IBF super middleweight titlist James DeGale and WBC beltholder Badou Jack after the conclusion of their unification bout, ruled a majority draw, on Jan. 14, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Photo credit: Tom Casino/Showtime
Fights of the Week
Badou Jack MD 12 James DeGale (IBF/WBC 168-pound unification) | Brooklyn, New York
Photo credit: Tom Casino/Showtime
A tremendous match-up of contrasting styles, these two super middleweight titleholders laid it all on the line and, while there was no official winner of the fight, both should be commended for their efforts as what they displayed was true competition.
DeGale, 23-1-1 (14), managed to get off to a fast start with his boxing ability. He switched stances the entire fight and had a busy left hand that was on point, to start. That hand dropped Jack in the opening round but would later be retributed in the final round. Up until that point, Jack, 20-1-3 (12), slowly broke down the busy-bodied Brit with sheer determination. Body shots from the Las Vegas native forced DeGale to fight in the pocket and, in the moments they traded shots, going toe-to-toe, Jack landed the most significant connects. Jack even managed to unintentionally land a right hand on referee Arthur Mercante Jr. at the end of the fifth round – adding a unique moment only boxing can offer. In the eighth, DeGale’s mouthpiece was knocked out by that same right hand from Jack and, later in the ninth, James deliberately spat out the gum shield along with the bridge where his front teeth used to be.
Photo credit: Idris Erba/Mayweather Promotions
The fight’s ending certainly capped off a great effort from both. There, of course, Jack landed a right hand that sent DeGale to the canvas early in the round, and had him reeling for much of the remaining two minutes. The final 30 seconds of the fight had good back-and-forth action and, with five seconds remaining, DeGale mustered up an overhand right that stunned Jack just before the final bell sounded.
The decision of a majority draw was not a surprise when announced but when comparing DeGale’s bludgeoned face to Jack’s much cleaner mug after the fight, it seemed like the WBC titlist gave the more impactful beating. Nonetheless, a rematch would be an obvious way to settle the score but as we would learn, post-fight, the negotiation shave had gotten off to a rocky start. The replay of Jack-DeGale airs tonight (Monday, Jan. 16) on Showtime Extreme (10:00 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT).
Immanuwel Aleem TKO 6 Ievgen Khytrov | Brooklyn, New York
Photo credit: Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment
Drama reared its beautiful head in the first 30 seconds of this match-up between undefeated middleweights. Aleem, Richmond, Virginia, landed an overhand right square on Khytrov’s temple and it staggered the Ukrainian import fighting in his home borough of Brooklyn. Khytrov, 28, looked lost in the ring and even almost turned his back on a few occasions while Aleem smelled blood. For the remaining two minutes and change of the opening round, Khytrov had taken so much punishment, it was a wonder how he survived. Even taking a knee seemed to have been a good thought for Khytrov, in the moment. He looked out on his feet, more than once, and Aleem’s right hands and left hooks were landing so precisely, the wincing was likely being done more by the viewer. Aleem seemingly punched himself out in the final seconds of the first and his fatigue transferred into the second round.
Khytrov, 14-1 (12), who was checked by the ringside doctor before the second round commenced, took advantage of Aleem’s weariness and answered in the second round with unmitigated will. He let his hands go and, by the end of the second, in which he threw 135 punches, Khytrov was seemingly back in the fight, going into the third round – a block of three minutes that shall be bookmarked for future reference when looking back on the best rounds of 2017.
After they went back-and-forth for two minutes, Aleem, 17-0-1 (10), landed a perfect left hook to finally put Khytrov on his back with a minute remaining in the third. With a bewildered look in his eye as he got up, it looked to be the first round all over again for Khytrov, as the momentum had quickly swung back in Aleem’s favor. That didn’t happen, however, as “The Ukrainian Lion” gathered every ounce of will to go toe-to-toe with Aleem, who welcomed the idea of going into a firefight. Khytrov’s power right hand inched closer and closer as the two went at it and, after a left hook caught Aleem’s chin, a follow-up right stunned him against the ropes. Aleem, 23, was hurt badly and, for the final 20 seconds of the round, Khytrov almost stopped him.
