Opinions and Observations: Taylor-Serrano, Stevenson-Valdez

The undisputed lightweight fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano arrived with considerable fanfare and hype. A female fight headlined a sold-out Madison Square Garden, a first, and a significant accomplishment. Furthermore, this was a meeting between perhaps the two best female boxers at the moment. In short, this was a huge spectacle for women's boxing, but it was even more than that; Taylor-Serrano planted a flag that the public has now accepted women's boxing on its own terms. There didn't need to be a gimmick for this fight to sell, just two world-class talents whom the public judged as the real deal. This wasn't a novelty act or some concoction from a brilliant promoter: this was a damn compelling fight. 

So, yes, the table was set, but Taylor-Serrano did more than just deliver. What followed was an epic clash featuring wild swings in momentum and a fighter on the brink of defeat who somehow found a way to rally down the stretch to snatch a victory. The crowd ate it up. Even watching through TV, the noise was deafening. And whether you agreed with Katie Taylor winning by split decision or not, it was a special fight, and a scenario where both boxers helped elevate the sport. 

Taylor (left) and Serrano exchanging left hands
Photo courtesy of Ed Mulholland

Taylor's focus, speed and well-roundedness impressed early in the fight. In recent bouts she had fallen into predictable patterns. She had become left-hand dominant, and used her jab, left hook and feet to box her way to some less-than-authoritative decision victories. But on Saturday, she reintroduced herself to her right hand, and she popped that punch with accuracy and spite. Furthermore, Taylor was a fighter who was often much better when throwing first, but against Serrano, she wasn't afraid to stay in the pocket and counter with some fierce right hands. She had the hand speed advantage, but she used that advantage in different ways. It wasn't just getting in and out. She would often draw out a wide left hand from Serrano and counter expertly with her right. Her sharpness was on point. 

But one advantage that she didn't have was power and it became increasingly obvious that one of Serrano's left hands caused far more damage than anything Taylor could muster. By the fourth round Serrano was digging in consistently with wicked left hands – some straight, some with a loop to them – and that her shots were starting to force Taylor to retreat. 

The most memorable round in the fight was the fifth where Taylor, backed into a corner, decided to go toe-to-toe with power punches against Serrano. And despite landing some good stuff, Taylor was getting worn down by Serrano's thunderous blows. As the round progressed, Taylor was cut up and visibly depleted. It looked as though Serrano only needed another shot or two to end the fight. And here's where only having two-minute rounds really helped Taylor. It's unlikely that Taylor could have survived another minute without hitting the canvas at least once (but don't hate the player; hate the game!). 

For as skilled as Taylor is, and she may be the best fighter in women's boxing, she made a series of mistakes in the fifth round, both strategic and tactical. I'm sure that her team didn't want her trading bombs trapped in a corner for a long period. And as she was taking punishment, she didn't try to hold or tie-up whatsoever. She showed a lack of experience and situational awareness in dealing with duress. However high her ring IQ is, and it is high, it went totally out the window in the fifth, and she was seconds away from losing the biggest fight of her career, in part because of significant errors on her part. 

By the seventh, Taylor started to reemerge in the fight. With her head clearing, she went back to clean boxing. And despite taking enormous punishment earlier in the match, she seemed to be the fresher fighter. 

As the bout went into the final rounds, Serrano succumbed to a couple of traps, some of which were her own doing. She was looking to land big left hands without setting anything up; she became a victim of her own success. It's also likely that she punched herself out to a degree. She exerted a ton of energy trying for the stoppage in the fifth and her energy level, not to mention punch volume, wasn't up to snuff in the final rounds. I don't think that Serrano is going to enjoy rewatching the fight from the seventh round on.  

Taylor was awarded a split decision win and it's one of those fights where it's pretty clear that both won three rounds clearly and it's how you judge those four swing rounds (let's say rounds 2,3,7 and 10) that will most likely determine what your final scorecard looked like (I had Taylor winning 96-94). There's no doubt that Serrano had the best moments in the fight as there can be no denying that Taylor made a valiant comeback. And hey, there's nothing like a rematch to settle the score! 

