When Gamboa Was A Tyson: GIF Spotlight

In July of 2008, Cuba's Yuriorkis Gamboa was one of boxing's baddest and most promising prospects. A fast, athletic finisher with dynamite in his gloves. On three day's notice, Al Seeger decided he'd give him a go for a North American title on ESPN's Friday Night Fights. It went very well for one of them, in the first round.

Gamboa became a major world titlist in 2009, yet the excitement and the KO's in his favor have mostly ended. He did have a Pier-Six Brawl with P4P name Terence Crawford in 2014, but his winning efforts tend to be fairly subdued affairs after a few years as a world titlist name, considering he was one of many who were treated as Tysonesque on the way to stardom. He is still a winning, world class fighter, however, having just taken a controversial decision over Jason Sosa. Respectfully, I miss the early Gamboa.


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Cletus Seldin's Blatant Elbow Under Referee Tony Chiarantano's Nose: GIF Spotlight

Kablam! Right on the ear? Referee Tony Chiarantano seems in good position to catch this blatant elbow strike of Cletus "Hebrew Hammer" Seldin on ESPN2'S Friday Night Fights. The victim was Johnny Garcia, and this is back in February. The ref also gets some other elbow action he isn't particularly on the ball for. ESPN's commentator Teddy Atlas was surprised about this too. Seldin, a strong, undefeated light welterweight prospect, is certainly not a newcomer to working a guy with his elbows but here we can see a blatant, loaded-up strike. That is, opposed to very common elbow activity people complain about, incidental to head control, space-making, jockeying for positions, or incidentally touching your man up while blocking and deflecting with your elbows (Seldin does use a cross-arm defense, so that is bound to happen also).

This is just flatly, gratuitously dirty and should've had a point deduction, I would think. I might be wrong, but I don't even think Seldin was warned here, as though it were missed completely. It's a nice catch from the FNF crew on slow motion, regardless. I seem to recall in Seldin's first match with Bayan Jargal, Seldin looked to me, in the first round, to use his opponent's clinching as an opportunity to try a few such elbow strikes with his free arm. Seldin's a solid fighter, but you've got to watch him closely. His head and elbows are all prone to strike. This guy is a rough customer, for whatever mix of the incidental, accidental and intentional we might be seeing. I chalk this one up as clearly intentional. But things happen in fights. I buy that many fighters will blatantly (yes, even blatantly) foul on nothing more than instinct, instead of with the thought to gain unfair advantage. Sometimes, your natural reaction in a combat sport is to do any physical thing that you would do without rules and it's done without any decision-making whatsoever. Seldin might be particularly predisposed to that. I couldn't say. But it is up to the referee to force them into forethought if a pattern emerges with things like this and I did find it very odd that nothing came of this particular elbow, seemingly in plain view and blatant. 



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Teddy Atlas On Antonio Tarver: Quote Spotlight

Teddy Atlas paid Antonio Tarver an enormous compliment after he dominated Johnathon Banks on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. While he wasn't particularly impressed with defeating Banks by itself, he said of Tarver's early pugilistic accomplishments:


"Tarver was one of the great amateur fighters in U. S. history."

The 46-year-old was a 1996 Light Heavyweight Olympian and continues to campaign for a world title at heavyweight. Stranger things have happened. Some of them to Roy Jones Junior.



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Ahmed Elbiale VS Dustin Echard: A Mess of a Stoppage From Referee Bill Clancy

The Setup:

Two undefeated prospects with similarly and understandably soft opposition so far took to the stage as the opener for ESPN's Friday Night Fights. West Virginia's Dustin Craig Echard came in 10-0 with one No-Contest and all concentrated into West Virginia and the neighboring state Ohio. The hotter prospect, Ahmed Elbiale, from Egypt, having been on Friday Night Fights before and scoring a flashy KO at the time, came in 8-0 with all knockout victories. They meet just above the Light Heavyweight limit. It's technically at Cruiserweight but with a contracted catch-weight of 178 pounds. Echard reportedly had a little trouble making the weight and came in less than a pound over for this one and while Boxrec does not reflect it, he did hit the sauna and come in within the contracted limit, though Boxrec still currently lists the initial weigh-in. Echard contested his last couple fights at 10 and 14 pounds heavier than he was for tonight, and he looks to have a very top-heavy build. It might be significant. The bout is scheduled for six rounds and regardless of any issues with the weight, they both look in immaculate shape.

The Action:

With a likely-ill-fated nickname, Dustin "The Clean Coal Assassin" takes his first defeat via second-round TKO. He started well, and landed a handful of significant shots against Elbiale. The first round was highly competitive. It didn't begin with the appearance that they shouldn't be in the ring together. But Elbiale's killer instinct and power seem very considerable. It wasn't long before Elbiale put Echard down with a crushing overhand right to the jaw that initiated it and sent Echard sliding underneath the bottom rope and outside the ring.

This is where it gets dodgy. Echard looks confused and to be directed back into the ring by his corner, as Teddy Atlas points out. He doesn't look to have his feet or his wits. Upon replay, I think he seemed to think the fight was either over or they were on a break. Elbiale comes in with the anxiousness of a man who smells nothing but blood. He wades in behind a fury of punches and Echard is not able to defend himself. I think Echard even exclaimed "Hey!" as if to ask why he was getting attacked. Referee Bill Clancy steps in and I think it's over but then he lets it continue. I thought straight away that this would be a mistake. Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas had talked about seeing Bill Clancy officiate several times before and how good of a referee he was. But this was, as I said, where it got dodgy.  He can't move anywhere and can only offer a rudimentary guard. He's close to helpless at this point.

Elbiale comes in again, just as furious, and after eating some more shots, Echard, if I'm not mistaken, actually shouted "What are you doing?" I could be wrong, but if he did, he seems completely confused and unable to even know why the fight is continuing at this point. It's like he thinks they're on a break and Elbiale is attacking him for no reason. As he tries to ask what's going on, as best as I can here, Elbiale's assault is finally ended by Bill Clancy and the fight is called. This was probably about three spots too late to stop it. I was very puzzled by Clancy letting it continue where he did. Ahmed Elbiale wins, and by very messy TKO2, over a brave but confused Dustin Echard.


