The Return of Ray Robinson

By Frank Bartolini, Ringside

Philadelphia, PA: Nearly three years have expired since the last time “The New” Ray Robinson entered a prize ring. On that night, Robinson fought to a draw on the undercard of one the greatest upsets in heavyweight boxing history when a chubby Andy Ruiz Jr dethroned heavyweight king Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden. 

Since then, the boxing world saw Joshua regain and lose his crown. As far as welterweights go, during that time period, former Robinson foe, Yordenis Ugas, ended the career of all-time great Manny Pacquiao. Also, in May of 2019, fellow Philly welterweight Jaron “Boots” Ennis was a rising prospect. Today, Ennis is one of the top rated welterweights in the world. 

The long layoff found Robinson, Philadelphia, PA, on the top of a club card show promoted by Philly based, RDR Promotions. Twenty-two year veteran of over sixty matches, Silverio Ortiz, Yucatan, Mexico, was chosen as the opponent for this six round tune up. 

Weighing in at 154 pounds, a bulked up Robinson looked fit and solid at the junior middleweight limit. Wasting no time, Robinson showed no sign of ring rust as he went on the attack from the opening bell. Robinson's blows were snapping Ortiz's,156.3 lbs., head back just moments into the match. This pummeling continued for three rounds due to Ortiz's freakish ability to absorb punishment. As the brutality became ugly, Ortiz’s corner showed compassion by not letting their willing man charge out for round four. 

A crowd of approximately 1,000 fans saw Robinson raise his record to 26-3-2, 14 KOs. Ortiz heads south of the border with a pocket full of change and a record of 37-29, 18 KOs. Promoter Rodney Rice put on a fight card that ran smoothly. Handling the ring announcing was "Discombobulating Jones." Marc Abram took care of the post fight interviews inside the ring. As usual, matchmaker Nick Tiberi put together a solid undercard that consisted of seven bouts. 

Most notable was local favorite Jerome Conquest, Philadelphia, PA, who looked to have done enough to out box Oscar Barajas in a lightweight bout scheduled for six. The judges saw it differently, and Barajas, Zamora, Mexico, took home a majority decision win. Judges Lynne Carter and Rob Rubnitz scored it 78-56, while John McKaie saw it even, 57-57. This scribe had it 58-57 for Conquest. Conquest weighed 138.4 lbs. as his record slid to 11-7, 1 KO. Barajas tipped the scale at 139.6 lbs., and is now 18-8-1, 8 KOs.  

What Tyson Fury Said In 2017: Not So Crazy Now?

By Chris Mealey

A boxing fan, or even one working in the field today, may likely imagine that you need more than just skills and physical power to beat Tyson Fury. In fact, we could say that prior to Fury's last few fights, that his last opponent, Deontay Wilder, had some of the highest willpower, or 'drive' in the division of heavyweight giants. A "will to win" that was perhaps unmatched, until facing his nemesis known as the "Gypsy King" Tyson Fury. 

Fury has done what most thought was "unlikely" in dominating Deontay Wilder, stopping him in round 7 to recapture a world title for the second time in his career. With this victory, he also captured one world belt Fury had never acquired in his career, the WBC title belt.

Let's revisit a quote during a period when most of us thought the comments were somewhat of a joke, or unfathomable at the time. When the majority of the boxing world didn't believe in "the comeback" of Tyson Fury. There were fans who believed he was just "cashing out" and had minimal interest in returning for more than one big fight. A few years ago, before the two memorable bouts with Deontay Wilder, such other "crazy talk" is now to be taken seriously today. Words directed at another World Heavyweight Champion, Anthony Joshua.

Tyson Fury (2017)

I ain’t coming back to money, I tell you what I’m coming back for – to rid a fraud [Anthony Joshua] out of the heavyweight division.

I'm telling everyone now, from the bottom of my heart, I can play with that bodybuilder, no problem.

I’ll take one fight at a time, me. I like it when I’m supposed to lose, and that’s when you get the best Tyson Fury.

Let’s face it, I’ve been through depression, life and death situations, to come back against all the odds, turn it all around, get myself back in training.

When I say I’ve never been more confident, or more serious when I say something – I can play with that bodybuilder.

I mean play with him like a cat playing with a ball of wool. Hands behind my back, touching the top of my head, making a right mug of him.

If I get hit, I’ll be highly, highly disappointed if he can even land a blow on me, never mind beat me.