Finally, let's credit the promoters of this event. It took a large amount of chutzpah to say that these women would sell out Madison Square Garden. It had never been done before and there was a large downside risk. If the event failed, it would have set women's boxing back considerably in the U.S. in my opinion. In addition, there was also another big fight on the same night between Stevenson and Valdez. Yet, they filled the place and helped to deliver a magical evening. Taylor-Serrano will go down as a historic fight for women's boxing. And it's not just the fighters who delivered the goods, but also the people who believed in them. 

***

I don't think that Shakur Stevenson beating Oscar Valdez by a wide unanimous decision surprised a lot of people, but how he did so was notable for a few reasons. I want to highlight two things that I found special in Stevenson's performance, one on offense and one on defense.

It wasn't long ago that Stevenson could be seen running around the ring. Yes, he was seemingly impossible to hit cleanly, but he was also contact-avoidant. It made some of his fights tedious in that it was clear his legs, hand speed and reflexes were top-notch, but he was leaving food on the table. He could have been doing more offensively; the question was why wasn't he?

Stevenson (left) with success as the aggressor
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams

In his previous fight against Jamel Herring and on Saturday against Valdez, Stevenson has demonstrated that he has turned a corner in his career. Stevenson is now just as comfortable pressing forward or staying in the pocket as he is with using evasive movement. And while this temperament change is admirable, his considerable skillset as the aggressor has been eye-opening. On Saturday he landed seemingly whatever he wanted: jabs, uppercuts, right hooks, body shots, combinations. Going right at an aggressive fighter, he took the play away from Valdez. So often was Valdez getting hit with flush shots that for points of the fight he stood compliantly at mid-range, frozen, unable to comprehend what to do next. And Valdez had previously been in tough fights and faced an array of styles. Yet, he could do little more than stay in the pocket and get tagged.

Stevenson did score a nifty knockdown in the sixth where he played matador to Valdez's charging bull. He turned Valdez away with a right hook that sent him into the ropes (a knockdown could have been called for that) and then when Valdez turned back around, Stevenson met him with another right hook that dropped him to the canvas. It was a perfect, "make him miss and make him pay" moment and it showed Stevenson's considerable athletic and technical gifts. But as fun as that sequence was, I found Stevenson playing the lead dog in the ring far more compelling.

Stevenson has spent considerable time sparring with a "who's who" of boxing. Recently he's been doing a lot of work with Terence Crawford and Keyshawn Davis, two fighters who are both much bigger than him and possess more natural power. I think that those sessions have helped lead to his growth as a fighter. Stevenson no longer appears to be worried about getting hit (more on this at the moment) and seems comfortable exchanging and trading. Yes, he has developed more strength as he has gotten older, but it's clear that his confidence level is much higher as it relates to his ability to excel in back-and-forth combat.

And this became apparent throughout Saturday's fight, where Stevenson didn't let the fact Valdez could connect with certain shots change his overall game plan. Stevenson didn't get spooked or change to a Plan B.

In fact, I think there was one aspect of Stevenson's defensive construct against Valdez that was masterful. He and his team (Kay Koroma and his grandfather) were determined not to let one punch beat them – Oscar Valdez's left hook to the head. If you observed the fight, you'd see that Stevenson was giving Valdez the lead right, which he landed at points in the fight. He was even willing to let Valdez get off a few hooks to the body. But at no point was Stevenson leaving himself open for Valdez's hook to the head, his money punch.

I don't think that Valdez ever landed his best left hook to the head in the fight and I only remember a couple of ones that grazed Stevenson or landed partially. Stevenson and his team were zeroed in on the punch. Even when Valdez was able to connect with a few punishing left hooks to the body late in the fight, Stevenson wouldn't change his defensive shape. He wouldn't fall for that trap.

Despite losing ten, ten and nine rounds on the scorecards, Valdez connected with 28% of his power punches (according to CompuBox). Although that's certainly not a commanding success rate, it isn't negligible either. However, Stevenson showed a smart boxing brain and considerable poise throughout the fight, even when Valdez had success. Stevenson wouldn't let himself get sucked into a war. He refused to make a specific defensive mistake. He understood what Valdez needed to do to win and denied him that opportunity. 

