Today on an MTK card in Brentwood Kaisee Benjamin upset the odds and won a 10 round decision over Shaquille Day. Going into the bout Benjamin was 4/1 to win but ultimately prevailed on referee Lee Cooks scorecard of 97-94. I’m glad they gave Kaisee the decision because often when a fighter travels to their opponents back yard they get robbed and i’m glad too see it wasn’t the case here. Kaisee also deserves credit for being willing to go in as the away fighter to progress up the professional ladder and as someone from the midlands its always good too see local boxers do well. I think the fight was an eliminator for the English title so I expect that is the fight we will see Kaisee in next.
Will Canelo be stripped of his middleweight WBA title?
Now that we know that Canelo will be fighting at super middleweight instead of dropping down to middleweight again its likely that his WBA middleweight title will be vacated as he won’t have fought at the weight for over a year after his next fight.
The WBA has a secondary champion in Ryota Murata and so they should elevate him to being the only world champion but i’m sure because the WBA loves sanctioning fees they won’t. They might also not strip Canelo because they can say that people can still fight for a WBA middleweight title just not Canelo’s and use that as an argument to not strip him.
If they do strip him and don’t elevate Murata then the top two contenders are Eubank Jr and Magomed Madiev. Eubank is going to fight Jermell Charlo next so its unlikely he’ll fight for a vacant belt which means the number three contender will step in. That fighter is Carlos Monroe and like Madiev hasn’t fought or beat anyone to be ranked so highly. Both have less than twenty fights and haven’t faced any world class competition at all or even good recogniseable names. The WBA in my opinion is the worst of the sanctioning bodies and their rankings really show that where two completely unproven prospects are ranked high enough that they may fight for a world title. If either of them win a title so early then they will be very lucky the WBA decide their rankings by picking names out of a hat.
In my personal opinion I dislike the WBA’s tendency to have two champions in a single weight class and I think this would be a great opportunity to cut that down to one in the middleweight division. Strip Canelo of his title and elevate Murata as the sole champion at middleweight and then order an eliminator for his next mandatory and it would sort out a lot of the mess they have caused. I think making it clear whos the champion would lead to less confusion from fans and also give more meaning to the WBA’s world title fights.
Adam Kownacki versus Robert Helenius and the weeks boxing.
We have a lot of boxing that we can watch this week though surprisingly not many world titles are at stake considering how much boxing is taking place.
The first card i’m looking at takes place on Friday 6th March 2020 in Dubai headlined by Aliu Bamidele Lasisi versus Norbelto Jimenez. Lasisi is someone that MTK (the promoters of this show) are clearly investing in and its shown here as they’ve brought in Jimenez who just challenged for a world title. I think this is a relatively 50/50 fight because I don’t believe Lasisi is a great prospect and if Jimenez is allowed to get confident in this fight he could cause some problems. I like it as a good step up fight though and it also suggests to me at least that they want Lasisi to get a title shot this year or early next year at the latest.
Nurtas Azhbenov takes a step up in class when he fights Jr Magboo who has only lost to good fighters. Azhbenov should win relatively comfortably here as long as he takes it seriously and if he wants to be regarded as good prospect then he’ll want to win by KO.
Also on the under card TJ Doheny former super bantamweight world champion fights Ionut Baluta in what could be an entertaining 8 rounder. Baluta is coming off an upset win in the UK and will want to pull off another one in Dubai. As long as Doheny hasn’t faded extremely fast he should be able to win here and carry on his journey back to the top. The only other notable fight on this card is Zhan Kossobutskiy versus Abraham Tabul a heavyweight fight over 8 rounds. Zhan is 12-0 with 11 knockouts and could be an interesting addition to the heavyweight mix if he gets the right backing. He should win by KO here and hopefully in his next fight he takes a step up in opponent versus someone like Wach or Jonathan Rice.
On Saturday in Australia Demsey McKean fights Jonathon Rice over 10 rounds in a good step up for the heavyweight prospect. McKean looks to be Australia’s best heavyweight prospect and a win here would draw international attention as Rice is a known gatekeeper in the heavyweight division. I think this fight will be competitive and I could see an upset happening but i’m leaning towards McKean by decision here.
