Catching My Eye: Ortiz, Rigo, Franco, Buatsi

If Golden Boy envisioned an ideal scenario for how the Vergil Ortiz-Egidijus "Mean Machine" Kavaliauskas fight would play out, Saturday's match would have been exactly that. Ortiz faced real fire in the second round and was stunned by Mean Machine's combination punching on the inside. But Ortiz rallied and scored a knockdown in the third round and ended the fight in the eighth with four additional knockdowns. Ultimately, it was "Mission Accomplished" for Ortiz, but despite the conclusiveness of his victory, he was in a real fight; all went according to plan.  

Ortiz is now 18-0, with all of his victories coming by stoppage, but he's not a one-shot knockout artist. He features a large punch arsenal and attains his stoppages more by punch placement and fluidity of his combinations rather than sheer power. Make no mistake, he landed a vicious left hook for one of his knockdowns in the eighth round that could topple any welterweight, but I think that his first two knockdowns of the fight – landing a picture-perfect three-punch combination for the first, and the second with a cleverly disguised jab to the body – are more characteristic of his offensive gifts. 

Ortiz looking at his fallen foe
Photo courtesy of Stacey M. Snyder

For a guy who likes to mix it up in the trenches, Ortiz has one aspect of his offensive profile that is highly underrated, and it's a significant one: his hand speed. Ortiz is one of those fighters with much faster hands than feet. His footwork is purposeful and he gets in position to land his shots, but opponents often don't see his punches coming. He may not have the flash of Ryan Garcia's hands, but Ortiz's shots get their quickly. This can also be explained by his stellar punching technique. There's very little wasted motion in his punches and he has an acute understanding of positioning. It's unusual to see him wildly miss or load up with punches. He knows that he possesses power, but more importantly, by landing in combinations he realizes that he can open up an opponent without worrying about landing a home run.  

Mean Machine and Maurice Hooker both had success early in their respective fights against Ortiz. It's almost as if Ortiz needs to get hit flush before he kicks in to high gear. On one hand, he has shown a great ability to make adjustments. The uppercuts that Mean Machine landed in the second weren't a factor later in the match. But it does appear that Ortiz could be vulnerable, especially early in fights. It's one thing to lose a low-intensity round or two to start a fight; however, it's an entirely different proposition to be tagged with an opponent's best. Hooker and Mean Machine may not have had the ability to put Ortiz away, but perhaps a better boxer could. This is an issue that must be addressed by Ortiz and his team. Giving top opponents free shots is not a recipe for long-term success; that's how a fighter can get iced. 

But let's not make this sound too negative. Ortiz remains one of the top young boxers in the sport. And perhaps even more importantly, he's a great television fighter. And if he can iron out his defensive issues early in fights, the sky might be the limit. But the fights won't be getting easier. 

***

I have a minimum threshold of offense that a fighter must surpass (absent any knockdowns) to have a legitimate case for winning. That number is 20 punches a round. I think I instituted that rule during some of the late-period Bernard Hopkins fights, where he wouldn't let his hands go, but would dance and grapple his way into believing that he had actually won.

This brings me to Saturday's John Riel Casimero-Guillermo Rigondeaux "fight," where we witnessed something far removed from what boxing is supposed to be. Instead of boxing, we watched an interminable game of "catch me if you can." Rigondeaux would run around the ring and Casimero would follow, and that was the pattern for all 12 rounds. Rigondeaux wouldn't throw punches and Casimero couldn't land them. How bad was it? Rigondeaux averaged 19 punches a round and Casimero missed five out of every six shots he threw. Casimero was marginally busier, throwing almost 24 punches a round (still horrible), and Rigo landed at 20%, not good either. And this was a bantamweight title fight too!

Casimero, missing; Rigondeaux, dancing
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Trapp

Scoring the fight, I had Rigondeaux winning, in that when no meaningful punches were landing I gave him credit for ring generalship and defense. After all, that was a Rigo fight in extremis. Casimero surely didn't want to be in a track meet. Nevertheless, Casimero won by split decision and somehow won nine rounds from Robert Hoyle (not my favorite judge). 

