New York- I have been referring to this as the boxing season and say that often to my colleague Rickie Ricardo when analyzing the sport heard on sports talk radio programs he hosts that include WFAN New York and WIP Philadelphia. By all means, if you are an avid follower of the sport, then understand there is more than enough to satisfy an appetite.
However the appetite is too much. The plate is full, indigestion sets in, and I compare this busy boxing season with more than you can chew. I know how it feels when the plate is full and this boxing season is appropriately compared.
Think about some highlights in the past five weeks: Tyson Fury/Deontay heavyweight title trilogy (FOX PPV), Canelo Alvarez unifies the Super Middleweight titles (Showtime PPV), Terence Crawford retains a portion of the welterweight titles and retires Shawn Porter (ESPN Plus PPV), David Benavidez wins and closing in on the 168-pound titles (Showtime.)
If I missed a few highlights please accept my apologies. I am boxed out staying tuned in. But when promoters make deals with television and streaming networks, there are commitments to deliver and keep their end of the bargain, similar to what professional sports leagues have contracted with network television providers.
A week after Teofimo Lopez lost his unification lightweight titles to George Kambosos Jr. in New York, streamed on DAZN, a possible boxing upset of the year, it was back-to-back lightweight championship titles on the line Saturday night on DAZN and a rare Sunday evening Showtime PPV card. As I always say, you either have nothing or much-to-much at the same time.
Next Saturday night in New York, at Madison Square Garden, Top Rank and ESPN return to the big arena and so does former lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachencko who lost the titles to Lopez a year ago.
Saturday evening, the DAZN/ Matchroom date was committed for Devin Haney, a successful twelve-round unanimous decision and defense of the WBC lightweight title over the Mexican Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz because the WBC and their bylaws caused that boxing politics title designation.
In turn, Showtime Boxing PPV and Mayweather Promotions moved their superstar, Gervontay Davis’ WBA lightweight title defense to the following evening in Los Angeles. Davis, fighting with an injured hand from the sixth round on, kept his part of the bargain with a narrow twelve-round unanimous decision over substitute opponent, Issac Cruz of Mexico.
After a weekend of back-to-back title defenses, highlighted with the lightweight division, boxing was saturated. The lightweight division saw another star emerge with the 23-year-old Cruz, a heavy and testy underdog. He could have earned a draw instead two judges at ringside scored the fight 115-113, the other 116-112.
Davis boxed beautifully in the middle rounds, firing quick shots and pivoting away from the return fire. A right hook in the eighth briefly buzzed Cruz and brought the audience to their feet. When it appeared as if the fight was slipping away, Cruz fought fire with fire, landing a flush uppercut seconds before the bell.
Esther Lin/Showtime Boxing
“It was right around the fifth round I saw that his hand wasn’t working correctly,” Cruz said. “Viva Mexico. I have nothing to say, the fans are speaking on who won this fight.”
Davis said he was the “Top Dog” and there would be no need for a rematch, though the obvious fight would be for either Davis or Haney to challenge Kambosos Jr. for the titles that are supposed to be unified, yet the undisputed word does not apply here because of the alphabet soup organizations that comrise boxing politics.
So, more confusion of the lightweight titles and as to where they belong. Of course the saturation of a boxing appetite is more than enough to chew.
Throwing The Punches: In the Sunday co-main event, Mexican-American Sebastian “Towering Inferno” Fundora, inched closer to a world title shot with a 12-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Sergio Garcia in a WBC Super Welterweight Title Eliminator…
Esrher Lin/ Showtime Boxing
In a thrilling back and forth encounter, Carlos Adames (21-1, 16 KOs) overcame a stiff challenge from former world title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko (13-4, 10 KOs) to win a 10-round majority decision in their WBC Middleweight World Title Eliminator.
Both had their moments, but facing the toughest opponent of his career, the 27-year-old Adames prevailed. One judge scored the middleweight bout even at 95-95, while the other two scored it for Adames by scores of 96-94 and 97-93.
“This means a lot for me in my career and this is a big accomplishment winning against a fighter of his caliber,” said Adames, who was born in the Dominican Republic and fights out of Washington Heights in New York City.
Rich Mancuso: Twitter@Ring786 Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
