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ssbriefcase

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Ok, so with Lomachenko v Lopez tonight, it is imo one of the best matchups of the decade. I've liked Lopez for a while now, and can't wait. I have a lot of respect for Loma and he is the favorite for good reason, but his last few fights he hasn't been his usual self. Was it just his injury alone or? Lopez has some of the best punching power or one punch ko capability I've seen in the lightweight division. He has a very high IQ and it sometimes feels like his confidence carries him through. The fact this is free on ESPN is mind boggling to me. Sort of feels like the old days of Wide World of Sports, I'm getting goose bumps. I hope the fight lives up to everyone's expectations.
 
:( *sad Ukrainian noises*

correct decision (Maybe not the final score). No idea what the game plan was from our guy tonight...
 
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Lopez was the bigger man and used his jab to keep Loma away from him. Loma was too cautious in the first half of the fight. The announcer said he was "sizing up" his opponent. He found him too big and didn't want to expose himself to Lopez's power. in the fights that made him famous, Loma was a perpetual motion machine and he had three straight opponents quit on their stools because they couldn't keep up the pace. But that was as a featherweight and junior lightweight. Lopez is a full lightweight, perhaps on his way to welterweight and Loma seemed intimidated by his power and speed. Lopez is an underrated boxer and wasn't out of his class in a strategical fight at all.

In the second half of the fight, Loma realized he couldn't win a decision and had to take the chance of getting caught coming in to get his flurries going. he almost turned the fight around in the second half, belaboring Lopez with combos. Lopez was supposed to be an explosive puncher but neither fighter was really rocked by any punch. there were no knockdowns. Andre Ward actually had Loma drawing even on his card at one point. On mine he never got closer than two points after the early rounds. Loma had big rounds in the 10th and 11th and it appeared that Lopez was slowing down. But Lopez pulled himself together and dominated the 12th round to close it out. he might have actually had Loma in some trouble at the end. An accidental butt opened a bad cut above Lopez's left eye but there were only 10 seconds left and it didn't matter.

I gave Lopez rounds 1, 3-7 and 12. I gave Lopez 2, 8, 10, 11, I had the 9th round eve. That's 116-113 Lopez. Punch stat had Lopez ahead with 183-141 in punches landed and 148-77 in power punches. The actual scoring was weird but had the right winner: 116-112, 119-109 (?!?) and 117-111.

I wonder if there is a rematch clause. if Loma wasn't so cautious early, he might have won this. This was only the 16th pro fight for either guy so they aren't going away. But I think Lopez's future might be in the mix at the next level where Bud Crawford, Errol Spence and don't forget Manny Pacquiao live. Size wise, Loma's gone about as far as he can go.
 
The fight lived up to expectations to me. Score cards were way off, but the right guy won. Lederman's daughter is one of the judges and she's on my bad judge list.

Loma's always been criticized for starting slow and it bit him tonight. Lopez is too quick to let Loma around him like he's used to doing to opponents. Lopez dug down very deep in the middle rounds, had a solid game plan and stuck to it. He listens to his corner (his dad) and when he told him, when Loma comes in push him off of you if you're not punching him. Lopez proved tonight he's not all punching power but a very technical and smart boxer, like I saw out of him most fights. His speed is very underrated.

I'm so happy for him. He's always followed through on his predictions including that him and his dad said 2 years ago they'd be lightweight champs and a while back said they'd beat Loma, and people called them crazy. For some reason I started believing this kid with his brash predictions and put my $ on him tonight. I thought he'd KO Loma in the 6th as many predicted, but he played the fight the right way and got it done. And no one really knew what to expect in the championship rounds, and in the 12th with everything on the line, put his heart out there and snapped to attention and beat up Loma.

He'll move up in weight now, where there's sharks waiting. This will be fun...
 
