PBC is delivering the goods and having a tremendous 2023
Plus tons more random thoughts: Good/bad of Anderson fight; setting record straight on Teofimo's undisputed claims; prospect to watch; heavyweight doldrums; terrible stoppages; memo to Oscar and Eddie
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A huge batch of boxing random thoughts…
We keep it real around here and here’s what’s real: Premier Boxing Champions is having a tremendous 2023.
That is not to say that others are not also putting on quality events because they are. But PBC is on another level in 2023 even if the best offerings are unfortunately pay-per-views.
PBC big boss Al Haymon, along with Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza and TGB Promotions’ Tom Brown, are delivering the goods. There were years they didn’t live up to that and I and others rightfully complained. Can’t do that in 2023. So credit where credit is due. They aren’t just making good fights. They are putting on the biggest fights in the sport with the biggest stars.
On July 29, they will present the single most significant fight in boxing in years when Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford meet to unify titles for the undisputed welterweight championship and probable pound-for-pound supremacy.
Fights get no more significant. This is by far the most important fight in recent years and one that shapes up as a great one when the bell rings.
It was extraordinarily difficult to make and it took years, but it did get done and not when either fighter is in decline. Just making that bout would make for a big year for anybody — but wait! There’s more! (As they say in the old late-night infomercials.)
In April, PBC delivered the biggest blockbuster pay-per-view fight in years in Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia. It was a heavily anticipated mega showdown between young stars that grossed nine figures, was the first non-exhibition PPV fight to go over 1 million buys since 2018 and generated the fifth-biggest gate in Nevada history. People cared and wanted to see it. And although it pales in significance compared to Spence-Crawford, I’ll bet Davis-Garcia will be the one that does bigger business.
Those two huge fights aside, PBC also put on the A-level super middleweight grudge match between David Benavidez and Caleb Plant in March. It was the best in the division not named Canelo Alvarez fighting each other in a fight that lived up to the hype and topped a very entertaining undercard that included victories by super prospect Jesus Ramos, Chris Colbert and Cody Crowley.
Haymon, known to many as an obstructionist when it comes to having fighters aligned with him “cross the street,” even easily, and with no drama, worked out a deal for unified junior featherweight titleholder Stephen Fulton to go to Japan to defend against the great pound-for-pound star Naoya Inoue in an extremely significant must-see fight.
And if that isn’t enough, Haymon just signed Canelo, the undisputed super middleweight champion and biggest star in the sport, to a three-fight deal during which we should get some big events beginning with Alvarez against undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo on Sept. 30. While I think most us would have preferred Alvarez-Benavidez, which hopefully will happen before the end of the deal, I’m fine with the fight and look forward to it.
Other fights PBC has put on this year that are worth re-watching: Carlos Adames-Julian Williams, Fernando Martinez-Jade Bornea, Kenneth Sims Jr.-Batyr Akhmedov, Tim Tszyu-Tony Harrison, Brandon Figueroa-Mark Magsayo, Armando Resendiz-Jarrett Hurd and Subriel Matias-Jeremias Ponce.
The best part: The year is only half over and there is more to come.
On the one hand, heavyweight Jared Anderson got the job done Saturday night against former titlist Charles Martin, by far his best opponent to date, in a wide decision win in which he scored a third-round knockdown in his first main event and first fight at home in Toledo, Ohio.
On the other hand, although Anderson won nine of the 10 rounds (eight at worst), he had some struggles. He went the distance for the first time and was visibly hurt twice, in a fifth-round crisis and in the final seconds of the 10th round. He showed vulnerabilities against a 37-year-old short-notice opponent he was expected to stop.
A few thoughts:
1. Anderson remains a tremendous prospect and this was the kind of fight he needed in order to show him what he needs to work on, defense being the major thing.
2. The B-side of a fight is allowed to show up and fight hard also. Martin did just that. He came in shape and gave a top effort.
3. Anderson has received a lot of hype, which is typical for a fresh face with talent, especially when he was scoring one big knockout after another. He warranted the hype. But then there is the absurd hype put on him by ESPN, which has bordered on outlandish. Maybe (hopefully) that will lessen now.
