- Oct 10, 2005
- 22,239
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Probably true. Don't think many guys in here were excited to see a Fury Vs. Chisora rematch.A little quite in this thread. It appears nobody watched Fury vs Chisora, but me
Velez is holding his own against Gradovich.
Please lock.
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by proshares,
- Start date
Velez is holding his own against Gradovich.
- Oct 10, 2005
- 22,239
- 13,562
I still remember not too long ago when an NT'er came in here talking about Crawford and now this kid has Buffett coming to his fights
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- Aug 1, 2008
- 3,147
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Crawford was good tonight, can't believe he rehydrated to 150lb+. Gradovich showed he won't win vs Lomachenko, Walters, etc.
- Aug 13, 2011
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- May 14, 2007
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I thought Crawford looked real impressive, good fight IMO... Gradovich got robbed, but yeah you're right I don't think he has a shot against those two
- Aug 1, 2008
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Crawford looked good, but I wonder how he'd look when he's facing tougher opposition at 140, Beltran was a bit of a bum level 8.
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- Mar 4, 2013
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+1
Beltran was too hesitant, but I don't blame him for not wanting to exchange with a much bigger guy. Onto that Alexander khan card now
- Aug 13, 2011
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After watching the replay of the fight at home, Bud fought better than what I was able to see live. Everyone in the crowd wanted a tko. He did take some unnecessary blows but that's his style
- Sep 28, 2003
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Lemieux vs Rosado next weekend, I want to know who you guys are picking.
- Aug 7, 2014
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Cotto would lose violently. And he knows it. Don't think we see that fight unless it's just Cotto trying to get one last big payday before he leaves the ring
- Aug 7, 2014
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I'm still patiently waiting on the official announcement of Wilder-Stiverne.
Rumors are that it'll be January 17 at MGM nothing formal announced tho
Rumors are that it'll be January 17 at MGM nothing formal announced tho
- Jan 30, 2007
- 28,535
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Finally getting a chance to watch Pacuaoi's fight from last weekend and I honestly can't believe he has gotten a pass for this sham. Has anyone in the boxing community voiced a negative opinion about his choice of opponent?
- Aug 10, 2003
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^ nope because they hate on floyd for the same exact reason
Kind of crazy how people's tune change. A lot of my coworkers and people that work the casino honestly believed Algieri had a chance to beat Pac. But now that Pac destroyed the he kid... It's he was inexperienced or cherry picked.
Just like people honestly believed Maidana could beat Mayweather.
Both them boys stood no chance against them. It's all marketing and selling the fight.
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- May 14, 2007
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I actually like Rosado winning this one even tho he's the underdog by a little. He looked real impressive against vera even tho it was bkb, and I think think he's improved a lot under his new trainer Jesse Reid... I'm looking forward to the dulorme lundy fight too, think it should be a decent fan friendly card
- Aug 1, 2008
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Rumors are surfacing Haymon and Floyd are targeting to fight Miguel Cotto again. They are in talks with his attorney, camp, etc.
solewoman
Staff member
- Jul 27, 2006
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^ why. i dont want to see that again.
- Mar 4, 2013
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Anything to avoid Pac
- Aug 1, 2008
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Does two things: Prevents Canelo vs Cotto on his May date, and avoid Pacquiao.
- May 14, 2007
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Doesn't make much sense for cotto to face mayweather IMO.. Not only will he likely make more money facing Canelo, but that's a 50/50 fight that way more people would rather see. I highly doubt roach will take that fight, he's smart in picking the right fights for his fighters
- Sep 28, 2003
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Kovalev vs Pascal in March
Weekend wrap up.
Weekend wrap up.
A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
Saturday in Omaha, Neb.
Terence Crawford W12 Raymundo Beltran
Retains a lightweight title
Scores: 120-108, 119-109 (twice)
Records: Crawford (25-0, 17 KOs); Beltran (29-7-1, 17 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: With this thoroughly dominant win against a quality opponent, Crawford put himself at the head of the list when it comes to the fighter of the year discussion, thanks to three significant victories. Crawford, 27, went to enemy turf in Scotland to easily outpoint Ricky Burns to win a world title in March, then returned to his hometown of Omaha for a dramatic and electrifying ninth-round knockout of previously undefeated former unified featherweight titleholder Yuriorkis Gamboa in one of the best fights of the year. He put on an absolute clinic against Beltran, 33, a native of Mexico living in Tempe, Arizona.
