Canelo, Inoue and Ryan Garcia slip and slide through the weekend
Boxing’s big names come out to play but it’s not always pretty
It might be a consequence of a tricky mover, with survival on his mind, refusing to engage, or it could be that Canelo’s decline is gathering pace as it rolls downhill.
Imagine if William Scull committed to his punches, some of which landed flush, while Canelo targeted the body. The Cuban’s defensive movements and negative approach meant it would be difficult to get out of the Riyadh ring with a win against such a power broker as Canelo.
Not that Scull was hard done by. The variations in online scorecards and opinions reflected the three judges’ troubles scoring this one. According to CompuBox statistics, Canelo only landed a measly eight head shots. Eight! Not that stats win fights, but that’s a pitiful return. His body attacks at least reached double figures.
We already know what’s next. Terence Crawford will bulk up and challenge the Jalisco favourite in September. Crawford will be more dangerous than the last fighter to move up from 154 pounds and tackle Canelo.
Jermell Charlo ran around the ring, got dropped and survived. Crawford will not go down as easily. If Canelo is on the slide as much as some think, Crawford may not go down at all and could leave Las Vegas with his hand raised.
Munguia and Jack win, Bakole held to a draw on Canelo undercard
Jaime Munguia erased the ghosts of his shock December knockout at the surprisingly solid fists of Bruno Surace by defeating the Frenchman on points in their rematch.
Badou Jack showed that at 41, age is no barrier as he outpointed German-based Armenian Noel Gevor Mikaelian by majority decision to cement his position as WBC cruiserweight champion.
In a heavyweight brawl between two would-be contenders, Efe Ajagba and Martin Bakole boxed to a majority draw, which would leave neither man happy. The fight was there to be won for anyone who could take it by the scruff of the neck. Neither had the energy nor the desire to do so.
Ryan Garcia dropped, shocked and humbled by Rolando Romero
Ryan Garcia was all set to fight Devin Haney in a rematch. All he had to do was get past Rolando Romero on Friday night in New York, hope Haney did the same (see below), and they would meet down the line.
When will boxing learn that best-laid plans often go awry? Garcia looked listless. The Californian couldn’t get his punches off. Once he got copped with the same left hook that he had caused Haney so much trouble with last April, Ryan retreated into his shell even further.
‘Rolly’ Romero has reignited his career, while ‘King Ry’ returns to the drawing board. He said afterwards that life was calmer now, simpler even. Perhaps poor Ry needs the chaos and frenzy to get him through the big fights?
Haney beats Ramirez; Garcia rematch on ice
Devin Haney hasn’t stopped anyone since 2019. That’s a long time. His 12-round distance dance with Jose Ramirez was 36 minutes of tedium. It did little to whet the appetite for a replay of Haney’s April 2024 loss to Garcia, which was later reversed due to a positive drug test.
It’s hard to know where Haney will go next. Either way, it’ll probably take a while. Such is the nature of modern-day boxing, Devin probably won’t appear again for over a year. Inactivity creates ring rust and impacts punch timing.
I believe it played a role in a few performances on Friday evening. Dusting off the gloves and returning swiftly to action is the best remedy for both Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney, rather than ruminating on their Times Square efforts.
Teofimo Lopez hands Barboza Jr first pro loss
In what turned out to be the best fight of the night (not much competition), Teofimo Lopez defended his WBO 140-pound belt with a 12-round decision win over 32-0 Arnold Barboza Jr.
Barboza Jr ploughed forward, letting his hands go as usual, but Lopez made him pay with spiteful counters whenever Arnold stepped over too much. Teo called out Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis afterwards, admitting he’s stopped chasing a fight with Terence Crawford, who now has Canelo to think about.
Naoya Inoue gets dropped but prevails in Cardenas thriller
Tasked with the job of producing the exciting fights we all wanted, Naoya Inoue and his outstanding dance partner Ramon Cardenas went to war.
Cardenas had much success coming forward and stunned ‘The Monster’ in round two with a left hook knockdown. Inoue regrouped, changed his strategy to adapt to Cardenas’ fast offence and returned the favour in round seven with a brutal flurry.
Inoue piled on the pressure, forcing Thomas Taylor to intervene in round eight. This was the performance we needed. Fire, excitement and defensive flaws. “This is what greatness look like Tess,” yelled ESPN analyst Timothy Bradley, digging at the lacklustre fare we had been presented across the previous two days.
Before his challenge to WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza, the team of Edward Vazquez said they knew their man would need to weather the storm in order to win.
As former champ Robeisy Ramirez found out in their first fight, Espinoza comes with a meteorological warning right up until the 12th and final round. The lanky banger scored with the uppercut at will, as part of his 161 landed punches.
He also totalled 60 shots to the body inside just seven rounds. Along with headliner Inoue, Espinoza delivered the Cinco de Mayo weekend performance that the Mexican fans wanted.
Image Credits: Sky Sports (x2), DAZN, BBC.
About Steve…
Current existence: Online editor at Boxing News Magazine.
Previous lives: Author (8 books), podcaster (500+ eps), scriptwriter for Motivedia channel, newspaper journalist, copywriter & educator.
Contact: stevenwellings1982@gmail.com