This past weekend, we got a lot of boxing and had a few surprises, just like my March Madness bracket. No Peacocks this past weekend in the ring; however, just winners and losers in what was a better weekend than the ad-laden Ambien we got last week. Once the fights ended, I can tell you all this was the first weekend where the boxing didn’t let me down this year. Always a good sign considering the abundance and names coming down the pike.
We got the U.S. Debut of Tim Tszyu.
Tim Tszyu made his much-anticipated U.S. debut Saturday night against Terrell Gausha, and there is only one word to describe the undefeated super welterweight.
Interesting.
Interesting because hardcore boxing fans in the United States who have been catching the son of Kostya Tszyu at graveyard shifts during the mid-week saw a completely different fighter at The Armory Saturday night. One that didn’t look as fluid when facing the likes of Jeff Horn or Takeshi Inoue but was still pretty dominant. This version of Tszyu we visualized was pretty much up and down movement-wise, which got him caught in the first round in that knockdown.
Photo by:Esther Lin/SHOWTIME
Major credit to Gausha as he went the distance in a contest he spent holding as best as he could while staying up against the ropes for the majority of this fight. While the Showtime main event wasn’t as close as the final scorecards let on from my couch (114-113? What was judge Robert Hecko watching?), the thudding shots that Tszyu was throwing can confirm that he is heavy-handed for sure.
“I was just enjoying myself,” said Tszyu post-fight. “I felt in control the whole time. I kept the pressure on. I wasn’t going to back down. He kept landing shots, but I said, ‘I’m going to keep coming forward and keep fighting.
Photo by:Esther Lin/SHOWTIME
Should he wait on the winner of Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano after this? Of course. Did he look realistically ready after this one-sided fight with Gausha? No, but I hope I’m dead wrong on this, and we get it anyway. Tszyu came into the battle on most books at least as high as 10 to 1 favorite, and you could only get even money if he stopped Gausha or not. This win wasn’t the insane statement for Tszyu here, but a great litmus test to see where he currently is and how he’ll advance from here.
Make Way for Jeremiah Nakathila at Lightweight
Boxing can change the fighters’ lives, good or bad, with a moment of one punch. That blanket statement is no more applicable than what went down Saturday night at Resorts World Las Vegas on ESPN, where Jeremiah Nakathila returned to the main event and pulled off the upset win, starching former champion Miguel Berchelt in six rounds. On behalf of the world of boxing, this, on paper, wasn’t how this was supposed to play out.
Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images
The last time Nakathila was in action, we got a lifeless performance between him and Shakur Stevenson, which Stevenson apologized for afterward. That fight sucked and sucked so severely; many wondered how he got a second time out. The previous time Berchelt was in the ring, he was on the wrong end of a hook by Oscar Valdez. The assumption was that this was a stay busy for the rebounding Berchelt to start his climb back to the top at lightweight.
Then the bell rang, and that assumption would’ve made an ass out of you and me.
From the onset, Berchelt looked like a shadow of his former title reign; he was getting beat to the punch by Nakathila early, repeatedly, and often. Credit to Berchelt for finishing the six-round of this fight. He was visibly beaten but survived the round before calling it a night prior to the seventh round. It wasn’t a shock to anyone watching this except the call of blow by blow man Joe Tessitore.
Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images
“Luckily, {he couldn’t continue}. I was going to knock him out or put him to sleep in a bad way. Luckily, he saw it coming and decided he couldn’t come back,” Nakathila stated after the one-sided contest.
Message received from Nakathila and a good win for him. Those thinking Berchelt after this bad loss will join me in watching fights on the couch; not so fast, my friend.
“I’m going to get up. I’m going to rise from this. The great champions are not the ones who fall. The great champions are those who rise, and I will go home, spend time with my family, visit with them, get some rest, and I am going to come back stronger than ever.” Berchelt noted.
That isn’t quitting talk, and in fact, Berchelt sounds more determined to rebound from this (That or wanted to quote part of “Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba). We’ll see how Berchelt recovers from this, but he has to know in his mind that he’s taken back-to-back bad L’s here.
Josh Warrington is IBF Champion again.
Picture By Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
It took seven rounds, but Josh Warrington finally broke down a game against Kiko Martinez to reclaim the IBF title at featherweight once again. It was a matter of if not when in this one as Martinez didn’t have much except professional resistance against a charging Warrington. The one-shot that ended Kid Galahad by Martinez magic didn’t happen here and what happened five years ago happened again here as Warrington won again. The question begins now, who is next for Warrington, and the options floated out are Leigh Wood in unification or Leo Santa Cruz. I’ll believe Santa Cruz when I see it, but if the fight isn’t Leigh Wood, it has to be Mauricio Lara next, right?
DAZN broadcaster Tony Bellew thinks Lara should face Martinez next.
“Who doesn’t wanna see Mauricio Lara vs. Kiko Martinez?” – @TonyBellew #MartinezWarrington2 pic.twitter.com/LnNcj8B9T4
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) March 26, 2022
Gross, and as I said on Twitter Saturday night, ain’t no one trying to see that. Lara needs to be in the mix sooner than later here. We’ll see if that is the case and if the other title holders are unavailable.
You can follow Marquis Johns on Twitter @weaksauceradio .
