The Hottest Boxing Storylines for the Week of November 8
Timothy Bradley looked like a changed man on Saturday night in dominating and stopping Brandon Rios to retain his welterweight title in his first fight under new trainer Teddy Atlas. The outcome may not have been very surprising, but how we got there definitely wasn't expected.
Bradley hadn't stopped a foe since the badly faded Joel Casamayor in 2011, so we ponder whether his big win under a new trainer proves he's still an elite fighter and if he can get a rubber match with Manny Pacquiao next year.
We also take a look at Vasyl Lomachenko, who dominated another overmatched foe to retain his 126-pound title on the undercard, and whether or not he can get a real opponent in there next time.
Andre Ward's injury and the ramifications for a clash with Sergey Kovalev, the latest bite at the apple for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and the strange case of Guillermo Rigondeaux round out this week's edition of the hottest storylines in boxing.
Did Timothy Bradley Prove He's Still Elite?
1 of 5
Much debate heading into Bradley's dominant title defense against Rios centered around whether or not the California native still deserved elite-fighter status.
That debate is now over.
Making his first start under veteran firebrand trainer Teddy Atlas, Bradley seemed like a rejuvenated fighter who picked up quite a few new tricks in just seven weeks of training. He was quicker on his feet, creating angles and not languishing in vulnerable positions on the inside against his normally hard-charging foe.
He popped a visibly out of shape Rios with big combinations and then disappeared before his foe could even throw, much less land, any return fire. His jab was sharp, and he largely escaped the wrath of the often animated Atlas in the corner, save one motivational speech about being firemen who put out fires in the ring.
It was classic Atlas.
Bradley looked better than he has in years, and he became the first man to stop the usually durable and rugged Rios with a vicious assault in Round 9.
The Bradley-Atlas partnership, at least on this night, seemed to be a smashing success and proved that Desert Storm still has the tools and will to be one of the elite operators in the loaded 147-pound division.
Bradley, along with Terence Crawford and Amir Khan, has been frequently mentioned as a possible foe for Manny Pacquiao's swan-song fight in April. He seemed like the long shot in that grouping, but after tonight, he might prove to be the best of that lot.
And wouldn't it be interesting to see what Teddy makes of Freddie Roach and Pacquiao?
Can We Get Vasyl Lomachenko a Real Opponent?
2 of 5
Lomachenko is an elite talent.
He can do everything well in the ring, box, move, counter, lead, but he's stuck in neutral without any attractive opponents ready, willing and/or able to fight him at the moment. His one-sided shredding of woefully overmatched Romulo Koasicha on the Bradley-Rios undercard was nothing short of a gross mismatch.
Much was made in the lead in to this fight of the fact that Koasicha, who was ranked No. 7 by the WBO, was the best available opponent willing to take the deal to face the two-time Olympic gold medalist. And that, by itself, speaks volumes to the situation.
We'll touch on Rigondeaux later. His situation is a mess all of its own.
But most of the top featherweights in the world reside on the other side of the boxing political divide with Al Haymon and thus remain virtually cut off as potential opponents for anyone who isn't also managed by boxing's elusive power broker.
Lomachenko already beat one of them when he captured the then-vacant WBO 126-pound title from Gary Russell Jr., but matches with Leo Santa Cruz, Abner Mares or even a rematch with an improved Russell would go a long way toward satiating fans who want more.
Just no more Koasicha's, please.
Will Andre Ward's Injury Postpone a Sergey Kovalev Clash?
3 of 5
Ward was scheduled to make his second start of the year as the main support bout on the Miguel Cotto vs. Canelo Alvarez pay-per-view card on November 21 at the Mandalay Bay, but the super middleweight champion was forced to withdraw from his bout with unknown Alexander Brand due to swelling in his knee, per Dan Rafael of ESPN.com.
The fight was supposed to be Ward's first as a full-blown light heavyweight as he continues to dip his toes into the water of competition after a lengthy self-imposed layoff of nearly two years.
Ward recently signed an exclusive three-fight deal with HBO that called for bouts in November and April of next year culminating in a late 2016 showdown with unified light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev.
It's unclear what this setback will do to that timeline, but, given Ward's recent injuries, lawsuits and inactivity, one has to wonder if this just won't result in more disappointment for boxing fans hoping to see two top pound-for-pound fighters lock horns for high stakes.
Kovalev must also take care of business in a January 30 rematch with Jean Pascal.
His promoter, Kathy Duva of Main Events, told Steve Kim of Boxing Scene that they're hoping the injury is just a minor setback and they can quickly get back to the business of making the fight a reality.
We're right there with you, Kathy.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Another Chance for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
4 of 5
The road to boxing stardom has been littered with mines for Chavez Jr., progeny of Mexico's greatest fighter, but, given his poor performance and unprofessionalism, he keeps getting chance after chance after chance.
We're honestly starting to think he has nine lives (maybe more before all is said and done) at this point.
Chavez Jr. was recently approved by the WBC as a challenger for the organization's 168-pound champion Badou Jack, per Miguel Rivera of Boxing Scene.
Why, you ask?
Good question.
Chavez Jr. hasn't successfully made super middleweight since a 2013 fight against Brian Vera that he absolutely deserved to lose but was gifted a decision by incompetent/corrupt (take your pick) judges. His last two fights (one win, one loss) were at light heavyweight, though, in fairness, his fight with Marco Reyes only got there because he was unwilling or unable to make weight.
The size difference between the fighters would've been comical if it weren't so clearly dangerous. Chavez Jr. was functionally two weight classes bigger than his visibly smaller foe, proving how boxing weight classes are a joke when some fighters can pay their way to an advantage by not bothering.
You can certainly see why Jack would want this fight. Chavez is still a name and with a name comes dollar signs, but the WBC? Other than as a legacy bonus to his much more professional father, this one is hard to justify.
The Strange (and Getting Stranger) Case of Guillermo Rigondeaux
5 of 5
The strange case of Rigondeaux, boxing's top overall technician, continues to get stranger and sadder.
The 35-year-old Cuban former amateur standout has now been stripped by both the WBO and WBA of his 122-pound titles, per Rafael, and will face little known Mexican Mario Briones December 4 in Ottawa for a WBC regional belt.
Who is Briones?
Well, a cursory look at his Boxrec.com page tells us that he's 26-4-2 with 19 knockouts, and his most recent win came over a fighter who entered just 6-3 and had lost back-to-back fights. Not to mention that Briones himself was knocked out in one round in his previous start.
Yeah.
Rigondeaux is not for everyone. That's for certain. He's a tremendous technician with a risk-averse style that got him booted off HBO after a truly terrible to watch fight against Joseph Agbeko late in 2013. But, even with that, he's better than this type of garbage fight.
Lomachenko looms, a fight that Bob Arum openly says he wants and backed with a reasonable offer to Rigo's promoter Caribe, but for some reason hasn't happened yet. Whatever the reasons, it's clear by this point that Rigondeaux isn't going to come close to matching his high-end potential if something doesn't change fast.
There's just nothing to be gained by fighting the Mario Briones' of the world.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
