Boxing
Boxing Rankings Pound for Pound: Defeat; Who will replace Devin Haney in the top ten?
Published
6 months agoon
By
J. HumzaIn one of the most electrifying fights between two juvenile boxing stars this year, Ryan Garcia defeated Devin Haney by majority decision on Saturday night at a packed Barclays Center in Modern York.
Garcia (25-1, 20 KO) entered the fight surrounded by controversy, erroneous comments and questions about his readiness and fitness for the fight. Moreover, Garcia was 3.2 pounds over the weight limit the day before the fight.
But as soon as the bell rang, Garcia showed his speed and strength and staggered Haney with his trademark left hook to the chin. Haney recovered well and won the next four rounds on all three judges’ scorecards, but Garcia took over the fight in rounds 6 and 7, connecting on 28 mighty punches while Haney landed only five. Garcia outscored Haney the rest of the way 50 to 34 and knocked him down three times (rounds 7, 10 and 11).
“I shouldn’t have put too much pressure on myself to stop him because every time I hurt him, I went crazy and couldn’t stop him,” Garcia said after the fight. “I think the judge [Harvey Dock] he should have stopped the fight. [Haney] he was really hurt. I felt bad, I even looked [Bill Haney, Devin’s father and trainer] to stop the fight.”
The loss will knock Haney out of the top 10 from his previous spot of No. 6, opening the door for Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez to make his debut in the ESPN P4P rankings. Garcia received a few votes, but it wasn’t enough to make the top ten.
“After Garcia was able to break through Haney’s defense and after showing tremendous strength after three knockdowns, Garcia makes my top 10,” said ESPN boxing writer Mike Coppinger, who ranked Garcia No. 9 on his list . “Haney looked untouchable against Regis Prograis. And even though Garcia had a weight advantage, he was still able to land on Haney’s chin with surprising frequency.”
Timothy Bradley Jr., a two-division champion, current ESPN boxing analyst and member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, removed Haney from his list after the loss.
“Haney was beaten by a fighter who was drinking and smoking in the weeks before the fight,” Bradley said. “Someone who partied in the evenings before a battle. Someone who has never competed in a championship event. Haney is talented, but he’s not a P4P fighter at this point.”
Our panel includes Mike Coppinger, Timothy Bradley Jr., Joe Tessitore, Teddy Atlas, Nick Parkinson, Eric Raskin, Michelle Joy Phelps, Claudia Trejos, Bernardo Osuna, Eric Woodyard, Bernardo Pilatti, Charles Moynihan, Salvador Rodriguez, Jim Zirolli, Michael Mascaro, Aladdin Freeman, Victor Lopez and Damian Delgado Averhoff share their voices.
1. TERENCE CRAWFORDPrevious ranking: No. 1
RECORD: 40-0, 31 KOs
DEPARTMENT: Welterweight (undisputed champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (TKO9) Errol Spence Jr., July 29
NEXT FIGHT: August 3 vs. Israil Madrimov
2.NAOYA INOUEPrevious ranking: No. 2
RECORD: 27-0, 24 KOs
DEPARTMENT: Junior Featherweight (Undisputed Champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (KO6) Luis Nery, May 6
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
3. OLEKSANDR USYKPrevious ranking: No. 3
RECORD: 21-0, 14 KOs
DEPARTMENT: Heavyweight (unified champion)
LAST FIGHT: In (TKO9) Daniel Dubois, August 26
NEXT FIGHT: May 18 vs. Tyson Fury
4.CANELO ALVAREZPrevious ranking: No. 4
RECORD: 61-2-2, 39 KOs
DEPARTMENT: Super middleweight (undisputed champion)
LAST FIGHT: In (UD12) Jaime Munguia, May 4
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
5. DMITRY BIVOLPrevious ranking: No. 5
RECORD: 22-0, 11 KOs
DEPARTMENT: Lithe heavyweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Lyndon Arthur, 23 December
NEXT FIGHT: June 1 vs. Artur Beterbiew
6. ARTHUR BETERBIEVPrevious ranking: No. 7
RECORD: 20-0, 20 KOs
DEPARTMENT: Lithe heavyweight (unified champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (TKO7) Callum Smith, January 13
NEXT FIGHT: June 1 vs. Malik Zinad
7. Gervont DavisPrevious ranking: No. 8
RECORD: 29-0, 27 KOs
DEPARTMENT: Lithe
LAST FIGHT: W (KO7) Ryan Garcia, April 22
NEXT FIGHT: June 15 vs. Frank Martin
8. SHAKUR STEVENSONPrevious ranking: No. 9
RECORD: 21-0, 10 KOs
DEPARTMENT: Lightweight champion
LAST FIGHT: In (UD12) Edwin De Los Santos, November. 16
NEXT FIGHT: July 6 vs. Artem Harutyunyan
9. TYSON’S FURYPrevious ranking: No. 10
RECORD: 34-0-1, 24 KOs
DEPARTMENT: Heavyweight (Champion)
LAST FIGHT: In (SD10) Francis Ngannou, Oct. 28
NEXT FIGHT: May 18 vs. Aleksander Usyk
10. JESSE “BAM” RODRIGUEZPrevious ranking: No ranking
RECORD: 19-0, 12 KOs
DEPARTMENT: Flyweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (TKO9) Clear Edwards, December 16
NEXT FIGHT: June 29 vs. Juan Francisco Estrada
Formula
The rankings are based on a descending points system, with a first-place vote awarding 10 points, a second-place vote awarding nine points, and so on. The tie goes to the player with the highest ranking and then to the player with the most votes in that ranking.
