Don’t Blink on Chicago’s Joshua Greer

By Luis A. Cortes III

While “Motor City” Detroit, Michigan has a rich history with boxing, the third largest city in the country and largest in the Midwest, Chicago’s boxing tradition is commonly left out of discussions regarding great fight towns. Of course, Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles are three commonly mentioned cities, something not lost on bantamweight contender Joshua Greer 19-1-1 (10 KOs). Greer who is a native son of the South Side of Chicago appears tonight on ESPN as the co-feature of the main event that features Rob Brant defending his portion of the middleweight championship.

For Greer, it’s the opportunity that he has been working towards since signing a promotional contract with Top Rank last year. “I was fighting on ShoBox before signing with Top Rank and it was great for exposure, but there was no real plan in place once those fights were over,” stated Greer during a recent call with TWI. “That’s why along with my manger (the well-respected James Prince), Top Rank was the best fit for us to take my career to the next level.” With a victory over Giovanni Escaner 19-3 (12 KOs) Greer will position himself as a serious contender for any of the champions in the bantamweight division.

“All of the major belts except for the WBC belt are locked up currently in the tournament.” What Greer is talking about of course is the World Series of Boxing tournaments that are currently focused on his division. Nordine Oubaali is the current champion and is someone that Greer and his team have their sights set on. “Any of the champions after this fight is what I’m looking forward to,” remarked Greer.

As a native of the tough streets of South Side Chicago, Greer, like his fallen friend and former top welterweight prospect Ed Brown almost became a victim of the environment that has taken the lives of many talented men. “I love representing my city and the place that I’m from, but it’s really easy for young guys like myself to wind up on the wrong end of things. Chicago needs to get back to where it once was not just in boxing but for all the young athletes. I don’t surround myself with negativity anymore. I choose to get out and surround myself with the right people and just focus on making it through boxing.”

Greer at one point after an amateur career that wasn’t as decorated as the ones you would see many top contenders having decided after a two-year hiatus that it was time to take boxing seriously to provide for his young family. “I had a conversation with my grandmother and she told me that it was time to get back into the gym to make something of myself,” stated Greer. After all, it was his grandmother who was his primary care taker throughout his life that initially took Greer to a gym as a way of keeping her grandson out of trouble. She entrusted his boxing growth to George Hernandez, and since that time, Greer has bloomed into a talent and finds himself on the cusp of fulfilling his dreams of championship glory.

His lone professional defeat was at the hands of Stephen “Scooter” Felton, himself a top talent. It wasn’t that long ago that Greer was an over looked fighter. That all changed in March of 2017 when he fought James Smith on ShoBox. Prior to the fight at the press conference, Smith and Greer were exchanging words, when Greer told him that he would “put him to sleep.” “One of the members of my team mentioned that I should get a pillow and put the words ‘night, night’ on it and take it to the ring.  So we did that and after I knocked him out I grabbed it and carried it around the ring,” reminisced Greer.

As is the case with today’s social media-based society, the video went viral and Greer gained a sort of instant following as a result. So, with a great acumen for self-promotion and a solid team behind him, along with his new-found approach of being completely committed to his career, both inside and out of the ring, it would be wise for fight fans not to blink or take Joshua Greer lightly. Instead, they should pay attention to this young contender who may just be the answer the Chicago fight scene has been looking for in order for the “Windy City” to return to the minds of boxing fans around the world.    

Photo - Ringtv.com

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Top Rank on ESPN+ Presents Murata vs. Brant Recap

Top Rank Boxing emanated from the Park Theater located within the lush confines of the Park MGM Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The stacked, nine fight, card was headlined by two title fights-Ryota Murata vs. Rob Brant for the WBA World Middleweight Title and Antonio DeMarco vs. Maxim Dadashev for the NABF Super Lightweight Title. In case you missed the action on ESPN+, here’s a recap of all the action!

