Last Week: Canelo Delivers As Promised Against Khan
Last Week: Canelo Delivers As Promised Against Khan
As HBO’s announce team scrambled to fill the time prior to the start of their pay-per-view main event, the broadcast network charging fans $70 to watch a pr
As HBO’s announce team scrambled to fill the time prior to the start of their pay-per-view main event, the broadcast network charging fans $70 to watch a prize fight shared some "highlights" from one of the participants. Perhaps “highlights" isn't quite the right word. Call them “significant moments” instead.
Announcer Jim Lampley admitted that Amir Khan probably wouldn't like the segment as a referee-mounted camera showed Khan looking loopy after a heavy Danny Garcia punch. Indeed, the segment felt a bit like HBO admitting to viewers exactly what this fight actually was. This after weeks of claiming it was things it most certainly was not, tops o that list a fight Khan had a solid chance to win.
Of course the de facto admission that Khan was a glass-jawed welterweight playing around at middleweight only came after you had paid $70 for the privilege to see him fight. This is still boxing after all.
In theory Khan challenging for Canelo Alvarez’s world title was compelling in a number of ways. He has shown flashes of greatness, of elite athleticism, of grit. He is possibly one of the most significant names in the welterweight class today. But as was kept quiet in the lead up by both HBO and a lesser extent the boxing media, the fight was not designed to be competitive.
Khan had been beaten multiple times and struggled significantly as of late in what were intended to be showcase bouts. His best days are past, while Canelo is just coming into his prime. There aren't a pair of hands in the world fast enough to overcome an opponent that much bigger, stronger and younger. The first power shot Canelo landed, a right hand over the top, proved it, leaving Khan unconscious, his head bouncing off the mat, eyes staring blankly at nothing..
For Canelo, this was his 47th professional victory and first defense of his newly acquired Ring and WBC middleweight titles. At 25, there’s a lot of career left for the red-headed Mexican to cement his place in the boxing hall-of-fame. For Khan, barring a stunning change, his peak has come and gone.
-Canelo vs. Khan was an explosive, albeit predictable, ending to an otherwise lackluster show. Not a single one of the preceding fights turned out to be remotely competitive. The closest to a fair fight was Frankie Gomez’ 10 round decision win over Mauricio Herrera. After nearly a year off, Herrera’s timing and defense looked shaky at best and nonexistent at worst, as he ate punches all fight long and was unable to come back with anything of note.
Curtis Stevens and David Lemieux, now middleweight gatekeeper/journeymen types hovering in fringe contendership range, both managed to dominate and stop totally overmatched foes. Of the two, Lemieux’s victory over Glen Tapia appeared to be an almost criminal mismatch.
-Petr Petrov continued his winning ways following a Boxcino Tournament victory in 2014, and Alan Sanchez managed to pull out a tight split decision win over Pablo Cesar Cano on Friday night. Sanchez was on his bicycle all night, outboxing Cano in a fight that never quite broke out. In the main event Petrov and Marvin Quintero were duking it out nicely when the bout was stopped before the seventh round due to an accidental headbutt. Both fighters are worth watching next time they show up on your television.
-Ismael Barroso gave a good early effort, but ran out of gas in the middle rounds and wound up being stopped in the seventh of a WBA Lightweight title contest against Anthony Crolla. Crolla runs his record up to 31-4-3 in the wide open 135 lb weight class and seems destined for a significant unification fight against Terry Flanagan down the road.
-World ranked heavyweight Kubrat Pulev kept his name alive by beating fringe contender Dereck Chisora over the weekend in a fight that could be best described as “barely watchable.” Pulev connected with the cleaner blows, but dealt with Chisora’s attacks by tying up and holding repeatedly throughout the fight. The referee didn’t penalize him for this strategy, leaving Chisora with little chance to win. Scorecards were a bit off; Chisora didn’t deserve to win many rounds, and yet somehow managed a 115-113 overall card from one judge at ringside.
Announcer Jim Lampley admitted that Amir Khan probably wouldn't like the segment as a referee-mounted camera showed Khan looking loopy after a heavy Danny Garcia punch. Indeed, the segment felt a bit like HBO admitting to viewers exactly what this fight actually was. This after weeks of claiming it was things it most certainly was not, tops o that list a fight Khan had a solid chance to win.
Of course the de facto admission that Khan was a glass-jawed welterweight playing around at middleweight only came after you had paid $70 for the privilege to see him fight. This is still boxing after all.
In theory Khan challenging for Canelo Alvarez’s world title was compelling in a number of ways. He has shown flashes of greatness, of elite athleticism, of grit. He is possibly one of the most significant names in the welterweight class today. But as was kept quiet in the lead up by both HBO and a lesser extent the boxing media, the fight was not designed to be competitive.
Khan had been beaten multiple times and struggled significantly as of late in what were intended to be showcase bouts. His best days are past, while Canelo is just coming into his prime. There aren't a pair of hands in the world fast enough to overcome an opponent that much bigger, stronger and younger. The first power shot Canelo landed, a right hand over the top, proved it, leaving Khan unconscious, his head bouncing off the mat, eyes staring blankly at nothing..
For Canelo, this was his 47th professional victory and first defense of his newly acquired Ring and WBC middleweight titles. At 25, there’s a lot of career left for the red-headed Mexican to cement his place in the boxing hall-of-fame. For Khan, barring a stunning change, his peak has come and gone.
OTHER RESULTS:
-Canelo vs. Khan was an explosive, albeit predictable, ending to an otherwise lackluster show. Not a single one of the preceding fights turned out to be remotely competitive. The closest to a fair fight was Frankie Gomez’ 10 round decision win over Mauricio Herrera. After nearly a year off, Herrera’s timing and defense looked shaky at best and nonexistent at worst, as he ate punches all fight long and was unable to come back with anything of note.
Curtis Stevens and David Lemieux, now middleweight gatekeeper/journeymen types hovering in fringe contendership range, both managed to dominate and stop totally overmatched foes. Of the two, Lemieux’s victory over Glen Tapia appeared to be an almost criminal mismatch.
-Petr Petrov continued his winning ways following a Boxcino Tournament victory in 2014, and Alan Sanchez managed to pull out a tight split decision win over Pablo Cesar Cano on Friday night. Sanchez was on his bicycle all night, outboxing Cano in a fight that never quite broke out. In the main event Petrov and Marvin Quintero were duking it out nicely when the bout was stopped before the seventh round due to an accidental headbutt. Both fighters are worth watching next time they show up on your television.
-Ismael Barroso gave a good early effort, but ran out of gas in the middle rounds and wound up being stopped in the seventh of a WBA Lightweight title contest against Anthony Crolla. Crolla runs his record up to 31-4-3 in the wide open 135 lb weight class and seems destined for a significant unification fight against Terry Flanagan down the road.
-World ranked heavyweight Kubrat Pulev kept his name alive by beating fringe contender Dereck Chisora over the weekend in a fight that could be best described as “barely watchable.” Pulev connected with the cleaner blows, but dealt with Chisora’s attacks by tying up and holding repeatedly throughout the fight. The referee didn’t penalize him for this strategy, leaving Chisora with little chance to win. Scorecards were a bit off; Chisora didn’t deserve to win many rounds, and yet somehow managed a 115-113 overall card from one judge at ringside.