That Stevenson won with relative ease is the story, but it didn't have to be that way. Shakur neutralized his opponent's best strength. By peppering Valdez with punches all night, Stevenson kept Valdez mostly away from his preferred range. And by maintaining his specific defensive posture, even when Valdez was close enough to be threatening, Stevenson never had to be worried about being hit by the home run shot.

Valdez did land some thudding hooks to the body in the fight and now we do have some answers about Stevenson's ability to take a shot. He didn't wither from those body blows or decide to run around the ring as a result; he continued with his business.

As good as Stevenson looked on Saturday, I still believe that there is room for further development, another level to ascend to – one that involves more spite and an acknowledgement that there’s fun to be had in the hurt business. Stevenson may already be among the best talents in the sport, but if he can add a little more nastiness in the ring, he could become one of the defining fighters of his era. And to beat some of the big names in the division above him, some nastiness will be required.  

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. 

SNB Stock Report 8-30-20

After a busy month of fight action, it's time for another edition of the SNB Stock Report. See which fighters' stock went up (+), down (-) or remained unchanged (NC). To read more about the Whyte-Povetkin and Alvarez-Smith fights, click here. 

Shawn Porter (+)

Photo Courtesy of Sean Michael Ham

In his first ring action since last year's thrilling fight against Errol Spence, Shawn slugged his way to a shutout against Sebastian Formella. Porter dazzled with combination punching on the inside and exhibited solid technical boxing skills on the outside. This was always going to be a marking time bout for Porter, but he looked very sharp and didn't fight down to the level of his competition. Expect Porter to be back in the welterweight title picture in 2021.

Erislandy Lara (NC)

Erislandy Lara remains a formidable fighter in the junior middleweight division. This month he boxed his way to a unanimous decision against overmatched Greg Vendetti. Lara's timing was off at points early in the fight and he wasn't always able to stop Vendetti from getting in close. However, he got the best of the action with straight left hands, left uppercuts and right hooks. At 37, it's a fair question to ask if Lara's reflexes are still at their peak form, but we're going to need to see a much better opponent than Vendetti to find out that answer. 

Alfredo Angulo (-)

Many fight fans have been calling for Angulo to retire for a number of years. His physical skills have declined and he's taken far too many heavy blows. However, he had a nice come-from-behind victory against Peter Quillin last year, which was supposed to set up a meaningful fight against Caleb Truax. But Truax had to pull out of that matchup for health reasons and Angulo wound up facing late-replacement Vladimir Hernandez. After a slow start, Angulo slugged his way back into the fight, but he did slow down in the final two rounds. He wound up losing a unanimous decision, but more importantly, he was hit with hundreds of additional hard shots throughout the fight. He's now 38 and if he had been harboring any dreams of finding his way back into the title picture, that reality is now up in smoke.  

Angelo Leo (+)

Leo was supposed to fight Stephen Fulton for a vacant belt at 122 lbs., but Fulton tested positive for COVID-19 the week of the fight. Southpaw Tramaine Williams stepped in on short notice and despite a radical difference in opponent style, Leo was able to impress. Taking a few rounds to assess to Williams's hand speed and movement, Leo eventually had success on the inside with a merciless body attack. He also displayed an exceptional ability to cut off the ring, nullifying Williams's foot speed advantage. Leo won via a unanimous decision and put his name into the hat as another top fighter in the deep junior featherweight division. 

Ra'eese Aleem (+)

Every now and then an unheralded veteran fighter will suddenly emerge on the scene and force the boxing industry to take notice. Thirty certainly isn't an age for most junior featherweights to make an initial impression; that's when many smaller-weight fighters are already comfortably in their decline phase. However, Aleem, who had been boxing mostly in the Midwest and Pennsylvania circuits, made a significant statement by stopping Marcus Bates in his Showtime Championship Boxing debut. Aleem put forth an impressive power-punching display and he also demonstrated significant skills both on the inside and outside. With his electric performance, he'll certainly have another notable opportunity soon.  

