Mid June Report: Boxing News, Views, and Stories

Fabio Wardley Scores Stunning Come From Behind KO

Wardley continues his undefeated streak through twenty fights reaching 19-0-1 18 KO’s with a tenth round miracle versus Justis Huni. For nine rounds the story was a domination by the Australian heavyweight Huni who led on all three scorecards. The judges agreed that Warldey had only won one or two rounds and was in desperate need of a knockout. At about the midway point of the tenth round Wardley landed a solid right hand and floored Huni. There was some controversy around the referee’s count and whether Huni could have continued. I did not notice anything odd in real time. The Ipswich in the UK was passionate in victory after being reduced to silence much of the night. This was not a good performance from Wardley who was largely mauled and outworked over nine rounds. Huni continued to land powerful right hands and found targets for his hooks and uppercuts inside to the head and body. Wardley ranked tenth in the Ring rankings and number one by the WBA had a lot riding on this victory. Despite the victory this performance should be a signal that Wardley is not ready for the top talent in the division. He is thirty which is still young in heavyweight boxing. He needs to develop further and can use further seasoning before facing the elite. Perhaps a fight with Derek Chisora would tell us a lot about his future.

Cruiserweight Champion Jai Opetaia Scores Brutal Stoppage

Opetaia won his sixth defense of the Ring Magazine title and fifth defense of his IBF title with a fifth round KO over undefeated Italian Claudio Squeo. A right hook forced Squeo to take a knee for the count and his reaction indicated a jaw injury. Reports have surfaced that Squeo not only suffered a broken jaw but that it was the worst broken jaw that the doctor operating on it had seen before. Opetaia was pitching a shutout on all three scorecards at the time of the knockout and this was a fight I passed up watching. Squeo is not a highly regarded opponent and despite getting the title fight and being 17-0 his record was empty of top opponents. Cruiserweight is not a strong division like it was several years ago. Squeo still managed to get a title fight without a victory over a truly world class opponent. Squeo is currently ranked in the sixties on Boxrec.com so that should say something about his level. I do not like to use my writing to mock or knock professional fighters so do not take this as me talking trash about Squeo. This is more of an indictment on the four title system and who gets title fight opportunities. It is also a knock on Opetai for fighting someone this level. Opetatia’s competition since winning the title has been on the soft side. He was amazing and made a fan of me in 2022 when he scored a minor upset versus Marius Breidis. He also fought on with a nasty broken jaw to win that title. He has largely fought fighters with glossy records but no substance as bigger fights have eluded him. Cruiserweight does not have the star power it once did but even then the big names and Opetaia have not managed to get in the ring. Whose fault is that? I cannot say for certain. At least Opetaia handles business in these mismatches as he has scored knockouts in the first six rounds in each of all five fights since winning the title minus the twelve round rematch with Breidis.

Canelo vs Crawford: Super Fight or Clever Matchmaking?

With the big fight finally confirmed for September 13th I have begun to think more about this fight which had only been a rumor for the longest time. This fight is an interesting crossroads with many selling points. I just wonder if my gut instinct that Canelo is too big and powerful is the right pick. Without putting much thought into the match up the size factor would seem to give this the appearance of an easy fight to pick. There has been a prevailing opinion online among some comment sections and pundits that Canelo is in his pick and choose era. This means Alvarez is only going to be fighting over matched men his size or if the ability level is there the size will not be. Since the Bivol loss in 2022 Canelo has done just that blueprint for opponent selection.

Crawford’s Pros: Crawford is probably the best boxer and most dynamic opponent that Canelo has faced since Mayweather. His footwork, timing, counter punching and ability to switch stances are impeccable. He will have a height and reach advantage over Canelo despite coming up fourteen more pounds on top of the seven he put on since his one fight above welterweight. I think Canelo’s silver bullet is foot speed and boxers who can use their range and move. Canelo’s toughest fights were arguably Mayweather, Lara and Trout who all moved and countered and boxed Canelo. I do agree somewhat with writer/commentator Chris Mannix who argues that those fights were all a long time ago and Alvarez has improved since then. I have also weighed in on this point by saying, “so what, no one looks good against slick fighters especially slick southpaws”. Are observers and promoters over-selling these points?

