The BWAA Annual Awards Dinner

What struck me about last week's BWAA Annual Awards Dinner was how much it mattered to the honorees. It was significant enough for Naoya Inoue to take the around-the-world flight to accept the Fighter of the Year award, becoming the first Japanese fighter in the history of the BWAA to win the honor. It was enough for Bill Haney to fly in from Las Vegas to receive the Manager of the Year award, for Brian McIntyre to leave a training camp to come to New York to accept the Trainer of the Year award. 

That it was so meaningful to the honorees surprised me. Listen, every media outlet hands out awards of one kind or another (including this one) and does receiving an award from a group of writers still move the needle? In that this was my first BWAA Awards dinner (having recently been admitted into the association), I didn't exactly know what to expect. But the answer to the above question was an emphatic yes. There was little jadedness from the stars and dignitaries in the room. They were very excited to be there. And the ceremony itself packed an emotional wallop far deeper than I anticipated. The night wasn't one of going through the motions for each honoree; it was the culmination of a life's work. 

Inoue giving his acceptance speech
Photo by Adam Abramowitz

The great boxing photographer Ed Mulholland was honored for his fight against cancer. Also honored was Lisa McClellan, the sister of Gerald McClellan, the former middleweight champion who was severely injured in a fight against Nigel Benn in 1995. Lisa has been Gerald's primary caretaker for almost three decades. 

And there was Gordon Hall, the executive producer from the great ShoBox series, who was honored for his service to the sport. As grateful as Hall was for the recognition, his acknowledgment of the end of Showtime Boxing cast a brief pall over the room. One of the bright lights of American boxing had now gone dark. 

McIntyre choked up when talking about his journey to the top of the sport as a trainer. With his wife in the audience, he acknowledged the sacrifices needed to become the best. "I never stopped working on my craft," he said. And that had led to days, weeks, and months at a time of not being home. There was much joy and humor in his speech too, but his remarks were a reminder that boxing does not involve too many ordinary professions. 

Bill Haney spoke about overcoming the criticism that he received during his son Devin's developmental fights. The Haneys were determined to do it their own way. They were promoting shows in out-of-the-way places in front of few fans, but they believed in their mission. They wanted to be able to call their shots when the time was right. And they did, with Devin becoming an undisputed champion at lightweight and making millions upon millions in the sport. But it wasn't easy. It rarely is. 

One of the key players in the evening was Bob Arum, who sat at the table nearest the stage. Although he was not technically an honoree, his name was mentioned throughout the evening. McIntyre thanked him for taking a chance on Terence Crawford and him (this is despite an ongoing lawsuit between Crawford and Top Rank). Tim Bradley, who was honored for his achievement in broadcasting, thanked Arum for promoting him when he was a fighter and giving him a chance as a broadcaster. Bradley felt that he wasn't particularly good when he started behind the mic, but he credits his work ethic for success in both phases of his career. 

And sitting directly next to Arum during the dinner was Inoue. Arum raved about Inoue to me earlier in the evening, calling him a great kid. He loved his fighting ability. He loved his desire to be great. He loved his manners. 

Inoue was clearly the star of the show. With a group of 30 or so people traveling with him from Japan, (many were journalists and media members), whenever Inoue moved around the room, a crowd followed him. Other top fighters at the dinner, like Teofimo Lopez and Amanda Serrano (who was honored as Female Fighter of the Year), all wanted to have their picture taken with him. Jorge Linares and Inoue exchanged pleasantries in Japanese (Linares spent several years in Japan). 

During his speech, Inoue spoke about his gratitude for winning the award, and admitted how challenging his fights against Stephen Fulton and Marlon Tapales were. But he believed that those opponents helped push him to even greater heights. 

Inoue fought in America in 2017, 2020 and 2021 and while he won all three fights by stoppage, he returned to Japan for bigger opportunities. Although Inoue was certainly appreciated during his time in America, he has now become a much bigger deal. There was an excitement whenever he circulated around the room. An entourage followed his every step. At least in boxing circles, there is no doubt that he has become a genuine star, not just a great fighter. 

The evening also contained elements of the expected. There was a good steak. The booze was hit and miss. Lots of lawyers and fighters and girlfriends and sanctioning body henchmen filled the tables. There were those looking for opportunities and those whose opportunities in the sport had passed. There were dreamers, opportunists, functionaries, and old-timers. But among all the attendees, the boxing people who make up this crazy and ridiculous and beautiful sport, there was joy. There was warmth. It surprised me. And I loved it.  