Both fighters were awful. But I at least thought that Rigo was awful in intended ways, so I did give him credit for that. Casimero entered the fight on a hot streak, yet he seemed completely flummoxed through large portions of the bout. However, he did hit hard and it's worth noting that Rigo was not remotely interested in trading. He was contact-avoidant. I understand "hit and don't get hit," but that boxing aphorism involves "hitting" first. And Rigo did little of that. 

So, while I believe that Rigo should have won a fight where not much happened, let me revert to my original rule: He didn't do enough. His case isn't worth arguing. He didn't meet a minimum threshold of action. If he had found sympathetic judges for his anti-contact performance, then hurrah for him, but some officials just won't tolerate a certain level of inaction. For whatever case Rigo may have had for winning on Saturday, he made his own bed. One can't feel too sympathetic for a guy who was so unwilling to take risks. And if the judges wanted to take a moral stand by not rewarding that behavior, so be it. 

***

Let's praise three boxing judges: Karen Holderfield, Mike Ross and David Sutherland. They turned in identical 116-112 scorecards for the Joshua Franco-Andrew Moloney fight on Saturday. And I think that their scores were right on the money. But in many ways, this third fight in the Franco-Moloney series was a difficult bout to score. For one, both junior bantamweights were very active, each averaging over 60 punches thrown per round. And much of the action was at mid-range and closer, where it can be difficult to determine which punches actually land. But these three judges saw the fight correctly. Although Moloney was throwing a lot, he sure wasn't landing. CompuBox had him connecting at less than 15%, which is a terrible percentage. Now keep in mind, the judges don't have access to these stats during a fight. They had to see every punch and their effect (if any) in real time. And they got it right. They didn't mistake Moloney's activity for achievement. 

Franco won the first fight of the series in June of 2021, but Moloney had a rematch clause. Their second fight in November ended in controversy. Franco's eye started to close in the first round and by the second, the fight was stopped. Referee Russell Mora believed that the eye closed due to a head butt and thus the fight was ruled a no-contest. But even with a lengthy video review, no one seemed quite sure of where and when that head butt actually occurred. But what was plain to see was Moloney's left hand landing at will directly on that eye. 

Both fighters celebrate, but Franco (center) wins
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Saturday's fight was certainly not a continuation of their second bout. For whatever reason, Moloney didn't commit to the jab like he had in November. He was either throwing the punch and already starting to move out of the pocket, or he was shooting it as a first punch in a pre-planned, multi-punch combination. He was so concerned about other aspects of the fight that he neglected his bread-and-butter punch. Franco does deserve credit for defending the jab much better in this fight and countering Moloney effectively, but Andrew made specific points of emphasis independent of Franco, and those decisions helped lead to his defeat.  

Franco was the better fighter on Saturday. He was more accurate. He had more answers at mid-range and on the inside. Franco connected with every punch in his arsenal and in particular he threw excellent straight rights and left hooks to the body. It was a competitive fight and Franco was the deserving winner.

Finally, let's give credit to referee Jack Reiss, who initially ruled a knockdown in the seventh round when Franco dropped to the ground. Immediately Reiss gave the count, but then also said that he would utilize replay between rounds. Video replay clearly showed that the two fighters banged into each other without a clean punch landing. And within a minute, a potential controversial moment was wiped away. I wish more referees had the confidence to admit that they need assistance, and that more jurisdictions would make replay available; it was used expertly in this situation. Overall, the fight was a good advertisement for boxing: quality action, the officials did their jobs and no controversy. 

***

Light heavyweight contender Joshua Buatsi defeated tough gatekeeper Ricards Bolotniks in the 11th round on Saturday, scoring two knockdowns in the fight. If I were to end the description of the fight there, nothing would sound out of the ordinary. Buatsi, known for his power, is supposed to knock guys out and Bolotniks really shouldn't be defeating top fighters at 175 pounds. 

However, there was a lot to digest in this fight. For one, Buatsi experienced what it was like for a fighter to take his best punch and keep on coming. Buatsi landed a stinging left hook for a knockdown in the sixth and then went for the kill later in the round, emptying his holster. But Bolotniks survived the round. And then things got interesting. After taking huge power punches throughout the fight, Bolotniks started to have his best moments in the contest. Buatsi was too spent to press forward and was content to fight in spurts. Meanwhile, Bolotniks was firing off scoring combinations and gaining confidence.

