Ring Magazine -- Fight and Trainer of the Year

I wrote two articles for Ring Magazine's 2023 awards edition. For the Fight of the Year article, which featured Luis Nery against Azat Hovhannisyan, click here. To ready my article on Brian McIntyre, the Trainer of the Year, click here.

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

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

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.

On Beterbiev

A boxing friend of mine, Arran McLachlan, reached out in early 2014 to tell me how excited he was about this emerging Montreal-based Russian prospect, Artur Beterbiev. I think at that point Beterbiev was 4-0 and fighting six-rounders. Arran insisted that Beterbiev, who was an Olympian, had a style that would play spectacularly in the pros and expected him to become a world champion at light heavyweight. Now all of this sounded a little outlandish or fanciful to me, but Arran, like myself, wasn't someone who often fell in love with boxing prospects. He saw something special in Beterbiev and I noted that. So, I studied up on Beterbiev. 

And then I made a classic mistake in fighter evaluation: focusing too much on what a fighter couldn't do, instead of what could make him special. I immediately noticed Beterbiev's slow hands, ponderous footwork and lack of athleticism. Those were big red flags to me, as they would be if I had been evaluating any prospect. Although I observed his heavy hands, his ability to fire off damaging punches at close range and how ordinary-looking blows wound up brutalizing an opponent, those factors weren't enough to sway me regarding Beterbiev's future. 

I relayed my scouting report to Arran, the good and the bad, and although Arran is significantly younger than me, he treated ME with kid gloves. He was essentially saying to me, just you wait...I understand all your concerns and he will address them in due time. Arran again reminded me that Beterbiev was an excellent amateur in the punch-counting system, where a person’s power didn't carry any additional favor from the judges. Ultimately, he believed that Beterbiev had significant craft to go along with his substantial power. I remained unmoved. 

Later in 2014, Beterbiev was dropped in a flash knockdown by Jeff Page, a club fighter from Kansas. In truth, it was more of a slip/foot entanglement issue than a legit punch, but I used that opportunity to mock Arran. I can still remember the glee in those messages that I had sent to him. I questioned Arran's judgment. I was convinced by my own eyes. That Beterbiev stopped Page in two rounds was immaterial to me. 

And yet here we are, ten years later. Beterbiev is now among the best fighters in the sport, with three title belts at 175 lbs. and eight championship defenses. Arran and I were still exchanging messages about Beterbiev on Saturday as Artur was on his way to knocking out Callum Smith. But this time there was no pushback from me. I was reveling in the quality of Beterbiev's performance, just like Arran was. 

Beterbiev's jab was a key weapon against Smith
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams

Now, it must be said that much has changed with Beterbiev in the previous ten years. He has continued to add to his game. He out-jabbed Smith on Saturday, which was quite an accomplishment considering that he was shorter and had a significant reach disadvantage. However, he was the one controlling the action with the stick, pumping it to the head and body, and using it as a clever counter. 

The first knockdown of the fight started with a vicious counter right hand by Beterbiev, where he slipped the jab and came over the top with the short right to the side of Smith's head. It was a similar maneuver to how he had initially hurt Joe Smith. And it's now obvious watching Beterbiev that he has become far more than just a brute slugger with heavy hands.

Beterbiev's lead trainer, Marc Ramsay, has played a huge role in Beterbiev's technical development. Having interviewed Ramsay twice over the years about Beterbiev, the trainer has always praised Beterbiev's boxing skills. Here's Ramsay in 2022: 

"You know what’s fun about being the trainer of Artur is that he’s a very good boxer and he can do a little bit of everything. He can box. He can put pressure. He can slug. We’ve done all of that already." (For the complete article with Ramsay, click here.) 

Ultimately what has made Beterbiev into an elite fighter, as opposed to just a guy with heavy hands, is a combination of winning intangibles: 

1.     Physical and Intellectual Aptitude

2.     Coachability

3.     Humility

Ramsay has been working with Beterbiev on various techniques to improve his boxing ability. But all of that would be meaningless unless Beterbiev agreed that he needed to further refine himself in the ring. And this is quite extraordinary. Ramsay is training perhaps the biggest puncher in the sport and says to him: you know what, it's not enough. And Beterbiev agrees! And more than that, Beterbiev has incorporated these teachings into the ring. 

