reign by some in my eyes is the fact that he has not faced a mandatory challenger as of yet. Some may remember that Wilder was prepared to defend his world championship against WBC number one rated contender and former world title challenger Alexander Povetkin last May in Russia, but the fight was cancelled days before it could take place due to Povetkin testing positive for the banned substance Meldonium.

Povetkin was scheduled to fight former world champion Bermane Stiverne on December 17th in Russia in what was to be an official elimination bout where Povetkin’s number one ranking and interim championship status in the WBC’s Heavyweight ratings was to be at stake. As was the case with the cancelled encounter with Wilder, the bout between Povetkin and Stiverne was also cancelled, this time on the day the fight was to take place when it was revealed by WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman that Povetkin had tested positive for another banned substance Ostarine resulting in the WBC withdrawing its sanctioning of the fight and Stiverne pulling out. Povetkin subsequently fought and scored a six round knockout over last-minute substitute and former world title challenger Johann Duhaupas later that day.

Although Povetkin failed twice in 2016 in regard to voluntary anti-doping tests conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) as part of the WBC’s Clean Boxing Program, the status of his number one ranking remains unknown as of this writing, but it was recently announced that the “B” sample of Povetkin’s test prior to what would have been his fight against Bermane Stiverne will be opened at Povetkin’s request. What will be interesting in this observer’s eyes assuming that the second sample comes back negative for any banned substances is whether the WBC will mandate that the fight between Povetkin and Stiverne still take place or if the second sample confirms the original results if Stiverne will be named the number one contender and thus take over the designation as having interim championship status in the WBC’s Heavyweight ratings. What could make that interesting is it could open the possibility of a rematch between Stiverne and Wilder assuming Wilder is first successful in his title defense against Andrzej Wawrzyk and assuming that a fight with the Joshua-Klitschko winner is not made in the immediate future. We will have to wait and see what the result of Povetkin’s “B” sample will be and what the World Boxing Council will ultimately rule on this matter.

In regard to how the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Organization (WBO), and the International Boxing Organization (IBO) will also fit in to the landscape in 2017, there are a few possibilities. Although the vacancy in regard to the WBA’s version of the World Heavyweight championship will be filled when Anthony Joshua meets Wladimir Klitschko in April, some may remember a tournament concept that was started by the WBA in January of last year with the goal of determining one champion and eliminating at least with regard to the Heavyweight division, interim/regular championship designations in it’s rankings.

For a variety of reasons including some of the circumstances which led to the cancellation of the Tyson Fury-Wladimir Klitschko rematch, two fighters remain that will determine a mandatory challenger for the Joshua-Klitschko winner in regard to the WBA. It was recently announced that the WBA has ordered negotiations between former WBO Heavyweight world champion Shannon Briggs and longtime contender and former world title challenger Fres Oquendo, with the winner of that potential fight possibly facing current WBA number three rated contender Alexander Ustinov before facing whomever the reigning WBA champion might be.

In regard to the International Boxing Organization (IBO), their version of the World Heavyweight championship will also be on the line in the Joshua-Klitschko bout. As for the World Boxing Organization (WBO), it was recently announced that undefeated WBO number two rated Heavyweight contender Hughie Fury, cousin of Tyson Fury has entered negotiations for a potential challenge of newly crowned undefeated WBO world champion Joseph Parker.

What is also interesting with regard to the current WBO Heavyweight ratings is current WBO number one rated contender and former two-division world champion Daviid Haye will face current WBC Cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew on March 4th in a twelve round Heavyweight bout in London, England. Although Bellew will be fighting for the first time as a Heavyweight as a professional, one should assume that Haye’s number one ranking would be at stake.

There are also possibilities of rising prospects and former world title challengers, who are not currently involved in the discussion in terms of the top of the Heavyweight division, who will be looking to enter the picture. A potential fight that I think would draw interest if it could be made would involve undefeated WBA number eight rated contender and knockout artist Jarrell Miller and recent world title challenger Andy Ruiz, who suffered a narrow loss to Joseph Parker in a fight for the vacant WBO Heavyweight world championship on December 10th, could catapult the winner into a potential world championship opportunity. It will be interesting to see if Miller, Ruiz or other top contenders like Luis Ortiz or Kubat Pulev will be able to get closer to a world championship opportunity in the year ahead.

What all of the above represents may give the impression, particularly among casual Boxing fans of a complicated picture with so many possibilities and various political aspects that surround the sport, which also may have play a role in the potential fights that could happen and/or rulings that could be made. If nothing else, the landscape of the division should provide some intrigue in the year ahead. If the fights that have already been made can produce fireworks, any potential bouts that might follow are likely to reap the benefit from those encounters. Exciting fights often generates interest and if one clear Undisputed Heavyweight world champion does indeed emerge from this puzzle of champions and contenders, the better for the sport.

