Hall of Fame Induction Weekend

 I. Home

"Here in Canastota, you can feel the heart of boxing."

-- 2022 IBHOF Inductee Regina Halmich

Nestled in the northern fringes of the Alleghany Plateau about 25 minutes east of Syracuse, Canastota is a bucolic village of 4,800 people that epitomizes the beauty and serenity of large portions of Upstate New York. On the drive into town there's green as far as the eye can see, with hills and mountains not too far in the distance. The main street has no more than a couple of traffic lights. The homes are modest, but well-maintained. It's an unusual yet stirring setting to honor boxing, a sport that's associated more with urban travails than rustic pleasures.

Canastota was home to Carmen Basilio, the great welterweight and middleweight of the 1950s, and that is the village's prime connection to boxing, other than Ed Brophy's quest to honor the sport with the brick-and-mortar museum that was erected in the 1990s. And yet towns like Canastota have played a huge role in boxing. Several towns in New York's Catskill Mountains were famous training locations for many top fighters. A couple hours south of Canastota rests the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, where Muhammad Ali would often hold training camp. These serene locations have frequently been utilized by boxers to refresh, focus and prepare for their biggest nights in the ring.

Photo by Adam Abramowitz

The International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) museum itself is modest, and perhaps a tad disappointing for those who have visited other halls of fame, such as baseball's, just over an hour away in Cooperstown. The IBHOF museum has lots of interesting items and pieces of memorabilia. You can find the old Madison Square Garden ring, tons of fight robes, gloves, plaques for all of the inductees, famous fights shown on loop on the monitors, tickets, programs, and other ephemera. There also is a refreshing nod to today's boxers, with memorabilia from fighters such as Spence, Fury and Lomachenko on display. But the IBHOF surely has far more memorabilia than its three rooms can showcase. And I hope that the museum can eventually expand to display more of its collection.   

The museum itself only played a small role in the weekend's festivities. Brophy and his team at the IBHOF pulled out all the stops. Leading up to induction day, events were held at a huge outdoor stage. Bernard Hopkins and Ring Magazine Editor Douglass Fischer held a great Q&A session. There was also a wonderful referee roundtable that featured luminaries such as Tony Weeks, Jack Reiss, Kenny Bayless, Mark Nelson, Benjy Esteves and others. 

Hundreds watched these sessions in seats facing the stage. Hundreds more stood and lined the perimeter. Fighters signed autographs in tents beyond the stage area. And fans jumped on these opportunities. They didn't care if they were 80th in line to get a Roy Jones autograph; that's the reason why they came to Canastota, to interact with their heroes. IBHOF merchandise flew off the shelves in the museum shop. Boxing dignitaries, fans, media members and those involved in the sport floated around the grounds, stopping for conversations, pictures, handshakes and hugs. 

The Hall of Fame annual boxing memorabilia show was on Saturday about half a mile away from the museum at the high school. Vendors from across the nation displayed their treasures (and some trash) to boxing's hardcore. It was almost impossible not to part with some money. Signed pictures, autographed gloves, old magazine covers, boxing artwork, books, figurines, newspapers from yesteryear – in its own way it was a paradise. I bought a really interesting book on Philadelphia boxing history. The stage in the gymnasium featured a table for boxing dignitaries. 2022 Hall of Fame Inductee James Toney was signing autographs and the line was over 150 deep. 

This year's induction ceremony covered three years – 2020, 2021 and 2022 – and included huge talents such as Mayweather, Hopkins, Marquez, Ward, Cotto, Jones, Toney, Mosley and many more. The unique opportunity to see all of these legends on the same stage compelled thousands of boxing fans to make the pilgrimage for Hall of Fame Weekend. Because of outsized demand, the induction ceremony was moved from the Hall of Fame to the Turning Stone Events Center.

Throughout the weekend in Canastota, in the lobby and bars of the host hotel (Turning Stone Resort Casino), at the ShoBox card on Friday night, at the banquet on Saturday night, and during the induction ceremony on Sunday, boxing was everywhere. And for those accustomed to following the sport in relative isolation, here was a centralized locus for like-minded people. There were old friends to catch up with, boxing fans to meet, and opportunities to bump into the scores who work in boxing in one capacity or another. It was wonderful! And as Halmich said in the quote above, you could feel the heart of boxing. Here, boxing felt vibrant, present and real.  