Jose Ramirez (-)

Ramirez looked like he was in peak form during an impressive performance against Maurice Hooker last July. Since then, a scheduled fight with Viktor Postol was cancelled twice on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, back into the ring after 13 months, Ramirez struggled against Postol's clever boxing from the outside. Ramirez did have a few notable moments in the seventh and eighth rounds where he hurt Postol with left hooks against the ropes. But for the most part, he seemed to fight Postol to a standstill, with neither fighter truly able to assert his will upon the action. Ramirez wound up winning a majority decision. It wasn't a robbery, but the unified junior welterweight champion did not look commanding or convincing in the ring. He will still have an opportunity to become the undisputed 140-lb. champ in a future fight against Josh Taylor, but Ramirez's career momentum took a hit with his inconsistent showing against Postol. 

Viktor Postol (+)

At the age of 36, Postol was supposed to present a couple of challenges to Jose Ramirez, but few, if any, expected him to win the fight. Yet after 12 rounds, the actual winner of the contest was very much in doubt. More than a few on social media thought that he had jabbed and moved his way to a close win (count me in this group). Although Postol lost by majority decision, he demonstrated that he's still an elite junior welterweight. With a different judging panel, he certainly could have had his hands raised at the end of the night. 

Katie Taylor (+)

Photo Courtesy of Mark Robinson

Katie Taylor has now boxed 20 rounds against Delfine Persoon and has come away with disputed victories in both fights. Without getting into the intricacies of scoring, both Taylor-Persoon bouts have been among the best women's boxing fights that I've seen. In my opinion both boxers have been elevated by their performances. Taylor-Persoon is just one of those matchups that stylistically will lead to close verdicts on the scorecards. From my vantage point, I thought that Taylor boxed a little sharper in the rematch and used her legs to better effect. My scorecard read 96-94 for Taylor; however, I don't think that her victory was definitive by any means. But ultimately, the fight was fantastic, and sometimes that's more important than the minutiae of scoring criteria. 

Delfine Persoon (+)

It's long been a working theory of mine that the best way to fight expert, polished boxers is to dispense with any notion of trying to match their skills. Persoon doesn't possess the pretty jabs, textbook left hook, or foot speed of Katie Taylor, but she has specific dimensions that will always bother her. Persoon's relentless aggression forces Taylor to fight at a pace (faster) and a distance (closer) that is uncomfortable for her. In addition, Persoon is wonderful in the clinch, utilizing her physicality and maneuvering her body to get off chopping power shots at close range. It's a shame that Taylor and Persoon fought only two-minute rounds. In so many of their rounds Taylor dominated the first half and Persoon came back in the final minute. A third minute could have provided a definitive winner in both bouts.  

David Benavidez (-)

On one hand David Benavidez took care of business this month by defeating Alexis Angulo in an impressive, one-sided beat down. But "business" is the key word, as far as it concerns Benavidez. He missed weight by almost three pounds prior to the fight and wound up losing his belt on the scales, the second time in his brief professional career where he has lost a world title outside of the ring. Benavidez has now earned the reputation of being unreliable, which is not a positive development for him. It's unclear if Benavidez can even safely make super middleweight going forward. If he can, he may still get a fight with titleholder Caleb Plant in 2021, but he won't have the same financial leverage that he would have had as a champion. 

Sebastian Fundora (+)

Last year Fundora had a difficult matchup against Jamontay Clark. Fundora built an early lead, but somehow let Clark, whom he had hurt multiple times, come back into the fight to earn a draw. Did Fundora have enough physical strength on his lanky frame? Was he unprepared for Clark's lateral movement? Facing former contender Nathaniel Gallimore this month, Fundora put all those questions aside for now and impressed in all aspects against a much different opponent. Not only was his punch selection, power and work rate fantastic, but he also showed a new-found ability to use his physicality to rough up Gallimore in the trenches. Fundora won via a sixth-round knockout. It's still anyone's guess as to which division Fundora will ultimately settle into, but he's starting to grasp more advanced aspects of boxing in the ring. If he keeps making steady progress, he's going to be a tough out. 