Buatsi salutes the crowd after winning
Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson

Normal business was restored toward the end of the tenth round where Buatsi started letting his hands go again with menace. In the 11th he fired off a right hand as Bolotniks was moving away. That punch probably wasn't among the 20 best shots Buatsi landed in the fight, but Bolotniks was off-balance and found himself on the canvas. Bolotniks was hurt and spent; he was unable to continue. 

Buatsi has been a hyped fighter since winning the bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics. His power is real, and so are certain defensive shortcomings to go along with conditioning issues. Buatsi doesn't return his left hand high enough after jabbing and it makes him a sitting duck to be countered by a right hand, which Bolotniks did a number of times early in the fight. His glove positioning can also get a little sloppy and there is ample room to land in between his hands. 

Saturday was Buatsi's first time going past seven rounds and it showed. Now with trainer Virgil Hunter, I'm sure that they will work on fixing some of Buatsi's technical defensive issues, but if his conditioning doesn't improve, he's going to be at a massive disadvantage against top light heavyweights. And at 28, his clock is ticking. 

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

Pound-for-Pound Update 4-18-19

It's been a long time since the last Saturday Night Boxing Pound-for-Pound update. How long? Six months in fact and much has happened in the boxing world since then. Perhaps the biggest fight in terms of pound-for-pound relevance since the last update was the clash between Errol Spence and Mikey Garcia, a matchup between two of the best boxers in the sport. Moving up to welterweight, Garcia was rendered ineffective by Spence's work rate, movement and power punches. As a result, Spence moves up the list from #10 to #8 and Mikey Garcia slides from #6 to #9. 

Two Asian boxers continue their impressive climbs up the pound-for-pound list. Donnie Nietes, from the Philippines, won a squeaker against former multi-division titlist Kazuto Ioka on New Year's Eve. Nietes, now campaigning at junior bantamweight, has won titles in four divisions. He moves up to #10 from #13. Japan's Kosei Tanaka continues his meteoric ascent in boxing. At just 23 and with only 13 professional fights, Tanaka, a flyweight champion, added to his resume earlier this year by defeating former 108-lb. champion Ryoichi Taguchi in an impressive performance. He moves up to #11 from #15.  

Elsewhere in the rankings, three fighters make their debut. Josh Warrington, Miguel Berchelt and Wanheng Menayothin enter the pound-for-pounds list at #18, #19 and #20, respectively. Warrington had an excellent 2018, defeating a current featherweight champ (Lee Selby) and a recent one (Carl Frampton), who had been #20 in the SNB Rankings prior to the fight. Miguel Berchelt is in the midst of an impressive run at junior lightweight, defeating three action warriors in Francisco Vargas, Takashi Miura and Miguel Roman. Menayothin, of Thailand, has defended his minimumweight title 11 times. To this point Menayothin (52-0) hasn't faced a Murderer's Row of opponents, but he is starting to build a solid resume. 

With his eighth-round knockout over Tony Bellew, undisputed cruiserweight Oleksandr Usyk moves from #4 to #3. 

In addition to Frampton, two other fighters dropped out of the rankings. Adonis Stevenson was knocked out by Oleksandr Gvozdyk and it's unlikely that the 41-year-old will ever fight again. Guillermo Rigondeaux also leaves the rankings. Rigondeaux hasn't had a notable win in years, and his inactivity and quality of opposition leave a lot to be desired. 

