A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
The biggest winner on a busy Saturday was Gennadiy Golovkin. The best performance went to Sebastian Fundora. And Ryan Garcia did all he could against a reluctant opponent.
Golovkin’s speed and reflexes may not be what he used to be in his youth, but he didn’t go up to Ryota Murata as a man just turned 40. He received some heavy punches early in the match. – isn’t he always facing? – but he methodically absorbed them and broke through his opponents, in the end stop him in the ninth round to unify two middleweight titles in Japan.
The power is still there, making him a threat to any 160-pound man and perhaps even larger.
I never understood how Murata emerged because of his limitations but he is a solid fighter who is unusually strong both physically and mentally. Triple-G deserves credit for the win.
The big question now: Can he compete with a top Canelo Alvarez?
Golovkin’s win sets up a third fight with his opponent in September, assuming nothing bad happens in Alvarez’s May 7 matchup against Dmitry Bivol to stop the showdown. No deal has been made but both sides want it.
I would never pick a 40-year-old to beat a top Alvarez but Golovkin performed enough against Murata to show that he can still solve problems for the Mexican star, maybe even push him. difficult as he did in the first two matches.
One concern is Golovkin’s apparent vulnerability to the body. Murata has hurt him more than once with good shots in the midfield, at least once causing the injury. Alvarez is one of the most effective bodybuilders in the world.
On the positive side for Golovkin could be weight. The fight will almost certainly be over 160 pounds, which should make Triple-G easier while camping. We have to see if he can bring his strength to super average but he will probably feel stronger, which will be a plus.
Bottom line for me: Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) deserved a lucrative, third hit on Alvarez even before he took on Murata for controversial results in 2017 and 2018. Then he had a strong performance at 40, then fired 16 months and at the opponent’s backyard.
He won the super fight.
GOOD (CONTINUED)
I must admit that I am one of those people who at one point thought the 6-foot-6 Fundora was more of a novelty than a true title contender. He’s too big for his target, too skinny. I’m sure his body would break under the pressure.
Well, not only was his body held up, he was the one who did the groundbreaking work. We have seen it again against Erickson Lubin in a contender Fight of the Year in Las Vegas.
Fundora (19-0-1, 13 KOs) did what he usually does, which is engulfing his opponents in a never-ending wave of power. The talented Lubin had many good tackles – including one where he forced Fundora to his knees – but he couldn’t avoid the onslaught with any tenacity.
And we saw the end result, Lubin’s disfigured face and inability to fight back in the ninth and final round. Coach Kevin Cunningham decided it was benevolently appropriate to stop the fight.
Fundora’s ability to go through fire to overwhelm good opponents with his inhuman work speed (706 punches thrown in nine rounds in this fight, according to CompuBox) and sheer determination is amazing according to literal meaning of this word. He simply buried Lubin, a former amateur star who had joined the fight hotly.
Fundora later said it was the best performance of his career. I agree with that. It was a defining victory because of the respect Lubin had for the fight, a victory that will be remembered even if Fundora never won a major title.
Of course, the chance to fight for a title is near. Fundora is now a mandatory WBC contender, leaving him and Tim Tszyu at the top of the line against the winner of the Jermell Charlo-Brian Castano rematch for the undisputed championship or for an empty title if the winner win blank.
I wouldn’t predict that Fundora would defeat Charlo, whom I support against Castano, but I will never underestimate him again.
TERRIBLE
The only bad thing about Garcia’s performance against Emmanuel Tagoe in San Antonio was that he failed to make a knockout. And is that really that bad?
A good, experienced boxer who’s more worried about getting hurt than winning a skirmish is extremely hard to take down, which is what we saw in the fight at The Alamodome.
That’s right, Garcia took down Tagoe once, severely wounding him at the end of the fight and won by a near-ending decision in 12 rounds. Two judges gave Tagoe one round while the third gave him two. I don’t give any Ghanaians.
And remember: Garcia is back from a long layoff (so does Tagoe) and fights for the first time with new coach, Joe Goossen. It takes time to get back into the groove and get used to an unfamiliar cornerman.
I think Garcia can stab more than he does, which can lead to more damaging power hits. I think he can come up with more synergies. And he later admitted that he could have done better than severing the ring, which he attributed to his lack of experience against a track athlete.
Overall, though, I think it’s a solid comeback performance. He dominates the fight, that’s the main goal.
