Good, bad, worse: Sunny Edwards impresses again, Floyd Mayweather entertains

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

It’s classic Showtime style!@SunnyEdwards finish the last round with his hands in the air! #ProbellumSheffield pic.twitter.com/rry7jG52HE

– Probellum (@probellum) November 11, 2022

The best fighter in the UK might be a fly class from London.

Defending 112-pound IBF champion Sunny Edwards put on another impressive performance Saturday night in Sheffield, England, where he beat former 108-pound champion Felix Alvarado by a convincing unanimous decision.

And he has used a rare combination of skill and endurance to do so, further proof that the 26-year-old can go a long way.

Edwards (19-0, 4 KOs) boxed brilliantly, using his sticky style and quick, snappy moves to frustrate the capable Alvarado in the first half of the match. Then, in the second half, Edwards had to rely on determination and toughness as well as the ability to survive the relentless pressure of Alvarado and leave the ring with another victory.

The official score is 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113, the last two scores are too much in favor of Alvarado.

And keep in mind that Edwards can’t punch, as his knockdown rate shows. That just makes his achievement more remarkable: He can dominate opponents without the power to hurt them.

That restriction could work against him on his place among Britain’s best boxers, including the more accomplished Josh Taylor. However, I’m not sure there’s anyone in the UK who can fight better than Edwards.

What’s next? He wants to take on another hot boxer, the highly respected Bam Rodriguez, who said he plans to drop to the 112-pound division. The exciting combination of those sublime young technicians will be a real test of Edwards’ abilities.

I would lean on Rodriguez to win that game but I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if Edwards raised his hand, cementing his place among the best in the business regardless of origin. He’s so good.

BAD

There’s nothing “bad” about boxing exhibitions involving retired boxers, such as Floyd Mayweather.

I remember I used to play baseball games when I was a kid. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see the heroes and legends of the sport back on the field one night even though there were no winners or losers in the competitive sense. It was good fun.

Obviously that’s how some fans feel when they see Mayweather, Mike Tyson and others climb over the rope to remind us of what makes them so great. That’s why retirees can still make money in boxing.

Mayweather reminded us again on Sunday in the United Arab Emirates, where he joking with ridiculously superior YouTuber Deji Olatunji and then stopped him for six innings.

The Hall of Famer had a blast, proving he can still carry it at 45 and play for the crowd on the go. Without a doubt, many fans around the world were entertained, which Mayweather said later was his goal.

The only reason this item was filed as “bad” is that I did not receive an appeal. For me, the most interesting part of the broadcast was the back-and-forth antics of marketing wizard and part-time commentator Jake Paul and the Fury family after Tommy Fury and Rolly Lambert went on an expo.

The moment John Fury, the father of Tyson Fury, took off his shirt in the ring and challenged Paul to a fight with him afterward, there was a lot of hysteria.

To each of their own though. If you like these exhibits enough to pass the pay-per-view fee, God bless you. You must be pleased because there is much more to come.

WORSE

It always hurts to write this.

We learned after David Morrell took down Aidos Yerbossynuly that Yerbossynuly had been placed in a medically induced coma to treat a bleeding on the brain, which made us pray for the best but think again. the worst thing.

Looking back, it seems clear that referee Tony Weeks or Yerbossynuly’s corners should have stopped the game 12 minutes earlier.^order and the final round, in which Morrell stopped him. However, the brave Kazakhs fought with vigor almost until the last minute, which made it very difficult to step in.

My personal opinion? Err on the cautious side. You may be criticized, but stopping early is better than stopping too late.

Such a tragic situation, which often haunts us, serves as a reminder of the bravery of the soldiers. They didn’t necessarily believe they would suffer such an unfortunate fate but they knew it was a possibility. However, they still step over the ropes to follow their dreams and bring joy to their fans.

I believe the great powers will do their best to protect the boxers in an inherently dangerous sport. Let’s hope they continue to do so and then some. Yerbossynuly and his colleagues deserve no less.

TRIAL DOLL

Mid-Range Ownership Janibek Alimkhanuly (13-0.8 KO) doesn’t live up to the hype against Denzel Bentley (17-2-1, 14 KOs) on Saturday in Las Vegas. 2016 Olympic athlete from Kazakhstan won the match unanimous decision but wasn’t particularly impressive in any respect, which must have been a disappointment to those hoping he would make a statement. Alimkhanuly said he is ready for any champion. We shall see. … Kudos for Bentley. He is a good fighter. … Straw class president Seniesa Estrada (23-0.9 KO) impressed in her unanimous decision win first Jazmin Gala Villarino (6-2-2, 1 KO) on Alimkhanuly-Bentley card, her first match in 11 months. The Los Angeles product can be as skilled as anyone in women’s boxing. … Montana love (18-1-1, 9 KOs) disqualified for throwing an opponent Steve Spark (16-2, 14 KOs) over the rope and out of the ring in the sixth round of their junior welterweight bout Saturday in Cleveland. It was an uphill battle. Love when he failed in round 2 and received a slash to the head right before the unusual ending. I don’t know what the fuss is about. It seems to me that Love did exactly what he was accused of, which was a serious foul. I could have scored him two points and allowed him to continue but the disqualification is certainly justified. …

Canelo Alvarez said his treatment is going well and he will be ready to fight back in May after surgery to repair a injury to his right wrist. That’s good news. He seems to be aiming for the 175-pound champion Dmitry Bivol, who singled out him this past May. That makes sense. I still want to see him up against his 168 pound friend David Benavidez. … Former two-time middleweight champion Fernando Vargas seems to have produced some good boxers: His three sons, whom he coached, totaled 12-0 (10 KOs). My youngest brother, 18 years old Emiliano Vargas (2-0.2 KO) grab everyone’s attention by stopping Julio Martinez (1-1, 1 KO) with a single left hook in the second round of their lightweight bout on the Alimkhanuly-Bentley card. Another son, Fernando Vargas Jr. (6-0.6 KO), considered an excellent junior middleweight prospect. He plans to fight Alejandro Martinez above Regis Prograis–Jose Zepeda pay-per-view card on November 26, and a third son, light Amado Vargas (4-0.2 KO), also holds a lot of promise. The second generation Vargases will have a hard time living up to the standards of their father, who was one of the better fighters of his generation. However, they are clearly worth a look.