II. Family

"Without family, you don't have anything."

 -- 2022 IBHOF Inductee Bill Caplan

Although boxing is often viewed as the ultimate solitary sport, a fighter alone in the ring trying to conquer his or her opponent, a key takeaway from Induction Weekend was the importance of family, and this extended to blood relatives, surrogate families and even the boxing community as a whole. 2021 Hall of Fame inductee Shane Mosley credited his accomplishments to his father, Jack. Floyd Mayweather referred to his father as a genius and a great man. Mayweather was joined by over 50 friends, family members, colleagues and business associates to help celebrate the weekend. Bernard Hopkins called two people up to the stage for his induction speech, his son and Rudy Battle, a mentor and former boxing referee from Philadelphia. Kathy Duva, who had lost her husband Dan decades ago, was delighted that her three children could attend the ceremony. An adopted child, Duva was able to locate members of her birth family in the downtime during the pandemic, and she was exuberant that many of them were able to attend the induction ceremony.  

Bernard Hopkins on Saturday
Photo by Adam Abramowitz

Sportswriter Bernard Fernandez, a great scribe from Philadelphia, couldn't attend the ceremony in person as he has been tending to his ailing wife, but Hopkins and Fernandez's fellow Philly writer and friend Joe Santoliquito called him live from the stage during the ceremony, and Hopkins, whom Fernandez covered intimately during his professional career, inducted him. 

Marian Trimiar, a female boxing trailblazer from the '70s and '80s, thanked dozens who had helped her during and after her boxing career, including her live-in medical orderly, whom she regarded as her "sister."

The ceremony was also filled with children, grandchildren and other relatives on hand to accept awards on behalf of inductees who had passed away. 

The induction ceremony encompassed whole ranges of emotions. There was bliss. There was laughter. There was loss. You could feel the inductees' love, joy, hardships and sacrifices. It was raw and at times cathartic. 

III. Victory...but at a cost

"People ask me who was the biggest puncher, who was the toughest opponent. It was the sport of boxing."

-- 2021 IBHOF Inductee Andre Ward

As wonderful as boxing can be, Induction Weekend was a reminder of the dark side of the sport. James Toney, the preeminent trash talker of his day, spoke for no longer than a minute as words no longer come easily for him, at least not in a public setting. Ward admitted that the draw of coming back to the ring has been strong, but every day that he didn't fight meant that he had beaten the sport of boxing. You could still feel Mayweather's antipathy towards those who doubted his ability to become a star or believed that he would squander all of his money. Lou DiBella talked about how hard it has been for him to smell the roses during his time in boxing. Throughout the weekend there were a couple of older ex-fighters making the rounds who walked with visible discomfort, reinforcing the physical toll of the sport.

Even in the ring on Friday night during the ShoBox card, there was a reminder that the dark side of boxing remains present. Heavyweight George Arias won a split decision over Alante Green as a last-minute replacement. But Arias was only on TV because Elvis Garcia had failed a performance enhancing drug (PED) test. 2021 IBHOF Inductee Dr. Margaret Goodman revealed that she had left the Nevada Athletic Commission as a ringside physician because she didn't believe that the commission was doing enough to clean up the sport. In her speech Goodman beseeched the audience to do more to get PEDs out of boxing. And I'm sure the irony wasn't lost on her that on the very same stage where she was being honored for helping to clean up the sport, there were a couple of fighters, now Hall of Famers, who had failed PED tests. 

Many of the female fighters who were inducted during the ceremony reminded those in attendance about the limited opportunities that they had at the time. They didn't necessarily want to be trailblazers; they just wanted to fight, and they didn't have the options or the financial possibilities that many of their male counterparts did. It was great to see Ann Wolfe and Christy Martin and Holly Holm onstage, but if they were fighting now their financial prospects would have been exponentially higher.  

IV. Boxing

"Boxing is the most relatable sport. Everyone knows how it feels to be knocked down in life and that you have to pick yourself back up. It's universal."