What it means to me:

For Echard, little can be said. He got his shot, started well, then got blown out. For Elbiale, some of the punches he was caught with, even with his big finish, were a concern. But with such little fight against such an unknown name, little can be said for him either. Only that he's a fun fighter with power and a genuine killer instinct. We have to wait to know anything more than that. I look forward to his next appearance. This was a good choice by ESPN, if not so much by Referee Bill Clancy.



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Greg Jackson Shows Tremendous Recovery Ability: GIF Spotlight

The 6-footer welterweight prospect Greg Jackson took on less prospective prospect Cornelius Whitlock on this last installment of Friday Night Fights. Whitlock came to the bout with 2 losses, 2 draws and 1 No-Contest in only seven fights. One of his wins had been converted from a knockout victory to a no contest on account of a failed drug test, sadly. But, unusually, the Just For Men highlight punch of the night for the ESPN(2) broadcast was the winner of this bout walking into a HONEY of a knockdown shot. Here is winner Greg Jackson getting the Hulk smash from Cornelius Whitlock:

Greg Jackson deserves a spotlight for pulling it together like very few can after getting put down this way. Notice Cornelius Whitlock doing a little dance when he knocks Greg Jackson down. Jackson did a little dance after stopping Whitlock in return.

Warning: He who dances last. . .won the fight.



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Jarrell Miller VS Aaron Kinch: Kinch Refuses Your Stoppage!

The Setup:

We have an undefeated American prospect VS an older yet not particularly experienced American journeyman as the second ESPN match of the night. It was likely meant to be a perfect opportunity for a hungry fighter to showcase himself with a TV KO.

Miller: He is a Brooklyn man with a fighting history. Boxing, Kickboxing, MMA. A good background at that. As a pro boxer though his major note for me comes more for having sparred with the heavyweight champion of the world, Wladimir Klitschko, in helping him prepare for David Haye in 2011, than anything else. Todd Grisham says Jarrell Miller's motto, contrary to Floyd Mayweather Junior's motto of "Hardwork, dedication" is "Hard work, dedication and cheeseburgers." So, in other words, Miller, as a prospect, is not exactly putting us on notice to expect a lot, even though he's obviously a natural fighter with some talent and is still a natural, fully-sized heavyweight. He comes in at a very questionable 281 lbs - nearly 20 heavier than his last fight, which was only in this last November. Yikes.

Kinch: The man they put in front of Miller, Aaron Kinch, against his only other commonly recognisable opponent, the powerful and undefeated southpaw prospect Charles Martin, was stopped in four. Aaron is a 35-year-old, five-victory veteran with one kayo win under his belt. Aaron has fought in five American states and is now used to traveling his country to ply his trade for the past few years. He very clearly comes in as "the opponent" for Jarrell Miller, considering limited experience, in his mid-thirties already. This wasn't meant to be a good contest from the start. It was a filler fight on the card, to us, the fans. 

The Action:

Again, not much was meant for us in this match, and knowing that, it couldn't really have been disappointing. I can't imagine it was much help to Miller in experience, as he wasn't tested in any way or forced into adapting. It may have helped him pay the bills, but that's about it. While Miller showed off his natural ability in each round, his offensive diversity, his overall strength and control, his floppy-chested physique and lack of putting Kinch away did underwhelm for his prospective hopes and television stock.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't really a bad watch, all things considered. Kinch was gritty. Very gritty. When you're losing every round and the deck was meant to be stacked against you and you have a six-rounder few will think much about afterward, it wouldn't have taken anything unusual to pack it in, take a knee to see if the referee showed some mercy, especially toward the end of this match, with Kinch so tired it seemed hard to fire above Miller's hip area, and clearly getting damaged. With all of that as the context, Kinch refused to just be a statistical improvement to a young prospect's kayo ratio. No, Kinch dug deep and put his health on the line and wouldn't go away. He kept slipping under one shot, getting caught hard by the next, throwing what he could and usually not causing Miller to so much as pause and reset. It may not be good for Aaron that he refused to be stopped, but it was a proud effort and I admired him for it. Admiration aside, it was a fair and wide Jarrell Miller UD6 Aaron Kinch.

What It Means To Me:

I see a bit of Chris Arreola in Miller. A good, natural fighter, a little humour about his pectorals, but I don't see a suggestion he'll be the next champion or cares even as much about it as Arreola has. I wouldn't mind seeing him fight again, but I wouldn't likely think twice about it if he never made it back to television. He's earning a living. Nothing wrong with that, but not much to talk about. The division, and his country, they both have more interesting prospects ahead of him until he shows us otherwise. America still has the likes of Bryant Jennings and Deontay Wilder. Heck, it still has the likes of Arreola and Chambers for that matter. As for Kinch, as I said, he did himself no disservice, all things considered, but he didn't have what he needed to change his lot in life against Miller. No shame in that either. The match did little for either man or the audience, I don't think. Two in a row that weren't exactly great picks from ESPN on Friday night, even factoring in budgetary concerns for the channel.




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Francisco Santana VS Kendal Mena: The Meaningless Zero, + GIF Spotlight

The Setup:

Teddy Atlas began the ESPN Friday Night Fights broadcast without playing up the opening match at all, true to himself and true to the viewing audience. He said that Mena had only fought one fighter in his 20-0 career who had a winning record. This is true as far as I can tell from his Boxrec page. An undefeated, unprepared fighter stood on one side, was the point Teddy tried to make. He also came in on short notice after over a year of inactivity. Meanwhile, while Santana comes in with three losses, he has also shared a ring with such talents as Eddie Gomez, Karim Mayfield, Joachim Alcine, Freddy Hernandez, Julian Williams and Jermell Charlo. The difference in professional experience in this match is overwhelming and Santana comes in relatively fresh off of a match in August of 2014.

The Action:

The action was short enough to just say this: When Santana landed, from the beginning, I think he hurt Mena with everything that landed flush. I think Mena had jelly in his legs before the kayo punch and maybe before the first of two knockdowns occurred. It makes me strongly question his durability at this level, the way I saw him react to the punches. Anybody can get the lights turned out but again, I don't think he took any good punches well in this brief outing. Here was the big left hook finish, in GIF form, and it really is the story of the action in a nutshell:

Francisco Santana KO1 Kendal Mena. Mena seemed completely out of his depth and his head was frighteningly bounced off of the canvas, leading to a correct call by Referee Jack Reiss to get people in to check on him immediately. This was a bad one, folks.



