Kovalev, Stevenson, And The Changing Landscape Of The Light-Heavyweight Division

It surely looked as though Light-Heavyweight world champions Sergey Kovalev and Adonis Stevenson were on a collision course as 2013 came to a close. Two fighters who have established themselves in the same division, at the same time, in a similar manner. Both producing knockouts that have gained the Boxing world’s attention.

The idea of these two emerging stars in the sport being pitted against each other in a world title unification clash is certainly an intriguing storyline. Most storylines however, are known for having intriguing plot twists. The scenario of a potential Kovalev-Stevenson collision would appear to be no exception.

Although most Boxing fans are probably of the opinion that a fight between Kovalev and Stevenson is the most logical option for both fighters at this stage of their careers, sometimes what may appear to have the most logic does not always take place. This is especially true when it comes to the sport of Boxing and certain elements, which might be a factor in determining when or if such a fight might take place.

Even though the groundwork for a potential Kovalev-Stevenson clash appeared to be laid following both fighters successful title defenses on the same card last November, a scenario that I brought up in the days following that card centered around the various political elements in the sport. A dilemma for promoters and television networks is whether or not to put such a fight together as soon as possible, with the assumed goal to sell the fight as a pay-per-view event to Boxing fans.

In all truth and honesty it is a delicate task for promoters and networks to determine when a fight of this magnitude should be made. Of course one of things to consider is the financial incentives that a fight like this would bring to all parties involved. Other things to consider however, are not only what the fight could do for the fighters involved in the short-term, but also where does it leave the fighters involved in the long-term picture in regard to a potential win or loss. It is also important to remember that those involved in the business end of the sport not only invest time, but also over the course of developing fighters invest in those fighters from a financial standpoint.

It is perhaps more important in the long-term picture to make sure that there are options on the table for all parties involved regardless of whom should emerge victorious in a would be “Super-Fight.” Although some may believe that it would be tempting to put together a fight like this as a significant pay-per-view draw as soon as possible, the other thing to consider is whether or not attempting to continue to grow interest in such a fight would perhaps be better in the long-term. 

An argument could be made that some of the most memorable “Super-Fights” are those fights that are built over a significant period of time and in some cases over a period of years. In almost all cases fights that were built up over a period of time left the fighters involved in better positions coming out of the fight in the long-term as it more often than not gives fighters notoriety and increases their marquee value.

Even though following the Stevenson-Kovalev twinbill last November there did not seem to be any roadblocks that would prevent a potential unification bout between the two. It was recently announced that Stevenson will face top Light-Heavyweight contender Andrzej Fonfara on May 24th. What makes this noteworthy is the fight will be televised by Showtime in the United States.

Both Stevenson and Kovalev have fought their most recent fights on HBO, the main rival of Showtime for many years. The current landscape of the sport at least in terms of where marquee fights are televised in the United States is largely driven by the rivalry between the two networks, which some might argue has both positives and negatives for fighters.

It goes without saying that the sport of Boxing has many detractors who will point out all the negative things that the sport deals with. In this case however, with two of the sport’s big-time players engaged in competition with the goal of trying to put on the best fights possible for the Boxing fans who have always supported the sport in good times and bad is good in the eyes of this observer. The more that there is competition among television networks looking to bring the best and most competitive fights to their audience, the better.

Some could easily say however, that increased competition between networks and promoters could potentially and has in some ways stood in the way of some marquee fights being made. With the news that Stevenson will be facing Fonfara on May 24th on Showtime very much fresh in the minds of Boxing fans and experts alike, Sergey Kovalev entered the ring to defend his WBO Light-Heavyweight world title against undefeated contender Cedric Agnew on March 29th in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Although Agnew was undefeated going into this fight he was unknown to most. Going into this fight I wondered whether or not all the discussion of the potential fight with Stevenson and the news that some might consider a potential roadblock standing in the way of that fight taking place would have any effect on Kovalev.