Noah LaCoste (2-0, 2 KOs) vs. David Kaminsky (2-0, 1 KO)

Four Rounds, Middleweights

Decision: David Kaminsky via TKO in round 2

Adam Lopez (10-1, 4 KOs) vs. Hector Ambriz (12-7-2, 6 KOs)

Eight Rounds, Featherweights

Decision: Adam Lopez via TKO in round 8

Joseph Adorno (9-0, 9 KOs) vs. Kevin Cruz (8-0, 5 KOs)

Six Rounds, Lightweights

Decision: Joseph Adorno via UD

Vladimir Nikitin (1-0, 0 KOs) vs. Clay Burns (5-4-2, 4 KOs)

Six Rounds, Featherweights

Decision: Vladimir Nikitin via UD (59-55, 59-55, 59-55)

Nicola Cipolletta (14-6-2, 4 KOs) vs. Michael Conlan (8-0, 5 KOs)

Eight Rounds, Featherweights

Decision: Michael Conlan via TKO in round 7

This bout featured 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Michael Conlan, a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Conlan proved to be every bit the Olympic caliber athlete for the duration of the fight as he simply outclassed Cipolletta. Conlan continuously cut off the ring and the little offense that Cipolletta attempted to mount was reciprocated with Conlan’s vicious counter-punching ability. The referee finally called a stop to the action in round seven as Conlan had Cipolletta against the ropes mounting a devastating assault to his body-as he had done for the majority of the fight. In a brief, albeit unnecessary, display of showmanship, Cipolletta decided to do some push-ups in the middle of the ring followed by a short shadow boxing display…perhaps he should have used this excess energy to put forth some offense.

Guido Pitto (25-5-2, 8 KOs) vs. Esquiva Falcao (21-0, 15 KOs)

Ten Rounds, Middleweights

Decision: Esquiva Falcao via UD (100-90, 100-90, 100-90)

This contest pitted Esquiva Falcao, who won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, for his home country of Brazil against Guido Pitto, a veteran of 32 professional fights. The pace of this fight was quite pedestrian for the first eight rounds as the fighters held an extended feeling out process with each other. Rounds nine and ten finally saw the fighters exchange some effective combos with a slight edge on the side of Falcao. Apparently the few flashes of action displayed by Falcao in the final rounds were enough for the judges to warrant a unanimous decision for him.

NABF Super Lightweight Title

Antonio DeMarco (33-6-1, 24 KOs) vs. Maxim Dadashev (11-0, 10 KOs)

Ten Rounds, Super Lightweights

Decision: Maxim Dadashev via UD (97-93, 96-94, 98-92)

The co-feature of this card pitted Maxim Dadashev (11-0, 10 KOs), as he made the first defense of his NABF Super Lightweight Title, against ring veteran Antonio DeMarco (33-6-1, 24 KOs). This contest marked Dadashev’s first title defense since he earned the then vacant title by way of a tenth round TKO of Darleys Perez back in June. DeMarco entered this bout on a two fight win streak-a unanimous decision over Luis Solis in February 2017 and a first round knockout of Eddie Ramirez in October 2017. It should be noted, however, that DeMarco was on the wrong side of three consecutive unanimous decisions prior to those victories albeit in the form of top level contenders that included Omar Figueroa Jr. and Jessie Vargas. 

Antonio DeMarco looked hungry for this fight and was the aggressor for the first eight rounds as Dadashev seemed uncomfortable in the ring with the southpaw. DeMarco displayed some signs of fatigue in the final two rounds as Dadashev capitalized by finally landing some power punches that DeMarco had no answer for. This appeared to be an extremely close fight where a split decision would have been plausible. Surprisingly, and much to the chagrin of the clearly pro-DeMarco crowd, Dadashev was awarded the unanimous decision to retain his title.