-- 2020 IBHOF Inductee Lou DiBella 

As many legends of boxing were honored over the weekend, the next generation was also present. Welterweight champion Terence Crawford was around all weekend, so was his last opponent, the recently retired Shawn Porter. Junior middleweight contender Sebastian Fundora was also there. Oh, there was also a fun fight card. 

Bakhodir Jalolov, the Tokyo Olympics super heavyweight gold medalist, headlined the card and fought into the eighth round for the first time in his professional career. The power in Jalolov's left hand is real and he does different things with it. He walks opponents into it, he can go upstairs or downstairs, and he throws a mean uppercut. He shares some similarities with fellow southpaws Oleksandr Usyk and Zhanibek Alimkhanuly in that his back hand is more than just his dominant power hand; he can use it creatively. 

Jalolov before Friday's fight
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Trapp

Jalolov is now 11-0 with 11 stoppages. With his power, amateur pedigree and the fact that he's in the heavyweight division, he will get significant opportunities sooner rather than later. But he still has a lot to work on. His right hook is more of a concept than an actual punch at this point. He also is a little too impressed with his power. On Friday he repeatedly hit Jack Mulowayi with his biggest punch, but stood there in almost disbelief as Mulowayi remained upright. Instead of following up a big shot with subsequent power punches, Jalolov did a lot of posing, admiring his work. He will need to understand that knockouts often come by putting punches together instead of just landing single shots in a vacuum. But that is all for another day. He still has more than enough time to refine his skill set and he is one of the top heavyweight prospects in the sport.  

And it wouldn't be ShoBox without some obscure guy impressing as the "opponent." Chann Thonson is a 30-year-old lightweight from Quebec who fights out of Toronto. Although he's been a pro for almost six years, he only had ten fights coming into Friday's match, where he squared off against undefeated prospect Ty Tomlin, a DiBella fighter. 

After tasting some serious leather in the first round, Thonson figured out that Tomlin was left-hook happy. He realized that if he moved to Tomlin's right side, he wouldn't face the same amount of danger. Having solved problem #1, Thonson proceeded to crack Tomlin with sharp combinations. When Tomlin would rush in irresponsibly, Thonson would make him pay. Thonson's clean punching continued to have more and more of an effect as the fight progressed and he was able to open up a huge cut on Tomlin. Eventually the fight was stopped in the fifth round because of the cut and no one protested the stoppage. It was a solid, clean TKO victory for Thonson, who could be fighting a lightweight of note really soon. 

***

Overall, there's much more I could say about Induction Weekend, but I'm sure we can agree that this article has gone on long enough. So, let me end with this: If you have never been to Induction Weekend, you must put it on your list. If you love boxing, you will walk around all weekend with a huge smile on your face. The experience will enhance your connection to the sport and to those who love it like you do. It was unforgettable. 

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. 

Buddy McGirt: Searching for the Rabbit

Similar to all of us, when Buddy McGirt heard the initial rumblings that his fighter, Sergey Kovalev, could be a potential opponent for Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, he didn't believe it. He thought it was joke. After all, Canelo was fighting at middleweight and Kovalev was a light heavyweight titlist, and a big puncher at that. Yet months after the initial speculation, with various other fighters considered and rejected, here we are: Kovalev will be taking on Alvarez this Saturday in one of the biggest fights of the year. 

As McGirt had more time to consider a potential matchup with Alvarez, it started to make sense to him. Alvarez needed a big fight, something that would be acceptable to DAZN, which has made a prodigious investment in Canelo's career. After consulting with Kovalev and promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events, all were in agreement and wanted the fight. Canelo would represent the largest payday of Kovalev's career and perhaps just as an importantly, this would be a matchup where Kovalev, the bigger fighter with a great jab, would have a path to victory. This fight didn't represent a simple cash out; they believe that they can win. 

But first things first, Kovalev needed to make a title defense in August against mandatory challenger Anthony Yarde before the Canelo fight could come to fruition. And despite some rocky moments in the eighth and ninth rounds, Kovalev was able to stop Yarde in the 11th. 

