The Hottest Boxing Storylines for the Week of December 29
The last few days of 2014 are finally upon us, but we're still going to squeeze a few more drops of boxing out before we turn the page of the calendar to a new year.
HBO's Jim Lampley unleashed a harsh critique of boxing manager and so-reclusive-Liam-Neeson-probably-couldn't-find-him power broker Al Haymon, criticizing him for steering his clients away from big fights on the latest edition of The Fight Game.
We give you Jim's own words, sprinkle it with a little bit of analysis and allow you to decide.
In fight news, middleweight champion Miguel Cotto is apparently near a decision for his next fight. Who, pray tell, do you think it could be?
WBO super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux returns to the ring for a not-so-traditional Wednesday night title defense against an unknown foe half a world away. But is anyone paying attention?
Finally, we conclude by taking a look at Tyson Fury's decision to risk a title shot and Jermain Taylor's newest legal woes.
These are the hottest boxing storylines for the final days of 2014.
Is Jim Lampley Right About Al Haymon?
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Veteran HBO Boxing on-air talent, and soon-to-be member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Lampley didn’t hold anything back in 2014’s last episode of his series The Fight Game, labeling uber-manager Haymon as boxing’s person of the year after unleashing a scathing indictment of his role in the watering down of the sport.
Better to give you Lampley’s own words, though long, per Mike Woods:
"If you had a sense 2014 was a year somewhat devoid of compelling top-level competition you wouldn't be off base.
Light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson had opportunities to fight three fellow stars, Sergey Kovalev, Bernard Hopkins, and Jean Pascal. He avoided all three. Middleweight titleist Peter Quillin gave up a belt and a career-high purse to avoid a fight with Matt Korobov. Talented junior featherweight titlist Leo Santa Cruz fought a sparring partner on the undercard of Mayweather-Maidana II. Adrien Broner and Lucas Matthysse, logical opponents for each other, fought lesser opponents on the same card. Danny Garcia fought a 140-pound opponent so underqualified even the governing bodies that market his belts wouldn't dignify the enterprise by charging a sanctioning fee. Rising welterweight force Keith Thurman fought long-faded former lightweight Julio Diaz, then fought a 40-year old nonentity. All these stars are advised by Al Haymon, and that's the proverbial tip of the iceberg.
It would be great for boxing if one brilliant entrepreneur managed an astonishing client list of 130-plus fighters with the consistent objective of making the most attractive and competitive fights available, within reasonable limits to protect their health and business prospects. But that isn't Haymon's game. He's about avoidance of risky competition.
"
Yes, it’s a mouthful, and there’s a lot to unpack there. It’s worth noting, in some sense of fairness to the reclusive Haymon, that Lampley and the network that employs him refuse to do business with Haymon since his top client Floyd Mayweather moved over to Showtime.
Lampley’s comments are likely to find a great deal of fertile ground with boxing fans who didn’t get near the bang for their buck they received in 2013.
Great matchups between top-level fighters—Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez and Garcia vs. Matthysse on the same card for example—were how Showtime built itself as a legitimate contender to HBO’s boxing preponderance.
That level of competition didn’t seem to be quite as important to the network over the past 12 months, and Haymon’s influence on opponent selection certainly played a role in that. Garcia vs.Rod Salka, in light of the Puerto Rican champ's fights with Amir Khan and Matthysse the previous two years, stands out for a special level of scorn.
As does Stevenson's decision to blow off three quality fights against high-level opponents to face an unknown no-hoper on a Friday night late in December.
Whether or not you agree with everything Jim said, there’s no denying that many of Haymon’s upper-echelon talents had forgettable 2014’s because they didn’t seek out or accept the best challenges available.
And that might be good for their wallets, but it's not good for the sport.
Miguel Cotto Decision Soon?
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It’s been over two weeks since Oscar De La Hoya announced that his protege, Canelo Alvarez, had agreed to terms on a blockbuster fight with Cotto this coming May, but the Puerto Rican icon has been oddly quiet since.
With Canelo on board, the onus shifted to Cotto’s team, led by Top Rank President Todd duBoef and legal adviser Gaby Peñagarícano. There are some issues that remain in need of ironing out, yes, but it would be quite surprising to see this deal not get done.
