Boxing is a mess. The sport itself can't escape its own stupid ways: battles with promoters, Mad Max-level oversight, and a Ponzi-by-the-numbers business model. But every once in a while, something beautiful is dug out of the swamp: an act of selflessness, a genius tactic, or a moment worth sharing. I'll try to find and highlight them here each week. (Come on, boxing, he says three times a week!) Do you have any ideas or tips of your own? Feel free to send it my wayI will definitely nod when it is used.
1. I’m not crying – everyone is crying
If you were able to watch Friday's ESPN+ broadcast successfully, Oscar Valdez–liam wilson Congratulations on winning the junior lightweight interim title fight, at least without getting a lump in your throat, you vampire.
Do you forget to pursue the “title”? Mark Kriegel's father bullying. Just watching Valdez, a 33-year-old 130-pounder, come back from a legitimate career crisis with two bloody losses in three fights and defeat a tough opponent primarily with his brains, body punches, and balls. There was enough drama.
But the real warm and fuzzy music, pure and uncut, came after the final bell. Valdez, who was in tears, also recalled that he cried after the game. Emmanuel Navarette In his post-fight ring interview on Friday, he admitted that he was personally worried about his boxing future at the time. He previously said this was the worst he'd ever been. “I want to be a role model,” Valdez told Kriegel. “In boxing, you may lose. In life, you may lose. But it is your duty to come back stronger. When you find the canvas, get up and continue on the path to your dreams. And who is that? But it can be done.”
A cynic might dismiss the message as empty sporting saccharine or after-the-fact self-hype.But if you had listened carefully, you would have heard that when Valdez rushed to Wilson and offered to console him. in front Speaking in public, one might hear him actively projecting hope to a depressed opponent. I would be damned if it wasn't sincere and sincere.
“They almost caught me,” Valdez told Wilson, which was objectively true.
“I lost,” Valdez said, almost pleadingly.I lost too. I came back. You can too. ”
Valdez doesn't show his emotions, but boxing has a knack for mining emotions out of all of us, no matter where we hide them.
2. First impressions of Grade A Prime
If the first match on Amazon's premiere “PBC on Prime Video” broadcast is any indication of what's in store for fight fans, and hopefully not just Prime, then I'm hoping for a new Welcome to the streaming champions.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say I've never seen such a great opening game. Carmel Motonunanimous decision to anthony cuba In the opening match on Saturday's undercard Tim Tze–Sebastian Fundora Prime PPV show. His score of 80-72 by all three judges was based on the quality of the matchup, the fighter's skill, and overall action It is on display at Eight Round.
And when you think about it, that almost never happened. More pertinently, barring some bad luck, martial arts fans would never have had the opportunity to watch Morton vs. Cuba on prime airwaves (er, digital bandwidth?). Elijah Garciafell ill on Friday and was absent from the originally scheduled opening game. They were replaced by swingers Moton and Cuban, who proved to be the mother of all silver linings.
Some points:
- Morton is 17 years old and already a very well-developed fighter. He's fast, athletic, and strong, but his technique, command in the ring, and grace seem to belong to a fighter a decade older. This baby is already almost completely baked.
- I can understand the comparison with floyd mayweather (Morton's leader) and Wilfredo Benitez (The youngest world champion in boxing history) But prime analyst Abner Mares Place it on your nose: Gervonta Davis It might be Morton's (3-0, 2 KO) best comp, a compact shell explosion full of nails, knives, and anvils.
- Cuban (7-1-2, 3 KOs) is a fierce 21-year-old fighter who deserves a lot of credit for making his fight such a TV show. He took some killer shots from Morton, got back up and finished, and even returned every amount of punishment he could muster from his limited strength. He's a great fighter with a lot of promise and now he has a lot of new fans.
- If PBC can take the time to integrate enough talent, or at least work amicably on the promotion overall, it will have the opportunity to air more prime programming with top-to-bottom quality. Does it have a will? Traditional pay-per-views have typically only enriched boxing's 1%. This is a model that is currently proving to be a shitty deal for everyone else when looking across the United States. But a continued approach similar to Saturday's show, a combination of PPV, subscriber-only, and free for all, could be the sustainable (and dare I say fair?) thing that breathes new life into boxing. do not have.
3. Let her flip her heels.
Crusty old men pretend that boxing was once a safe haven of respect, sportsmanship, and good taste on social media and muhammad ali Or perhaps a great modern disaster has poisoned the purity of the “gentleman's sport.” Okay, Boomer. The truth is, we are all animals, and boxers are, and always have been, among the wildest of us. (It will take a few minutes for it to roll off) John L. Sullivan Google rabbit hole. Not exactly a model of morality, is it?
Hmm, a crusty old man logged on. It's gone too far. I think confidence, cockiness, bragging, name-calling, and even certain personal insults all have their place in boxing, especially as part of preparing for a fight. But as the young people often say, “There are levels to this.”on the scale of jim corbett According to 'Vanderpump Rules', boxing has achieved full Kardashian – basically the sport's equivalent of absurdity become plaid.
It's been a long journey for me just to say this. “Welcome, everyone, to the great summit.”
on friday, Seniesa Estrada and Jocasta Valle Women's boxing took pride in the ring. In a fight for the undisputed minimumweight championship, they fought expertly, bravely, and entertainingly for 10 objectively exciting rounds. High drama. It's a big gamble. Great stuff. But for me, the moment was dampened a bit by Estrada's personal reaction to the promotional business. Her sour grapes grudge is against Valle's trainer, Gloria Alvarado; and her pre-game preparations face-to-face interview (In it, Estrada often spoke about Valle, who spoke Spanish, and needed an interpreter).
Still, that's me.I don't agree with crossing certain lines, whether it's race, family, or anything else. this Not bad for boxing. But some fans are clearly feeding off the discomfort and confusion. And while reasonable people may disagree about whether and how much created hostility helps sell a fight, I'm not trying to push my ass into the seat. I have no intention of preaching to current martial artists.
Oddly enough, it was even encouraging to see Estrada become the villain against Valle. That can't happen without the right platform and runway. Let's call it progress. If equality means Estrada exercising his right to embrace his inner fool without prejudice, then let's call it a pernicious ceiling break. I say fair play.
(However, I was lucky enough to find this As a palate cleanser, and above all on the cesspool that is Zombie Twitter! Sometimes guys rock too. )