Photo Courtesy of Buddy McGirt

As Saturday approaches, McGirt acknowledges that Kovalev should be considered the underdog. Canelo is one of the best fighters in the sport and a pugilist, in McGirt's eyes, who has continued to improve since his early career setback to Floyd Mayweather. McGirt jokingly said that when they beat Canelo the media will say that Kovalev pulled a rabbit out of the hat. But McGirt has been a big underdog before, both as a fighter and a trainer. It's his job to find that rabbit and to help shepherd Kovalev to victory. 

I recently had an opportunity to talk with McGirt about the Canelo fight, his time working with Kovalev and the Yarde victory. Here's what he had to say: 

Interview conducted by Adam Abramowitz

The interview has been edited and condensed. 

Buddy, what was your initial reaction when you heard that Kovalev was being considered as a possible Canelo opponent?

I didn’t really believe it at first. We thought Canelo was just throwing Sergey's name out there. But then eventually I understood that Canelo liked challenges. And who else was there to fight that could put asses in the seats? The answer was Kovalev.

Have you followed Canelo's career? What is your sense of him as a fighter?

I’ve always been a fan of Canelo. I’ve always watched him and I think he has made some major improvements since the Mayweather fight. His trainer does a great job with him too...The best thing he does is the way he sets traps. So we have to be aware of that. 

One supposed weakness of Kovalev's is that he doesn't take body shots well. What can a trainer do to work on this aspect?

As for the body attack, you can and can’t make changes if you know what I mean. There are some things we can do. You just got to make some minor adjustments and we’ll be OK. I'm not too concerned.

Was there a concern about Kovalev, a veteran fighter at 36, going through back-to-back training camps?

Kovalev wanted to stay busy. He understood that if he was out for too long he would lose some sharpness. And bam, here we are. He came into camp in great shape and in a great frame of mind. He wanted this fight...I think this is a great time for us right now to have this fight. The activity level gives us an advantage in my opinion. Kovalev’s confidence is right where it needs to be.

How do you view the Yarde fight? Kovalev had to survive a few rocky moments.

It was a fight that he needed. I think he erased a lot of doubts in the fight with Yarde. He fought a young, strong guy who put pressure on, and didn’t come to lie down. Yarde pressured him. He tested him. And Kovalev passed the test.

What led to Yarde's success later on in the fight?

Kovalev got lazy is really what happened in my opinion. He was winning the fight with just his jab. I always tell my fighters the easier the fight, the more focused they have to be. So after the eighth or ninth round, whatever round that Kovalev got hurt, I had to light a fire under his ass. I said if you don’t change things I’m going to stop the fight. He said in the corner, "Don’t worry. I’m ok. I got this. Plus, he’s exhausted. I got him." And he went right out there and changed it around.

In preparation for the Canelo fight, how can you ensure that Kovalev doesn't depend too heavily on one punch, that he needs to bring his full arsenal to the fight?

I had to show him something new that he could do. Not brand new, but maybe something that he got away from. He showed me some amateur tapes. I said, what happened to this guy there? He said he got away from that. I said, maybe it’s time to bring it back. The thing about Kovalev is that he is a really good student. People underestimate his boxing IQ. And he has a really strong boxing foundation. 

If you are able to beat Canelo, what will the headline be in the media the next day? 

If we win the headline will say that Kovalev pulled a rabbit out of the hat [laughs]. We view ourselves as the underdog. We weren’t announced first at the press conference, which is OK. We understand that. 

Buddy, this isn't the first time that you've been the underdog in your career, either as a fighter or a trainer. What do you say to your fighters who are underdogs going into a big fight? What should their mindset be?

I will tell any fighter who is the underdog: One, keep your eye on the prize. Don’t let stuff like that get to you. And two, don’t pay it any mind. Do what you’re supposed to do and good things can and will happen.

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. 

Punch 2 the Face Radio

In this week's Punch 2 the Face podcast, Brandon and I previewed the big light heavyweight unification showdown between Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Artur Beterbiev. Kathy Duva joined us to talk about Canelo-Kovalev. We gave our thoughts on the late Patrick Day. We also discussed Usyk, Bivol and much more. Finally, we celebrated Brandon's third anniversary of the Punch 2 the Face podcast. Click on the links below to listen to the podcast: 

Blog Talk Radio link:
iTunes link:

Stitcher link: 
Also, find us on Spotify: Punch 2 the Face Radio, 3 Year Anniversary Show.

