A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Teofimo López
No one really knows what to expect from Lopez during his showdown with 140-pound belt holder Josh Taylor on Saturday in New York City. The skill set and sportsmanship were never in doubt. It seems the problem is that he can’t get over the emotional issues he’s struggled with since knocking out Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020. Well, he’s proven to Taylor that he can split. his out-of-the-ring challenges – whatever they were – and once again making the most of his immense talent, beating the undefeated former champion to a unanimous decision, won a major title in the second division and re-established himself as a star. The bout ended in a couple of rounds but it gradually became clear that Lopez was both in his game and simply the better boxer, which says something about Taylor’s reputation. Suddenly, after knocking out the linear champion, the struggling young man whose career was once in jeopardy became a 140-pound beater. If he can keep playing – yes, that’s a big if – it now seems clear that he can achieve great things.
THE BIGGEST FAILERS
Josh Taylor
Scottish pride is in serious trouble. His winning streak against elite opponents has made him the undisputed 140-pound, one-pound-for-pound champion and one of the best ever. now of his country. And he seems to be just getting started. Then things started to unravel. He looked normal in his decisive win over Jack Catterall last February, which can be attributed to difficulty gaining weight, a nagging leg injury, a match with COVID and a determined opponent. He didn’t have any excuses on Saturday night. He was simply outmatched by a superior fighter. He then complained about the 117-111 card in favor of Lopez. In my opinion, it is Lopez’s two scores of 115-113 that are suspicious. The battle isn’t too close. So what now? Taylor said after his defeat that he plans to fight at 147 pounds in the future, which seemed like a natural move. But can you imagine the version of Taylor we saw Saturday against the top heavyweights? Maybe gaining weight is all he needs. Most likely, the boxer who knocked out Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez is gone.
BIGGEST WINNER II
Jaime Munguia
The 26-year-old Mexican star deserves praise even though he struggled to overtake 37-year-old Sergey Derevyanchenko on Saturday in Ontario, California. No one was surprised when the Ukrainian player pushed Munguia to his limit before losing close, but unanimous decision in a 168-pound 12-round bout. That’s what he does, fighting the best in the business on even terms only to end up with a low score. Munguia is no exception. The former 154-pound owner had to dig deeper into himself than at any point in the past to resist Derevyanchenko’s mental effort and show his best when the fight came to balance, which the champions did. The enemy can do it. He won all 11lame pants and 12lame pants round up all three scorecards and knock Derevyanchenko out with a deadly left-hand in the final goal to turn a possible disaster into victory. He found a way to win the toughest fight of his life, which is impressive by any standards. I have never been taller on Munguia.
TRIAL DOLL
You have to sympathize with Derevyanchenko, who supposedly did enough to win against a rising young star only to fall again. Now he has lost close decisions with Daniel Jacobs, Gennadiy Golovkin, Jermall Charlo, Carlos Adames and Munguia. If he wins those games, he’s a big star. True enough, he was the unlucky one who ended up wrong in every controversial decision. Derevyanchenko can clearly still fight at 37. I hope he will fulfill his intention to continue. I still have hope that he can win big. And I know I’m not alone. … Derevyanchenko is said to have made the pre-match decision that made him win on Saturday. Munguia’s team offered the Ukrainian a substantial amount of money to reduce the match time from 12 to 10 innings but he refused, apparently believing his conditions would favor him. in the last two frames. Bad move. Derevyanchenko was leading with 2 cards after 10 innings and then lost 11 and 12, causing Munguia to nod. …
Adrien Broner (35-4-1, 24 KOs) prevailed Bill Hutchinson (20-3-4, 9 KOs) en route to a near-ending decision in Friday’s return game in Miami but the win proved nothing against Hutchinson’s obvious limitations. We’ll have to watch Broner take on a next-level opponent to determine if the former four-division champion can be the right fighter again. … Flyweight Champion sunny Edwards (20-0.4 KO) has no trouble defending first Andres Campos (15-1, 4 KOs) on Saturday in London, winning by one-way decision. A real challenge could come next. Edwards calls for co-owners Bam Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) shortly after the win and Rodriguez quickly accepted the challenge. Edwards-Rodriguez will be a fascinating mix of brilliant technicians. I would pick Rodriguez to win because of his punch power advantage but it’s basically a 50-50 fight between minor fighters.