“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

Update

We would like to let our readers know that new material will be released on Monday, January 9th. 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

“A Boxing Wishlist For 2017”

A regular feature that readers have become accustomed to here at The Boxing Truth® at the beginning of a new year has been what essentially amounts to what some might call a “Wishlist” of what this observer feels could be beneficial for the sport in the year ahead.  The year 2016 featured some compelling battles featuring some of the sport's top stars.

Of course, opinion among Boxing fans and experts alike can sometimes differ with regard to not only which out of the hundreds of fights that take place in the sport during a calendar year should be considered for Fight of the Year honors, but also whether some of those encounters could see a continuation as a new year begins.  Two questions that I ask myself after an encounter that some might call a Fight of the Year are not only whether or not there could be a rematch, but also how a fight could impact the sport. Some might say that a fight that may have been competitive and exciting, but ultimately is more discussed for what might have been a controversial outcome or decision would have a negative impact. One such fight where that argument could be made was the November 19th clash between undefeated unified Light-Heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev and undefeated former Super-Middleweight world champion Andre Ward in a battle where Kovalev’s unified world championship was at stake.

In what was a close and competitive fight, Andre Ward was able to overcome a knockdown early in the fight to win the unified Light-Heavyweight world championship by a narrow unanimous decision winning the bout by one point on all three official scorecards. Although this observer is on record in saying in a post-fight column released on November 23rd of last year that I do not feel that the outcome of this fight was controversial, it was still an exciting battle between two of Boxing’s top stars that lived up to the hype that preceded it. If one were to ask me what potential rematch of a fight that has taken place over the last year that I would want to see most, the answer to that question is Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev part 2. Whether Boxing fans get to see a continuation between Ward and Kovalev remains to be seen, but as I have often said over the years particularly in regard to close fight and/or what some feel is a “Controversial” decision/outcome that the solution to such a “Controversy” is always a “Rematch.”

Outside of potential fights that could be made in 2017, there are issues that remain present in the sport. Readers may recall this observer discussing periodically over the years subjects such as an ongoing dialogue established in 2014 involving the leaders of three of Boxing’s respective world sanctioning organizations, the World Boxing Council (WBC), the World Boxing Association (WBA), and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) to discuss issues that surround Boxing, which could have long-term benefits for the sport overall. Although there was not much said publicly about the dialogue between three of the five world sanctioning organizations in the sport within the last year, I remain firm in my stance that such dialogue should be viewed as a positive if it can ultimately lead to things that will be viewed as beneficial and could lead to progress especially if the leaders of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and the International Boxing Organization (IBO) are also involved in the process as I said I hoped would be the case at the beginning of 2016.

One such subject that I have said in the past that could be a benefit to the sport through an ongoing dialogue between the leaders of Boxing’s respective world sanctioning organizations would be to establish one undisputed world champion per weight class throughout the sport’s seventeen weight divisions. Even though as I have said in the past that some might view such a concept as wishful thinking, I do not feel it should be dismissed.

There are four fighters in the sport currently who hold unified world championship status, undefeated Middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin, Lightweight world champion Jorge Linares, Jr. Welterweight world champion Terence Crawford, and the recently crowned Light-Heavyweight world champion Andre Ward. Although there is much more progress to be made towards determining one “Undisputed” world champion and not partially unified world champions per weight class, I feel it can be done if the respective sanctioning organizations, respective promoters, and the fighters themselves are committed to it. Even though some progress has stalled in regard to some weight classes in recent times, it will be interesting to see how much progress can be made in 2017.

There are two subjects in particular that I would like to see addressed in 2017 that are on this year’s “Boxing Wishlist” as has been the case in years past that will probably be no surprise to regular readers. The first, which could be a benefit of the dialogue between Boxing’s respective sanctioning organizations would be the concept of “Interim/Regular/Emeritus” championship designations in an organization’s ratings in a given weight class needing to be rethought and simplified. In short, a fighter who holds interim/regular championship status or fighters who hold a rare status of “Emeritus” are in actuality number one contenders to a fighter who holds a world championship.

Although as I have said in the past the concept of “Interim/Regular” designations appearing to be well-intentioned particularly in the event of a unified or undisputed world champion either being injured or refusing to defend their championship against an organization’s top contender and ensures a fighter who holds such designation an opportunity to either be named world champion or at minimum an opportunity to fight for a world championship, it is something that remains an issue for the sport. In thinking of a possible solution to this, I believe that if a world champion is either unable to defend their world championship due to an injury that will have that champion out of action for a significant period of time or if a champion refuses to defend their title against a number one contender within a certain time frame, a more simplified approach could be simply having the top two contenders square off for a vacated world championship, rather than having a number one contender essentially defending their “Interim/Regular” status against other opposition while the world champion remains active facing other contenders leaving the fighter who is the number one contender having to wait a significant period of time, which could stretch over a couple of years assuming that the top contender remains active and doesn’t lose their status before finally getting an opportunity to face the world champion.