Photo credit: Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment
Both fighters had to be checked by NYSAC-appointed doctors before the fourth round was allowed to begin. That round brought forth an exasperated slugfest until Aleem decided to use his feet more in the fifth round. He wasn’t effective in his boxing, however, and Khytrov was doing better playing in the role of the stalker. The fateful sixth round started with both fighters exchanging right off the bat. Khytrov landed a perfect right uppercut that snapped Aleem’s head back as he was pressed against the ropes. Aleem answered back with a combination that sealed Khytrov’s fate.
A strong left jab to the chin momentarily startled Khytrov and Aleem followed with two consecutive overhand rights to the head that dropped him to the canvas. Khytrov got up and nodded to referee Eddie Claudio that he was OK but once action resumed, Aleem let his right hand fly freely. Khytrov was staggering again as Aleem wailed on him but a reaching left hook forced Claudio to step in and wave it off at the 1:20 mark of the sixth. Khytrov was helpless as his head snapped back from that final shot and Claudio’s stoppage was certainly warranted as he kept Khytrov from falling to the mat. Meanwhile, Aleem couldn’t hide his emotion after such a big win. He fell to his knees in jubilation and could be later seen with tears running down his battered cheeks.
Honorable mentions
Amanda Serrano UD 10 Yazmin Rivas (WBO 122) | Brooklyn, New York
Photo credit: Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment
In the main feature of a Showtime Extreme telecast from the Barclays Center, Serrano, 31-1-1 (23), successfully defended her WBO female junior featherweight title in a slugfest with a tough Mexican opponent. Rivas, 35-10-1 (10), was peppered throughout the contest but put up a good enough fight to make the Puerto Rican champion’s face look like it was in a fight.
Yuki Beppu Majority Draw Charles Bellamy (147) | Tokyo, Japan
This eight-round scrap didn’t reek of importance within the welterweight division, nor will it live on infamously but the competitiveness between these two fighters stunk up (and not in a bad way) the legendary Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. So much so, some Japanese onlookers wore medical masks to shield themselves from the stench or maybe it was protection from the filthy, bloodstained mat, on which these two slugged it out for eight rounds. With the entire crowd fully engaged throughout, Beppu, 14-0-1 (14), and Bellamy, 26-3-2 (17), fought to a draw but not even those wearing masks could hide their smiles among everyone else. These two wonderfully flawed, and evenly-matched fighters, were worth the time.
KO of the Week
Gervonta Davis TKO 7 Jose Pedraza (IBF 130) | Brooklyn, New York
Davis, 17-0 (16), showed an ability put together quick combinations throughout the fight but all it took was one wailing right hand from the southpaw to produce a nice stoppage. Pedraza, 21-1 (12) was a bit deflated from an earlier body shot in the sixth round but the shot he took, right on the chin, sent his body crashing to the canvas with his torso going through the bottom rope.
Honorable Mentions
Adrian Luciano Veron KO 5 Ramon de la Cruz Sena (147) | Jujuy, Argentina
Veron, 19-1 (13), a southpaw, shifted his body into a right hook that connected perfectly with the chin of de la Cruz Sena, 22-17-2 (13) for the one-punch knockout. The Argentinean didn’t see the shot coming and his body folded awkwardly into a suitcase before being sprawled out, semiconscious. His body was starched for a moment before realizing referee Victor Correa was shouting the 10-count in his face. Getting up was a struggle but behind Correa was the towel thrown by de la Cruz Sena’s corner. Veron, a 28-year-old welterweight from Buenos Aires – nicknamed “Chucky” – couldn’t hide his excitement of giving a highlight reel knockout.
Erislandy Lara KO 4 Yuri Foreman (WBA 154) | Hialeah Park, Florida
The is an example of everything that encapsulates the opposite of what happened in Brooklyn on Saturday night.
Lara, 24-2-2 (14), wiped out Foreman easily, once properly timing his counter left hand. Foreman took his time unleashing it but the Cuban’s uppercut had so much force, it grazed Foreman’s chest before landing square on the chin for the knockdown. Foreman, 34-3 (10), tried to get up but the 36-year-old’s legs wouldn’t allow it to happen. It was clear that Lara was on a completely different level than Foreman but that was already evident before they fought. Befittingly, this match headlined a card televised on Spike that lacked any struggles.
Fighter of the Week
Gervonta Davis, 17-0 (16)
Photo credit: Idris Erba/Mayweather Promotions
Davis, 22, couldn’t wait to show everyone what he’s capable of and we saw a glimpse of what he brings to the table in his stoppage of Jose Pedraza on Saturday night. He asked to be put on the fast-track and, in a big step-up fight that also happened to serve as his first world title bout, Davis goes back to his home in Baltimore, Maryland with the IBF junior lightweight title around his waist.