WBA World Middleweight Title

Rob Brant (23-1, 16 KOs) vs. Ryota Murata (14-1, 11 KOs)

Twelve Rounds, Middleweights

Decision: Rob Brant via UD (118-110, 119-109, 119-109)

The main event of the evening featured 2012 gold medalist Ryota Murata (14-1, 11 KOs) as he made the second defense of his WBA World Middleweight title against Rob Brant (23-1, 16KOs). Murata earned the title in October 2017 when he was victorious over Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam, a rematch of their May 2017 encounter which N’Dam N’Jikam took by split decision. Murata’s opponent, Rob Brant, entered the fight on the heels of a first round knockout of Colby Courter back in March of this year prior to which he suffered the only setback of his career-a unanimous decision loss to Juergen Braehmer in October 2017.

The first two rounds of this fight saw Rob Brant attempt to maintain a frenetic pace like he consumed a case of Red Bull in the locker room. Brant without a doubt threw a significantly greater number of punches than Murata as he attempted to establish the jab but Murata’s guard stood up well to this flurry. In rounds three and four we witnessed Brant slow his tempo down as Murata began to land crisp combos that Brant was unable to guard against. As we entered round five, arguably the best of the encounter, both fighters stood toe to toe landing several head-snapping power punches that showed each combatant to have a cast iron chin. Rounds six through ten were more evenly contested as Brant’s feverish pace slowed slightly, however, the championship rounds seemed to be the final nails in the coffin of Murata’s title reign. Brant repeatedly broke through Murata’s guard as he landed several stiff rights with sniper-like precision. The judges obviously appreciated how busy Brant was, or even at times only appeared to be when he could not break through Murata’s guard, as he won a rather lopsided unanimous decision to become the new WBA Middleweight Champion.

Fazliddin Gaibnazarov (5-0, 2 KOs) vs. Wilberth Lopez (23-9, 15 KOs)

Eight Rounds, Super Lightweights

Decision: Fazliddin Gaibnazarov via TKO in round 2

Fazliddin Gaibnazarov, winner of the 2016 gold medal for his native Uzbekistan, squared off with Tucson, Arizona’s own Wilberth Lopez in the final bout of the evening after the ESPN+ broadcast concluded. Gaibnazarov was simply too much for Lopez to handle as he wouldn’t allow him any breathing room repeatedly cornering him. The bout came to it’s rapid conclusion as the referee stepped in to save Lopez from any additional abuse in round two.

-Steve Ward

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Top Rank on ESPN+ Presents Murata vs. Brant Preview

Top Rank Boxing returns to Sin City this Saturday night with a nine bout card headlined by Ryota Murata vs. Rob Brant for the WBA Middleweight World Title. The event will emanate from the Park Theater within the Park MGM Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The action will kick off on ESPN+ at 10:30 pm ET.

The main event of the evening will feature Ryota Murata (14-1, 11 KOs) making the second defense of his WBA World Middleweight title against Rob Brant (23-1, 16KOs). Murata has held the title since October 2017 when he was victorious over Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam in a rematch of their May 2017 encounter which N’Dam N’Jikam took by split decision. Murata’s opponent, Rob Brant, enters this fight on the heels of a first round knockout of Colby Courter back in March of this year prior to which he suffered the only setback of his career-a unanimous decision loss to Juergen Braehmer in October 2017.

The co-feature of this card will pit Maxim Dadashev (11-0, 10 KOs), as he makes the first defense of his NABF Super Lightweight Title, against ring veteran Antonio DeMarco (33-6-1, 24 KOs). This contest will mark Dadashev’s first title defense since he earned the then vacant title by way of a tenth round TKO of Darleys Perez back in June. DeMarco enters this contest on a two fight win streak-a unanimous decision over Luis Solis in February 2017 and a first round knockout of Eddie Ramirez in October 2017. It should be noted, however, that DeMarco was on the wrong side of three consecutive unanimous decisions prior to those victories albeit in the form of top level contenders that included Omar Figueroa Jr. and Jessie Vargas. It will be interesting to see if DeMarco will have any ring rust to shake off after a one year layoff but his ring experience, if nothing more, should prove to be a formidable test for Dadashev.

Make sure to catch all of the action tomorrow night on ESPN+ and return to The Weigh-In: Your Home For Combat Sports for a complete recap of all the action!