Agree with my fellow boxing afficianatos above.
Kudos to Top Rank and ESPN for putting the most meaningful matchup of the year on free TV. And to the fighters for actually getting in the ring to compete against the best...
I had it 116-112 Lopez.
Lopez too big and didn’t allow Loma to turn the lead shoulder. Like Ssbriefcase observed - pushed him back and made Loma set off the back foot. I thought Loma was also surprised by Lopez’s use of the uppercut to limit Vasily’s pivot to the left (and added risk if Loma tried to go to the body). Limited Loma‘s lateral options and forced him to engage straight in and out from the pocket (where Lopez had a big advantage). I believe that’s why Vasily did so little over the first six rds - damned if you do (get clipped with something clean) but you’re gonna get out pointed if you don’t... Excellent scouting and fight strategy by Teo’s camp. Lopez’s old man talked the talk and his boy walked the walk...
I was kinda disappointed that Loma didn’t shift gears before the 7th - try to overwhelm the bigger and stronger guy by just throwing punches in bunches from the pocket. Seemed his only chance. Maybe he didn’t feel it was worth the risk; felt Lopez’s power, size, speed and reflexes. Teo didn’t seem bothered by Loma’s punching power at all (even late). Maybe he just “got old” and couldn’t... Loma’s body language in the post fight interview didn’t exactly scream “I’m confident I can lick this guy and want a rematch...” Maybe he retires. All the top guys at Jr Light and Featherweight are with PBC and Golden Boy (except Berchelt); options are limited...
As for Lopez, really impressed and has a big future. Looking forward to watching him jump up to Jr Welt and Welter. As well as the older, more established fighters at 147 (Spence, Bud, Manny), there are a couple of young guys (Ennis, Vergil Ortiz) that will make compelling matchups. Maybe Mikey Garcia, who was too small for Spence but might be perfect for Teo early next year (If Arum will do business with Garcia again). Lopez and his team don’t seem to be afraid to take on the best...
Can’t wait to see where he goes from here...
 
Great synopsis as usual guys. Love reading the different angles I didn't think of. Yeah the log jam at Jr. Welter and Welter is gonna continue to give us good matchups. JAXCUSE, I'm glad you seem to have a good handle on which promoters will and won't do business and why. I try and learn that stuff by listening to different people, (I watch all Max on boxing episodes) and they explain a little, but I really get into the weeds on that topic beyond the surface.

Now on to Halloween, should be at least 1 very good fight. G. Davis v Santa Cruz and Inoue v Moloney if nothing else just to watch Inoue. Although Moloney said he's going to take Inoue's head off. Lol
 
Agree with my fellow boxing afficianatos above.
Kudos to Top Rank and ESPN for putting the most meaningful matchup of the year on free TV. And to the fighters for actually getting in the ring to compete against the best...
I had it 116-112 Lopez.
Lopez too big and didn’t allow Loma to turn the lead shoulder. Like Ssbriefcase observed - pushed him back and made Loma set off the back foot. I thought Loma was also surprised by Lopez’s use of the uppercut to limit Vasily’s pivot to the left (and added risk if Loma tried to go to the body). Limited Loma‘s lateral options and forced him to engage straight in and out from the pocket (where Lopez had a big advantage). I believe that’s why Vasily did so little over the first six rds - damned if you do (get clipped with something clean) but you’re gonna get out pointed if you don’t... Excellent scouting and fight strategy by Teo’s camp. Lopez’s old man talked the talk and his boy walked the walk...
I was kinda disappointed that Loma didn’t shift gears before the 7th - try to overwhelm the bigger and stronger guy by just throwing punches in bunches from the pocket. Seemed his only chance. Maybe he didn’t feel it was worth the risk; felt Lopez’s power, size, speed and reflexes. Teo didn’t seem bothered by Loma’s punching power at all (even late). Maybe he just “got old” and couldn’t... Loma’s body language in the post fight interview didn’t exactly scream “I’m confident I can lick this guy and want a rematch...” Maybe he retires. All the top guys at Jr Light and Featherweight are with PBC and Golden Boy (except Berchelt); options are limited...
As for Lopez, really impressed and has a big future. Looking forward to watching him jump up to Jr Welt and Welter. As well as the older, more established fighters at 147 (Spence, Bud, Manny), there are a couple of young guys (Ennis, Vergil Ortiz) that will make compelling matchups. Maybe Mikey Garcia, who was too small for Spence but might be perfect for Teo early next year (If Arum will do business with Garcia again). Lopez and his team don’t seem to be afraid to take on the best...
Can’t wait to see where he goes from here...