Despite a tactical approach and a high defensive guard, Agnew was unable to avoid Kovalev’s power as the champion gradually broke his opponent down, scoring three knockdowns en route to a seventh round knockout. Although Agnew was outgunned in this fight, he does deserve credit for the tactical way he attempted to fight Kovalev and he was successful sporadically with his offense. For Agnew, his effort in this fight could well lead to another opportunity against a top contender in the division down the line.

For the champion Sergey Kovalev his second successful title defense will likely be viewed as a win that will lead to bigger and better things down the road. Kovalev did however, show in this fight that he was not distracted by all the talk of the potential fight with Stevenson perhaps not happening at least in terms of the immediate future.

The attention however, will now focus on Adonis Stevenson as he prepares to face Andrzej Fonfara on May 24th. Will all the attention and discussion surrounding the anticipated potential showdown with Kovalev have any effect on Stevenson in this fight? An interesting question that Boxing fans are likely going to ask as that fight draws closer. The spotlight however, will first shine on IBF champion Bernard Hopkins and WBA champion Beibut Shumenov as they prepare to square off in a unification bout on April 19th in Washington, D. C.

Although much of the attention has focused on Kovalev and Stevenson in recent times with regard to the Light-Heavyweight division it is important to remember that in the current landscape of the division. It’s true both Kovalev and Stevenson are emerging stars and are likely the future of the division. The Light-Heavyweight division still presents one man who not only has skills, but attracts fights on marquee value alone. Bernard Hopkins…

It could be a valid point that no matter the outcome of the Hopkins-Shumenov fight that most would say that Hopkins will likely remain the fighter for whom all fighters in the Light-Heavyweight division will seek an opportunity to fight as long as the forty-nine-year-old future Hall of Famer continues to fight. Hopkins thus far has not indicated any plans to retire in the near future. 

 

Although a fight between Kovalev and Stevenson remains a highly anticipated fight, one could assume that both are likely looking at the perhaps bigger goal. This would be to face the winner of the Hopkins-Shumenov fight and thus look to be in better position in the long-term future.

No matter what happens on April 19th, the landscape of the Light-Heavyweight division will change. As networks and promoters continue to vie to put on the best fights possible for the Boxing fans, some may continue to focus on the negative aspects. This observer chooses to view the division as being on the threshold of a new exciting era. 

Hopkins, Kovalev, Stevenson, and Shumenov all in the mix.  Let’s not forget there are many other contenders and former world champions with Boxing skills and knockout power. The Light-Heavyweight division might be the most explosive division in the sport.

 “And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

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Why Khan-Collazo Fight Benefits Both Fighters

When it comes to the Welterweight division there is little doubt that the two main marquee attractions are Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Both Mayweather and Pacquiao have been at the top of most pound for pound debates for several years, but more importantly when it comes to the Welterweight and even the Jr. Middleweight divisions both are the big money draws that all opponents vie for an opportunity to fight.

Former world champions Amir Khan and Luis Collazo are no exception. Khan the former unified world Jr. Welterweight champion, who reigned over the division for three years between 2009 and 2012 has become one of the sport’s rising stars. Khan however, has had to deal with adversity that some might argue has derailed his standing among the sport’s pound for pound debates.

Khan, despite suffering some setbacks has shown the ability to persevere. Some will remember Khan suffering a first round knockout loss at the hands of Breidis Prescott in September 2008 in fifty-four seconds. Under circumstances where most would be discouraged and some fighters have found it difficult to bounce back, Khan persevered going on to win the WBA world title in the Jr. Welterweight division by scoring a twelve round unanimous decision over Andreas Kotelnik in 2009.

Khan went on to successfully defend and partially unify his title with the IBF Jr. Welterweight world title five times before having to deal with further adversity in back-to-back fights with Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia. Khan would lose the IBF portion of his title to Peterson in December 2011 in what was a closely fought battle, but was reinstated as WBA champion after Peterson failed a post-fight drug test as he tested positive for a banned substance. Khan would then face undefeated WBC champion Danny Garcia in July 2012.

In that fight Khan suffered knockdowns in the third and fourth rounds before the fight was stopped in round four. After suffering two setbacks, Khan would again show the ability to bounce back returning to the ring later that year to stop Jr. Welterweight contender Carlos Molina in ten rounds.