Moving over to Russia on Saturday Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov fights Tomas Rojas over 12 rounds for Yaqubov’s WBC international super featherweight title. This should be a routine defence of a sanctioning body ranking belt here as Yaqubov is levels above Rojas at this point in their respective careers. Rojas is normally quite durable to if Yaqubov could stop him it would be a good statement.
Mark Urvanov fights Akzhol Sulaimanbek Uulu in a competitive 50/50 which should have great action. Urvanov is fun to watch and this should be a good test for both too see if they can make it too the next level in their pro careers. I’m not sure who wins this one but I can’t wait to watch it. Magomed Kurbanov fights Ismail lliev over 10 rounds in what should be another competitive bout. Kurbanov had quite a bit of hype around him but hasn’t been performing to match that hype and so I think his promoters are putting him in fights where he’ll learn win or lose which I think is a good sign for his career.
My favourite Cruiserweight prospect Evgeny Tishchenko fights Marcos Antonio Aumada over 10 rounds in a defense of his WBO inter continental title. Tishchenko should win comfortably here and i’m happy with how hes being matched so early on in his career.
Also on Saturday in Mexico Luis Alberto Hernandez Ramos fights Placido Ramirez over 10 rounds for a WBC super light weight ranking belt. Hernandez seems to be a big puncher and I expect him to win by KO here as well.
On the under card Oscar Duarte fights Andres Garcia and William Zepeda fights Brayam Rico in good 10 round fights.
In Poland Ewa Brodnicka fights Djemilla Gontaruk over 10 rounds for her female WBO Super featherweight world title. Brodnicka will likely win on points here though it could be a controversial decision as some thought Brodnicka lost her last fight but still got the decision.
On an MTK show in the UK Danny Dignum fights Alfredo Meli over 10 rounds for Dignums WBO European middleweight title. Dignum should win as while hes not great hes a better fighter than Meli who I thought lost his last fight. If MTK can somehow manage to get Dignum a title shot like they did Luke Keeler then I’d be very impressed as I don’t think hes even european level.
Moving over to Manchester and the biggest UK card of the week Scott Quigg fights Jono Carroll in a good 12 round fight where Hearn the promoter of the event thinks the winner will get a title shot. I’m not so sure as all the super featherweight champions are busy and a win over each other won’t put these two ahead of a lot of other contenders in the division. Its a good fight but also perhaps shouldn’t headline a UK fight night on Sky and it shows that the focus really is on Dazn in America now for Hearn.
Zach Parker fights Rohan Murdock for what is effectively a mandatory shot at Billy Joe Saunders. Both of these fighters are relatively inactive so its hard to know who has the advantage. I’ll go with Parker because its happening in the UK and Murdock is having to travel from Australia. Hughie Fury fights Pavel Sour in what has the potential to be the worst heavyweight 10 round fight of all time. Sour won’t come to win and is relatively old while Hughie doesn’t like committing to punches and could easily sit on the back foot and win an ugly boring 10 round decision here.
The last card this week features yet more heavyweights this time in America. Adam Kownacki fights Robert Helenius in what is being billed as an eliminator but is really just a stay busy fight for Kownacki while the division deals with fights that have to happen. As long as he keeps winning he should get a title shot in the next 12 months as the heavyweight scene settles down again.
Frank Sanchez fights Joey Dawejko over 10 rounds in a fight where if he wants to be a contender he needs to win and win in dominant fashion. Dawejko is a gatekeeper that Sanchez should be able to overcome. Dawejko’s biggest claim to fame is that he KO’d Anthony Joshua in sparring before the first Andy Ruiz Jr fight.
Also on the under card 2016 Olympian Efe Ajagba fights former world title challenger Razvan Cojanu. Ajagba should win by KO here as while Cojanu is a former title challenger hes not that good and was chosen as an easy defence. Robert Alfonso another Cuban heavyweight fights Carlos Negron in a hard fight as Alfonso hasn’t looked great in his pro career and I don’t think he’ll make it to the top though we could see him in good fights like this one.
As always I hope all the boxers make it home safely and that you enjoy all the boxing this week. I also hope you all stay safe from the current Corona Virus as it is currently spreading quite quickly around the world. I’ll be back with my usual preview of the weeks boxing next Thursday so until then enjoy the fights!!
Every good heavyweight fight is on PPV and why its bad for the sport.
