END OF THE YEAR MUSINGS

Hey Doug,

So, 2016 is coming to an end and I’ve got to say it really wasn’t such a bad year. Sure, certain fights weren’t made and Manny Pacquaio came back, but there’s been a few pluses. No Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight, some great scraps (Roman Gonzalez-Carlos Cuadras, Orlando Salido-Francisco Vargas, Carl Frampton-Leo Santa Cruz II), Al Haymon guys actually taking on some challenges and a decent first quarter schedule already in place for 2017.

Looking back and into the next 12 months my eye test tells me Vasyl Lomachenko & Terence Crawford are the two best fighters in the game right now and will further create distance in 2017 and beyond. GGG & Chocolatito never disappoint and should be treasured by all (though oddly, they aren’t) and Sergey Kovalev proved himself as a top, top fighter again by thrashing Andre Ward. That’s about as good a top 5 pound for pound as this sport has had in a LONG time. Ward can retire for all I care. Awful style, boring personality and really besides another loss to Kovalev (this time official) who cares to see him fight again?

Onto 2017 and some quick questions –

James DeGale-Badou Jack – I can’t pick a winner. About as 50/50 as I can remember. DeGale, I get the feeling, fights to his opponent’s level because every fight seems a little more competitive than it should be. How do you see this one unfolding?

What do you want to see out of Chocolatito? Rightfully he wants more $$ for Cuadras II. Great fight, but hard for me to get overly excited for a re-match to a clear 116-112 fight (see Frampton-Santa Cruz). Juan Estrada is on the mend and though Naoya Inoue is in the mix is he really going to get enough HBO money to fight outside of Japan right now?

If no Pacquaio for Crawford, where does Bud go?

Assuming Anthony Joshua faces Wlad Klitschko and then (if he wins) Luis Ortiz, then (if he wins) one either of Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder or David Haye would you expect him to enter 2018 as unbeaten? And if he does, do you expect him to be boxing’s biggest attraction?

Cheers and have a great New Year! – Chris Smith, Norwalk, CA

I wouldn’t expect Joshua to remain unbeaten facing that gauntlet in 2017 but if he did (and it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility that he could go 3-0 vs. any combination of that opposition) I believe those three victories (especially if his third opponent was Fury or Wilder) would not only elevate him to boxing’s biggest attraction but also earn him universal recognition as THE heavyweight champ.

If no Pacquaio for Crawford, where does Bud go? Bob Arum says he’s looking at a June return for Senator Pac. If Team Pacquiao isn’t interested in Crawford as a dance partner, my guess is that Arum might be willing to look outside of the Top Rank stable for a suitable challenge for Bud (provided that opponent had enough name recognition, such as Adrien Broner). An interesting in-house matchup that could be made for Crawford is a showdown with Tim Bradley at 147 pounds.

What do you want to see out of Chocolatito? I’d love to see Gonzalez fight more than twice a year, to be honest. I’m not that concerned about his opponents because I know that everyone in the junior bantamweight top 10 can fight his ass off and will provide a stern challenge to the newly crowned 115-pound titleholder. Rematches with Cuadras and Estrada would be great, as would a pound-for-pound-level showdown with Inoue, but I’d be fine with Chocolatito vs. Kal Yafai, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (AKA Wisaksil Wangek), Jerwin Ancajas and/or McJoe Arroyo.

James DeGale-Badou Jack – I can’t pick a winner. Me neither, but I’m going with DeGale by close decision. However, I won’t be shocked or even surprised if the British boxer does enough to win in the eyes of most observers but still loses on the official scorecards.

Photo by Amanda Westcott / Showtime

(Vegas is Vegas and Jack is a Mayweather Promotions fighter.)

DeGale, I get the feeling, fights to his opponent’s level because every fight seems a little more competitive than it should be. I agree. I think he’s gotten a bit sloppy in his recent fights.

How do you see this one unfolding? I think DeGale will control the distance and tempo enough to land the flashier and more telling blows over 12 rounds, but I can also see him do just enough to lose one of those “either-way” type of decisions. Jack isn’t special in any one area but he’s solid all around and he’s consistent for three minutes of every round. That’s the type of fighter that can outwork an inconsistent talent like DeGale.

