Takashi Miura-Sergio Thompson was the least heralded of this past weekend's unending string of enthralling boxing matches, so make sure you catch up on it above if you haven't already for a three-knockdown donnybrook. It won't do much to breathe life into the comatose junior lightweight division, since Miura didn't exactly convince as a long-lasting contender, and it wouldn't take top honors as the best bout of the weekend, but it deserves to be mentioned among them.
And what a weekend it was. We've had superb cards in the past year (Knockout Kings II in July) and superb nights with one Saturday that delivered on two different channels (the HBO pay-per-view/Showtime dueling cards from September of last year). But it's hard to think of a full weekend off the top of my head that gave us so much. From the trio of Friday Night Fights with non-stop reversals, to the two live brawls on HBO Saturday and the rebroadcast of Sergey Kovalev's hard-hitting domination of Nathan Cleverly, to Miura-Thompson also on Saturday, it was non-stop satisfaction all around.
I've already shared some preliminary thoughts on ESPN2's FNF and on the live HBO card and the rebroadcast of Kovalev-Cleverly; Jeff Pryor also wrote something on the trio of HBO bouts; and TQBR Radio ought to have some good discussion Tuesday with plenty of material to hash over. Below are some other thoughts, though, on what's coming next for the men who fought Friday and Saturday, an asterisk on Kiko Martinez's win and a scoring peculiarity in Darren Barker-Daniel Geale. Also, photos of some nearly naked people.
I deliberately left off Andrew Harrison's contribution to this weekend, a write-up of Stephen Smith-Gary Buckland, so I could share the video related to it before jumping into said Afterthoughts. Here's how the big KO went:
- Barker-Geale performance. Among U.S. fans I know, I was rare in expecting Barker to win. The consensus view among many comments I saw was that Barker was basic and doomed to domestic success rather than international, while Geale was levels above him. The truth ended up being somewhere in between — Barker better than some thought, Geale not quite as good. That dynamic led to a close split decision for Barker. Both, though, are solid middleweight contenders in a division with a lot of depth. It was indeed a sometimes sloppy affair, but there were a lot of intelligent things happening in there. Barker wouldn't stop throwing his wild uppercut despite missing with it so often early, as though it was part of the game plan he was going to stick to no matter what, and wouldn't you know it, it ended up being one of his biggest weapons. The improvements he made following the loss to division champ Sergio Martinez were very real. What really still stands out is that 6th round, and how Barker managed to get up. You have to go back to Marcos Maidana's rise after a perfect body shot from Amir Khan to find anything comparable; boxers just don't get up from shots like that, which made it special.
- Barker-Geale scoring. The final result was fine with me, as I had it 114-113 for Barker, and while some scored it for Geale, the majority I saw scored it for the Brit. What disappointed everybody I chatted with in Atlantic City after the fight was the 12th round being scored for Barker by Carlos Ortiz. Alan Rubenstein did the same, somehow, although it didn't matter on his card because he had Geale winning anyway. Ortiz's card is bothersome because it was the difference in the fight. If he scores that round properly, Geale wins. Geale himself and his promoter, Gary Shaw, were playing it real civil after the fight and didn't mention having any problem with the scorecard, but Geale's promoter has since said a complaint is being lobbed at the IBF. It will probably go nowhere. It's just a shame that a just result has to be marred by poor scoring.
- Next for Barker. The post-fight commentary is very much pointing toward a bout with Felix Sturm in the U.K. Makes sense. What's less clear is whether there's a rematch clause with Geale. At the post-fight press conference, Geale said he hoped he could get a rematch, yet when I asked if there was a rematch clause, Shaw gave me a line about how this wasn't the time to be asking about contractual matters. It's hard to imagine when would have been a better time to ask, since it's a pretty rote question to ask after a fight about what might come next for the victor. Maybe somebody will get to the bottom of it eventually.
- Kiko Martinez-Jhonatan Romero problems. Maybe Shaw was in a bad mood, which would be understandable, with two of his high hopes, Geale and Romero, being defeated on one night. Geale figures to return to the same level without any trouble. Romero — not so sure. Romero took a particular pounding, thanks to the referee not stopping the fight as soon as he should have. Romero was experiencing symptoms of paralysis (I wrote down "side," our friend Carlos at Boricua Boxing reported "face"). He went to the emergency room, according to Shaw, after the fight. The next day, Mario Serrano, Shaw's PR man, told me that Romero's manager had informed Romero's co-promoter at Thompson Boxing that he was OK. As for Martinez, the man who beat Romero to make a name for himself in the junior featherweight division, you do have to worry about this report on his connection to an accused performance enhancing drug dealer; it also has to be said that Martinez's meeting was in 2006, and it is only this year that news of the meeting came out, and that there's no evidence of wrongdoing on his part then or even since.
- Kovalev-Cleverly. Everyone wants Kovalev in there against light heavyweight champion and fellow mega-puncher Adonis Stevenson sooner rather than later. One option that isn't likely is Bernard Hopkins, now that Kovalev is heading toward a contract with HBO and Hopkins is with Golden Boy Promotions, which broadcasts on rival Showtime. As impressive as Kovalev was, there is also a correct sentiment that Cleverly squandered whatever chance he had by giving away his advantages and trying to trade with someone who hits much harder than he does. Some of that can be attributed to Cleverly getting used to that style working for him against inferior competition. Some of that can be attributed to bad planning, period. I don't think Cleverly is as good as I once did when he burst onto the scene, but I'm also not convinced he's as bad as he showed Saturday. I see him as being able to reestablish himself and contend with other men at 175 if he figures out how to make the best use of his talents.
- U.S. Cellular Field vs. Revel. You can't argue with the wisdom of Friday Night Fights' card being broadcast in a unique venue — the field where the White Sox play — and taking advantage of the big Polish population there by spotlighting Andrzej Fonfara (who figures as a possibility for Kovalev, too, after his stirring win over Gabriel Campillo) and heavyweight Artur Szpilka. And you can't really argue with Atlantic City as a poor venue for a fight between a Brit and an Aussie on HBO Saturday, especially since the undercard didn't tap any other large markets. That said, in so far as A.C. is a place that makes sense for hosting fights, Revel was a nice venue. As I mentioned before, it's very modern and un-sleazy, which makes it kind of un-A.C.-like, and its Ovation Hall is a pleasant facility. One gripe: Putting the media on a stage where writers peer down on the action means that the only people who can really see clearly are those who got first row seats, because usually you're peering up at the action and there's no such thing as a blocked view unless someone is standing up.
- Three pictures. I leave you with three photos related to the weekend. The first is a still of Kovalev's pelvic thrust toward Cleverly during a period where the two exchanged gestures of bravado (Kovalev scored a knockdown shortly thereafter, so he wins the war of the gestures both on style and results). Via. The second is from Kovalev's Facebook page, with his lovely lady, in a different kind of sexy-ass pose. The third is Mr. Szpilka in a humorous pair of underwear at the weigh-in. Via.
