Cerebral_Man

The kind of class we usually ask for in boxers is 100% absent in Rolly. His sneering unjustified arrogance, hi F bombs every other word, his miracle decision against Marinez - right now Rolly is an embarrassment, he's his own hype job. Contrast that with Tank: he had never seen a camera or done an interview until the Mayweather attention hit him full force. He went from quiet and mumbling to a thoughtful but still fierce kid, as when he said "Rolly's gonna have to walk through that door and become a man." That's what I'm looking for and Tank has proven that. Rolly's one manhood moment was when he said, "After all that's happened, I'm beyond grateful to be here." OK, then, act like it. Did he sell more tickets by all his loudmouth antics? Probably, and that's on us. He was calling Mario Barrios a "weight-drained" fighter, which is crap, and given Barrios' decency and fair play, that's the fight I'd like to see: Barrios give Rolly a little quiet humility, although now at 147 for Mario we may never see that. So if Tank doesn't get sucked in early to a brawl, he should take care of Rolly about Rounds 9 or 10, and then I want to hear the post-fight interview. Somebody tell that kid to grow up.

Tank fought Barrios, he fought Garcia, let's remember he's a natural 130-pounder, we should be looking at Navarrette and Loma as his natural rivals, along with Frank Martin. The weight thing is all screwed up and the fights in these 130-140 lbs. divisions are personal grudge matches, weight and belts are useless. Haney gets to be undisputed without fighting Loma, Lopez, Tank or Garcia - he saw a one-hit wonder in Kambosos, an unavailable Loma and he pushed Kambosos out of the way like a gnat, in two awful fights that reminded me how overrated Haney is. So Tank is in the middle of all this and he can't win for trying. Frank Martin is a combination-throwing, high IQ southpaw with the right attitude. He's only trash-talking to shut Tank up. I'd give him more of a chance if he had a bit more power, because unless you take Tank down, he's going to find a way to win. Romero, Garcia, Pit Bull Cruz, Leo Santa Cuz, Barrios -- he won differently each time. Hard to bet against him but Martin will put up a good showing I believe.

Now we know for sure Canelo is ducking the Mexican Monster. Canelo is the champ, Benevidez is by far the #1 challenger. Strip Canelo if he takes a different route.

I would have said that's impossible a year ago, and AJ still hasn't fought Fury or Wilder or even Jared Anderson, and since Ruiz his only fights against top quality were the 2 losses to Usyk. The Wallin and Ngannou KOs looked good, but I just don't know. I hope it's true as AJ is a class act as a human being, but we'll have to see.

Fury is one of the hardest boxers ever for whom to predict outcomes. The Fury who beat Wilder could beat any of these champions; Lewis has the size to beat him on a good night; Ali and maybe Holmes the speed (that could be a dull fight except for the trash talk); Fury is almost a foot taller than Tyson; I think he'd take Foreman to the woodshed; I don't see Louis or Klitschko getting very far with him.

The IBF has to differentiate between someone fighting for undisputed where without a rematch clause there would be no fight (Usyk-Fury), and someone who is undisputed already and won't fight a legit contender (Canelo-Benavidez). In essence, the IBF would deprive us of an undisputed HW fight to keep their blown-up importance. We don't need a 4th sanctioning body. If they are putting up contenders like Scull (IBF) or Yildirim (WBC), or Manuel Charr (WBA) for that matter, or Rolly Romero (WBA), they have lost their relevance and are proving that 4 championship openings are too many. Let one of them die out or two merge. Usyk should hold all the belts until December and then he or Fury could fight Hrgovic or Dubois. Get the winner step aside money and Hrgovic or Dubois can fight the Usyk-Fury winner next spring, I read that Charr was able to go to court to keep his title, but Benavidez is stonewalled. Usyk should be granted the undisputed title until 2025; Canelo should be dethroned. As of now, Benavidez is listed as the WBC regular champ at 168 and nowhere else. If Manuel Charr can win in court, David Benavidez should be able to force a fight with Canelo. Long-term we need a boxing commissioner, someone with authority. I vote for Larry Hazzard Sr. to give us a few years and train his successor. Boxing is in fantastic shape as far as its fighters go - a ton of top quality talent with intriguing personalities, but it is too fragmented and illogical and the sanctioning bodies are a detriment.

