A POSITIVE OUTLOOK

Hi Doug,

Forget all these whining so called ‘hardcore fans’ lately, what a great couple of weeks for boxing!

Joshua V Klitschko…what more can be said that hasn’t been already. It may be THE fight that catapulted boxing back to mainstream attention, even if only temporarily. What are your thoughts on Luke Campbell? I was keen as for his fight against Darleys Perez and after some trouble in the early rounds, seemed to be well on his way to a stoppage victory of a different kind. Is he the oldest prospect in boxing? Where do you see him going from here.

I may be in the minority here but I actually enjoyed the Canelo V Chavez Jr PPV card. First of all, it was awesome to hear you and Beto Duran on the international commentary. My old man laughed out loud when you said Chavez’s corner need to ‘light a fire under his arse’ and he doesn’t enjoy any commentary….ever. You got his vote and mine, any chance you’ll be doing future international broadcast commentary?

From Lucas Matthysse looking great and carrying that power up to 66kgs to Lemieux beating the crap out of the tough as nails Marcos Reyes (seriously, how tough is this guy?), I was pumped for the main event. One thing Canelo always does from fight to fight is improve. Granted it was easy to look good against a super hesitant Chavez Jr, but I thought Canelo’s superior skills in the first 2 rounds sapped Chavez Jr of whatever confidence he could muster after the weight cut. The point being, if this is what it took for Canelo to feel comfortable to take a fight against GGG…. I can live with it. It sucks that the fight wasn’t as competitive as was hoped for but that is sport. The appeal is that you never know with any certainty what outcome you will get. GGG V Canelo? I am almost certain will make up for it.

The road to September 16 is going to be awesome, throw in Brook V Spence, Kovalev V Ward 2 and Pac V Horn (I’m hoping the Maloney twins get on the card and can receive some great exposure overseas) along the way…what is there to complain about? Great fights leading up to the most talked about fight of the last 2 years going down, I can’t wait!

Thanks for all the content Doug (‘Between The Ropes’ with Steve Kim is a winner) and all the best to you and your family.

Enjoy the ride to GGG V Canelo! Thanks again. – Zack, Melbourne, AUS

You know I will, Zack. If I can’t enjoy the ride to that mega-fight/event I don’t need to be covering boxing for a living and I sure as hell shouldn’t consider myself a fan. I’m hopeful that Pacquiao-Horn can help jumpstart Australia’s boxing scene (and also continue to show the world that our sport can put butts in the seats of major venues like the best of the entertainment world) and that Brook-Spence and Ward-Kovalev II deliver.

Thanks for the kind words for my family, RingTV content and the Between The Ropes series. A new BTR episode (with a Canelo-Chavez Jr. recap and an interview with GBP Prez Eric Gomez on the making of Canelo-Golovkin) should be posted by the time this column goes live.

What are your thoughts on Luke Campbell? I think the 2012 Olympic gold medalist has rebounded well from his decision loss to Yvan Mendy in December 2015 and has exhibited solid technique and grit in going 5-0 (including legit tests against Argenis Mendez and Perez) since the setback. I don’t think southpaw is quite ready for the top dogs of the 135-pound division but I believe he’s on his way (maybe in three or four bouts).

Is he the oldest prospect in boxing? I don’t consider the 29-year-old commonwealth champ a prospect. He earned the WBA’s No. 1 spot with the Perez victory and he’s near the top of the WBC’s lightweight rankings. He’s just outside of THE RING’s 135-pound top 10.

Where do you see him going from here? Well, he’s the mandatory challenger for Jorge Linares’ WBA title, so I expect him to fight a tune-up or two while he awaits his shot and then take on the Venezuelan in the UK later this year. However, I don’t think he’s ready for Linares yet. Despite his age, I wouldn’t have him go for a world title this year, I’d aim for 2018 if I were managing his career.

I may be in the minority here but I actually enjoyed the Canelo V Chavez Jr PPV card. You’re not alone, you just have the balls to admit that you had fun watching a pay-per-view show even though the main event flopped because you’re not trying be “Hardcore Harry,” “Mr. Cynical,” or act like an “expert.” It was a solid event until Chavez Jr.’s lack of effort.