As of today multiple heavyweight fights have been announced in the UK for the summer where boxing fans will have to splash out money for fights that really shouldn’t be PPV. Unfortunately it seems like any good heavyweight fight at world level is now put on PPV as the broadcasters have clearly realised that they can get away with it and make extra cash that they wouldn’t normally be able too. It has also mean’t that they can maximise the earnings they get out of fighters and the more PPVs they put on the more they normalise any good fight being on PPV.
The problem now for both the customers and the corporations is that as a heavyweight boxer they’ve been paid huge amounts headlining a PPV where they likely shouldn’t have and so the promoters can’t then turn around and pay them less to not fight on PPV versus the same level of opponent. Dillian Whyte is the best example of this new PPV model in the UK. When he fights Povetkin later this year he would have fought four times on PPV without ever challenging for a world title which when you step back and think about it is insane. At this point its hard to change it because its the norm and fighters expect to be on PPV once they reach a certain level and companies like Sky know that the public will buy fights that aren’t for world titles and have taken that concept to the bank and decided any big fight will have to be paid for now.
In the summer we will have Whyte-Povetkin, Joshua-Pulev, Dubois-Joyce and Usyk-Chisora all on PPV. Thats £80 and only one of those fights has a world title on the line but another noticeable thing is that all of these fights are in the heavyweight division. This was my earlier point that if you want to watch a good heavyweight fight its now behind a pay wall and this is terrible for the sport. The heavyweight division has always been one that the general public is most interested in and for superstars they are willing to pay but if every fight is on PPV then people won’t see the boxers and the sport will go further into obscurity. It hurts as someone that loves the sport to see the people at the top constantly pillage what they can for short term gain, instead of going for growth in the long term as boxing currently struggles through a bleak winter.
Knockout CP Freshmart defends minimum weight title.
Knockout CP Freshmart defended his WBA minimum title early this morning in Thailand versus Norihito Tanaka. Tanaka had some early success but was knocked down in round three before losing a wide decision. He clearly wasn’t quite on the level of Knockout CP Freshmart and if i’m honest not many in that division are. There are currently four champions in the minimum weight division and not a lot of good competition for them to fight as the division only consists of 250 people. Even as a hard core boxing fan I find it hard to get excited about this division and outside of unifications happening the wider public won’t care at all. Even for a unification they won’t recognise the names which is perhaps one of the reasons no one has unified at minimum weight for a while.
Because of the small pool of talent I don’t think this division will ever go main stream in the USA or the UK but it still draws a bunch of dedicated fans to watch random facebook pages to watch the championship fights.
The one prospect that I think will make noise in the division is Genjiro Shigeoka who impressed last time out by stopping Rey Loreto a two time world title challenger. I think Shigeoka will become a world champion either this year or 2021 and hopefully go on to unify the division as at 5ft he won’t be going up too many divisions in his career.
Demsey McKean , Australia’s next heavyweight hope.
Demsey McKean is a 6,6 southpaw in the heavyweight division where he currently holds a record of 17-0 with 11 knockouts. A lot of his decision victory’s came early in his career and in recent times he has been showing that he does have power which is of course something that fighters need in the heavyweight division. Hes 29 which means he still has a long career left as a heavyweight if he wants it and with how the division is booming right now its the perfect time for him to start to get into the mix.
A fight between him and Lucas Browne was close to taking place but unfortunately Browne pulled out as it would have been a good potential passing of the torch between the different generations of Australian heavyweights. Hopefully we get too see that fight in the future perhaps as Browne’s final fight after hes fought a few more big international names.
McKean takes a step up in competition this weekend as he fights Jonathon Rice who is currently a gatekeeper for heavyweight prospects too see if they can pass beyond regional level. Other notable names Rice has fought are Tony Yoka the 2016 Olympic Gold medalist and Arslanbek Makhmudov who looks like he could be a big player in the division. This is a good test for McKean and also puts a recognisable name on his resume which becomes an important part of boxing as you get towards title level. McKean is likely at least two years away from challenging for a title if he keeps winning as there are plenty of fighters in good positions just waiting to get their shot while taking no risks.