Despite the fact that world champions have to defend their titles against an organization’s top contender on an annual basis, it does not appear that number one contenders who hold “Interim/Regular” status get their opportunity to fight for a world championship in a more timely manner. Of course, this can be even more complicated in the event that a world champion holds a unified or undisputed world championship where there are several organizations that each have a top contender. Even though I believe that it would be beneficial to the sport overall if a world champion were able to fight between two to four times per year, it is not always the case for several different reasons including injuries, negotiations for potential fights, promotional agreements, television agreements, and other issues. It is my hope that  some progress can be made in this area in 2017 to at minimum ensure that number one contenders can get their opportunity to fight for world championships in a more timely manner if not doing away with the “Interim/Regular” designations altogether.

The final subject which tops my “Boxing Wishlist For 2017” is for the concept of “Pay-Per-View” to be rethought. Some readers might remember a column this observer wrote here on the website in December 2015 titled “Is It Time For “Big Time” Boxing To Go Over The Top?” where I discussed the evolution of Boxing as a “Pay-Per-View” attraction, the general decline of the cable/satellite industry as a whole, the decline of pay-per-view buys as it relates to the sport of Boxing, and the advent and growing popularity of Over The Top (OTT) digital distribution as a viable option for consumers over traditional pay-TV cable/satellite service.

Although several combat sports themed OTT networks such as GFL: Go Fight Live Combat Sports, FITE TV, Eversport, and FloSports, to name a few continue to grow, this observer feels it necessary to once again express my view that it is time for the powers that be in the sport of Boxing to look for a way to test the waters of OTT distribution in regard to a “Big” or “Super”fight that would normally only be seen on cable/satellite pay-per-view. I believe strongly as cable/satellite pay-per-view numbers for the sport continue to be in general decline that it is not a lack of interest among Boxing fans/consumers that is responsible for such decline, but rather the increase in what is known as “Cord-Cutting” as more consumers are choosing OTT television options over traditional cable/satellite pay-TV service. It is also my opinion that the prices for such pay-per-view cards, which have been generally priced well over $60 per card in recent years as well as the success and popularity of the Premier Boxing Champions series across both over the air broadcast television as well as cable are also responsible for such decline.

As the OTT realm continues to grow, it is something that the powers that be in the sport of Boxing should really consider as an option. As I have said before it will boil down to whether Boxing promoters around the globe will be willing to embrace OTT technology whether it be by producing a subscription-based model that would offer both live and on-demand content such as FloSports currently offers with their individual OTT networks including one devoted to Boxing, or perhaps a service where pay-per-view Boxing events can be offered on either a one-time pay-per-view basis  or as part of a subscription where events are offered on a delayed basis, while offering select live events included with a subscription similar to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) UFC Fight Pass service. It is clear in my eyes that something should be done in order for Boxing to not miss out on what could be a sizable audience of fans who have “Cut The Cord.” It is something that I do not believe is going to decrease and the sooner the powers that be in Boxing come to that realization, the better for the sport.

For now, the topics I have discussed in this column remain simply “Wishes”, but it is my hope that at least some of the things on this observer’s “Boxing Wishlist For 2017” come to fruition. It will nevertheless be interesting and hopefully fun to watch and see what happens in the year ahead. I am very much looking forward to it.

“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.

Happy New Year

We here at The Boxing Truth® would like to wish our readers a very Happy 2017. We look forward to continuing to provide readers with in-depth analysis, objective commentary, and discussing all things related to the sport of Boxing. We will officially kickoff 2017 on Tuesday, January 3rd. 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

Happy Holidays

We would like to wish our readers a very Happy Holiday season. We here at The Boxing Truth® are between rounds and will kickoff 2017 on Tuesday, January 3rd. 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.

Belated Thoughts On Hopkins-Smith

On December 17th the legendary Bernard Hopkins returned to the ring following a two-year hiatus to take on top Light-Heavyweight contender Joe Smith Jr. at The Forum in Inglewood, CA. The main storyline of the bout was that it was billed as “The Final One” a title to symbolize the final time Bernard Hopkins would enter the ring as a fighter after an illustrious twenty-eight year career. Prior to this bout, this observer stated that even though Hopkins himself was insistent on this being his last fight, I was not sure on the basis that the fifty-one year old future Hall of Famer was facing a fighter who was rated in the top five of two world sanctioning organizations and that if he were to emerge victorious and do so in convincing fashion that one could assume that he would seek another opportunity at a world championship.

For a time it appeared that would be the case as the fight was fought at a measured and tactical pace, which is tailor-made for Hopkins. Hopkins using lateral movement and strategically placing his punches seemed to hold his own against a fighter nearly twenty-five years his junior. Hopkins not only held his own, but also dictated how the fight was being fought for much of the bout. Even though Hopkins was using all of the craft and tactics that made him a dominant world champion in his prime, what was also noticeable was the effect of Smith’s punches when he was able to land flush.