-Steve Ward

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Snips and Snipes with Eric Armit

Senator John McCain (1936-2018)

It was sad to read of the death of Senator John McCain. He was a genuine war hero and twice a Presidential candidate but for myself his most relevant influence was through his work to clean up boxing through the development of what came into law in America as the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, which had a huge impact on boxing in the USA. The stated purpose of the Act was, “protecting boxers from exploitation, sanctioning organization integrity reforms, and requiring public interest disclosures to state boxing commissions…….  to remedy many of the anti-competitive, oppressive, and unethical business practices which have cheated professional boxers and denied the public the benefits of a truly honest and legitimate sport." The impetus for the whole process that resulted in the Ali Act can be said to have been an IBF title fight back in 1992. The then IBF middleweight champion James Toney won a split decision over Dave Tiberi in Atlantic City. It was seen by many as a disgraceful robbery of Tiberi. His local Senator instituted an investigation and the testaments given sparked John McCain’s decision to push for changes in how boxing was run in the USA, and particularly the promoter/boxer relationship and the influence of sanctioning bodies.

I had a minor role in that I had a number of phone calls from a researcher working for the Senator asking me how the “slave” contracts between Don King and his fighters worked and on how the “options” system worked. I explained that under the contracts King put in place there was a clause that said that as long as the boxer was in the world ratings then his contract with King would be automatically renewed. That effectively meant that for the whole of a fighters peak years he could not fight for any other promoter than Don King without King’s permission. I remember an instance in my time with the WBC ratings committee when we took out a prominent King promoted African boxer on the basis of his inactivity which would have made him a free agent. However, when I presented the ratings to the Convention, King’s influence was sufficient for the rating to be overturned and the fighter returned to the ratings and back under King’s control.

I explained that with options it was customary for the promoter of the world champion to insist on options on the services of the challenger so that if the challenger won then he was under contract to fight only for that promoter unless the promoter decided to sell some or all of the options to another promoter. The usual number of options was three-sometimes less-sometimes more. In addition, the purse for each option was an integral part of the option and those purses were inevitably below market value. As an example a champion might get $100,000 for the title defense and the challenger $50,000. If the challenger won the price included in his option and instead of $100,000 that could tie him to receiving $50,000 for each of his three title defenses. If the promoter had no market for the new champion then he could sell the options to promoters who could. A typical example was when Charlie Magri unexpectedly lost his WBC flyweight title to Frank Cedeno in his first defense. The British promoter had no way of making money out of his options on the Filipino but a Japanese promoter was anxious to get his fighter Koji Kobayashi a shot at the WBC title so he bought Cedeno’s options from the British promoter.

Naturally there was some watering down of the proposed Act before it was passed but it remains an important milestone in the way boxing is administered in the USA, and had a ripple effect that led to other countries reviewing their own processes and procedures.

The Ali Act was only a small part of the work Senator McCain did in his time in government but boxing owes him a great debt of gratitude RIP Senator John McCain.

Senator John McCain (1936-2018)

Thai Boxing

This has been a memorable week for boxing in Thailand as Wanheng (Chayaphon Moonsri) won his 51st fight. He can’t yet be said to have beaten Floyd Mayweather’s record as what makes Mayweather’s total of 50 wins significant is that his record is for winning every one of his 50 fights in his career. In order to surpass Mayweather’s record Wanheng has either to retire now with 51 wins or have some more fights and win them also before retiring. If Wanheng continues to box and loses then he still has a great record but there are plenty of better records with just one or two losses on them.