The spotlight seemed like a comfortable place for Davis. Within the first three minutes of the fight, Davis already found the holes in Pedraza’s unforeseen game plan of trying to be the bully. A few uppercuts from Davis on the inside snapped Pedraza’s head back, as he tried to command some respect. As the rounds let on, Davis was able to put together sharp combinations that seemed too quick for Pedraza to react. Satisfied with the work he was doing, Davis even took a moment to flash his defensive skills and “Sniper” couldn’t hit the moving target. Known to be soft-spoken outside the ring, Davis has a bit of show in him.
Photo credit: Idris Erba/Mayweather Promotions
Once Pedraza was finally able to put together some shots of his own, however, a strange thing happened in the fifth round. Simply put, Davis stopped fighting. It was odd and could’ve been a mistake, had Pedraza taken advantage. Perhaps Davis was tired from all the punches he threw in the four rounds prior but he deliberately put his hands down in one instant. Daring Pedraza to take a clean shot, Davis was looking for a fight and he got one in the final minute of the fifth. However, he held his own.
The ability to close the show is another important characteristic of a fighter. A sixth round body shot took the wind out Pedraza’s sails and Davis proceeded to stop him in the seventh with a devastating right hand. It was the first time Pedraza had even been sent to the canvas in his professional career and, while he got up just in time, there was no argument once referee Ricky Gonzalez waved it off. Davis not only won but did so in a fashion that left the viewer wanting more.
“I’ve had experience – I was telling you all that! You didn’t believe me,” Davis responded when Showtime’s Jim Gray asked how he had so much composure with such little experience. “I studied ‘Pretty Boy’ Floyd,” he continued with Mayweather, his promoter, at his side. “Not ‘Money,’ I studied Pretty Boy Floyd.”
“Just try and stay composed,” he answered when Gray asked what he learned from that. Davis continued, “(Pedraza) hit me with a lot of good shots. I took it and I dished it back out. That shows I’m a real dog.”
Davis revealed a lot about himself within the seven rounds the fight lasted. His character in the ring showed he has the mindset of a fighter. Sure, there was an immature moment for the kid within his breakout fight but “Tank” shows promise for the future. His come-up this weekend was the biggest of any fighter in the sport and, in a fight in which he begged to prove it, Davis showed he belonged in this grown man sport.
Hostile Agent of the Week
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Everything was so going well. The card was entertaining as a whole. The Barclays Center was filled with 10,000-plus patrons. His young prospect won a major title and the main event was so good, seemingly everyone was clamoring for a rematch. When it came to making it happen, Showtime reporter Jim Gray took matters into his own hands. During the strange/fun/uncomfortable post-fight interview, Gray gave Mayweather time at the mic and, with it, he earned this spot for a second week in a row.
Results
World title bouts
Badou Jack MD 12 James DeGale (IBF/WBC 168 unification) | 113-113, 113-113, 114-112 (DeGale) | Jack (WBC) and DeGale (IBF) retain their super middleweight titles in the majority draw.
Erislandy Lara KO 4 Yuri Foreman (WBA 154) | Lara defends his WBA junior middleweight title for the fourth time.
Gervonta Davis TKO 7 Jose Pedraza (IBF 130) | Davis is the new IBF junior lightweight titleholder.