I can’t imagine that he would want to waste time fighting another Emmanuel Tagoe. One potential opponent for later this year is Joseph Diaz Jr., who criticized Garcia’s performance on DAZN that aired Saturday.
I love that bout for Garcia, who probably needs one more transitional fight with Goossen before he goes up against the biggest 135-pound dogs, talented boxers like Gervonta Davis, George Kambosos, Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
I think Garcia will beat Diaz. And he could end up like the cream of a 135-pound crop. Just give him time.
WORSE
Emmanuel Tagoe (left) is afraid to socialize with Ryan Garcia. Golden Boy Promotion
I will always admire men and women who have the courage to step over ropes and fight hand-to-hand with an opponent intent on hurting them. No other sport requires the same level of bravery.
That’s why I don’t understand when a gladiator behaves like Tagoe did during the battle with Garcia.
Tagoe spoke of a good match leading up to the fight, expressing confidence that he would shock the world. “I know what I am capable of,” he said. And then he fights like he’s terrified, which takes away the chance to win the fight, Garcia gets a chance to really show what he can do and the fans have a chance. Assembly is watching a competitive battle.
I think about Manny Pacquiao’s 2010 fight with Joshua Clottey at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas. The boxing world was buzzing with Pacquiao, who was at the peak of his abilities at the time. Everyone was excited for another great performance by the Filipino star.
What did Clottey do? He covered his face and refused to fight, which led to a near-death decision for Pacquiao and a lot of fans disappointment.
I understand why Clottey and Tagoe are scared. Without a doubt, they soon realized that they were out in the deep, that Pacquiao and Garcia were too fast, too strong, too good to get through. So they switched to survival mode.
I would ask them: Is that why you got into boxing? To survive?
I can see a gladiator stop working after they realize somewhere in the middle of a battle that they have no hope, although even then it’s frustrating. Clottey and Tagoe close before the opening bell, which makes me think it’s all about their money.
BAGS DOLL
Tony Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KO) is back. The former £154 title holder, lost by knockout in his rematch with Charlo and then a draw with Bryant Perrella not long after the death of his father – coach Ali Salaam, highly rated Sergio Garcia (33-2, 14 KOs) for a wide decisive 10th round win on the Fundora-Lubin card and re-established himself as a legitimate opponent. Garcia was the aggressor but Harrison countered beautifully and repeatedly knocked Garcia down for an easy win. Dad would be so proud. … Perrella (17-3-2, 14 KOs) and Kevin Salgado (14-0-1, 9 KOs) fought for a draw with the Fundora-Lubin card. Bad decision, in my opinion. The only effective weapon in the never-ending fight was Perrella’s hard stab, he landed repeatedly. That’s the main reason I feed Perrella seven out of 10 rounds. Somehow, a judge gave it to Salgado, who did almost nothing. And another person has it 95-95. I don’t understand. I’ll add this, though: Perrella can’t rely on his shots to win skirmishes. He needs to choose his overall work rate. The same can be said for Salgado. …
I have to admit that I didn’t think early in my career Shane Mosley Jr. (18-4, 10 KOs) that he will go up to a lot. He proved me wrong. The son of the Hall of Famer of the same name recorded the biggest win of his career on the card Garcia-Tagoe, defeating the veteran Gabriel Rosado (26-15-1, 15 KOs) by majority decision that should have been unanimous. It was his first fight since he lost to majority decision Jason Quigley, which could be a sign of inconsistency. I don’t know if Mosley is good enough to win a world title but he has a lot of ability, possibly enough to challenge for a major belt. Rosado is currently 5-10-1 (no goals) in his last 17 matches but is still creating high chances. That speaks to his fighting spirit that has never waned. … Mikaela Mayer (17-0.5 KO) vs veteran Jennifer Han (18-5-1, 1 KO) on her way to a one-way decision to retain her two lightweight belts on Saturday in Costa Mesa, California. Mayer said her top priority is to unify more titles at £130. I want to see her rise to 135 and face the winner April 30 Amanda Serrano–Katie Taylor for the undisputed lightweight championship. Best versus best. …
Kudo cho Naoko Fujioka (19-3-1, 7 KOs) in her Bernard Hopkins-esque performance in the flyweight unification match against Marlen Esparza (12-1, 1 KO) on the Garcia-Tagoe card. Fujioka fought Esparza almost equally even though the Japanese boxer was 46 years old, a testament to her fitness and ability. The referees gave Esparza a wide decision (100-90, 100-90 and 97-93) but closer than that. Fujioka is a miracle.