Whether it's changing the eye level with power punches, controlling opponents with the jab, or how and when to throw the proper counter, Beterbiev now utilizes these facets as if they were second nature. 

Unlike so many fighters with high knockout percentages, Beterbiev didn't fall in love with his power. He realized that there was still work to do. This speaks highly of his intellect, as well as his relentless desire to improve. 

At 38 Beterbiev is now a complete fighter. He has delivered on the promise that Arran saw a decade ago. But he has also steadily improved. He wasn't utilizing foot feints and cute lateral movement in 2014. I can assure you of that!

Beterbiev after Saturday's victory
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams

I have picked against Beterbiev in the past and been wrong. I've watched him twice live and have marveled at aspects of his performances. I saw him stop an excellent version of Gvozdyk and destroy a fellow champion in Joe Smith. I still don't know what happens if he ever fights Dmitry Bivol, but I do understand one thing: Beterbiev is one of the best fighters in the entire sport. But I was a little late to the party on him.  

In one sense I was correct about Beterbiev; the fighter of 2014 was incomplete, but what I didn't know and what Arran and Ramsay did, is that he had much more to offer than what he had displayed on his fight nights. It pays to do your homework, to ask around, and not be so settled in a first evaluation. There are fighters who have a tremendous aptitude for improvement. They may have significant skills or intangibles that won't manifest against lesser opponents in short fights.   

We all like to remember the occasions where we got it right, a spectacular fight pick, an identification of a special talent well before the general public latches on. But it's important to remember when and how we get things wrong too. As someone who has immersed himself in boxing over the last three decades, I whiffed here. Even before getting into questions about aptitude, I should have recognized that his combination of uncommon power and success in the point-counting amateur system was a winning formula in the professional ranks.  

But Beterbiev has become even so much more than that 2014 version. He has put in the work. He has ignored his own headlines. His only goal is to become the best. He is now 20-0 with 20 knockouts, but his resume somehow still undersells him: he's the complete package. And I hope that we all know that now, even if it took some of us longer than needed. 

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

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

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.  

The 2023 Saturday Night Boxing Awards

As an eventful year comes to an end, boxing delivered big-time in 2023 with mega-fights, undisputed champions and dozens of great matchups. To commemorate the year, it's time to honor those who helped make 2023 so special. Here are the 2023 Saturday Night Boxing Awards, with honors bestowed for the Fighter, Fight, Knockout, Round, Upset, Trainer, Promoter, Network and Referee of the Year.

Fighter of the Year: (tie) Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue

Crawford and Inoue, sublime talents who should be considered the top-two fighters in the sport, both had tremendous years in 2023. Inoue started the year as lineal at bantamweight, moved up to 122, stopped unified titlist Stephen Fulton and knocked out another unified titlist in Marlon Tapales to become undisputed at a second weight class in a calendar year. What an impressive achievement! 

Inoue after defeating Fulton
Photo courtesy Naoki Fukuda

After years of waiting for the opportunity, Crawford destroyed Errol Spence, his prime rival at welterweight, in an era-defining fight. Spence entered the ring as one of the top handful of fighters in the sport, but Crawford demonstrated that he was on another level, knocking him down multiple times before the fight was stopped in the ninth. With the win, Crawford became an undisputed champion in a second division. 

Crawford had the best singular win in 2023 while Inoue had the best series of achievements. To me it's splitting hairs to choose one or the other. They were the most impressive fighters to me and both are worthy award winners.  

Previous SNB Fighters of the Year:

2022: Dmitry Bivol
2021: Saul Alvarez
2020: Teofimo Lopez
2019: Saul Alvarez
2018: Oleksandr Usyk
2017: Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
2016: Carl Frampton
2015: Floyd Mayweather
2014: Naoya Inoue
2013: Adonis Stevenson
2012: Nonito Donaire
2011: Andre Ward

Fight of the Year: Luis Nery-Azat Hovhannisyan

This fight reminded me of those classic HBO Boxing After Dark fights, where two lower-weight boxers fought tooth-and-nail, putting everything on the line for greater glory. This junior featherweight matchup wasn't for a world title, but it featured a perfect matchup between a slugger and a brawler. 

Nery entered the ring with the greater pedigree, formerly a world titlist at 118 and 122 lbs. But he had also been a mercurial and highly controversial fighter, failing drug tests, blowing weight and rummaging through trainers like they were pieces of loose candy. Hovhannisyan (who goes by the nickname "Crazy A") was well known in boxing circles as a rugged club fighter in Southern California. 