Demsey uses his size effectively in the footage I’ve watched keeping his opponents at range which annoyingly you don’t see the taller fighters do that often. Hes not all that active and keeps a hand out almost measuring the distance while keeping his opponent at bay which I think may lead to him getting countered as he gets stepped up. He throws more to the body than over heavyweights I’ve seen though does fall into range when he commits to throwing anything hard. He has shown improvement though and I was impressed with the shot he threw off the back foot to KO Dominik Musil as he planted his feet and countered Musil which he’d been struggling a little to do in that fight. When he went on the offensive in that fight he threw some good combinations and seems to have decent hand speed especially compared to fighters like Joe Joyce. One of the biggest things that impressed me in his fights is that he has fast feet which is a great attribute to have in a heavyweight as most of the division are slow and sort of plod forwards.
I think Demsey McKean still needs to improve before moving to world level but he has plenty of time to do so and because outside of Australia he doesn’t have much of a buzz around him he won’t be rushed to satisfy a global audience who want fighters to step up to quickly.
Chocolatito further cements his legacy.
Over the weekend Roman Gonzalez four division champion and living legend beat Khalid Yafai to become a champion again. Yafai hadn’t had the greatest reign as a champion but he was still world class and had made five defenses since he won the title in 2016. What was so impressive about this win is that Chocolatito made it look easy even though he is years past his prime. I think this win further cements the fact that hes an all time great and that he will be a first ballot hall of famer. I’m glad everyone has been appreciating being able to watch a great in action and that at least among boxing fans he gets the credit he deserves.
Jesse Rodriguez : One to watch
Jesse Rodriguez is a 20 year old 10-0 Flyweight with 6 knockouts to his name. Hes someone that Mikey Garcia a four weight world champion is backing to go all the way. Considering he hasn’t got all of his man power yet he seems to hit hard and is also progressing well in his career at such a young age.
Flyweight is currently a stacked division though when he gets to title level it could look completely different as Moruti Mthalane will have likely retired and Kosei Tanaka has moved up a weight class recently. I imagine Julio Cesar Martinez may have moved up a division by then as well and we’ll have an almost complete new set of champions. I do think Artem Dalakian may still be around as he doesn’t fight great competition and doesn’t seem motivated to achieve any more than one world title. I think Rodriguez should perhaps try to get down that WBA route as Dalakian will be very beatable as Rodriguez improves.
He was also an outstanding amateur who won four national titles and a silver medal at the world championships and it shows when he boxes as hes clearly technically better than his opponents.
He has good lateral movement and I’ve been impressed with how patient he is no matter the level of opponent. He has an excellent jab that he works behind and doesn’t rush in instead he makes openings in his opponents defense with his jab and feints before shooting off a more damaging punch. He seems to have the killer instinct that all top boxers need and always seems to want a finish which again is a good trait to have. Hes got good footwork and works the distance well getting his shots off then stepping just out of range and doesn’t get too greedy which for a young fighter is very impressive. If i’m being honest its hard for me to find any obvious fault in his game and while i’m sure his coach Robert Garcia can see places where he can improve to my relatively untrained eye he hasn’t set a foot wrong in the pro game yet.
I’d keep an eye out for his fights as I really think hes going to be one for the future and 2020 could be a potential break out year for him. He should get the push he deserves as well because he has an excellent team around him. I look forward to watching his pro career and I hope you do too.
Joshua versus Fury should be in the UK but it won’t be.
Anthony Joshua versus Tyson Fury is now the fight to make in the heavyweight division. This would be the biggest fight in British boxing history and could sell out any Arena in the UK, it would go far beyond boxing and be a significant cultural moment for us as we crown an undisputed British Heavyweight champion. This is a unique moment where all of the heavyweight titles are held by Brits and we have the opportunity to make them unify.
Obviously this fight should be held in the UK as both are British and have been backed by the British public throughout their careers. Unfortunately its unlikely this fight will happen in the UK as they can make more money somewhere like Saudi Arabia and as boxing is all about money I can see that happening instead of making a few million less and giving back to the fans that have enabled them to get to the top. Eddie Hearn has all but confirmed that on Joshua’s end they won’t be doing it in the UK and Fury has said he has to fight in America until the end of his contract. I hope this fight happens where ever it is but it would be a travesty if it didn’t happen in the UK where it really should occur. It doesn’t make sense to have two Brits fight for all the heavyweight belts in either Saudi or America, let us have a defining moment in boxing occur on these shores especially when it makes this much sense.