Here is the complete Saturday Night Boxing Pound-for-Pound List:

1. Vasiliy Lomachenko
2. Terence Crawford
3. Oleksandr Usyk
4. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
5. Naoya Inoue
6. Saul Alvarez
7. Gennady Golovkin
8. Errol Spence
9. Mikey Garcia
10. Donnie Nietes
11. Kosei Tanaka
12. Juan Estrada
13. Anthony Joshua
14. Jarrett Hurd
15. Manny Pacquiao
16. Leo Santa Cruz
17. Roman Gonzalez
18. Josh Warrington
19. Miguel Berchelt
20. Wanheng Menayothin

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

Pound-for-Pound Update 12-23-17

The biggest change in the Saturday Night Boxing Pound-for-Pound List is the continued rise of Vasyl Lomachenko. Earlier this month, Lomachenko dominated undefeated junior featherweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, forcing him to retire on his stool after the sixth round. With the win, Lomachenko moves up from #7 to #2 in the Rankings while Rigondeaux drops from #12 to #14. 

One other note in the Rankings: there's been speculation that Kazuto Ioka (currently ranked #20) will be retiring. As of now, no official announcement has been made. For the time being, he will remain in the Rankings until there is further clarification regarding his career. 

The complete Saturday Night Boxing Pound-for-Pound List follows:

1.    Terence Crawford

2.    Vasyl Lomachenko

3.    Srisaket Sor Rungvisai

4.    Gennady Golovkin

5.    Saul Alvarez

6.    Sergey Kovalev

7.    Naoya Inoue

8.    Mikey Garcia

9.    Juan Estrada

10.  Keith Thurman

11.  Manny Pacquiao

12.  Adonis Stevenson

13.  Roman Gonzalez

14.  Guillermo Rigondeaux

15.  Donnie Nietes

16.  Leo Santa Cruz

17.  Errol Spence

18.  Carl Frampton

19.  Oleksandr Usyk

20.  Kazuto Ioka

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

He's a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

@snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

Opinions and Observations: Loma, Roman and Truax

Pride can be a double-edged sword in boxing. On the positive side of the ledger, pride enables a fighter to dig down, overcome adversity, make a last stand and go for the victory even in a diminished capacity. Many prizefighters possess this attribute and mixed with enough skill and the right opponents, pride can lead to thrilling performances. 

Miguel Roman, in HBO's main event, exhibited this characteristic in his knockout win over Orlando Salido, perhaps the living embodiment of positive pride in boxing. Roman, a fighter who had lost the biggest bouts of his career prior to this weekend, had to endure the hell of Salido's infighting throughout the match. Absorbing vicious power shots, hurt early in the fight and trying to handle Salido's grappling and fouls, Roman persevered to pull out a victory despite periods where his chances of winning looked grim. 

Of course, pride can also have negative connotations. There's a reason it was one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Excessive pride can lead to one's downfall. It can make one underestimate opponents or fail to consider potential negative outcomes. There's also a concept of pride where one is "too good" to participate in a specific task – that a certain requirement is beneath an individual. In this scenario, too much pride can lead to one refusing to get his or her hands dirty, not willing to do what needs to get done. 

It's this second aspect of pride that led to Guillermo Rigondeaux quitting on his stool before the seventh round against Vasyl Lomachenko. Claiming an injured hand, Rigondeaux, down big on the scorecards, wasn't willing to risk any more against Lomachenko. It's not as if hand problems aren't common occurrences in boxing. Practically every weekend a fighter continues with some sort of injury. In the HBO undercard on Saturday, Stephen Smith was still trying to win with half a left ear. To Rigondeaux, he wasn't going to change his style or, gasp, subject himself to a ring war, no matter if that was necessary for victory.  

In my years of covering boxing and talking to fighters I've discovered one thing that boxers hate more than losing – being embarrassed in the ring. Many will foul, attempt to get DQ'ed, stay on their stool, claim an injury – anything to avoid being the butt of jokes in the squared circle. Loma was toying with Rigo in the ring, spinning around him without a care and the world, meeting and ultimately exceeding Rigo's propensity to foul, bending when and where he bent, tagging him with whatever shot he saw fit. There would be no selling out for a comeback victory from Rigo, no going out on his shield. For Rigo, the pain of embarrassment was far greater than whatever was going on with his left hand. He'd rather pack it in after six rounds than subject himself to further mortification. His pride wouldn't allow more. 

