A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
I’m one of those who wonder if Sebastian Fundora should use his height and reach beyond him.
The 6-foot-5 middleweight’s nature was fighting, which suited him. He’s still undefeated after pointed out Carlos Ocampo Saturday night at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
In fact, he is an excellent martial artist despite his thin frame and long arms. One might ask: If it’s not broken, why fix it?
Well, giving up the length advantage gives the opponent a chance to get close to him to throw punches. Ocampo failed to make a unilateral decision but worked his best when Fundora lured him inside.
On the contrary, I think Ocampo was powerless as Fundora fought at range behind his stab and unleashed power punches, as he did in the previous two innings. I can see him overpowering his opponents with that tactic if he perfects it. He could be the left-handed version of the 154-pound Wladimir Klitschko.
I think he needs to try to land his stab more than he does; He connected 16% of them against Ocampo, according to CompuBox. And he had to follow the straight, right hook, and other power punches, which he didn’t do early on.
Freddy Fundora, Fundora’s father-coach, agrees at least to some extent: The younger Fundora said he and his father worked to fight at range in training camp for the battle of Ocampo. So they might be moving in that direction.
Ultimately, Fundora’s instinct is to fight, to please fans who are hungry for action. That probably won’t change. That said, his best course may be to switch back and forth – from fighting to boxing – depending on the circumstances.
BAD
Kudos to the British Boxing Control Board for refusing to sanction a match between Conor Benn-Chris Eubank Jr. after Benn’s “A” sample tested positive for banned substances, then it has been postponed.
Benn’s handlers complained he was not given due process by the BBBofC, an allegation that will be graded over time.
The bottom line is this: Benn failed a drug test conducted by a reputable agency, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. BBBofC has made responsible decisions by soliciting its support.
What about Benn’s “B” pattern, which usually confirms the original finding? The organizers did not care to allow the fight to continue without the second sample being negative.
I hate that promoter Eddie Hearn refuses to accept BBBofC’s decision but I have to credit him and his partners for deciding not to find an outside agency to sanction the war, which is what they may have done.
I won’t speculate on their true motives but they put together the best decision for the sport.
And, finally, there’s Benn. Surprise, surprise: He swears he’s a clean warrior even though Clomifene – a female fertility drug that can boost testosterone – has been found in his body. Almost every athlete in his position says so; it means nothing next to it. He could face suspension.
The Benn-Eubank defeat was bad for boxing for obvious reasons but it would have been a lot worse if the fight had gone on.
WORSE
Boxing has lost a legend in Eder Jofre.
The Hall of Famer from Brazil, who passed away last week at the age of 86, is arguably the greatest 118-pound boxer of all time, the #1 pound-for-pound in the 1960s and certainly the best boxer. that his country once produced.
Jofre is an outstanding boxer with blocking power and he’s durable, that’s how he was able to set a 72-2-4 (50 KOs) record in his long career.
He was undefeated from 1957 to 1965, starting his career with a 47-0-3 record. From 1960 to 1965, he won a version of bantamweight and then the undisputed and essentially untouchable world championship.
That was until he ran into his arch nemesis, the Fighting Harada of Japan, who cost him the first (a breakup decision) in 1965 and then did it again ( unanimous decision) the following year.
That seemed to be the end of Jofre’s career, as he “retired” at the age of 30 after his second defeat to Harada.
Then, after three years apart, he put together one of the greatest comebacks ever.
The then 33-year-old returned as a featherweight in 1969 and had 25 wins in numerous bouts, taking the decisive 126-pound WBC title against Jose Legra at 37 in the process.
If there was any doubt about his greatness before his return, it certainly wasn’t after.
Jofre is one of the best people to ever do it. RIP, champion.
BAGS DOLL
Fundora, WBC’s #1 ranked, has secured the right to face the winner of the January match between the undisputed champion Jermell Charlo and Tim Tszyu. Will he be able to beat Charlo, who I expect to beat Tszyu? I do not belive that thing. Charlo is one of the best in the business. However, as I said before, I am not going to ignore Fundora. He has an innate determination that makes him hard to beat. I hope he has a chance. … Mid-Range Candidate Carlos Adames (22-1, 17 KOs) was the star of the show on Saturday’s Fundora-Ocampo card. The Dominican, a complete boxer, overpowered a strong, good opponent in Juan Macias Montiel (23-6-2, 23 KOs) on the way to a third knockout round. Can he beat the top 160-pounder, Jermall Charlo? I wouldn’t be shocked if he did. He has the tools – speed, power, all-round ability – to be a weightlifter. … Young bantamweight title holder Fernando Martinez (15-0.8 KO) proved his one-way win over Jerwin Ancajas (33-3-2, 22 KO) in February no luck, like He did it again on the Fundora-Ocampo card. I wouldn’t pick Martinez to beat some of his 115-pound opponents, including Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez. But his relentless pressure would be hell for anyone. He is a real person.