In previewing this fight I also stated that it was logical to question whether or not “Ring Rust” would be a factor for Hopkins given not only that he was coming off of a two-year layoff, but more specifically due to the fact that he is approaching his fifty-second birthday in January 2017. Although Hopkins was able to have moments where he was able to use Smith’s own aggression against him, Smith’s constant pressure did have success and despite being made to miss some of his offense, he was able to land punches on Hopkins that perhaps would not have been the case against Hopkins a few years ago when even as a fighter in his late 40s, Hopkins was able to befuddle opponents and slip some of the type of punches that he was getting hit with in this fight.

Hopkins was still able however, to execute much of his offense with what has been a key weapon throughout his career, his right hand. Despite being at a stage in his career where he was taking more punishment, Hopkins was able to keep the fight close and competitive throughout. It was in the eighth round however, that the fight would end under odd, but not unprecedented circumstances.

In the early seconds of round eight Smith as he had done for the entire fight applied pressure on Hopkins and forced Hopkins on the ropes. A sudden and short combination from Smith knocked Hopkins out of the ring and out of the fight as Hopkins was unable to get back in the ring before the count of twenty giving Smith a knockout victory. When Hopkins went through the ropes and out of the ring, I immediately had thoughts of the first encounter between former Heavyweight world champions Hasim Rahman and Oleg Maskaev in November 1999 where Maskaev landed a hellacious right hand that knocked Rahman out of the ring and out cold.

Although this knockout was not as devastating as Rahman-Maskaev 1, it was sudden, dramatic, and frankly scary due to the way it occurred. Almost immediately after being knocked down, Hopkins for his part contended that he had been pushed out of the ring. In the days since the fight, this observer has studied several replays of the knockout and even though Hopkins felt that he was pushed, it was a short, but effective combination highlighted by a right hand and two left hooks by Smith that sent Hopkins out of the ring and it is my opinion that it was a clean knockout albeit odd and rare in the way that it occurred.

Even though I stated shortly after the bout’s conclusion on Twitter that I thought that there would be a protest filed with the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC), after reviewing the replays several times from various angles of the knockout, I do not believe that such a protest would be successful if attempted. Despite suffering the first knockout loss of his career after twenty-eight years and sixty-five professional fights, the loss to Joe Smith Jr. will have no impact on the legacy Bernard Hopkins has established.

Although this outcome was not the way Bernard Hopkins or any fighter for that matter wants to end their career on, Hopkins will go down in history as perhaps the greatest Middleweight of all time having set the record for consecutive World Middleweight championship defenses of twenty that he set between 1995-2005. He will also go down in history as the oldest fighter in history to win a world championship. A feat he accomplished twice, first in May 2011, when at age forty-six Hopkins surpassed George Foreman as the oldest fighter in the history the sport to win a world championship by defeating then WBC Light-Heavyweight world champion Jean Pascal in their rematch. After losing the championship in his rematch with Chad Dawson in April 2012, Hopkins would break his own record in 2013 by defeating then undefeated IBF Light-Heavyweight world champion Tavoris Cloud at age forty-eight.

The most important part of Hopkins’ legacy however, in the eyes of this observer will always be that he established that legacy often without the support of mainstream exposure, particularly for several years as a Middleweight world champion and being a man of strong conviction and at times leaving lucrative opportunities on the table and choosing to stick to his principles as well as at times doing battle with various promoters and calling to task some of the political elements that surround the sport in the process. Even though for a good portion of his career, Hopkins did not receive the recognition or respect he truly deserved, it was refreshing to see Hopkins, a true credit to the sport of Boxing receive what amounted to a standing ovation from the crowd in attendance as he left the ring for what he insists is the final time following his loss to Joe Smith Jr.  For a fighter who later in his career would periodically walk to the ring to versions of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” this observer has one thing left to say.

Mr. Hopkins, you truly did it “Your Way.” Congratulations on a great career.

“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.

Hopkins-Smith Preview And Weights

On November 8, 2014 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins entered the ring as the unified IBF/WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion in an attempt to further unify the Light-Heavyweight division as he took on undefeated WBO world champion and knockout artist Sergey Kovalev. Hopkins, a fighter known for defying odds was attempting at age forty-nine to take another step toward an accomplishment no other fighter in the history of Boxing has been able to do, completely unify a second weight class.

                           

It was not to be however, as Kovalev would win a twelve round unanimous decision to unify three of five world championships in the division. Although Hopkins will always be known for his accomplishments as a Middleweight in setting the all-time record for consecutive title defenses by a world champion in the history of the division of twenty between 1995-2005 and fully unifying the division during his reign, he has suffered some setbacks over the years and has lost a few fights along the way. The setback suffered against Sergey Kovalev one might argue was different in that it was the first time in Hopkins’ illustrious career that he was dominated.

