Following the month of January, which was one that was
largely quiet in terms of beginning 2022 inside the Boxing ring, the month of
February began with two well-publicized pay-per-view cards that each took place
on the same day. This observer is referring to the two events that occurred on
February 5th in Cardiff, Wales and Las Vegas, NV respectively.
First was the event in Cardiff, Wales, which was
co-headlined by two Middleweight bouts featuring both the women and men of the
sport. First up was undefeated unified WBC/WBA/IBF Women’s World Middleweight
champion Claressa Shields, who scored a dominant ten round unanimous decision
over a very “Game” previously unbeaten World Boxing Federation (WBF) world
champion Ema Kozin. In
previewing this bout, this observer stated that I felt that the key to
the fight would be whether or not Kozin would be able to get the respect of
Shields early.
As has been the case in virtually every fight that
Claressa Shields has had in her professional career, she brought the fight to her
opponent from the opening bell. Applying consistent pressure and mixing hand
speed and punching power, which kept Kozin on the defensive, Shields
implemented an offensive approach that for a time appeared as though would
break Kozin down in the middle and late rounds. Despite suffering significant
punishment over the course of the scheduled ten round world championship bout, Kozin
showed a lot of heart and was able to go the distance against a fighter in
Shields, who is regarded as one of the top fighters in the entire sport.
A bigger story emerged following Shields victory over
Kozin however, as during a post-fight interview, Shields engaged in a heated
argument with undefeated WBO world champion Savannah Marshall, who is the only
person to have scored a victory over Shields when the two met several years ago
as amateurs. While it is not uncommon to see such arguments occur in the middle
of a post-fight interview as it is unfortunately something that is used as a
promotional tool by promoters and networks, whether they are willing to admit
it or not, it is not a good look not just for women in the sport, but the sport
of Boxing as a whole when such arguments occur on television that give an
appearance as though it comes from “Reality” television. The view of yours
truly on that subject notwithstanding, obviously, the wheels are in motion for
a Shields-Marshall unification bout later in 2022. Although it may be true that
these two fighters do not like each other, hopefully, those around both of them
will remind both that outside of whatever dislike they might have towards each
other, they are also representing Boxing and in any promotion for the bout,
representing the sport in the best way possible should be a focus.
This brings us the second Middleweight bout that took
place in Cardiff, Wales as former IBO Super-Middleweight world champion Chris
Eubank Jr. squared off against former world title challenger Liam Williams in a
twelve round bout. Frankly, this bout turned out to be one between a good
fighter in Eubank, who proved to be just a little too quick for a good fighter
in Williams, who was very “Game,” but arguably should not have been able to go
the distance as he did.
Why am I being as direct as I am in saying that? Due
to Eubank scoring four knockdowns throughout the bout in rounds one, two, four,
and eleven. While two of these knockdowns came as a result of jabs and were the
definition of what is referred to as a “Flash Knockdown” where Williams was off
balance, knocked off his feet by jabs, and was not visibly hurt, it is rare to
see a fight being allowed to go on beyond three knockdowns against one fighter.
The lone exception would be under circumstances where both fighters are knocked
down during the course of a fight.
Despite the clear advantage that Eubank had as the
fight progressed in a dominant performance in winning a clear unanimous
decision, if there is one criticism that one could point to beyond the fact
that Eubank failed to finish Williams and to be more specific failed to force
the issue after four knockdowns to get a stoppage, it is that he chose to mock
Williams and for lack of a better term play around during the middle and late
rounds rather than try to end the fight. Although this could perhaps be
attributed to the bad blood between the two fighters prior to the fight, an argument
can be made that at times it is just as important in how you win as it is
simply getting a win.