Nery and Crazy A waging an unforgettable war
Photo courtesy of Cris Esqueda

Nery's straight punching got the best of the action in the early rounds. He scored a knockdown in the third and his straight left out of the southpaw stance gave Crazy A a lot of problems. But Hovhannisyan was prepared to take a lot of shots to land his. As the fight continued Crazy A's relentless pressure, body punching and grappling in close quarters was starting to have its effect. Nery, who had moved a lot earlier in the fight, was now right where Crazy A wanted him. The fight transformed into an all-out war with Crazy A unloading on Nery against the ropes while Nery would pick out a handful of striking power punches to stem the tide. 

By the tenth, Nery was in bad shape. He was getting beaten up and looked exhausted. It seemed as if Crazy A's plan had worked to perfection: weather the early storm, apply constant pressure and break Nery down late. But somehow, Nery regathered himself in the corner after the 10th. At the beginning of the 11th round, he uncorked a violent left hand that dropped Crazy A for the second time in the fight. The shot damaged Crazy A. He beat the count but wasn't fully there. Nery jumped on him and forced the ref to stop the fight. 

Nery-Hovhannisyan was boxing at its best: warriors summoning all their inner reserves to defeat a determined opponent. Nery looked like a world-class boxer-puncher in the early rounds, but Crazy A kept coming. And Crazy A fought like he wouldn't be denied; this was his chance for the breakthrough win of his career, but Nery found one last gear to get the victory. What a thrilling fight and what a performance from both fighters!

Previous SNB Fights of the Year: 

2022: Wood-Conlan
2021: Fury-Wilder III
2020: Zepeda-Baranchyk
2019: Inoue-Donaire
2018: Chisora-Takam
2017: Joshua-Klitschko
2016: Vargas-Salido
2015: Miura-Vargas
2014: Coyle-Brizuela
2013: Bradley-Provodnikov
2012: Pacquiao-Marquez IV
2011: Rios-Acosta

Knockout of the Year: Junto Nakatani KO 12 Andrew Moloney

Junto Nakatani was on his way to winning his second world title as he entered the 12th round against Andrew Moloney. In a complete performance, Nakatani dropped Moloney in the 2nd and 11th rounds and dazzled with his combinations, punch variety and sharp counters. Moloney had put forth a spirited effort, but was comprehensively outclassed. However, that was just a prelude to what happened in the 12th round. 

Nakatani (right) after landing the KO punch
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank

As the fight got closer to the final bell, Moloney still marched forward. Moving toward Nakatani he momentarily paused before throwing a jab. At that moment, Nakatani crouched to his left side, took his head off the line and unfurled a pulverizing overhead left that detonated on Moloney's face. Moloney, immediately dropped to the canvas, supine, blood flowing from his right eye; he could barely move. Nakatani's punch was a perfect one-shot knockout executed with expert precision. In year full of memorable knockouts, this was the one that stuck with me throughout 2023.

Previous SNB Knockouts of the Year:

2022: Leigh Wood TKO 12 Michael Conlan
2021: Gabe Rosado KO 3 Bektemir Melikuziev
2020: (tie) Alexander Povetkin KO 5 Dillian Whyte and Gervonta Davis KO 6 Leo Santa Cruz
2019: Nonito Donaire KO 6 Stephon Young
2018: Naoya Inoue KO 1 Juan Carlos Payano
2017: Zolani Tete KO 1 Siboniso Gonya
2016: Hassan N'Dam KO 1 Alfonso Blanco
2015: Yenifel Vincente KO 3 Juan Dominguez
2014: Andy Lee KO 5 John Jackson
2013: Stephen Smith KO 5 Gary Buckland
2012: Juan Manuel Marquez KO 6 Manny Pacquiao
2011: Takashi Uchiyama TKO 11 Jorge Solis

Round of the Year: O'Shaquie Foster-Eduardo Hernandez Round 11

With open scoring in effect, O'Shaquie Foster, the titleholder at 130 lbs., knew that he was down on the cards against Eduardo "Rocky" Hernandez after eight rounds. However, this was just another one in a series of challenges he had to overcome in the match. He was the away fighter in a small ring that favored Hernandez, who was supposed to be the puncher in the matchup. But Foster was determined to defend his title. 