In Burns' fight before Crawford beat him, it was Beltran who went to Scotland to challenge him and did a number on him -- dropping Burns, breaking his jaw and beating him up -- only to be robbed in a hometown draw. Beltran, the worthy mandatory challenger, came into the fight with Crawford feeling as though he was the uncrowned titleholder looking to win the belt he believed he had already won against Burns. But it was not even close as 11,127 packed CenturyLink Center to cheer on Crawford, who not only is a rising pound-for-pound talent but also now a bona fide attraction after drawing a second consecutive crowd of more than 10,000 to the arena.
Crawford gave those loyal fans quite a show and basically did as he pleased against Beltran, who gave everything he had but simply was unable to deal with Crawford's speed, angles or counterpunching. Crawford usually boxes right-handed but he loves to switch to southpaw and he does it very, very well. He did it often against Beltran and strafed him with jabs and right hooks. By the sixth round, Beltran's left eye was swelling.
The fight featured good action, but it was usually Crawford, taking advantage of his longer reach, who was getting the better of the exchanges. Even when Beltran would land, he too often only threw one punch at a time. When Beltran did land a good left hand in the ninth round, he had to be discouraged because Crawford showed a great chin and barely budged. Beltran's nose, which had trickled blood for much of the fight, began to bleed more heavily in the toe-to-toe 11th round. Knowing he must be way ahead on the scorecards, Crawford still elected to exchange with Beltran rather than run and sit on the lead. The crowd loved it and he continued trying to knock out Beltran out in the 12th round.
The CompuBox punch statistics illustrated just how dominant Crawford was as he landed 243 of 639 punches (38 percent), while Beltran landed just 96 of 366 (26 percent).
After the fight, Crawford announced what many had expected -- he is done at 135 pounds and moving up to the 140-pound junior welterweight division. There are no big fights for him at lightweight, and a loaded division awaits at junior welterweight and, eventually, welterweight. Promoter Top Rank envisions Crawford as a future opponent for the great Manny Pacquiao, who likely will move down to junior welterweight if he can't finalize a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Crawford is the real deal and very well could give Pacquiao, or anyone else at junior welterweight, fits.
Evgeny Gradovich D12 Jayson Velez
Retains a featherweight title
Scores: 117-111 Gradovich, 115-113 Velez, 114-114
Records: Gradovich (19-0-1, 9 KOs); Velez (22-0-1, 16 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gradovich, 28, of Russia and based in Oxnard, California, where he trains under the guidance of Robert Garcia, made his fourth title defense (and first outside of Macau) but certainly would have liked a win (which he deserved) rather than a very questionable draw against Puerto Rico's Velez, 26, a protégé of middleweight champion Miguel Cotto.
Gradovich and Velez turned in a fan-friendly fight as they quickly turned this into a grinding, physical confrontation. Velez, trained by Gennady Golovkin trainer Abel Sanchez, showed good skills and work rate as he landed a lot of punches in the early going. He probably won the first three rounds, but Gradovich got things going thereafter. He had an excellent body attack and applied a lot of pressure. By the sixth round, Gradovich seemed to have the fight in hand. He was getting past Velez's jab, beating him to the punch, backing him up and controlling the very fast pace. Both guys went after it hard, culminating with a fierce 12th round.
If the judges were swayed to give rounds to Velez, who was taking a big step up in the level of competition, it must have been because of his sheer activity level. He threw plenty more punches overall than Gradovich, even if he was not nearly as effective with them. According to CompuBox punch statistics, Gradovich landed 310 of 875 punches (35 percent); Velez landed 278 of 1,032 (27 percent).
Velez probably learned an awful lot in this fight and should be able to build off of it for another opportunity down the road. Gradovich, title still in hand, fits into some really good potential fights, including with the winner of a possible unification fight between Vasyl Lomachenko and Nicholas Walters next year. All three of them are promoted by Top Rank and associated with HBO, making fights between them fairly straight forward to make.
Saturday in London
Tyson Fury TKO10 Dereck Chisora
Wins European and vacant British titles
Title eliminator
Records: Fury (23-0, 17 KOs); Chisora (20-5, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: When British contenders Fury and Chisora met in July 2011 for the British and Commonwealth titles, it was an exciting fight, one that Fury won by clear, but competitive, unanimous decision. The 6-foot-2 Chisora, however, was nowhere near his best condition, going into the fight at 261 pounds. Three years later, after winding their way to a rematch (two years after Chisora unsuccessfully challenged then-world titleholder Vitali Klitschko in a one-sided decision loss), Chisora was in much better shape, weighing in at 241 pounds. But it turned out not to make any difference whatsoever, because this time around, the 6-9, 264-pound Fury battered the 30-year-old Chisora into submission in an utterly one-sided fight. Fury, 26, who earned a mandatory shot at world champion Wladimir Klitschko, has probably had tougher sparring sessions.