What it means to me: For Santana, that he is in the same position, really. He is that guy who hovers just inside the group. You wouldn't bet on him picking up a world title. But you wouldn't bet against him either. He's a contender of some kind. For Mena? My guess is obscurity. He's just a guy with a good record on paper, constructed in Dominican Republic against non-names, and likely to return to the same. There's nothing to talk about for him except that if he should decide to take on another step up from his 20 previous opponents, he shouldn't do it on a long layoff; he shouldn't do it on short notice, and he shouldn't do it too soon because that was a vicious blow that put him down and a vicious blow to the back of his head from the canvas.

I'll throw in that I watched the fight with someone and when it ended I mentioned Mena's lack of meaningful competition, and the statistic he'd missed about his opponents only having one winning record, he said of Santana's win "That's like knocking out a baby." While that may be a bit unfair, I guess I can't say I don't know where he's coming from. On the one hand, it was a good job by Santana and as action-packed as you're likely going to have for a one-rounder, but on the other hand, it did leave a bad taste in my mouth. I wish Mena a nice recovery and congratulate Santana on a dramatic performance, regardless of my mixed feelings on the matchmaking. Sometimes boxing is like that. A guy trying to make his way in the world gets a meaningless zero ripped off of him and is left in a distasteful heap. It's not the good side of boxing but it's normal and never going away. I could do without it being televised, however, ESPN.




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Gausha On Display: Terrell Gausha VS Cesar Vila

The setup: 

2012 Olympian from Cleveland, Terrell Gausha, undefeated as a pro, takes on fellow prospect Cesar Vila on the opening ESPN2 bout for their nice card in Temecula, California.

The action:

While there were times when Gausha was muscled back, smothered a bit, caught while stationary with his guard, leaving a nice target for a big swing from his Cesar Vila, it's nitpicking with this excellent prospect. He put on a good performance with good action for his television audience. Gausha's offense was so pretty last night I think there could've been a novella called "Terrell Gausha's punches and Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King.

He may have room for improvement when a guy is putting the pressure on, but he also walked Cesar Vila, a gritty foe, onto plenty of left hooks and right uppercuts as he came in. Here and there, Gausha worked a stiff-arm maneuver on Vila without him knowing quite how to deal with it, getting measured and kept in place with that left and smacked with the right. Jack Reiss, in his discretion, didn't have much to say about that, as many refs don't. When Vila did his best to drag Gausha into a fire fight, particularly before he he had Gausha on the ropes, he got battered more and more up to the time of the stoppage. It's not many young fighters that can land sweat-flying jab/straight right combinations from so close, the way Terrell did. Blistering, short, sharp, accurate, and while under intense aggression.

The ending:

With a big lead and in the zone Gausha stood in front of Vila and fired two rapid one-two's for a four-punch demolition. The way Vila hit the deck and the wide lead seem to have been the decider for Referee Jack Reiss to go ahead and call it immediately, though in the eighth and final round. There was a protest in the corner that was censored by ESPN. They weren't happy. I believe I heard Jack say first "I seen enough, man." and then "Hey, look at the score cards." to the corner. The stoppage was a little questionable, partly because Vila was ready to get up and continue and it was called before he had a chance to try and show Jack Reiss this, and partly because it was nearing the final bell. I can neither strongly agree nor disagree with it. I understand Jack's stoppage, I think, and I understand also why the corner was upset. I guess that's why being a referee means always knowing that you'll never please everyone, but you might at least keep someone well enough to fight another day. Gausha KO8 Vila.

What it means to me: 

While I have plenty of time for complimenting Gausha, I've got some for Vila too. He was not technically in Gausha's class but that is not to say he doesn't have class. I will not be at all surprised if I see Vila come back from this one. He landed more than a couple bombs, didn't allow himself time to be discouraged in getting the worst of the action and went out on his shield, he can come back better. He is 28-years-old and clearly has a fighter's heart and mentality. Gausha's stock didn't rise so much as his experience did. Eight more pro rounds in the books, still remaining an excellent prospect and a very good choice for any channel that wants to have him on the card. Fox, ESPN, even Showtime seem to know he's a good pick when available. The guy is good TV and a well-schooled threat.


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Ievgen Khytrov VS Chris Chatman: Chatman goes out on his shield

ESPN's Friday Night Fights this past week aired during the International Boxing Hall of Fame induction clamor and brought out the stars even for a smaller card. Present were:

Audience:

Announced before the first match and on camera:
1. Mike Tyson
2. Zab Judah
3. Rosie Perez
4. Andre Ward
5. Oscar De La Hoya

 
For interviews and commentating on behalf of ESPN: Nigel Collins, Teddy Atlas & Todd Grisham
Also on the broadcast as Teddy's demonstration guest was Aaron Pryor.


The setup: Ievgen "The Ukrainian Lion" Khytrov, former Olympian and young Middleweight prospect VS southpaw veteran road warrior of the Light Middleweight and Middleweight division Chris Chatman. In short, Chatman was looking to be set up as a showcase opponent for Khytrov.

The fight: Chatman does not take willful part in showcases for his opponents. His punching technique may not be the most surgical but not a rat's rear is given to who is supposed to be winning this match. He lets his hand go immediately and staggered the Ukrainian in the first round, almost knocking him down. The referee warns Khytrov about shoving Chatman around, probably out of frustration after getting staggered. The width of Chatman's shots probably didn't do him any favours over the rest of the round as he may have gotten overexcited and sloppier, thinking he could take him out for a big upset.

As the fight progresses, Chatman's hooks getting wider, Khytrov's enormous amateur pedigree starting to show against the awkward southpaw, the fight is still sloppy. Khytrov shoves Chatman down on the ropes again and it's rightfully ruled to not be a knockdown. He's testing the ref's patience now. He gets another warning.