Foster started the 11th round firing power shots and landed a short right hook with 2:15 left in the round that buckled Hernandez's legs, almost sending him to the canvas. Hernandez was badly hurt. Foster seized the moment and drove Hernandez back to the ropes with power shots. Hernandez was buzzed, didn't have his full faculties and looked over to his corner. Foster wailed away with the left hooks to the body and straight lefts with Hernandez not throwing back. Hernandez went to full retreat mode, moving directly to the other side of the ring as Foster continued to meet him with power shots. Hernandez was so stunned that he momentarily turned his back to Foster. 

Foster (left) and Hernandez before the fight
Photo courtesy of Ed Mulholland

At 1:30 left in the round, Hernandez regained some of his bearing and started to trade and counter off the ropes. Getting through with straight rights and left hooks, he stung Foster. And now Foster was the one on retreat. Hernandez, with the roar of the crowd behind him, unloaded furious power shots, with Foster trying to block and place counters between them. Foster snapped Hernandez's head back with a beautiful right uppercut while against the ropes, but Hernandez kept coming. 

Hernandez landed two huge right hooks to the head and body and Foster was badly hurt. Both finished the round throwing nasty power punches, hoping to survive, recover and somehow end the fight. 

Foster would be the fresher fighter in the final round and ultimately dropped Hernandez twice to win by stoppage and retain his title. Foster came from way behind for victory. It was a tremendous fight and the 11th was the best round that I saw all year. 

Previous SNB Rounds of the Year:

2022: Mauricio Lara-Emilio Sanchez Round 3
2021: Kenshiro Teraji-Masamichi Yabuki Round 9
2020: Jose Zepeda-Ivan Baranchyk Round 5
2019: Anthony Joshua-Andy Ruiz Round 3
2018: Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury Round 12
2017: Anthony Joshua-Wladimir Klitschko Round 5
2016: Edwin Rodriguez-Thomas Williams Jr. Round 2
2015: Edwin Rodriguez-Michael Seals Round 1
2014: Thomas Williams Jr.-Cornelius White Round 1
2013: Tim Bradley-Ruslan Provodnikov Round 12
2012: Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Round 12
2011: Hernan Marquez-Luis Concepcion I Round 1

Upset of the Year: Brian Mendoza KO 7 Sebastian Fundora

Sebastian Fundora entered 2023 as one of the ascendent young stars in boxing. Having defeated contenders Sergio Garcia, Erickson Lubin, and Carlos Ocampo, Fundora earned an interim title at 154 lbs., but more importantly, he had established himself as one of the nightmare matchups for anyone in the junior middleweight division, a 6'7" southpaw who had power and could beat opponents at any range. 

Brian Mendoza was supposed to be a marking-time opponent, a fighter who had gone rounds with top prospect Jesus Ramos, but never threatened to win. Mendoza did enter the Fundora fight with an impressive upset win over former champion Jeison Rosario, but that result could in part be explained by the damage that Rosario had taken in previous fights with Lubin and Jermell Charlo. 

Mendoza (right) celebrates after stopping Fundora
Photo courtesy of Esther Lin/Showtime

Through the first six rounds of Fundora-Mendoza, Fundora dominated the action, pasting Mendoza with straight lefts and left uppercuts. Mendoza had taken several big shots and had failed to impose himself on the action. It was one-way traffic. 

But in the seventh, Mendoza seized an opportunity. Fundora tried to throw an uppercut from too far away and Mendoza cracked Fundora with a counter left hook. Fundora froze. Mendoza than followed up with one of the biggest right hands of his career and capped it off with a picture-perfect left hook. Fundora hit the deck. He sat up as the ref counted, but had none of his faculties. He would be counted out without making a concentrated effort to continue. In an instant, the Big Bad Wolf would be defanged. Mendoza had shocked the boxing world. From six rounds of accomplishing very little to destroying one of the most intimidating young fighters in the sport, Mendoza authored one of the most shocking results of the year. 