Others who received votes: Teofimo Lopez Jr. (20), David Benavidez (11), Vasily Lomachenko (5), Devin Haney (4), Ryan Garcia (3), Emanuel Navarrete (3), Errol Spence Jr. (3). (2), Total cut (2).
How our authors voted
Atlas: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Buffalo, 4. Usyk, 5. Davis, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Lomachenko, 8. Alvarez, 9.Benavidez, 10. Haney
Bradley: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3: Usyk, 4. Buffalo, 5. Alvarez, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Stevenson, 8. Davis, 9. Rodriguez, 10. López Jr.
Copper: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Usyk, 4. Buffalo, 5. Alvarez, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Davis, 8. Fury, 9. Garcia, 10. Haney
Weaver: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Usyk, 4. Beterbiev, 5. Buffalo, 6. Stevenson, 7. Alvarez, 8. Rodriguez, 9. Lopez, 10. Davis
Parkinson’s: 1. Inoue, 2. Crawford, 3. Alvarez, 4. Usyk, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Buffalo, 7. Davis, 8. Rodriguez, 9. Nakatani, 10. Lopez
Raskin: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Buffalo, 4. Alvarez, 5. Usyk, 6. Stevenson, 7. Davis, 8. Benavidez, 9. Beterbiev, 10. Rodriguez
Three: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Usyk, 4. Alvarez, 5. Buffalo, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Davis, 8. Stevenson, 9. Fury, 10. Garcia
Phelps: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Usyk, 4. Alvarez, 5. Buffalo, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Davis, 8. Stevenson, 9. Fury, 10. Garcia
Osuna: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Usyk, 4. Buffalo, 5. Alvarez, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Stevenson, 9. Lopez, 10. Davis
Rodriguez: 1. Inoue, 2. Crawford, 3. Alvarez, 4. Usyk, 5. Buffalo, 6. Davis, 7. Beterbiev, 8. Fury, 9. Rodriguez, 10. Stevenson
Shipyard: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Alvarez, 4. Davis, 5. Fury, 6. Lopez, 7. Usyk, 8. Stevenson, 9. Buffalo, 10. Beterbiev
Moynihan: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Alvarez, 4. Usyk, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Buffalo, 7. Davis, 8. Fury, 9. Spence, 10. Stevenson
Pilate: 1. Inoue, 2. Crawford, 3. Usyk, 4. Buffalo, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Davis, 7. Benavidez, 8. Navarre, 9. Rodriguez, 10. Fury
Zirolles: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Stevenson, 4. Alvarez, 5. Usyk, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Buffalo, 8. Lopez, 9. Benavidez, 10. Rodriguez
Hood: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Usyk, 4. Beterbiev, 5. Buffalo, 6. Alvarez, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Lopez, 9. Stevenson, 10. Haney
Citizen: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Usyk, 4. Beterbiev, 5. Buffalo, 6. Alvarez, 7. Stevenson, 8. Rodriguez, 9. Davis, 10. Lomachenko
López: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Usyk, 4. Alvarez, 5. Buffalo, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Davis, 8. Fury, 9. Stevenson, 10. Rodriguez
Delgado Averhof: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Usyk, 4. Buffalo, 5. Alvarez, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Davis, 8. Fury, 9. Rodriguez, 10. Stevenson
ESPN expert poll
First place: Crawford (15), Inoue (3)
Second place: Inoue (14), Crawford (3), Alvarez (1)
Third place: Usyk (10), Alvarez (4), Bivol (2), Inoue (1), Stevenson (1)
Fourth place: Bivol (5), Usyk (4), Alvarez (4), Beterbiev (4), Davis (1)
Fifth place: Bivol (7), Alvarez (4), Beterbiev (3), Usyk (2), Davis (1), Fury (1)
Sixth place: Beterbiev (8), Bivol (2), Alvarez (2), Davis (2), Stevenson (2), Fury (1), Lopez (1)
Seventh place: Davis (7), Usyk (2), Stevenson (2), Rodriguez (2), Bivol (1), Alvarez (1), Beterbiev (1), Benavidez (1), Lomachenko (1)
Eighth place: Fury (5), Stevenson (3), Rodriguez (3), Lopez (3), Alvarez (1), Davis (1), Benavidez (1), Navarrete (1)
Ninth place: Rodriguez (4), Davis (2), Stevenson (2), Lopez (2), Benavidez (2), Bivol (1), Beterbiev (1), Fury (1), Spence (1), Garcia (1), Nakatani (1)
10th place: Haney (4), Stevenson (3), Rodriguez (3), Davis (2), Lopez (2), Beterbiev (1), Fury (1), Lomachenko (1), Garcia (1)
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The fight between Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel will take place on December 14 at the Toyota Arena
Published
3 hours agoon
November 23, 2024In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).
The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”
Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00
“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”
Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.
“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.
Boxing
George Kambosos moves up to 140, adds Eddie Hearn to team
Published
20 hours agoon
November 23, 2024Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
Boxing
Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul
Published
2 days agoon
November 21, 2024One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
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