Sure, certain fights weren’t made and Manny Pacquaio came back, but there’s been a few pluses. Of course, there’s been some pluses. I’m happy 2016 is over because of the insufferable presidential race (and it’s awful media coverage) that took place, and because we lost so many icons this year (from Muhammad Ali to Prince to George Michael, Carrie Fisher and her mother), but I don’t agree with all the mopey fans that claim that it was a terrible 12 months for boxing.

… some great scraps (Roman Gonzalez-Carlos Cuadras, Orlando Salido-Francisco Vargas, Carl Frampton-Leo Santa Cruz II) … add to those three high-profile barnburners Thurman-Porter, Yamanaka-Moreno II, Soto Karass-Kamegai I, Whyte-Chisora, Easter-Commey, Linares-Crolla, Conlan-Nelson, Gassiev-Lebedev and Hasegawa-Ruiz and we’ve got 12 damn-good scraps, enough to average one per month. Not too shabby. But I’m hoping 2017 features even more good fights.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all the boxers, trainers, managers, promoters, and writers, past and present. Alive and deceased. One late Christmas request: Triple G and Canelo in 2017! – Mike

I’m not that tight with Santa Claus but I think you’re gonna get your Christmas wish and perhaps even two entertaining semi-final scraps (Golovkin-Jacobs and maybe Canelo-Chavez) en route to the middleweight showdown everyone wants to see.

2017 DREAM FIGHTS

Hey Doug,
I hope that you had a good Christmas and I hope that you have a good New Years.

For the last two years I’ve asked you to name your top 5 fights to be made in the new year, so once again Doug, what would be your top 5 fights to be made in 2017 and how do you see them going?

Thanks Doug. – Aaron, UK

Without much pondering I’ll go with:

Golovkin-Canelo (shocking first choice, right? Like about 85% of the boxing world I think GGG either grinds the Mexican star down to a late TKO or wins a decision, but I think Canelo will give him a real fight and do considerable damage of his own)

The Joshua-Klitschko winner vs. Deontay Wilder (I envision AJ and/or Wladdy getting up from an early knockdown to score a mid-to-late rounds stoppage)

Gonzalez-Estrada II (I think Chocolatito will win a very close, perhaps controversial, majority or split decision in another hard-fought battle)

Rigondeaux-Yamanaka (I favor Rigo by up-from-the-canvas mid-rounds KO in a shootout)

Linares-Lomachenko (I like Loma by close decision in a hotly contested high-speed chess match)

NEW YEAR’S WISH LIST

Hey Dougie,

I hope you had a good Christmas and are looking forward to a more exciting 2017. It’s that time again to do our yearly wish list (even though I missed last year) where I give you the list of the boxing matches I want to see the most and you give me the chance of the fight being made on a scale of 1-10 and your prediction of the result:

Anthony Joshua v David Haye at heavyweight

Oleksandr Usyk v Mutat Gassiev at cruiserweight

Sergei Kovalev v Andre Ward 2 at light heavyweight

James DeGale v George Groves 2 at super middleweight

Gennedy Golovkin v Saul Alvarez at middleweight

Keith Thurman v Errol Spence at welterweight

Manny Pacquiao v Terrance Crawford at light welterweight

Vasyl Lomachenko v Jorge Linares at lightweight

Carl Frampton v Gary Russell Jr. at featherweight

Naoya Inoue v Roman Gonzalez at light bantamweight

Ronan Knox. – Waterford, Ireland

That’s a good list, Ronan (you have one of the coolest names of all time, by the way). Here are my thoughts on these potential matchups:

Anthony Joshua v David Haye at heavyweight – 7.5, AJ by late TKO or decision

Oleksandr Usyk v Mutat Gassiev at cruiserweight – 7, Usyk by decision

Sergei Kovalev v Andre Ward 2 at light heavyweight – 6, Kovalev by decision

James DeGale v George Groves 2 at super middleweight – 4.5, Groves by split nod

Gennedy Golovkin v Saul Alvarez at middleweight – 9, GGG by late TKO or decision

Keith Thurman v Errol Spence at welterweight – 6, Thurman by controversial decision