Notable results from last week in order of weight class
Mike Wilson UD 8 Aaron Chavers (200) | 80-72, 80-72, 80-72
Adam Kownacki TKO 2 Joshua Tufte (200+)
Kyotaro Fujimoto UD 12 Willie Nasio (200+) | 118-109, 116-111, 116-112
Anthony Dirrell TKO 6 Norbert Nemesapati (168)
Immanuwel Aleem TKO 6 Ievgen Khytrov (160)
Carlos Ocampo UD 10 Daniel Echeverria (154) | 100-89, 100-89, 100-89
Takeshi Inoue UD 8 Akinori Watanabe (154) | 79-73, 78-74, 78-74
Thomas Dulorme TKO 6 Brian Jones (147)
Miguel Cruz SD 8 Alex Martin (147) | (No scores available)
Noel Murphy UD 6 Maxito Sainvil (147) | 60-54, 60-54, 59-55
Yuki Beppu Majority Draw 8 Charles Bellamy (147) | 77-76 (Beppu), 76-74 (Bellamy), 76-76
Adrian Luciano Veron KO 5 Ramon De la Cruz Sena (147)
Carlos Ramirez MD 10 Gabriel Pina (135) | 97-93, 97-93, 95-95
Amanda Serrano UD 10 Yazmin Rivas (WBO 122) | 99-91, 98-92, 97-93
Yuta Saito MD 8 Tatsuya Takahashi (122) | 78-74 (Takahashi), 76-76, 76-76
Juan Carlos Payano TKO 7 Isao Gonzalo Carranza (118)
Maximino Flores UD 8 Ulises Lara (112) | 79-70, 77-71, 77-72
Declarations of War
Fights made official over the past week (in order of weight class)
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (164.5) | May 6 | This HBO Pay-Per-View event dominated the midweek boxing headlines. Set at a catchweight with an unprecedented half-pound, Alvarez, 48-1-1 (34), the current WBO junior middleweight titleholder, will officially fight over 155-pounds for the first time in his career. Chavez, 50-2-1 (32), hasn’t fought under 165-pounds in about four-and-a-half years and his weight issues created a stipulation in the contract, in which every pound over the 164.5-pound limit will cost him one-million dollars. A hefty price to pay but the penalty signifies how much revenue this fight expects to haul between the two Mexican stars.
Jack Culcay vs. Demetrius Andrade (154) | March 11 | The WBA ordered this junior middleweight fight to happen and it is likely to take place in Germany. Culcay, 22-1 (11), a 31-year-old Ecuadorian fighting out of Germany, holds a WBA trinket and is forced to face Demetrius Andrade, 23-0 (16), perhaps the best junior middleweight in the world without a world title. Andrade was recently called out by Erislandy Lara, the official WBA junior middleweight titleholder, after the Cuban knocked out Yuri Foreman.
Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn (WBO 147) | April 23 | With the setting to be in either Dubai or Australia, Pacquiao, 59-6-2 (38), will be taking his act worldwide after coming out of a brief retirement to beat Jessie Vargas for the WBO welterweight title last November. Horn, 16-0-1 (11), isn’t a known commodity in the U.S. but the 28-year-old is a strong puncher whose ledger is more impressive than most, entering his 18th professional fight. Ranked as the No.2 contender under the eyes of the WBO and IBF, the former Olympian is also from Brisbane, making it more likely this fight lands Down Under. This event will likely be a Top Rank Promotions pay-per-view distribution.
Ricky Burns vs. Julius Indongo (IBF/WBA 140 unification) | April 15 – Glasgow, Scotland | Now a beltholder in three weight classes over the course of his career, Burns, 41-5-1 (14), will look to unify titles for the first time, two days after his 34th birthday, and in front of what’s sure to be another raucous crowd at home. Indongo, 21-0 (11), shocked everyone last month with his first round knockout of Eduard Troyanovsky to win the IBF title and the Namibian goes into this fight quickly before fans forget his “Knockout of the Year” candidate in 2016. The winner of this fight will be the only other titleholder in the junior welterweight division, other than Terence Crawford (WBC/WBO). No official word if this fight gets broadcast in the U.S.
Ohara Davies vs. Derry Mathews (140) | March 4 – London, England | Set for the undercard of a SKY Sports pay-per-view main event between Tony Bellew and David Haye, Davies, 14-0 (11), a local junior welterweight prospect, takes on the rugged, and perhaps weathered, Mathews, 38-11-2 (20), who was knocked out in the fourth round of his most recent fight by another touted British prospect Luke Campbell. It was the eighth time the 33-year-old had been stopped.
Andy Vences vs. Angel Hernandez (130) | March 10 – Lemoore, California | This match-up headlines an UniMas card put on by Top Rank Promotions. Vences, 17-0 (10), a local junior lightweight prospect nearing contention, takes on Hernandez, 13-7-1 (8), a fighter out of McAllen, Texas, who has yet to beat an undefeated opponent in six tries. The TV co-feature also showcases junior middleweight Danny Valdivia, 13-0 (9), who always brings an action fight.
Lee Selby vs. Jonathan Victor Barros (IBF 126) | Jan. 28 – Las Vegas, Nevada | Selby, 23-1 (8), will look to make his third defense of the IBF featherweight title against an Argentinean mandatory opponent, Barros (41-4-1, 22 KOs). Taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, this title bout is on the undercard of another in the same weight class – the rematch between Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz (WBA 126) – the main event on Showtime. Selby-Barros will be televised on Showtime Extreme.