Chatman is flailing punches in round three and it looks like he might be tiring but he is still putting everything he's got into this match when Khytrov lands a fantastic, straight right, short counter left hook combination and that hook really lands on the button and puts the smaller man on his back. Chatman gets up but the ref, probably rightfully, rules him too incapacitated to try and continue. Khytrov's hand gets raised in victory, Olympic rings tattooed on his bicep, happy. He did not start well, but he finished in style. TKO3.


Summary: Khytrov is fan-friendly but the defensive holes make it look to me like he's not ready to advance beyond this level just yet. I'd like to see him again and he's recommended viewing for casual fans for certain.






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Petr Petrov VS Fernando Carcamo: One Sided Action Ends The Tournament

Friday Night Fights on ESPN2 finished off its Boxino tournament last night and it was a successful venture that had been full of dramatic ups and downs, hot competition and good knockouts. I have to hand it to the guys for matching up the opponents well. I really enjoyed it but I was surprised by the one-sided action of the main event. Carcamo took a terrible beating by Petrov and for a few rounds I thought he had nothing in his legs and was kept up only by heart and a very generous (depending on how you look at it) corner and referee. I agree with Teddy Atlas that Carcamo just didn't look right throughout this match. I gave him the first round, narrowly, then it was all Petrov smashing his face with left hooks and right uppercuts, in and out, ducking and weaving, battering and ramming, the rest of the way. Carcamo didn't seem to have any snap, any speed, any accuracy.

I was very surprised. I haven't got a clue if it was all Petrov being better or if there was actually something wrong with Carcamo coming into the ring or perhaps if he got hurt early and never recovered. Petrov is a perfect fighter for ESPN and they should have him back as soon as possible. Congratulations to him. Carcamo's corner almost called it (should have, in my opinion) and there were one or two instances in this fight that were perfect examples of why standing 8 counts SHOULD be in effect in ALL professional boxing matches. Referees need to have this call available to them. Phasing it out is madness. I don't understand how this is not a given.



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Issouf Kinda VS Jeremy Bryan - Second Slagged Fight Of The Night

This is contested just breaking into the welterweight division, though they're both presumably light welterweights.They're only one pound over the light welterweight limit. Early in the fight it's obvious the skill level has had a big increase with these two by a significant margin from the opening match of newbies. There's a lot more veteran guile and authority on display from both fighters, though it quickly becomes evident that it's no more or less crowd-pleasing.

In round two, Kinda is warned for a low blow and Bryan takes a very short allowed break. There's a caution by the ref to watch their heads after a clash in round three. Teddy says Bryan was cut in a head clash two fights ago and that Kinda has both won and lost via technical decisions after head clashes stopped the fights early. Kinda is cut tonight after the head clash, it seems and the ref makes note to the commission that it wasn't via punch.

Joe Tessitore says there's a small cut above the left eye of Jeremy Bryan in the fourth round. Teddy narrates a replay of several head clashes and explains why their tendency to fall in with punches leads to it. Teddy says Bryan wants to be aggressive but he doesn't know how. It has been somewhat ugly. Mostly, I feel the fight reflects that these guys are on the same overall level. But I have no problem with the scores. Jeremy Bryan gets a close UD and it's clear it means a great deal to him. Congratulations to Bryan on the win. It was a tough night and it won't be nice to hear the commentary they received when they see it back, and they both got a little bit banged up and kept doing their best.

During the match Teddy Atlas makes a specific point of saying that the main event will be good in hopes that disgruntled fans will stay tuned. Not a good sign for these fighters. They're giving it their best. It's not a good clash of styles. They can only do what they can do. Joe Tessitore goes so far as to put down the co-feature as "under-delivering". That's too bad. Not really wrong but too bad. It seems like a big shame for the fact that all four fighters on the card so far seemed to have done the best with what they had. It's just one of those nights. But without better management and a bigger budget from ESPN, this is what we get. They just don't treat boxing with enough attention or financial support at ESPN. That's the bottom line there. There's a reason why we get this on ESPN2.

America treats boxing like number two, compared to the way it used to. Some say it's a result of all the talent from other countries taking away public interest in the money country. With Floyd Mayweather Junior, Andre Ward and Tim Bradley out there, I think that's pure bunk. It's promoted badly and regulated horribly. And treated like it's managed-just as badly. We can get better cards on ESPN(2), guys. Come on. Your own commentators know you're not getting the best, even by your own minor league standards. You don't have to be HBO or Showtime to do better than this. And you don't have to have super stars to pick more entertaining or higher level matches either.


Teddy Atlas' unofficial scorecard:

Total score: 77-75, for Bryan

Bryan Rounds: 1, 2, 4, 7 & 8
Kinda Rounds: 3, 5 &6




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Wendy Toussaint VS Anthony Gangemi - Uglyish 4-Round Decision Starts The ESPN Broadcast

For the first Friday Night Fights match tonight we got a scrappy 4-rounder. Wendy Toussaint shoved Anthony Gangemi down in round one and round two, earning a warning from the referee. He was clearly the more powerful man but seemed to fight nervously, trying with little discretion to land big uppercuts but landing some powerful body shots early. Teddy Atlas is spot on about Toussaint giving up his height.

In round three, Gangemi managed to pull Toussaint down. Three rounds where someone goes down and no official knockdowns! Toussaint seems to want to use his height here and there but be too excitable to do so. He gets drawn into a fight more in the third round. Toussaint really, really loads up from the outside and almost faux-bolo-punches to no avail. He does it several times in this match.

You can't fault either on their work-rate tonight but while the effort is there, there just isn't much craft behind it. It's a wide, telegraphed display from these gentlemen, early in their pro career. I almost get the feeling that if either of these guys had shortened up their punches just a bit, we'd have had a knockout. For who, I don't know. The fight ends with Toussaint getting his fourth four-round decision victory, but this time a majority decision off the back of three UD's. He'll have to wait for his first professional knockout, I guess. I hope he shortens up those punches and works on his jab.

Teddy Atlas' unofficial scorecard:
Total score: 39-37, for Toussaint

Toussaint Rounds: 2-4
Gangemi: 1




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Kamil Laszczyk VS Daniel Diaz: A Productive Night's Work For Laszczyk

Kamil Laszczyk took on a tough, experienced professional in Daniel Diaz and put away 8 solid, satisfying experience rounds for ESPN's Friday Night Fights card. Kamil had an advantage in speed and coordination in his slightly slick, busy style. But most would agree that he took a step up and there was some pressure from inside and outside of the ring to contend with because of it. Not only did he get the win but got it by near shutout. You can't say he didn't have a productive match or that he didn't do himself proud.