First of all, it was awesome to hear you and Beto Duran on the international commentary. Thank you! I’m glad you got a chance to hear it and I hopefully I didn’t sound too tire. It had been long week of coverage and commentary, so by the time Canelo and Junior climbed in the ring I was a bit weary (but lucky for me, Beto does the heavy lifting during the fight broadcasts).

My old man laughed out loud when you said Chavez’s corner need to ‘light a fire under his arse’ and he doesn’t enjoy any commentary…. ever. Hey, that’s probably the best commentary compliment I’ve ever received. Your old man’s alright!

You got his vote and mine, any chance you’ll be doing future international broadcast commentary? For sure, but there’s nothing scheduled for the near future.

From Lucas Matthysse looking great and carrying that power up to 66kgs to Lemieux beating the crap out of the tough as nails Marcos Reyes (seriously, how tough is this guy?), I was pumped for the main event. I was too. I really thought Chavez Jr. had a reason to fight his heart out. I should have known better. Oh well, why dwell on a guy who really doesn’t want to be a professional boxer when there are true fighters with world-class power and warrior spirit out there like The Machine and David Lemieux? Matthysse is a welcome addition to the welterweight division but if he can safely make 140 pounds, I think he can make more noise at junior welterweight. He’s a joy to watch. How tough is Reyes? Too damn tough for his own good.

One thing Canelo always does from fight to fight is improve. I agree.

Granted it was easy to look good against a super hesitant Chavez Jr, but I thought Canelo’s superior skills in the first 2 rounds sapped Chavez Jr of whatever confidence he could muster after the weight cut. I agree (again).

The point being, if this is what it took for Canelo to feel comfortable to take a fight against GGG…. I can live with it. Likewise.

It sucks that the fight wasn’t as competitive as was hoped for but that is sport. And when it comes to boxing pay-per-view shows, it’s always buyer beware.

GGG V Canelo? I am almost certain will make up for it. I guarantee it.

BOXING’S BIGGEST STAR

Hello Doug,

In the past two weeks we saw two of boxing’s stars in Anthony Joshua and Canelo, although only one fight delivered as advertised.

Who is the bigger superstar? I would say at this moment AJ is bigger in Europe while Canelo is bigger in U.S.A. I do think eventually AJ will be boxings biggest star. He’s an exciting heavyweight that speaks English which Canelo doesn’t do very well. I also believe there are more interesting fights at heavyweight then middleweight.

Mythical GGG-CANELO card:

GGG-CANELO

Sor Rungvisai-Gonzalez 2

Lemeiux-???

Matthysee-???

Mythical match ups:

Canelo v Sergio Martinez

Julian Jackson v GGG or Canelo

AJ v Ron Lyle

AJ v Earnie Shavers

Thanks. – Robbie

Interesting question about who is boxing’s No. 1 star, and interesting mythical matchups.

Canelo v Sergio Martinez – I think Canelo wins a narrow, maybe maj./split decision that is definitely controversial but also a good, brisk boxing match that exhibits some intense exchanges and a good measure of machismo. 

Julian Jackson v GGG or Canelo – Golovkin break JJ down to a mid-round TKO in a shootout; The Hawk clips Canelo for a come-from-behind mid-rounds KO.

AJ v Ron Lyle – I think the mid-70s version of Lyle would either take the still-green Joshua into deep water and drown him (late TKO) or draw the British star into a slugfest and get up from the canvas to stop him in the middle rounds.

AJ v Earnie Shavers – Joshua’s speed, technique, patience and newly proven guts and stamina overwhelm the always dangerous but plodding and comparatively slow super puncher to a mid-to-late rounds stoppage.

In the past two weeks we saw two of boxing’s stars in Anthony Joshua and Canelo, although only one fight delivered as advertised. True, but the underdog in Joshua’s fight came to win and showed balls, the underdog in Canelo’s fight didn’t.

Who is the bigger superstar? Good question, I think an argument could be made for either. I think Canelo might pull in a little more money with the U.S. PPV and his various sponsorship deals (mainly Tecate) and he might be seen in more households given the numbers that view him in Mexico, but I image Joshua is very close with the huge gates and PPVs in the UK. I’m not sure about his sponsorship situation but I imagine he’s got ‘em. 

I would say at this moment AJ is bigger in Europe while Canelo is bigger in U.S.A. Yeah, that’s fair. AJ is king in the UK and commands more headlines in Europe, while Canelo is the top attraction in North America.