Manny Pacquiao v Terrance Crawford at light welterweight – 8, Crawford by late TKO or decision in a competitive fight

Vasyl Lomachenko v Jorge Linares at lightweight – 3, Loma by close decision

Carl Frampton v Gary Russell Jr. at featherweight – 7, Frampton by close decision

Naoya Inoue v Roman Gonzalez at light bantamweight – 5.5, Gonzalez by close, hard-fought decision

THE DONS

I can’t believe that I turned on the TV and saw Don Trump giving a press conference with Don King standing beside Trump as King waved flags. I can’t take this crap. Even punch drunk boxers won’t stand by King. Two con artists and criminals. King was rejected by boxing and embraced by republicans. Enough said. – Eugene

It is what it is, Eugene. We gotta accept it and move on. (Funny how Ward’s gift decision over Kovalev still irks me more than Trump’s election, perhaps because The Don’s ascension was less of a surprise. Hey, maybe Trump will pull a Ward and consider retirement after his big victory.)

I thought it was nice to see that King and Trump still have each other’s backs after all these years. They did some serious business in A.C. during the late 1980s (just ask Mike Tyson).

If Trump wanted King to be one of his advisers I wouldn’t be outraged because A) he needs a little more “color” in his less-than-diverse cabinet-level nominees, and B) as f__ked up as King’s history is he’s still not as controversial as Sen. Jeff Sessions.

Even punch drunk boxers won’t stand by King. Nope, but I can think of a few that proudly stand by Trump.

BOXING 2017

Happy Holidays. Merry X-mas, Happy New Year, and all that good stuff Dougie.

Hey, wasn’t 2016 a great year for the sweet science, Doug? I mean we had sensational battles like Orlando Salido vs. Francisco Vargas, Chocolatito Gonzales vs. Carlos Cuadras, and Hozumi Hasegawa vs. Hugo Ruiz.  Great knockouts like Vasyl Lomachenko over Rocky Martinez, and Joes Smith’s over B-Hop and Andrzej Fonfara. And of course great overall performers like Lomachenko, Carl Frampton, and Bud Crawford.

2017 looks to be another promising year for boxing fans with Keith Thurman facing Danny Garcia, Triple G facing Daniel Jacobs, and Klitschko facing Anthony Joshua with other heavyweights (Deontay Wilder, Luis Ortiz, Joe Parker, and Alex Povetkin) poised for some inevitable showdowns. So I’d like to mention five fights I’d like to see in 2017; a new year’s wish list if you will:

Errol Spence, Jr. vs. Keith Thurman. Sometime in 2017, I believe that Spence will win some type of alphabet title. I also believe that Thurman will win his unification bout against Garcia. I believe that based on his recent form, Spence will take apart “One Time”, perhaps even by stoppage, and the welterweight division will have a new star.

Terence Crawford vs. Mikey Garcia. While many fans appear to be clamoring for Crawford to foray into the welterweight waters, they seem to be overlooking a potential superfight in his own 140-pound division. Garcia had been out of the loop for a few years, but was very impressive in his comeback bout. If he is equally impressive in his title fight against Zlaticanin, and I believe he will be, Bud need look no further. This would most likely be a competitive and entertaining scrap and the winner could possibly poised for a welterweight super showdown.

Demetrius Andrade vs. Canelo Alvarez. Have you noticed that the public is gradually beginning to lose interest in Canelo vs. Triple G? I think the pay-per-view buying is less likely to play the waiting game and fall for another Mayweather/Pacquiao scenario. Ring middleweight champ Canelo’s last three fights have been at junior middle. Enter Andrade, a supremely talented junior middleweight with a U.S.  Olympic pedigree. He looks to have the goods as indicated by his four knockdown stoppage of worthwhile challenger Willie Nelson who has never been stopped. It is my belief that Andrade has the speed, skills, and power to unseat Canelo as the world’s number junior middleweight and his victory could very well publicize him as a more than legitimate pay-per-view challenger to Golovkin.

Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder. Out with the old and in with the new era of heavyweight prizefighters. I’m saying that AJ will dispose of the forty something heavyweight legend Wladimir Klitschko they way a young powerhouse is supposed to. Klitschko hasn’t fought in a year and looked dreadful his last time out anyway. Wilder, on the mend from surgeries returns in February. 54 wins, no losses, no draws, and 53 knockouts between them. A new superstar will be born. I’ve fantasized about his matchup since both fighters were prospects about three years ago.

Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Manny Pacquiao. This potential bout could very well be this era’s Pacquiao-De La Hoya. Internationally and domestically, Loma is on the verge of becoming boxing’s next transcendent star. A sensational victory over current international star Pacquiao would serve as a worldwide showcase for “Hi-Tech”s superlative skillset. The pages of The Ring and of course “The Mailbag” indicate how rapidly Loma’s following is growing. I think a pay-per-view superstar is being born right before our eyes. Of all the fights on my list, this one may be the likeliest to occur in 2017 because Arum is already discussing it at a catchweight in the 140s.

Hey Doug, I know I’m an optimist, but these bouts, if they come to fruition, could establish several crossover stars, and possibly bring our sport to the popularity it enjoyed in the 80s and 90s.

I’ll close with a few MMs: Pacquiao vs Azumah Nelson at junior light, Nelson vs. Lomachenko also at junior light, Terry Norris vs Mike McCallum at junior middle, and Lennox Lewis vs Larry Holmes at Heavy. Happy New Year Doug! – Todd Elliot from Brooklyn

I’ll go with Nelson by close but unanimous decision, Lomachenko by split decision, McCallum by mid-to-late TKO and Holmes by close decision or late KO.

I like that you’re an optimist (and that you haven’t forgotten about the many good fights that took place in 2016 as too many so-called hardcore fans have), but even if those dream fights took place and each one was a Fight of the Year candidate it wouldn’t be enough to push boxing into the popularity it enjoyed in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Here are my thoughts on your Fabulous Five fights for 2017:

Errol Spence, Jr. vs. Keith Thurman. I believe that Spence will win some type of alphabet title. So do I.

I also believe that Thurman will win his unification bout against Garcia. So do I (although I don’t expect it to be a walk in the park for Thurmy).

I believe that based on his recent form, Spence will take apart “One Time”, perhaps even by stoppage, and the welterweight division will have a new star. We’ll see. If they were to fight next year I think Spence’s heavy hands (and feet) would be full with Thurman. For starters, Spence has never been cracked an opponent that could match his power. And maybe it’s just a hunch on my part but I think he will have trouble with a moving target.

Terence Crawford vs. Mikey Garcia. While many fans appear to be clamoring for Crawford to foray into the welterweight waters, they seem to be overlooking a potential superfight in his own 140-pound division. If Crawford-Garcia happened next year it would be an anticipated fight in the boxing world but it wouldn’t come close to “superfight” status. Crawford is only an attraction in Omaha at the present time and I’m not even sure if Garcia can draw in Southern California.

Garcia had been out of the loop for a few years, but was very impressive in his comeback bout. If he is equally impressive in his title fight against Zlaticanin, and I believe he will be, Bud need look no further. I know that Garcia is a favorite among hardcore heads and purists, and I also believe he will beat Dejan Zlaticanin, but let’s wait until he actually lifts the WBC 135-pound title from that little badass before we pencil him in against the likes of Crawford, Lomachenko and Linares.

Demetrius Andrade vs. Canelo Alvarez. Have you noticed that the public is gradually beginning to lose interest in Canelo vs. Triple G? No, not really.

Ring middleweight champ Canelo’s last three fights have been at junior middle. He has indeed been walking that razor’s edge between junior middle and middleweight but it looks like he’s ready to finally fight above 155 pounds with his potential matchups for 2017 (Chavez Jr. Saunders, GGG).

