Keyshawn Davis took to social media to criticize Emiliano Vargas as he responded to the praise he received for his impressive fifth-round knockout of Larry Fryers (13-7-1, 5 KOs) on Friday night during a Top Rank on ESPN event at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

(Source: Mikey Williams/Top Rank Boxing)

Keyshawn was so furious he was literally shaking with anger when he talked about Emiliano. I want to know why Keyshawn doesn’t have the same energy for Andy Cruz as he does for Emiliano. He lost to the Cuban Cruz four times in the amateurs and looked wild and crazy when he lost to him in the 2020 Olympic finals.

ESPN commentators were constantly on Emiliano Vargas (12-0, 10 KOs), saying how great he looked after his win over Fryers. The compliments Emiliano got from ESPN were far better than any Keyshawn has received in any of his fights.

They had reason to be: Emiliano looked like future star material, showing power, speed and accuracy in his victory today. His entertainment value combined with his Hollywood looks make him a can’t-miss Top Rank superstar.

ESPN’s talking heads, Bernard Osuna, Tim Bradley and Mark Kriegel, know talent when they see it. If Keyshawn had the talent that Emiliano showed, ESPN would criticize him too but he doesn’t.

He’s more of a WWE wrestler than a boxer. Top Rank needs to think about an exit strategy with Keyshawn because he’s not going anywhere and they made a mistake signing him.

“I will defeat them all” [backsides] same night, including the father,” Keyshawn Davis said on social mediareacting to Emiliano Vargas’ impressive victory over Larry Fryers on Saturday night.

“Tell them to set it up. I’ll go to my father’s [Fernando Vargas] to the youngest brother [Emiliano] same night. Vargas brothers vs. Davis brothers. I don’t care which brother I fight, and dad gets it too.

“Tell Top Rank to set it up. I’m not even playing. I’ve got my eye on you and I heard you talking [stuff] when you had your media training. I was going to drive you by. You’re lucky you got out before I did. I had no idea.

“You’re lucky. You didn’t even know. Talking [stuff]. Although I had ears. [A friend] he called and said, “Keyshawn, the Vargas brothers are talking” [stuff] about you. Tell them to set it up, but tell them they can be under my main, anyway.

“They talk like they’re so popular. You’re a whole different culture. You think my culture knows you, bro? What the hell is he talking about? About me not being an Olympian. You think my culture knows you, bro? Nobody knows you in my culture. What are you talking about? You’re crazy. There’s no comparison between the Davis brothers and the Vargas brothers,” Keyshawn said.

Jaime Munguia faced undefeated Erik Bazinyan on Friday and knocked him out in the tenth round of their fight at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

The former WBO junior middleweight world titleholder applied relentless pressure throughout the fight until his left hook along the ropes allowed the Canadian-based Armenian to be counted out at 2:36.

The victory came in Munguia’s (44-1, 35 knockouts) first fight under up-to-date promoter Top Rank and allowed him to rebound from the first loss of his career, a unanimous decision loss to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in May.

But for the 27-year-old Munguia, the fight was no ordinary, idle exercise.

“It was a fight I had to fight intelligently. He’s powerful. He hits challenging. So we had to break him down and watch out for body shots. And in the 10th round, I decided to go all out. And that’s how we got the knockout,” said Munguia, who is ranked No. 2 by The Ring at 168 pounds.

SHOW. STOP.

JAIME MUNGUIA IS BACK 🇲🇽 photo:twitter.com/uKWfIFtbvY

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) September 21, 2024

Munguia began to pull away at the time of the stoppage, with the judges having him ahead 88-83, 87-84 and 86-85 at the time of the fight’s conclusion. Bazinyan fared best on David Sutherland’s undercard, winning four of the first five rounds, then losing four straight before the knockout.

“I felt like I was winning. I felt like he was very frustrated with my jab, right hook and counterattacks. He was tired. Suddenly I was caught. I don’t know what happened there,” Bazinyan said.

Bazinyan, 29, started the first round with determination, effectively keeping Munguia at bay with jabs and overhand rights. Bazinyan, who respected Quebec trainer Marc Ramsay in his corner, kept control of the distance in the first two rounds as Munguia tried to set the pace in the third. Bazinyan regained control of the boxing in the fourth round when he began doubling and tripling his jabs, catching Munguia whenever he held his head still for too long, breaking his rhythm.

Munguia finally got his bearings in the sixth round, when he began to roll under Bazinyan’s jabs and move in with left hooks around the guard. Bazinyan, admitting he was outmatched when they were close, tried to keep his guard tight rather than trade blows. The body shots were starting to ponderous Bazinyan, who was fighting in the first 12-round of his 11-year pro career.

Bazinyan was hurt for the first time in the seventh round by a right hook that connected as he attempted his right hook, landing flat, followed by a left hook that sent him into the ropes. Bazinyan showed incredible recovery skills as he regained his balance and began looking for opportunities to counter, particularly with a right jab.

As Bazinyan’s blow began to weaken, Munguia’s pressure began to break him.

Munguia used the roll that had previously opened up his opponent to greater effect in the tenth round, hurting Bazinyan with a hook while he was standing upright. Referee Thomas Taylor advised Bazinyan to start fighting, which he did, but his willingness to return fire opened him up to the left hook that led to the final sequence of the fight.

Munguia expressed interest in fighting other top 168-pound fighters in the future, including RING No. 1 contender Christian Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs), a Montreal-based contender who is co-promoted by Top Rank and Eye of the Tiger Management. Munguia also mentioned Edgar Berlanga and Caleb Plant.

“There are great fights and we will also have great wars.”

By: Sean Crose

As almost every fight fan knows, two-time multi-title heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will be fighting Daniel Dubois this weekend for Dubois’ IBF heavyweight title at Wembley Stadium in London. A hugely critical clash of two substantial, powerful men, Joshua-Dubois is a huge deal in the UK and a hugely engaging one for those of us living overseas. Joshua has finally rebounded from a world-class career slump thanks to a recent trainer (Ben Davison) and some energetic performances. Dubois, on the other hand, arguably dropped Oleksandr Usyk with one punch when they fought a while back (the punch was deemed a low blow, allowing Usyk to win the fight). What’s more, Dubois has won two in a row in the same time frame.

So… who will win this 12-round fight? Joshua is the bigger favorite with the better resume, but Dubois holds the IBF title and nearly beat Usyk, a fighter who has beaten Joshua twice. Dubois has good jabs, solid footwork, and of course the power to knock down a wall. No one can erase the record in which all but two of the man’s many victories have come inside the distance.

Joshua has the advantage of height, though. As good as Dubois’ jab is, Joshua’s jab is probably better. What’s more, Davison has clearly shown Joshua how to avoid the massive punches that have hurt him throughout his career. Now, the man fights with a patience and confidence he’s lacked for some time. To win, Dubois will have to get inside… and get inside without being punished by Joshua, who can knock him out with one punch and who has some vicious body shots of his own.

Perhaps the most critical thing to consider is that Dubois hasn’t fought at this level. Sure, he’s had some substantial fights, but he’s never been on the other side of a London ring with Joshua on the other side. In other words, Joshua can fill them. Considering that close to 100,000 people are expected to show up this Saturday to watch the Joshua-Dubois fight live, it’s worth noting that Joshua will be here early. Dubois won’t. Things like that make a difference.

None of this is to say that Dubois can’t pull off a surprise. The talented and confident champion certainly can. I don’t think he’ll pull it off, though, which is why I’m predicting Joshua will win by knockout in the 11th round.