Big
Story of the Month: The Killers
The
most compelling story of June was the power surge in the sport provided by
Adonis Stevenson, Sergey Kovalev and Gennady Golovkin. All three fighters
scored stoppages within three rounds and electrified boxing fans with their
fistic assaults. Each has international backgrounds that involve
a melding of disparate boxing influences –
Stevenson, Haitian-born, based in Montreal, who was a pupil of the
late Emanuel Steward; Kovalev, an orthodox Russian who employs
a slick southpaw from Florida (John David Jackson) as a coach;
Golovkin, a Kazakh Olympic silver medalist who trains in Southern California,
often sparring against tough Mexican and Mexican-American fighters.
Stylistically,
these fighters are tough to pin down. Kovalev and Golovkin have excellent footwork,
cut off the ring beautifully and feature a wide arsenal. Stevenson has
God-given power in his left hand and has the height,
daring and athleticism to cause all sorts of problems for opponents.
Boxing is in much better shape today because of these three. Expect plenty
of more knockouts from this tandem. Add Lucas Matthysse to this list as another
Killer and these might be the best four power punchers in the
sport.
TO
THE FIGHTS
A
Damn Good Month
Alfredo
Angulo: It's
not often that the fighter who lost (Angulo) had a better month than the one
who beat him (Erislandy Lara). Such is the world of expectations, where Angulo,
who was a huge underdog, knocked down Lara twice before retiring in the
10th after a heavy shot to the eye. Very few gave Angulo a chance to
beat Lara and he showed that he can be a viable fighter in one of the best
divisions in the sport.
Sakio
Bika: In his
fourth opportunity for a major title belt, Bika finally succeeded by besting
Marco Antonio Periban. The fight was close, crude and wildly entertaining. What
Bika lacked in polish, he made up for with tenacity. Although he won't pose a
threat to the top of the super middleweight division, he's still a tough,
rugged fighter who brings his best effort every time out.
Brooklyn
Boxing: Since
launching its Brooklyn Boxing series at the Barclays Center last year,
Golden Boy has seen strong growth at the gate. In the last two months,
attendance figures broke 10,000 for fights headlined by Garcia-Judah and
Broner-Malignaggi. Golden Boy has a number of attractive ticket sellers in the
Northeast and the company should be praised for successfully opening up a
new market for boxing fans.
Julio
Cesar Chavez Jr.: For
not fighting, he had an excellent month. Why is that? The Nevada State Athletic
Commission reduced his fine for a positive marijuana test from $900,000 to
$100,000. Put that into context: most fighters will never sniff $800k in their
careers. I'm sure that Chavez had an appropriate celebration upon hearing
the good news.
Anthony
Crolla: Moving
up from junior lightweight to lightweight, Crolla faced the best opponent of
his career in Gavin Rees and won a majority decision. Crolla isn't a great
fighter by any stretch but a future payday against titlist Ricky Burns will
certainly put some more zeroes in his bank account. However you look at his
performance against Rees (and I had him losing), he's in a much better position
now than he was 30 days ago.
Gennady
Golovkin: Making
quick work of Matthew Macklin, a fighter who gave Sergio Martinez and Felix
Sturm loads of trouble, Golovkin's status in the sport continues to ascend. He
landed a left hook to the liver that truly pulverized Macklin, keeping him down
on the canvas for several minutes. Boxing fans will be talking about that punch
for a long time, but will they remember the two beautiful uppercuts that set up
the shot? Golovkin's package of power, footwork and ring
intelligence provides him with the potential to become one of true
elites in the sport. He has quickly emerged as one of the faces of HBO
boxing.
Bryant
Jennings: Jennings
continues to make progress in his rise toward the top of the heavyweight
division. Facing the rugged Andrey Fedosov, Jennings had to survive some tough
early rounds before taking control of the fight with his movement and power
shots, specifically his lead left hook and straight right hand. The fight ended
early because of a cut, but Jennings demonstrated that he could make needed
adjustments against a game opponent.
Sergey
Kovalev: Kovalev's
path of destruction continues. In June, Cornelius White was the latest victim;
he didn't make it out of the third round. Working with John David Jackson in
Florida, Kovalev features excellent balance and poise in addition to his heavy,
heavy hands. After considering a bout with Bernard Hopkins, Kovalev decided
to go for his first title shot against Nathan Cleverly in August.