I HATE the way boxing is organized. To get a match the public really wants you have to get fighters, managers, promoters, networks and the ruling bodies all on the same page. Otherwise it's the guy you've heard of vs. the guy you haven't heard of. Imagine if other sports were organized like that. You'd love to see the Patriots vs. the Chiefs but it has to be OK with the players, coaches, owners, leagues and networks first. Maybe 5 years from now...
 
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What did everybody think of Edgar Berlanga, who now has a record of 15-0 with 15 first round knock-outs?
he was on the undercard. He's big and strong for a super middleweight and will likely be a light heavy or cruiser weight. He bloodied up his opponent, although the stoppage seemed early, (I don't think it would have changed the result). He still seems kind of raw and I don't recognize the names of anybody he's beaten.


 
What did everybody think of Edgar Berlanga, who now has a record of 15-0 with 15 first round knock-outs?
he was on the undercard. He's big and strong for a super middleweight and will likely be a light heavy or cruiser weight. He bloodied up his opponent, although the stoppage seemed early, (I don't think it would have changed the result). He still seems kind of raw and I don't recognize the names of anybody he's beaten.


I might've sent more texts to friends about him last night than the main event. Incredible, with very heavy hands.
 
I might've sent more texts to friends about him last night than the main event. Incredible, with very heavy hands.

He looked like the bad guy in a boxing movie - the one that makes you fearful that he'll be too much for the hero.

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What did everybody think of Edgar Berlanga, who now has a record of 15-0 with 15 first round knock-outs?
he was on the undercard. He's big and strong for a super middleweight and will likely be a light heavy or cruiser weight. He bloodied up his opponent, although the stoppage seemed early, (I don't think it would have changed the result). He still seems kind of raw and I don't recognize the names of anybody he's beaten.


Reminds me of a young John “The Beast” Mugabi (from the mid 80’s). Opponents just seem to buckle every time he touches them...
Arum has been moving him slowly though. Probably for good reason too (not much of an amateur career, if I remember correctly). Allot of talent out there from 156-175. I like 1st Rd KO’s as much as anyone, but hope to see him tested against higher level competition soon.
 
Wow what a fight and KO tonight with Davis vs Santa Cruz!! That's KO of the year no doubt. Two very different fighters, who leading up to the fight showed a lot of respect for one another. The fight was great through 6 until the wind up upper cut from Davis.

Inoue also won with a KO of Moloney in the 7th, I didn't get to see that one. Usyk also won. Great couple of weeks for boxing.
 
Couldn’t agree more...
Glad Tank-Leo lived up to the hype. I thought Leo, with volume, gave Davis all he could handle until the end. Two great one punch uppercut KO’s recently (Povetkin-Whyte too). Would like to see Mayweather match Davis with a talent more natural weight early next year.
Monster just overwhelmed Moloney. Arum needs to move him to Jr Feather for more competition.
Usyk looked rusty early to me (understandable). Had trouble with Chisora’s size. I sense Hearn (DAZN) wants to match Usyk with Joshua next year (instead of Fury - Booooo - more promoter politics). I think Joshua is too big for Usyk. But I guess we’ll see...
 
Just watched the Canelo Alvarez - Callum Smith fight. It was obvious from early on that Smith couldn't hurt Alvarez and that every punch Alvarez through hurt Smith. Even the ones that were blocked moved Smith back. they showed Smith walking back to his dressing room after the fight and his arm was badly swollen. there was talk of a detached muscle and that he'll be on the shelf for a while. Smith through a lot of punches by Canelo walked right through them. Smith was fighting a pillow fight, Alvarez a slugfest.

