Last night's middleweight mega-fight between Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. lived up our expectations and then some. The outcome was no surprise—Martinez's unanimous decision went according to plan—but very few could have predicted the journey the two took to get there.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Khan-Garcia Aftermath
Danny Garcia pulled one of the upsets of the year last night, knocking out Amir "King" Khan in the fourth round of their 140 lb title unification.
Khan out-boxed Garcia in the first two rounds, proving faster and more active. Though impressive, some ring-siders prophetically noted that he was a little too aggressive. In round 3, Khan's aggression played into Garcia's hands as Garcia landed a left hand counter bomb that sent Khan to the canvas. Though Khan got up from the punch, he never fully recovered, and referee Kenny Bayless stopped the contest toward the end of round 4.
Whoa.
In one fell swoop, the undefeated Danny Garcia has become the face of the division and Amir Khan is looking at back-to-back losses. So what's next for both?
For Garcia, any fight in the division makes sense for him. The public has just become aware of him, and all he needs is activity, to gain more familiarity. People will watch. In my opinion, some compelling matches might be against Marcos Maidana and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Khan needs to clear his head and pick smart fights to get himself back into contention. A lot of people are going to give up on him after this loss, so he has to start afresh. After a good break, he should fight frequently—once a month—taking out lesser contenders to regain his own confidence. After that, it may be appropriate to consider rematches against Marcos Maidana and Lamont Peterson. Then Danny Garcia.
What we witnessed this weekend was a fine example of one of the most intriguing aspects of the sport: the fact that one punch can change everything. Of late, we've seen fights where the ultimate winner—or ultimate deserving winner—appeared as such throughout the fight. Those can be fun, but in my opinion nothing is as special as boxing's theater of the unexpected. Not as pertains to unexpected decisions—those are pesky. I'm talking about unexpected, sudden, violent shifts in momentum during the action of a bout.
In this particular case, the violent shift, a counter left hook, not only changed the tide of the fight; it changed the whole landscape of the division. A little known fighter before the fight is now one of the top guys at 140 pounds. A potential Mayweather opponent before the fight is facing a blow to his career from which he may never recover. This is boxing, ladies and gentlemen.
-JD
Khan out-boxed Garcia in the first two rounds, proving faster and more active. Though impressive, some ring-siders prophetically noted that he was a little too aggressive. In round 3, Khan's aggression played into Garcia's hands as Garcia landed a left hand counter bomb that sent Khan to the canvas. Though Khan got up from the punch, he never fully recovered, and referee Kenny Bayless stopped the contest toward the end of round 4.
Whoa.
In one fell swoop, the undefeated Danny Garcia has become the face of the division and Amir Khan is looking at back-to-back losses. So what's next for both?
For Garcia, any fight in the division makes sense for him. The public has just become aware of him, and all he needs is activity, to gain more familiarity. People will watch. In my opinion, some compelling matches might be against Marcos Maidana and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Khan needs to clear his head and pick smart fights to get himself back into contention. A lot of people are going to give up on him after this loss, so he has to start afresh. After a good break, he should fight frequently—once a month—taking out lesser contenders to regain his own confidence. After that, it may be appropriate to consider rematches against Marcos Maidana and Lamont Peterson. Then Danny Garcia.
What we witnessed this weekend was a fine example of one of the most intriguing aspects of the sport: the fact that one punch can change everything. Of late, we've seen fights where the ultimate winner—or ultimate deserving winner—appeared as such throughout the fight. Those can be fun, but in my opinion nothing is as special as boxing's theater of the unexpected. Not as pertains to unexpected decisions—those are pesky. I'm talking about unexpected, sudden, violent shifts in momentum during the action of a bout.
In this particular case, the violent shift, a counter left hook, not only changed the tide of the fight; it changed the whole landscape of the division. A little known fighter before the fight is now one of the top guys at 140 pounds. A potential Mayweather opponent before the fight is facing a blow to his career from which he may never recover. This is boxing, ladies and gentlemen.
-JD
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Ortiz vs. Lopez Aftermath: What Now?
Last Saturday night, in the wake of Manny Pacquiao's controversial loss, another big boxing upset occurred, this time without controversy. Welterweight contender Victor Ortiz lost by way of TKO to the little known Josesito Lopez. Ortiz quit on the stool before round 10, complaining of a broken jaw.
The fight was great; we saw back and forth action every round. The upset was reminiscent of Victor Ortiz's own upset victory against Andre Berto a year and change ago. Coincidentally, Lopez was a last minute replacement for Berto in this fight, after Berto got caught with banned substances in his blood. More on that in a later post.
Ortiz's loss has many possible implications. Firstly, the proposed showdown against Mexican star Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in September is off. Secondly, Ortiz may have permanently removed himself from the top list of Welterweight contenders. Needless to say, his desired rematch against Floyd Mayweather will almost surely never happen.
It should be interesting to see what happens to the players involved in the coming months.
Here are some highlights from the Showtime card.
-JD
The fight was great; we saw back and forth action every round. The upset was reminiscent of Victor Ortiz's own upset victory against Andre Berto a year and change ago. Coincidentally, Lopez was a last minute replacement for Berto in this fight, after Berto got caught with banned substances in his blood. More on that in a later post.
Ortiz's loss has many possible implications. Firstly, the proposed showdown against Mexican star Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in September is off. Secondly, Ortiz may have permanently removed himself from the top list of Welterweight contenders. Needless to say, his desired rematch against Floyd Mayweather will almost surely never happen.
It should be interesting to see what happens to the players involved in the coming months.
Here are some highlights from the Showtime card.
-JD
Monday, June 11, 2012
Pacquiao-Bradley Aftermath: JD's Case For Bradley
The sports world was rocked last Saturday night after Michael Buffer's "and new" announcement in Vegas. Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley beat Manny Pacquiao by split decision.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Khan vs. Judah Reflections
Well, we thought it would be close. We thought it would be the classic youth versus experience battle. We thought that with one good punch on either side it could break out into a war.
...And we were wrong. Last night, from the opening bell to the finish, one guy was clearly faster, smarter, more conditioned, more effective, and all-around dominant. That guy was Amir "King" Khan, who knocked out Zab Judah in the fifth round.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Khan vs. Judah Prediction
Gosh I've been waiting for this. Amir Khan and Zab Judah meet up Saturday for a Jr. Welterweight title unification.
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