After all the massive hype and months of wild trash talk from Fury and Chisora -- and an even longer promotion that usual because the original July 26 date was postponed after Chisora fractured his left hand during his final sparring session eight days before the fight -- the bout turned out to be a total dud. The expected fireworks never went off because Fury was that dominant and Chisora was that bad.
Fury, normally a right-handed fighter, turned southpaw for long stretches of the fight and hammered Chisora mercilessly with his right jab. Because of Fury's size and long reach, Chisora had no success getting on the inside. He tried, threw some low blows, tried to bob and weave, but nothing worked. Fury never really had to use anything other than the jab, which he often doubled and tripled, and Chisora's face showed the wear by the end of the fight. Fury dominated every single round and busted up Chisora's right eye by the sixth round. By the ninth round, the eye was nearly closed and had a cut under it.
Chisora's trainer, Don Charles, tried to get him going with a few pep talks between rounds but nothing worked. After Fury continued to batter Chisora in the 10th round, Charles realized there was no point in going on, and he compassionately instructed referee Marcus McDonnell to stop the fight, giving Fury a second victory over his rival and vaulting him into a world title fight.
Chisora's five-fight winning streak came to an end and he needs to do some serious thinking about what direction he wants to go in. This was as one-sided a beating as happens in boxing. As for Fury, he wants Klitschko, but it won't happen next. Klitschko has other plans for an April fight, but after that Fury could come in the summer or next fall. According to Fury promoter Mick Hennessey, Fury will not just idle waiting for the title fight. Instead, he said Fury would be back in the ring in February, but don't expect too much of a threat. Whomever he faces, Fury has earned his shot at the title even if Klitschko, with 17 dominant defenses in the bank, will be a prohibitive favorite.
Billy Joe Saunders W12 Chris Eubank Jr.
Retains British, Commonwealth and European titles
Title eliminator
Scores: 115-114, 115-113 Saunders, 116-113 Eubank
Records: Saunders (22-0, 11 KOs); Eubank (18-1, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The war of words between Saunders, 25, a 2008 British Olympian, and Eubank, also 25 and the son of former middleweight and super middleweight world titleholder Chris Eubank Sr., turned this match into a highly anticipated fight. There was also plenty at stake besides bragging rights and Saunders' regional titles. The winner would also earn the right to challenge for a world title against the winner of the vacant title bout between Matt Korobov and Andy Lee. Those two will fight on Dec. 13 in Las Vegas for the 160-pound belt Peter Quillin gave up on Sept. 4 rather than fight Korobov, his mandatory challenger.
Going into the fight the conventional wisdom was that Saunders was the better technical fighter with a lot more experience and that Eubank would be the stronger, more powerful man, even if he was much more green. And that is basically how it played out as Saunders, a southpaw, banked many of the early rounds against a tentative and inactive Eubank, who took a while to get into a groove. Eubank, who had never faced a quality opponent and never been past eight rounds, also could have been trying to preserve his energy in the event the fight went deep.
Saunders' jab was his best weapon and he used it to keep Eubank in check during the first half of the fight. By the time Eubank, who has sparred with pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. at his Las Vegas gym, began to open up and make it a physical fight, Saunders had already opened a big lead and Eubank desperately tried to play catch up. He rocked Saunders a few times in the later rounds and his trainer, Ronnie Davis, implored him to go for the knockout after the 10th round -- while Eubank Sr. made a mockery of the corner by standing in the ring looking at his son between rounds while Davis talked from outside the ropes. Eubank Jr. chased after Saunders over the final couple of rounds and had a really big assault in the 12th round, but it proved to be too little, too late as Saunders got the nod. Frankly, he deserved a unanimous decision rather than a split verdict. So he will go on to fight for a world title but it was nice to see both guys show respect finally after the fight. Saunders, who defeated his fourth consecutive undefeated opponent, went so far as to say that should he beat the Korobov-Lee winner he would be happy to give Eubank a rematch in his first defense.
Frankie Gavin W12 Bradley Skeete
Retains British and wins vacant Commonwealth welterweight titles
Scores: 116-113 (twice), 116-112
Records: Gavin (21-1, 13 KOs); Skeete (18-1, 7 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gavin, 29, a southpaw from England and former world amateur champion, defended his British title for the fourth time and regained the Commonwealth title, but this was not a performance to write home about. It was a total snoozefest, with seemingly every single round the same and close. Gavin never really got going and neither did Skeete, 27, of England, who was taking on the most notable opponent of his career.