Still, Smith was game and made it through the bout on his feet, (he's never been knocked down). I gave him one round - the second when Alvarez was still trying to figure his man out and Smith was very active with his jabs and combinations. They can still score even if they don't hurt the other guy. I also made two rounds ever: the first, which had minimal action and the sixth, when Smith was somewhat busier. they had a discussion about even rounds when their scorer grade one even. The announcer said that the boxing commissions discourage even rounds and added that if you found one, you'd have to find half the rounds even. I've never found half the rounds in a fight even but I do believe that if a round was not won decisively or had minimal action, it should not play a role in determining who won the fight. In this case Canelo had 9 other rounds, including the last 6 that he clearly won so i graded it 119-111. Two of the official judges had it 119-109 and the third had it 117-111, so I wasn't far off.

In the post fight analysis, one of DAZN's journalists argued that Canelo is clearly the #1 pound for pound fighter in the world "because he has the best resume". I still think Bud Crawford is #1 because he ahs the most talent and put Errol Spence second. But Alvarez seems to be getting better and better. He's only 30. The question is: who should he fight next? GGG looked pretty good last night but does the public want a third fight between them? There's Demetrius Andrade, who was mouthing off in the post fight interviews, and the Charlo brothers. Do Billy Joe Saunders or Caleb Plant excite you? Spence, who looks like he ahs the body of a middleweight, says he'd like to fight Alvarez. I think he needs to fight Crawford first to establish who is the best welterweight.
 
Just watched the Canelo Alvarez - Callum Smith fight. It was obvious from early on that Smith couldn't hurt Alvarez and that every punch Alvarez through hurt Smith. Even the ones that were blocked moved Smith back. they showed Smith walking back to his dressing room after the fight and his arm was badly swollen. there was talk of a detached muscle and that he'll be on the shelf for a while. Smith through a lot of punches by Canelo walked right through them. Smith was fighting a pillow fight, Alvarez a slugfest.

Still, Smith was game and made it through the bout on his feet, (he's never been knocked down). I gave him one round - the second when Alvarez was still trying to figure his man out and Smith was very active with his jabs and combinations. They can still score even if they don't hurt the other guy. I also made two rounds ever: the first, which had minimal action and the sixth, when Smith was somewhat busier. they had a discussion about even rounds when their scorer grade one even. The announcer said that the boxing commissions discourage even rounds and added that if you found one, you'd have to find half the rounds even. I've never found half the rounds in a fight even but I do believe that if a round was not won decisively or had minimal action, it should not play a role in determining who won the fight. In this case Canelo had 9 other rounds, including the last 6 that he clearly won so i graded it 119-111. Two of the official judges had it 119-109 and the third had it 117-111, so I wasn't far off.

In the post fight analysis, one of DAZN's journalists argued that Canelo is clearly the #1 pound for pound fighter in the world "because he has the best resume". I still think Bud Crawford is #1 because he ahs the most talent and put Errol Spence second. But Alvarez seems to be getting better and better. He's only 30. The question is: who should he fight next? GGG looked pretty good last night but does the public want a third fight between them? There's Demetrius Andrade, who was mouthing off in the post fight interviews, and the Charlo brothers. Do Billy Joe Saunders or Caleb Plant excite you? Spence, who looks like he ahs the body of a middleweight, says he'd like to fight Alvarez. I think he needs to fight Crawford first to establish who is the best welterweight.

I thought Smith’s height would bother Canelo, but I was wrong... I agree, Callum didn’t have enough firepower to keep Alvarez at distance. And that was the fight... As Ssbriefcase once mentioned, Canelo’s team picks opponents because they see something they can exploit.

Even though Smith was outclassed, I thought Alvarez displayed the very rare ability to pressure a bigger opponent, close distance continuously with an educated jab and not absorb punches when doing so. Subtly changes style from opponent to opponent. Very skilled - a complete package in his prime. And the biggest “name” draw in boxing (tip of the cap to Manny). While I like/respect Bud, Spence (and Monster and Fury and some of the young guys like Teo, Tank, Ortiz, Ennis and Shakur), on resume alone, he’s my P4P top guy right now. While GGG looked good against a very tailor-made, limited opponent yesterday, I do not see anyone beating Canelo from 160 thru 168 right now.

