A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Gervonta Davis – The “tank” needs to win after tough training. And he delivered a beauty, forcing Hector Luis Garcia to be undefeated before to quit in his chair after eight rounds of a scheduled 135-pound 12-round bout Saturday in Washington, DC. The tough lightweight opponent unleashed more and more damaging punches as the match progressed until his capable opponent couldn’t take it anymore, Davis’ 18order knockout in his last 19 fights. And now he appears to be gearing up for the biggest fight of his career, a duel with social media star Ryan Garcia this spring. Things couldn’t be better inside the ring. Outside it? Well, Davis (28-0.26 KOs) was arrested and briefly jailed for allegedly hitting his daughter’s mother on December 27, charges the woman later retracted. However, he knew he had to observe himself. “I have to bring my people close and listen to my loved ones, listen [manager] Al Haymon and just focus,” he said. If possible, the 28-year-old from Baltimore could become the face of the sport.
BIGGEST WINNER II
Villa Roiman – Slick Rashidi Ellis appeared to be on track for a one-way win at his game, but restricted his opponent to halfway through their welterweight match on Davis-Garcia. Then Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) proved that anything is possible if you persevere. The invincible slugger, ramped up his pressure on Ellis, started delivering powerful punches in the seventh round, and turned the game around for a stunning shot. victory decides the majority. And he saved his best until the last minute, knocking out Ellis twice in 12 memorable matches.order and the final round. That proved the difference on the cards. One referee gave the score a draw 113-113 but two other referees gave Villa the same nod, 114-112. Villa is one of the few people who aren’t surprised. “I know that agile fighters like him get tired sooner or later,” he said, “and that’s what I took advantage of.” So he went from being an unknown to being a player in one of the sport’s glamorous divisions overnight.
THE BIGGEST FAILERS
Hector Garcia – Garcia (16-1, 10 KOs) was a loser to Davis for a reason. Not only did he face one of the best boxers in the world in the weight class, but he also gained weight for the privilege, which made his mission nearly impossible. However, the defeat made it difficult for the Dominican swallow. He entered the ring with immense momentum after beating Chris Colbert and defeating Roger Gutierrez for the 130-pound title last year, making him the Boxer of the Year contender. Then it ended immediately. Davis injured him with a blow to the left head at the end of Round 8, after which he complained while sitting on a stool he couldn’t see. And that’s where he stayed, becoming another victim on Davis’s growing list. Garcia will likely return to 130th, where he can defend his title and face opponents he can really compete with.
BIGGEST FAILERS II
Rashidi Ellis – Ellis (24-1, 15 KOs) had everything for him. He has a natural gift and exquisite skill set, which seems to be leading him into a fight for one 147-pound title or another in the near future. And then Villa changed his trajectory. Later, Ellis said he thought he had done enough to win. And he may have been right. I scored it 114-112 in favor of him. However, the judges saw it differently and suddenly he suffered the first defeat in his career. Where does he go from here? One, he needs to figure out what he can do differently in the second half of the fight to prevent that from happening again. And, second, he should fulfill his wish to face Villa again if he can. There is no better way to make people forget a disappointing failure than to avenge it. And he has the ability to do that.
BIGGEST FAILURE
Jaron Ennis vs Karen Chukhadzhian: Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) was a victim of his own lofty standards against Karen Chukhadzhian (21-2, 11 KOs) on the Davis-Garcia card. The welterweight contender has blocked 19 of his previous opponents, a streak that makes you think you’ll see a spectacular save every time he fights. That didn’t happen on Saturday. Much of the blame lies on Chukhadzhian, who was more interested in surviving than taking the risks necessary to win the war. And when a skillful and athletic warrior like him decides to survive, it will be difficult for anyone to stop him. Ennis was also to blame. His job is to find a way to cut off the ring if his opponent runs away; he can’t do it, which gives him something to work out in the gym. All that said, Ennis deserves credit: He win every round on all three cards. It was a great night by normal standards.
MOST PROSPECTIVE
Victory of Demetrius Andrade: New manager, new department, same results. Andrade, who is currently run by Premiere Boxing Champions, showed in a decided to close beat Demond Nicholson (26-5-1, 22 KOs) on his 168-pound debut on the Davis-Garcia card he still has it at 34 and could be a super-middleweight factor . If there was one shortcoming in his performance it was his inability to stop an opponent he dominated even though Nicholson engaged him enough for him to do so. Still, that’s on par with Andrade, who often starts off quickly and then comes to a decisive wide victory. That formula isn’t exciting, but it works. Andrade (32-0.19 KOs) is considered one of the most shunned elite boxers. I can’t imagine any 168-pound athlete going to be in a hurry to take on him after his performance on Saturday night.