Previous SNB Upsets of the Year:

2022: Hector Luis Garcia UD Chris Colbert
2021: George Kambosos SD Teofimo Lopez
2020: Robert Helenius TKO 4 Adam Kownacki
2019: Andy Ruiz TKO 7 Anthony Joshua
2018: Rob Brant UD Ryota Murata
2017: Caleb Truax MD James DeGale
2016: Joe Smith Jr. KO 1 Andrzej Fonfara
2015: Tyson Fury UD Wladimir Klitschko
2014: (tie) James de la Rosa UD Alfredo Angulo and Tommy Karpency SD Chad Dawson
2013: Jhonny Gonzalez KO 1 Abner Mares
2012: Sonny Boy Jaro TKO 6 Pongsaklek Wongjongkam

Trainer of the Year: Brian McIntyre et al. 

Brian McIntyre's work as Terence Crawford's lead trainer has been exemplary. McIntyre has helped shape Crawford into one of the truly best fighters in the sport. But the "et al." above acknowledges that McIntyre has worked with a team to get Crawford to this level, specifically Esau Dieguez and Red Spikes. Together, the three of them have been instrumental in refining the abilities of Crawford (and their other major fighters) in the ring. 

Crawford, McIntyre's elite pupil, after stopping Spence
Photo courtesy of Esther Lin/Showtime

Immediately after Crawford's knockout victory over Errol Spence, Crawford was asked about the preparation for the fight. Crawford specifically noted that his counter right jab in the southpaw stance was paramount to beating Spence. He explained that McIntyre had worked with him to make the shot more of a power punch against Spence. It wasn't intended just to score; the point was to pulverize with the punch. 

McIntyre and the team had done their homework. They noticed that Spence would often lunge with shots and that for a brief instant he wasn't in a defensively responsible position. And it would be the counter jab, perhaps the shortest and quickest shot in Crawford's arsenal, that would be the punch to punish Spence. It was game planning at its finest. Although Crawford would go on to score additional knockdowns with his right hook and right uppercut, it was the counter jab that continually hurt Spence and made him pay for his mistakes. 

On another note, McIntyre helped Chris Eubank win his rematch against Liam Smith. Taking over for Roy Jones, McIntyre got rid of Eubank's desire to be a cute counterpuncher. Instead, he had Eubank working as the aggressor, to stay away from the ropes, and to be first in exchanges. He imparted belief in Eubank that he was the puncher and that Smith couldn't withstand the onslaught if Eubank was consistent with his offense. Eubank would stop Smith in the 10th round. 

It was a tremendous year for Team McIntyre and they showed a sublime ability to prepare their fighters for the task at hand and to focus on specific weapons and strategies to get the job done. They have now established themselves as one of the elite training teams in the sport. 

Previous SNB Trainers of the Year: 

2022: Derrick James
2021: Eddy Reynoso
2020: Teofimo Lopez Sr.
2019: Eddy Reynoso
2018: Anatoly Lomachenko
2017: Derrick James
2016: Shane McGuigan
2015: Peter Fury
2014: Freddie Roach
2013: Kenny Porter
2012: Robert McCracken
2011: Robert Garcia

Promoter of the Year: TGB Promotions in conjunction with PBC

Tom Brown has been the lead promoter for most of the big PBC fights in 2023. Working together, they had a tremendous year in delivering big and meaningful bouts. With Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia, they broke 1 million pay per view buys in the United States. In putting together Spence-Crawford, they finally were able to give boxing fans the era-defining welterweight fight that they had been clamoring for. And there was a lot more great stuff in addition to those two mega-fights: Benavidez-Plant, Matias-Ponce, Sims-Akhmedov, Canelo-Charlo and Benavidez-Andrade. 

Gervonta Davis knocking down Ryan Garcia
Photo courtesy of Ryan Hafey

Brown has been one of the lead matchmakers for PBC and his role in helping to present their events is far more than ceremonial. He's had a hand in developing and matching many of the key PBC talents. In 2023, Brown and PBC provided boxing fans with big events and memorable outcomes. It was a job well done. 

Previous SNB Promoters of the Year: 

2022: No Award Given
2021: Premier Boxing Champions
2020: Top Rank
2019: Matchroom Boxing
2018: Premier Boxing Champions
2017: K2 Promotions
2016: Matchroom Boxing
2015: Golden Boy Promotions
2014: Matchroom Boxing
2013: (tie) Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank
2012: Golden Boy Promotions
2011: Top Rank

Network of the Year: Showtime

In one of the grand ironies of recent boxing history, Showtime delivered one of the best slate of fights in memory and yet the network decided to discontinue its boxing program at the end of the year. Well, it was quite the swan song! With Davis-Garcia, Spence-Crawford and Canelo-Charlo, Showtime was the place to be for big fights in 2023. But the network also had several fantastic fights on their regular Showtime Championship Boxing cards, such as Matias-Ponce, Sims-Akhmedov and Fundora-Mendoza. 