I do think eventually AJ will be boxing’s biggest star. I don’t disagree.

He’s an exciting heavyweight that speaks English which Canelo doesn’t do very well. Canelo can probably speak better English than GGG, but since he chooses not to you’re correct in that it holds back his ability to crossover into mainstream U.S. consciousness.

I also believe there are more interesting fights at heavyweight then middleweight. This is a good point. There seems to be more of an “upside” to AJ’s future in the heavyweight division with future mega-fight showdowns with Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury on the menu. However, what if Canelo-GGG turns into a two- or three-fight series? What if Canelo comes out on top of that trilogy and then takes on the likes of David Lemieux, Daniel Jacobs, Billy Joe Saunders and Chris Eubank Jr.? (And don’t forget that Canelo is one year younger than Joshua.)

Mythical GGG-CANELO card:

GGG-CANELO

Sor Rungvisai-Gonzalez 2

Lemeiux-??? 

Matthysee-???

This lineup is actually quite possible, although my hunch is that K2 might want to make the SRR-Chocolatito rematch the main event of its own card (and also, GBP might want to save that co-featured spot for one of its top fighters). But we’ll see. You didn’t hear it from me, but the Lemmy vs. Jacobs matchup that everyone is salivating about isn’t out of the realm of possibility and The Machine will certainly be ready to return to action by Sept. 16.

WHAT COMES AFTER CANELO-GGG?

Hey Dougie,

Hope everything is good on your side.

Just a couple points I wanted to raise in regards to the upcoming Alvarez VS. GGG:

1) What would be the consequences of a loss for each fighter? I’m not too worried about Canelo. If he loses, yes, it would hurt his reputation. But the dude’s only 26. He’s got plenty of time to recover from the loss and go on to give us another 7-8 years of great fights. But GGG? He’s 35. It’s more or less now or never for him to cement his legacy. So if he loses, where does he go next?

2) What comes next for the winner? If GGG wins, that’s it, he’ll have done it. He becomes the undisputed king of the middleweight division, and most likely the P4P #1. So does he keep defending his MW titles, even though he pretty much beat everyone in the division? (Yeah, there’s still BJS, but I only see that fight going one way) Or does he move up in weight? And what about Lil Cinnamon? He also becomes king, but I feel like he would still have something to prove. So I wouldn’t mind seeing a fight between him and Jacobs or Lemieux (#CanadaVSMexico) Lol

Thanks for your hard work. And keep those “Between the Ropes” episodes coming! Cheers. – Chris, Ottawa, Canada

We will keep BTR coming, Chris, and hopefully the shows will become available as podcasts before the big Sept. 16 showdown.

What would be the consequences of a loss for each fighter? It all depends on how the fight goes. As we’ve seen recently with the Joshua-Klitschko fight, if a high-profile showdown exceeds expectations both the winner and the loser can be elevated within the sport. However, as we saw with Mayweather-Pacquiao, both the winner and loser can drop in stature and respect if the mega-fight matchup turns out to be an uneventful dud. If Canelo and GGG deliver an entertaining fight and give 100% on Sept. 16 I think both men will raise their profile within the boxing and sports worlds.

I’m not too worried about Canelo. If he loses, yes, it would hurt his reputation. But the dude’s only 26. He’s got plenty of time to recover from the loss and go on to give us another 7-8 years of great fights. It depends on how he loses, Chris. If the fight is close/controversial and Canelo comes out relatively unscathed, I think he will push for a rematch (which is in the contract if he loses). If he takes a serious beating it may take awhile for him to physically/psychologically recover (he may never be 100% again), and in the meantime his handlers would likely keep him away from GGG and from bangers like your boy Lemieux or brute-strong grinders like Khurtsidze and Tureano Johnson. But his youth, physical strength and skills should prevent him from being totally overwhelmed by GGG.

But GGG? He’s 35. Yeah, but he turned pro at age 25, and he hasn’t taken many beatings in the ring. Still, I’m sure the grind of the past few years has taken some kind of toll.

It’s more or less now or never for him to cement his legacy. So if he loses, where does he go next? Again, it depends on HOW he loses to Canelo. If the fight is close or controversial, I think his team will push for a rematch. If they can’t get an immediate return bout, I think they’ll target the highest available middleweight contenders of the sanctioning organizations and try to force one (or they might go for a vacant belt if Canelo decides not to fight for certain belts or decides not to hold onto them after he wins them). Taking this route could steer GGG to a rematch with Jacobs or a fight with the Ndam-Murata or Johnson-Derevyanchenko winners.