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. 

Opinions and Observations: Kovalev-Alvarez

Let start with the first knockdown in the seventh round. Eleider Alvarez throws a jab to Kovalev's upper chest. Then Alvarez comes back with an overhand right over Kovalev's ineffectual counter left hook. Kovalev feels the sting of the punch, freezes and then stumbles back a couple of steps; his legs start to betray him. As the full impact of the blow manifests, Kovalev's legs completely give way and he falls to the canvas.

After the fight, Alvarez and his trainer Marc Ramsay referred to that combination as the "Macintosh". They had practiced it specifically for Kovalev. Alvarez revealed that Ramsay asked for that combination heading into the seventh round. Message received, and in a few short moments, a new light heavyweight champion was born.

Why that combination can work on Kovalev is that sometimes he has a slow reaction time on defense, especially when he has to change his eye level from body to head. Ramsay said after the fight that there were a number of things they noticed in Kovalev's past fights that they thought could be exploited. Count the "Macintosh" as one of their prime successes during training camp.

Kovalev got up from that first knockdown, perhaps too fast, and still had a good 20-30 seconds until a punishing sweeping left hook/straight right hand combo knocked him down again. It was in those 20 to 30 seconds where I believe that Kovalev made his only grave mistake in the fight. Instead of holding on, clinching or moving away from danger to buy time, Kovalev immediately started to fire back. On one hand, he was responding like a real fighter, but on the other, he wasn't acting like a smart one. The decisions he made immediately after the first knockdown are what sealed his fate on Saturday. 

Photo Courtesy of Ed Mullholland/HBO

Sergey has always exhibited a sign of disbelief after he gets hurt. It's almost as if he says how dare my opponent have the tenacity to try to fight me! It speaks to his essential ring identity; he is the bully, the one in control. This occurred in the second Andre Ward fight and also in his first matchup against Jean Pascal. Ultimately, he doesn't respect his opponents. He believes that he is unbreakable and when he does get hurt, he lacks the humility to try Plan B. He immediately wants to settle the score and this leads to him taking even more punishment.

Alvarez, who was down on all three scorecards entering the seventh round, dropped Kovalev with different punches in each of the three knockdowns: Overhand right, left hook/straight right combo, and a right hook. In addition, his jab was crisp throughout much of the fight. He displayed versatility, creativity and a good chin; it was a damn good performance. 

He was also losing. To my eyes, Kovalev fought exceptionally well in the first six rounds of the match. No longer the plodder of recent outings, he was on the balls of his feet almost all night, expertly cutting off the ring and making impressive athletic moves. When Alvarez tried to escape, Kovalev moved with him. He also did an excellent job of getting in and out of the pocket, using his feet to reset the action. 

Kovalev displayed a number of new wrinkles during the first six rounds of the fight. His work with trainer Abror Tursunpulatov was bearing fruit. In the past he was essentially a two-and-a-half punch fighter. He would dominate opponents with his jab, right hand and an occasional left hook. However, on Saturday Kovalev was throwing double lead left hooks to the body and head, lead uppercuts and counter uppercuts, the types of punches and punch sequences that he had never before utilized on the world-level. This expanded arsenal helped him establish primacy in the fight. In the fourth and sixth rounds in particular, he was doing major damage with an array of power punches; Alvarez wasn't prepared for Kovalev's variety. 

At the post-fight press conference, Alvarez said that Ramsay implored him to go on the inside in the seventh, to take the fight to Kovalev. According to both it was all part of the game plan. Ramsay said, "We knew coming into the fight that we might lose a few early rounds. It was our plan to use our physicality in the second half of the fight."

That "Macintosh" combination in the seventh short-circuited the plans of wearing down Kovalev. But Ramsay helped instill a mindset in his fighter: It was now time to be aggressive, to look for big shots. And Alvarez heeded his corner's advice and executed the best sequences of his career. It was a perfect example of a trainer and fighter working in unison. 

Photo Courtesy of Ed Mullholland/HBO

Also, I want to dispel two myths from the fight: 1. Kovalev gassed. 2. Saturday's fight was somehow a continuation of Kovalev's two bouts against Ward. 

