Right here’s a little bit of this and that from world wide of boxing, in no specific order of significance:
– In simply 8 months, Eddie Hearn has managed to take one in all boxing’s hottest rising properties, Jaron “Boots” Ennis, and switch him right into a laughing inventory and an object of ridicule as a “duck.”
There’s been some confusion and disagreement over how, precisely, Ennis received tied right into a combat with Vergil Ortiz on February 22 and why that combat fell aside. However even in a worst case state of affairs, the place Ennis agreed to the combat after which backed out, Ennis shouldn’t be the one taking the lead in relating his take to the general public. That’s what a promoter is for.
To be honest, Hearn did come out and provides an evidence about how this Ennis-Ortiz stuff occurred and the way it actually wasn’t Ennis’ fault. However that was solely after being instantly requested about it and after Boots had been dragged via the mud for about three days– an eternity in social media time.
Possibly there’ll be a turnaround in 2025, however one could be correctly skeptical of Hearn bringing in a promised “enormous” combat for Ennis at 147 when he let WBO champ Brian Norman stroll over relative pennies the final time he tried to wrangle a unification bout for his fighter. So far, Boots’ rise to superstardom consists of nothing bouts with David Avanesyan and Karen Chukhadzhian.
– As anticipated (at the least by me), Israil Madrimov will NOT be combating Serhii Bohachuk on December 21 after which Vergil Ortiz on February 22.
Based on Saudi sportswashing figurehead Turki Alalshikh, Madrimov has out of the blue contracted “acute bronchitis,” forcing him to withdraw from the Bohachuk combat on the Usyk-Fury 2 undercard.
It’s comprehensible. I get it. Ortiz-Madrimov is far greater than Bohachuk-Madrimov and when the chance arose to e book the larger combat, the lesser one needed to be Khashoggi’d.
There’s nothing unsuitable with killing off the lesser combat for the sake of the larger one. However why make up a narrative about it? And, yeah, I’d wager three kilos of Saudi avenue shawarma that Madrimov is at present NOT sitting over a humidifier, spreading Vicks Vaporub beneath his nostril, and taking deep, wheezing breaths proper now.
May this misinformation/disinformation be a harbinger of issues to come back from boxing’s new Saudi overlords, who’ve by no means been mates of free-flowing fact? Oh, rattling straight it’s.
– Emanuel Navarrete dealt with Oscar Valdez simply Saturday evening in Prime Rank’s ESPN predominant occasion in Phoenix, stopping him in six rounds of a 3-knockdown affair with a physique shot. It was considerably of a pointless rematch since Navarrete dealt with Valdez pretty simply in a 2023 unanimous determination victory, but it surely was an gratifying rout nonetheless. Among the enjoyment most likely got here from with the ability to watch boxing exterior of a political context and never must ignore that the identical folks sponsoring the large combat are additionally ready to execute some folks for “dangerous” tweets. Though, one in all Prime Rank’s sponsors for Navarrete-Valdez WAS Riyadh Season…so…fuck…
– Additionally sponsored by Riyadh Season was the horrible, horrible watch that was Liam Paro vs. Richardson Hitchins on DAZN for Paro’s IBF tremendous light-weight title. About 5 rounds in I finished scoring and, by the eighth, I used to be considering flying to Saudi Arabia and tweeting one thing destructive in regards to the Crown Prince. I don’t need to say that this combat was uninteresting, however I might’ve most popular watching Chris Mannix’s pre-fight banter over this waste of eyeballs the place neither fighter actually deserved a win. In the long run, nonetheless, Hitchins received the cut up determination. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
– Getting again to Prime Rank…It’s extensively recognized that their take care of ESPN ends this coming summer time and they’re at present purchasing round for a brand new deal. They received’t precisely be getting into talks from a place of energy as their present roster boasts not a single pay-per-view star, apart from their partial stake in Tyson Fury– who, reportedly, can’t combat within the US on account of his ties to drug kingpin Daniel Kinahan. And, sorry “purists,” however mid-afternoon Artur Beterbiev fights and early morning Naoya Inoue slaughters are NOT needle movers.
– Jermell Charlo intimated over Instagram that he could also be prepared for a return to the ring with a “Recess Ova Wit” submit final week…and that deafening silence was the non-sound of no one caring. Charlo went from unified champ and fringe pound-for-pound recognition to a whole afterthought in lower than a year-and-a-half. A part of the rationale for that was his passive efficiency towards Saul “Canelo” Alvarez again in September of 2023 within the defining combat of his profession. One other a part of the rationale was the continuing trip he’s had since then. An equally giant half, nonetheless, was that he (and the PBC public relations workforce) let the cynics, critics, and agenda-wieldng PBC bashers disassemble his fame within the wake of the Canelo loss. If/when he returns, he’ll be coming again buried beneath nothing however dangerous vibes and destructive mojo and I don’t suppose he has the fireplace to combat his means via all that.
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