As boxing fans, we expect fighters to leave it all in the ring. Sublime efforts lead to greater rewards. Rigondeaux has spent a significant portion of his professional career complaining about poor treatment from the boxing industry and a dearth of opportunities. He regarded much of his professional career as a series of outrages. A fighter of his stature shouldn't have to beg and claw for the spoils of glory; he was Guillermo Rigondeaux, one of the best fighters on the planet! But presented with an opportunity to exhibit greatness on Saturday, Rigo demonstrated that he was unwilling to plum specific depths for victory. When finally in a tough fight, the purported master boxer wouldn't scrape his way back like a member of the boxing riff-raff; he capitulated. 

Three years ago, Lomachenko learned a valuable lesson about the dangers of having excessive pride. In only his second professional fight, he insisted on fighting for a title. The champion standing in his way was the aforementioned Orlando Salido. Lomachenko believed that he had almost all the advantages – hand and foot speed, punch placement, a deeper offensive arsenal and sharper defensive reflexes. Of course Salido had more professional experience but Lomachenko wasn't impressed by Salido's career accomplishments; he was on a path to making history! As a two-time Olympic gold medalist and one of the best amateur fighters of all time, he felt that he was more than ready to become a champion, even at such an early point in his professional career. How could a slow, lumbering gatekeeper beat him? 

Pride played a significant role in Salido-Lomachenko. Lomachenko severely underestimated his opponent. On the flip side, Salido wasn't about to be embarrassed in the ring, even if it meant giving up his title belt by coming in over the weight limit. Salido entered the ring with a considerable size advantage and proceeded to teach Lomachenko a lesson in professional boxing. Firing low blow after low blow, digging mercilessly to the body and grappling on the inside, Salido showed the professional novice tricks that he had never before seen. Eventually, Lomachenko made adjustments to counteract Salido's inside fighting but his early deficit on the scorecards was too much to overcome; he wound up losing a split decision. 

There was a stark difference between the Lomachenko on Saturday, now a veteran in professional prizefighting, and the greenhorn version against Salido. Lomachenko expected the unexpected against Rigondeaux and clearly understood the stakes at play. If Rigo hit after the bell, Loma followed. Loma also was seasoned enough to call the referee's attention to fouls. When Rigo went low or engaged in an illegal holding maneuver, Loma indicated these infractions clearly to the ref. By the sixth round, Rigo lost a point for holding. 

After a competitive opening round, Lomachenko-Rigondeaux was never in doubt. Lomachenko's athleticism, agility and incredible body control enabled him to follow Rigondeaux's every defensive maneuver. If Rigondeaux ducked a punch and bent to his left, Lomachenko had the athletic ability to follow Rigondeaux immediately to that position and continue with his offense. He essentially acted as Rigo's shadow. He was prepared for every move that Rigondeaux made. 

During the post-fight interview, Lomachenko shrugged off the significance of the win. He didn't feel that Rigondeaux had the size to be competing on his level. 

Lomachenko is ready for all challenges in boxing. With a rising profile and a huge platform to demonstrate his singular talents, he could be on the cusp of true boxing superstardom. On Saturday he embarrassed a proud, undefeated (if undersized) champion, forcing him to quit. He ends the year as one of the best fighters in the sport and it's going to take a truly special talent or a risk of such epic proportions for him to lose in the foreseeable future.  

*

Jim Lampley, at the height of his powers on Saturday, provided a wonderful and apt story about Miguel Roman during his fight with Orlando Salido. As a teenager, Roman's brother was murdered and instead of trying to exact revenge on the killer, Roman waited, believing that eventually the murderer would get his just due; a few years later the perpetrator was killed in prison. This story wasn't used to fill time or sensitize the viewer to a personal tragedy; Lampley used it as an analogous backdrop to what was occurring in the ring. As Roman was making a charge in the fight, Lampley exhorted these words, noting that in the past Roman was patient and eventually justice was served. Now, after 70 fights and 12 years as a professional, Roman, after patiently waiting for the right opportunity, was receiving his just rewards. It was a beautiful moment from Lampley, who remains unsurpassed in his ability to inject poignancy into a boxing match. 