For a fighter in Eubank, who has a lineage through the
accomplishments of his father former multi-division world champion Chris Eubank
Sr., who has also gone on to hold a world championship in his own right in his
career, if Eubank Jr. wants to secure another opportunity at a world title he
needs to win and do so impressively in order to drum up interest and demand for
him to challenge one of the current champions in the 160lb. Middleweight
division. In this case, though he was impressive and keeping in mind that
Williams deserves all the credit for being able to go the distance, the fact
that Eubank did not force the issue and chose to mock his opponent rather than trying
to finish the fight, is something that will likely turn off some fans and may be
viewed by promoters who currently represent one of the world champions in the
division as a tough sale. While keeping in mind that Eubank’s approach could
have indeed been influenced by whatever issues that may have been between he
and Williams going into the fight, he will likely have to explain why he chose
not to force the issue and seemed content with going the distance when the
possibility of a stoppage was clearly there for him.
Whether or not Eubank will be fighting for a world
championship at some point later in the year remains to be seen. One should not
discount the possibility of his name recognition as a former world champion being
enough to at least enter the discussion for a possible challenge. The public being
supportive of such a challenge at this point however, might be debatable. For
now, Chris Eubank Jr. did do what he had to do in scoring a convincing and wide
decision victory.
This leads us to the second pay-per-view Boxing event
that took place on February 5th in Las Vegas, NV. A card that
featured two former world champions returning to the ring looking to bounce
back from losses in separate bouts. First to return to the ring was
multi-division world champion Leo Santa Cruz, who returned to action for the
first time since Halloween night of 2020 to face Jr. Lightweight contender
Keenan Carbajal in a ten round bout.
Despite suffering a bad cut over the right eye as a
result of an accidental clash of heads in round two, Santa Cruz did not show
any ill effects from his knockout loss to Gervonta Davis or more than a year of
inactivity. When a fighter suffers the type of knockout that Santa Cruz
suffered at the hands of Davis, the primary question whenever that fighter
returns to action is not only what effect did the knockout have on them, but
also how would that experience influence how they fight going forward.
Santa Cruz was able to show early on in this fight
that the loss to Davis would not change his approach as he was more than
willing to engage with Carbajal from the outset. What stood out in my eyes was
not only that Santa Cruz willingness to engage, but more specifically how he
established a balanced attack to the body and head of Carbajal. Although Santa
Cruz would deal with periodic accidental head clashes throughout the bout, the
cut he suffered over the right eye did not seem to slow him down as he outworked
Carbajal over the ten rounds to earn a convincing unanimous decision.
For Keenan Carbajal, this was his first taste of
fighting on a significant stage and to his credit, he held his own throughout
and seemed to deal with an injured left arm in the latter stages of the fight.
Despite the loss to Santa Cruz, Carbajal was able to make a solid showing in
defeat and he will likely get another opportunity against a notable opponent
down the line. This was simply a case of one fighter being about to outwork the
other and Carbajal being unable to slow Santa Cruz’ offensive output in that
whenever Santa Cruz threw punches, they were in combination and when a fighter
is able to do that, it become very challenging for the opposing fighter to
combat. Nevertheless, for what was a significant step up in class for Carbajal,
he did perform well and did try his best to match Santa Cruz offensively.
As for Leo Santa Cruz, the question becomes what will
he do coming out of this fight. Santa Cruz does still hold recognition as the
WBA Featherweight world champion in the 126lb. Featherweight division, despite
not defending that title since winning it in November 2019. Whether or not he
chooses to stay in the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division remains to be seen. What
this fight did accomplish for Santa Cruz was it should boost his confidence
after suffering a setback. He was able to produce a convincing performance
where he showed the skills that has made him a future Hall of Famer.
The main event of the pay-per-view card in Las Vegas
saw former WBA Welterweight world champion Keith Thurman return to the ring for
the first time in over two years to face Jr. Welterweight contender Mario
Barrios in a twelve round Welterweight bout. In what can be described as a tactical
Boxing match, Thurman, who was competing for the first time since losing his
WBA championship to Manny Pacquiao in July 2019, displayed a measured approach
as he often was the fighter that dictated how the combat was fought. He did
this by controlling distance and using lateral movement to keep Barrios from
being able to plant his feet and throw offense in situations where it may have
been favorable for him.
There were several exchanges of offense between the
two fighters however, and Barrios, who was moving up from the 140lb. Jr.