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

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Opinions and Observations: Haney-Garcia

Haney-Garcia was the good stuff. It's why we watch – the theater of the unexpected, the element of surprise. It was a triumph for Ryan Garcia and a humbling experience for the Haneys (Devin and father/trainer Bill), as well as for boxing fans and observers, with so many convinced that the victory would be a formality for Haney, and that Garcia was on his way to an implosion in the ring. 

Garcia, who was a notable betting underdog entering the bout, was without a doubt the better fighter on the night, the one who dominated the second half, scoring three knockdowns. And Haney, for all his accomplishments in the ring, could not avoid Garcia's signature left hook. Haney displayed bravery in getting up from the knockdowns, but he was outgunned, and perhaps more concerning, outthought on the night. 

Photo courtesy of Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy

The first question that needs to be asked is why did Haney keep getting hit by Garcia's left hook? After the fight, Haney was asked about the punch and he acknowledged that he was certainly aware of Garcia's primary weapon. So, what happened? 

Garcia cracked Haney in the first round with the left hook and it's perfectly understandable that in the early part of the fight Garcia would have the element of surprise with the punch. It's one thing for Haney to see it on You Tube; it's another thing trying to defense it in the ring. Garcia whips his left hook with so much torque and can place it perfectly on the point of the chin. It's unlike most other left hooks in the sport. The trajectory, speed and power behind the shot is unique. It's not that Haney got hit with the shot early in the fight that's the major issue. Those things happen; the greats can make adjustments.  

My main issue with Haney's performance is how Garcia was able to land the shot later in the fight, after Haney had already seen it and had the opportunity to neutralize it. Haney, the supposed defensive master, continually got caught with the same left hook throughout the back half of the match. 

And this leads to the next question: Why was Haney still in range for the hook? Why didn't he try to make Garcia beat him with his right hand? Was it because of overconfidence? Arrogance? A lack of preparation? 

To be fair, Garcia's right hand was much better than advertised on the night and he had stretches of the fight where he created a lot of concern for Haney with his straight right. But none of the three knockdowns occurred from the right hand, and that was telling. At a certain point, a master boxer learns to take away a weapon. Recently, Shakur Stevenson did just this against Oscar Valdez. Stevenson was willing to get hit by Valdez's right hand to ensure that he stayed away from his left hook. On one hand Stevenson did get hit more than we are used to seeing, but he stayed upright and was able to win the fight comfortably because he understood the risk in front of him. 

The Haneys did not have a good night. Devin was in the pocket too much, in range far too often. Devin expected to grind Garcia down with volume and pressure. And although that initial strategy made sense when considering how badly Garcia blew weight and the legitimate questions about his mental state coming into the fight, why were there no adjustments from Haney when it was clear that Garcia remained a threat? 

With knockdowns in the seventh, 10th and 11th rounds, Haney continued to get pasted by Garcia's hook, and he let a victory slip away. Haney was essentially compliant in his own demise. He and his father were unable to get out of the same rut. 

Photo courtesy of Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy

Let's also take a moment to credit Garcia's other punches. Often called a one-trick pony, Garcia set up the first knockdown in the fight from a perfect hooking off the jab combination, where he landed the jab and immediately followed with the hook. The deception worked because of the effectiveness of Garcia's jab and his ability to throw both punches from the same arm slot; Haney didn't know what was coming. 

Garcia's right hand was a factor in the knockdowns in the 10th and 11th rounds. The tenth featured a multi-punch combination where he drove Haney back to the ropes with Haney eventually falling over from the onslaught. Garcia landed shots with both hands and it was a straight left in the exchange that did the most damage. In the 11th, Garcia was able to break free from a clinch (another subtle skill) and hit Haney with a cuffing right to the side of the head before unloading with a pulverizing six-inch left hook that had Haney's eyes rolling back before he hit the canvas. Without the right, I'm not sure that the left lands there. 

The fight contained all sorts of other goodies to discuss too. How about referee Harvey Dock's wild seventh round, where he might have missed two additional Garcia knockdowns (calling them slips after clean shots were landed), and rushing in to give Haney loads of extra time. He took a point away from Garcia for hitting on the break (which was certainly within his judgment to do so), but he took a massive amount of time to restart the action as Haney was reeling.  

Ultimately, I think that there are two key takeaways from the fight. First of all, you can never discount a guy with an A+ punch. It doesn't matter if a fighter is getting beaten from pillar to post or has all sorts of other disadvantages in a given matchup; the big-time punches are separators. There are so few legitimate A+ punches in the sport that we tend to forget just how rare and special they are. Ryan Garcia is live in any fight because of his left hook. He can drop or stop anyone with it. It is up to the opponent to neutralize the shot, because if Garcia is allowed to land his hook, the punch can and will change a fight. 