Readers may recall shortly after the loss to Kovalev this observer stated that the question coming out of that fight was whether or not Hopkins’ age had finally become an issue for him. I closed my thoughts in the post-fight column for that fight by saying that although it would be Hopkins who would ultimately decide whether or not he wanted to fight again, it was and remains my opinion that he has nothing left to prove with his legacy and status as a legend and future Hall of Famer more than secure.

Even though there was never an official announcement of retirement from Hopkins, one may have believed after no fights in 2015 that Hopkins may have quietly closed the book on a great career. This will not be the case however, as the now fifty-one year old Hopkins will return to the ring for the first time in over two years on Saturday night as he takes on current WBC number two rated contender Joe Smith Jr. at The Forum in Inglewood, CA for the WBC International Light-Heavyweight championship currently held by Smith.

As some may recall, the twenty-seven year old Smith scored the biggest win of his career earlier this year by scoring a devastating first round knockout over longtime contender and former world title challenger Andrzej Fonfara in Fonfara’s adopted hometown of Chicago, IL. Smith, who will enter this fight with Hopkins having won twenty-two of twenty-three fights as a professional has scored eighteen knockouts in those twenty-two wins registering a career knockout percentage of 78%. Although it may be logical to assume that some casual followers of the sport likely consider Smith to be an unknown commodity, despite his recent victory over Fonfara, which also earned him significant television exposure as the fight was shown on NBC here in the United States, he has been unbeaten for over six years and has scored knockouts in five of his last six fights.

                                                                  

What interests me about this fight is to see whether or not Smith will attempt to impose his will on the fighter nearly twenty-five years his senior from the outset. It is important to remember that Hopkins is after all coming off of a two-year layoff and in his last fight he suffered a first round knockdown at the hands of Sergey Kovalev. What one should also keep in mind is Hopkins was sporadic with his offense in the fight against Kovalev only landing 65 of 195 total punches throughout the twelve round championship bout.

It is certainly logical to question whether or not “Ring Rust” will be a factor for Hopkins after a two-year hiatus especially given that he will be turning fifty-two years old on January 15, 2017. The significant advantage Hopkins does have going into this fight is in regard to experience. Despite his setbacks in losing some close fights over the years, Hopkins has always been able to be crafty and with the exception of his last bout against Kovalev always left a question as to whether or not he won some fights that ultimately went against him on the official scorecards.

Although Hopkins, who will enter the fight having won fifty-five of sixty-four bouts as a professional was bested convincingly for the first time in his career against Kovalev, it should not be overlooked that even as Kovalev was dominating that fight, Hopkins was still able to make his opponent miss and miss often with his offense as Kovalev landed 166 of 585 total punches. If Smith does indeed look to impose his will on Hopkins from the outset, it will be interesting to see whether or not Hopkins will attempt to use his opponent’s own aggression against him and capitalize on that opponent’s mistakes as he has in the past most notably in his Middleweight championship unification bout with Felix Trinidad in September 2001.

It will be crucial in my opinion that Hopkins dictate how the fight is fought from start to finish if he wants to be successful. This observer believes that the question of whether or not it was his age or if Hopkins simply had a bad night at the office against Kovalev will be answered early in this fight. One should also remember that the pace in which the fight between Hopkins and Kovalev was fought, was one that was a tactical and measured pace, which is where Hopkins usually excels, but in that fight he simply could not let his hands go consistently and that was the story of the fight. Hopkins must not only control how the fight is fought, but he must also be active with his offense in order to be successful.

Even though Hopkins has been insistent in the build up to this fight that this will be his last fight, this observer is not so sure. One would have to assume if Hopkins were to lose this fight that it would be in his best interest to call it a career as he has other roles in the sport including as a promoter and as a broadcaster for HBO Sports. If Hopkins were to defeat a fighter who is ranked number two in the world by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and number five in the world by the World Boxing Association (WBA) and did so in convincing fashion one could assume that Hopkins would seek another opportunity at a world championship in what would be his second attempt to break his own record as the oldest fighter in the history of Boxing to win a world championship. Before that possibility can be discussed however, he must win this fight. We will see it Bernard Hopkins can defy the odds one more time on Saturday night.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Official Weights:

______________________________________________________

The official weigh-in for Saturday’s Light-Heavyweight bout between future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins and top Light-Heavyweight contender Joe Smith Jr. took place earlier today in Inglewood, CA. The official weights for the entire card are as follows.

Main Event: WBC International Light-Heavyweight championship – 12Rds.

Joe Smith Jr. (Champion) 174lbs.vs. Bernard Hopkins 174lbs.

WBO Cruiserweight world championship – 12Rds.

Oleksandr Usyk (Champion) 199 1/2lbs. vs. Thabiso Mchumu 198 1/2lbs.

North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Featherweight championship – 10Rds.

Joseph Diaz (Champion) 126lbs. vs. Horacio Garcia 125 3/4lbs.

North American Boxing Association (NABA) Jr. Lightweight championship – 10Rds.

