Lomachenko Rise Continues, but Provodnikov's Struggles Persist
Lomachenko Rise Continues, but Provodnikov's Struggles Persist
If you strip away the hyperbole and the hype, the story of a boxing match is simple. Two men enter a ring, each hopeful, excited and optimistic. One man, mo
If you strip away the hyperbole and the hype, the story of a boxing match is simple. Two men enter a ring, each hopeful, excited and optimistic. One man, more often than not, leaves with his hand raised. The other slinks off in defeat, the future suddenly less certain than it seemed just an hour ago.
At least, that's how it should be, in a world where fights are evenly matched affairs between opponents of equal talent and prospects.
Instead, we are often treated to a story that was written in the back offices and not in the ring. They are triumphs of matchmaking and dealmaking, not of athletic skill. Fights that are fights in name only, more showcase than contest.
And so it was with HBO’s ballyhooed prospects Vasyl Lomachenko and Felix Verdejo’s, both of whom scored wins against thoroughly outmatched opposition. Both won their bouts in the fifth round.
But it's the way they did it that will matter most going forward.
Verdejo was given the easier task. Even HBO’s announce team admitted Juan Jose Martinez was little more than a warm body for Verdejo to ravish. And while he earned a stoppage win late in round 5, much of the conversation leading up to the referee’s intercession was not effusive praise. Verdejo was accused of lacking proper focus, thinking he was too much of a star already, and not being exciting enough.
Repeatedly.
Even with a mid round stoppage win, Verdejo’s defensive, backpedaling style seems unlikely to make him much more than a cult figure capable of tickets to a Puerto Rican fanbase desperate for anything approaching a star. But "crossover sensation" seems out of the question.
By contrast, former gold medalist Lomachenko provided a truly sensational performance against 130lb champion Roman Martinez.
Like Verdejo, Lomachenko offered baffling lateral movement and hand speed. But the amateur god combined it with an offensive, crowd friendly style, dismantling Martinez, an excellent fighter on the back end of a solid career. The combination that ended the fight was a dramatic two piece that looked like something you'd see from Stevie Johnston or a prime Floyd Mayweather Jr. rather than one of those robotic Eastern European amateur stars of a bygone era. The globe is shrinking, and fighters like Lomachenko are the result.
- Former Olympian Demetrius Andrade did well against the well seasoned Willie Nelson on Showtime. Andrade’s performance was similar in many ways to Lomachenko’s— lateral movement, defense, angles, and tons of offense. Nelson might have been a sturdier foe than Rocky Martinez pound for pound, leading to him surviving into but not through the 12th. Still, the result was largely the same, and propelled the recently inactive (two fights in two years) Andrade back to relevance in the exploding 154lb weight class.
- Headlining that show was the kind of “all action affair” that networks occasionally discuss putting on but rarely seem to have the gumption to make. While John Molina Jr.’s win over Ruslan Provodnikov didn't end up being the most exciting fight of the month, let alone the year, it was certainly a pleasure to watch. Provodnikov offered his usual face forward style and hard punching attack against Molina Jr.. But, rather than slowly wear down the well traveled Molina Jr., it energized him.
Provodnikov, instead, found himself being outboxed on the inside and thoroughly beaten up all over. Credit where due to Molina Jr—he delivered what might be a career performance well after most had already written him off as little more than an opponent. Provodnikov admitted his own issues with focus and commitment to the sport. Unlike Verdejo, where athletic ability and talent can fill the void, Provodnikov’s wavering self confidence suggests a hard road forwards for however long his career might continue. For now, Molina Jr.’s win puts him in the swirling mix of welterweight stars. From Josesito Lopez to Tim Bradley, no future fight seems unbelievable or unjustifiable.
- Dejan Zlaticanin made a name for himself in 2014 by defeating Ricky Burns. Then, when opportunity in Europe didn’t make itself available, he came to the United States and generated some attention by dispatching of highly touted prospect Ivan Redkach in 4 rounds. Zlaticanin was supposed to fight Venezuelan star Jorge Linares for the vacant WBC lightweight title, but an injury brought largely unheralded Franklin Mamani to center ring instead. As is often the case when the unknown faces a murderous puncher, murder happens. Mamani was never in the fight and wound up stopped in the 3rd round. While this is yet another impressive win, until Zlaticanin is forced to fight someone of a higher caliber again, worries that he may be a one dimensional puncher linger.
