If not for a divisive social media post by Jake Paul, it was a true Super Bowl weekend for boxing – as Brandon Figueroa reclaimed a featherweight title on Saturday and Bad Bunny showcased promising Latino fighters Xander Zayas and Emiliano Vargas on Super Bowl Sunday during the highly publicized halftime show.
“What a great Latin American boxing moment that anyone promoting boxing should get behind,” said Jimmy Smith while hosting Monday’s episode of ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.”
Yet Paul – a friend of President Trump – couldn’t help letting his partisan politics show by labeling Super Bowl halftime performer Bad Bunny a “fake” American and urging his followers not to watch the show that wound up offering an opening showcase for unified 154lbs titleholder Zayas and prospect of the year Emiliano Vargas, the son of former titleholder Fernando Vargas.
Paul, indicating his disdain for Bad Bunny over the musician’s criticism of ICE tactics, were answered by his own fighter, multi-division women’s champion Amanda Serrano, who posted this in response:
“Puerto Ricans are not ‘fake Americans.’ We are citizens who have contributed to this country in every field, from military service to sports, business, science, and the arts, and our identity and citizenship deserve respect.
“I would not have the opportunities I have without the support and belief that Most Valuable Promotions and Jake Paul showed in me, and I will always be grateful for the role they have played in helping change my life and in elevating women’s boxing.
“At the same time, I want to be clear: I do not agree with statements that question the legitimacy or identity of Puerto Rican people, and I cannot support that characterization. It is wrong.”
Paul reverted from Trump lapdog to apologetic soon after, responding as Trump did to the cruel portrayal of the Obamas as apes days earlier: by acting as if he didn’t post it.
“Guys i love bad bunny idk [I don’t know] what happened on my twitter last night ?? wtf,” Paul posted.
Former 140lbs titleholder and “BoxingScene Today” analyst Chris Algieri called Paul’s original posts “really surprising,” noting Paul resides in Puerto Rico while training.
“Jake Paul is a great marketer. It was very tone-deaf. Was it done to talk to a certain base? I’m not sure what the target would be,” Algieri wondered. “Obviously, he missed the mark. It was odd, very strange.”
Analyst Paulie Malignaggi said Paul’s tendency to be controversial and pursue viral posts was likely in play, noting that he at least “misinterpreted the reaction” since many Americans have bashed the behavior of ICE agents who have shot and killed two Americans in Minnesota.
“Serrano … represents a lot for boxing and [America]. She’s a living legend,” Smith said.
Bad Bunny’s opening acknowledgement of Zayas and Vargas might have been the only Super Bowl boxing development of the day, otherwise.
“What I loved about that [scene of Bad Bunny ducking under a pretend match between Zayas, 23, and Vargas, 21] is that it’s a great statement about where boxing is and where it needs to be,” Smith said of the halftime segment.
The unbeaten fighters are “riding high” and “living the dream,” the analysts said.
“Those are two individuals who should be propped up … super disciplined fighters all about family and country pride,” Algieri said.
“They’re easy to root for,” Malignaggi added. “I’ve loved Xander’s progression and his last fight [unifying the WBA and WBO belts by defeating Abass Baraou on the scorecards January 31] was the pinnacle of his career. He keeps getting better.”
Speaking of career pinnacles, Figueroa’s 12th-round knockout of England’s Nick Ball won him the WBA featherweight belt in Liverpool – adding to the victorious underdog legacy of trainer Manny Robles, who’s done it before with heavyweight Andy Ruiz Jnr and new super middleweight titleholder Jose Armando Resendiz.
“I didn’t expect this ending,” Malignaggi said. “Going into Round 12, you knew what was hanging in the balance. That’s why combat sports – especially boxing – is the theater of the unexpected.”
The 29-year-old former two-division titleholder, Figueroa, now 27-2-1 (20 KOs), battled the stout, gritty Ball throughout the bout before decking him earlier in the 12th with a vicious shot, then knocked him nearly through the ropes to dramatically end the bout in the Texan’s favor.
Algieri said he believed Ball would win based on Figueroa’s recent title loss to Stephen Fulton and his difficulty in edging former repeat title challenger Joet Gonzalez.
“Brandon’s power was wearing on [Ball],” Algieri said. Before the 12th, “Manny says, ‘Go out and get this,’ and Figueroa went out and did it.”
Afterward, Saudi Arabia boxing financier Turki Alalshikh posted on social media that he wants Figueroa to fight next on the September card headlined by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s comeback event in Saudi Arabia. Algieri said new WBC featherweight titleholder Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington, a Riyadh Season ambassador, would be an ideal opponent.
“The fight makes too much sense,” Algieri said.