What comes next for the winner? Whatever the hell they want to do. They paid the cost to be the boss.

If GGG wins, that’s it, he’ll have done it. He becomes the undisputed king of the middleweight division, and most likely the P4P #1. If GGG wins, he’ll become the lineal and RING magazine champ, and he might be elevated to the consensus Numero Uno pound-for-pound spot, but he won’t be undisputed until he grabs that elusive WBO title.

So does he keep defending his MW titles, even though he pretty much beat everyone in the division? Maybe. The rematch with Jacobs is still out there, and some think the respected Brooklyn native deserved the nod in March, so that’s viable fight. Lemieux also wants a rematch with GGG, and if he keeps winning and kicking ass, more than a few fans will want to see the Montreal bomber get another shot. Golovkin might want to stick around just to break Hopkins’ division title defense record.

Or does he move up in weight? That’s possible. A fight with WBO 168-pound beltholder Gilberto Ramirez would draw very well in Texas, as would a showdown with IBF super middleweight titleholder James DeGale in London. I guess it depends on what kind of offers come GGG’s way.

And what about Lil Cinnamon? He also becomes king, but I feel like he would still have something to prove. So I wouldn’t mind seeing a fight between him and Jacobs or Lemieux. Sign me up for both of those matchups. Every standout in the middleweight division will want to challenge Canelo if he prevails against GGG.

THIS YEAR

2017 is already the year we wanted for 2015 & 2016. It’s about damn time. – Ceylon

Hey man, it was going to take some time for the sport to recover from the “Never-Ending Story” hangover.

But this year has been so darn packed with significant showdowns and performances that most fans have already forgotten about January fights like the DeGale-Jack super middleweight unification, Leo Santa Cruz’s rematch upset of Carl Frampton, Mikey Garcia’s brutal KO of Dejan Zlaticanin, Miguel Berchelt’s battle of attrition beatdown of Francisco Vargas and the Takashi Miura-Micky Roman Fight of the Year candidate. 

We haven’t even reached the sixth month of the year and we still have Brook-Spence as well as some solid title bouts (Crawford-Diaz, Russell-Escandon, Davis-Walsh, Ndam-Murata, Yaegashi-Melindo) on tap.

Good times.

THE BRAT IS BACK

Hello Dougie – Well, I don’t know about your week but mine has been $hit! I can’t believe that I went all the way over to my buddies house on Saturday night, drank his beer and offered to pay my part of the PPV fee (he didn’t have change for a $100 note so unlucky for him …) only to see Chavez throw that fight against Canelo. What a joke! Dougie, I want you to know I hold you personally responsible for this…you said it was going to be a competitive fight (maybe).

And why is Canelo fighting GGG? GGG is a has-been, past his prime, over-rated, over-hyped, paper champion from one of those countries where they don’t speak English very well. Look at his last 2 fights! He was clearly “exposed” by Kell Brook as Kell was winning until they had to stop the fight because his face was broken. And everyone knows that Daniel Jacobs’ fight was rigged! Pfffttt!

I think Canelo should drop down to welterweight and fight Manny Pacquiao. Now that’s the fight the fans want! A friend of mine told me that he heard from a guy, whose sister used to date a guy, who once went to the Wild Card Boxing Gym, that Freddy Roach said Manny would whoop GGG’s backside inside of 1 round at a catch weight of 133 lbs… I’d let my buddy pay for the PPV so I could see that fight! Why can’t you talk about that fight and how awesome it would be? …

Anyway, I can’t wait for McGregor/Mayweather… those guys will entertain the “true boxing fans”!

Ok I’ve got to go. Mum’s almost got my dinner ready… I’ve been trolling her on Twitter all day and she’s finally got her act together. – Spoiled Brat Boxing Fan, Singapore

Well said, SBBF, you had me crackin’ up with this. 

And, sadly, it ain’t far off from what I’ve read and heard from actual spoiled brats, hopeless mopes, insufferable know-it-alls, mindless cretins and members of the “doo-doo-graphic” (that segment of boxing fandom that can’t help but spew pure s__t every time they share their opinions) on social media.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE CRUISERWEIGHTS

Hi Doug,
Glad to see the cruiserweights will be in the spotlight with Schaefer’s World Boxing Super Series. Hope it’s a success as in my opinion it is the best division in boxing, always produces exciting fights, upsets and knockouts.