Carlos Morales (Champion) 130lbs. vs. Charles Huerta 130lbs.

Middleweight – 10Rds.

Jason Quigley 159 1/2lbs. vs. Jorge Melendez 158 1/2lbs.

WBC Latino Middleweight championship – 10Rds.*

Yamaguchi Falcao (Champion) vs. German Perez

(*Official weights for this bout are unavailable. Bout still scheduled to take place as of this writing.)

Lightweight – 8Rds.

Christian Gonzalez 134 1/2lbs. vs. Jonathan Perez 133 1/2lbs.

Lightweight – 6Rds.

Ryan Garcia 131 1/2lbs. vs. Jose Martinez 131 1/2lbs.

Lightweight – 8Rds.

Ivan Delgado 131 1/2 lbs. vs. Roberto Rivera 133lbs.

Featherweight – 8Rds.

Joet Gonzalez 125 3/4lbs. vs. Jairo Ochoa 125 1/4lbs.

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Hopkins vs. Smith takes place tomorrow night (Saturday, December 17th) at The Forum in Inglewood, CA. In the United States, the fight can be seen on HBO Sports beginning at 10 PM ET/PT. Check your cable/satellite provider for time and channel in your area. For more information please visit: www.hbo.com/Boxing.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the fight can be seen on Box Nation beginning at 3 AM (Sunday, December 18th Local UK Time.) Check your listings for time and channel in your area. For more information please visit: www.boxnation.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.

                

Brief Update

We would like to let our readers know that a preview for Saturday’s Light-Heavyweight clash between future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins and top Light-Heavyweight contender Joe Smith is currently in the works and will be released on Friday, December 16th. 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

Heavyweight Championship Saturday Recap And Analysis

On Saturday, December 10th the Boxing world was focused on several key bouts throughout the entire sport. A highlight of the day however, was two fights for separate versions of the World Heavyweight championship that took place in two different countries. At the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, undefeated IBF Heavyweight world champion and knockout artist Anthony Joshua made the second defense of his world championship against IBF number eight rated contender Eric Molina.

In previewing this fight this observer stated that the question I had as the fight approached was whether or not Molina, who was making his second attempt at a world championship, would not only be able to extend Joshua in a similar manner as he was able to do against undefeated WBC world champion Deontay Wilder in his one previous world championship opportunity, but more specifically whether he could make the fight competitive. The champion established the tempo of the fight from the outset working behind his jab and applying pressure on Molina.

Although Joshua’s approach could be best described as methodical, he was able to push Molina back to the ropes and really faced no resistance from the challenger. What was noticeably absent from Molina’s strategy beyond hardly throwing any offense was the absence of head movement as he more or less allowed himself to be backed up against the ropes by Joshua and did not seem to have an answer to avoid Joshua’s jab as he came forward.

Even though it was logical to think that perhaps the challenger was trying to create an opportunity where he could theoretically land counter punches as Joshua pressed forward as a reason for his sporadic offense, it became clear that Molina simply could not find a way to turn the tempo in his favor. The champion easily won the first two rounds based on his greater activity and effectiveness with his jab and right hand. It was in round three that Joshua would bring the fight to its conclusion.

Joshua connected with a flush right hand to the jaw that sent Molina down to the canvas in his own corner. Molina showed his mettle by getting up from the knockdown at the count of nine, but it was a formality as Joshua pressed forward with a barrage of offense which forced Molina to turn his head and subsequently forced Referee Steve Gray to stop the fight at 2:02 of round three.

It was as dominant and impressive a performance by a world champion as one could ask for. Since winning the IBF world championship in April of this year with a second round knockout over former champion Charles Martin, Anthony Joshua has in under one year established himself as one of the key players in the Heavyweight division.

Two undefeated Heavyweight contenders who were also looking to establish themselves atop the division did battle in the second World Heavyweight championship fight of the day at the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand as WBO number one rated contender Joseph Parker met number three rated contender Andy Ruiz for the vacant WBO Heavyweight world championship, previously held by undefeated former unified world champion Tyson Fury.

Although it is sometimes natural when discussing a fight for a vacated world championship to focus on the circumstances and/or the politics of the sport which may have led to a championship becoming vacant, this was an encounter between not only two of the division’s top contenders, but also two fighters with exciting crowd pleasing styles. In previewing this fight this observer stated that the physics appeared to be in favor of Parker, who had a two inch height advantage as well as a two inch reach advantage over Ruiz.

Even though I stated prior to this fight that was logical to assume with a narrow height and reach advantage that Parker would look to keep Ruiz at distance where he would theoretically not be as effective, the tempo of this fight was established by Ruiz as he was able to apply pressure and force Parker to move. Several of the rounds in this fight were close due to both fighters having success in throwing and landing spurts of combinations.

Although there were points throughout the fight where Parker was able to get off first with his offense, I wondered if the difference in the fight in terms of the official scorecards would come down to the consistent pressure of Ruiz, who was also considerably effective when he was able to let his hands go. This was evident when the two fighters got into exchanges where Ruiz seemed to get the better of the action.

