A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Artur Betterbiev – Nineteen kills in many professional matches. The last eight in the title fights, including the eighth round Anthony Yarde’s stop on Saturday in London. That meant that even elite opponents couldn’t survive the 175-pound master. And he’s still doing it at 38. All of that is impressive any way you look at it. Beterbiev is not a one-punch knockout artist, a Deontay Wilder. He is an excellent, experienced boxer adept at delivering precise, heavy punches that can knock down both the body and the will of an enemy. Yarde put on a brave performance but ultimately simply couldn’t take it anymore, further proof of Beterbiev’s destructive abilities. Is he on the same level as Terence Crawford or Naoya Inoue? Sure is not. They are much more active than him. Then again, if Beterbiev gets the fight he wants – against Dmitry Bivol – and wins, we might have to re-evaluate his place among the best boxers in the world. .
THE BIGGEST FAILERS
Anthony Yarde is coming to an end. James Chance / Getty Images
Anthony Yarde – The Londoner put in a solid performance that’s why he’s leading in two of the three points table after seven rounds. He posed a stalking problem for Beterbiev with his agility and movement while connecting with enough punches to impress the judges, which made the match competitive. Yarde’s problem is his limited defense. He simply took too much damage, leading to his death over time. In other words, Yarde (23-3, 22 KOs) wasn’t good enough to beat a boxer with Beterbiev’s abilities. Where does he go from here? He could have performed well enough to have more of a chance of going through if he could get a few wins on his hands. One thing he might want to consider: Working with a fitness professional to reduce his bulk. That can enhance both his speed and stamina. Who knows? He might end up at 168 pounds.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE
Dmitri Bivol – Beterbiev and Bivol appear to be on a collision course for the undisputed championship, assuming that loyalty in competitive advertising can be overcome. Who wins? Bivol. Of course, the opportunity of Betterbiev cannot be ignored for the reasons mentioned above. He didn’t stop all of his opponents by chance. The problem for Betterbiev is that he has never faced anyone close to Bivol’s abilities. Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Marcus Browne, Joe Smith Jr. and good Yarde; Bivol is special, as he showed in his convincing win over Canelo Alvarez this past May. Alvarez is naturally smaller than Beterbiev but he has a similar style; he is patient, but will definitely take down his opponents to win the skirmishes. The Mexican star could not do that before Bivol because of Bivol’s superior bodybuilding and boxing abilities, especially defensive skills. Of course, Bivol won’t have a size advantage over Beterbiev but he is a much better boxer. That will be the difference in the fight.
TRIAL DOLL
Fresh items: Jake Paul and Tommy’s Rage agreed to meet on February 26 on a pay-per-view basis. I’d say I don’t care in the slightest as it’s more of a showdown between scammers better at marketing themselves than fighting the real thing. In fact, I’m curious. Fury (8-0.4 KO) is possibly the best fighter Paul (6-0.4 KO) has ever faced. Can Paul land his massive right arm against Tyson Fury’s half-brother? Or will he meet a match with a good athlete with boxing abilities? I will follow up to find out. What can I say? They caught me. … Heavyweight contender Alexis Rocha (22-1, 14 KOs) had a dramatic knockout on Saturday in Inglewood, California, stop replacing late and naturally smaller George Ashie (33-6-1, 25 KOs) with a right hook in the seventh round. Winning didn’t mean much because of Ashie’s limitations but Rocha did what he set out to do, which was to make a statement. He was ranked 3rd by WBO, just behind the champion Terence Crawford, Vergil Ortiz and Keith Thurman. Is Rocha in the class of such warriors? I’ll just say he hasn’t shown it yet. He called Crawford after the win over Ashie. Nothing I saw on Saturday led me to believe that Rocha could compete with the pound-for-pound king.