Laszczyk is at least a solid prospect at featherweight. That said, despite his dominating the action, I couldn't say he looked to be spectacular. He looked good. He did get caught with a couple bombs from Diaz but he didn't seem hurt. He didn't seem like he needed to change his game plan and he didn't. He was, as I said, just slightly slick at this level and he did score a knock down, so he has a little pop in his punches. He had a good offensive diversity and took full advantage of firing faster than Diaz could hope to. He moved very well. He had class temperament and no one should put that down. He dominated a good class of opponent when he got a good TV date and he put in the work so that not only did he clearly win but he didn't let the crowd get away from him either. There's nothing to knock.

But he did not leave me with an overall big impression for a championship future. What I took away from the performance is that he's as likely as not to find a shot at a world title somewhere, whether he's successful or not. That, in and of itself, is an impressive thing for an athlete and I don't seek to diminish that. But in the grand scheme of things, I don't think he looked good enough to earmark him as a star. We'll see. I'd like to see him get another TV date soon. He's certainly not a bad watch and I'd consider his inclusion in another ESPN card to be welcomed, speaking as a fan.


Congratulations to him on a dominant performance. As for Diaz, when he landed, he did tend to land well-placed, flush, hard shots. The main difference is that he just did not have the speed of hand or foot to put the punches together like Laszczyk did. Because when he landed hard, his man was either answering back faster than he could successfully react to, offensively or defensively, or he was just out of reach. Diaz had a hard night and he hung tough, taking a lot of shots. He was a tough, determined guy in there but he was operating at too much of an athletic disadvantage to overcome. His effort did lend itself to a productive experience for Laszczyk only, which I'm sure was not his goal but that's the way it works out sometimes for a fellow like Diaz. There's no shame in it.



Notable Damage: Diaz suffered a cut over the left eye and Laszczyk over the right, I believe. Sometimes it's hard to tell when the cuts aren't dramatic as these weren't.


Teddy Atlas' unofficial scorecard:

Total Score: 79-72, for Laszczyk

Laszczyk Rounds: 1-3 & 5-10 (Round 1 scored 10-8 for a KD)
Diaz Rounds: 4




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Basement Gym Boxing


Update: The commonly expected spelling of Kamil's name has been altered and we've changed the page accordingly. 

Roberto Garcia VS Norberto Gonzalez: ESPN Makes Good Pick, Judges Make Good Scores

If we're being realistic, what we had for a main event was two men who are definitely not likely picks for future world titlists at any of the weights they are accustomed to fighting in. I get that. That said, this seems to be a talking point amongst fans and their judgment of how good a main event this made for ESPN. I say we got a very good main event and that it was predictably good. It's true, these are not likely future world titlist level boxers, but they are more than good enough to make an excellent fight and they were clearly well-matched like you could have predicted. These men have exactly what you need for a good main event. Boxing fans are often the hardest to please of all sports. That is not ESPN's fault here. While they may have not done themselves any favors in allowing Roberto Acevedo onto their broadcast, they made a good value pick on Garcia/Gonzalez.


What I like about what happened is that Gonzalez is very similar, although probably not quite on the level of super middleweight contender Marco Antonio Periban, who I feel is a bit more likely to pick up some major title somewhere. He moves and fires quick, educated combinations with great discipline, great consistency, regardless of the difficulty in doing so. He can do it while hurt, he can do it while exhausted. He's a pro. The fact that he just didn't seem to have the pop in his punches to deter a tough guy like Garcia didn't stop him from doing what worked from the standpoint of scoring. From Garcia's end, he is disciplined as a patient, confident stalker. He's underrated in what he does. While he was at a disparity in speed and maneuverability, he didn't let it bother him. He knew he could take Gonzalez's shots, he knew he could hurt Gonzalez when he got off flush and he never seemed to waver from that understanding. It takes a strong mind to keep up the fight he needed on Friday night and he had it.

This was a very interesting match of men and even though Gonzalez seemed to genuinely and strongly disagree with the decision (as opposed to putting on for show), I felt it was on the money and that Garcia had just pulled away down the stretch. I didn't have him ahead by much because it was only ten rounds but I did have him ahead and I strongly believe if it were scheduled for championship rounds he'd have broken Gonzalez down, for as little as that might mean now. They were in the same neighborhood on skills but Garcia was simply built tougher and it made the difference, it looked to me, narrow as it was over ten. Sometimes all it comes down to is taking it a little better and giving it a little harder.

As with close fights, there were plenty of fans calling "robbery" no matter how ridiculous that is. I don't feel Garcia got enough credit for shots that were bouncing off his guard. He took plenty of shots but he wasn't careless in there. It was still very, very close and I can see it scored other ways, especially with the point deduction, which was valid enough. Garcia was pretty roughhouse but it wasn't anything to get up in arms about. The referee kept it from getting to that point. A split decision is about what I had expected and that's just fine with me. Good judging.

Congratulations to Garcia for staying in the fringe, to Gonzalez for raising his stock when television gave him the opportunity, as I see it, and ESPN for seeing a small diamond in the rough-the rough being what you have when your budget doesn't allow the star roster available to the likes of HBO and Showtime. This match may not have been a classic but it was damned good. I'm up for seeing both of these fellows again.

Please note: Boxrec currently has an error, saying that Gonzalez is the one who had a point deduction. It was Garcia, for a shove with the left elbow after largely a night where Garcia did a lot of bumping and shoving off to create space. Like I said, he was fighting roughhouse but it was kept in check.


Teddy Atlas' unofficial scorecard:

Total Score: 96-93

Garcia Rounds: 3-6, 9 & 10
Gonzalez Rounds: 1, 2 & 7
Draw Rounds: 8


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Basement Gym Boxing

Quote Spotlight: Teddy Atlas Gives Gennady Golovkin & Mikey Garcia Big Respect On Friday Night Fights

When Teddy Atlas praises a fighter as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, I never do think he's only blowing smoke or jumping on the hype trains that come rolling through every channel that covers boxing. I always think he's giving it to us as he sees it, whether we like it or not. This week, he was very glowing in his praise of two fighters who are well regarded but maybe not yet big stars in his country, nor men who can be claimed by his employing channel, that I know, and I thought I'd spotlight what he had to say.



