128 stories on BoxingScene are published under the Michael Rosenthal byline.
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Gilberto Ramirez: I can’t get a good handle on Ramirez. On one hand, the lanky Mexican is a good, durable boxer who has never lost. On the other hand, he isn’t particularly quick or athletic and doesn’t take advantage of his height and length when he fights, which are liabilities.
Josh Taylor: Taylor had already demonstrated multiple times that he has exceptional boxing skills. Now we have a better idea about his determination. The Scot faced the stiffest test of his young professional career Saturday in the form of Viktor Postol, the veteran from Ukraine who is best known for his KO of Lucas Matthysse and one-sided loss to Terence Crawford in his subsequent fight.
Errol Spence: This item could’ve been labeled MOST DISAPPOINTING. I was settled into my recliner, Stella in hand, expecting to see more than three minutes of the first or second best American fighter on Saturday night. Alas, a left to the gut of poor Carlos Ocampo paralyzed the Mexican in the final seconds of Round1 and he couldn’t go on. I had only taken a few sips.
Terence Crawford: Triple Crown winner Justify wasn’t the only thoroughbred in action on Saturday. The result of Crawford’s fight against then-WBO welterweight titleholder Jeff Horn was predictable and brutal yet beautiful to watch, as Crawford coped well with Horn’s rough tactics, used his legs to stay out of Horn’s punching range and darted in-and-out to pummel the Australian whenever opportunities presented themselves.
Let’s look forward instead of backward this weekend. I’ve wanted to introduce a COMING UP section to the WEEKEND REVIEW column for some time and this is the perfect week to do it, as there were no major fights the past few days but several on deck. The plan is to focus on the most interesting, most-talked-about matchups of the coming weekend. So here goes.
Golovkin vs. Alvarez: So the Triple-G-Canelo rematch is supposedly in jeopardy. And, of course, the trouble is money-related. Alvarez reportedly wants a 65 percent-to-35 percent split of the purse while Golovkin wants it divided evenly for the proposed superfight targeted for September 15.
Adonis Stevenson and Badou Jack: Neither boxer exited the ring with any degree of satisfaction after fighting to a majority draw Saturday at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. They both scored points in the public eye, though. Many fans had lost interest – and possibly faith – in Stevenson because he had managed to avoid compelling fights the past several years even though he is the WBC light heavyweight titleholder. It was reasonable to ask: Can the hard-punching Haitian-Canadian still fight at the highest level at 40?
Vasyl Lomachenko: Lomachenko is human after all but you wouldn’t know it by the manner in which he emerged victorious on Saturday in New York City. “Hi-Tech” was forced to go low tech, relying as much on hard work as his remarkable skill to beat his first truly worthy adversary (apologies to the oversized, dirty Orlando Salido). Then-WBA lightweight titleholder Jorge Linares matched ability and wits with Lomachenko for nine-plus rounds, even putting the Ukrainian wizard down for the first time in his career.
Golovkin KO 2 Martirosyan: Gennady Golovkin evidently needed to release pent up frustration on a cool Saturday night in Carson, California. And Vanes Martirosyan happened to be in front of him. Poor Vanes. Martirosyan was the middleweight champion’s choice to replace original challenger Canelo Alvarez, who tested positive for a banned substance in March and was subsequently suspended.
Issac Dogboe: Sometimes a fighter just needs an opportunity. Jessie Magdaleno, then the WBO junior featherweight titleholder, was scheduled to fight mandatory challenger Cesar Juarez in November but had to pull out because of an injured hand. Juarez then traveled to Ghana to face unbeaten – and largely unknown – Issac Dogboe for the interim WBO title while Magdaleno’s hand healed.