A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Tim Tszyu did what he set out to do in unanimous-decision victory over Terrell Gausha on Saturday, it was to prove he was among the best 154-pound athletes on the planet.
Australians are not perfect. He was careless in the first inning, when he came down from a straight line on the right. Overall, he captured a lot of difficult scenes. And his job could be easier if he worked more after his stab, which is not a factor in the fight.
However, the good far outweighs the bad.
He bounced back immediately after the knockdown, proving that adversity was no threat to him. He violently and effectively imposed his will on Gausha despite the oncoming fire, which allowed him to control the fight and certainly attracted the attention of potential opponents. power.
And he never doubted himself for a moment even though it was the first time he fought outside of his homeland. He’s a special fighter and he knows it.
I don’t know how he fought Jermell Charlo, a more complete and stronger fighter than Gausha. So are Brian Castano and Erickson Lubin, whose powers are formidable.
However, I strongly believe that Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs) has a combination of ability, strength, and determination that will pose a challenge to any of the above teams.
It is unfair to compare Tszyu with his famous father, Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu. To do that is to set him up for failure, at least for the moment. At the same time, I believe he has the potential to become the most successful son of a great boxer in sports history.
It will be interesting to see how this story plays out.
BAD
.@Terrell Gausha means work tonight, dropping Tim Tszyu with a perfectly timed counterattack in RD1. #TyszuGausha #PBConShowtime pic.twitter.com/it68P3us2m
– Top boxing champion (@premierboxing) March 27, 2022
Gausha (22-3-1, 11 KOs) is a good fighter, as he showed again on Saturday.
The 2012 US Olympic athlete knocked out Tszyu, survived some of his own uncomfortable moments, and continued to fight hard until the bell rang for the 12th round.order and the final round. As he said, “I hate to lose but I played like a champ.”
but what now?
Gausha is 2-3-1 in his last six games, including clear, unanimous losses to Erislandy Lara, Erickson Lubin and Tszyu, and a draw with Austin Trout. He was 34 years old, the age when things usually start to go downhill.
How many more chances can he get before he has the right to say, ‘That won’t happen to him? “The quantity must be small.
That said, the spirit with which he fought against Tszyu might give him hope that he’s not quite a fighter involved.
He was too passive in the fight. And he spent way too much time doing back punches to the ropes, the result of Tszyu’s constant pressure. However, he kept trying, constantly finding ways to hurt Tszyu even while he was being beaten.
Fans appreciate that. They will probably want to see him again in an important battle.
As Tszyu said shortly after the battle: “All respect for my opponent, Terrell Gausha. He’s a warrior’s hell. “
WORSE
Miguel Berchelt was devastated after his second straight knockout loss. Mikey Williams / Top Rank Inc via Getty Images
Miguel Berchelt insists after his second straight knockout loss that he will be back. It’s hard to imagine.
Two fights ago, the 30-year-old Mexican was a world champion and one of the most feared punchers in the sport. Since then, he has been disqualified twice, first by Oscar Valdez for the loss of the title and then by Jeremiah Nakathila in his comeback fight on Saturday.
In the second game, he looked like a deer in the headlights, not a former champion who had fought professionally for more than a decade.
He was apparently referred to by one of the broadcasters as a “shy gun”, which means the memory of the brutal number 10.order– the knock-out loss to Valdez was dancing in his head mercilessly. He was more concerned with avoiding a similar fate than doing what was necessary to win the war.
It was a recipe for disaster that took place, when he took the blow. You cannot win with that mindset.
I wondered while watching in amazement during the first few rounds whether Berchelt would find his inner warrior and start throwing back at Nakathila. He showed signs of doing so in Rounds 4 and 5, his most successful moments.
However, it was too late. His legs trembled and so was his confidence, even if his instincts allowed him to hold his ground a little. That set up a decisive Round 6, in which Nakathila (23-2, 19 KOs) landed at will and convinced the ring doctor that Berchelt had received enough punishment.
Again, Berchelt (38-3, 34 KOs) says he will defeat whatever the devil is haunting him. I wish him luck. It will take superhuman strength within for him to regain what he had before the fight with Valdez.
BAGS DOLL
Josh Warrington demonstrated the proper way to emerge from a Saturday patrol in his native Leeds, England. He was stopped and fought to draw with Mauricio Lara in the previous two fights, putting his career as a top boxer in jeopardy. He replied by seize the feather belt of Kiko Martinez (43-11-2, 30 KOs), who went down, suffered multiple cuts and was ultimately unable to withstand Warrington’s relentless attack. The match was halted at 2:12 of Round 7, making Warrington (31-1-1, 8 KOs) a two-time world champion and allowing him to regain most of what was lost to Lara. …Lightweight candidate Michel Rivera (23-0, 14 KO) jumps his way to a more one sided decision Joseph Adorno (14-1-2, 12 KOs) on the Tszyu-Gausha card, underscoring his reputation as a skilled, polished boxer. The problem for him is that he relies almost exclusively on that punch. The Dominican will have to launch more power punches – ideally combined – to succeed against next-level opponents. He is still in the process of finishing. … Elvis Rodriguez (13-1-1, 12 KOs) looks like a legit junior weight contender on the Tszyu-Gausha card, beat and then stop Juan Velasco (23-3, 14 KOs) in the seventh round. The LA-based Dominican tennis player has now won two matches since he upset Kenneth Sims Jr last May. … The referees scored the Tszyu-Gausha match 116-111 (third innings), 115-112 (eight to four) and 114-113 (seven to five). I had it 117-110 for Tszyu, 10 rounds in two. Card 114-113 of Robert Hecko is too tight in my opinion. Gausha put on a brave performance but failed to win five rounds. Tszyu clearly controlled the fight from the second half onwards, throwing and knocking down more punches than Gausha.
