A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Jared Anderson
All top boxers have to step through fire at some point in order to become true stars. Anderson, 23-year-old heavyweight contender, suffered minor burns in unanimous decision to win overcame veteran Charles Martin in a 10-round match on Saturday in Toledo, Ohio, Anderson’s hometown. Martin (29-4-1, 26 KOs) became the first to overcome Anderson’s gap (15-0, 14 KOs), an inevitable fate as his opposition grew stronger and stronger. And he had to overcome tough adversity in Round 5, when he was hit by his southern opponent mid-round and took more heavy hits before the bell ended the threat. He got through it, demonstrating resilience that will serve him well in the future. Anderson doesn’t look as good as in previous matches against lower level enemies. That’s not to say he suddenly lacks the potential we thought he had. On the contrary, he survived a real challenge from a capable opponent – and late substitute – to win a one-sided decision and gain valuable experience in the process. I thought about Anderson more before he entered the ring on Saturday.
BIGGEST WINNER II
Marshall Prairie
“Sweet dream!” 👑
Savannah Marshall reacts to being the undisputed champion pic.twitter.com/QaMv1CFWGI
– Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) July 1, 2023
Marshall isn’t as good as Claressa Shields – as we saw in October – but she reminded us just how capable she is on Saturday in Manchester, England, where she survived the tactic. Franchon Crews-Dezurn’s bruise to win a majority decision and the undisputed 168-pound championship in an ugly match. Crews-Dezurn is not a boxer but her relentless pressure, her ability to crawl into close quarters poses a tough physical challenge to any opponent. Not only is Marshall tough enough to deal with Crews-Dezurn’s style, but he also creates enough space to make eye-catching, eye-catching shots with more than enough stability to earn the 99-92 and 97-side advantages- 93 in two of the three official cards. (Card 95-95 by referee Paul Wallace is inexplicable). It was arguably the best night of the British tennis player’s career. Now she wants a 168-pound rematch with Shields, who beat her by a convincing decision at 160 eight months ago. Marshall probably won’t win that war, but one never knows. She sure looks formidable on Saturday.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Canelo Alvarez vs Jermell Charlo
NO DISPUTES vs NO DISPUTES
️ September 30
LasVegas pic.twitter.com/pAlSN5VszU– Canelo Alvarez (@Canelo) June 30, 2023
I assumed that when Alvarez signed a three-fight contract with the Top Boxing Champion he would end up fighting the best possible opponents of his caliber. Well, he threw us a curveball. The undisputed 168-pound champion announced on social media that he will fight 154-pound opponent Jermell Charlo on September 30 in Las Vegas. Alvarez is expected to face another Charlo, Jermall, who holds the 160-pound belt. However, letting him confront the Mexican star after more than 2 years of playing is clearly too much. So Alvarez turned to Jermell Charlo. The junior middleweight champion is one of the best boxers in the world by the pound, better than his brother. He has the potential to rival Alvarez, especially if the future Hall of Famer is in decline as many people mistakenly believe. The potential problem is that Charlo will have to gain two weight classes or 14 pounds, which can be an irreparable disadvantage. I think there’s a good chance even this version of Alvarez will take out Charlo, then we’ll all wonder if the fight should have been done in the first place. I am disappointed.
TRIAL DOLL
Anderson showed a lot of maturity in his post-match interview Saturday, declining to name the top heavyweights. Instead, he made it clear that his main goal right now is to stay active. He said he wanted to fight two more times this year. I hope he gets to 20 games before he gets into trouble with things like Tyson’s Rage, Deontay Wilder And Anthony Joshua. … News section: Sky Sports reported that Dillian Whyte signed a deal to face Joshua for the second time on August 12 in London. I guess that match will do good business in the UK but how many times will they use the powerful but limited Whyte for a big battle? It is getting boring. Of course, if Joshua met Deontay Wilder By the end of this year I will forget all about this unappealing match. … Potential customer 135 pounds 19 years old Abdullah Mason Cleveland’s (9-0.8 KO) was overpowered Alex de Oliveira (20-5, 14 KOs) in the second round of the scheduled six-round game on the Anderson-Martin card. Mason, who has knocked out de Oliveira three times, seems to have the ingredients to be a major player in the sport. He has a natural talent, he can box, he has strength and he has the maturity of an older boxer. He is definitely someone to watch.
