Ringside roundup is back! I gave this feature a bit of a rest last week due to the UFC 189 chaos and also the 4th of July holiday. We have a lot of news to catch up on and a couple of fights to look forward to at the weekend, so let’s dive head first into the recap. As always, Bad Left Hook is your place for daily boxing coverage. The only result you need to know from the past two weeks
Timothy Bradley (32-1-1, 12 KOs) UD-12 Jessie Vargas (26-1, 9 KOs). This was from June 27th, and now Bradley is the WBO welterweight champion because he got promoted from “interim” to full the moment Floyd Mayweather Jr. was stripped of his title (more on that later). It’s not like Bradley vs. Vargas was dull or anything, it was quite entertaining … it’s just that round 12 was one of the craziest endings you’ll ever see. A huge right hand by the otherwise light-punching Vargas rocked Bradley late in the 12th, and Vargas had his chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. After a non-threatening, fight-saving clinch by a hurt Bradley, California referee Pat Russell broke them up and then waved his arms in a way that suggested the fight was over. Except … it wasn’t. There were still a few seconds left on the clock, and Vargas interpreted the gesture as “I won by knockout!” This was never the case, mass confusion ensued, and ultimately the mistake was Russell’s and he mistook the 10 second clapper for the final bell. Bradley correctly got the unanimous decision 115-112, 117-111, and 116-112.
Here’s the interview from the fight, starting with Pat Russell:
News and Notes Al Haymon facing antitrust lawsuit. Controversial boxing manager/adviser/whatever the hell he calls himself Al Haymon is under fire for questionable business practices. The Premier Boxing Champions founder is facing a lawsuit from Top Rank alleging a boxing monopoly attempt, as well as violations of the Ali Act, which prevents managers from doubling up as promoters. In essence, PBC is trying to be the UFC of boxing, and boxing doesn’t really work that way. He’s also been accused of venue-blocking, which involves showing no interest in actually holding a PBC event there but instead prevents other promoters from reserving high-demand arenas like Staples Center and forcing them elsewhere. Klitschko vs. Fury on tap for October 24th in Berlin. #1 heavyweight in the world Wladimir Klitschko (64-3, 53 KOs) is set to defend his three major belts (IBF, WBA, WBO) against England’s Tyson Fury (24-0, 18 KOs) at ESPRIT Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany. It marks the 7th time that Klitschko has fought in a soccer stadium. Fury is taller and has a longer reach than Wlad, so the physical advantage is for once not in Wlad’s favor, but does Fury have the skills to dethrone one of the most dominant HW champions ever? We’ll wait and see. Cotto vs. Canelo either on November 7th or 21st. The biggest fight in boxing to involve neither Mayweather nor Pacquiao is surely Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) against Canelo Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs). It’s Puerto Rico vs. Mexico, old guard vs. new guard, and it should be a thriller. We know that this will be contested at a 155 lbs catchweight, but the date hasn’t been nailed down yet. If it’s November 7th then it will be held at the MGM Grand, otherwise the venue switches to the Thomas and Mack Center on the 21st. The fight will be broadcast on HBO PPV. Deontay Wilder (34-0, 33 KOs) set to make return on NBC primetime card during NFL season. WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will make his next appearance on September 26th against an opponent TBD, although he needs to face someone ranked in the WBC’s top 15 (shudders). This is big news considering Wilder is basically THE heavyweight that’s supposed to reignite interest in the division from the viewpoint of the American audience. The 29-year-old Olympic bronze medalist is coming off a 9th round TKO of Eric Molina in front of a sellout crowd in his home state of Alabama. With NFL advertising and big promoting of his abilities could help propel him into stardom whether he fights a legitimate opponent or not. And to be totally honest with you, there’s a good chance he fights Chris Arreola next. Floyd Mayweather to fight on CBS? Despite what his biggest critics say, Floyd Mayweather has been a consistent PPV draw regardless of how many times his biggest selling fights “disappoint”. But even he may find it tough to be a box office hit if he is going to be ending his career against Karim Mayfield or Andre Berto. So instead of Showtime PPV, there’s a rumor going around that Mayweather’s final fight will be on CBS. Of course, that would be a potential PR nightmare for CBS to deal with given Mayweather’s well-documented history of domestic violence, but from a pure television sporting perspective, it could be absolutely monumental for boxing. The #1 pound-for-pound boxer on free TV? That’s a ratings hit without question, even if Berto or Mayfield are laughably easy opponents. Mayweather loses WBO belt won vs. Pacquiao. Floyd Mayweather said he was going to drop all of his belts after beating Manny Pacquiao, then changed his mind. The WBO wasn’t too keen on that decision, so they gave him until July 3rd to make up his mind, pay his $200,000 sanctioning fee, or lose the belt. Well, you got your answer! This week’s schedule Keith Thurman (25-0, 21 KOs) vs. Luis Collazo (36-6, 19 KOs), July 11th at 9 PM ET on ESPN. Premier Boxing Champions makes its ESPN debut, replacing the old Friday Night Fights series that was a staple of ESPN 2 programming for almost 20 years. The main event features WBA “regular” welterweight champion Keith Thurman, fresh off of his impressive showing vs. Robert Guerrero, against veteran Luis Collazo. Personally? I think this fight is pretty much a squash match that is every bit the reason Al Haymon gets criticized. Collazo was a good fighter in his prime, but he has one decent win in the past 4-5 years, and that’s against a shot-looking Victor Ortiz. He got ripped apart by Amir Khan, and I reckon Thurman will do the same. The co-main event is worth a watch, as middleweight prospect Tony Harrison (21-0, 18 KOs) gets to face off against Willie Nelson (23-2-1, 13 KOs), who is most famous for his days as a country music singer. Mauricio Herrera (21-5, 7 KOs) vs. Hank Lundy (25-4-1, 12 KOs), 11 PM ET/PT, HBO Latino. Herrera was incredibly unlucky to lose a decision against Danny Garcia last year. The Mexican is coming off a loss to Jose Benavidez in Las Vegas last December. Lundy was supposed to be a real good prospect in the lightweight division, but that never really panned out, and a TKO vs. John Molina Jr. set his career back significantly. He got back on the winning track but hasn’t managed any sort of consistency at 140 lbs. Lundy’s last fight ended in defeat to Thomas Dulorme, who would go on and get smashed by Terence Crawford. Nevertheless, it should still be a good scrap. Honestly speaking? There’s no real chance you’re watching this instead of UFC 189 if you’re an MMA fan. Video of the Week: HBO’s 1000 Fights Montage
The co-main event of the Bradley vs. Vargas card on HBO between Oscar Valdez and Ruben Tamayo was the 1000th fight broadcast on the network’s near 40 year history. During the lead-up to the historic number, HBO produced an absolutely stunning montage of some of its biggest and most memorable moments covering boxing over the past several decades, including the Gatti vs. Ward trilogy, Foreman vs. Frazier I, Lennox Lewis getting revenge on Hasim Rahman, Marquez KOing Pacquiao, and Pacquiao KOing Hatton. This video is definitely a must-watch in my eyes.