Skeete swelled Gavin's right eye in the second round and Gavin also suffered a cut on the bridge of his nose in the third but Gavin seemed to be doing enough to win most of the rounds as he used a solid jab throughout the fight. Skeete never put his punches together, which might have made a difference considering how close the rounds were. In the end, Gavin, a bit more of the aggressor (which is not saying much), got the expected decision while Skeete and the fans who stayed awake throughout the fight lost.
Saturday in San Juan Del Rio, Mexico
Ramon Alvarez KO7 Vivian Harris
Junior middleweight
Records: Alvarez (21-4-2, 13 KOs); Harris (32-10-2, 19 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Alvarez, 28, of Mexico, one of the older fighting brothers of former junior middleweight titlist and big star Canelo Alvarez (who was ringside), had a relatively easy time with long-faded former junior welterweight titlist Harris, 36, of Brooklyn, New York, who has been knocked out in eight of his 10 losses and not been a remote factor since about 2007.
Alvarez dominated the fight, which came as no surprise. While Harris was complaining to referee Ray Corona about an accidental head-butt in the first round, Alvarez cracked him with a right hand to the head and followed up with a combination to the head and body to rock him. Things never got any better for Harris. Alvarez walked him down, forced him to the ropes and landed many solid punches. Harris landed a few in return, but Alvarez shook them off.
Ten seconds into the seventh round, Alvarez landed a sweet left hook to Harris' chin, knocking him to his rear end. Harris beat the count quickly but got nailed again during Alvarez's follow-up attack, eating a clean left hook to the chin followed by a jab-right hand-left hook that knocked him to his backside once again. This time Harris was hurt and Corona counted him out at 44 seconds. Harris got to his feet well after Corona's 10-count and began to complain for no apparent reason because it was a perfectly legitimate knockout. Alvarez won his seventh fight in a row, including his past two against Harris and Omar Chavez, the younger brother of former middleweight titlist Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and son of the great Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.
Friday in Moscow
Ruslan Provodnikov TKO5 Jose Luis Castillo
Junior welterweight
Records: Provodnikov (24-3, 17 KOs); Castillo (66-13-1, 57 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In a grotesque mismatch that went exactly as most expected, Provodnikov, in his first fight in his native Russia since 2011, crushed the long-faded former lightweight champion Castillo in a dangerous fight. Castillo, 40, of Mexico, had no business being in the ring with a strong, prime, bigger man. Castillo has absolutely nothing left, but he has courage and a name, so promoters shoved him into the ring for Provodnikov to tee off on.
Castillo was once the unified lightweight champion. He fought everyone and is best known for getting stopped by the late Diego "Chico" Corrales in the 10th round in a May, 2005 unification bout, perhaps the greatest fight in boxing history. But Castillo has not been a factor since then-junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton knocked him out in the fourth round in a 2007 championship fight.
Provodnikov, 30, was coming back for his first fight since losing his world title by controversial split decision to Chris Algieri in June on HBO. When HBO and promoter Artie Pelullo could not come to an agreement on Provodnikov's next fight, Pelullo took him to Russia for a get-well fight that was horribly one-sided.
Provodnikov set the tone in the first round by sinking in big left hooks and backing Castillo up. It would only get worse for Castillo, who landed a few decent shots, but Provodnikov was not bothered at all as he continued to blast away. Finally, in the fifth round, he dropped Castillo, whose face was marked up, with a right and a left. Castillo was on his knees as referee Alexander Kalinkin seemed to count him out, but then motioned for him to get up. It was bizarre. The fight should have been over, but Castillo got up and continued -- briefly. Provodnikov pounced and landed a few more shots, including a brutal left hook that sent Castillo reeling into a corner. He was taking a knee as Kalinkin waved off the fight at 2 minutes, 9 seconds.
It was as easy a win as Provodnikov has had in a long time. Let's just be thankful that Castillo did not get badly hurt. This fight should have never happened.
Rakhim Chakhkiev TKO4 Jackson Junior
Cruiserweight
Records: Chakhkiev (21-1, 16 KOs); Junior (15-2, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Chakhkiev, 31, of Russia, won the 2008 Olympic heavyweight gold medal and suffered his only pro defeat in June 2013, when he was knocked out in the eighth round challenging then-cruiserweight world titleholder Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. Since then Chakhkiev has won five fights in a row, including the European title. He had little problem with Junior, 28, of Brazil, who lost his second fight in a row.