In his last fight Khan survived being knocked down in the fourth round to win a hard-fought twelve round unanimous decision over former Lightweight world champion Julio Diaz. Although Khan’s rise up the sport’s mythical pound for pound ratings may have been derailed by suffering those setbacks, he is still a star of the sport and should be considered a threat to anyone in the Welterweight division.

As much as Khan’s ability to overcome adversity has become a key component throughout his career, the same holds true for former Welterweight world champion Luis Collazo. As this observer has said in the past Collazo might be more known as a fighter who has had decisions go against him in notable fights throughout his career, despite the fact that he is a former world champion.

Despite losing to Ricky Hatton, Andre Berto, and Shane Mosley on the marquee stage of the sport over the course of his career, Collazo has persevered. After suffering a loss to Freddy Hernandez in 2011, Collazo went on to win three straight fights leading up to his encounter with former Welterweight world champion Victor Ortiz in January of this year. Collazo brought the fight to a sudden and dramatic conclusion when a perfectly timed counter right hook dropped Ortiz late in the second round.

A sudden and perhaps unexpected knockout win that has reestablished Collazo in the Welterweight division. As I said in covering that fight in January if there was something to take away from that fight that may be inspiring is that perseverance can indeed pay off. Both Amir Khan and Luis Collazo are examples of that.

In addition to being former world champions both Khan and Collazo share something else in common, the desire to not only reach the top of the mountain once again by becoming world champions, but also the desire in wanting a fight against Floyd Mayweather. For a time it appeared as though Khan would get the opportunity to face Mayweather so much so that he pulled out of a scheduled fight against former two-division world champion Devon Alexander.

The potential of a fight between Mayweather and Khan seemed to be somewhat enhanced by an online poll conducted by Mayweather that saw Khan receive more votes than the recently crowned WBA Welterweight world champion and former Khan opponent Marcos Maidana, who Mayweather eventually decided to fight on May 3rd in Las Vegas. Khan however, may have received the next best opportunity as it was announced earlier this week that he will face Collazo on the Mayweather-Maidana undercard.

Although some may feel that Amir Khan was pushed aside by Mayweather opting to face Maidana instead of him, in all truth and honesty Mayweather choosing to face Maidana was the most logical option for Mayweather at this stage of his career. Maidana after all did score a dominant victory over Adrien Broner, Mayweather’s friend who has been called Mayweather’s protege by some in December of last year to win the WBA title. It was only natural to assume after that fight last December that there would be significant demand for Mayweather to face Maidana with the intriguing storyline of whether Maidana could duplicate his performance by defeating Mayweather with the undefeated Mayweather looking to avenge his friend’s defeat.

Mayweather’s choice however, by choosing to fight Maidana now opens the door for another intriguing storyline as both Khan and Collazo have vocally expressed their desire to face him. The fact that now Khan and Collazo will face each other as the co-main event on the Mayweather-Maidana card presents a perfect opportunity for both fighters to make their case to face the winner of that fight. This would seem logical seeing as Collazo is currently ranked third in the world in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) rankings and Khan being ranked number two by the World Boxing Council (WBC).

When you also take into the equation that the three fighters who are currently ranked ahead of Khan and Collazo, Paul Malignaggi and Keith Thurman in the WBA rankings and Luis Carlos Abregu in the WBC rankings all have scheduled fights in the next month. What this amounts to in the often political and often confusing landscape of the sport and it’s rankings is an elimination bout between Khan and Collazo to see who will be in line to face the Mayweather-Maidana winner.

Although I am very much looking forward to providing further analysis about this fight as May 3rd draws closer, an argument should be made that no matter who should emerge victorious between Khan and Collazo, both are likely to be in good position for potential big money fights in the Welterweight division in the long-term picture. A testament for two fighters who have made careers out of their ability to overcome adversity and persevere.