How did we end up having an argument about mushrooms and violence and who knows more about tripping? Ryan Garcia is an enormously talented boxer, if he did it right and really dedicated himself I saw a middleweight reign for him as his final stop. Now, who knows? Can he pull it back together? Shut his mouth, get serious, take down Haney once and for all, fight 2-3 times a year. He has one more shot at real greatness. But it's falling apart for lots of fighters. Tank is lost, and I'm not talking about his last fight -- without Calvin Ford he will have no structure and let's hope he stays out of jail. Teofimo is sure full of himself for a guy who fights once a year. Devin Haney seems a shell of his former self; he may be one of those fighters who can't shake their first defeat. For Ryan Garcia, redemption is his if he grabs it. I was his #1 cheerleader but when he started making comments about Kambosos' wife, and then Caleb Plant's wife, he lost me. I want to see someone step up and show some class and be a real man. Right now they're all behaving like little boys.

Good insight into the complexity of this rivalry. I had thought Haney was overrated and opportunistic, as he had little power, was a weight bully and seemed fragile emotionally. His fights against Kambosos were not championship level fights, yet he became undisputed as Loma was in Ukraine defending his country. Then when Haney beat Loma in a dead-even fight that was championship level, I was almost won over, but then Bill Haney lost his mind and went beyond fight-dad craziness and was setting up Devin for an embarrassment. It didn't happen against Prograis, who Devin dominated. I expected him to outpoint Ryan Garcia, and it looked that way through 6 rounds. But that first period left hook that rocked Devin was on everyone's mind, Devin's too. From Round 7 on it was a complete dismantling; Devin can claim weight and steroids, but that was a pretty comprehensive beating and he hasn't appeared on a Top 10 P4P list again, not even as an Honorable Mention. He knows he was exposed, and I don't think he'll be the same. As for Garcia, it's hard to know what he's about and how this all affects him - he is universally disliked in the boxing world after disrespecting the wives of Kambosos and Caleb Plant. But man, that guy has talent. I hope he knocks Rolly into oblivion on the Times Square card. Ramirez will give Haney a good battle, and could beat him; Teofimo comes off as way too full of himself and Barboza is a handful. That's one weird fight card and there may be some surprises in Times Square. Maybe there will be a spring hurricane.

BJ Saunders will be another in a line of British fighters who have come up short lately. His crude commentary and uninformed statements make a loss even more embarrassing. Recently: Canelo dominates Callum Smith; Ryan Garcia controlled 80% of the fight with Luke Campbell before the 7th round KO; Terrence Crawford dispatched Kell Brook in the 4th round; do we see a pattern emerging again with highly touted British fighters being outclassed from the beginning of the fight by stronger, quicker North and Central American fighters? Callum Smith had no answers for Canelo, who just bull-dozed past Smith's defenses and landed combinations of vicious body blows, rendering Smith too weak to hurt him. I had some doubts about Ryan Garcia in with Luke Campbell, but a minute into the 1st round it was clear that Garcia could match up with him physically, and even with Campbell's knockdown of Garcia, it seemed inevitable that Garcia would take him out. Terrance Crawford figured out Kell Brook and in an instant it was over. And now we come to Canelo and BJ Saunders. The British fighters and trainers in interviews sound just like they did before the Callum Smith or Garcia/Campbell fight: the British fighter has all the tools, it was height or cleverness or this jab or that hook or more experience - but what it has come down to in each of these fights is a lack of imagination by the British fighters, they just didn't seem to have a variety of punches, or use movement to create angles, or do much else except try to play defense and minimize the beating (not quite true for Kell Brook, who was winning the fight after three rounds, but his quick demise in the 4th made the first three rounds look like a gift from Crawford). BJ Saunders is touted as clever, determined, fearless, with increasing power as he enters his prime. We could use all those adjectives for Canelo, and he'd be superior in each category. Canelo Alvarez wins by TKO, 10th round, well ahead on scorecards. Let's hope Saunders doesn't pull a Deontay Wilder and drift into a delusional fog after his first loss.

