A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER?
Rolando Romero
What a disaster. Romero put on a weak performance, hitting the frame, getting a dubious knockdown by the referee and then receiving the final gift: a Defeat Ismael Barroso he didn’t deserve ninth place to win the 140-pound title having been poisoned since early Saturday in Las Vegas. On top of that, the fight was boring. According to CompuBox, the boxers threw a total of 104 punches in more than 8 rounds. It wasn’t a good night for anyone involved. Romero was too cautious because he didn’t want to take a big hit, which gave Barroso a three-card lead in injury time. The 40-year-old slugger from Venezuela didn’t do much either but he knocked Romero down in Round 3 and fueled the action for most of the match. He seemed to have victory within his grasp. That’s why the events of Round 9 are particularly intense. First, a knockdown is the result of a push, not a punch. Referee Tony Weeks then stopped the game even though Barroso stood firm and defended himself. Bad teamfight, bad performance by Romero, bad mistake by Weeks. It is rare for any boxer to achieve so few achievements when winning the main belt.
THE BIGGEST FAILERS
Ismael Barroso
Rolando Romero knocks Ismael Borroso down in Round 9. Steve Marcus / Getty Images
You must feel for Barroso. He did all he could in his advanced age to score 78-73, 77-74 and 76-75 after eight completed innings, putting him in a strong position to win the title. First world enemy at the end of the match. Then it disappeared. The stoppage has rightfully outraged many followers, but it doesn’t help Barroso. He lost the match due to a referee’s mistake and may never get another chance to contest the major championship, which makes Weeks’ actions all the more heartbreaking. Even Romero later admitted that the fight should not be stopped. There’s only one way Barroso can get some justice: a rematch. If anyone is worthy, it’s him after Saturday night’s defeat. Will Romero give him a second chance? Then he mentioned the names Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, not Barroso. Hopefully the new owner and his handlers will push the more high-profile matches to go one game and do the right thing. Barroso earned it.
BIGGEST FAILERS II
Tony week
Will Ismael Barroso (left) be allowed to proceed? Steve Marcus / Getty Images
Is the breakpoint as bad as it looks? It’s hard to make the case of Weeks, a respected veteran referee who had a night off. Barroso may have been in a somewhat weakened state after Romero pushed him down and was followed by a series of punches aimed at ending the match. The problem is that very few of the photos find the target. And Barroso never stopped hitting back, unloading — and landing — his own powerful blows. That’s why Weeks’ final decision was so shocking. The general reaction is definitely, “What?!” Weeks is closer to Barroso than anyone else — maybe he saw something we didn’t — but most would agree, based on what they can see, that Weeks blew it. . And that’s just Part II of this failure. The earlier knockdown moments shouldn’t be a knockdown. Romero takes a left shot but Barroso catches the punch. The replays make it clear that it was a push that brought him onto the canvas. Of course, Weeks doesn’t benefit from the replay. And he will argue that Barroso is not eligible to continue when he stops the fight, in his judgment. However, it was clearly not Weeks’ best night in the ring.
BEST IDEA?
Romero versus Davis or Garcia
Romero said he wants to defend his new title against Ryan Garcia, which makes sense on many levels. Garcia’s fan base will draw a lot of attention to the fight. And Garcia was deemed beatable after a knockout loss to Gervonta Davis last month, though Romero was also stopped by Tank. My advice to Romero: Be careful what you wish for. Garcia will eat Romero alive. Garcia has the amateur background that Romero lacks, and is also faster and stronger than the title holder. Romero will not last six laps. Romero also said after Saturday’s win that he wanted a rematch with Davis, who stopped him in sixth place. Forget. He competed against Davis for more than five rounds because Davis was a patient boxer who usually entered his fights easily, not because Romero was equally capable of Davis. Romero would be wise to give Barroso a rematch and continue to develop before facing Garcia or Davis a second time.
BIGGEST WINNER II
Janibek Alimkhanuly
Alimkhanuly (14-0.9 KO) put on a mediocre performance in a unanimous decision win over Denzel Bentley in November, raising questions about the ceiling of the former amateur world champion. He answered those questions on Saturday. The 160-pound heavyweight knocks out superior opponent Steven Butler (32-4-1, 26 KOs) three times and stop him, all played out in a wild, dominating 2nd half. OK, we shouldn’t get too excited about Alimkhanuly’s win. Butler (32-4-1, 26 KOs) was completely overpowered, which limits the importance of the winner’s record. At the same time, the 30-year-old Kazakh’s spectacular performance on national television in the US will help enhance his reputation and increase his chances of attracting a top middleweight boxer into the ring. He named fellow 160-pounder Jermall Charlo and 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez after being knocked out. I doubt he did enough to take out one of those opponents but he certainly took a step in that direction.
TRIAL DOLL
The best fight on the Romero-Barroso card is a great back-and-forth between Kenneth Sims Jr. And Batyr Akhmedov that the Sims won by majority decision. Sims (20-2-1, 7 KOs) have long been considered an excellent technician with limited powers who cannot reach elite status. He did it on Saturday, boxing well, withstanding Akhmedov’s relentless pressure and fighting hard until the end of his 140-pound opponent’s bout. He is now a legitimate opponent for anyone. Akhmedov (9-3, 8 KOs)? I can’t blame him for feeling that the forces are against him because he has now come to the wrong end in three almost controversial decisions. I hope he doesn’t give up. He is clearly an excellent fighter. … Congratulations Jason Moloney (26-2, 19 KOs) thanks to his persistence. The Australian had failed in previous attempts to win the grand slam against Emmanul Rodríguez And after that Naoya Inoue but finally overcome difficulties against Vincent Astrolabio (18-4, 13 KOs) on the Alimkhanuly-Butler card, won by majority decision to claim the vacant 118-pound WBO belt.