Crawford’s Cons: Despite the reach and height he will still be the smaller guy. I made a similar point regarding height and reach when Charlo came up from 154 to 168 to face Canelo. In the end this advantage meant nothing for Charlo who could not put a dent on Alvarez and once he tasted the power went into full retreat. Crawford at 154 could not put a dent in his lone title fight victory above welterweight against Madrimov. I would also argue that the Golovkin and Bivol fights might be more telling for how to beat Alvarez than Mayweather, Lara and Trout. Golovkin and Bivol had two attributes that were very obvious. First, their punches caught Alvarez’s attention. Sure neither guy came close to scoring a knockout but they could get him backing up and cautious. Second, they could take Canelo’s best punch. Many fighters struggle in both those areas. Amir Khan was able to speedily box well against Canelo for about five rounds before waking up staring at the ceiling. I don’t think Crawford is going to be able to hurt Alvarez and that is going to be a problem. We have also seen Crawford hurt by much smaller guys like Gamboa. Crawford does have the attitude of an undefeated fighter and a killer instinct but trading with Canelo may prove costly.

I do believe Canelo Alvarez is in his decline stage of his career. Though he is only 34 which is young in modern boxing he does have 67 fights. His pro career began as a teenager so he has already been competing as a pro for nearly two decades (debuted October 2005). Alvarez has not been the dominant fighter he once was. His peak ended in 2022 and I believe spanned from Golovkin II to Caleb Plant. His loss to Bivol has marked the beginning of his decline and the slow down has been visible in the ring. His output has declined and he has not scored a stoppage since 2021. At times it feels like he is coasting in the ring totally unchallenged. Is he bored and just doing enough to win or is his body breaking down and he can no longer force the issue. Much was made of his most recent opponent William Scull’s abysmal performance but I think this criticism lets Alvarez off too easily. The fight was one of the lowest punch counts in the history of Compubox. Sure Scull fought a very negative fight but Alvarez did very little in comparison. The jab was not busy and he did not seem to have any urgency in cutting off the ring and breaking Scull down. Alvarez said the small crowd in Saudi Arabia lacked the juice to fire him up. I would have to ask does a veteran champion really need the roar of the crowd to be inspired or is this just an excuse?

A lot of this is to say that it feels since the Bivol fight that Canelo has been going through the motions. Crawford is the type of fight that should get Alvarez invigorated to put on a show. I have to favor Alvarez here, likely goes 12.

Keyshawn Davis Fucks Up

In one of the more infuriating stories in boxing, Davis has a weekend for the ages as far as fucking up goes. Set to make his first defense of the WBO Lightweight Championship in his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia Davis fails to make weight. He missed by just over four pounds which would indicate he did not even try. Angered, De Los Santos’s camp withdrawals from the fight. A pissed off Bob Arum paid a fraction of the purse even though the main event was lost. To make matters worse, Keyshawn’s older brother Kelvin fought Nahir Albright and was defeated. Keyshawn was involved in a fight backstage where he has been accused of headbutting Albright. I am not sure how much evidence exists to corroborate the charges but Albright noticeably had new damage to his face not visible following the boxing match. Davis had been one of America’s rising stars at 26 and newly crowned champion. He was also an Olympic Silver Medalist with a big push by Top Rank. Hopefully he can rebound his image, get some maturity and make this a blip in the past. I am less optimistic.

Richardson Hitchins Defends Tonight in MSG NYC

The newly crowned IBF 140 lb. titlist is set to make his first defense against former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos of Australia. Hitchins is another young American titleholder getting some backing with his fights getting pushed on DAZN. Hitchins is New York born and raised and making a home defense of his title. Kambosos made a big splash when he upset Teofimo Lopez and took the belts Lopez had won from Lomachenko. That high was short lived as Kambosos was twice beaten by Devin Haney and a KO loss to Lomachenko is mixed around some nondescript wins. I honestly have no idea how Kambosos found himself in another title fight. This appears to really be his last chance to make some noise. I expect Hitchins to an easy decision in a dull fight. If this fight is to be exciting it will rest on Kambosos ability to get inside and make it scrappy. Hitchins will be content to box at range using his longer jab and quicker feet to maintain distance. When the fighting gets close Hitchins will likely clinch to get a break and separation.

-Prediction: Hitchins decision