I've watched Tony Weeks for many years - an excellent, consistent referee. But something was off here. The refusal to be interviewed after the fight, the WBA official also refusing, then Weeks coming out some time later with a polished explanation ....... just felt wrong. If Weeks wasn't in a position to see the punches not landing, why? He's an experienced, savvy referee, and this was no super-speed contest, he should have been in position easily. What kind of pressure is subtly put on the refs by the sanctioning body? Do the refs need to read between the lines, because nobody is saying outright, "Romero has to win." It's an unspoken understanding. What was Rolly Romero doing with a title shot in any division, let alone a packed 140lbs division in which he had never fought? That tells us something right there. The WBA has Daniel Dubois and David Morrell listed as champions - neither worthy at all, with no process established to get them the belt. Did I miss a title fight? It seems like the WBA is trying to line up its future by securing loyalty from young fighters. Referees take note and know which way the wind blows. Rolly has mellowed, his Mothers' Day wishes were sweet, but it's a marketing ploy, he still has the buzz from his profane tirades and thousands of f-bombs, so he can afford to play nice now. But he's no champ, and Ismael Barroso deserved better. And by the way, has anyone noticed that ring interviewer Jim Gray, always a notch below average, has become embarrassingly awkward and hesitant with the mic in his hand? Showtime puts out a good product, they could improve in that area.

Fury backed Joshua? Both of these fighters have huge respect For each other privately and both know they will walk in to the sunset after there 2 fights very rich men. Also to add when Joshua got stopped by Ruiz last year fury showed real class and backed him up , wilder on the other hand showed no class and was full of disrespect in his words. Look now at wilder ......Karma is a ***** lol When did Fury back up Joshua? The Gypsy King wrote Joshua off after the first and the second Ruiz fight. I see no way Joshua does much to Fury, who will duck and spin away from Joshua's punches and give him angles that will confuse and frustrate Joshua. Now that Fury has shown he has power, he seems unstoppable. Otto Walin for some reason will be the best showing against Fury we'll see in a while - I'm not sure why, maybe it's the lefty angles -- too bad these fights are all slowed down. I feel like we've been waiting for Joyce-Dubois for three years.

I'm not sure what this fight says about Ryan Garcia except that he was not intimidated by the moment, which I thought he may have been in the Tank fight. I was a big Garcia fan but he acted idiotically throughout this and in the press conference afterward. He's strong, fast, and smarter than he's given credit for, but he may self-destruct soon. His father calling Tim Bradley a piece-of-shit now puts Henry Garcia on the same page with Bill Haney and Teofimo Lopez Sr. Would love to get rid of these guys, they cheapen the sport. What it says about Haney I suspected all along: overrated, no power, can be bullied, and for all his talk about professionalism -- this is a fight, and I had never seen him hurt anyone.

I admit to having underrated Haney until the past three fights. He fought dead even against a very motivated Loma and showed how much he's grown. I still feel he maneuvered his way into the championship by getting that agreement with Kambosos and those two fights were awful, not championship level at all, with each fighter in the first battle averaging 5 power shots per round, an embarrassment given Haney became undisputed before he faced Loma, Lopez, Garcia, Shakur or Tank ...... how is that even possible? But he has grown and his dominance of Prograis was a whole new level of fighting. Ryan Garcia is frustrating, and does not seem to be growing as a fighter or a man. He has physical gifts and perhaps some character but it's not showing up.Two years ago I would have said, Garcia wins. Now is Haney's time.

I had it 5-5 in rounds, but gave Serrano a 10-8 round in the 5th. There are many less knockdowns in women's boxing so a round as dominant as Serrano's should be counted as a 10-8 round, which would have given the fight to Serrano, 95-94. Credit Taylor for staying on her feet and coming back, an amazing show of endurance and heart, and certainly her victory is deserved even with my scores a bit different. I do think we need to look at 10-8 rounds for non-knockdown dominance.

Wilder was outboxed and outgunned by Parker and I'm happy for Parker, who's a good dude and is starting to outsmart these older guys. But don't forget how Wilder came back after Fury II and came within a minute or so of beating Fury. I still haven't gained any respect for him after his accusations against Fury, but I wouldn't write him off. And I wouldn't predict Zhang KO 6 because that man fades quick and he did virtually nothing except for one punch after Round 4 against Parker. I'm gonna say Zhang stuns Wilder early but Wilder recovers and wins by KO 8.

Not a championship level fight. I give Haney credit for his strength of character; he behaved with maturity and class throughout. Kambosos let the fame go to his head and embarrassed himself with a weak performance and even more so with the idiotic "you're a rat" diatribe which Haney wisely ignored. When Devin was giving you the "info" before the Teo fight, did you call him a rat then? Or did you take the "info" and think maybe you could use it? It was all public anyway and Devin just outclassed you in the ring and out, in your home country. Note To Devin: Lomachenko, Lopez, Kambosos: one-fight wonders as undisputed (or close, who can keep track?) -- but they all fell quickly, too much talking and hype, too much false bravado. You just showed real character, don't lose it amidst the glitter and praise. Congrats and we want more of this. Islam seems to have inspired you to be disciplined and humble, and we should all take note and honor that.