“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 

  

Touted Fighter Chantel “Gorgeous Babe” Cordova Upset In Bid For World Title Fight

Press Release: March 22, 2014 By Martin Hines and Sundown Entertainment- COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Maria Suarez wanted to give her soon-to-be 16-year old son a wonderful birthday present. On Friday night at the Pueblo Convention Center, she did just that. Suarez (8-0) remained undefeated by hanging tough through six rounds against the home-town favorite, Chantel “Gorgeous Babe” Cordova (12-5-1). Suarez, who supervises her California hometown’s Head Start early education program, impressed the partisan crowd with her aggressive style.

“I got into fighting about seven years ago,” said Suarez. “My son is going to be sixteen tomorrow and I used to take him to the gym when he was eight years old. He fought amateur for awhile, but I’m the one that stuck around and took on this profession. This isn’t even my full-time job. I have a master’s degree, so this is a hobby of mine—this is my passion—I love it!”    

Cordova enjoyed early success as an amateur—winning two national championships and three Golden Gloves titles—but her three-fight win streak came to an end and temporarily set back ambitions for a title fight.

“It does [set me back] a little bit, but you got to move forward and get another win,” said a Cordova, who was surrounded by family and friends. “You just need to get another opportunity. This last one was a setback, but the phone is always ringing. Hopefully, we get back on that trail and get that other “W” and it will lead to a title shot.”

The first bout of the night featured recent local hero, Ronnie Reams, who made quick work of the challenger Kevin Benson (1-3) in a first-round technical knockout (1:56). Days earlier, Reams (4-3) came to the aid of a female victim from further harm, as the kidnapping suspect chased her into the boxing gym where Reams and other boxers were training.

“With this fight, it’s just getting me back into the game, so I wasn’t worried about the fight at all,” said Reams, who avoided injury prior to the fight after the altercation with the kidnapping suspect. “When that event happened, I didn’t know all that was happening to the lady who was kidnapped, but at the same time the guy who was doing it, I tried not to hurt him.”

The next bout did not last much longer as, Izaak Cardona, landed a fierce combination against Robert Brewington, who was making his professional debut. Brewington (0-1) was outmatched by Cardona (6-0) after a round-one technical knockout.

Cardona enjoyed a large following for his first “Friday Night Fights” bout, “My family and friends love to come out and support me, and that gives me a little extra boost in the ring when you hear the roaring of the crowd in there.” In 2011 Cardona barely missed the Olympic Trials by one point at the USA Boxing National Championships. 

      

Other than the main event, one of the most entertaining bouts of the night featured Marcus Dawkins (4-1) against Javier Rodriguez (1-2). Dawkins wore down his opponent over four rounds (1:51), but Rodriguez succumbed after Dawkins landed a straight left hand after an up-jab. “Based on the way I fight, I knew that it was going to at least last a few rounds,” said Dawkins. “I start slow, but once I get going, I’m pretty good.”

Sundown Entertainment is a limited liability company which was started in 2013. The company’s headquarters is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. For more information about Sundown Entertainment please visit: www.sundownentertainmentllc.com.

Material Courtesy of: Sundown Entertainment Used with permission.

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

Where Things Stand In The Heavyweight Division So Far In 2014

The Heavyweight division appeared to be approaching what could be considered a new era at the end of 2013. Vitali Klitschko, the three-time World Heavyweight champion who’s third reign as champion as holder of the World Boxing Council (WBC) crown had ended after five years at the helm with the forty-two year old choosing to relinquish his title to focus on running for the presidency of Ukraine.

The move by Klitschko broke the domination of what this observer has called “The Two-Headed Heavyweight Championship Monster” known as the Klitschko brothers that has ruled atop the division of much of the last decade.  With Vitali out of active competition, the sole Klitschko remaining at the top of the division is the Unified IBF/WBO/WBA/IBO champion and younger brother of Vitali, Wladimir Klitschko. 

Some readers may remember the column I wrote toward the end of last year shortly after Vitali Klitschko relinquished the WBC championship.  Although the upcoming rematch between top Heavyweight contenders Bermane Stiverne and Chris Arreola, which is scheduled to take place on May 10th will fill the vacancy of the WBC championship in the division, I brought up the question of what may happen in the long-term future of the division.

