In this week’s mailbag, we tackle your thoughts on how Erislandy Lara looked in his win over Johan Gonzalez; the latest victory for Conah Walker and what his ceiling may be; the silliness that was the WBC deciding to sanction O’Shaquie Foster vs. Stephen Fulton for an interim lightweight title; and Gennadiy Golovkin’s worthiness for the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Want to be featured in the mailbag? Comment or ask a question in the comments section below. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. We also may select readers’ comments from other BoxingScene stories.
NEW HALL OF FAMER GOLOVKIN HAS FLAWS IN HIS RESUME
Gennadiy Golovkin has to get in the International Boxing Hall of Fame due to who’s already in (“Hall of Fame announcement: The surprises; the snubs; the sentimentality”). He looks like a superstar compared to some of the HOF boxers. His track record vs. elite fighters is almost nonexistent. He also had no issues going up to 168lbs for Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr, but not for Andre Ward. He wanted to bring down Ward to 165lbs, basically so that Ward could say no and give GGG an off-ramp.
I’m not denying Golovkin belongs in the IBHOF. I’m saying if the IBHOF took itself as seriously as other sport’s halls of fame, he and several other boxers wouldn’t be in. But in the version of the HOF that exists in boxing, he absolutely belongs there, no questions asked. His resume makes him look like Sugar Ray Robinson in comparison to some HOF inductees. He’s first-ballot in this intentionally watered down HOF. I mean there is a HOF event every single year. It’s not some highly prestigious honor that happens every three or four years.
-Kev
Owen Lewis’ response: Lots to unpack here! Since you’re claiming that other sports’ Hall of Fame boundaries are stricter, let’s look at the Tennis Hall. It recently accepted Roger Federer, an all-time great and the near-consensus GOAT until Novak Djokovic usurped him a few years ago.
Federer won 20 major titles, spent hundreds of weeks at number one in the world, and remains, even in retirement, perhaps the most popular tennis figure alive. But does his entry mean that his classmember Mary Carillo, who topped out at 33rd in the world and is better known for over four decades of tennis broadcasting, is unworthy? Or that Goran Ivanisevic, a one-time major champion who got into the hall in 2020, doesn’t deserve his place? Of course not.
It’s just that even among legends, there are levels, and plenty will disagree on where the cutoff for the Hall of Fame should be – or even the criteria for it. There’s a reason people get in based on votes, and very few of them are unanimous.
I think you’re harsh on Golovkin, too. Sure, his career wasn’t perfect. He left doubt over whether he wanted the Andre Ward fight. He never quite delivered an A-plus performance on the biggest nights of his career, or against the best opponents. He went 0-2-1 against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, his principal rival.
But Golovkin was indisputably a fantastic fighter, the most feared in all of boxing for a few years. Twenty-three straight wins inside the distance! That effortless power! That battering-ram jab, which marked up faces, won rounds, and shepherded opponents just where Golovkin wanted them! You’ll be hard-pressed to find any respectable boxing observer who doesn’t credit Triple-G with a better record against Canelo than the one judges gave him.
He made B- and C-level fighters crumple like wet tissue paper. He hit number one on some pound-for-pound lists at his peak and spent time in the top 10 for years. His first two fights with Canelo were barnburners, particularly their 2018 thriller, and though his rival had a better career than him, Golovkin is almost certainly Alvarez’s closest adversary. And Golovkin was a star, one whose fights weren’t just sporting events but special occasions those who watched them truly looked forward to and celebrated. Of the fighters and stars who most defined the 2010s – Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Canelo, Ward, Terence Crawford, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Wladimir Klitschko, Anthony Joshua – Golovkin’s on that list.
Sure, Golovkin’s no Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, or Oleksandr Usyk. But not a rightful Hall of Famer, even if the Hall had a higher barrier to entry? Please.
THE WBC MADE UP A BELT OUT OF THIN AIR
A guy misses weight (“Stephen Fulton scale fail makes bigger mess of WBC’s flawed interim title use”), so you make up a belt out of thin air for a division neither fighter is active in? Ridiculous.