After six rounds, I had Ruiz ahead three rounds to two, with one round even on my unofficial scorecard. This was primarily due to the consistent aggression of Ruiz and bringing the fight to Parker. It was however, a tactical and competitive fight and it would certainly be no surprise to me to see differing scores as this fight progressed.

As the fight entered the second half the ebb and flow appeared to shift slightly in Parker’s favor. Although Ruiz never stopped coming forward and applying pressure throughout the entire fight, there were periods particularly from rounds seven through twelve where he did not throw punches consistently as he came forward and also failed to cut off the ring from Parker in an effort to neutralize Parker’s movement.

Despite Ruiz falling into periodic lulls of inconsistent offense in the second half of the fight, it remained a close and competitive fight due to how effective he was when he did let his hands go. At the end of the twelve round championship bout, I had Parker winning the fight by a margin of 116-113 in points or seven rounds to four with one round even. The announcement of a majority decision on the official scorecards was not surprising given the tactical, but quick pace that the fight was fought where both fighters were able to be effective. Judge Salven Lagumbay scored the fight even 6-6 in rounds or 114-114 in points, while Judges Ingo Barrabas and Ramon Cerdan turned in identical scores of 7-5 in rounds or 115-113 in points giving Joseph Parker the victory and establishing him as the first New Zealand-born boxer to win a World Heavyweight championship.

Prior to these two fights I alluded to a possibility of the two winners potentially facing off in a unification bout in 2017. It appears at least for the moment that will not be the case as it was announced shortly after Anthony Joshua’s knockout victory over Eric Molina that his third title defense will come on April 29, 2017 against former longtime champion Wladimir Klitschko in a fight that will take place at Wembley Stadium in London, England where the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) world championship will also be on the line in addition to Joshua’s IBF world championship. This observer looks forward to sharing further thoughts on not only the outcomes of these two fights, not only the announced Joshua-Klitschko encounter, but what this could mean for the overall landscape of the division on Thursday, January 5, 2017.

“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

Previewing Heavyweight Championship Saturday

Boxing’s Heavyweight division will close out 2016 with a bang on Saturday with two world championship fights in two different countries. The first championship bout will take place at the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand as undefeated WBO number one Heavyweight contender Joseph Parker will square off with undefeated number three WBO contender Andy Ruiz for the vacant WBO Heavyweight world championship previously held by former unified world champion Tyson Fury.

Although the circumstances which led to three of five world championships being vacated in the Heavyweight division is a story in of itself, the battle between Parker and Ruiz will pit two of the division’s top contenders against each other. In one corner will stand Joseph Parker of Auckland, New Zealand. Parker, unbeaten in twenty-one professional fights has scored knockouts in eighteen of those twenty-one wins and will enter this fight with a career knockout percentage of 86%. In his last bout, Parker scored a third round knockout over Alexander Dimitrenko in October of this year.

Parker has only been extended to a twelve round distance once in his career and has only gone as far as ten rounds twice. This would indicate that Parker, a fighter who should be labeled a “Knockout Artist” could look to end this fight early should the opportunity present itself. Parker does have the ability to knock an opponent out with either hand, but also has the ability to be tactical in his approach so it will be interesting to see what his approach will be in this fight.

Standing across the ring from Parker will be Andy Ruiz of Imperial, CA. Ruiz, a fighter who is unbeaten in twenty-nine professional fights will enter this fight against Parker having scored nineteen knockouts in his twenty-nine victories registering a career knockout percentage of 66%. Ruiz does have slightly more experience in terms of total fights than Parker and has fought in 116 total rounds as a professional compared to Parker’s 87. What makes this potentially significant is although Ruiz has also shown an ability to get an opponent out of there, he has been forced to go the distance more than Parker has in his career and depending on how this fight is fought this could be to Ruiz’ advantage.

Even though Ruiz has held the NABF and WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight titles in his career, he has been criticized for his struggles with weight. Ruiz however, does have an exciting style in which he has been more than willing to engage with his opponents and has a good mix of punching power and hand speed. One thing that this observer has noticed in studying film of Ruiz that some would likely see as a flaw is he has been somewhat inconsistent in some fights in moving his head and is thus open to be hit.

The physics of this fight seem to favor Parker who will have a two inch height advantage of 6’4 to Ruiz’ 6’2 and will have a slight reach advantage of also two inches of 76” to Ruiz 74”. Although fighters have been tasked with combating greater height and reach deficits, this observer believes the task that Andy Ruiz will be faced with will be to get on the inside of Parker’s reach and try to outwork him in close. Despite the slight height and reach advantage of Parker not seeming to be as significant as some previous Heavyweight championship fights, it is logical to assume that Parker will look to keep Ruiz at distance where he will theoretically not be able to be as effective.