Roman Gonzalez vs. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (WBC 115) | March 18 – New York, New York | After edging Carlos Cuadras in a tough fight last September to win his fourth title in as many weight classes, “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, 46-0 (38), will look to make his first defense of the WBC super flyweight on the HBO Pay-Per-View undercard of Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Jacobs at Madison Square Garden. Srisaket, 41-4-1 (38), is a mandatory opponent set by the WBC and, while the Thai fighter (real name: Wisaksil Wangek) is largely unknown, the 30-year-old gave Cuadras all he could handle in May of 2014 before a cut from an accidental headbutt stopped the fight early.
Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Carlos Narvaez (115) | Feb. 24 – Palm Bay, Florida | The first televised card on Telemundo this year, Rodriguez, 15-3 (4), a regular on the Spanish language TV circuit from Mexico City, will face an undefeated Puerto Rican in Narvaez, 15-0 (6).
Imminent Conflicts
This week’s boxing schedule
Television (U.S.)
Friday, Jan. 20
Showtime (10:00 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT) | Bally’s Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Adam Lopez vs. Danny Roman (122) | The main event of a “ShoBox” card, this is a 12-round WBA junior featherweight title eliminator. Lopez, 16-0-1 (8), San Antonio, Texas, and Roman, 20-2-1 (7), Garden Grove, California, square off in the most significant fight of their respective careers. Guillermo Rigondeaux holds the official WBA junior featherweight title.
Ronald Ellis vs. Christopher Brooker (168) | Ellis, 13-0-1 (10), Lynn, Massachusetts, had a good, competitive fight with Jerry Odom on his last ShoBox appearance that ended in a majority draw. Brooker, 11-2 (5), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was stopped by Ronald Gavril in his most recent fight but is still expected to give Ellis another competitive outing.
Kenneth Sims Jr. vs. Emmanuel Robles (140) | Sims, 10-0 (3), a former national amateur champion out of Chicago, Illinois, was supposed to fight Wellington Romero but the latter withdrew due to injury. Robles, 15-1-1 (5), San Diego, California, will step in after suffering his first defeat to Steve Claggett by split decision in his most recent fight.
Stephon Young vs. Elton Dharry (118) | Coming off a fun majority decision win over Juan Antonio Lopez last September, Young, 15-0-3 (6), also takes on a replacement opponent in the TV opener. Daniel Rosas dropped out due to personal reasons and Dharry, 21-5-1 (14), takes the fight, having not lost in seven-plus years.
Notable untelevised fights
Friday, Jan. 20
Darmani Rock vs. Solomon Maye (200+) | Atlantic City, New Jersey
Robert Brant vs. Alexis Hloros (160) | Hinckley, Minnesota
Malik Hawkins vs. TBA (147) | Hinckley, Minnesota
Leroy Davila vs. Anthony Taylor (118) | Atlantic City, New Jersey
Saturday, Jan. 21
Zhilei Zhang vs. Peter Graham (200+) | Shijiazhuang, China
Fanlong Meng vs. Gasan Gasanov (175) | Shijiazhuang, China
Patrick Nielsen vs. Beibi Berrocal (168) | Struer, Denmark
Derrick Webster vs. Thomas Awimbono (168) | Trenton, New Jersey
Jack Arnfield vs. Mick Hall (160) | Lancashire, England
Skender Halili vs. Romon Barber (154) | Hinckley, Minnesota
Cedric Vitu vs. Isaac Real (154) | Paris, France
Zab Judah vs. Jorge Luis Munguia (140) | Trenton, New Jersey
Robbie Davies Jr. vs. Zoltan Szabo (140) | Lancashire, England
Marvin Petit vs. Jerobe Santana (135) | Paris, France
Tibo Monabesa vs. Rene Patilano (108) | Jakarta, Indonesia
Sunday, Jan. 22
Junior Anthony Wright vs. Damon McCreary (200) | Detroit, Michigan
Lanardo Tyner vs. Istvan Dernanecz (147) | Detroit, Michigan
James Smith vs. Szilveszter Ajtai (118) | Detroit, Michigan
You can reach Michael Baca II at mikebaca2@gmail.com and follow him at twitter.com/mikebaca2.
The post The War Report: Grown man sport (Week Two, 2017) appeared first on Undisputed Champion Network.