-famicommander
Jason Langendorf’s response: O’Shaquie Foster vs. Stephen Fulton was originally intended as a junior lightweight bout in which Foster would defend his world title against Fulton, a featherweight belt holder who was coming up in weight.
And, boy, did Fulton ever come up in weight.
After Fulton missed the 130lbs limit by a full 2lbs, the WBC not-so-conveniently transformed the bout into a fight for an interim lightweight title. Only trouble (aside from the obviously troublesome act itself): The sanctioning body had already lined up another interim title in the division. Belts for everyone!
Is this, as you describe, ridiculous? Yes, patently and to the utmost degree. But is it also kinda par for the course? Yup, that too.
To be a boxing fan requires a certain amount of suspended disbelief – if not blinders that must be worn at all times and a Pepto-dramamine cocktail at the ready. The situation is worse than ever, though, right? Eh … maybe? Are sanctioning-body shenanigans and YouTubers in the ring more egregious than promoter lunacy, dirty officials and mob involvement? I don’t know if that can be quantified. I just know boxing has never not had shit on its shoes.
The belts are, at best, a nuisance and a distraction from the fights themselves. At worst, they’re tokens to placate fighters and the manifestation of a Ponzi scheme that benefits, more than anyone else, interlopers and hangers-on.
My suggestion: To the best of your ability, enjoy the fights. Ignore the sanctioning bodies altogether. Otherwise, it might be time to start following a new sport. I have no doubt professional pickleball is coming to The Ocho any day now.
LARA STILL LOOKS GOOD FOR AN INACTIVE OLD MAN
Although Erislandy Lara’s opponent left something to be desired – even beyond the fact Johan Gonzalez was a late replacement – the old Cuban acquitted himself well. Lara hadn’t laced up gloves in over a year, yet he managed to make it look fairly easy. For his sake, I hope he gets one more payday before Father Time claims him.
-CubanGuyNYC
Lucas Ketelle’s response: Erislandy Lara has a style in which he could fight well into his 40s. The Lara we saw on Saturday night reminded me of when he fought Delvin Rodriguez in 2015. In both fights, Lara looked to be in complete control, but also took very few risks.
Lara could probably fight this way for as long as he wants, but to me, Saturday night was the first time Lara truly looked old. His speed wasn’t quite the same. Going to your last point, the fact that Lara showed some vulnerabilities should get him at least one more payday. Lara has a big name. He also looked somewhat beatable; those two things should lead to opportunities.
Fights against up-and-comers like Yoenli Hernandez, who is also rated No. 1 by the WBA, the sanctioning organization Lara has a title with; Jesus Ramos Jnr; Troy Isley and Aaron McKenna all look to be fights that could easily be made now. Lara's final act will be to defend his legacy against men nearly half his age, who are eager to get their respect in the sport.
HOW MUCH HIGHER CAN CONAH WALKER GO?
Conah Walker and Pat McCormack are both 30 but had come up by completely different routes (“Conah Walker blasts out Pat McCormack in 12th round in Monaco”). McCormack enjoyed a glittering amateur career but Walker fought on the mean streets, gyms and rings of the Black Country.
It transpired that Walker’s journey stood him in better stead when it came to a brutal battle. Can Conah go any higher or has he hit his ceiling? He isn’t exactly a spectacular talent, but he knows what he is doing in there and, to be honest, now that Vergil Ortiz Jnr and Jaron “Boots” Ennis have stepped up, 147 doesn’t exactly look deep. Go on, Conah!
-1Eriugenus
Tris Dixon’s response: Conah is firing and has turned many skeptics into believers. That fight was not made for him to win! But he did so in great fashion and after his previous performance against now-IBF titleholder Lewis Crocker, I’d take him to give some of the champs at 147lbs plenty of issues. He will be flying high and full of confidence. He’s tough, well-rounded and will have plenty of belief. I agree with you that the lack of depth at 147 means he will be chomping at the bit for a big fight next year. And after that performance, he’s earned a chance.
Want to be featured in the mailbag? Comment or ask a question in the comments section below. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. We also may select readers’ comments from other BoxingScene stories.