"I love him. I love Triple G. Because you love him. Because these people love him. Because he makes exciting fights. He doesn't just win. But he does it in a fan-friendly, TV-friendly-... a friendly way that we all enjoy. He goes to the body well. He's aggressive. He's a good puncher. And, you know what? He's more than all that. The reason he's undefeated, he's a world champion and he's one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world? He had 400-so amateur fights. He won a silver medal. He's got the confidence, the calmness, that comes with all that experience, with all that success. But also he's the boss without just walking in and sticking his chin out and getting hit with punches. He doesn't walk into punches. He arranges distance pretty well. He's more than just a wrecking ball. He's a wrecking ball that doesn't get wrecked."


After being asked about the recent Garcia/Burgos match:

"I see what I always see, Todd, with Mikey Garcia. That he's a master. A master at controlling range, controlling distance. He knows exactly where he's got to be, to be out of range, and exactly where he's got to go to be in range. And, how does he do it? Well, simply put, it's all about the feet when it comes to Mike Garcia. He's got the best feet and the best judge of distance in the whole boxing world."

~Teddy Atlas, while working as expert commentator for ESPN's Friday Night Fights broadcast, the 31st of January, 2014.



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Basement Gym Boxing



Thanks for stopping by our place. Here are some other pages you might enjoy:

A List Of Teddy Atlas' Unofficial Boxing Score Cards For ESPN
Who Were Their Sparring Partners? A Boxing Reference List For Research Purposes
Who Was There? A List Of Celebrities In Attendance At The Fights, For Your Reference

A List Of Teddy Atlas' Unofficial Boxing Score Cards For ESPN

2015:

May:


Reynaldo Ojeda VS Monty Meza-Clay Card:
Total Score: 99-91, for Ojeda

Ojeda Rounds: 1-9
Meza-Clay Rounds: 10

Amir Mansour VS Joey Dawejko:
Total Score: 97-93, for Mansour

Mansour Rounds:  1 & 5-10
Dawejko Rounds: 2,3 & 4


(On Friday Night Fights' Facebook page, fans saw it 9 rounds to 1 for Mansour)


David Gonzalez VS Ryan Belasco:
Total Score: 59-55, for Gonzalez

Gonzalez Rounds: 1-5
Belasco Rounds: 6

(On Friday Night Fights' Facebook page, fans saw this 6 rounds to 0, for Gonzalez, but it was actually scored a majority draw, Steve Weisfeld scoring it 58-56, for Gonzalez)
 
Decarlo Perez VS Jessie Nicklow:
Total Score: 70-73, for Perez

Perez Rounds: 2-8
Nicklow Rounds: 1

(On Friday Night Fights' Facebook page, fans also saw it seven rounds to one)

April: 

Emmanuel Robles VS Wilberth Lopez: 
Total Scores: 59-55, for Robles

Robles Rounds: 1, 3-6
Lopez Rounds: 2

(On Friday Night Fights' Facebook page, fans saw it 4 rounds to 2 for Robles)

Taras Shelestyuk VS Juan Rodriguez Junior:
Total Score, 79-73, for Shelestyuk

Shelestyuk Rounds: 1-5, 7 & 8
Rodriguez Rounds: 6

(On Friday Night Fights' Facebook page, fans saw it 7 rounds to 1 for Shelestyuk)


Petr Petrov VS Gamaliel Diaz: 
Total Score: 100-88, for Petrov

Petrov Rounds:  1-10 (7th round a 10-7)
Diaz Rounds: None

(On Friday Night Fights' Facebook page, fans also saw it nine rounds to one)


March:

Ahmed Elbiali VS Mike Stafford:  6 Rounds
Total Score: 59-56, for Elbiali

Elbiali Rounds: 2-5
Stafford Rounds: 6
Draw Rounds: 1 (1st round)
Special note: Friday Night Fights' Facebook page had it 6 rounds to 0 for Elbiali.

Fredrick Lawson VS Breidis Prescott: 10 Rounds
Total Score: 96-93, for Lawson

Lawson Rounds: 1, 2, 3 (10-8), 8, 9 & 10
Prescott Rounds: 4-7
Special note: Facebook fans for FNF had it scored 6 rounds to 4 for Prescott.
Teddy Atlas also did not agree with the single knockdown call by Referee Samuel Burgos.

February:

Daniel Gonzalez VS Ken Alvarez:



Total Score: 60-53, for Gonzalez

Gonzalez:  1, 2, 4(10-8), 5, 6 (10-8)
Alvarez: N/A
Even: 3

(Facebook Viewers scored this 3 rounds to 3 (minding the KD's)

Raymond Serrano VS Jeremy Bryan:
Total Score: 97-93, for Serrano

Serrano Rounds:  2, 5(10-8), 6, 7, 8 &10
Bryan Rounds: 3 (10-8) & 4
Even Rounds: 1 & 9

(Facebook viewers voted 8 rounds to 2 for Serrano)


John Thompson VS Ricardo Pinell:
Total Score: 59-55, for Thompson


Thompson Rounds: 2-6 
Pinell Rounds: 1

Sergio Mora VS Abraham Han:

Total Score: 117-112, for Mora

Mora: 1-6, 8 & 9
Han: 10-12
Draw: 7

January:


Tony Luis VS Karl Dargan:
Total Score: 99-90, for Luis

Dargan Rounds: 1
Luis Rounds: 2-10, with one 10-8 round, the tenth

Willie Monroe Junior VS Brian Vera:
Total Score: 100-90, for Monroe Junior

Monroe Rounds: 1, 2 & 4-10. The fifth round was scored 10-8.
Vera Rounds: None
Draw Rounds: 3/scored a 10-10

Jarrell Miller VS Aaron Kinch:
Total Score: 60-54, for Miller.
Miller Rounds: 1-6, all 10-9
Kinch Rounds: N/A

Darleys Perez VS Jonathan Macielo:
Total Score: 116-110, for Perez.