Even though it is logical to assume that whomever should emerge out of the Stiverne-Arreola rematch would be on a collision course with Wladimir Klitschko to determine a full undisputed champion as I said last December there have been some interesting things that have happened since the beginning of 2014 and some upcoming encounters, which may take some of the attention away from the assumption that a unification between the Stiverne-Arreola winner and Wladimir Klitschko is inevitable. In regard to Wladimir Klitschko, he will defend his unified world championship against WBO number one contender Alex Leapai on April 26th in Germany.

The winner of that fight theoretically will then be slated to face IBF number one contender Kubrat Pulev. One could assume that a fight between the Klitschko-Leapai winner and Pulev would take place sometime later this year.  This would likely put a potential unification with the WBC champion on the back burner at least in terms of the immediate future.  The question therefore should be what about the rest of the division?

In the last month there have been four fights in the division that were attention grabbing and may in part give an indication as to what might occupy the rest of the division for the remainder of the year.  In February top contenders and former opponents Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora co-headlined a card in London, England.

On that evening last month both Chisora and Fury were dominant. Fury scoring a fourth round stoppage of Joey Abell and Chisora scoring a one-sided twelve round unanimous decision over Kevin Johnson.  In the days following that card, I commented that even though both Fury and Chisora discussed other potential opposition following their bouts that a rematch between the two made the most sense in my opinion.  

It was announced earlier this week that Fury and Chisora will square off for a second time on July 26th in Manchester, England.  The fight will be an elimination bout as recognized by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) to determine the next mandatory challenger in the governing body’s Heavyweight ratings following Alex Leapai’s upcoming challenge of Wladimir Klitshcko.  

The winner of the Fury-Chisora rematch would seem to be the third fighter in line to face Klitschko should he be successful against both Leapai and Pulev.  Although most would consider Klitschko a clear favorite in those bouts, it is important to remember that anything is possible and anything can happen inside the Boxing ring. It is certainly not out of the realm of possibility that if Klitschko were to lose against either Leapai or Pulev that there would be a rematch clause entitling Klitschko to an immediate rematch. This would seemingly prevent the winner of the Fury-Chisora rematch from getting their mandated title shot for a period of time if an opportunity to face whomever the WBC champion were not available to that winner. In regard to the WBC championship an elimination bout took place on March 15th in Bayamon, Puerto Rico between undefeated Heavyweight contender Deontay Wilder and top contender Malik Scott.

Wilder, who has been on a tear through the Heavyweight division came into the fight having scored thirty knockouts in as many fights. When a fighter begins their career on a knockout streak as Wilder has, questions will be asked with each fight about the fighter’s stamina and the caliber of opposition the fighter has faced.

Although Scott had shown the ability to be competitive against fighters like Dereck Chisora and Vyacheslav Glazkov in his career, Wilder would put an end to the fight quickly. A left hand to the temple followed by a glancing right hand put Scott down for the count at 1:36 of the first round. Even though there were some who booed at the conclusion of this fight citing the glancing right hand that did not land on Scott as he was going down, the left hand that landed just prior to that punch being thrown is what did the damage. As has been the case throughout his career, Wilder showed devastating and sudden power. The type of power that turns heads and generates interest. With the win Wilder now moves himself into position to challenge the winner of the Stiverne-Arreola rematch.

Although there are questions that remain for Deontay Wilder, with each successive knockout he continues to impress. The fact of the matter is that Wilder is knocking out whomever is put in front of him. Even though there are some who might criticize his handlers for the level of opposition, you cannot dispute the power that he has shown nor is it necessarily fair to discredit the level of opposition simply because he has knocked out everyone he has faced.  Just how good Deontay Wilder truly is will be determined as he continues to face the top level of the Heavyweight division.

Another fight that took place in the division on March 15th involved former two-division world champion  Tomasz Adamek and undefeated contender Vyacheslav Glazkov in a fight to determine the number two ranking in the IBF’s Heavyweight ratings. Glazkov fought a near-perfect fight consistently beating Adamek to the punch in a fight that was one-sided that he dominated throughout earning a twelve round unanimous decision.