I did not consider this a championship-level fight. Nor did I appreciate the character of these two, although Haney showed some grit before he knew his Dad was coming. He sat through those interviews calmly as Kambosos got all theatrical and acted like a carnival barker, then started calling Haney rat - that ended any good feeling I could have about the Australian. George Jr. didn’t say anything until now; I guess he listened before the Lopez fight because he thought he needed every edge, but now he’s using it against Haney and that’s crossing the line. Haney didn’t say anything other than what was already public. As for the fight, these are clearly not the two best in the division. Haney is satisfied with stick and move and never offered a sustained attack; Kambosos got what a big talker should get — lots of jabs in his face. Tank Davis wipes the floor with these two, in a year or so Ryan Garcia takes out either one ……… these one-fight champions are almost comical. They win one fight, squawk and strut and call out everyone, get in verbal spats over meaningless crap, then forget to study their opponent and get dethroned. For all the talent in this division, we’ve had four champs in two years (Loma, Lopez, Kambosos, Haney), the best fighters (Davis, Garcia) haven’t fought for the belts or each other yet, and we can only hope Haney builds on the momentum of his humble performance in Melbourne. Tank is coming, Devin. Your jab may not be enough.

Donovan already had been docked twice, although for different infractions. The final punch was clearly initiated after the bell. The attorney is just making noise. If we don't go in and change Gervonta Davis taking a knee without a penalty, and that made a difference between a loss and a draw, I don't see how Donovan gets that call reversed after the fact. Some things are not negotiable in boxing. Take a knee, it's a knockdown; hit a defenseless man after the bell, and he is unresponsive, it's a DQ.

Whatever result Ryan Garcia produces, Devin Haney will challenge; whatever accusations Devin Haney's team produces, Ryan Garcia will counter. As far as evidence goes, if a sealed sample produces whatever result, the other team will challenge it. OK, it's a difficult game to figure out. What is easy to see, however, is that Victor Conte spent time in prison and is a complete stain on the whole field. Why the Haneys think he's an asset is beyond me. Boxing needs to figure out the whole banned substances protocol without Victor Conte and Devin Haney needs to figure out who he is as a fighter. Ryan Garcia needs to shut up. They all need to take a page from the Anthony Joshua playbook - he had one emotional meltdown but worked hard, acted respectfully and came back from his losses. These guys come off terribly - Haney's been whining for years, Garcia acts like he's 11, Bill Haney is an delusional media hog and Victor Conte ruins lives and makes money off his drug operation, The Haneys pay him? For what? To be there to yell drugs every time Haney gets beat? It's a set-up and I refuse to take this guy seriously.

Charlo vs. D-Chenko might be like watching Deontay Wilder fight Joseph Parker. The power might eventually catch up to the skilled boxer; not sure how much D-chenko has in his arsenal. A good style match-up for sure. The Charlo brothers burn with pride and desire to be champions, so Ronnie Shields ought to see their flaws and take all that natural talent and desire and make sure it isn't wasted due to lack of technique or undeveloped ring IQ. After that, if he wins, maybe Charlo vs. Canelo, or how about a big tournament including Andrade and Charlo and D-chenko and Jaime Munguia and Daniel Jacobs also Billy Joe Saunders and the big Benavides brother and all the middleweight/super-middleweight dudes who seem to go from 160-168 fairly effortlessly? and given Canelo is clearly the top of the pyramid, the winner of the tournament gets to fight him .... there's a lot of intrigue in the 160-168 group.

That was a close fight and Haney did better, was more aggressive, than I though he'd be. Loma fought his heart out and was far more humble than I'd ever seen him. In a division that was so strong, it's ironic that all Haney needed to do to be undisputed was beat a one-fight wonder in Kambosos. Yes he did it twice, under the other guy's conditions in Australia, but those were awful fights, not championship level at all. But now he's on a run. Before him we had Loma-Lopez-Kambosos-Haney, one champ, one fight, four times in a row. If he goes up against Gervonta Davis, that's the final piece. I'm still doubtful, because I don't see the power and I don't see a ring identity. But I'm willing to hold judgment, and I wish they'd all stop talking so much. Bill Haney is the latest in the Teofimo Sr. - Papachenko - Kenny Porter - Angel Garcia school of embarrassing fathers and overrated trainers. Maybe Devin is growing into the belts, as often happens. Recent history should show him: pride cometh before the Fall. So we shall see.