Perez Rounds: 1, 5-9, 11 & 12 (two 10-8 rounds, 11 & 12)
Macielo Rounds:  2-4 & 10

2014:

October:

Jermain Taylor VS Sam Soliman:
Total Score: 116-109, for Taylor

Taylor Rounds: 6-12, with rounds 7, 8, 9 and 11 all being 10-8.
Soliman Rounds: 2-5
Draw Rounds: 1

August:

Erick Bone VS Mahonri Montes
Total Score: 100-90, for Bone.

Bone:1-10
Montes: Not applicable

July:


Caleb Truax VS Derek Ennis: 
Total Score: 98-92, for Truax

Truax Rounds: 1-5, 7, 9 & 10
Ennis Rounds: 6 & 8


Mike Lee VS Paul Gonsalves:
Total Score: 58-56, for Lee

Lee Rounds: 1, 2, 4 & 5
Gonsalves Rounds: 3 & 6

Anthony Karperis VS  Ariel Duran:
Total Score: 39-37, for Karperis.

Karperis Rounds: 1, 3 & 4
Duran Rounds: 2


Billy Dib VS Alberto Garza
Total Score: 96-93

Dib Rounds: 2-4, 7, 8 & 10
Alberto Garza:  1, 5 & 9
Even Rounds: 6

June:

Yudel Jhonson VS Norberto Gonzalez
Total Score: 98-90, for Jhonson

Jhonson Rounds: 1, 2 & 4-9 (5 & 9 scored 10-8)
Gonzalez Rounds: 3 & 10

May:

Amir Imam VS Yordenis Ugas
Total Score: 77-75, for Imam

Imam Rounds: 4-8
Ugas Rounds: 1-3

Willie Monroe Junior VS Brandon Adams
Total Score: 98-92

Monroe Rounds: 1, 2, 4-7, 9 & 10
Adams Rounds:  3 & 8

April:

Willie Monroe Junior VS Vitaliy Kopylenko
Total Score: 79-73, for Monroe

Monroe Rounds: 1-4 & 6-8
Kopylenko Rounds: 5

March:

Fernando Carcamo VS Miguel Angel Gonzalez
Total Score: 78-73, for Carcamo

Carcamo Rounds: 1 (10-8), 3-6 & 8
Gonzalez Rounds: 2 &7

"Do me a favour. Somebody grab that judge that had it a draw and, really, suspend his license. Suspend his license. Bring him into the office and find out what on Earth was going on in his mind when he was watching the fight. Because he was watching a different fight than we were."

He was talking about Judge Tocker Pudwill.

February:

Kamil Laszczyk VS Daniel Diaz
Total Score: 79-72, for Laszczyk

Laszczyk Rounds: 1-3 & 5-10 (Round 1 scored 10-8 for a KD)
Diaz Rounds: 4

Roberto Garcia VS Norberto Gonzalez
Total Score: 96-93

Garcia Rounds: 3-6, 9 & 10
Gonzalez Rounds: 1, 2 & 7
Draw Rounds: 8

Wendy Toussaint VS Anthony Gangemi
Total score: 39-37, for Toussaint

Toussaint Rounds: 2-4
Gangemi: 1


Issouf Kinda VS Jeremy Bryan

Total score: 77-75, for Bryan

Bryan Rounds: 1, 2, 4, 7 & 8
Kinda Rounds: 3, 5 & 6


Chris Algieri VS Emmanuel Taylor

Total score: 97-93, for Algieri

Algieri Rounds: 1-3 & 7-10
Taylor Rounds: 4, 5 & 6



January:


Dusty Hernandez Harrison VS Tim Witherspoon Junior
Total Score: 79-73, for Hernandez Harrison

Hernandez Harrison Rounds: 2-8
Witherspoon Junior Rounds: 1

(Hernandez Harrison did officially win by unanimous decision)

Luis Rosa VS Jorge Diaz:
Total Score: 78-72, for Rosa

Rosa Rounds: 2-5, 7 & 8
Diaz Rounds: 1 & 6


Blake Caparello VS Elvir Muriqi
Total Score: 99-91, for Caparello

Caparello Rounds: 1-4, 6-10
Muriqui Rounds:  5


Caleb Truax VS Ossie Duran

Total Score: 96-94, Caleb Truax

Truax Rounds: 1, 5 & 8-10
Duran Rounds: 2-4 & 6
Even Rounds: 7



Juan Antonio Rodriguez VS Yenifel Vicente
Total Score: 78-74, for Rodriguez

Rodriguez Rounds: 2-7
Vicente: 1 & 8


This page is dedicated to cataloging ESPN's long-time unofficial scorer's cards throughout the many years he has had the gig as a reference for anyone researching the matches or Atlas' scores in particular. Bookmark for future reference as I'll continue to add as many as I can.




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Basement Gym Boxing


Thanks for stopping by our place. Here are some other pages you might enjoy:

Catalogue Of Harold Lederman's HBO Unofficial Boxing Scorecards

Caleb Truax Proved He's Serious On Friday Night Fights VS Don George With A Crushing Kayo Win

On the bright side of things for Mr. Truax, he came through perfectly when given the opportunity on a fairly-sized stage, live at the Convention Center, in Minneapolis, Minnesota on ESPN's Friday Night Fights. I was impressed by his performance. A good word to sum it up would be "mature". It was the job of a savvy pro in there. He was better than George at everything I could see last week, June 21, 2013. George was flat-footed and dull, while Truax was bouncing around, using angles, rolling with and slipping punches, countering, leading, aggressive when he needed to be, restrained when it was called for, never risking burning himself out, but still scoring steadily with both hands to the head and body, and even able to get in and out of clinches seemingly at will.

There was talk about George perhaps taking off too much weight. I wouldn't be surprised if he did, as he seemed to lack a next gear that he desperately needed. Truax out-boxed George, but he also outfought him. George, a typical "tough guy", relying on a good chin, a good punch and willpower, was being controlled the majority of the fight, all leading up to a devastating stoppage while being dissected on the ropes, finally clocked on the ear by a big right in the sixth of ten. Truax personified patient aggression all night and showed that he was a super middleweight name to be taken seriously. Not long ago he was being treated as a gimme for a faded Jermain Taylor, a confidence builder with a nice record, until Truax reminded Taylor he was serious. Very serious, though ultimately losing.