The fans know this tale to be something you almost only see in a Hollywood film. Fury's story is well known if you haven't heard it before. What soley went from getting back in shape, to working on his mental health and taking care of himself, has turned into one of the greatest comeback stories in boxing, arguably sports history. What was "the big two" heavyweights, has become "the big three" in Wilder, Fury and AJ.

Wether you rank Anthony Joshua, or Tyson Fury as the number one heavyweight is probably going to receive little argument. That, as well as the fact that their potential title fight being earth shattering and record breaking for both UK and world Heavyweight boxing as a whole. The other grasping visual is Tyson Fury's baffling ability to seemingly make his words a reality. The Gypsy King had stated he would take back his thrown, and as it stands now, boxing fans will think twice before doubting the two time World Heavyweight Champ. 

Photo - BoxRec.com

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The Devil is in the Details: Wilder Returns to Showtime May 18th

By Luis A. Cortes III

To say that the rumors swirling around the next fight for WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder (40-0-1)(39 KOs) were too many to count would be an understatement.  The biggest rumor circulating was that DAZN and Matchroom Boxing USA had offered a three fight deal worth upwards of $100 million to the Wilder camp.  When it became apparent that Wilder, who is a promotional free agent and is managed by the legendary Shelly Finkel, would not take the large offer, outcry against the champion began to occur from many boxing insiders and fans throughout the world of social media.

Involved in the proposed deal was $20 million for a first fight in May against a top contender and his mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale (21-1)(18 KOs), as well as two fights against the unified WBA/WBO/IBF champion Anthony Joshua (22-0)(21 KOs), with a reported $40 million for the first fight and a subsequent rematch being offered.  What was not accounted for was the fact that while the numbers were high and there were guarantees from the streaming service DAZN, the fights against Joshua would determine who the best heavyweight in the world is and would be tantamount to the largest business that the sport.  It would be the type of financial gain that would make past super fights like Lewis vs. Tyson look small.  These super fights between the two champions would no doubt equal a huge bump in terms of paid subscriptions to DAZN.  Something that Wilder in this first offer would not have any percentage of.

Guarantees from DAZN, while large, do not account for all the other revenue that would be generated.  Revenue from things like sponsorships, possible percentages from the purchases of pay-per-view buys, as well as the live gate.  While $80 million for two fights with Joshua sounds like a no brainer, in terms of where Wilder is as a brand name as the only current American heavyweight champion, the possibility to make more money and upwards of $50-$75 million for a single fight with Joshua, if it were broadcasted on pay-per-view, would make any fighter consider alternate routes.

DAZN, for their part will continue to broadcast title defenses from Joshua. However, until a business model is created where fighters who are not signed to Golden Boy Promotions or Matchroom Boxing can reap benefits from the revenue generated aside from a guarantee, such as the possibility of a percentage from new subscriptions generated from the announcement of the mega fight, or the monthly fee being raised from $9.99 a month to $25-$30 for the months that a Wilder-Joshua fights would be scheduled for, they will struggle to attract talent like Wilder.

With the monthly cost returning to its original $9.99 once the fights and months they are scheduled for are completed, these suggestions are just food for thought at this point and are things that will be kicked around by the brass and decision makers.  One thing is clear though, top tier champions and independent fighters like Wilder will continue to compete away from signing to streaming services if the details of super fights are not ironed out.  Wilder for his part is making it clear that like several past big named champions in the sport (Sugar Ray Leonard, Mikey Garcia, and Floyd Mayweather) is adamant that he will retain his independence from any promotional outfit, electing instead to continue to work with established relationships (PBC), unless an offer is made that he can’t refuse.

This brings us to the announcement today from Brooklyn that Wilder will indeed return to the ring on Saturday, May 18th against Breazeale.  While this seems to be a fight that can turn out to be entertaining, Breazeale, unlike Wilder's last opponent Tyson Fury does not carry a name large enough for the fight to be carried on pay-per-view.  As a result, and to the credit of Wilder, a deal was struck for the fight to be broadcasted live on Showtime.  Details of this deal have not been released, but it proves that Wilder is once again banking on himself as the premier heavyweight name (especially in America) as he continues to build his name and brand.  It’s a gamble on himself that if he continues to be victorious can pay off in the end when the eventual negotiations between the Wilder camp and Matchroom Boxing, the promoter of Joshua, start up again after Joshua’s title defense in June.

How this all plays itself out will be interesting to see.  One thing is for sure though, however this type of mega business is done to satisfy all parties involved could lead to a trickledown effect that will benefit boxing and its fans.  Other less lucrative super fights in the sport, such as Crawford-Spence or Lomachenko-Garcia, could in turn be figured out by the parties involved based off how Wilder-Joshua is eventually made.    