Matias-Ponce, one of the best fights of 2023
Photo courtesy of Esther Lin/Showtime

Showtime had a 37-year run in broadcasting boxing to its American subscribers. Over time they had evolved from the scrappy little brother in HBO's shadow to one of the leaders in the sport before disbanding their boxing program. It was an odd way for them to go out. They didn't limp along like HBO did at the end. They finished with a bang and I would expect that many of Showtime Boxing's key players will resurface with other broadcasters in 2024. Showtime left the sport on a high note. 

Previous SNB Networks of the Year: 

2022: ESPN
2021: Showtime
2020: ESPN
2019: DAZN
2018: Showtime
2017: Showtime
2016: Sky Sports
2015: No award given
2014: ESPN
2013: Showtime
2012: BoxNation

Referee of the Year: No Award Given

Previous SNB Referees of the Year: 

2022: David Fields
2021: Mark Lyson
2020: Michiaki Someya
2019: No award given
2018: Jack Reiss
2017: David Fields
2016: Raul Caiz Sr.
2015: David Fields
2014: Steve Smoger
2013: Tony Weeks
2012: Eddie Claudio

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

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

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.  

Notes from the Day of Reckoning

Anthony Joshua turned back the clock on Saturday and reminded the boxing community that he could still throw spiteful lead punches. Joshua was once a fighter who controlled action in the ring, could be first in exchanges, and fired off power shots with confidence. It was a pleasure to watch Joshua reconnect with THAT fighter on Saturday.  

Working with his fourth different head trainer in four fights, Joshua has taken significant steps forward under the watchful eyes of Ben Davison. Joshua pierced Otto Wallin with right-hand daggers throughout the fight.  By the end of the first round, he had connected with so many sharp rights that Wallin thought better about trying to exit exchanges to his left. By the end of the second round, Wallin, a mover by nature, was so bothered by Joshua's rights that he decided to stop moving and fight Joshua at mid-range, a huge strategic victory for AJ. 

Joshua (right) digging a right to the body
Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson

Joshua uncorked a vicious right hand-left hook combination in the fifth that essentially ended the fight. Wallin's nose was busted up. Ultimately, Wallin was outthought and outpunched, and his corner stopped the bout. For Joshua, it was a great to see him once again throwing hurtful punches with confidence. 

***

For as clever as Otto Wallin was supposed to be (he claimed to have mastered Usyk's blueprint in how to beat Joshua) he sure didn't understand the first thing about movement against a puncher. Why Wallin insisted on circling to his left, into range for Joshua's right hand, was beyond my comprehension. Usyk did the exact opposite, moving to Joshua's left side and making Joshua try to beat him with his left hand. It was a disaster start to the fight for Wallin.  

It's possible that Wallin resorted to some bad habits once in the lion's den, but he committed a cardinal sin. You cannot move toward Joshua's right hand. Period. And that, more than anything else, led to Wallin losing the fight. By the end of the first round, his nose was already swelling. And his strategic failure did something even worse: it provided Anthony Joshua with a world of confidence. 

Not all movement is the same. Wallin lacked the in-and-out movement of Usyk. One reason that Usyk is so tough to time is that he's so unpredictable on his feet. In comparison, Wallin ambled slowly from side to side without much trickery. If Wallin is to recover momentum in his career, he needs to go back to school and understand the important distinction between movement for movement's sake and movement with a purpose. He got figured out very quickly on Saturday.

***

Joseph Parker has been hit hard by almost every significant opponent in his career. It doesn't matter if it was Chisora, Joyce, Whyte, or Joshua, all fighters with vastly different styles. The unifying element was that Paker's defense betrayed him. But on Saturday, Parker went 12 rounds against the best heavyweight puncher of his era and barely got touched, a major development!

Parker (left) and Wilder trading hooks
Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson

Working with Andy Lee, Parker's defense was as good as I have ever seen it. Parker stayed low, understanding that Wilder's right hand was far less accurate when his opponent wasn't at eye level. In addition, he remained switched on all fight. There was no drifting or losses of concentration that have plagued his career on the big stage. 