Penagarícano, in comments to Miguel Rivera of Boxingscene.com, last week said Cotto has no deadline for settling on his next fight, but that he expected plans to be finalized before the end of this year or early next year at the latest.
Cotto captured the WBC Middleweight Championship with a one-sided drubbing of Sergio Martinez at Madison Square Garden in New York City this past June. By winning the title he became the first Puerto Rican four-division champion and a natural opponent for the Mexican sensation.
It’s possible he could elect to pursue a rematch with pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, or jump the gun a bit and test his mettle against Kazakh wrecking ball Gennady Golovkin, considered by most to be the middleweight king in waiting.
Both of those options, however, seem unlikely given the lucrative nature of the Canelo bout and the advanced stage of negotiations.
Either way, we should know pretty soon.
Hopefully, really soon.
Anyone Realize Giullermo Rigondeaux Is Fighting?
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It’s funny the type of things that get you rewarded in boxing.
Nonito Donaire loses a one-sided decision to Rigondeaux and gets big fight after big fight, while the Cuban champion is literally relegated to traveling the world to find anyone willing to fight him.
Rigondeaux (14-0, 9 KO) will fight his third consecutive bout in a different country on Wednesday night, defending his WBO Super Bantamweight Championship against Hisashi Amagasa in Osaka, Japan.
Who is that, you might ask?
Heck of a question.
Amagasa has never fought outside of Japan—33 of his 34 fights have been in the same Tokyo arena—and he’s never beaten a fighter you’ve heard of, unless you’re super hip to the Japanese boxing scene.
Rigondeaux made the fifth defense of his title earlier this year in Macau, the final fight of his contract with promoter Top Rank, and he’s heading back to Asia largely because American premium boxing networks have little interest in televising or paying for his fights.
Some people enjoy his highly technical and defensive style, but the last time HBO showcased one of his fights—the wish-we-didn’t-have-to-mention-it affair against Joseph Agbeko from Atlantic City—the ratings tanked and people walked out of Boardwalk Hall during the fight.
So, if you’ve got nothing happening this New Year’s Eve, feel free to await the results of Rigondeaux vs. anonymous Japanese challenger, because you won't find it on TV.
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Why Is Tyson Fury Risking His Mandatory Shot?
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If you haven’t figured out that Fury marches to the beat of his own drum by now, then I don’t really know what else we can do for you.
The British behemoth became the WBO’s mandatory No. 1 challenger to Wladimir Klitschko’s title by virtue of his sleep-inducing rematch victory over rival Dereck Chisora on Nov. 29.
Most men in his position would simply rest on their laurels and await their crack at heavyweight glory, but Fury has instead elected to be a fighting top contender.
He’ll risk his mandatory status on Feb. 28 when he takes on German-based heavyweight Christian Hammer (17-3, 10 KO) at the O2 Arena in London.
Hammer isn’t well known—he’s won his last 10 fights including over badly faded Danny Williams and former title challenger Kevin Johnson—but in heavyweight boxing, pretty much any fighter can hurt you with one big shot.
Fury’s desire to stay active is probably a good thing for his career. Injuries and shenanigans by David Haye helped limit him to just one fight in 2013, and he's only fought twice this year.
You don’t remain sharp for a title challenge by sitting on your bum.
With Klitschko already locked into a title defense this coming April at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, the earliest Fury could’ve gotten him into the ring was probably the late summer/early fall.
And you don’t want to be out of the ring that long before that type of fight.
More Legal Troubles for Jermain Taylor?
5 of 5Taylor sure had some ride in 2014.
The 36-year-old former undisputed middleweight champion regained a share of the 160-pound crown in a farcical challenge of Sam Soliman on Oct. 8.
Farcical because Taylor hadn’t fought at middleweight since 2008, hadn’t beaten a notable opponent in even longer than that and has a documented history of brain injuries.
Taylor’s title win was bookended by legal troubles that could well end his career and result in a long stint in prison.
He was arrested in August after allegedly shooting his cousin at his Little Rock, Arkansas, home. Formal charges were filed in November, and Taylor now faces up to 26 years in prison for first-degree battery and first-degree terroristic threatening—whatever that means.
The matter is set for trial in June.
Another recent incident, per Boxingscene.com, broke on Christmas Eve, when Arkansas police reportedly visited Taylor’s home after a 911 call from a woman who claimed she was bleeding after Taylor threw a brick through a window.
Talk about a mess.
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