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Snips and Snipes with Eric Armit

By Eric Armit

It looks as though Anthony Joshua’s first fight in the USA will be against Jarrell Miller in New York on 1 June and confirmation of that is imminent. Reportedly Joshua’s purse will be his highest yet at $32 million. 

The WBC pushed the date for the purse bids for Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury back to 12 February with the parties said to be near to reaching an agreement. If the purse bidding does go ahead it will be interesting to see whether, as has been claimed, Wilder vs. Fury is a bigger fight. It is to the credit of the fighters and the Wilder/Fury people if they can come to an agreement in such a relatively short time. 

With the possibility of Dereck Chisora vs. Joseph Parker, Dillian Whyte vs. Dominic Breazeale on the cards, Joe Joyce vs. Bermane Stiverne on 23 February, and Daniel Dubois and Nathan Gorman all scheduled to fight in the next two months, I can’t remember the last time there was so much happening for British heavyweights. Definitely not the “horizontal heavyweights” of the past. 

It is not just British heavyweights keeping busy with Agit Kabayel 18-0 defending the European title against Andriy Rudenko 32-3 on 2 March in Magdeburg and fellow SES heavyweight unbeaten Tom Schwarz 23-0 facing 17-1 Croatian Kristijan Krstacic on the same show. 

With Alex Povetkin likely to return to action in April and Kubrat Pulev facing Robert Helenius in the USA on 23 March (but that may fall through as the main event was to be Miguel Berchelt defending the WBC super feather title against Francisco Vargas and that fight has had to be put back to May due to Berchelt injuring his left hand. 

Romanian heavyweight Christian Hammer is going where others fear to tread by taking on Luis Ortiz on 2 March it is a busy time for the heavyweights.

The WBSS is still limping along. It is a bit like a wounded animal. Is it going to be able to limp safely to the end of the current rounds involving the cruiserweights, super lightweights and bantamweights, or is it fatally wounded and destined to die out? It has been announced that the cruiserweight semi-final between Krzys Glowacki and Mairis Breidis will take place in Riga, Latvia, on 15 June but no date or venue yet for Yunier Dorticos vs. Andrew Tabiti has been announced. 

At super light, Josh Taylor vs. Ivan Baranchyk has an 18 May date in Glasgow but no information is available for Regis Prograis vs. Kiryl Relikh. 

At bantamweight, nothing advised for Zolani Tete vs. Nonito Donaire or Naoya Inoue vs.  Emmanuel Rodriguez. The quarter finals were held in October so you are looking at a gap of seven and eight months between even those fights already scheduled. It is encouraging that a couple of the six semi-finals have a date but the longer it is before the other four  are schedules the more it looks like the wound is fatal.

Gilbert Ramirez has thrown his hat into the light-heavyweight mix indicating he is targeting Sergey Kovalev and it is a sensible move as there is very little for him in staying at super middle as the WBO ratings offer very little for Ramirez in the way of a challenge. In another move he is reported to have changed his manager and his trainer.

Rob Brant is set to make the first defense of the secondary WBA middleweight title on 15 February in Hinckley against unbeaten 17-0 Russian Khasan Baysangurov. Brant will be back in his home State of Minnesota where he turned pro and had most of his early fights.

Originally set for 6 February, the WBA has reset the date for purse offers for three of their titles. Bids were due for Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Anthony Crolla at lightweight, Beibut Shumenov vs. Arsen Goulamirian at cruiser and Daniel Roman vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev at bantam but they have delayed the purse opening to 13 February. You can be sure Top Rank will decide who Lomachenko fights in April and not the WBA. 

Shumenov vs. Goulamirian will be between their secondary champion and their gold champion as they continue to try to sort out the mess they made by having more champions than titles. They solved the Denis Lebedev problem by just making him disappear. As he is not in their ratings he is probably back in the recess they put him in before. You can be sure that the gold title they invented for Goulamirian will not disappear because there are sanctioning fees to be made from it. There was a faint hope that Roman might be allowed to fight IBF champion TJ Doheny in a unification fight but that looks unlikely.

Roman vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev? If you have never heard of Murodjon Akhmadaliev let me say that he was a top level amateur but has only been a professional for less than a year. How did he become the WBA No 1 super bantamweight? Well this is another case where paying the sanctioning fee for one of their obscure minor titles can reap such rich rewards. After three six round fights in August last year, Akhmadaliev beat world No 266 Ramon Contreras from Chile for the WBA Inter-Continental title and was parachuted into the WBA ratings at No 6. In November be beat Isaac Zarate rated No 66 or 70, depending on which independent ratings you go by, and beating the No 66/70 was enough for Akhmadaliev to rise to the No 1 spot in the WBA ratings. That abomination makes a complete mockery of the very principles that should underpin ratings. In the WBA ratings a sanctioning fee trumps a win over a rated opponent every time.