On Saturday Parker was never in trouble, he fought with a clear plan, and he remained committed to his strategy. He won by a wide unanimous decision. It's great to see a fighter finally have the light bulb go on, for talent alone isn't enough at the top levels. It's the attention to detail that often separates the good from the great, and that's what Parker had been lacking.

***

Ring rust is certainly a thing, and it would have been understandable if Deontay Wilder needed a few rounds to regain his mojo; he had only fought one round in two years. But here's a truth about boxing: it's exceptionally hard to win a fight without throwing punches. 

Not only did Wilder refuse to let his hands go through most of the fight with Parker, but he rarely gave Parker anything to think about. Instead, Wilder was pacing around the ring in deliberate circles, staring at Parker, not looking like he wanted to even throw punches. Belatedly, Wilder let some big bombs go and he landed two or three of them, but nothing was set up. He seemed to be in good shape and he didn't have any stamina issues, but where was his malice?

Chris Mannix asked Wilder if the fire was still there after the fight and Wilder couldn't answer that question definitively. If Wilder is going to continue as a relevant fighter, he must regain his conviction in the ring. What good is a missile without someone willing to activate the launch code? 

***

Daniel Dubois entered Saturday's fight with two stoppage losses in recent fights where in both cases he decided that he couldn't continue. In the Joe Joyce fight his eye was torn to shreds. In the Usyk matchup, he was beaten up from pillar-to-post (despite landing a controversial shot that could have been ruled a knockdown with a different ref). Even though Dubois is only 26, Saturday was awfully close to his last-chance saloon. 

Dubois (right) trapping Miller on the ropes
Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson

Facing a determined (if overweight) Jarrell Miller, Dubois took some big shots early in the fight, but he didn't yield. In fact, as he got more comfortable in the ring, he increasingly unleashed his arsenal of power punches. Although he was outweighed by almost 100 lbs. (and that's not a typo), his punches were the ones doing far more damage. And Dubois also showed just enough lateral movement to create better angles to throw and reduce Miller's effectiveness. 

Dubois finished the fight with a pyrotechnic display of power punching, stopping Miller with less than ten seconds in the bout. It was the performance that he needed. Although that version of Miller wasn't a threat to win a heavyweight title, he was a legit opponent who kept coming and possessed enough power to ask questions. This was Dubois' most meaningful victory since beating Nathan Gorman in 2019. And with many of the top heavyweights soon to age out of the sport, Dubois still could make a legit name for himself. This was a very promising step forward for him. 

***

Jarrell Miller was a boxing "what if." And let's speak about him in the past tense because I don't see a way where he can get to the top of the division at this point in his career. At his best, he was a 290-lb. beast who threw 90 punches a round and had a relentless energy. There was no one else in the division like him. Famously failing a drug test before his title shot against Anthony Joshua, Miller has essentially been in the wilderness since 2018. 

At 35 and over 330 lbs., Miller is now an "opponent." He wasn't bad on Saturday. He had endeavor. He was determined to test Dubois and he certainly landed his fair share of big shots. However, by the fifth round he was already in arm punch mode. He spent the second half of the fight eating huge shots and standing upright because of pride. We may never know what Miller really was or what he could have been, due to the plethora of illegal substances that he was taking, but he had been a genuine curiosity and offered a dimension rarely seen among modern heavyweights. 

***

Agit Kabayel has had an awfully strange career, and he's only 31! After impressing in a 2017 victory over Derek Chisora, (and ignore those scorecards, he won that fight comfortably), Kabayel would sign with Top Rank. Yet the company never brought him to the U.S. to fight any of their key players in the division or develop him on their own. Yes, there were some fights that fell through, but he had faced extremely low-level opposition since Chisora, and it did make you wonder if there was something going on behind the scenes that hadn't been reported. Why hide a capable heavyweight boxer who had intelligence, movement and punching fluidity? 

I didn't know what to expect in terms of Kabayel's physical shape or state of mind as he entered his fight on Saturday against Arslanbek Makhmudov, but I believed that if he was anywhere close to his best that he would give Makhmudov a lot of problems. 

Kabayel (left) hammers Makhmudov with a left hook
Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson

Kabayel didn't disappoint; he turned in one of the best performances of the night, battering Makhmudov with body shots, uppercuts and quick combinations. He dropped Makhmudov three times and the fight was called off in the fourth round. In a night full of fighters making statements, Kabayel made one of the most important ones: He was ready for the big stage. Let's hope that whoever is behind him in terms of management and promotion now fully believes in him. Kabayel is a capable, crafty fighter with sneaky power. He's a welcome addition to the top reaches of the heavyweight division. 