This fight as much as any was a perfect example of how a fight can be dominated with the use of a consistent jab to set up offense. In this fight Glazkov worked beautifully behind his jab to set up combinations and was brilliant through the first nine rounds of the fight. It seemed as though Glazkov had an answer for anything Adamek threw. The effects of the punishment dished out by Glazkov took an effect on Adamek as the right side of his face gradually swelled including his eye. The always “Game” Adamek never stopped trying to turn the fight in his favor and was able to make a rally in the last three rounds, but it wouldn’t be enough on this night as Glazkov would go on to a convincing decision win.

Glazkov, who came into the fight unbeaten in seventeen fights with a draw against Malik Scott, was considered by some to be an underdog against the vastly more experienced Adamek. The win for Glazkov now puts him into position to face the winner of the fight between the winner of the Klitschko-Leapai fight or Kubrat Pulev. It is also worth noting as of this writing that there remains no mandatory challenger in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Heavyweight ratings. It is logical to assume that while Klitschko fulfills his obligations to the IBF and WBO, that the WBA will hold an elimination bout to determine a new mandatory challenger.

It is however, debatable as to when a fight between presumably Klitschko and the WBA top contender would take place. Many will remember that top contender Alexander Povetkin held mandatory status in the WBA ratings for more than two years before he got his opportunity to challenge Klitschko. Unfortunately when there is a unified world champion in the sport where obligations of various governing bodies have to be met by the champion, contenders can sometimes be forced to play the waiting game.

Although the number one ranking in the WBA ratings is currently vacant in the Heavyweight division, number two rated contender Luis Ortiz is remaining active and is scheduled to face longtime contender and former world title challenger Monte Barrett on April 3rd in Indio, California. Depending on the results of that fight it is logical to assume that the victor would be placed in an elimination fight to determine a mandatory status for a title shot down the line.

Along with fighters such as Mike Perez and Bryant Jennings other fighters also remain very much in the mix. Undefeated contender Amir Mansour will defend his United States Boxing Association (USBA) title against former Cruiserweight world champion Steve Cunningham on April 4th. A similarity between Deontay Wilder and Amir Mansour is both have high knockout percentages. Unlike Wilder however, Mansour has gone the distance thus far in his career, most notably against veteran contender Maurice Harris in August of last year.

Mansour is currently rated number thirteen in the world by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and would appear to be on the verge of facing someone in the top ten. Mansour however, will face a difficult task when he faces the former world champion in Cunningham who is a highly skilled boxer and who is the only fighter to knock Tyson Fury down thus far in his career. As with the case of the other upcoming fights, the winner of this fight could be in position to challenge either Klitschko or the WBC champion at some point.

Although many will assume that all these scenarios and upcoming fights are a formality to an eventual unification clash for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World, nothing is a sure thing in the sport of Boxing. The one thing that is clear however, is that the remainder of 2014 and into 2015 should be an interesting and perhaps exciting time for the Heavyweight division.

Another interesting storyline to keep in mind as all these scenarios and fights take place is whether Wladimir Klitschko will be able to put himself in an elite group as he comes ever closer to the all-time record for successful title defenses by any world champion in the sport, which was set by Joe Louis who successfully defended the Heavyweight championship an incredible twenty-five times between 1937-1949. Only two fighters Larry Holmes who held the Heavyweight championship from 1978-1985 and Bernard Hopkins who held the Middleweight championship from 1994-2005 have come close to matching that record, each successfully defending their titles twenty times in their respective reigns.

Klitschko currently has fifteen successful defenses in his current reign as champion. A new era may indeed be approaching for the Heavyweight division, but for the Klitschko who remains atop the division, should he come close or even surpass Louis’ record it will be the icing on the cake in what has been a Hall of Fame career. Wladimir along with his brother Vitali are already future Hall of Famer’s, but if Wladimir was to put his name in that elite group along with Louis, Holmes, and Hopkins those who have not given credit nor appreciation for the brothers’ dominance of the Heavyweight division should give both brothers the credit they have rightfully earned as the best fighters of their era in the division.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

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