Welterweight division for this fight in the 147lb. Welterweight division, was
able to take the punches Thurman landed well, despite suffering a bad cut over
the left eye in the middle rounds of the bout. The difference in punching power
was nevertheless evident as Thurman seemed to have more behind his shots. What
was also noticeable in addition to Thurman’s ability to dictate the combat as
well as the aforementioned attributes including timing, was in most instances
he was the fighter throwing first, which while Barrios was able to have his
share of moments, generally left the impression that Thurman was getting the
better of the action.
Barrios’ best moment of the bout came late in the eight
round when he connected with a right hand to Thurman’s body that forced the former
world champion to retreat and catch his breath. While Barrios had sporadic
success whenever he went to the body of Thurman, he simply was not consistent enough
in focusing his attack to the body, which may have been able to limit Thurman’s
movement as the fight progressed. Despite putting forth a very “Game” effort in
his Welterweight debut, Barrios was unable to turn the ebb and flow of the
combat in his favor, which allowed Keith Thurman to box his way to a convincing
twelve round unanimous decision.
In the interest of honesty with the reader, while
there may be some who will choose to be critical of Thurman for perhaps not
pressing the issue more especially after he was able to cut Barrios in the
middle rounds where he may have been able to get a stoppage, after two and a
half years out of action, this was the type of performance that Thurman needed.
Not only to shake off what is known as “Ring Rust” from inactivity, but also
much like Leo Santa Cruz, as a confidence booster after losing his world
championship in his previous fight.
As for where Thurman will go coming out of this
victory over Mario Barrios, the World Boxing Council (WBC) had the
Thurman-Barrios bout as an elimination bout in it’s Welterweight rankings. This
could mean that Thurman might be in line to face the winner of the recently
announced upcoming unification bout between undefeated IBF/WBC Welterweight
world champion Errol Spence and WBA world champion Yordenis Ugas, which will
take place at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX in the month of April in what will
likely be another pay-per-view offering. While it is indisputable that Keith Thurman
is still one of the best fighters that the Welterweight division has to offer, this
observer feels that it might be best if he takes another fight before
potentially challenging the winner of Spence-Ugas.
Although these two pay-per-view cards did provide a
lot of action and a full day of Boxing for those who opted to purchase both
events, obviously how successful both ultimately prove to be is unknown as of
this writing. It is my hope however, as someone who has been critical of the
pay-per-view model due to among other things inflated price points and the fact
that more often than not, not every bout on a Boxing card that is sold as a
pay-per-view is made available to the buying consumer with purchase resulting
in either some fights being blacked out or, portions of the undercard being
sprinkled between either streaming or traditional television platforms, that
those promoters who continue to insist on such a model, will at least make the
price points economically reasonable for the consumer. While this may be easier
said than done for a variety of reasons, the success of digital subscription
streaming is something that should not be ignored and if the pay-per-view model
is to continue, despite obvious evidence of needing to adapt, those “Hold Outs”
as I often refer to them, need to come up with concepts of comparable value for
the consumer if they want their events to be successful on a consistent basis.
As always, it is important for me to point out that my
criticism of the pay-per-view model and those promoters that continue to insist
on such a model is not, nor has ever been aimed at any of the fighters involved
as I have always had the view long before I began covering the sport that
boxers should be able to make as much money as they can while they can due to
the obvious dangers of the sport, the fact that fighters risk their lives every
time they compete, and that a career can end just as quickly as one begins.
With the pay-per-view model however, no longer being the revenue generator that
it once was for networks, promoters, and the fighters, who are promised percentages
of such revenue, the fighters should be asking themselves how much money could
be left on the table by not adapting, could revenues that promoters look to
pay-per-view for, be replaced by advertising sponsorships and other forms of
revenue, which would allow the Boxing fan to be able to access the sport
regardless of whether they may or may not be able to afford prices that more
often than not begin above $60, as well as the obvious opportunity that comes
from exposing the sport to new eyes.
While it remains to be seen how successful these
particular events were in terms of pay-per-view buys, it was an interesting and
at times entertaining day of Boxing and for those who truly love the sport and
have its best interests at heart, this is something that should not go
unnoticed. Even as the need for the sport as a whole to embrace adapting in the
subscription-based streaming era becomes more apparent.
“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
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