No matter who emerges victorious in this fight, it is also logical to assume that the winner could likely find himself in a position for a potential unification bout in 2017. The opposition for that potential unification clash just might be the winner of the second World Heavyweight championship fight taking place on Saturday as undefeated IBF world champion Anthony Joshua will make the second defense of his world title against current IBF number eight rated Heavyweight contender Eric Molina at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.

In his first title defense in June of this year, Joshua scored a one-sided seventh round stoppage over previously undefeated Dominic Breazeale. Joshua much like Joseph Parker, is a “Knockout Artist” who has knocked out all seventeen of his opponents as a professional. As Joshua has continued to dominate all opposition that has been placed before him, the question that has been asked of him is the same as all fighters who are labeled “Knockout Artists.” Who can provide him with a legitimate test?

A potential answer to that question in regard to Anthony Joshua could come in the form of current IBF number eight rated contender and former world title challenger Eric Molina. Molina endeared himself to Boxing fans with the valiant effort he put forth in his challenge of current WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder in June of last year. Although Molina would suffer four knockdowns before being stopped in the ninth round of that fight, he did succeed in extending Wilder, another fighter known as a “Knockout Artist” into the latter stages of a fight for what was at that point only the second time in his career. Since that loss to Wilder, Molina has gone on to win two fights including a knockout win over former two-division world champion Tomasz Adamek in April of this year for the IBF’s Intercontinental Heavyweight title, which in layman’s terms essentially earned him a spot in the top ten of the International Boxing Federation’s Heavyweight ratings putting him in position for what will be his second attempt at a world championship.

The question that I have going into this fight centers on whether or not Molina will be able to not only extend Joshua in a similar manner as he was able to do against Wilder, but more specifically whether or not he can make this a competitive fight. Although Joshua was extended to the seventh round for only the second time in his career in his title defense against Dominic Breazeale, he did not face much resistance in that fight and it will be interesting to see whether Molina will be able to provide resistance as well as avoid the champion’s power.

It will also be interesting to see whether or not Joshua may look to seek an early knockout of Molina perhaps in an attempt to best what Deontay Wilder was able to do in his title defense against Molina last year. Although Molina finds himself in the same position of being a significant underdog as he was when he faced Wilder, he has shown his mettle and has also shown the ability to come from behind in order to score a knockout win as he was able to do in his last fight against Tomasz Adamek where he was trailing on all three official scorecards before knocking Adamek out in the tenth round.

Even though it is logical to assume that Joshua will look to pressure Molina from the outset and try to score an early knockout should the opportunity present itself, Molina must find a way to be tactical in his approach early on and look for a way to neutralize and nullify Joshua’s punching power. One way that Molina could accomplish this could be if he is able to establish himself as an elusive target and look to work the clock in rounds and try to limit Joshua’s ability to be effective and land punches cleanly while trying to make the most of his offensive opportunities. Of course, this is a task that is often easier said than done against power punchers, especially those who are known as “Knockout Artists” as Joshua is.

What has certainly been a frustrating year for the Heavyweight division could potentially see a silver lining with these two world championship fights. Although I look forward to sharing my thoughts in the coming weeks with regard to the landscape of the division as a whole, it is my hope that the outcomes of these two fights will lead to further progress in the Heavyweight division, something that has for various reasons not been accomplished in 2016.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Parker vs. Ruiz takes place tomorrow (Saturday, December 10th) at the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The fight can be seen in the United States on same-day tape delay along with a Jr. Welterweight doubleheader featuring undefeated WBO/WBC world champion Terence Crawford defending his championship against John Molina and a ten round bout between top contenders Ray Beltran and Mason Menard on HBO Sports beginning at 9:35PM ET/PT check your cable/satellite provider for time and channel in your area. For more information please visit: www.hbo.com/Boxing. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the fight can be seen on BoxNation at 8 AM (Saturday, December 10th Local UK Time). For more information please visit: www.boxnation.com. Check your listings internationally.

Joshua vs. Molina takes place tomorrow (Saturday, December 10th) at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. The fight can be seen live in the United States on Showtime Sports at 5:30 PM ET/2:30 PM PT. The fight will be replayed on Showtime later in the evening along with a live tripleheader featuring two world title fights Jermall Charlo defending his IBF Jr. Middleweight world championship against bullying Williams and WBA number one Featherweight contender Jesus Cuellar taking on Abner Mares beginning at 10 PM ET/PT. Check your cable/satellite provider for times and channel in your area For more information please visit: www.sho.com/sports. In the United Kingdom, Joshua vs. Molina can be seen on pay-per-view on Sky Box Office for €16.95 SD/€21.95 HD beginning at 5:30 PM (Saturday, December 10th Local UK Time.) For ordering information please visit: www.my.sky.com/orderboxoffice/. 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. 

Update

We would like to let our readers know that a feature previewing this weekend’s two World Heavyweight championship fights is currently in the works and will be released on Friday, December 9th. 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