More great Lampley: When reflecting upon Salido's memorable career, he provided another keen insight. I'm paraphrasing here but he said what was so remarkable about Salido was that it didn't matter if he'd won or lost his big fights. Francisco Vargas, Roman Martinez, Juan Manuel Lopez. Which ones did Salido win? Which ones did he lose? Which ones were draws? 

Ultimately, it doesn't matter because Salido provided so much entertainment, such thrilling action. Lampley's observation was 100% correct and I struggle to think of another current boxer who receives the same treatment from the boxing industry. Despite 14 losses, Salido attained a unique status in the sport. After the fight, he announced his retirement and he leaves boxing as a main event HBO fighter and this generation's Arturo Gatti. 

At 32, Roman may have another two or three years left to pick up the action fighter mantle from Salido; however, like Salido, Roman has been in a ton of wars. Roman has 12 losses but he also has 45 knockouts in his 58 wins. He's actually fought in America 14 times but didn't really break through until earlier this year, when he gave former junior lightweight titleholder Takashi Miura hell before being stopped. Roman has helped to make two of the best fights of 2017 and if matched correctly he could provide a lot of entertainment over the next few years.

As Salido-Roman ended last night, Lampley speculated that Salido might not be as disappointed in the knockout loss as one would expect since he recognized so much of himself in Roman. There could be a lot of truth there. Similar to Salido, nothing was given to Roman. He had to fight in all sorts of shabby venues, often for short money and without the benefit of full training camps. Roman wasn't supposed to be the opponent last night. But as his countrymen Salido so often did, he showed up in shape and ready to give hell. Saturday's fight wasn't for a title or any other type of trinket but for Roman it was perhaps even more important; it was his chance to matter in boxing. With his two fantastic performances this year, Roman now has a calling card in the sport. And he's just a phone call away. 

*

Caleb Truax was supposed to be James DeGale's get-well opponent. Coming off of shoulder surgery and 11 months of inactivity after his brutal slugfest with Badou Jack, DeGale intended to make a title defense against someone non-threatening. Truax, somehow ranked in the Top-15 of the IBF (Thanks Al Haymon), was drafted for this duty. When last in a meaningful fight, Truax was iced in one round by Anthony Dirrell. In the 18 months since that bout, he had only fought two lower-level opponents. 

Without being blessed with top-shelf athleticism or the size to trouble upper-echelon fighters, Truax relies on intelligence and an acute understanding of his strengths and weaknesses. He didn't have a single physical advantage over DeGale on paper. But a high Ring IQ, a fantastic game plan, self-belief and a little luck helped to tear that paper to shreds; he won a deserved majority decision in surely what will be the upset of the year for 2017. 

DeGale is one of the more maddening fighters in boxing. In a given round, he can dazzle with his physical and technical dimensions. With lightning hand speed and creative angles, he can land six- and seven-punch combinations that absolutely demoralize opponents. He glides gracefully around the ring. He's just as competent as an orthodox fighter as he is in his natural southpaw stance. And he can pack a real punch. In these moments he can do it all. 

But there is another James DeGale – the one who lets opponents back into fights, the guy who inexplicably takes rounds off, the one who likes to make things hard for himself. Give DeGale enough time and his punch volume will decrease, he'll stop moving and he'll demonstrate indifference in the ring. 

DeGale has had nip-and-tuck fights with Badou Jack, Porky Medina, Andre Dirrell, George Groves and now Caleb Truax. Note the variety of talent levels in that list. What remains consistent is that DeGale seems incapable of putting 12 good rounds together against a fighter who can handle himself in the ring. 

Furthermore, DeGale clearly wasn't physically right in Saturday's fight. By the third round, he was retreating to the ropes. He labored whenever he had to fight in the center of the ring, despite dominating the match in that geography. In addition, his defensive reflexes looked poor. 

DeGale had shoulder surgery, oral surgery and a perforated ear drum as a result of his fight against Jack. After Saturday's bout, he admitted that he may have rushed back into the ring. He also insisted that he will be making changes in his camp. Perhaps some time off is in order. 

None of the above is meant to disparage Truax, who went into a hostile environment and laughed at the oddsmakers. Truax consistently forced DeGale back to the ropes and banged whatever he could hit. He hurt DeGale with straight right hands and short uppercuts in the 5th and 10th rounds and got the best of the action for large portions of the fight. 

