Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) made their Amazon Prime Video debut Saturday night time and, it doesn’t matter what you considered the present, you must admit it’s a boxing-plus to see the corporate make headlines for precise fights fairly than outside-the-ring enterprise issues.
Listed below are this jaded unhealthy man’s ideas on the present:
– Would Sebastian Fundora have walked away with a win on Saturday if not for that freak accident on the finish of the second spherical which noticed Tim Tszyu primarily headbutt Fundora’s pointy-ass elbow and crack open the highest of his personal head within the course of? I say– nope.
Tszyu was already discovering the reply to Fundora’s long-range recreation plan when the incident occurred. Hell, he had already damaged Fundora’s nostril. With out the accident, I feel this struggle would possibly’ve gone into the eighth– perhaps—earlier than Tszyu laid him out for good.
After the blood began flowing and visibility grew to become severely restricted, although, the second-generation world champ started working at considerably lower than 100%. It might be argued that Tszyu ought to’ve labored previous that and put a quicker and better squeeze on Fundora to get the struggle over and performed with. Fundora appeared there for the taking. It is also argued that Tszyu and/or his staff ought to’ve compelled the struggle to be known as. Nonetheless, the larger argument might be that the Nevada State Athletic Fee, seeing Tszyu’s imaginative and prescient was drastically impaired, ought to’ve had the struggle stopped, at the least after giving his nook a spherical or two to cease the gushing. The end result of this struggle was a technicality constructed round a freak accident.
– Tainted victory or not, Fundora did nothing fallacious. He performed the playing cards dealt to him and walked away with Tszyu’s WBO belt in addition to the vacant WBC strap. However you realize that there’s now going to be a mad sprint to get first crack at a weak defending champ carrying round two world title belts. Errol Spence was at T-Cell Area for the present and was introduced into the ring, post-fight. Enterprise realities dictate that Spence may find yourself getting the primary shot at Fundora, even when there are at the least three next-fight opponents I can see as instantly extra deserving– Tszyu, Terence Crawford, and Jermell Charlo.
In an ideal world, I’d wish to see Fundora-Tszyu II and Spence-Erickson Lubin prime a 154 lb. double-header with the winners dealing with each other. On this not-so-perfect world, we might even see Fundora-Spence on the prime of a invoice with Tszyu headlining some exhibits again in Australia.
– PBC has now moved on to 154 like they did with 147 a couple of years in the past. Most of the prime names at junior middleweight are actually both PBC or PBC-aligned fighters and three of the 4 present world titles belong to PBC fighters. Throw in Spence and even a cross-your-fingers, want on a taking pictures star likelihood at Keith Thurman really coming again they usually have some good depth within the division. It’s actually sufficient to tie up the highest of the division.
However this isn’t essentially a nasty factor. Keep in mind, when the corporate just about owned 147, we noticed Thurman, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, and Spence just about all struggle each other over a couple of years’ span (besides Spence-Thurman). We even noticed them carry Manny Pacquiao, Yordenis Ugas, and finally Terence Crawford into the combination. We’ll have to attend and see how issues are pieced collectively within the coming months.
– Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz just about steamrolled Rolando “Rolly” Romero to take Romero’s WBA junior welterweight title by way of eighth spherical TKO. The dominant win makes you actually, actually remorse Subriel Matias’ choice to indicators with Matchroom. A Matias-Cruz unification would’ve been a real irresistible drive vs. immovable object basic. As issues stand now, the most important fights for Cruz can be exterior the PBC umbrella, though there’s all the time Ismael Barroso, who was screwed by way of fast stoppage in his bid for the vacant WBA belt in opposition to Rolly Romero final Could. Cruz-Barroso can be stellar, though you must assume that Cruz will now be searching for greater cash fights. Perhaps a Tank Davis rematch additionally comes into play. It must also be famous that, as I perceive it, Cruz is free to compete wherever, for anybody, and isn’t essentially tied to combating on PBC playing cards.
– Think about Rolly Romero a really lucky younger man who managed to parlay an enormous mouth and an enormous character into a few big-money fights and a world title. This loss ought to be the top of the road for him, at the least relating to “critical” fights. There was some hope that working with legendary Cuban coach Ismael Salas would assist him add some refinement to his recreation. It didn’t. It’s arduous to ascertain a situation the place he does something in anyway in opposition to any of the highest canine at 140. Rolly will possible be cashed-out in opposition to fighters on the rise (Gary Antuanne Russell?) for so long as he could be cashed out, however the dream of elite-level stardom might be over.
– Talking of Rolly…His dazed, concussed “like Jesus resurrected, I’ll be again” post-fight interview will go down because the weirdest since Mike Tyson’s “spinal.” Oscar De La Hoya’s laughing social media response video (with a laughing cameo by Bernard Hopkins), gloating about Rolly’s KO loss, was really classless, however under no circumstances sudden from a man whose post-fighting conduct screams “raging sociopath.”
– Oh yeah, and the way the fuck did choose Chris Flores have Rolly forward on the scorecards on the time of the stoppage? Test that man for a mini-stroke.
– Erislandy Lara’s critics needed to wait for nearly a decade, however the object of their derision has lastly morphed into the fighter they all the time needed him to be. As soon as upon a time a slick stylist spoiler, the Cuban southpaw has turn out to be a banger with one-punch fight-ending potential. His second spherical KO of Michael Zerafa in protection of the WBA middleweight title was Lara’s fourth stoppage in his final 5 fights and his third in lower than two full rounds throughout that span. The lack of some reflexes and foot pace have pushed the 40-year-old into utilizing his skillful positioning and timing to raised sit down on his photographs and work an influence recreation. With this shift in fashion and mindset, Lara nonetheless has an opportunity to make some waves on the elite degree of a reasonably shallow 160 lb. expertise pool. After all, he must be extra lively to take action. This Zerafa win was his first struggle in practically two full years.
– Julio Cesar Martinez-Angelino Cordova had an actual “cock struggle” vibe to it. Martinez is a nasty little man, however he most positively must be off the once-a-year struggle plan. He walked by way of the perfect of Cordova like somebody who had been simply itchin’ to fuck somebody up.
– Curmel Moton-Anthony Cuba and Serhii Bohachuk-Brian Mendoza the place good motion fights for the PBC on Prime free lead-up present. No complaints with these warm-ups in any respect. Bohachuk and Moton are bad-asses, however Mendoza and Cuba are additionally bad-asses in their very own proper and greater than welcome to make a reappearance someplace alongside the road.
– All in all, this debut PBC on Prime occasion was a reasonably good present with well-made, high quality fights all through the cardboard and the form of high-end manufacturing values that popped into thoughts when the PBC-Prime alliance was first confirmed. Extra free, much less PPV can be good, although. I can’t assist however get the sensation that this top-to-bottom high quality card goes to fall squarely into an “if a tree falls within the forest and there’s no person round to listen to it…” actuality.
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