Mikey Garcia vs Jessie Vargas and the weeks boxing
On Friday Daniela Romina Bermudez defends her WBO world title versus Alys Sanchez. Bermudez has made a few successful defenses of her title now and I expect her to beat Sanchez who has lost to worse fighters than Bermudez.
A prospect that I know a lot of people are interested in is Viddal Riley who fights for the first time since signing to Mayweather promotions. Hes fighting in a decent step up that he should be able to win fairly comfortably. Outside of Riley on that card other prospects I like the look of are Kevin Newman II who faces Genc Pilana in what should be a good fight. Keith Hunter fights Sanjarbek Rakhmanov in a rematch of a very close fight last year. Rakhmanov has come in short notice so I think Hunter will win again. The last prospect I think looks good on this card is Richardson Hitchins a 2016 Olympian who faces Nicholas DeLomba. I think Hitchin will win but its a good fight for him at this stage of his career and like all fights a potential banana skin. I know a lot of the people who only watch youtubers fight will watch this card because of Viddal and if your one of them I hope you tune into the other fights on the card and support the boxers.
Also on Friday in the USA Carlos Takam veteran heavyweight contender returns and fights Fabio Maldonado. This should be extremely one sided as Maldonado is just used as an tune up opponent with a good record at this point. Hes also never really tried to make it in boxing as he used to be an MMA fighter. Takam should be KO him between rounds 4-6 which will see Maldonado’s record drop to 26-4
The final and biggest card of the weekend takes place on Saturday in Texas. Mikey Garcia fights Jessie Vargas in a 12 round non title fight where the winner could get the mega fights next. Garcia is looking to become a five weight champion and after losing to Errol Spence will try to show he can be a force at Welterweight by fighting Vargas. Vargas is a two weight champion himself and will be going for the upset here to get a career defining victory. If Garcia wins its rumored he’ll fight Manny Pacquiao which would be a massive fight and one that won’t be there for too long before Pacquiao retires.
On the under card Khalid Yafai fights the legend Roman Gonzalez in what should be an excellent fight. Gonzalez is clearly not what he once was but he may still have enough to beat Yafai and thats what makes this fight so intriguing. If both were in their primes then Gonzalez wins without question but its now seen as a 50/50 fight. I’m not sure whos going to win but I know its going to be a good fight.
Also on the under card Julio Cesar Martinez fights Jay Harris for the WBC Flyweight world title. Martinez looks to be a potential new star for Mexico and his style is amazing to watch. Your guaranteed violence when he enters the ring and I don’t think it’ll be different in this one. Harris is a good fighter but he hasn’t faced anyone like Martinez and I think he”ll get stopped between rounds 7-12.
Joseph Parker fights in a stay busy fight versus Shawndell Terell Winters. This isn’t as bad a fight as people are making it out to be as Winters is a road warrior and will be coming to win as this is a big opportunity for him. I think Parker will likely win but he does have a habit of making fights harder than they have to be and sometimes seems to lack a bit of killer instinct. Israil Madrimov fights Charlie Navarro in a WBA world title eliminator which is good as it shows Madrimov is being moved quickly. Hes currently one of the best prospects in the sport and also has a fan friendly style. Hes KO’d all four opponents so far and I don’t see this one being any different. After this fight hopefully we see him versus a top 10 guy or a champion as I believe he is good enough to compete with those guys at only 4 fights in.
Jesse Rodriguez fights Marco Sustaita in a good fight at this stage of his career. Hes only 20 but looks like a very good prospect and seems to be moving through the levels of opponents quite quickly for being only 20. I expect him to win by KO here. Diego Pacheco fights Oscar Riojas a tough Journeyman/gatekeeper over 6 rounds. I think Pacheco is very good and at only 18 years old hes going to get much better. I’m certain he’ll be a world champion at some point and I expect him to win this fight whether by dominant decision or KO. Alexis Espino fights Delvecchio Savage in a good experience building fight, I expect him to win but Savage is a tough guy and has beaten prospects before. In the final fight Leo Ruiz Acevedo fights Dennis Knifechief in a good step up fight. Acevedo is only 6-0 and Knifechief is a good opponent for him at this point.
As always I hope you enjoy the boxing and that all the boxers get home safely. I’ll be here next Thursday for my normal preview of the weeks boxing.
Boxing Fulcrum 