SONAHR: October 4, 2015 – The super-lightweight (formerly junior-welterweight, with a limit of 140 lb regardless of what it?s called) division has undergone quite a shakeup over the past year. The popular Danny Garcia, who held the WBA, WBC and Ring magazine titles, has moved up to welterweight, and sensational lightweight Terence Crawford jumped up in turn to claim the WBO?s super-lightweight crown.
Much of the murk in the division was cleared on Saturday, when Garcia?s vacated WBA/WBC titles went on the line in two separate bouts. When the resin dust cleared, an old face was back on top, and a proud warrior fell on his sword.
The old face belongs to Adrien (The Problem) Broner. Not too long ago, Broner looked to be finished in the wake of an ugly loss to Shawn Porter. In that bout, Broner displayed only glimpses of the talent that once marked him as the heir-apparent to pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. It was as though he just didn?t care anymore.
Now, he?s a champion again, winning the WBA title in a one-sided beatdown of Russian contender Khabib Allakhverdiev. Of course, it?s not too difficult to look good when your opponent?s main asset is an ungodly capacity to absorb punishment. Regardless of how he got there, however, Broner is back in the top echelon of boxing. So, unfortunately, is his trash-talking mouth.
The fallen warrior is Argentine dangerman Lucas Matthysse, who decided to stay down for the count after being floored in the 10th round of his WBC title bout with Ukrainian comer Viktor Postol. Earlier this year, Matthysse looked good in hammering out a win over fellow tough guy Ruslan Provodnikov. But Postol gave the Argentine a dose of his own medicine, cutting and hammering Matthysse into submission after a fairly even first half of the fight. Matthysse is a hard-hitting, entertaining brawler and an asset to the sport. But in title bouts, he always comes up short. It just might be time for him to call it a career.
The 140-lb picture looks nothing like it did at the beginning of this year. But that?s not a bad thing at all. Broner, Postol and Crawford are star attractions, and if all goes well, they could face each other in big bouts in 2016.
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And now, an ?AARGH!? moment. When I wrote last week about WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder?s future in the wake of his less-than-impressive win over Johann Duhaupas, I mentioned the likelihood of Wilder?s meeting the winner of the upcoming October 24 bout between Wladimir Klitschko and Tyson Fury for the rest of the titles. But I was not aware that the Klitschko-Fury match had just been postponed due to a leg injury suffered by Klitschko in training camp.
That development throws a wrench into Wilder?s title-unification plans. Now, he has the choice of either continuing to fight nobodies in his home state of Alabama, or take on the resurgent Alexander Povetkin, who has fought his way back into contention since losing decisively to Klitschko.
Meanwhile, Fury?s got to be the most frustrated fighter on the planet. Last year, a potentially huge payday against David Haye fell through when the comebacking Haye had to pull out and re-retire due to injury. Now, this. Hopefully, Fury will be able to maintain his edge while waiting for Klitschko to heal.
Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace, as well as the Imaro series of fantasy/adventure novels. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers. His novels, Imaro, Damballa, and Abengoni: First Calling are available at Amazon.com.
