A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Lightweight candidate Vasiliy Lomachenko seems to concede later pass Jamaine Ortiz on Saturday night in New York City that it wasn’t his best performance.
The question is, why?
Everyone looks for signs of age from the age of 34. That’s it? Is that 10 months of layoffs? Was it the pain of the war in his native Ukraine? Was it Ortiz, who opened with a surprisingly strong performance?
Maybe it’s a combination of all of the above.
Lomachenko looked pretty early in the fight as he tried to adjust his former teammate’s pace and tactics, which certainly led some to think that in those trying moments he was starting to slip. .
However, he found a groove in the mid rounds and firmly controlled the match, looking a lot like a boxing wizard from the past. Maybe age isn’t a big factor.
The layoff? These days, a lot of gladiators haven’t fought for a long time. However, it didn’t help. And one has to assume that his thoughts are about his people, not about boxing in the fight, although Oleksandr Usyk was able to put that aside and perform well against Anthony Joshua.
And Ortiz deserves credit. He didn’t deliver the life-changing performance he expected but he did make a powerful statement. He can compete with anyone.
Bottom line: No, Lomachenko doesn’t dazzle anyone. At the same time, he overcame all of the hurdles listed above – plus a natural size disadvantage in the lightweight division – to win by unanimous decision, 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113.
And, in addition to winning, he realized another goal: His success set up a meeting with undisputed champion Devin Haney.
All in all, Lomachenko had a “good” night.
BAD
This entry was submitted as “bad” because Jake Paul was confusing me.
Former MMA star Anderson Silva defeated genuine boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr by a split decision last June, which is surprising enough. Then, on Saturday night in Glendale, Arizona, Paul quit and surpass Silva in their eight-round fight.
Huh?
The only conclusion I can make: Paul (6-0.4 KO) can hit a bit.
No, I’m not losing my mind. His skills are still rudimentary, which is to be expected for someone with only a few battles in his life. However, he is clearly learning. It is the product of nature’s gift and hard work.
Of course, Silva is 47 years old. He is well preserved but certainly not what he used to be.
So how did he beat Chavez? That probably has a lot to do with Junior, who wasn’t always fully committed to the sport. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that he didn’t train a single day for the meeting with Silva.
And no one should suggest that Paul will be able to take down an elite opponent. Remember, he beat a fellow YouTuber, a retired basketball player, and former MMA stars. So we cannot be swept away.
Paul named MMA’s Nate Diaz and boxing star Canelo Alvarez after his win. Diaz? Meaningful. Alvarez? Uhh, no.
Let’s just give Paul some credit for his progress. He is a good athlete with God-given punching prowess which has helped him learn quickly. It makes me wonder what he could have achieved if he had started boxing earlier. And he’s clearly a tough guy. Otherwise he wouldn’t be brave enough to step over the ropes.
Again, let’s keep this in perspective. Paul won’t be beating the legitimate candidate any time soon. That being said, he is more than just a social media star and marketing himself.
He wouldn’t fool himself or anyone else if he called himself a “warrior”.
WORSE
This entry is on the “worse” list for Joseph Diaz Jr.: The 2012 US Olympic athlete and former £130 title has no idea what happened to him on Saturday night in San Diego .
William Zepeda (27-0, 23 KOs) overwhelmed Diaz (32-3-1, 15 KOs) from the opening ring with relentless, relentless pressure, never giving the loser a chance to win. get anything in Light fighting on one side.
In the process, Zepeda sent a message to the 135-pound heads: A new, legitimate threat is on the scene.
The Mexican motives are unbelievable. He threw a light record 1,536 punches (connections over 398), according to CompuBox. That’s a staggering average of 128 punches thrown per round. Think about that.
And they’re not pretty pictures; almost everything Zepeda throws is aimed at hurting the opponent. The fact that the smaller Diaz can naturally end up fighting on his feet is a testament to his resilience.
Can Zepeda beat the likes of Haney, Lomachenko, Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia? I have my doubts. Haney and Lomachenko are better boxers than Diaz. And Diaz was able to injure Zepeda at least once, which may not be good against punchers like Davis and Garcia.
However, I will ask this: Who would want to meet him after his show on Saturday? 128 punches per round. Serious?
Diaz may be at a crossroads.
He has won 1-2-1 in his last four matches, including a draw with Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov, victory over Javier Fortuna and consecutive defeats against Haney and now Zepeda. That might sound bad but he’s only 29 years old and there’s nothing to be ashamed of about those losses. Haney is an excellent fighter and Zepeda is a force of nature.
Diaz is not over yet.
BAGS DOLL
The Haney-Lomachenko war is likely to come next. Haney, a rising star, wants another big fight and Lomachenko’s name on his résumé. And Lomachenko wants a chance to reclaim the top spot after losing to Teofimo Lopez in 2020. Can Lomachenko win? I believe him when he says he will be better prepared for Haney than he is for Ortiz but it will be a very tough fight for him. Haney is one of the most technically skilled fighters in the world and is 11 years younger than Lomachenko. Plus, did you see the size difference when they stood side by side in the ring after Saturday’s game? Lomachenko jokes that Haney is a heavyweight, the way he points out one of his biggest downsides. I believe Lomachenko will have a shot. He will rust. And he has one clear advantage over Haney: experience in big fights. I will be an interesting match. … Undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor (22-0.6 KOs) of Ireland is as impressive as every Saturday in London, where she eased past the previous undefeated, but limited Karen Elizabeth Carabajal (19-1, 2 KOs) of Argentina. Taylor is currently 16-0 in world title fights. A more important challenge could come next: Taylor will now be pursuing a rematch with Amanda Serrano, who lost her split decision to Taylor in April. Promoter Eddie Hearn wants to host Taylor’s next fight in Dublin, where Taylor is an icon. She has never competed professionally in her home country. It’s about time.