- Shiming Zou, China’s biggest boxing star, appeared off air on the Lomachenko undercard. Zou managed to score a unanimous decision win against Jozsef Ajtai, a little known Hungarian bantamweight. One must imagine that getting him back on TV in front of Chinese fans is an important task for Bob Arum. However, with all sorts of reports that Arum and Haymon are discussing a number of ventures in the wake of Top Rank’s lawsuit being dropped, and with the Chinese economy still unsteady, this might be on the backburner.
At least, that's how it should be, in a world where fights are evenly matched affairs between opponents of equal talent and prospects.
Instead, we are often treated to a story that was written in the back offices and not in the ring. They are triumphs of matchmaking and dealmaking, not of athletic skill. Fights that are fights in name only, more showcase than contest.
And so it was with HBO’s ballyhooed prospects Vasyl Lomachenko and Felix Verdejo’s, both of whom scored wins against thoroughly outmatched opposition. Both won their bouts in the fifth round.
But it's the way they did it that will matter most going forward.
Verdejo was given the easier task. Even HBO’s announce team admitted Juan Jose Martinez was little more than a warm body for Verdejo to ravish. And while he earned a stoppage win late in round 5, much of the conversation leading up to the referee’s intercession was not effusive praise. Verdejo was accused of lacking proper focus, thinking he was too much of a star already, and not being exciting enough.
Repeatedly.
Even with a mid round stoppage win, Verdejo’s defensive, backpedaling style seems unlikely to make him much more than a cult figure capable of tickets to a Puerto Rican fanbase desperate for anything approaching a star. But "crossover sensation" seems out of the question.
By contrast, former gold medalist Lomachenko provided a truly sensational performance against 130lb champion Roman Martinez.
Like Verdejo, Lomachenko offered baffling lateral movement and hand speed. But the amateur god combined it with an offensive, crowd friendly style, dismantling Martinez, an excellent fighter on the back end of a solid career. The combination that ended the fight was a dramatic two piece that looked like something you'd see from Stevie Johnston or a prime Floyd Mayweather Jr. rather than one of those robotic Eastern European amateur stars of a bygone era. The globe is shrinking, and fighters like Lomachenko are the result.
OTHER RESULTS:
- Former Olympian Demetrius Andrade did well against the well seasoned Willie Nelson on Showtime. Andrade’s performance was similar in many ways to Lomachenko’s— lateral movement, defense, angles, and tons of offense. Nelson might have been a sturdier foe than Rocky Martinez pound for pound, leading to him surviving into but not through the 12th. Still, the result was largely the same, and propelled the recently inactive (two fights in two years) Andrade back to relevance in the exploding 154lb weight class.
- Headlining that show was the kind of “all action affair” that networks occasionally discuss putting on but rarely seem to have the gumption to make. While John Molina Jr.’s win over Ruslan Provodnikov didn't end up being the most exciting fight of the month, let alone the year, it was certainly a pleasure to watch. Provodnikov offered his usual face forward style and hard punching attack against Molina Jr.. But, rather than slowly wear down the well traveled Molina Jr., it energized him.
Provodnikov, instead, found himself being outboxed on the inside and thoroughly beaten up all over. Credit where due to Molina Jr—he delivered what might be a career performance well after most had already written him off as little more than an opponent. Provodnikov admitted his own issues with focus and commitment to the sport. Unlike Verdejo, where athletic ability and talent can fill the void, Provodnikov’s wavering self confidence suggests a hard road forwards for however long his career might continue. For now, Molina Jr.’s win puts him in the swirling mix of welterweight stars. From Josesito Lopez to Tim Bradley, no future fight seems unbelievable or unjustifiable.
- Dejan Zlaticanin made a name for himself in 2014 by defeating Ricky Burns. Then, when opportunity in Europe didn’t make itself available, he came to the United States and generated some attention by dispatching of highly touted prospect Ivan Redkach in 4 rounds. Zlaticanin was supposed to fight Venezuelan star Jorge Linares for the vacant WBC lightweight title, but an injury brought largely unheralded Franklin Mamani to center ring instead. As is often the case when the unknown faces a murderous puncher, murder happens. Mamani was never in the fight and wound up stopped in the 3rd round. While this is yet another impressive win, until Zlaticanin is forced to fight someone of a higher caliber again, worries that he may be a one dimensional puncher linger.
- Shiming Zou, China’s biggest boxing star, appeared off air on the Lomachenko undercard. Zou managed to score a unanimous decision win against Jozsef Ajtai, a little known Hungarian bantamweight. One must imagine that getting him back on TV in front of Chinese fans is an important task for Bob Arum. However, with all sorts of reports that Arum and Haymon are discussing a number of ventures in the wake of Top Rank’s lawsuit being dropped, and with the Chinese economy still unsteady, this might be on the backburner.