There was plenty of boxing motion Saturday night– and it featured a few of my private favorites– however I walked away from the night annoyed, upset, and a bit pissed off.
First, a pox on any boxing enterprise entity that counter-programs towards one other boxing present. And a much bigger pox in the event that they don’t no less than attempt to make it in order that their fundamental occasion doesn’t run at the very same time as that of their rival.
I needed to make the on-the-spot name of whether or not I wished to maintain watching the Teofimo Lopez-Sandor Martin High Rank fundamental occasion or swap over to the Terence Crawford-David Avanesyan bill-topper that began shortly afterward. Each fundamental occasions had been disappointments, although. However we’ll discuss extra about that later.
Anyway, I do know that is the age of DVR and on demand and watching shit, at your leisure, after it occurs. However watching a prizefight after the actual fact versus stay is a bit just like the distinction between masturbation and precise intercourse. That’s not even mentioning the effort of getting to duck and dodge social media and information studies to keep away from seeing the outcomes (of a combat, not of your masturbation).
In a boxing world struggling to attract eyeballs, it makes zero sense to separate the viewers in half by way of head-to-head counter-programming. It’s a dick transfer to even strive. It’s a bit like pissing in an workplace social gathering punch bowl to get again on the boss, once you, your self, would’ve appreciated to have tasted the punch. Sometimes dumb boxing enterprise.
As for the fights, themselves?
From the second Sandor Martin was introduced in because the alternative opponent for Teofimo Lopez, I knew issues wouldn’t go effectively for Lopez. Martin is an ungainly southpaw mover whose complete recreation revolves round mucking issues up and stinking up the home. In old style phrases, the Spaniard is a spoiler. It was going to be robust for Teo to look good towards Martin. To make issues worse, High Rank selected Martin as an opponent in what was speculated to be a showcase look for Lopez, with a big potential mainstream crossover viewers coming in after the Heisman Awards presentation on ESPN.
DAZN/Matchroom dedicated an enormous fail after they matched Martin towards a 20-months inactive Mikey Garcia final yr and bought Garcia beat. I can’t consider the far more savvy High Rank matchmaking would decide THIS opponent on THIS evening for Teofimo, until a message was being despatched. What that message is, nonetheless, stays to be seen.
At any price, Lopez did NOT lose the combat as many insisted on social media, though that 97-92 rating from choose Pasquale Procopio appeared to be a kind of “I stuffed in my scorecard earlier than the fights” scores. Lopez DID look fairly flat and fairly impotent, although. And for a child already trying to be on shaky floor by way of his psyche, this type of high-profile flop will take its toll. ESPN cameras would even seize him, post-fight, asking his individuals “Do I nonetheless bought it?”
Crawford-Avanesyan, in its personal means, was simply as a lot of a buzzkill as Lopez-Martin.
I used to be amazed to see some media individuals on-line speaking about how effectively Avanesyan was doing up till Crawford’s kill shot within the sixth. These individuals clearly don’t perceive what they’re seeing in a hoop.
Crawford was toying with Avanesyan from the opening bell, even taking part in with a southpaw stance whereas doing so. If the Russia-born Armenian landed something of notice, it was as a result of Crawford didn’t thoughts him doing so and didn’t worry him doing so.
If Crawford’s cracking one-punch KO hadn’t jolted the narrative, the story of this combat would’ve been how a lot of a mismatch it was and the way nonchalantly “Bud” was dealing with the problem. And “nonchalant” is likely to be too form. Perhaps “semi-interested” can be a greater phrase. “Half-assed” can be going too far, however I can completely see the place some would possibly really feel that means contemplating the $40 price ticket slapped on the cardboard.
In fact, it’s arduous to speak about Crawford-Avanesyan with out fascinated with Crawford-Spence, which ought to’ve occurred about three weeks in the past. By now, everybody’s chosen the facet they need to blame for the combat not occurring, so let’s not even go there. Let’s, as an alternative, discuss Crawford getting this oddly giant $10 million payout for a soft-touch match from an organization in BLK Prime that didn’t seem to have the cash to help such extravagant spending till very, very not too long ago and nonetheless doesn’t appear to have the infrastructure to get a giant combat to the lots.
I don’t know what to make of the sudden emergence of BLK Prime, however I do get the enterprise sense in working deep within the pink for this combat, simply to get their title out to the boxing public. Dropping cash usually comes with the territory when getting your foot within the door. What I don’t get is the long-term recreation of an organization that, apparently, solely has Adrien Broner underneath contract and who thinks Cyborg vs. butch Jada Pinkett Smith is an appropriate co-feature lead-in to a pay-per-view fundamental occasion that includes one of many elite fighters within the sport.
I’ll wait and see what BLK Prime has to supply, though I is likely to be higher served subscribing to BLK Relationship.
Oh, yeah, there additionally was the Manny Pacquiao-DK Yoo exhibition happening at nearly the identical time as the opposite two fundamental occasions. Predictably, the 6-rounder was shitty, even by exhibition boxing requirements. Yoo is a South Korean YouTuber who portrays himself as a martial arts grasp and the creator of the “Warfare Fight System,” though critics have labeled him a phony and a fraud. His efficiency Saturday evening on the Korea Worldwide Exhibition Heart in Seoul, South Korea lends credence to the “phony and fraud” label.
Clumsy, hesitant, and easily-gassed, Yoo additionally did not seem like somebody who’s ever taken an actual punch in his life. A puffy, 160 lb. Pacquiao dealt with him with ease, dropping him a number of instances and simply avoiding something resembling a counter. Though a farce, I did benefit from the half within the “combat” the place the YouTuber tried to do the Ali Shuffle, then bought cracked by Manny and began doing the Zab Judah hen dance. Pacquiao-Yoo completely wasn’t definitely worth the pay-per-view worth, particularly because the third present on an evening of counter-programmed boxing.
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