There was plenty of boxing motion Saturday night– and it featured a few of my private favorites– however I walked away from the night pissed off, disillusioned, and a bit of pissed off.
First, a pox on any boxing enterprise entity that counter-programs towards one other boxing present. And a much bigger pox in the event that they don’t a minimum of attempt to make it in order that their essential occasion doesn’t run at the very same time as that of their rival.
I needed to make the on-the-spot name of whether or not I wished to maintain watching the Teofimo Lopez-Sandor Martin Prime Rank essential occasion or swap over to the Terence Crawford-David Avanesyan bill-topper that began shortly afterward. Each essential occasions have been disappointments, although. However we’ll discuss extra about that later.
Anyway, I do know that is the age of DVR and on demand and watching shit, at your leisure, after it occurs. However watching a prizefight after the actual fact versus stay is a bit of just like the distinction between masturbation and precise intercourse. That’s not even mentioning the trouble of getting to duck and dodge social media and information reviews to keep away from seeing the outcomes (of a combat, not of your masturbation).
In a boxing world struggling to attract eyeballs, it makes zero sense to separate the viewers in half by way of head-to-head counter-programming. It’s a dick transfer to even strive. It’s a bit of like pissing in an workplace occasion punch bowl to get again on the boss, once you, your self, would’ve favored to have tasted the punch. Usually dumb boxing enterprise.
As for the fights, themselves?
From the second Sandor Martin was introduced in because the alternative opponent for Teofimo Lopez, I knew issues wouldn’t go effectively for Lopez. Martin is an ungainly southpaw mover whose total recreation revolves round mucking issues up and stinking up the home. In old-fashioned phrases, the Spaniard is a spoiler. It was going to be powerful for Teo to look good towards Martin. To make issues worse, Prime Rank selected Martin as an opponent in what was alleged to be a showcase look for Lopez, with a big potential mainstream crossover viewers coming in after the Heisman Awards presentation on ESPN.
DAZN/Matchroom dedicated an enormous fail once they matched Martin towards a 20-months inactive Mikey Garcia final yr and acquired Garcia beat. I can’t consider the rather more savvy Prime Rank matchmaking would decide THIS opponent on THIS evening for Teofimo, except a message was being despatched. What that message is, nonetheless, stays to be seen.
At any charge, Lopez did NOT lose the combat as many insisted on social media, though that 97-92 rating from decide Pasquale Procopio appeared to be a kind of “I stuffed in my scorecard earlier than the fights” scores. Lopez DID look fairly flat and fairly impotent, although. And for a child already seeking to be on shaky floor by way of his psyche, this type of high-profile flop will take its toll. ESPN cameras would even seize him, post-fight, asking his individuals “Do I nonetheless acquired it?”
Crawford-Avanesyan, in its personal manner, was simply as a lot of a buzzkill as Lopez-Martin.
I used to be amazed to see some media individuals on-line speaking about how effectively Avanesyan was doing up till Crawford’s kill shot within the sixth. These individuals clearly don’t perceive what they’re seeing in a hoop.
Crawford was toying with Avanesyan from the opening bell, even taking part in with a southpaw stance whereas doing so. If the Russia-born Armenian landed something of be aware, it was as a result of Crawford didn’t thoughts him doing so and didn’t concern him doing so.
If Crawford’s cracking one-punch KO hadn’t jolted the narrative, the story of this combat would’ve been how a lot of a mismatch it was and the way nonchalantly “Bud” was dealing with the problem. And “nonchalant” may be too form. Perhaps “semi-interested” could be a greater phrase. “Half-assed” could be going too far, however I can completely see the place some would possibly really feel that manner contemplating the $40 price ticket slapped on the cardboard.
In fact, it’s onerous to speak about Crawford-Avanesyan with out desirous about Crawford-Spence, which ought to’ve occurred about three weeks in the past. By now, everybody’s chosen the facet they need to blame for the combat not occurring, so let’s not even go there. Let’s, as an alternative, discuss Crawford getting this oddly massive $10 million payout for a soft-touch match from an organization in BLK Prime that didn’t seem to have the cash to assist such extravagant spending till very, very just lately and nonetheless doesn’t appear to have the infrastructure to get a giant combat to the lots.
I don’t know what to make of the sudden emergence of BLK Prime, however I do get the enterprise sense in working deep within the purple for this combat, simply to get their identify out to the boxing public. Shedding cash typically comes with the territory when getting your foot within the door. What I don’t get is the long-term recreation of an organization that, apparently, solely has Adrien Broner underneath contract and who thinks Cyborg vs. butch Jada Pinkett Smith is an acceptable co-feature lead-in to a pay-per-view essential occasion that includes one of many elite fighters within the sport.
I’ll wait and see what BLK Prime has to supply, though I may be higher served subscribing to BLK Relationship.
Oh, yeah, there additionally was the Manny Pacquiao-DK Yoo exhibition happening at nearly the identical time as the opposite two essential occasions. Predictably, the 6-rounder was shitty, even by exhibition boxing requirements. Yoo is a South Korean YouTuber who portrays himself as a martial arts grasp and the creator of the “Warfare Fight System,” though critics have labeled him a phony and a fraud. His efficiency Saturday evening on the Korea Worldwide Exhibition Middle in Seoul, South Korea lends credence to the “phony and fraud” label.
Clumsy, hesitant, and easily-gassed, Yoo additionally did not appear to be somebody who’s ever taken an actual punch in his life. A puffy, 160 lb. Pacquiao dealt with him with ease, dropping him a number of occasions and simply avoiding something resembling a counter. Though a farce, I did benefit from the half within the “combat” the place the YouTuber tried to do the Ali Shuffle, then acquired cracked by Manny and began doing the Zab Judah rooster dance. Pacquiao-Yoo completely wasn’t well worth the pay-per-view value, particularly because the third present on an evening of counter-programmed boxing.
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