I think the other key is the poor strategic and tactical performance from Devin and his father. In the Kambosos fights, Devin was masterful in staying on the outside to win. Yet, Devin and his father never employed this approach at any time against Garcia. They were determined to be the hunter, to go after Garcia, and they suffered because of it. Was it a stubbornness that they refused to change, or did the moment get away from them? They were never able to regain control in the second half of the fight. 

The official ledger from the fight will say that Garcia won by majority decision. There will also be a note that he missed weight by three pounds, with the upshot being that Garcia did not win Haney's title belt. Yet none of that really encapsulates the fight. Garcia was the one who dug down deep and turned the fight around. In the process, he not only beat a pound-for-pound-level fighter, but exposed serious shortcomings with Devin and his corner. 

Overall, Haney-Garcia was a thrilling night of action. I certainly hope that there's a rematch and it will be fascinating to see what happens if the Haneys get their tactics right. But first, a big piece of humble pie needs to be consumed. They need to respect their opponents more. And they also must understand the concepts of fallibility and mortality in the ring. Every fighter can be gotten to, every fighter can be hurt, but the key question is what happens next? And this is where they failed. 

On this night Ryan Garcia was king. He had heard all the criticism; he even played his role in facilitating much of it! But he reminded everyone what he can do in the boxing ring. As long as he has his left hand, he is a threat. To anybody.

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook 

Opinions and Observations: Prograis-Haney

In the Two Things Can Be True Department, Devin Haney was dominant in shutting out Regis Prograis to win Prograis' 140-lb. belt, while Regis never looked like he was strategically or emotionally invested in winning the fight. Haney fired hard straight right hands and took away Prograis straight left by moving to his left side. He kept turning Prograis throughout the fight, forcing him to reset his feet. Ultimately, Prograis was completely defanged and offered little. From his initial game plan to his unwillingness to make adjustments, Prograis was poor in every facet. As Haney continued to connect with big right hands, including a picture-perfect lead right in the third that scored a knockdown, Regis insisted on remaining at mid-range, refusing to change the pattern of the fight. 

As early as the first round of the fight, I was skeptical of Prograis' approach. Instead of applying pressure or trying to make it a physical battle, Prograis operated in pure counterpuncher mode. Very quickly Haney established that he had the far faster hands and the athletic agility to get out of range for counters. 

And it's not as if Prograis doesn't know how to apply pressure. We have to go all the way back to...his last fight against Danielito Zorrilla, where Prograis essentially won that fight with pressure and front-foot boxing. Although Prograis wasn't particularly effective in the bout, it was his pressure and effective-enough aggression that led to him securing the victory. 

But Prograis never tried to apply pressure against Haney. In a curious move coming into the fight, Prograis demoted his longtime trainer Bobby Benton in favor of Julian Chua. Prograis and Benton had been through the wars together and for whatever deficiencies Prograis may have lacked as a fighter, Benton played a large role in Prograis becoming a two-time champion at junior welterweight. Yes, it's true that Prograis didn't look good last fight and perhaps that's why he believed that he needed to make a change, but clearly the combination of Chua as lead and Benton in support didn't work. They got their initial fight plan 100% wrong and no significant adjustments were made.

Haney landing one of many right hands
Photo courtesy of Ed Mulholland

However, let's not throw this all on training team. At a certain point, a fighter needs to try to find a way to win. And after getting picked apart at range, if Prograis was truly interested in changing the outcome of the fight, then he would have tried whatever he could to turn the tide. But he didn't. He was compliant in his own demise, accepting getting hit from mid-range instead of going for broke for a knockout. 

A noted trainer said on X during the fight that Prograis made a silent agreement with Haney. This is a concept that's been discussed from time to time in the sport, where the losing fighter is willing to accept being beaten a certain way as long as he doesn't get knocked out. So, if the opponent isn't really trying to end things, then the fighter who is losing is content to accept the status quo of losing round after round. It's not fighting in survival mode, where a fighter does whatever he has to in order to stay in a fight; this is something else. It's an unspoken pact to limit aggression. And I agree with the trainer 100% that Prograis engaged in this behavior during the fight. 

In the latter rounds of the fight, Prograis seemed far more interested in making it to the final bell than further engaging Haney. By the eighth round, Haney had already had the fight won as long as nothing foolish happened. He had made a significant statement by outboxing AND outslugging Prograis. To him, he had already put in his work. Although he still won the final third of the fight, it's fair to say that he didn't go for broke to get the stoppage either. And I'm fine with that. He had already answered every question about this matchup that had been asked of him.  