Israil Madrimov (NC)

Madrimov defeated veteran Eric Walker this month in an overall strange performance. After a fast start, Madrimov seemed to tire by the fourth round. In the seventh and eighth rounds he was getting hit by a lot of shots. Then the fight got weird. In the ninth round, Madrimov landed a leaping left that knocked Walker down. During the follow through of the punch, Madrimov's shoulder also connected with Walker. Referee Gary Ritter ruled that the knockdown was due to the foul, which was a questionable call at best. After a long break, the fight resumed and Madrimov dominated the remainder of the action. He would win a unanimous decision. Madrimov possesses incredible athletic talent, but his lack of defensive fundamentals is problematic at this point in his young professional career. Walker routinely landed with simple one-two's. And it's surprising that with Madrimov's substantial amateur career, that he still has such defensive shortcomings. Madrimov's team has talked about getting a title shot as soon as possible at junior middleweight. In my opinion he still needs three or four fights before he's ready for that level.

Tim Tszyu (+)

In a big fight in Australia, Tszyu, the son of the former champion, Kostya, stopped recent welterweight champion Jeff Horn. In just his 16th pro fight, Tszyu fought like a seasoned veteran, handling Horn's roughhouse techniques and grappling with aplomb. Tszyu featured a pulverizing left hook and a commitment to body punching. Like Madrimov, Tszyu is one of the up-and-comers in the 154-lb. division. And although he possesses offensive firepower, he would do well to fight a legitimate contender or two before he gets a title shot. To this point he hasn't had enough competitive rounds in his professional development.  

Rolando Romero (-)

Romero made his Showtime Championship Boxing debut this month against Jackson Marinez, and quite frankly, he didn't look ready for the big stage. Loading up on every shot, Romero seemed befuddled by Marinez's polished boxing skills and athleticism. Romero did connect with some tasty power punches, but there weren't enough of them. Romero was awarded the victory, but it was a robbery. It's never a good sign when the WBA President immediately tweets out that a rematch should be considered based on the scoring of the fight. At 24, Romero still has time to develop additional aspects of his game. He has to learn to set up shots strategically. For many opponents, one shot will not suffice. 

Otto Wallin (+)

Wallin, who gave Tyson Fury some problems last year, stopped Travis Kauffman in the fifth round of their fight this month. Wallin is one of those fighters who doesn't necessarily pass the "eye test," but he can fight. Although he doesn't possess big-time power, his punch volume, jab and movement are unique factors in a division where many fighters would prefer to be stationary. He needs additional rounds against credible heavyweights to assess just what his ceiling could be, but he has some interesting raw tools. It wouldn't surprise me to see him spring a notable upset or two in the near future.

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: A Phriday Night of Philly Phights

In the ninth round of a fight he was handily losing, Gabe Rosado suddenly turned the tables. Knocked down twice already in the bout and miles behind on the scorecards, Rosado landed a counter right hand that sent the heavily favored Maciej Sulecki to the canvas. Rosado knew this was his moment. As soon as Sulecki beat the count, Rosado pounced, battering him with every power punch in his arsenal. Again Sulecki dropped to the floor, and only the end of the round saved him from even more abuse. 

The Philadelphia crowd was on its feet. And they stayed that way all throughout the tenth and final round. Their hometown guy, Rosado, was attempting to pull off the type of comeback that epitomized the Philadelphia fighting spirit. Sure, you might be better, more talented, more highly regarded, but we're never going to stop fighting. 

Rosado kept firing away during the 10th. Sulecki was gassed and in survival mode, but Rosado just couldn't find the finishing blow. In the end, Sulecki won by a unanimous decision, which was the correct call. And although there were the obligatory boos when the scores were announced, there was no real controversy. 

The crowd celebrated Rosado's effort. And while Sulecki may move on to a title shot against Demetrius Andrade, Rosado had extracted his pound of flesh. Rosado had given Sulecki a true Philly fight, one that Sulecki won't soon forget, and one that he won't be in a rush to duplicate. 