Marcos
Maidana: Maidana
had to wade through some tense moments against Josesito Lopez, but he broke
through in sixth round, knocking him down with a beautiful right hand and
earning the stoppage just a few moments later. Matched correctly, Maidana still
provides a ton of entertainment value. He ended the month on a down note,
getting in a car crash in Argentina. Luckily, he sustained no major injuries
and should be ready to fight again later on in the fall.
Sergio
Mora: ESPN was
nice enough to give Sergio Mora another opportunity to appear on its airwaves,
a very magnanimous gesture – Mora can be brutal to watch. Mora seized his
opportunity and dominated fringe contender Grzegorz Proksa over 10 rounds. He
even demonstrated an offensive temperament at times. It was a good showing
for Mora who needed this kind of performance to keep him viable in the
sport.
Adonis
Stevenson: Moving
up from super middleweight to light heavyweight to face champion Chad Dawson
seemed like a tall order for Adonis "Superman" Stevenson. Perhaps the
nickname is apt, because his left hand that starched Dawson in the first round
seemed otherworldly. Although not as disciplined in the
ring as fellow Killers Golovkin, Matthysse and Kovalev,
Stevenson might have the single best one-punch knockout power in the sport. No
fighter had a better month than Stevenson did. Big opportunities are in store
for him.
Not
the Best Month, Not the Worst Month
Adrien
Broner: Barely
getting by Paulie Malignaggi is not the stuff that legends are made out of. Two
judges favored Broner's power punches over Malignaggi's volume (I did as well)
and Broner can move on to bigger opportunities. However, he failed to dominate
and at times seemed uninterested during the fight. After his victory,
he implored the fans to let him know whom he should face next.
They want Matthysse. Does Broner?
Brandon
Gonzales: Stepping
up in opposition against South Africa's Thomas Oosthuizen, Gonzales, a sizable
underdog, dominated the first half of the fight. Unfortunately, Gonzales was
far less active in the last few rounds and he essentially gave the fight away,
earning a draw. Gonzales has the athleticism, footwork and punch arsenal to be
a player in the super middleweight division, but first he needs to improve his
conditioning and continue to gain seasoning. He's not yet a 12-round
fighter.
Virgil
Hunter: He
didn't win his two biggest bouts of the month – Angulo against Lara and
Gonzalez against Oosthuizen – but he got far more out of his
fighters than expected. His work with Angulo in cutting off the ring
and applying intelligent pressure was nothing short of remarkable. In addition,
his seductive pleadings to Gonzales in the corner will be a touchstone in
boxing circles for years to come.
Erislandy
Lara: Most
expected Lara to bomb out Angulo with his accuracy, footwork and power.
Although Lara did score the 10th round TKO and won a majority of the rounds, he
did taste the canvas twice. One of the knockdowns was the result of trying
to escape the pocket with his hands down, a major defensive lapse. Although
Lara showed toughness and resiliency in the fight, his reluctance to throw
punches and perhaps a shaky beard could derail him sooner rather than later.
Paulie
Malignaggi: Malignaggi
lost a split decision to Broner. He didn't deserve the victory but he put forth
a spirited effort. He won most of the early rounds on activity and ring
generalship but once Broner let his hands go, Malignaggi was bested. It was a
good performance from Malignaggi and it at least shows that he
remains viable in one of the best divisions in the sport.
Seth
Mitchell: Barely
escaping an early knockdown in his rematch against Jonathon Banks, Mitchell
tentatively boxed his way to a unanimous victory. On the plus side, at least he
demonstrated that he knows how to tie-up. However, he fought with too much
caution and he was clearly hurt by Banks at a number of points throughout the
fight. His performance didn't instill much confidence that his career is back
on track.
Willie
Nelson: Nelson
was supposed to be in a showcase fight against Luciano Cuello; instead he wound
up holding on for dear life. Although Nelson has an impressive package of size,
height, power and an offensive temperament, his defense is a work-in-progress
and his chin is suspect. He'll have some fun fights before his career is
up, but without making some needed adjustments (perhaps with a trainer other
than Jack Loew), he'll be fodder for the best in the junior middleweight
division.