Olek Gvozdyk will put his WBC light heavyweight title on the line against Doudou Ngumbu in Philadelphia on March 30. It seems that Adonis Stevenson who had to be put in an induced coma after losing the WBC title to Gvozdyk is making slow progress but it is progress. At the start of the year, he was able to speak for the first time since being hospitalized and at the end of last month he took his first unaided steps. He has a long journey and I am sure he will tackle it with the same dedication and courage he showed as a fighter. That is one journey he won’t have to make unaided as his family his team at Group Yvon Michel and his fans will all be supporting him. If Gvozdyk gets past Ngumbu there will be pressure for him to fight Marcus Browne who beat Badou Jack in a final eliminator.

Miguel Cotto is going to be busy this year. He has said that he plans to have ten shows in Puerto Rico to develop more talent.

With Saul Alvarez set to fight Daniel Jacobs in a unification match on 4 May in Las Vegas, it is obvious that the secondary WBA super middle title will fall vacant. British fighter John Ryder is rated No 1 by the WBA with Fedor Chudinov No 2 and Chris Eubank Jr No 3. Chudinov would seem the most likely opponent although there has been a suggestion that David Lemieux could be in the other corner against Ryder.

The AIBA are fighting it but it seems that the IOC’s decision to cut the number of divisions to be competed for at the Olympics is going to stand. It is a blow to the lower divisions. The weight divisions will be: 52kg, 57kg, 63kg, 69kg, 75kg, 81kg, 91kg and +91kg. That means that instead of the four lighter divisions, 49kg, 52kg, 56kg and 60kg, there will now only be two divisions in that range.  That will be a blow to the little guys as they will all have to compete at a higher weight than in the past. That will mean a natural 49kg fighter having to compete in his national qualifiers at 52kg. It also means that there will be fewer medals available and often national funding is based on medals won previously or potential returns. It is yet another blow to boxing at the Olympics.

The Oubaali’s are another of boxing’s fighting families. Not surprising in their case. Nordine who won the WBC bantamweight title last month is the 13^th of the 18 children in the family. Elder brother Ali lost only three of his 29 fights but unfortunately they were all in title fights. Now younger brother Messaoud is turning pro with his first bout scheduled for April. Ali and Nordine founded and run a gym in Deauviller with Olympic champion Estelle Mossely being one of their discoveries.

There are still rumors of a return to action by Marcos Maidana. A few weeks back he seemed to indicate he was about to return but then he indicated he was only joking. Now he says there have been people talking about fights for him and he is training. What is certain is that Omar Narvaez will return to the ring. Now 43 he is targeting March for his first fight.

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Coming Soon: DAZN

DAZN is an over-the-top subscription video streaming service owned by the United Kingdom's Perform Group. This service will air live sporting events including boxing and MMA, and will soon be available to subscribers in the United States. The service provides live coverage of some of the biggest events in combat sports from promotions such as Matchroom Boxing, Bellator, and World Boxing Super Series for $9.99/month.

Subscribers will be able to stream the following fights in September and October:

Sept. 21st – Bellator 205: Pat Curran vs. AJ McKee

Sept. 22nd – Anthony Joshua vs. Alexander Povetkin

Sept. 29th – Bellator 206: Rampage Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva & Gegard Mousasi vs. Rory MacDonald

Oct 6th – Matchroom USA Event

Oct. 12th – Bellator 207: Matt Mitrione vs. Ryan Bader

Visit DAZN.com for more information on this service.

MW

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The KAYO Heard Around the World: Whyte vs. Browne

British heavyweight, Dillian Whyte (23-1, 17 KOs) made a statement against Australia's Lucas Browne (25-1, 22 KOs) on Saturday in London, England. The previously undefeated Browne stepped into the ring looking to capture Whyte's World Boxing Council Silver Heavyweight Title, a belt that he captured last October with a unanimous decision victory over Robert Helenius. Whyte, who hopes to get a heavyweight title shot against Deontay Wilder or Anthony Joshua, dominated the fight from the opening bell. Throughout the first few rounds, Browne, who appeared out of shape, did little to counter Whyte's offensive onslaught in front of the capacity crowd at the O2 Arena. Browne suffered a cut above his left eye in the second round that later proved to be problematic. By the sixth round, the 38-year-old, former bouncer looked like an extra from television's The Walking Dead.