4. Going the distance was a good thing in the long run. Anderson now knows he can do it.
5. Although he was hurt by Martin, who is a good puncher, Anderson showed one thing we all want to know about any young fighter: How will he deal with adversity? Anderson dealt with it like a champ. He showed heart, poise and determination. Those are all good things for a fighter to have and now we know he has all of them.
6. He got touched up more than he should have so it’s not unreasonable to think that if Martin could take him to a place he’d never been he might be in serious trouble with a top heavyweight.
7. Everyone should remember Anderson is a prospect, not yet a contender. He is young (23) and a work in progress. Most young fighters have fights where maybe they don’t look great and struggle. It’s part of the process and learning curve. The young, pre-champion Mike Tyson struggled with James Tillis as did pre-champion Wladimir Klitschko in a TKO loss to journeyman Ross Puritty. Things turned out pretty well for those two legends didn’t they?
I wish Teofimo Lopez well in his supposed retirement. He did a lot in his career, including score enormous wins over Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor to become the lineal lightweight champion and then the lineal junior welterweight champion. But let’s be clear — very clear — about one thing: Lopez has never been an undisputed champion now matter how many times he says it or how much propaganda ESPN spews about his lightweight title reign. The definition of an undisputed champion is a fighter who holds all four major sanctioning body belts at the same time. Lopez has not done that. His WBC title at lightweight was the confusing “franchise” belt, which was created as a trophy belt non-transferable in the ring. When Lomachenko accepted the “franchise” title ahead of his unification fight with Lopez, he vacated the actual WBC title — the organization’s real title. Then he lost the WBO, WBA and WBC “franchise” belts to Lopez, who held the IBF title. At that point interim titlist Devin Haney, who wanted to fight Loma, was elevated to full WBC titlist. Lopez never held that belt — the real one. Haney would go on to become the legit undisputed champion.
At junior welterweight, Lopez referred to himself as undisputed after beating Taylor, who had been undisputed but vacated or was stripped of three of the belts and only held the WBO title before losing it to Lopez, who became the lineal champion but not in any way, shape or form the undisputed champion.
To make sure we’re all on the same page:
Lopez is an outstanding fighter.
Lopez is a two-division lineal champion.
Lopez has won a variety of sanctioning body belts.
Lopez has never, by definition, been an undisputed champion in any division.
This is not complicated.
Speaking of Lomachenko, how’s that protest his team supposedly made to the Nevada commission over his unanimous decision loss to Haney going? I’ll tell you how it’s going: It’s going nowhere. Ever. Haney won a close fight and Loma, who even said he relaxed in the 12th round, should get over it, as should all the Twitter tough guys who go on and on about it like it’s an actual controversy.
I was ringside for Top Rank lightweight Abdullah Mason’s pro debut in November 2021 and was so impressed inquired about his background. He has continued to develop and is emerging as one of boxing’s best prospects. Mason (9-0, 8 KOs) is just 19 and looked superb blowing away journeyman Alex de Oliveira in the second round on the Anderson-Martin card. Keep an eye on this kid.
Savannah Marshall’s decision over Franchon Crews-Dezurn to win the undisputed women’s super middleweight title Saturday set up a potential rematch with undisputed middleweight champion Claressa Shields, who outpointed Marshall in their unification fight for the undisputed crown in that division in October. After that bout Marshall moved up in weight to challenge Crews-Dezurn and Shields was ringside with an eye on facing the winner. After the fight, Shields and Marshall reiterated their interest in a sequel to their compelling fight. Shields said she is willing to fight Marshall at either middleweight or super middleweight and that Marshall can pick. However, Shields also said he wants the fight in the United States, which is very reasonable since she traveled to Marshall’s home country of England to fight last fall and won. Hopefully, they will fight again and Marshall will agree to come stateside.
British junior welterweight Dalton Smith’s massive seventh-round KO of Sam Maxwell with one devastating right hand was very impressive, especially because he had to overcome head-butt induced cuts. I’ve liked Smith for awhile. I had him on my top prospects list at the end of 2022 and look forward to his continued development.