Off nights happen in boxing. Fighters may not be at their physical peak, or perhaps there has been some slippage or deterioration in their skills. However, it's not enough just to say that DeGale was less than his best. An opponent must capitalize on such an opportunity. Truax was ready for his chance. He understood exactly what he had to do to win and executed his plan to the best of his abilities. 

On a personal note, I've interacted with Truax a number of times over social media throughout the years. I've found him to be grounded, funny and articulate. As a relative latecomer to professional boxing, he often talked about becoming a fighter to pay off his student debt. In his deepest recesses, I wonder if he ever thought that he would one day become a world champion. 

Life takes interesting twists and turns and it's up to us to make the most of them. Only because Truax wasn't seen as threatening does he now have a title belt. Let that be a lesson to all of us. Like Roman, Salido, or Truax, when the phone rings, be ready. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com
He's a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com
@snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

Lomachenko-Rigondeaux: Keys to the Fight

One of the most intriguing bouts of 2017 takes place on Saturday at the Theater at Madison Square Garden between two-weight champion (126, 130) Vasyl Lomachenko (9-1, 7 KOs) and junior featherweight (122) titleholder Guillermo Rigondeaux (17-0, 11 KOs, 1 No-Contest). The fight, contested at the junior lightweight limit of 130 lbs., features the first professional boxing match between two-time Olympic gold medalists. After more than a year of back-and-forth between the two southpaws (and their respective representatives), the fight has finally come to fruition. 

For fans of boxing skill and foot work, Lomachenko-Rigondeaux contains multitudes. Lomachenko has some of the fastest feet in the sport. His supreme athleticism is matched by an irrepressible attack, pinpoint punch placement and creative combinations. Rigondeaux is surgical with his straight left hand and can detonate it on an unsuspecting foe at any juncture. Unlike Lomachenko, Rigondeaux's particular brand of genius is defensive. Using his feet to evade trouble and his limbs as shields, Rigondeaux makes it exceedingly difficult to land cleanly on him. 

Although this matchup might not necessarily produce consistent fireworks in the ring, the fight should be a fascinating duel between two of the best pure boxers in the sport. It's amateur powerhouses Cuba (Rigondeaux) vs. Ukraine (Lomachenko), with the winning fighter ascending to the higher echelons of the sport. Below are the keys to the fight. My prediction is at the end of the article. 

1. Punch Volume.

Perhaps the biggest indicator of success on Saturday night will be the number of punches thrown per round. Lomachenko swarms foes with a relentless attack while Rigondeaux neutralizes his opponents' offense. If Lomachenko throws 60 punches per round, there's a good chance that he will be winning the fight. However, if his punch volume is closer to 35 per frame, then it's quite possible that Rigondeaux will have been more successful in the all-important ring generalship battle. Lomachenko-Rigondeaux features perhaps the clearest demarcation between offensive and defensive-minded fighters that we'll see in 2017. In the trenches, the boxer who can impose his preferred style in the ring will most likely be the one who ends the night victorious. 

2. Rigo's straight left hand. 

One way to render punch volume moot is to knock the other guy out. Rigo's straight left is one of the best punches in the sport. It's fair to say that Lomachenko has yet to face this kind of weapon as a professional. Rigo's left breaks jaws, sends opponents to the canvas and dissuades foes from coming forward. If Rigondeaux can land his best punch – and it significantly affects Lomachenko – then he may have found a clear formula for winning the fight. 

Lomachenko can neutralize Rigo's left in two ways: By swarming Rigondeaux, he can close the distance that the Cuban needs to throw the punch. In addition, Lomachenko's superior movement can restrict Rigo from throwing and landing his left. Expect to see Lomachenko circling a lot to his left, which will limit opportunities for Rigo to unfurl his best punch. In this scenario, it will be up to Rigondeaux to make the necessary adjustments so that he can connect with his left. 