In Kovalev's last three completed rounds of the fight he threw, according to CompuBox, 82, 37 and 55 punches. The 82 punches in the fourth was his high watermark for the fight. The 55 punches in the sixth were his third highest. In each of those three rounds, he threw over 20% more punches than Alvarez did. Even in the seventh round, where Kovalev spent a major portion of it hurt, he still threw 44 punches to Alvarez's 49. So in essence, if Kovalev somehow tired, wilted or gassed in the fight, the evidence doesn't show it based on activity. Even after being dropped, he came back firing punches. There was nothing about his performance that points to being gassed. 

Second, there's no doubt that Kovalev had wilted both physically and psychologically during the second Ward bout. He was a beaten fighter at the conclusion of that match. With that stipulation aside, I didn't see any similarities between that performance and what I observed in Atlantic City on Saturday night. Kovalev got up from two huge knockdowns. To his credit or discredit, he tried to fight back as hard as he could. That is not what a beaten fighter does. A defeated fighter stays on the canvas, or refuses to let his hands go, or stares at his corner or the ref once action resumes, or turns his back to his opponent. On Saturday, Kovalev did none of those things. 

Everyone likes to get sucked into grand narratives, but sometimes events are discrete. Yes, Kovalev lost to both Ward and Alvarez. However, he didn't quit against Alvarez and showed no external signs of yielding. 

These distinctions matter because many boxing observers are using Saturday's results to weave grand tales of Kovalev's failure as a fighter and a competitor, at the expense of Alvarez's tremendous performance. I'm not saying that fighters shouldn't be criticized. Of course they can and should be when warranted, but be accurate. Kovalev didn't lose the fight; Alvarez won it.  

Ultimately, Kovalev was beaten by a boxing move. A fighter practiced a specific combination in the gym and executed it perfectly in the ring. Similar to when Jermall Charlo dropped Julian Williams with a counter right uppercut, sometimes a fighter makes a superior boxing move, and it turns the fight. It doesn't make Kovalev or Williams physically or mentally inferior. All it means is that on a particular night, an opponent beat them due to ring craft, practice and execution. Alvarez earned his victory on Saturday; nothing was gifted to him. 

***

Having enjoyed many memorable boxing nights in Atlantic City over the past 15 years, I was elated to see a packed house on Saturday. It certainly brought back memories. Over four years since the last big fight in Atlantic City (Hopkins-Kovalev), it was great to see the casino buzzing and the bright lights of HBO Boxing returning to the shore. 

Atlantic City has faced hard times over the last decade with a number of casinos shuttering and tens of thousands of jobs lost. Even some of the casinos that survived, such as Caesars and Bally's, have been saddled by their corporate parents with so much debt that they've just been hanging on. 

Emerging from all of this wreckage, two new casinos opened this year, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, which hosted Saturday's fight, and the Ocean Resort Casino, which will hold a Top Rank card in two weeks. Both properties are refurbishments of casinos that had closed. 

Atlantic City had been a top boxing destination since gambling was legalized in the jurisdiction in 1978. Now, with new players in the market, there exists a significant opportunity to reestablish a boxing presence. In the summer there may not be a better place in the country to experience a boxing weekend. In addition, with the Hard Rock venue and Boardwalk Hall, there are now at least two excellent fight venues in the resort town. 

Main Events and the Duva family have promoted shows in Atlantic City for decades. They understand how to do their job. Yes, Alvarez brought a number of fans from Montreal and Kovalev has built a consistent following among boxing aficionados and Russian-speaking fans from the Northeast. But there were also other touches. Karl Dargan fought on the undercard and brought down a couple hundred fans from Philadelphia. Frank Galarza had a sizable Brooklyn contingent for his fight. These are the little things that seasoned promoters do to help sell tickets and create a better atmosphere in the arena. 

And the arena was certainly rocking after Alvarez's knockout win. I hadn't witnessed such jubilation in a crowd since Marcos Maidana beat Adrien Broner in San Antonio in 2013. For a first event in a new property, Saturday's outcome was ideal. Every one of the 5,600 fans in attendance will remember Kovalev-Alvarez. Perhaps a new star was born with Alvarez, and many new boxing fans may have been hatched as well. I'd say that's a great night for the sport. 

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.