A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Edgar Berlanga
I’m still not sure what to do with Berlanga. The 168-pound athlete from Brooklyn stopped his first 16 opponents in the first round only to break the gap in the next five games, including the decision against solid but limited veteran Jason Quigley. on Saturday in New York. He’s not the dominant warrior he seems to be. At the same time, he defeated Quigley four times and won. by score difference though the Irish fleet’s grip and maneuvering tactics made him an elusive target. Berlanga deserves credit for that. Here’s the bottom line, though: We won’t know how good Berlanga is until he’s up against top boxers at or near his weight. The name Jaime Munguia came about after his victory at The Armory. That could be the perfect match for him. Berlanga won’t have to chase down the belligerent Mexicans like Quigley, which foreshadows an intriguing head-to-head battle between two famous sluggers. I would pick Munguia to win that bout but I wouldn’t be surprised if the style match brings out the best Berlanga, who’s physically strong and has punches like Munguia in the end. It could be the ideal opportunity for Berlanga to realize the potential he has flashed.
BIGGEST WINNER II
Carlos Adames
Lost in the middle of a controversial ending was a powerful performance by the Dominican middleweight boxer. Adames (23-1, 18 KOs) methodically knocked out veteran Julian Williams (28-4-1, 16 KOs) with a powerful attack – including relentless body movements. break – before referee Mark Nelson became the story when he stop fighting in the ninth round on Saturday in Minneapolis. It is assumed that Nelson jumped the gun but the fact that the surprisingly resilient Williams was hit hard and badly injured at the time of the pause, this should at least assuage the criticism for Nelson to some extent. Adames controlled the game almost from the start, which was reflected in the official score after eight innings: 80-72, 78-74 and 77-74 in his favor. And he beat an exhausted Williams in the ninth round even if you believe Nelson fired the shot by stopping the fight when he did, with 15 seconds left. Adames could have finished the job in the next few innings. If not, he probably won’t make a clear decision. Either way, Adames’ performance is further proof that he is a threat to anyone at 160 pounds.
BIGGEST WINNER III
Canelo Alvarez
Canelo Alvarez opened the door for exciting matches by signing with PBC. Meg Oliphant / Boxing in the matchmaking room
Alvarez probably doesn’t need to sign one three-match contract with the Premier Boxing Champion against the boxer of the management company. He took PBC’s client Caleb Plant with no one. Having the 168-pound champion put pen to paper simply made the negotiations easier and revealed Alvarez’s intention to face the best possible opponents for him. I said, “It’s about time.” He is expected to open a threes match against 160-pound owner Jermall Charlo in September, a match that fans will receive more enthusiastically than his second bout with the champion. 175-pound class Dmitry Bivol. And it will probably get better from there. Next could be the unbeaten 168-pound opponent David Benavidez, the opponent fans want Alvarez to face the most. A few things have to happen before we can start celebrating that game. Alvarez and Benavidez must beat their next opponents (Charlo and David Morrell), which is not given in either case. And, of course, the parties will still have to come to an agreement. Here’s the thing: There’s more hope than ever that we’ll see Alvarez take on Benavidez after the future Hall of Famer decides to align with PBC.
TRIAL DOLL
I hope that the match between Alvarez and Charlo is over. And then, if Alvarez wins that game, I believe he will go directly into the match against Benavidez next May if Benavidez gets past Morrell. There are other possible options – Morrell if he beats Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade – but Alvarez-Benavidez is the fight fans want at the moment. If Alvarez can beat both Charlo and Benavidez, he will regain most of the position he lost over the past year. Otherwise, he will earn respect for taking on the toughest challenge in his department. … Did Nelson prevent the Adames-Williams war early? One can make that argument. Williams was able to defend himself in stoppage time. However, that doesn’t do justice to Nelson, who has to make real-time decisions in an effort to protect the boxer. In fact, Adames knocked Williams down again and again right before the game was halted. The timing was strange, but perhaps Nelson saved Williams from undue punishment. … Erickson Lubin (25-2, 18 KOs) clearly didn’t suffer any lingering effects from the previous knockout loss Sebastian Fundora 14 months ago. 154-pound opponent dominates tough, but superior Luis Arias (20-4-1, 9 KOs) before stopping him in the fifth round on the Adames-Williams card. Lubin remains one of the best offensive boxers in the sport. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins a major world title soon. …
Joshua Franco (18-2-3, 8 KOs) had a miserable weekend. The Texan lost his 115-pound WBA title on the scale when he exceeded the unfathomable six-pound limit for pre-defense Kazuto Ioka (30-2-1, 15 KOs) on Sunday in Japan. He then lost the match by unanimous decision, which awarded Ioka the belt after he and Franco played a draw in December. Ioka, 34, has proven he’s still there. is one of the best in the business. Meanwhile, Franco, citing “mental issues”, announced after the defeat that he would retire at the age of 27. We wish him the best no matter what he does. whatever. … IBF belt holder 115 pounds Fernando Martinez (16-0.9 KO) successfully defended my belt first Bornean Pearl (18-1, 12 KOs) equals 11lame pants-Technical knockout on the Adames-Williams card. The ending was terrible. Martinez had a left blow to Bronea’s head in the 9th round, causing the Filipino player’s right ear to tear, causing it to bleed profusely. He was allowed to go on but officials decided to complete two innings later. Martinez put in another strong performance, underscoring the point that he can compete with other top 115-pound athletes. That includes Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman Gonzalez, Bam Rodriguez and Ioka. Bornea impressed in the loss, earning herself another big chance. … Why doesn’t New York use instant replay? The second takedown in Berlanga-Quigley wasn’t a knockdown at all. Quigley slipped, when the playback was clear. The referee’s fault Harvey Pier did not play a role in the outcome but it may have. Instant playback is not complicated. An official determines an error has been made based on replays and then simply informs the umpires and corners without disrupting the course of the game.