3. An old fighter? 

Rigondeaux is listed at 37 but whispers throughout the boxing community suggest that he might even be older. In addition, Rigondeaux has experienced several periods of inactivity throughout his professional career. During the last two years, he's only fought three rounds; in the same stretch, Lomachenko has had 28. Although Rigondeaux always seems to be in great condition, reflexes and agility certainly can atrophy as boxers get to advanced ages in the ring.

Often, fighters turn old overnight and it's certainly possible that Rigondeaux meets Father Time on Saturday. Even if Rigo starts the bout energetically, does he still have the agility to go 12 hard rounds against a top opponent? At 29, Lomachenko is in the prime of his career. By pushing Rigondeaux early in the fight, he can adequately test Rigondeaux's older legs. 

4. Weight.

A number of fight observers like to pooh-pooh the weight difference between the two fighters. Yes, a few years ago Lomachenko was at 126 lbs., which is much closer to Rigo's 122-lb. division. However, weight classes do matter and Lomachenko has demonstrated that he can physically impose himself on top-10 130-lb. fighters. Although there is a second-day weigh in for this fight at 138 lbs. (meaning, neither fighter can be above 138 the day of the match), it's still clear that there's a significant weight advantage for Lomachenko.

This difference could manifest itself in another manner. Let's say Rigondeaux is able to land his best left hand – the one that destroys guys at 122. If Lomachenko can shrug off the punch, it certainly could be possible that the weight disparity could lead to a big advantage for him during the match. In addition, Rigo will need to exert more energy to keep the naturally bigger Lomachenko off him; this could lead to fatigue as the fight progresses. 

5. Chins.

For such a reputed defensive master, Rigondeaux certainly isn't a stranger to the canvas. Down four times in his career and hurt on other occasions, Rigo can be vulnerable in the ring. He might not get hit a lot but when he does, trouble follows. Interestingly, Rigo has been knocked down from straight right hands and left hooks – two punches that Lomachenko, a southpaw, doesn't feature in his arsenal. Are Rigondeaux's chin issues the product of specific-angled shots from orthodox fighters or do they reflect poor punch resistance?

Rigondeaux will be the best puncher that Lomachenko has faced as a professional (with apologies to Gary Russell Jr.). Through this point in his career, we've yet to see Loma really hurt by a head shot. In the one fight that he lost, to Orlando Salido, it was Salido's body work that gave him the most trouble. It's certainly possible that Rigondeaux will test Lomachenko's chin, but it's also likely that Lomachenko may just have a superior beard. The truth could also be somewhere in the middle. 

6. Tricks of the trade. 

Salido famously landed dozens of low blows against Lomachenko. Those (illegal) punches certainly helped to rein in Loma's movement early in that fight. Yes, that bout was just Loma's second as a professional, and certainly he's developed a better understanding of professional boxing since the Salido fight, but it's worth remembering that he and his trainer/father were unable to adjust to Salido's tactics until the second half of the match. 

Rigo brings a motley assortment of illegal tactics and techniques into the ring. In his tool belt are holding-and-hitting, low blows, hitting on the break, hitting after the bell, rabbit punches, illegally using his forearms, and all sorts of other goodies. Rigondeaux's considerable speed and veteran instincts often mask these fouls; however, he will inevitably turn to them. Lomachenko fell victim to his own naiveté against Salido and he can't afford to make that mistake twice. He's going to need to respond appropriately – milking fouls for the ref's attention, fighting fire with fire, or using his body control to avoid many of these illegal maneuvers. Rigo is a proud veteran who will do what needs to be done to get the best chance of winning. Can we say the same about Lomachenko?

Prediction:

Don't expect a Fight of the Year. Lomachenko wins on account of a more consistent offensive attack and a higher punch volume. I don't think that there will be tons of clean, landed blows, but the gap in work rate between the two will be significant. I expect Rigo to have intermittent success landing single power shots, but it's unlikely that he will have periods of sustained dominance. The fight will be tense and intriguing as the two technicians attempt to gain the upper hand; however, the contest will feature more gamesmanship than compelling action. In the end, Lomachenko's offensive temperament and fresher legs will be more than enough to win a comfortable unanimous decision. 

Vasyl Lomachenko defeats Guillermo Rigondeaux by unanimous decision (UD). 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com
He's a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com
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