On the dark side of things for Mr. Truax is that there are people at about the next three levels of boxing in his division that are serious too. Very serious. An elite among elite champions, Andre Ward, sits at the top-THE champion of the division. He's putting on instant classic clinics on class men. At the next tier sits Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch, putting on instant classic wars your average fighter would have neither the talent nor the toughness to withstand. Even yet another tier stands proud and strong after that with Robert Stieglitz, Sakio Bika, Arthur Abraham, Marco Antonio Periban and more. And they're all in line ahead of tough fellows like Don George. Now, Caleb Truex looked a class above George on the night and he really earned some distinction, on the bright side, but the cloud surrounded by that silver lining is he's only earned the right to try and surpass a handful of hard, hard men that don't want to share the little spotlight they have in a division full of genuine star fighters fighting over most of the spotlight already. Regardless, congratulations to Mr. Truax on an excellent performance over a good opponent on a good TV date. He earned some applause. He may not be able to earn a major title with all the talent ahead, but that man is serious. Don't doubt it.


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Basement Gym Boxing 

Spotlight on a robbery: Lance Whitaker VS Andrey Fedosov

Recently, I had the chance to catch up on a past fight of interest. Last week, I watched NBC Sports' live presentation with hot, American prospect Bryant "By-By" Jennings taking on cool but rugged prospect from Russia, Andrey Fedosov.  Two good, young heavyweights, duking it out on a good card that I didn't have to pay extra to watch. Good stuff. After a couple close rounds, Bryant laid down the very long arm of the law (big reach on Bryant) with his right uppercut/left hook combination and did enough damage to Fedosov's eye to cause a surprise stoppage by retirement in the corner. A good performance for Mr. Jennings, yet again. But I read many boxing forums and have been seeing a gross underrating of a tough, inside-fighting puncher in Mr. Fedosov, whose career as a prospect really cooled off after a "loss" to an aged Lance Whitaker. Now, no disrespect to Mr. Whitaker, but when people see that a prospect drops one to an older Whitaker, one whose career had really been on the decline, people tend to dismiss the fighter on the losing end with good reason, if they've not seen the action involved.

I've been reading about how Fedosov wasn't much because, hey, he lost to an old Lance Whitaker! I've read that Jennings did not have an impressive showing, considering that his opponent had this "hiccup" in his career. Did Fedosov lose by the famed "one punch can change everything" method? No, it was by decision! Fedosov is just not that good, I read. Well, ladies and gentlemen, Fedosov may not be a "world beater". That's fine to say that. I don't think so either. But I found a nice, perfectly clear copy of this Whitaker match, which I hadn't seen before. And I watched it thoroughly, much to my chagrin. I watched it with baffled disgust, round after round, as I tried to reconcile what I was seeing, the reality of it, with the scorecards I'd read on Boxrec.com. What a nightmare for Mr. Fedosov. What an abuse of honest, hardworking fighters, what actually happened that night, on June 12, almost three years exactly before clashing with Jennings, 2010, in Hollywood, California.

I've seen a lot of robberies in boxing - decades' worth, in fact. This fight ended in one of the worst I've ever seen. I've always been hesitant to call a fight a robbery. I don't call close fights robberies. A lot of fans make that mistake. This, however, was an unmistakable robbery to any person who understands the action they're watching. I had this fight scored 11 rounds to 1 for Andrey Fedosov. Let me repeat that. I scored ELEVEN of TWELVE rounds for Andrey Fedosov. Furthermore, the one round I scored for Whitaker, that was a close round. And though it doesn't say so, currently, on Boxrec, Fedosov scored a knockdown in the fifth round, via big left hook.

So, the first five rounds included a knockdown and were all very, very clear for Fedosov. By the first round you could give Whitaker, the sixth, which I gave him, there's already the equivalent of a half-a-fight lead in scoring for Fedosov. I don't think the crowd is always right, but I will say that the crowd began to audibly shout "Bull-shit! Bull-shit! Bull-shit!" after the cards were read. Make no mistake. This fight was not competitive. The commentators seem to think "pushing out a jab" with consistency when it's not hitting anything but air or gloves is ample reason to call it competitive, but I have eyes. So, I will not. Whitaker lightly pushed his glove out to touch Fedosov's gloves (or just air in front of Fedosov) all through the fight, and seemed to actually get credit for throwing a punch and scoring with it when he did so. Many of these weren't even thrown punches, let alone landed ones. Lightly pushing out your glove is not punching. Touching a glove that way is certainly not a scoring blow either. Any judge who was even slightly competent would see that. This was an insane decision. If this had been two big names, with two big fan bases, you could see a riot from these cards at the billed "Pandemonium at the Palladium".

I'm sick to my stomach after watching this match. Fedosov's career was derailed by this, a brazen robbery. There was no way this was a Whitaker victory. There was no way this was a draw. There is no card of any quality whatsoever that can come up with anything other than a wide Fedosov victory. Yet, Judges Marty Denkin and Raul Caiz Junior somehow came up with a win for Whitaker. Judge Tom Taylor seemingly didn't elect to drink from the same trough leading up to the match, bless him, with his 115-112 card for Fedosov. Not by any stretch should it have been close. This was an easy fight to score, ladies and gentlemen. I haven't seen every Andrey Fedosov fight. I don't know what his record should be. But I do know he didn't lose to Lance Whitaker.

If you get a chance to watch this match and you think I'm exaggerating, please watch that fight. It's out there to find, if you're interested. Fedosov dominated Whitaker and Jennings just beat a very solid man in the tough Russian. Credit to Fedosov for his poise against the giant Whitaker and continuing his career without letting it dishearten him into retirement that he was blatantly cheated and credit to Bryant Jennings for getting the 'W' this last weekend. Jennings is a genuinely class professional and I would love to see Fedosov in there on American television once more against someone like Vyacheslav Glazkov. NBC Sports, please have these men back on the air. Or ESPN, Friday Night Fights, Magomed Abdusalamov and Andrey Fedosov, a killer clash for the fans is there for the taking.


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Basement Gym Boxing



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