Boxing
Canelo and Inoue breathed life into boxing
Published
9 months agoon
By
J. Humza“The sport is dying, man. There are no good fighters anymore and the best never fight the best like in the ancient days. Give yourself a pound every time you hear these words.
Apparently, boxing doesn’t do gigantic fights anymore. Everyone is busy marinating in jars in the kitchen (they avoid mentioning pots and pans like at last week’s Canelo vs. Oscar press conference – if you know, you know).
Flashback to July 2023. Remember when Inoue fought Fulton and Crawford and Spence the same week? Not wanting to bask in the glow of unifying an entire division (bantamweight), Inoue stepped up to challenge the undefeated double champion with natural skill.
Stephen Fulton held the WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles. The Philadelphian went straight into the trenches against Brandon Figueroa and came out the other side. He was at the peak of his career, buoyed by the momentum of the winner as the pair met in a summer sizzle at the Ariake Arena.
Sounds incredibly close to comparing best to best, right? As for Crawford and Spence, the uncontested welterweight clash spoke for itself. All four titles, each fighter at the end of a path leading to one inevitable ending. Nowhere else. There is nowhere else to turn. Drama outside the ring, promotional politics – all of it.
Crawford crushed Spence to crown the king of the generation, just days after Inoue defeated Fulton. A few months later, Inoue unified another weight class by defeating Marlon Tapales.
On May 4, 2024, Cinco de Mayo weekend, Canelo began the latest rapid rotation of boxers fighting over the course of several days.
The 168-pound ruler fell and passed undefeated Mexican Jaime Munguia. While it may not have been on the level of Crawford and Spence, undisputed status was at stake and there was a staunchly nationalist crowd in the arena to bear witness. The whole occasion seemed quite special.
Two days later, Inoue fought Luis Nery. It’s true that Munguia could have been Benavidez. Inoue may have made his 126-pound debut against a world champion, it’s fair to admit that. But still….
At T-Mobile Arena, Canelo’s expansive experience in gigantic fights made the difference. He’s been there, done that, and had this T-shirt created and sold all over Las Vegas by unscrupulous dealers. This is his domain and Munguia, potentially the next Mexican star, took a deep breath before stepping forward and daring to enter.
Despite prodding and prodding from the post-fight interviewer, Canelo downplayed his status with true humility, refusing to describe himself as the greatest Mexican boxer of all time.
Unfortunately, he also downplayed the credibility and legitimacy of David Benavidez, the man he really should have been fighting. All the things Canelo said during the build-up to validate Munguia (juvenile, hungry, undefeated, deserved his chance) were turned around and used as a reason entertain Benavidez.
Over time, he began to offer several different clues as to why a fight with Benavidez seemed unlikely. Putting it all down to money is a perilous game, given the sudden influx of funds into the fighting game. Seemingly unattainable amounts of money can suddenly be written down in your checkbook – and it’s either sink or swim time.
Against Munguia, Canelo’s engine took some time to hot up. The reactions seemed a bit slower and the punching power, while the highest of Golovkin’s second half, wasn’t as crazy as some of his contemporaries.
That was a problem with Dmitry Bivol, and it would be a problem with someone like Benavidez, who likes to throw challenging and often, soak up everything that comes his way and keep moving forward.
This is what makes the combat so intriguing, yet frustratingly unreachable. Yes, Canelo gave us the Erislandy Lara fight when it was suggested he would pull out. Yes, he fought Miguel Cotto. Yes, he fought Golovkin three times.
Floyd Mayweather? A free hit at the time. Invaluable in the long run. It taught him everything he needed to know about winning gigantic fights on the biggest stage, against the likes of Jaime Munguia. But not Benavidez yet. A fitting end to his career that we would all like to see.
Meanwhile, Naoya Inoue’s career is not over yet. At the moment, there is no must-see opponent waiting for us behind the scenes. No offense to Sam Goodman, who nervously climbed into the ring to face “The Monster” on Monday, but “Father Time,” higher weight classes and complacency pose a bigger threat than any one name right now. Inoue nodded curtly, shook his hand, and silently signaled that Sam had to leave the stage.
It’s possible that complacency helped write history in Inoue’s sixth-round beating of Luis Nery in Tokyo. In the first stanza, Inoue went down for the first time in his career.
While the seemingly unfazed stylist wasn’t really hurt, he looked shaken enough to count for a few seconds and dance the rest of the round.
Nery has always been able to hit. He is a pantomime villain who made even the notoriously reticent Japanese audience laugh. This was the same type of crowd that sat in tranquil serene when James “Buster” Douglas delivered one of the greatest sports surprises of all time to Mike Tyson in this same venue 34 years ago.
Nery’s beating was inflicted on behalf of a nation still seething over the ongoing treatment of Shinsuke Yamanaka back in 2017/2018. Inoue hasn’t forgotten either.
Perhaps too comfortable fighting at home, he woke up, delivered the buoyant Nery to his trademark left hook in the second round, and normal, violent activities resumed until the stunning finish.
It was the perfect end to a packed few days. That’s enough time to regroup, take a moment and get ready for the diminutive matter of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk.
The fight to determine the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Next was supposed to be Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol, before Beterbiev’s powerful frame creaked under the strain and Bivol was left without a dancing partner for a moment.
All that remains is a five-on-five undercard, headlined by Wilder vs. Zhang. Just a few weeks before Vergil Ortiz Jr vs. Tim Tszyu and a few weeks after Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia. A fight in which the weaker, seemingly dissolving in mental malaise, only became enraged.
Of course, there were harmful remnants of the failed drug test that marred the victory. However, at that time, as it turned out, there was a kind of magic that only boxing creates.
Canelo’s pushes and pushes before his fight with Oscar De La Hoya and Inoue’s shocking knockdown were reminders that boxing is a sport full of emotions and moments. Expecting to see one thing and suddenly you get a live curveball, destroying everything you previously believed in, leave you with unforgettable moments to savor.
From the opening bell it was suggested that Inoue would be too quick for Nery. His hands, head movement, footwork and punching power are all sublime. Two minutes later he timidly stands up from the canvas. This can’t happen. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This has become.
What’s App groups lightweight up as the action unfolds in real time. When I say, “I was there,” I live in person or at home. You saw him grow and you’ll still remember it years later.
A breathless weekend before a few breathless weeks. Imagine what boxing will be like when things are good again.
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Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
4 days agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
6 days agoon
January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
2 weeks agoon
January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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