A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Terence Crawford had a spectacular knockout in his hometown. Ed Zurga / Getty Images
Terence Crawford – Crawford didn’t dominate every moment of the fight against the aggressive David Avanesyan but he controlled the action throughout and delivered a spectacular match knockout round six Saturday in front of his hometown fans in Omaha, Nebraska. In the process, he has cemented his claim to the top spot by the pound. The unshakable welterweight champion patiently boxed in the face of Avanesyan’s constant pressure, fighting after his jab to gradually establish a devastating finish. A left-right combo with the frontman Avanesyan (29-4-1, 17 KOs) knocked him out instantly, filling fans with CHI Medical Center and those watching on devices. their breath must be held. Could he draw it out better? If Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) slows down at 35, it certainly hasn’t been evident in recent skirmishes. He stopped his last 10 opponents. Of course, we’ll see how he does in the face of next level enemies when he’s almost 36 years old.order birthday.
MOST LIMITED
The rest of Crawford’s career – Crawford recently said that his legacy would not have been affected if he had never fought owner Errol Spence Jr. Wrong. The disappointing, almost tragic aspect of Crawford’s career is that he had a decisive victory in his more than 14-year career, knocking out Shawn Porter last November. And even that victory was seen as flawed, as Porter appeared to have dropped boxing one leg into the bout. Crawford needs to fight Spence if he wants to prove himself as the best welterweight in the post-Mayweather-Pacquiao era, a distinction all 147-pounders want. Crawford-Spence still possible? Crawford said after Saturday’s win that he was willing to return to the negotiating table, which is a good sign. That’s the easy part, though. The parties need to find a way to get it done. What if they can’t? We can look back on Crawford’s career, shaking our heads and wondering how a truly great boxer managed to retire with very little legitimacy.
THE LUCKIEST
Teofimo López – The 140-pound competitor was right when he said it was difficult to look good against a running competitor, his interpretation of rival Sandor Martin’s tactics on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. However, boxers who believe they are among the best in the business – and so is Lopez – will find a way to cut through the ring and take control of the fight against an underdog. Lopez never did. He did enough to win passed two umpires and raised his hand but he reminded no one of the juggler who became the undisputed lightweight champion and broke the pound-for-pound leaderboard at number 23 before lost to George Kambosos Jr. Is that our perception of Lopez (18-1, 13 KO) an illusion? Was he never really as good as we thought? It looks like that at the moment. To be fair, he’s only 25. A win over the likes of Josh Taylor or Regis Prograis would make us forget all about his bad performance on Saturday. I just don’t believe he can do it.
WORST POINTS
Pasquale Procopio’s – Martin (40-3, 13 KOs) proved to Lopez that his upset win over Mikey Garcia last year was not by chance. The Spaniard is agile and athletic. His strategy is to counter when Lopez attacks and not stay in one place long enough for his favorite opponent to throw punches. Neither man achieved much. Both averaged less than 10 landing punches per round, according to CompuBox. But the limited success is equally shared. That’s why judge Pasquale Procopio’s score of 97-92 – eight second innings for Lopez – seemed out of place. The same goes for Max DeLuca’s 96-93 score. I assume they rewarded Lopez for being the aggressor. The problem is that he didn’t show effective aggression, often necessary to win rounds. He was disappointed from start to finish. I think Guido Cavalieri’s 95-94 – five rounds each, taking into account Lopez’s second round knockdown – best reflects what’s going on in the ring.
MOST LIMITED
Josh Warrington — The former 126-pound owner is now a two-time, solid boxer, nothing more and less at this stage in the 32-year-old athlete’s career. That became apparent again on Saturday in his hometown of Leeds, England, where Mexican Luis Alberto Lopez worked harder than him to win a majority decision and IBF belt. Warrington is currently 1-2-1 in his last four games, the other loss and draw coming against Lopez’s compatriot Mauricio Lara last year. It was a horrible streak. On Saturday, Warrington (31-2-1, 8 KOs) neither had the strength nor the power to stop the aggressive Lopez (27-2, 15 KOs) from him, although he performed well in championship rounds to turn it into a melee. His limitations couldn’t be more obvious. Does Warrington slip? Or is he always restricted? It is probably more than the former but also the latter. He deserves credit for winning two belts and beating the likes of Kiko Martinez (MD), Lee Selby (SD), Carl Frampton (UD) and Kid Galahad (SD) but nothing has come easy for him. that. Maybe that’s one reason why he’s so appealing to his fans. He had to work hard for everything he got.
THE BEST?
Manny Pacquiao’s Exhibition – If fans want to skip the $29.99 pay-per-view fee to watch an old legend take part in an exhibition, then God bless them. We all have our own preferences. I? I don’t see the value. Pacquiao’s six-round bout with boxer and social media star DK Yoo was pretty goofy, the two jumping around the ring, throwing punches here and there and having a great time overall. . Yes, Pacquiao threw a few punches. He has to give the fans a feeling like a real battle, right? And Yoo, who seemed to get tired quickly, went down a few times. You get the feeling that Pacquiao could end the fight at any moment if he wanted to go up against an inexperienced opponent but he didn’t want to hurt him, that’s why the fight went. distant. When it ended, my first thought was, “Wow, I’ll never get those 17 minutes back.” Honestly, I don’t get the appeal of these exhibits.
