IT was a tough week of action as we witnessed bloody battles, brutal knockouts and suspect decision-making. From Japan to Birmingham, the leather was flying and blood was flowing. Let’s see who emerged with credit and who needs to rethink their pathway.
Boxing winners of the week
Conah Walker
A great story of a fighter refusing to quit, taking every opportunity and building an appreciative following of fans and promoters. Wolverhampton’s Walker is in a winning mood.
Francisco Rodriguez Jr
Never trust a Mexican to hit UK soil and know his role as an unfancied away man. Rodriguez threw over 1,000 punches, landed over 500, got cut, yet refused to leave until he had defeated Galal Yafai.
Matchroom’s young guns
Crushing her opponent with minimal fuss, Bristol’s Tiah-Mai Ayton blasted away Sara Orszagi with no mercy. Exactly what you’re supposed to do.
Pat Brown also delivered in anticipation of a step-up clash with Lewis Oakford. Brown was a little liberal with the elbows, but got away with it. The combo to win the fight was a cracker and will do his highlight reel collection no harm.
Brian Norman Jr
Want to establish yourself as a genuine world champion and potential future star? Go to Japan and smash away a challenger in startling fashion. Take a bow, Brian Norman Jr, who dealt with the antics of Sasaki and left him in a heap with a left hook of epic proportions.
Joe Cordina
The Welsh fighter has seemingly got a bit of stability back, signing a new deal with Eddie Hearn and now working with new trainer Gary Lockett. Cordina’s loss to Anthony Cacace in Riyadh was damaging. As was the cancelled bout with Shakur Stevenson. Time to recapture some momentum.
Boxing losers of the week
Mark Bates
A disjointed performance from one of Britain’s star referees, who got on Rodriguez’s case early and never let up. The forearms and elbows were flying, but the Mexican got the brunt of it. Knowing for every second of the fight that he was the visitor in a strange land.
Confident corners
Nothing is more dangerous in our sport than a brave corner. Jin Sasaki’s training team must’ve been comfortable with his bizarre antics, as he repeatedly took hard shots before the final judgment rained down in round five. Same for Sara Orszagi’s corner, who let her take a walloping before ending the one-sided bout in Birmingham.
Jaime Munguia
Another black eye for boxing, and various cliches of that nature, Jaime Munguia’s B sample confirmed a failed test. Munguia will protest his innocence, but every time this happens, it becomes more difficult to swallow the reasons.
Galal Yafai
No way is Yafai a loser for his efforts. However, a 32-year-old 112-pounder will have a difficult time building back from this heavy loss. The fight will have taken a lot out of him.
Paulie Malignaggi
Working as a no-nonsense pundit with quickfire views and a unique way of breaking down the sport, the last thing Malignaggi needs is any form of combat. Aged 44, with a long history of hand problems, getting bashed up in bareknuckle boxing is a terrible idea to consider, during Paulie’s boxing “retirement” phase.