Chakhkiev, a southpaw, was controlling the action before he dropped Junior in the fourth round with a right hook to the chin, sending him to the mat face-first. Junior quickly beat the count but Chakhkiev went to town. He was blasting him along the ropes, including landing a hard right hook and uppercut, and with Junior not throwing anything back, referee Evgeny Gorstkov stepped in to call off the fight at 2 minutes, 26 seconds. Another world title shot could be in the near future for Chakhkiev.
Dmitry Kudryashov KO1 Juan Carlos Gomez
Cruiserweight
Records: Kudryashov (16-0, 16 KOs); Gomez (55-4, 40 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: From 1998 to 2001, Gomez, a star amateur for Cuba who defected to Germany, held a cruiserweight world title and was one of the best in the business. Then, like most top cruiserweights, Gomez moved up to heavyweight, where he was never able to replicate his success. He did get a mandatory shot against then-titleholder Vitali Klitschko in 2009 and got knocked out in the ninth round of a one-sided fight.
In 2013, Gomez, 41, decided to go back to cruiserweight, dropped 40 pounds and won four fights in a row against pedestrian opposition. And then came this fight against Kudryashov, 29, known as "The Russian Hammer," which should pretty much end Gomez's career as a fighter to take seriously.
Kudryashov, who turned pro in 2011, needed only 22 seconds to obliterate Gomez. He touched Gomez with a couple of jabs to the head and body and then landed a clean straight right hand to the chin. Gomez collapsed, nailing the bottom ring rope with the back of his head as he went down. He was counted out as he struggled to get up.
A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
Saturday in Omaha, Neb.
Terence Crawford W12 Raymundo Beltran
Retains a lightweight title
Scores: 120-108, 119-109 (twice)
Records: Crawford (25-0, 17 KOs); Beltran (29-7-1, 17 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: With this thoroughly dominant win against a quality opponent, Crawford put himself at the head of the list when it comes to the fighter of the year discussion, thanks to three significant victories. Crawford, 27, went to enemy turf in Scotland to easily outpoint Ricky Burns to win a world title in March, then returned to his hometown of Omaha for a dramatic and electrifying ninth-round knockout of previously undefeated former unified featherweight titleholder Yuriorkis Gamboa in one of the best fights of the year. He put on an absolute clinic against Beltran, 33, a native of Mexico living in Tempe, Arizona.
In Burns' fight before Crawford beat him, it was Beltran who went to Scotland to challenge him and did a number on him -- dropping Burns, breaking his jaw and beating him up -- only to be robbed in a hometown draw. Beltran, the worthy mandatory challenger, came into the fight with Crawford feeling as though he was the uncrowned titleholder looking to win the belt he believed he had already won against Burns. But it was not even close as 11,127 packed CenturyLink Center to cheer on Crawford, who not only is a rising pound-for-pound talent but also now a bona fide attraction after drawing a second consecutive crowd of more than 10,000 to the arena.
Crawford gave those loyal fans quite a show and basically did as he pleased against Beltran, who gave everything he had but simply was unable to deal with Crawford's speed, angles or counterpunching. Crawford usually boxes right-handed but he loves to switch to southpaw and he does it very, very well. He did it often against Beltran and strafed him with jabs and right hooks. By the sixth round, Beltran's left eye was swelling.
The fight featured good action, but it was usually Crawford, taking advantage of his longer reach, who was getting the better of the exchanges. Even when Beltran would land, he too often only threw one punch at a time. When Beltran did land a good left hand in the ninth round, he had to be discouraged because Crawford showed a great chin and barely budged. Beltran's nose, which had trickled blood for much of the fight, began to bleed more heavily in the toe-to-toe 11th round. Knowing he must be way ahead on the scorecards, Crawford still elected to exchange with Beltran rather than run and sit on the lead. The crowd loved it and he continued trying to knock out Beltran out in the 12th round.
The CompuBox punch statistics illustrated just how dominant Crawford was as he landed 243 of 639 punches (38 percent), while Beltran landed just 96 of 366 (26 percent).
After the fight, Crawford announced what many had expected -- he is done at 135 pounds and moving up to the 140-pound junior welterweight division. There are no big fights for him at lightweight, and a loaded division awaits at junior welterweight and, eventually, welterweight. Promoter Top Rank envisions Crawford as a future opponent for the great Manny Pacquiao, who likely will move down to junior welterweight if he can't finalize a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Crawford is the real deal and very well could give Pacquiao, or anyone else at junior welterweight, fits.