You are right - the problem is there are no “really marketable” opponents (other than Golovkin) at weight. I think 175 is too big for Alvarez (Beterbiev and Bivol) and Spence/Crawford aren’t ready to jump up yet. Canelo (he’s a promotional free agent now) could go after Benevidez or Charlo or Boo Boo, but not sure any would stir “super fight” interest (or maximum payday). But, I’m still gonna watch him - no matter who he fights.
 
You guys covered this well, I'll just add, from absolutely getting nothing done in terms of not being effective with punches or defense, Smith has got to be one of the most prepared and conditioned fighters I've seen in some time. It's absolutely amazing, and I think Canelo thought so too, that he made it through the fight. That guy took some really hard shots.

Yeah I don't know where he goes from here, Plant I've heard, but like SWC said nothing really excites me, maybe Charlo? Spence came out of nowhere to say he wanted to fight Canelo, and he said it multiple times, first I've ever heard that being mentioned. Everyone knows the fight we all want to see, and Spence said they could possibly make it happen if Al and Bob sit down and Bob stops lying. Lol. In 2 weeks a really good fight I can't wait to watch is Ryan Garcia v Luke Campbell, with Garcia being the slight favorite right now.
 
You guys covered this well, I'll just add, from absolutely getting nothing done in terms of not being effective with punches or defense, Smith has got to be one of the most prepared and conditioned fighters I've seen in some time. It's absolutely amazing, and I think Canelo thought so too, that he made it through the fight. That guy took some really hard shots.

Yeah I don't know where he goes from here, Plant I've heard, but like SWC said nothing really excites me, maybe Charlo? Spence came out of nowhere to say he wanted to fight Canelo, and he said it multiple times, first I've ever heard that being mentioned. Everyone knows the fight we all want to see, and Spence said they could possibly make it happen if Al and Bob sit down and Bob stops lying. Lol. In 2 weeks a really good fight I can't wait to watch is Ryan Garcia v Luke Campbell, with Garcia being the slight favorite right now.


Garcia's combo of skill and cockiness could make him a big draw in the future. SI's already done a print article on him. The lightweight division is exploding with talent right now.
 
Between all the football and basketball games I checked in on the boxing on DAZN. I saw some of both Alvarado brothers and most of the Ryan Garcia fight, although I missed the knockdown of the cocky young pretty boy. (That's not a criticism: boxing needs all the cocky young pretty boys it can get). All three fights were full of action and got 2021 off to a great start.

Felix Alvarado was clearly better than his opponent but there was plenty of action in that fight. it ended with a TKO as the ref stopped the punishment of the game but out-gunned DeeJay Kriel. Kriel was hopelessly behind on points and obviously didn't have the punch needed to get a knockout. He was still swinging but there was no point to risking his getting seriously hurt, which is something we've seen too often in boxing. It's the brave but overmatched guys who are in the most danger in the sport. You are much better off being kayoed in the early rounds than late if it's going to happen.

Rene Alvarado had knocked out Roger Gutierrez in seven rounds three years ago but Roger reversed that result tonight, winning a 12 round decision. It was the hardest kind of fight to judge: three knockdowns all of Alvarado, but Rene won most of the rounds when he wasn't knocked down. All three cards had Gutierrez the winner by the same score 113-112. Two the knockdowns came in round three, making it a 10-7 round. Alvarado rallied at the end of that round and won at least the next three. But is winning three rounds really the equivalent of losing a round 7-10? Not in the impression it leaves, anyway.

