Editor’s Note: This will be my last Good, Bad, Worse column. I will continue to post the same commentary on last week’s action on most Sundays but in a different, looser format, which will be called “Weekend Review”.
GOOD
Gervonta Davis has proven that he’s not afraid to fight anyone. Ryan Hafey / Top Boxing Champion
Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia are due to play in April, It was announced last week, but there is no guarantee it will happen.
Davis and Garcia must win their interim matches first, with Davis taking on the more capable Hector Garcia on January 7. Garcia has not revealed his opponent. Additionally, Davis will be tried next month on hit-and-run charges, which could alter his plans.
All that said, the fact that the young stars have come to an agreement on their 136-pound bout is proof that potentially tough negotiations can yield results post-negotiation. failed judgment between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.
Davis and Garcia took the lead in their negotiations, pushing their supposedly reluctant handlers into a fight they both desperately wanted. The key to success is the willingness of competing TV/TV companies to cooperate with each other, which is unusual.
Fans are said to be able to watch the pay-per-view match on both Showtime (Davis) and DAZN (Garcia). Why not? There will be a lot of money to rotate in the match of the two knockout artists and cause a stir on social networks.
Of course, matches that are predicted to be unusually lucrative have a way of bringing people together, even competitors. That’s one reason heavyweights Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder were able to trade three times.
And make no mistake: Davis-Garcia will make a lot of money, probably more than Crawford-Spence. That makes compromise easier to swallow.
For now we can only hope that Crawford, Spence and all the other stars in the sport will be inspired by the Davis and Garcia deal and build on it. The fans, who are often disappointed, deserve it.
BAD
Jaime Munguia is looking for bigger challenges. Promotion Zanfer
There’s nothing bad about Jaime Munguia’s performance in him third round knockout by Gonzalo Coria on Saturday in Mexico. It should never happen.
Munguia, ranked highly by all four main sanctioning bodies, is in talks to face owner Jermall Charlo but they can’t come to an agreement. The Mexican was expected to face the venerable John Ryder last month but that also failed.
As a result, to stay busy, he ended up facing an overpowered cruiser, his third battle with a pusher this year. Coria realizes the futility of his mission when he refuses to get up after being injured in Round 3, putting a merciful end to a terrifying match.
Let’s hope Munguia’s next outing will be different. He’s an excellent, strong boxer and only got better under coach Erik Morales. And the former 154-pound owner won the title at 160.
He called 40-year-old champion Gennadiy Golovkin after his win on Saturday, hinting they could meet in May. It’s an actionable and marketable fight, as well as a real challenge for both of them.
Let’s hope Munguia gets her chance.
WORSE
Crawford said last week that his legacy would not have been affected had he not fought Errol Spence Jr as he was the undisputed champion at 140 and later became the title holder. sign at the age of 147.
I have a different opinion.
Personally, I care less about titles – even unified titles – than the men or women you beat. And Crawford’s resume is slim in that department.
He went through the first 12 years of his career without a single clear victory, which clearly limited his legacy. His biggest win might have been decisive against Viktor Postol before he stopped Shawn Porter in a crucial game last November.
And even the win over Porter didn’t carry as much weight as it did a few years earlier as Porter clearly dropped boxing one foot into the bout. He retired after that.
That’s why the Spence fight was so important to Crawford. A victory over the undefeated weightlifter will leave no doubt his place among the best heavyweights of the modern era.
Now he must look for other similar opportunities, assuming that he and Spence do not resume negotiations.
Crawford mentioned candidates Vergil Ortiz and Jaron Ennis as potential contenders. I like both of those games. A win over one of two young, talented opponents would be a strong addition to Crawford’s resume.
At the same time, I can now hear criticism: “Ortiz/Ennis is too inexperienced compared to Crawford. Of course, Crawford won the war.”
Indeed, the opponent Crawford needed was Spence.