The other milestone for a Thai fighter will probably be achieved by the time you read this. The 41-year-old former WBC bantam and super featherweight champion Sirimongkol Singwancha (Sirimongkhon Iamthuam) has a 95-4 record and on Saturday 1 September will have fight No 100 in a twenty-four-year career. I am not sure if any other Thai fighter has reached that total. He started out as a super flyweight and in fight No 100 will be trying to win the Thai light heavyweight title. Between losing his WBC super feather title to Jesus Chavez in 2003 and losing a fight to Uzbek Azizbek Abdugofurov for the WBC Asian Boxing Council middle weight title in February he coincidentally won 51 fights in a row. He is taking no chances in fight No 100 as his opponent is Ugandan Muhammad Nsubuga with a 0-6 record! (*EDITOR'S NOTE - Iamthuam defeated Nsubuga by KO*)

That Sirimongkol vs. Nsubuga contest is typical of many abysmal matches in Thailand. Two weekends ago, Tajik boxer Abdul Buranov lost to WBC No 3 flyweight Noknoi (Nare Yianleang). Their respective records before the fight were Noknoi 66-5 and Buranov 0-3. In his four fights Buranov’s opponents records have been 64-5 (Noknoi), 21-1, 15-2, and Noknoi again with 66-5.

Flag of Thailand

World Boxing Super Series (WBSS)

Can’t help but be disappointed that the WBSS are going to do another cruiserweight series. Let’s face it this is a competition for the also-ran or never ran. Mairis Breidis, Yunier Dorticos, Krzys Glowacki, Marius Masternak, Maksim Vlasov, Andrew Tabiti, and Noel Gevor are all good fighters. Russian Ruslan Fayfer in unbeaten but it was the knowledge that it could end up with Olek Usyk fighting Murat Gassiev that made the original so interesting and this tournament has no such star attraction.

Murata vs. Brant 

It always seemed likely that the WBA would have to stand by the results of the purse bids-or should I say bid as there was only one-for the Ryota Murata vs. Rob Brant fight for their secondary middleweight title. If they had not done so, but instead allowed Murata to fight Jason Quigley then the lawyers would have had a field day. Murata fights Brant in Las Vegas on 20 October and you can be sure that Bob Arum will be looking to get Quigley a fight with the winner or look for some other way to get the unbeaten Irishman a title shot.

Kyotaro Fujimoto

Japan has only one fighter in the world ratings and that is Kyotaro Fujimoto. The WBO have him at No 7 on the basis of his winning their Asia Pacific title. His opposition has been very modest at best, certainly not enough to be rated above Bryant Jennings or Dereck Chisora-but he is. They are not taking any chances with him. He is due to fight on 25 September with the name being bandied about of Thai Suthat Kalakek, a former OPBF super middleweight title challenger, who lost his last fight to a 6-0 novice. Hope they come up with something better than this for a world rated fighter.

Kyotaro Fujimoto - Photo BoxRec.com

Jorge Barrios

Former WBO super featherweight champion Jorge Barrios has applied to the Argentinian Boxing Federation for a licence to fight again. Now 42, Barrios was recently released from prison after serving three years and seven months for homicide and culpable injuries. When driving his car he ran down and killed a twenty-year-old pregnant woman and left the scene of the accident. He has served the sentence that they gave him but four years for what he did seems wholly inadequate.

Jorge Barrios - Photo BoxRec.com

August Boxing Deaths 

Boxing lost two former fighters from different countries with the deaths in the month of August of Charley “White Lightning” Brown and Argentinian Farid Salim. Brown won his first 23 fights before losing to Harry Arroyo for the IBF lightweight title in 1984. His career really faded downhill from there but he scored wins over Alfredo Escalera, the 25-0-1 Frank Newton and the 18-0 Louis Burke on his way to the title shot. He also fought Harold Brazier, Saoul Mamby, Greg Haugen, Johnny Bizzarro, and Ralph “Tiger” Jones. After more than 60 amateur fights in Salim’s first pro fight in June 1958 his opponent Santos Galvan suffered an injury and died after the contest. Despite that, Salim continued his career and went 27-0-2 including winning the Argentinian middleweight title. In his first fight in the USA, he outpointed Ted Wright and also scored a win over Joey Giambra but lost to the wonderfully named Yama Bahama, Wilbert McClure, Joey Archer, and Ruben Carter. RIP Charley and Farid.

Farid Salim - Photo BoxRec.com

-Eric Armit

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