The brutal beating came to an end at the 0:37 mark of the sixth round of a scheduled twelve round contest, when Whyte connected with a big left hook to Browne's head. The shot sent Browne straight down to the canvas, where he laid face down until medics could reach him to provide oxygen and medical care. The former World Boxing Association Heavyweight Champion regained consciousness, after what felt like hours, and was removed from the ring on a stretcher. He was later taken to a nearby hospital for further tests and was cleared by a physician.

Fight fans are now left to wonder who Dillian "The Body Snatcher" Whyte will fight next. Will he get a shot at the American, Wilder, or will he have the opportunity to avenge his December 12, 2015 TKO defeat to Great Britain's Joshua? Only time will tell...

You can see the highlights from Whyte vs. Browne, including the brutal knockout, in the below video: 

MW

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Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz Post Fight Breakdown

Finally! The People’s Red Head has returned to The Weigh-In.

What a fight in the heavyweight division. Deontay Wilder took on Luis Ortiz Saturday night in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center. It was a packed house and the crowd was electric. However, this fight did not get off to a fast paced start, as anticipated. In fact, Wilder showed much maturity throughout the bout. Both fighters overcame adversity, but only one could win.

The opening four rounds were a feeling out process. Every punch Wilder threw was met with a counter from Ortiz. I had Ortiz winning the first four rounds. Wilder was not very active, and I do not blame him. Only Matt Ward likes to be hit cleanly in the face, and that is during his sexual escapades (j/k!). The fans started booing due to the lack of inactivity. However, everyone needs to realize that both fighters have the ability to put the other in airplane mode. Any landed shot can comes with extreme consequences.

Ortiz was busier in the beginning of the fight. In addition, I felt Ortiz landed the more meaningful punches in the first four rounds. Fortunately, this was not a four round bout. The fifth round was everything that the fans hoped for. Wilder put Ortiz on the canvas in the fifth round with a right hand directly to his grill piece. This marked the first time Ortiz has been knocked down in his professional career.

Ortiz seemed to recover fairly quickly from the knockdown. In round six, Ortiz turned the tables on Wilder. I must be honest; I thought Wilder was going down in round seven. Ortiz caught Wilder with a right-left combination while against the ropes. Wilder looked as if his legs were out from under him. Ortiz poured on the pressure and Wilder wobbled more than I do when walking home from my local watering hole. This round could have been scored a 10-8 round and I would have no problem with it. Wilder looked like he was out on his feet.

After round seven, if there were still questions about the chin of Wilder, he answered all of them. I want his chin tested for performance enhancing drugs. He has a chin of steel; there is no doubt of that now. In addition, Wilder should get credit for how he handles adversity. When Ortiz was pouring it on, Wilder recovered and stuck to his game plan.

Not only did Wilder recover, but he appeared to find a different gear. Wilder knocked Ortiz down twice, earning a stoppage in round ten. As many suspected, Ortiz proved to be Wilder’s biggest test thus far. With the win, Wilder moves to 40-0. With the victory, it appears a Wilder vs. Joshua card is inevitable. Joshua will prove to be another great test for the champ.

Following the victory, Wilder was still criticized for his wild style. I thought Wilder remained patient and really showed his maturity in his victory over Ortiz. It goes to show, you cannot please all the fans. For the ones you cannot please, I would not worry about them. As the masses shout obscenities from their mothers’ basements, Wilder is the champ. I would advise the haters to deal with that fact as they also deal with the fact that women are funny. That is right, women are funny, ask Amy Schumer. Congratulations to Wilder on a well-deserved win.

Special Thanks To:

The Jerky Boys, "I was born to dance, you fuck."

Al Bernstein, one of the best in the business.

Joe Tessitore, for being an absolute stud.

Russian Olympic Curler who got popped for PED’s - fucking unreal! Doping in curling...

-Dustin Johnson, The People's Red Head

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Who's Next for Deontay Wilder?

Deontay Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs) defeated Bermane Stiverne (25-3-1, 21 KOs) in their second career showdown on Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Wilder's knockout victory came at the 2:59 mark of the first round, after knocking Stiverne down three times in the round. Stiverne, who had previously gone the distance with Wilder in 2015, was finished off by a vicious Wilder left hand with a second remaining in the round.

Following his victory, Wilder called out British heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs). Only time will tell if boxing fans will see the dream heavyweight contest we have all been waiting to see...

Who do YOU think Deontay Wilder will face next?

MW

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