Haney and his father/trainer Bill got everything right on Saturday. There are several different decisions that they could have made to beat Prograis, but they arrived at the right ones, the ones that led to victory and elevated Devin's status within the sport. They could have counterpunched, relying on Devin's faster hands. They could have tried to dance or stink their way to a decision. But what they concocted was the perfect approach to neutralizing Prograis and overcoming Devin's past weaknesses.

Haney dropping Prograis in the third
Photo courtesy of Ed Mulholland

It's not a secret that Haney had faded at times in the second half of fights. The bouts against Lomachenko, Linares and Diaz were examples of this. There were three contributing factors to Haney's fades in my opinion, each of which was addressed by Bill and Devin on Saturday. Haney at times moved a little too much in fights, which contributed to his gas tank being a little lower in a fight's final third. He also wound up giving up ground to pressure fighters, allowing them to build up a head of steam, not to mention confidence. Haney had also begun to outgrow the lightweight division, which further depleted his stamina. 

So, against Prograis, Haney wasn't moving around the entire ring. He almost always was in ring center. He wasn't giving up a tremendous amount of ground whenever Prograis decided to let his hands go. Instead, he relied on his defensive technique and subtle lateral movement to remain out of harm's way. He didn't need to run a track meet to avoid shots. 

Even after establishing a large lead, Haney refused to give ground. He didn't languish on the ropes or use the outskirts of the ring to protect himself or catch a breather. Instead, he remained in the center of the ring and continued to follow his game plan that he had established at the fight's outset. 

Haney also looked much stronger at 140 pounds. His punches were the ones that were far more impactful. He hurt Prograis multiple times in the fight and busted his face up. In addition, at no point did Haney look like he was out of gas. He may have been on cruise control in the final few rounds of the fight, but he still did more than enough to win all of them. 

One further thing I liked from Haney was that he simplified his attack. He mostly relied on his straight right hand and jab-straight right hand combo to rule the day. He did mix in a couple of blistering right uppercuts and a few bracing left hooks to the body, but he wasn't out there trying to show off his entire arsenal every round. He stuck with the tools that were working. I think that earlier in his career Haney was so amped up to make a statement about what he could do offensively that he would try to unload every type of punch known to man without a coherent understanding of which punches to use or when to use them. But against Prograis he understood exactly which punches needed to be thrown and didn't deviate from what was working. To me, that showed a large leap of maturity in Haney. 

At 25, Haney is in his physical prime, but he also has vital experience against top opposition. Although he had always been a boxing savant, seemingly sparring with everyone as a young fighter and learning from several of the best trainers in the business, he needed to experience adversity, learn from it and figure out how to become a better fighter. 

He was rocked by Linares, but stayed on his feet to win. He fought as the away fighter in hostile environments in the two Kambosos fights. He yielded too much real estate in the ring to Diaz and Lomachenko. And maybe he has learned that he's much better in the center of the ring than he realized, or perhaps he's just more confident there now. He trusts his defense and chin in a way that he might not have a few years ago. He's now become a complete fighter. 

Haney displaying his new belt after the fight
Photo courtesy of Ed Mulholland

At 34 Prograis now looks far removed from his best days. His athleticism and reflexes aren't what they were, but perhaps even more concerning, his willingness to do whatever it takes to win seems to have left him. Maybe there is a matchup or two where he would do well given the right opponent. He still has enough power to hurt people. But if his desire and ambition aren't there in the ring, then I'm not sure how much longer he has at the top reaches at 140. He didn't go down swinging on Saturday; he went away meekly. 

But meek would never be a word to describe Haney's ambition in the ring. His desire to improve, to become a great fighter is palpable. He wants to stamp his name among the greats of his era. And while he's already made good money, it's clear that money is not necessarily his primary motivating factor. He wants the big stage. He doesn't mind putting himself at risk. In fact, he seems to thrive on that. 

Haney has always had the boxing skills to be considered a top young fighter, but his intangibles are what may separate him from the other top talents in his age cohort. He wants the challenges. It's not about what promotional team he's on or getting every possible advantage before he steps in the ring. He welcomes the tough assignments because he's that confident in his abilities. And he has the intelligence and the humility to realize that he can always get better. 

It's been thrilling to watch Haney's development in the ring from top prospect to champion to becoming one of the elites in the sport. He has developed in the right way. Sure, he has pride, but he's also willing to get his hands dirty if it's required. He understands that greatness has to be earned in the ring. And he wants to earn. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.