***

Sometimes when watching a lower-level card on a random night, you discover a key nugget about a prospect that you can tuck away for safe keeping. One Friday night in Montreal in September 2022 on an Eye of the Tiger card, Arslanbek Makhmudov was taking his first real step up against Carlos Takam, who had been a solid heavyweight gatekeeper over the last decade. And if you didn't see the fight and just looked at the scores on boxrec, you'd notice that Makhmudov won by four and six points on the cards. Sounds routine, doesn't it? Well, it wasn't. Although Takam took some big shots (he was knocked down twice), he kept coming and when he started landing odd-angled power punches, Makhmudov went into full-on panic mode. He froze. Makhmudov's trainer, the excellent Marc Ramsay, cajoled Makhmudov in the corner to keep going, to stay focused and stick with the plan. Ramsay didn't like what he was seeing, and neither did I. Makhmudov won the fight in a very shaky performance.

On Saturday, once Makhmudov was in real trouble, he didn't have the opportunity to make it back to the corner for reinforcement from Ramsay. Makhmudov's answer was to wing desperation power shots. All of Makhmudov's punching power was useless because under duress, he lacked a clear head. He didn't know how to buy time or extend the fight. 

Makhmudov lacks very important fighter instincts. Because of his punching power, he never had enough repetitions in real fights with opponents who could throw back. Already 34, it doesn't seem like this is a comfort level that will suddenly arrive. You can never count out a guy with a big punch, but with Makhmudov's poor survival instincts and leaky defense, he isn't a guy you can count on either. 

***

In seven rounds Frank Sanchez painted a clear picture of why so few fighters and big money interests have been rushing to see him in the ring. Through a lot of the first six rounds, Sanchez didn't let his hands go. When he did, he connected, doing just enough to win rounds, but so much of his ring time was spent staring at Junior Fa or moving just out of range. However, in the seventh round, he let his punches flow, impressing with eye-catching combinations. In those brief glimpses, he flashed tremendous hand speed, punch variety and accuracy. Sanchez badly hurt Fa and the fight was stopped.  

Sanchez is the ultimate high risk-low reward guy. When he wants to, he can let his hands go and dominate opponents, but he's in no rush to do so and doesn't seem to care about marketplace considerations: he's going to do it his way. Fighters like Sanchez will have to earn their title shots through the sanctioning bodies. Absolutely nobody has ever called him out or has indicated an overwhelming desire to fight him. Sanchez will never be big box office, but he's a scary package in the ring. He makes few mistakes. He gives very little to his opponents. And with his power and speed, he can turn a fight in an instant. He's a threat against anyone in the division. 

***

Let's close by mentioning the one title shot on Saturday's card, which featured one-sided domination by Dmitry Bivol over Lyndon Arthur (Bivol won by 120-107 on all three cards). It was everything a Bivol fight usually is: Bivol won with his legs, punching volume, mastery of distance and fantastic defense. The fight also reinforced several truths about Bivol. Despite dominating Arthur from start to finish, he never really went for the stoppage until the championship rounds. He doesn't have an overly aggressive temperament. He also lacks one-punch power.   

Bivol fights in a way to neutralize opponents. His greatness is understood when matched against better fighters. When facing lesser opponents, he has no problem carrying guys or getting his work in. At 33, Bivol isn't going to suddenly become something else, and that's fine. There are more than enough fighters to carry the box office in boxing. Bivol's concern is only about winning in a way that gives his opponents very little to work with. Yes, he's a risk-averse fighter, but his offense can be wonderful to watch. He doesn't stink out fights to win. 

If Bivol can defeat the winner of next month's Beterbiev-Smith matchup to become undisputed, I doubt that he'll care if his bank account could've had another zero in it. He's there for the glory. The legacy. He definitely is a prizefighter, but for him the prize isn't stacks of currency; he wants everyone to know that he's the best. He's not going to talk about it, but he'll be happy to show it against whoever is against him, and even in his strange career, those who are supposed to be supporting him. Bivol has been inconvenient to the the big-money interests in boxing, but he's so good that Big Money can no longer ignore him. 

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

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

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

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