Evgeny Gradovich D12 Jayson Velez
Retains a featherweight title
Scores: 117-111 Gradovich, 115-113 Velez, 114-114
Records: Gradovich (19-0-1, 9 KOs); Velez (22-0-1, 16 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gradovich, 28, of Russia and based in Oxnard, California, where he trains under the guidance of Robert Garcia, made his fourth title defense (and first outside of Macau) but certainly would have liked a win (which he deserved) rather than a very questionable draw against Puerto Rico's Velez, 26, a protégé of middleweight champion Miguel Cotto.
Gradovich and Velez turned in a fan-friendly fight as they quickly turned this into a grinding, physical confrontation. Velez, trained by Gennady Golovkin trainer Abel Sanchez, showed good skills and work rate as he landed a lot of punches in the early going. He probably won the first three rounds, but Gradovich got things going thereafter. He had an excellent body attack and applied a lot of pressure. By the sixth round, Gradovich seemed to have the fight in hand. He was getting past Velez's jab, beating him to the punch, backing him up and controlling the very fast pace. Both guys went after it hard, culminating with a fierce 12th round.
If the judges were swayed to give rounds to Velez, who was taking a big step up in the level of competition, it must have been because of his sheer activity level. He threw plenty more punches overall than Gradovich, even if he was not nearly as effective with them. According to CompuBox punch statistics, Gradovich landed 310 of 875 punches (35 percent); Velez landed 278 of 1,032 (27 percent).
Velez probably learned an awful lot in this fight and should be able to build off of it for another opportunity down the road. Gradovich, title still in hand, fits into some really good potential fights, including with the winner of a possible unification fight between Vasyl Lomachenko and Nicholas Walters next year. All three of them are promoted by Top Rank and associated with HBO, making fights between them fairly straight forward to make.
Saturday in London
Tyson Fury TKO10 Dereck Chisora
Wins European and vacant British titles
Title eliminator
Records: Fury (23-0, 17 KOs); Chisora (20-5, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: When British contenders Fury and Chisora met in July 2011 for the British and Commonwealth titles, it was an exciting fight, one that Fury won by clear, but competitive, unanimous decision. The 6-foot-2 Chisora, however, was nowhere near his best condition, going into the fight at 261 pounds. Three years later, after winding their way to a rematch (two years after Chisora unsuccessfully challenged then-world titleholder Vitali Klitschko in a one-sided decision loss), Chisora was in much better shape, weighing in at 241 pounds. But it turned out not to make any difference whatsoever, because this time around, the 6-9, 264-pound Fury battered the 30-year-old Chisora into submission in an utterly one-sided fight. Fury, 26, who earned a mandatory shot at world champion Wladimir Klitschko, has probably had tougher sparring sessions.
After all the massive hype and months of wild trash talk from Fury and Chisora -- and an even longer promotion that usual because the original July 26 date was postponed after Chisora fractured his left hand during his final sparring session eight days before the fight -- the bout turned out to be a total dud. The expected fireworks never went off because Fury was that dominant and Chisora was that bad.
Fury, normally a right-handed fighter, turned southpaw for long stretches of the fight and hammered Chisora mercilessly with his right jab. Because of Fury's size and long reach, Chisora had no success getting on the inside. He tried, threw some low blows, tried to bob and weave, but nothing worked. Fury never really had to use anything other than the jab, which he often doubled and tripled, and Chisora's face showed the wear by the end of the fight. Fury dominated every single round and busted up Chisora's right eye by the sixth round. By the ninth round, the eye was nearly closed and had a cut under it.
Chisora's trainer, Don Charles, tried to get him going with a few pep talks between rounds but nothing worked. After Fury continued to batter Chisora in the 10th round, Charles realized there was no point in going on, and he compassionately instructed referee Marcus McDonnell to stop the fight, giving Fury a second victory over his rival and vaulting him into a world title fight.
Chisora's five-fight winning streak came to an end and he needs to do some serious thinking about what direction he wants to go in. This was as one-sided a beating as happens in boxing. As for Fury, he wants Klitschko, but it won't happen next. Klitschko has other plans for an April fight, but after that Fury could come in the summer or next fall. According to Fury promoter Mick Hennessey, Fury will not just idle waiting for the title fight. Instead, he said Fury would be back in the ring in February, but don't expect too much of a threat. Whomever he faces, Fury has earned his shot at the title even if Klitschko, with 17 dominant defenses in the bank, will be a prohibitive favorite.
Billy Joe Saunders W12 Chris Eubank Jr.