Which fighters would you like to see competing?

For me Denis Lebedev is still the best cruiserweight in the world and beat Gassiev, so I’d love to see him get a chance to prove it. such a warrior yet also a really underrated boxer.

Think the best line up would be something like: Usyk, Gassiev, Lebedev, Briedis, Dorticos, Makabu, Kudryashov, Kalenga. – Conrad, Sheffield

You can’t go wrong with that line-up, Conrad. It would be great if WBC “champ-in-recess” Grigory Drozd were healthy enough to come back to compete in the tournament. Krzysztof Glowacki is still player. As is his fellow Pole and former titleholder of the same first name Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (if he beats 22-0 Noel Gevor on May 20). Michael Hunter could add some much-needed American flavor to the tourney, if he were invited or chose to participate.

I don’t know if cruiserweight is THE best division in boxing, but it’s one of them, and I agree that it usually delivers compelling action and drama when the top fighters are matched up (or even when second-tier 200 pounders go at it).

I think the success of Schaefer’s (and the Sauerland Bros.) venture ultimately depends on who’s in it and which networks (particularly in the U.K. and the U.S.) get behind it.

For me Denis Lebedev is still the best cruiserweight in the world and beat Gassiev, so I’d love to see him get a chance to prove it. Such a warrior yet also a really underrated boxer. I agree that Lebedev is underrated. I don’t agree that he’s the best cruiserweight in the world or that he beat Gassiev (although it was close in my view) but I think he’s currently the most entertaining 200-pounder in the game, which is saying something.

ONE STEP AHEAD, TWO STEPS BACK

What’s up, Doug.

Wishing you and yours all the best. After one of the better weekends with Joshua vs Klitschko, we were treated to another boxing debacle last Saturday. Sadly all the excitement was the weigh-in. Chavez looked really drained. Michael Montero said he looked dry before the 1^st round and still dry after the third.

I never thought Chavez had a chance to win, but I was hoping with his size, weight, and chin maybe he’d make the fight watchable. It’s hard to believe that the fight could out do Mayweather vs Pacquiao in pure boredom but it did.

Still there’s that light at the end of the tunnel on Sept 16. Think positive, right. The people shelling out $70 deserved better. Boxing definitely didn’t need another black eye.

Never change, Doug. Boxing needs people like you, Montero and Kim. Thanks. – Jeff from Tampa

We ain’t goin’ anywhere, Jeff. Thanks for the kind words.

Don’t mope too hard, though. Boxing didn’t get a black eye on May 6, Chavez Jr. did. He’s the one who didn’t the give the paying customers their money’s worth. All the other boxers on the card gave their best efforts (and some, such as Marco Reyes, went far beyond reasonable human limits in terms of what he endured).

The weigh-in was definitely the highlight of the weekend – it was up there with Hamed-Barrera and Pacquiao-Hatton for fan attendance and intensity – but I don’t think the weight should be the sole story on Junior’s effort against Canelo.

I know that he struggled to make 164 but he could have and should have given more once that bell rang. I know that sounds harsh, especially coming from someone who doesn’t box for a living, but I have covered the sport for almost 20 years and in that time I’ve witnessed and chronicled many fighters who battled the scale just as much as Chavez Jr. and partied way harder – wild dudes like James Toney, Fernando Vargas, Jorge Arce and Erik Morales – and they usually fought their assess off come fight time. So, I guess I’ve spoiled a bit by past badasses. I know that they indulged a lot more than Junior does between fights and during camps, I know that they had more drama going on in their lives and camps at any given time, and I know that they were often more depleted at their weigh-ins than Junior was on May 5, but when they were in huge fights they gave their all. (I know Toney was sluggish and ineffective against Roy Jones Jr., but come on, you know damn well it was a miracle that he went the distance with prime RJ in his condition; Junior would have been brutally blitzed in the first round against the same version of Jones).

Anyway, I was also hoping that Chavez Jr. could at least make the fight with Canelo entertaining in a loss but I was wrong to think that way of him. He’s simply not cut from the same cloth as those often wayward warriors that I mentioned.  

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