An important look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Vergil Ortiz Jr.
The main thing that makes Ortiz so appealing is his punching power. 21 kills in 21 matches – some of them against good opponents – is very impressive.
Ortiz raised his profile on the Jose Ramriez-Rances Barthelemy card on Saturday in Fresno, California, where he Veteran Thomas Dulorme stopped with a vicious body for just 2 minutes and 39 seconds of their 154-pound bout.
It was his second straight stoppage, following a 2:33 KO of Fredrick Lawson in January.
And now it looks like he’ll get a significant reward: He’ll face former titleholder Tim Tszyu on the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles, which is by far the most controversial. the biggest of his career.
Indeed, things couldn’t be better for this slow guy.
However, there are still question marks.
The 26-year-old Texan competed just once in 2022 and sat out much of last year due to health issues, including battling the pain-draining, energy-draining disease rhabdomyolysis that left him Had to cancel many matches.
And again, although he is healthy now, he will have fought less than two full rounds in two years against Tszyu. Of course, he has a lot of work in the gym. However, will a total of 5 minutes and 12 seconds in the ring be enough to prepare him for the business?
The son of Kostya Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) lost his perfect record and belt to Sebastian Fundora by split decision on March 30 but Tszyu is a blind man, the result of a Deep cut and bleeding into the eye.
Tszyu at 100% is a tougher challenge than Lawson or Dulorme, at least on paper. And remember: Ortiz has only fought twice at 154, which could be an advantage for Tszyu.
Ortiz looked as formidable as ever in his brief fights, his punching power unquestionably at the heart of his success. We’ll see if that continues when, after a tough stretch, he finally faces an opponent of his own equal.
BIGGEST WINNER II
Jose Ramirez
Ramirez, a 140-pound contender, admitted after his unanimous decision win over Barthelemy in their 12-round welterweight bout that his performance was far from perfect.
The former title holder in the same division won by a large margin thanks to his work rate but he was unable to escape Barthelemy’s powerful left hand, which led to several moments engenders suffering and causes a bad look towards him.
He was lucky to make it through the third round, when, after making a sharp left turn, he fell down and was punched repeatedly by Barthelemy before getting up. The knockdown was considered a push but he was clearly injured, which forced him to go into survival mode for the remainder of the round.
He weathered the storm and controlled the rest of the fight to win a clear decision, but as he said, it wasn’t Ramirez at his best.
However, we should cut him some slack. He hadn’t been in the ring for 13 months before Saturday, which left him rusty. And he said he was distracted by fighting in front of his loud and passionate hometown fans, which happened.
That said, he will have to prove that he can be the same fighter he was before losing his title to Josh Taylor in 2021, one who can compete with title holders weighing 140 pound Teofimo Lopez, Isaac Cruz and Subriel Matias, as well as opponents such as Gary Antuanne Russell (who stopped Barthelemy) and Richardson Hitchins.
I’m willing to bet the majority of those watching Saturday night were questioning whether Ramirez (29-1, 18 KOs) is at that level right now.
“A fight like that, you don’t look your best, you’re still motivated in the gym and you become a different animal,” Ramirez said after the fight. “That’s what I want to do.”
His mind is clearly in the right place, which is a good sign for him.
rabbit punch
Barthelemy (30-3-1, 15 KOs) showed 38 years against Ramirez, especially in the later rounds. However, the former amateur star and two-division champion from Cuba can still cause trouble for almost anyone with his ring IQ. We saw that on Saturday. I believe he will continue to fight even though he has lost 2 of his last 3 matches. … Joseph Diaz Jr. (33-6-1, 15 KOs) won just by stepping into the ring to face each other Oscar Duarte on the Ramirez-Barthelemy card, overcame personal demons to continue his career. However, the 31-year-old’s fifth loss in six fights – his first by stoppage – seemed to suggest he could no longer fight at an elite level. He later said he wasn’t finished yet, which was a testament to his determination. If he doesn’t fight anymore, he has nothing to be ashamed of. He pointed out Farmer Tevin to win the 130-pound major title on his third try, his crowning achievement. And he always handles himself with class both in public and in one-on-one situations. Duarte (27-2-1, 22 KOs) has regained momentum following an eight-round knockout loss to Ryan Garcia in December.