Thomas
Oosthuizen: Making
his HBO debut, Oosthuizen looked perplexed during the first half of his fight
against Brandon Gonzalez. He eventually started to score in the later rounds with
straight lefts and some short right hooks. He wound up with a debatable draw
(the majority of ringside observers felt that he had lost). His performance
will most likely not inspire U.S. networks to have him make an immediate
return engagement.
Is
this Month Over Yet?
Jonathon
Banks: In the
first three rounds of his rematch against Seth Mitchell, it seemed that Banks
was on his way to score his second consecutive knockout victory over the young
heavyweight. Then, something strange happened: he decided to stop throwing. In
one of the more bizarre showings in recent memory, Banks fought
(although that's too strong of a word) with complete indifference through most
of the second half of his fight. He lost a winnable decision, and probably only
he knows why he failed to pull the trigger. Weird.
Chad
Dawson: Upon
returning to his natural division at light heavyweight after being stopped
by Andre Ward, the thought was that Dawson would continue his reign at 175
against Adonis Stevenson. Conventional wisdom lasted for less than three
minutes in the ring as Dawson was unable to make it out of the first round.
Stevenson tattooed Dawson with an enormous left hand and now Dawson has
been knocked out in two consecutive fights. This was an enormous
setback for his career. Never a fan favorite or a particularly
pleasing fighter to watch, I'm not sure what's next for him.
Joan
Guzman: Guzman
was supposed to have a junior welterweight eliminator in June and instead
weighed in at 8.5 lbs. over the limit, completing a cycle where he has eaten
his way out of relevance in boxing. Talent is such a terrible thing to
waste, but Guzman didn't merely waste his; he blowtorched it.
Josesito
Lopez: He was
in the fight with Maidana before it was stopped (I'd say prematurely) in the
sixth round. However, he now has back-to-back knockout losses on his resume.
Although a fun and spirited fighter, he lacks a true finishing punch and has
major defensive shortcomings. He's a fun guy to watch and an easy one to root
for, but he'll need to be matched very carefully as he moves on, or his career
will end very quickly.
J'Leon
Love: Love
tested positive last month for a banned diuretic after his fight with Gabriel
Rosado, where he earned a disputed split decision. The Nevada State Athletic
Commission correctly changed that result to a "no-contest" and
suspended him for six months.
Grzegorz
Proksa: Less
than a year ago, he was challenging Golovkin on HBO. Now, he lost to Sergio
Mora on ESPN. I'm pretty sure that this isn't the career trajectory that
he or his team envisioned. Proksa looked completely befuddled by Mora's
movement and it was a very poor showing for him. He'll have a long slog to get
back to relevance in the middleweight division.
Gavin
Rees: Rees
fought well against Anthony Crolla, but he wasn't rewarded by the judges.
He dropped a majority decision. Rees still has the activity, punch volume
and spirit to compete at lightweight, but losing to a glorified journeyman
(however dubious the decision was) doesn't put his career in a good place.
Bad
Broadcasters:
Max
Kellerman, HBO: Kellerman's
incessant love poems to broadcast partner Andre Ward have now detracted from
several fights, most noticeably in Froch-Kessler II last month, but also in
June's Oosthuizen-Gonzalez match. Ultimately, this constant smooching of Ward
detracts from the fights at hand and calls into question Kellerman's
impartiality and objectivity as a broadcaster. Kellerman is a
knowledgeable boxing resource and truly loves the sport, but around Ward, he
sounds like an awestruck or too deferent fan. Max, Andre won't be going
home with you.
Adam
Smith and Glenn McCrory, Sky: Quite
frankly, Smith and McCrory's call of the Rees-Crolla fight was the most biased
account I have heard in recent memory. Throughout the fight, they remarked how
Gavin Rees may be on his way out of boxing, despite Rees winning many of the
rounds. They consistently rewarded Crolla's defense although he was getting hit
and they barely noticed his low punch output throughout much of the
fight. Their call of the action smacked of an agenda. Remember, Smith
is not just a broadcaster; he runs Sky's boxing programming.
Adam Abramowitz is the head writer and founder of saturdaynightboxing.com.
He is also a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
Contact Adam at saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com
Adam Abramowitz is the head writer and founder of saturdaynightboxing.com.
He is also a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
Contact Adam at saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com
@snboxing on twitter
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