I find the back-and-forth bickering between Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr. over the purse split for a potential fight hilarious as though it’s some sort of mega event. It’s a good fight but give me a break. Obviously, based on accomplishment, drawing power and name value, Wilder obviously warrants the bigger piece of the pie even though Ruiz is seeking 50 percent. How about 65 percent to the winner, 35 to the loser or something similar? They used to do that sort of arrangement all the time in the old days. Let’s put the “prize” back into the “prizefighting.”
Speaking of heavyweight silliness, the paralysis in the division for making the biggest fights is disappointing while the fighters and promoters wait for the Saudi Arabian pot of gold that may or may not come their way later this year. Meanwhile, all the fighters and promoters seem to do is post on social media and yammer on YouTube channels about fights that aren’t made. Just let me know when Tyson Fury lines up a real fight (not the rumored exhibition with Francis Ngannou). Same for Anthony Joshua, Wilder and Ruiz. At least Oleksandr Usyk is set to defend his unified titles next month, even if it’s against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois (who I don’t give much of a chance) because Fury blew the undisputed fight that was supposed to take place April 29.
Just to be clear: the stoppages in WBC interim titlist Adames’ ninth-round TKO of Williams and junior middleweight Erickson Lubin’s fifth-round KO of Luis Arias, which were on the same Showtime card, were both terrible. Williams was literally throwing a punch back when referee Mark Nelson stepped in. Nelson is usually one of boxing’s best referees but this was not his finest hour. Referee Zach Young counting out Arias was much worse. With Nelson, whatever you want to say, he made a judgment call that most happened to disagree with. In Young’s case, he was counting Arias, who had been knocked down. But he was attentive during the count, clearly was up at nine and not hurt. But Young for no apparent reason still counted 10 and waved off the fight. That was horrible and wholly inappropriate. Of course, this being boxing, there has been no public accountability from either referee or Minnesota commission.
After watching onetime heavyweight contender Adam Kownacki take a shellacking from Joe Cusumano in a ninth-round knockout loss I hope he retires. Kownacki is good guy, has a young family and has made millions even though he never did get a title shot when he had been on the short list to face Wilder before Wilder lost his belt to Fury in their rematch. Kownacki’s decision over Chris Arreola in 2019 was a sensational action fight in which they combined to set the record for most punches thrown in a heavyweight fight tracked by CompuBox in its four decades of compiling such stats. Since that fight Kownacki has lost four in a row, three by knockout, and took considerable punishment from underdog Cusumano. Kownacki simply has nothing left. He made a lot of good fights and was a fan favorite, but I certainly don’t want to see him get hurt and that’s what will happen if he continues.
Memo to Oscar De La Hoya and Eddie Hearn: Grow up. Help each other make great fights to promote on your mutual broadcaster (DAZN) instead of insulting each other repeatedly on social media and in interviews. Leave that to the fighters.
Bring on Jaime Munguia vs. Edgar Berlanga. Can’t-miss exciting fight. Mexico vs. Puerto Rico. Slugger vs. slugger. Both on the same broadcaster (DAZN). Winner takes a huge step forward at super middleweight. So, of course, it won’t happen any time soon, if ever.
Stop with the “you have to take the title from a champion” nonsense. That wrong notion always comes up when there’s a close title fight the champion wins and some complain. Here is the reality: One fighter has to win seven rounds or score some knockdowns. That’s it. Judges are supposed to score each round as though it is a separate three-minute fight. Then add up the scores. “Taking the title” is not a thing. Math is.
Former welterweight titlists Keith Thurman and Yordenis Ugas are slated to fight in late summer or early fall. It will be another interesting and quality PBC fight but much less so if it lands on Showtime PPV. Showtime has had a good year (see the first section of this column), but it would be nice if once in awhile we could get even a quasi-big fight on the network instead of PPV. Thurman-Ugas would fit that bill.
Paging, Dmitry Bivol.
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Spence-Crawford photo: Ryan Hafey/PBC
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I agree on your thoughts on Anderson and pbc dan
Boxers need a Treasure Map to find their way to "Undisputed". Why bother? Just because the WBA didn't magically name the winner of Ortiz/Stanionis their "Real" Champ. And Errol Spence the new "Franchise" Champ. Bud/Spence can go on for "Undisputed" this month. OK then lol