Retains British, Commonwealth and European titles
Title eliminator
Scores: 115-114, 115-113 Saunders, 116-113 Eubank
Records: Saunders (22-0, 11 KOs); Eubank (18-1, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The war of words between Saunders, 25, a 2008 British Olympian, and Eubank, also 25 and the son of former middleweight and super middleweight world titleholder Chris Eubank Sr., turned this match into a highly anticipated fight. There was also plenty at stake besides bragging rights and Saunders' regional titles. The winner would also earn the right to challenge for a world title against the winner of the vacant title bout between Matt Korobov and Andy Lee. Those two will fight on Dec. 13 in Las Vegas for the 160-pound belt Peter Quillin gave up on Sept. 4 rather than fight Korobov, his mandatory challenger.
Going into the fight the conventional wisdom was that Saunders was the better technical fighter with a lot more experience and that Eubank would be the stronger, more powerful man, even if he was much more green. And that is basically how it played out as Saunders, a southpaw, banked many of the early rounds against a tentative and inactive Eubank, who took a while to get into a groove. Eubank, who had never faced a quality opponent and never been past eight rounds, also could have been trying to preserve his energy in the event the fight went deep.
Saunders' jab was his best weapon and he used it to keep Eubank in check during the first half of the fight. By the time Eubank, who has sparred with pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. at his Las Vegas gym, began to open up and make it a physical fight, Saunders had already opened a big lead and Eubank desperately tried to play catch up. He rocked Saunders a few times in the later rounds and his trainer, Ronnie Davis, implored him to go for the knockout after the 10th round -- while Eubank Sr. made a mockery of the corner by standing in the ring looking at his son between rounds while Davis talked from outside the ropes. Eubank Jr. chased after Saunders over the final couple of rounds and had a really big assault in the 12th round, but it proved to be too little, too late as Saunders got the nod. Frankly, he deserved a unanimous decision rather than a split verdict. So he will go on to fight for a world title but it was nice to see both guys show respect finally after the fight. Saunders, who defeated his fourth consecutive undefeated opponent, went so far as to say that should he beat the Korobov-Lee winner he would be happy to give Eubank a rematch in his first defense.
Frankie Gavin W12 Bradley Skeete
Retains British and wins vacant Commonwealth welterweight titles
Scores: 116-113 (twice), 116-112
Records: Gavin (21-1, 13 KOs); Skeete (18-1, 7 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gavin, 29, a southpaw from England and former world amateur champion, defended his British title for the fourth time and regained the Commonwealth title, but this was not a performance to write home about. It was a total snoozefest, with seemingly every single round the same and close. Gavin never really got going and neither did Skeete, 27, of England, who was taking on the most notable opponent of his career.
Skeete swelled Gavin's right eye in the second round and Gavin also suffered a cut on the bridge of his nose in the third but Gavin seemed to be doing enough to win most of the rounds as he used a solid jab throughout the fight. Skeete never put his punches together, which might have made a difference considering how close the rounds were. In the end, Gavin, a bit more of the aggressor (which is not saying much), got the expected decision while Skeete and the fans who stayed awake throughout the fight lost.
Saturday in San Juan Del Rio, Mexico
Ramon Alvarez KO7 Vivian Harris
Junior middleweight
Records: Alvarez (21-4-2, 13 KOs); Harris (32-10-2, 19 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Alvarez, 28, of Mexico, one of the older fighting brothers of former junior middleweight titlist and big star Canelo Alvarez (who was ringside), had a relatively easy time with long-faded former junior welterweight titlist Harris, 36, of Brooklyn, New York, who has been knocked out in eight of his 10 losses and not been a remote factor since about 2007.
Alvarez dominated the fight, which came as no surprise. While Harris was complaining to referee Ray Corona about an accidental head-butt in the first round, Alvarez cracked him with a right hand to the head and followed up with a combination to the head and body to rock him. Things never got any better for Harris. Alvarez walked him down, forced him to the ropes and landed many solid punches. Harris landed a few in return, but Alvarez shook them off.
Ten seconds into the seventh round, Alvarez landed a sweet left hook to Harris' chin, knocking him to his rear end. Harris beat the count quickly but got nailed again during Alvarez's follow-up attack, eating a clean left hook to the chin followed by a jab-right hand-left hook that knocked him to his backside once again. This time Harris was hurt and Corona counted him out at 44 seconds. Harris got to his feet well after Corona's 10-count and began to complain for no apparent reason because it was a perfectly legitimate knockout. Alvarez won his seventh fight in a row, including his past two against Harris and Omar Chavez, the younger brother of former middleweight titlist Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and son of the great Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.
