The Hottest Boxing Storylines for the Week of January 29

Everyone catch your breath.

That was some weekend of boxing, right?

We had it all and then some.

In this week's edition of the hottest storylines in boxing, we take a look at Leo Santa Cruz's impressive rematch win over Carl Frampton to recapture a featherweight championship. 

We can only hope that one word is on the mind of each fighter: trilogy.

Mikey Garcia might have been the most impressive fighter of the weekend as he made short (and devastating) work of Dejan Zlaticanin to win his third world title. Did Garcia secure Knockout of the Year honors before the end of January?

On HBO, Miguel Berchelt burst on the scene with a horrific beatdown of all-action warrior Francisco Vargas to claim his first world championship and make a case for inclusion among the best 130-pound fighters in the world.

Is he a star on the rise?

All that, plus, Oscar De La Hoya's latest legal troubles (both personally and for his company) and the continued rotten luck for Deontay Wilder when it comes to finding opponents.

Happy reading!

Should Santa Cruz and Frampton Go Three?

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If you don't think we should bring back Santa Cruz and Frampton to settle their rivalry in a rubber match, then one of two things is probably true.

You're either a troll, or you just don't like boxing.

The dynamic pair of featherweights once again put on a tremendous show with Santa Cruz regaining the WBA Featherweight Championship with a narrow majority decision to avenge a close loss to Frampton last July. 

The official scores of 114-114 and 115-113 twice for Santa Cruz were perfect. They reflected the action in the ring, and the right man got his hand raised. It was close but decisive and was nothing that either man or the fans should have cause to complain about.

Bravo.

And there's no reason why we shouldn't get to see this end with the final chapter of yet another epic featherweight trilogy. There are plenty of other great matches for both men, yes, but they seem to bring out the best in each other. 

Santa Cruz was much more effective boxing this time around. He made the adjustments necessary to flip the script and deserves credit for showing he's not just a one-trick pony. He can adapt after all. 

He measured his attack more than we're used to seeing and limited the opportunities for Frampton to get on the inside and engage on level terms. It may have been slightly less scintillating than the first fight, but it was another great example of what happens when the best fight the best.

Let's do it again and settle this!

Did Mikey Score the Knockout of the Year?

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It's a little early to be handing out year-end awards, but it's going to take something special to unseat Garcia's knockout of Zlaticanin as 2017's Knockout of the Year.

It was a frightening ending to a fight that reminded us why Garcia was considered one of the sport's rising pound-for-pound stars before a contract dispute cost him more than two years of his career. 

On Saturday night, Garcia stunned Zlaticanin in the third round with a huge right uppercut before sending him to the mat with a crunching hook. The now-former champion dropped like a rock and hit his head a couple of times on the mat. He appeared to be unconscious, and referee Tony Weeks immediately called a halt to the bout.

It was sudden and devastating.

Garcia—who is now a three-division champion—captured the WBC Lightweight Championship with the win.

And he's the man to beat at that weight beyond doubt.

It's particularly impressive to see him win in this manner in just the second fight of his comeback and against a dangerous foe.

A good number of observers felt this fight might be too much, too soon for Garcia, who was facing off with a bigger man who possessed a mean streak and a big left hand. But so much for that. Garcia is back and hasn't missed a step. 

Hell, he might be even better, and that's a scary prospect.

Is Berchelt the New Star at 130 Pounds?

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On Saturday night, Berchelt pulverized Vargas in a brutal fight that started out competitive but became increasingly one-sided as the rounds wore on. It was an impressive performance from the once-beaten Mexican who had never previously beaten an opponent of note and now holds the WBC Super Featherweight Championship.

We're used to seeing Vargas engage in wars. 

It's what he does, it's why we tune in, and it's led him to back-to-back Fight of the Year awards.

And it's why we've learned to never count him out in a fight, even when it seems he'll need a miracle to pull through. But you never felt he had that in him against Berchelt, who was younger, fresher and stronger all night.

Berchelt connected with an astounding number of power punches (336 over 11 rounds, per CompuBox), which is not unusual for a Vargas fight, but as the now-former champion's face became a swollen, bloody mask, you had to keep wondering why it needed to go on.

It takes a lot to worry about a fighter's safety, but there we were, watching this beating, replaying all the wars Vargas has been in during his career and wondering why nobody was willing to save him from himself.

Referee Raul Caiz Jr. finally stopped the carnage at 2:17 of Round 11, and Vargas, who said on the broadcast that he wants a rematch, might be best served calling it a career. He has nothing to prove, and there are only so many times you can walk out with your face looking like this before long-term health becomes a concern.

Berchelt seems likely to face former titlist Takashi Miura, who won an equally brutal slugfest over Mickey Roman on the undercard, in his next fight. 

Expect more brutality. 

How Do We Unpack Golden Boy's Failed Suit Against Haymon?

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It's been a rough week for De La Hoya, one of boxing's transcendent stars in his era and head of Golden Boy Promotions, who was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in California and then saw a federal judge summarily dismiss his company's lawsuit against manager Al Haymon, per Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times.  

Per Pugmire, Golden Boy's suit alleged, among other things, that Haymon and his Premier Boxing Champions series were in violation of the federal Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act (which bars a person from acting as both promoter and manager), federal antitrust regulations and attempting to create a boxing monopoly.

But Federal Judge John F. Walter wasn't having it.

Golden Boy was disappointed with the result but said in a statement it would continue looking to put together the best fights and that it would be willing to work with anyone to do so.

Bob Arum's Top Rank had also filed a suit against Haymon, but the two settled out of court in May and have done business since. It remains to be seen if the same will happen for Golden Boy. 

The waters have been particularly rough for De La Hoya's company of late.

Its biggest star Canelo Alvarez has been heavily and frequently criticized for kicking the can down the road on a fight with Gennady Golovkin (the biggest megafight in the sport today), and now it has to manage the fallout of a failed lawsuit with its head once again battling his personal demons.

We can all agree that we hope De La Hoya gets the help he needs and sorts his life out, but the company, which just recently signed a new television deal with ESPN, also needs to get itself back on the rails and focused on fights in the ring.

More Rotten Luck for Deontay Wilder?

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Wilder, who has been out of action since injuring his arm in a title defense against Chris Arreola in July, has seen another scheduled opponent test positive for a banned substance.

According to Bob Velin of USA Today, Polish heavyweight Andrzej Wawrzyk—a suspect title challenger to begin with—popped in a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) test conducted under the WBC's mandatory Clean Boxing Program.

Wilder was also set to defend his WBC Heavyweight Championship against Alexander Povetkin last May when the fight was canceled at the last minute when it was revealed that the Russian challenger had tested positive for melondium.

But this fight card will go on according to promoter Lou DiBella, who is now tasked with finding a suitable opponent for Wilder on short notice.

Mitch Abramson of The Ring reports that the list of finalists has been cut down to three names. Gerald Washington (18-0-1, 12 KO), a former U.S. Navy helicopter mechanic who was already in training for a fight on the same card, is the apparent front-runner.  

Washington has a good story, and he's a better challenger than Wawryzk, but it's important for Wilder to step it up in a big way once this fight is over.

Nobody is blaming him for Povetkin, but with the heavyweight division stacked with potentially exciting matchups, the next opponent for Wilder needs to be someone significant and not an anonymous guy nobody could pick from a lineup.