DUMB, DUMBER, DUMBEST || FIGHTHYPE.COM

After a fairly good big-fight Saturday evening, April 22, the Universo Pugilistico went proper again to reminding us that boxing remains to be stuffed with liars, nitwits, creeps, and shit heads. Let’s check out among the mendacity shit-headedness on full show this previous week.

By now that is very previous information, however I simply needed to point out the Oscar De La Hoya/Bernard Hopkins no-show on the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia post-fight press convention. I point out it, not as a result of they did one thing fairly douchey in leaving their fighter hanging, however due to the completely moronic efforts they made to excuse their shitty habits, particularly De La Hoya.

The primary story floated on the market was through “sources” to boxing “author” Ryan O’Hara. Based on O’Hara, Oscar and Bernard missed the post-fight press convention as a result of “that they had dinner reservations with an individual who wasn’t on the struggle” and “they anticipated the primary occasion to start out later.” 

By the best way, I wish to ensure to provide full credit score for this completely unverified, “let’s simply publish no matter” scoop to O’Hara as a result of I would like this shit on his everlasting report…simply saying.

Then, Oscar’s story received extra Oscar-like (i.e., eye-rollingly dumb and insult-your-intelligence unbelievable). The Golden Boy founder and figurehead couldn’t be there as a result of his life was in peril!

“My safety group instructed me, ‘Boss, we have got to get the fuck out of right here,’ as a result of I obtained dying threats,” Oscar mentioned through Instagram video. “You guys do not know this, I obtained dying threats all through the entire week, and so they simply mentioned it was just too harmful so we received out of there. And plus Eric Gomez, who’s my president, who was proper there entrance and heart with Ryan Garcia—so there was no difficulty, no issues. That is all coming from all these PBC minions which are simply attacking Ryan, attacking Golden Boy. Nevertheless it’s all good, it is all good.”

After all, that begs the query of why he needed to avoid the post-fight presser in an empty T-Cell Area with solely credentialed media there when he was strolling round freely, unguarded and unafraid, on the occasion itself and the day earlier than on the public weigh-in. He additionally discovered time to award himself a Ring Journal belt (through the De La Hoya-owned Ring Journal) at a media occasion a few days earlier than Tank-Garcia.

Hopkins was not a lot better along with his excuse making. Alternating between “I used to be banned by PBC”  and “why would we must be there, this was about Ryan” foolishness, this wasn’t precisely B-Hop’s most interesting hour. 

Other than being dumb, the Oscar/Hopkins one-two punch was exceedingly disappointing, particularly from Hopkins, who received my respect again within the day for being a straight shooter.

After which, simply as I assumed the boxing allotment of dumb had already been doled out, Teofimo Lopez and his dad reminded us of their pound-for-pound standing in dumb. 

Lopez and Lopez would shock and awe (with dumbness) in a video interview this previous week with Punsh Drunk Boxing. 

Within the video, Teofimo Jr. railed towards ESPN and its commentators, even telling a story (later denied by Andre Ward) about how he “dissed Andre Ward and Timothy Bradley in entrance of ESPN’s manufacturing for all of the affiliation and corruption that they do.”

Then the previous 3-belt light-weight champ made issues racial.

“That is my final struggle on ESPN,” Lopez mentioned. “I am sorry, however I am not sorry. Because of this this struggle (towards Josh Taylor on June 10) means every part to me. If they need the black fighters they will hold them. I introduced Bud Mild to Prime Rank.”

After the predictable “WTF?’ firestorm backlash, Teofimo Sr. went public to bail his son out…by affirming every part his son mentioned and doubling down on the sentiment.

“What I am making an attempt to say is,” Lopez Sr. defined in an interview with Mill Metropolis Boxing, “we did not imply nothing about when my son mentioned that Prime Rank may stick with all their black fighters as a result of, what it’s? When Devin Haney got here into Prime Rank and all this, they’re selling him greater than they’re selling my son and he feels a little bit sort of approach..You gotta perceive this, we’re preventing the highest dude, bro, and we gotta get some respect for that…And he simply feels a kind of approach, ? They simply wish to promote, in his thoughts, the black fighters. You bought Keyshawn Davis. You bought Shakur Stevenson. You bought Child [“The Real Big Baby” Jared Anderson]. So, you bought all these fighters from Prime Rank which are getting extra recognition than my son is getting and he is making an attempt to struggle the highest canines…

“He understood that he was mistaken with what he mentioned, however it has nothing to do with race…however you possibly can’t point out the phrase “black” these days as a result of everybody will get offended, ?

“…He didn’t say it in a racist approach, he simply mentioned it, like, Prime Rank is actually simply specializing in the black fighters as a result of it’s the market, advertising fucking technique…They see that’s what folks wish to see…They love black fighters. They’re one of the best at what they do, ? Black individuals are fucking very athletic.”

Race stuff apart, the Teofimos appear to conveniently neglect in regards to the instances Prime Rank and ESPN have prioritized the promotion of Teofimo Jr. appearances, like, for instance, the Heisman Awards lead-ins to his fights. They overlook the insane quantity of promotional consideration from Prime Rank/ESPN devoted to non-black fighters like Vasiliy Lomachenko, Tyson Fury, and Naoya Inoue. 

Additionally they appear to conveniently neglect the place and when the connection with their promoter turned icy. It occurred after Lopez beat Lomachenko in 2020 and he held out on making a deal for his first protection, finally forcing a handbag bid that price Prime Rank/ESPN the power to broadcast their rising star’s first bout as unified champ. As issues turned out, the Lopez enterprise determination would finally culminate in him shedding the belts to underdog George Kambosos Jr.

However “the blacks” are on the Teofimos’ thoughts. And that offers you a window into the actual world of the Lopez household and what talks across the dinner desk (sans cameras) might sound like. 

So, briefly, fuck them. 

Anyway…

I hate to interject nastiness and cynicism into what has been a fairly candy run of fine boxing, however this stuff must be talked about. I may’ve gone in a lot deeper, although. I may’ve talked in regards to the Tank-Garcia hate from sure agenda-riding media nitwits, who’ve tried a number of methods at discrediting Tank Davis, diminishing the success of the occasion, and all-around shitting on a struggle they used to say would by no means get made. I may’ve talked about one more “Sources: Spence-Crawford struggle made” rumor revealed as reality by Ring Journal/RingTV. Remind me, what number of of these have been green-lit by the great older girl with the ponytail serving as editor-in-chief there? 

However let’s depart the dumbness within the rear view mirror for now and stay up for boxing’s continued run of fine fights.

Obtained one thing for Magno? Ship it right here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com