Friday in Moscow
Ruslan Provodnikov TKO5 Jose Luis Castillo
Junior welterweight
Records: Provodnikov (24-3, 17 KOs); Castillo (66-13-1, 57 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In a grotesque mismatch that went exactly as most expected, Provodnikov, in his first fight in his native Russia since 2011, crushed the long-faded former lightweight champion Castillo in a dangerous fight. Castillo, 40, of Mexico, had no business being in the ring with a strong, prime, bigger man. Castillo has absolutely nothing left, but he has courage and a name, so promoters shoved him into the ring for Provodnikov to tee off on.
Castillo was once the unified lightweight champion. He fought everyone and is best known for getting stopped by the late Diego "Chico" Corrales in the 10th round in a May, 2005 unification bout, perhaps the greatest fight in boxing history. But Castillo has not been a factor since then-junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton knocked him out in the fourth round in a 2007 championship fight.
Provodnikov, 30, was coming back for his first fight since losing his world title by controversial split decision to Chris Algieri in June on HBO. When HBO and promoter Artie Pelullo could not come to an agreement on Provodnikov's next fight, Pelullo took him to Russia for a get-well fight that was horribly one-sided.
Provodnikov set the tone in the first round by sinking in big left hooks and backing Castillo up. It would only get worse for Castillo, who landed a few decent shots, but Provodnikov was not bothered at all as he continued to blast away. Finally, in the fifth round, he dropped Castillo, whose face was marked up, with a right and a left. Castillo was on his knees as referee Alexander Kalinkin seemed to count him out, but then motioned for him to get up. It was bizarre. The fight should have been over, but Castillo got up and continued -- briefly. Provodnikov pounced and landed a few more shots, including a brutal left hook that sent Castillo reeling into a corner. He was taking a knee as Kalinkin waved off the fight at 2 minutes, 9 seconds.
It was as easy a win as Provodnikov has had in a long time. Let's just be thankful that Castillo did not get badly hurt. This fight should have never happened.
Rakhim Chakhkiev TKO4 Jackson Junior
Cruiserweight
Records: Chakhkiev (21-1, 16 KOs); Junior (15-2, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Chakhkiev, 31, of Russia, won the 2008 Olympic heavyweight gold medal and suffered his only pro defeat in June 2013, when he was knocked out in the eighth round challenging then-cruiserweight world titleholder Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. Since then Chakhkiev has won five fights in a row, including the European title. He had little problem with Junior, 28, of Brazil, who lost his second fight in a row.
Chakhkiev, a southpaw, was controlling the action before he dropped Junior in the fourth round with a right hook to the chin, sending him to the mat face-first. Junior quickly beat the count but Chakhkiev went to town. He was blasting him along the ropes, including landing a hard right hook and uppercut, and with Junior not throwing anything back, referee Evgeny Gorstkov stepped in to call off the fight at 2 minutes, 26 seconds. Another world title shot could be in the near future for Chakhkiev.
Dmitry Kudryashov KO1 Juan Carlos Gomez
Cruiserweight
Records: Kudryashov (16-0, 16 KOs); Gomez (55-4, 40 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: From 1998 to 2001, Gomez, a star amateur for Cuba who defected to Germany, held a cruiserweight world title and was one of the best in the business. Then, like most top cruiserweights, Gomez moved up to heavyweight, where he was never able to replicate his success. He did get a mandatory shot against then-titleholder Vitali Klitschko in 2009 and got knocked out in the ninth round of a one-sided fight.
In 2013, Gomez, 41, decided to go back to cruiserweight, dropped 40 pounds and won four fights in a row against pedestrian opposition. And then came this fight against Kudryashov, 29, known as "The Russian Hammer," which should pretty much end Gomez's career as a fighter to take seriously.
Kudryashov, who turned pro in 2011, needed only 22 seconds to obliterate Gomez. He touched Gomez with a couple of jabs to the head and body and then landed a clean straight right hand to the chin. Gomez collapsed, nailing the bottom ring rope with the back of his head as he went down. He was counted out as he struggled to get up.
I'm pulling for Lemieux, I've always been a fan. His chin doesn't look like it's going to hold up the length of a career though
First post is going to be updated with the December schedule today. A pretty light week unless you're a fan of those obscure fights.
- Jan 27, 2012
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- Apr 15, 2007
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I struggle to follow the who is with who promotional battle but does that play into this?
Why isn't Adonis being forced to fight a unification bout?