When I tuned in to the Garcia fight, they were showing the replay of Ryan getting floored in the second round and I would have grabbed the popcorn at that point if I had any. But he shook it off and used his superior hand speed to rack up the rounds after that. Then he got to Campbell in the 7th with a liver shot that basically paralyzed him for more than a 10 count. (How often have we seen that in recent boxing?) Afterwards, he thanked Campbell for knocking him down so he could prove that he could take it and come back to win. I was impressed with that. He seems like a coming star in a division, (the lightweights), that already has several of them. One concern: they noted that Garcia didn't show much head movement but said that he made up for it in hand speed. the best defense is often a good offense but against the competition he's got coming up, (Teofimo Lopez, Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney) that formula may not be so successful.
 
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Good card today on DAZN and main event Garcia-Campbell was excellent - exciting finish and “coming out party” for Garcia.
To his credit, the kid proved that he’s more than just an internet celebrity - showed some chops by getting off the deck early, adjusted his attack angles and put a whipping on a pretty decent 135 lb gatekeeper.
Agree with SWC75 - Ryan‘s footwork needs improvement and he better learn to roll the shoulder and tuck that chin. Maybe more time with the trainer and less time posing on Instagram...
But, I like his offensive skill set - fast hands, athletic, reflexes, initiates contact, sets down on hard punches in bunches. Might have more upside and room to grow than some of the other young guns in the division (although would favor Lopez, Tank, Haney and Stevenson over him right now). One good thing for fight fans - Golden Boy will do cross-promotional business. Not optimistic about PBC (Davis), but maybe Oscar can get Hearn to line up Haney on DAZN later this year.
 
So for the undercard fights, I watched bits and pieces, I know terrible for watching boxing, but had to get stuff done before the main event. The kid did show heart getting up. I had my $ on Garcia by decision. He punches hard, and has good speed, but it was glaring how inexperienced and flawed he was. His flat feet and them saying he's got speed to make up for it, won't offset a more game opponent much. Also he stands straight up and leaves his entire body exposed (him being 5'11" doesn't help), which Campbell did a great job of showing that with his body work. Also the lack of head movement. That said, I was also happy about him going to Campbell afterwards and what he told him. He learned, and that's the best he could gain from that fight.

I took note of one thing Garcia mentioned, he saw on all Campbells fights, he always backs up and is never the aggressor. I wonder how much of a factor it was in his camp (again Canelo camp involvement) picking Campbell. Although maybe it's not as big a factor since he called out Tank and Haney. I think this kids in over his head against either, but glad to see the youngster wanting to get in the mix. Very curious to see if he adjusts those weaknesses for the next fight, if not he might not get up the next time. It was also good I didn't hear him even mention Lopez, they're not in the same universe. It's going to get very interesting sooner than later though with this kid, he's young, growing and 5'11", he's not sticking around 135 for long, and boy are these divisions getting crammed with great competition. Great for us fans, '21 and beyond look GREAT in the sport.
 
Sick KO of Berchelt by Oscar Valdez...
Great fight strategy by Reynoso and the Valdez camp.
Early Knockout of the Year candidate.
 
Just saw Oscar Valdez literally punch Miguel Berchelt's lights out. Very surprising result as Berchelt d been a very rough customer for several years and all the predictions had him the winner. He was the bigger man but was slow both of foot and hand. Valdez moved in and out, dodging Miquel's punches and countering with hard shots. He staggered Berchelt several times in the 4th and scored an official knockdown when Berchelt was held up by the ropes. It appeared that Berchelt recovered over the next couple of rounds but then Oscar started landing some big shots again. Berchelt didn't seem to know how to do anything but come forward but his punches didn't have anything like their normal kick. Valdez scored a full knockdown in the 9th and caught Miguel lunging in the 10th with a left hook that dropped the champ onto his face. Berchelt was out cold for several minutes. They had to get him up in stages. he was able to congratulate Valdez but was still sitting down. he's on his way to the hospital now.

Valdez now drops the amazing list of young and talented fighters in the Jr. Lightweight and Lightweight divisions, including Teofimo Lopez, Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia and Shakur Stevenson.

 
Well, the Canelo-Yildirim sparring session went as expected on DAZN tonight.
Predictable - nothing more than a stay busy fight.
Billy Joe Saunders should present a few more obstacles in May...
 

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