Enter Andrade, a supremely talented junior middleweight with a U.S. Olympic pedigree. Boo Boo was also a world amateur champion.

It is my belief that Andrade has the speed, skills, and power to unseat Canelo as the world’s number junior middleweight and his victory could very well publicize him as a more than legitimate pay-per-view challenger to Golovkin. Andrade is the goods. I wouldn’t count him out against any of the top 154 pounders, and that includes Canelo, Erislandy Lara, Jermall and Jermell Charlo and Miguel Cotto. However, his lack of activity (for a variety of reasons) has hurt his profile. Only diehard nut jobs like you and I talk about Andrade. He needs more fans and career momentum in order to entice the bigger names to accept his challenges.

Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder. I’m saying that AJ will dispose of the forty something heavyweight legend Wladimir Klitschko the way a young powerhouse is supposed to. I hope you’re right but we’ll see.

Wilder, on the mend from surgeries returns in February. 54 wins, no losses, no draws, and 53 knockouts between them. A new superstar will be born. That showdown would definitely capture the imagination of the boxing public (perhaps even the general sports fans) on both sides of the Pond. The winner would indeed be one of – if not THE – biggest stars of the sport.

I’ve fantasized about his matchup since both fighters were prospects about three years ago. I believe you. (I could add a few vulgar quips but I won’t go there. I like you and your enthusiasm, Todd.)

Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Manny Pacquiao. This potential bout could very well be this era’s Pacquiao-De La Hoya. I’m pretty sure that’s what Arum is hoping it can be. And that’s OK.

Internationally and domestically, Loma is on the verge of becoming boxing’s next transcendent star. Not really. Dude’s last fight was in a ballroom, but he’s certainly the toast of HBO and the hardcore boxing community at the present time. He needs an established superstar like Pacquiao to launch him into casual fan consciousness (just like Pac – and Floyd Mayweather Jr., Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley – needed De La Hoya).

A sensational victory over current international star Pacquiao would serve as a worldwide showcase for “Hi-Tech”s superlative skillset. Agreed.

I think a pay-per-view superstar is being born right before our eyes. It’s not going to happen overnight. Even if Loma got Pac into the ring and beat the future hall of famer in sensational fashion, he would still need to follow-up that victory with more impressive PPV main event performances (just as Pacquiao did against Ricky Hatton and Cotto after his De La Hoya win).

Of all the fights on my list, this one may be the likeliest to occur in 2017 because Arum is already discussing it at a catchweight in the 140s. I don’t see it happening next year, maybe in 2018. Lomachenko has yet to fight at 135 pounds and doesn’t seem to be in a rush to do so, while Pacquiao has yet to show that he’s willing to drop all the way back down to 140 pounds.

BIG BABY

Hi Dougie,

I was very sad about the passing of Ali. I knew him and Veronica in the 80s and am so glad that I had that privilege. I agreed that Bryant Jennings was taken off The Ring heavyweight top ten rankings but wonder why Dillian Whyte was the one to replace him? I think Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller is highly underrated. He is fast for a big guy and hits like a jackhammer! Takes a good punch and has good skills. His defense is probably the area needing most improvement but isn’t that bad either. I know he hasn’t fought any of the top 10 guys but that’s not his fault. He can’t get any of them to fight him. May just be the money. I’d really love to know what you think about ‘Big Baby’. His skills and what you see in his future.  Keep writing. – Mike

I think Miller has a lot of talent and personality, and I think he can be a welcome addition to the elite heavyweight mix once he gets the opportunity to prove that he belongs. He hasn’t done so yet. Whyte wasn’t a popular choice to replace Jennings in THE RING’s heavyweight top 10 but the British fighter (who is currently No. 10) is more battle tested than Big Baby thanks to his scraps with Anthony Joshua and Derek Chisora. 

Come to think of it, I’d love to see Whyte vs. Miller. Both are confident modern-sized heavies (6-foot-4, 74-inch wingspan, 250 pounds-plus) with the gift of jab AND gab. 

Email Fischer at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @dougiefischer