Podcast: Recapping Tszyu-Mendoza, Janibek unification win

Plus: Berchelt's return; KSI-Fury freak show; news of the week; ringside memories of two fight anniversaries

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There were fights on Showtime, ESPN and DAZN and we discussed them: Tim Tszyu’s decision win over Brian Mendoza to retain the WBO junior middleweight title in Broadbeach, Australia; Janibek Alimkhanuly one-sided sixth-round knockout of Vincenzo Gualtieri to unify the WBO and IBF middleweight titles in Rosenberg, Texas; and the return of Miguel Berchelt, who needed two rounds to get rid of Diego Ruiz in their lightweight fight in Merida, Mexico. Against my will, we also discussed (briefly, thankfully) Tommy Fury’s close decision over KSI in the freak show fight. We also discussed various news items of the week and looked back on some notable anniversaries.

Here’s what we discussed on this episode (in order):

• Recap of Tszyu’s big second half of the fight to win a clear decision over Mendoza in his first title defense; his continued calling out of unified champion Jermell Charlo; and Mendoza’s strong start, great heart and chin, and post-fight class.

• Recap of Alimkhanuly’s easy one-sided stoppage of overmatched Gualtieri to unify middleweight titles and his position as the No. 1 guy in a poor division.

• Recap of lightweight Keyshawn Davis’s decision win over Nahir Albright in the co-feature; why it was good that he was pushed in a competitive fight; and thoughts on preliminary bouts involving Richard Torrez, Guido Vianello, Giovanni Marquez, and Duke Ragan.

• Recap of the return of former junior lightweight titlist Miguel Berchelt to score a second-round stoppage of Alberto Ruiz in a lightweight bout following two brutal KO losses.

• Recap of Fury’s close win over KSI in a circus fight that I did not watch but TJ did.

• A Naoya Inoue-Marlon Tapales fight being finalized for the undisputed junior featherweight title on Dec. 26 in Japan.

• IBF junior welterweight titlist Subriel Matias’ mandatory defense against Shohjahon Ergashev likely to land on the David Benavidez-Demetrius Andrade Showtime PPV card and a rundown of several other PBC fights that need dates.

• The WBC rightfully stripping McWilliams Arroyo of the interim flyweight title.

• Ringside memories on the eighth anniversary of the first time Gennadiy Golovkin and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez boxed on the same HBO PPV card with GGG stopping David Lemieux to unify middleweight titles and Gonzalez stopping Brian Viloria to retain his flyweight title.

• Ringside memories on the 15th anniversary of Bernard Hopkins’ memorable upset of Kelly Pavlik and use of perceived disrespect from the media to motivate him.

Please give it a listen! Also: rate, review, subscribe and enjoy!

We will be bringing you the weekend recap each Monday. Let me know what you think of the podcast by leaving your comments.

Tszyu photo: Zain Mohammed/No Limit Boxing

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