Sulecki had almost every conceivable advantage over Rosado in the fight. He was quicker, fresher, bigger, more talented, his punches were straighter. However, Rosado isn't a stiff in the ring; he knows how to fight. Despite a limited amateur career, Rosado picked up all sorts of pugilistic wisdom in his countless Philly gym wars and facing top competition in his professional fights. As early as the second round, he noticed a flaw with Sulecki. Once Sulecki fired his right hand, he would freeze. Trainers call it "admiring your work" or "taking a picture." Instead of moving out of the pocket or continuing to throw shots, he stopped to assess the damage his shots were causing. In those brief moments, he was wide open for a counter right hand. 

Throughout the fight, Rosado was trying to focus on those openings. He had a good third round landing counter right hands, straight and overhand. And even though he was getting beaten to the punch during the fight, he knew what he needed to do to turn the bout in his favor. In the ninth, he seized the moment and almost had the biggest upset win of his career. Of course, "almost" could be the story of his career. 

Rosado has sometimes been derisively referred to as the "Gabekeeper," obviously a play on words with gatekeeper, a fighter who isn't good enough to win at the top level, but can challenge those a step down. Gatekeepers may be seen to some as a pejorative term in boxing, but fighters like Rosado play an important role in the sport. Rosado gives a professional effort every time out and can make for good fights. His record (24-12-1) belies the competitiveness of most of his matches. If there was a break or two that had gone his way (let's say the dubious stoppage against then-titleholder Peter Quillin or the decision against J'Leon Love), perhaps his career would have turned out differently. Nevertheless, he continues to provide good value in the ring. 

As for Sulecki, he remains a contender in the middleweight division. Perhaps he was overconfident and didn't respect Rosado's power or boxing acumen, but he and his team now have a perfect opportunity to correct a flaw moving forward. Sulecki gave Daniel Jacobs a tough fight last year and he will compete against Andrade, but to win these fights, he needs to tighten up his defensive approach. If Friday helps to correct some of his flaws in the ring, then consider Friday a crucial inflection point in his career. 

***

In Friday's main event, Tevin Farmer bested Jono Carroll's almost absurd punch activity (1,227 punches!) to win a unanimous decision. Although Farmer was the clear winner, Carroll made him work every second of the fight. The difference was the quality of Farmer's power punches and his 30 to 45-second flurries during many of the rounds where he looked like a truly elite fighter. Farmer was close to stopping Carroll in the 11th after he landed a series of right hooks, forcing the ever-aggressive Carroll to retreat to the ropes. By the end of the fight Carroll's faced was marked up and his right eye looked awful. Farmer was the deserved winner, but it was a difficult fight for him. 

Farmer's challenge on Friday was to win the fight without getting dragged into the type of war that Carroll wanted. Matching Carroll's punch volume would have played into Jono's hands. Farmer isn't a volume fighter; he picks his shots economically. According to CompuBox, Farmer threw 404 fewer punches than Carroll, an astounding number, over 30 punches a round! It's rare to see a fighter win when being out-thrown by such a significant margin, but the judges were correct in their assessment. Farmer's work was cleaner and more effective. 

Photo Courtesy of Ed Mullholland

Still, there were large stretches of rounds where Carroll was busy throwing shots (often missing) while Farmer refused to engage offensively. Farmer was fortunate that he had competent judges. Many judges will often score for the aggressor, even if the fighter wasn't particularly effective. 

Despite the win, Friday wasn't among Farmer's best performances as a pro. He had problems making weight and his legs didn't look great, especially in the early rounds. When he tried to fight on the outside, where his faster hands and feet should have given him advantages, he was surprisingly ineffective. His jab lacked snap and he couldn't get out of range consistently. 

Farmer won the bout on the inside. He has become an adept inside fighter over the years and he did a number of really clever things in the ring with angles and positioning in close quarters. Using his neck and upper body (and the stray elbow of forearm), he would move Carroll to areas where he could land and Carroll couldn't. Then, he would expertly switch sides with his head and work the other side of Carroll's body. These are subtle skills that aren't always apparent, but they are practiced and perfected by the best inside fighters. (I observed Farmer working on his head and neck positioning during a sparring session in camp.) 

Farmer will need to be better against the top junior lightweights. In the post-fight press conference, he graded himself a B-minus or a C-plus, and he had an interesting comment where he said that elite fighters are never satisfied with their performance. Much of this is true, but with Farmer, it's not just a matter of tweaking or fine tuning. He wasn't in top condition against Carroll. He also didn't seem fully focused in the ring. Perhaps he didn't look at Carroll as a serious opponent or maybe the three fights in five months caught up with him – it can almost feel like a perpetual training camp, and the body does need a rest. 

After his recent activity, I'm sure that Farmer could use a physical and mental break from boxing. The time off can help his body recuperate. Perhaps more importantly, he can use the break to refocus on his task at hand. Yes, Farmer's a champion and a very good fighter, but he's yet to beat a top opponent. And he can't afford to have an off night against the best; he just doesn't have the punching power to erase mistakes or cover over an inconsistent effort. To beat a Gervonta Davis he will have to be at his 100% best and despite his victory over Carroll, he wasn't near that level on Friday. 

***

Elsewhere on Friday's entertaining card, there was a grab bag of goodies. Katie Taylor demonstrated elite skills in stopping fellow champion Rose Volante in the ninth round. Taylor dropped Volante with a beautiful left hook in the first and inflicted damage throughout the fight. I will profess that I don't watch a ton of women's boxing, but Taylor looked fantastic. Her footwork is pristine. Her in-and-out style is difficult for an opponent to time. She goes to the body with menace, and she's no slapper. Her punches have some real bite. 

Photo Courtesy of Ed Mullholland

Taylor is a huge star in Ireland and there were throngs of Irish media surrounding her in the post-fight press conference. There's a special quality about Taylor in the ring. There's no need to grade on a curve. There's no "she's a good fighter...for a girl," or any of those backhanded compliments that often circulate regarding the best female fighters in the sport. No, she's excellent at what she does, and it's a pleasure to watch her fight.  

Luke Campbell looked terrific in dispatching Adrian Young in the fifth round. (Some publications have him as "Yung." Boxrec has him as "Young." We'll go with that.) Campbell has become an excellent fighter and has used losses in his career as an opportunity to improve. He does a wonderful pull-counter where he will make an opponent miss by inches and then come back with a hard straight left or right hook. He also digs to the body mercilessly.

Campbell should be in line to get another title opportunity within the next 12-18 months and I wouldn't count him out. Yes, he can be outworked and he's not a tremendous athlete, but he's a smart fighter, he knows what he wants to accomplish in the ring and he's technically sound. Plus, even though he's 31, he still seems to be getting better and better.

Daniyar Yeleussinov is one of Matchroom Sport's high-profile prospect signings. A two-time Olympian from Kazakhstan and a gold medalist in the 2016 games, Yeleussinov, 28, is supposed to be a fast-mover as a prospect. However, his fight with Silverio Ortiz on Friday demonstrated that he still has a way to go before challenging the top fighters at welterweight. 

Yeleussinov has great feet and good hand speed, but still has a number of amateur habits that are serious concerns. He often will throw shots at half-speed in the pocket, but then won't get out of the way or throw additional shots. He's a sitting duck to be countered. Overall, he doesn't fully commit to his power shots, which is not uncommon for developing fighters, but it's still an issue. 

Whether or not Yeleussinov makes these improvements has a lot to do with his temperament. Does he already view himself as a top talent or does he recognize the need to make these improvements? Does he have humility and a willingness to learn? There are a lot of raw materials for a trainer to work with regarding Yeleussinov; let's hope that the fighter knows that he doesn't yet have all the answers. 

Finally, the Philadelphia crowd was treated to a fun lightweight tussle between Hank Lundy and Avery Sparrow. A true crossroads fight, Lundy, 35, the former title contender, set out to prove that he is still a significant factor in the top levels of boxing, while Sparrow, just 25, wanted to make a statement that he is worthy of the type of opportunities that Lundy has received throughout his career. On Friday, youth prevailed. Sparrow scored two knockdowns in the second round and while Lundy came back in the second half of the fight, he had too big of a mountain to climb and lost via majority decision. 

Lundy-Sparrow was a spirited battle. The crowd appreciated the two hometown fighters giving it their all, which is what the expectations are for Philly boxers – not championships or titles or glamour or flash – but giving your best effort. Every. Damn. Time. 

And they delivered.  

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.