This week’s list is dominated by one big event as a motley collection from the boxing world descended on Saudi Arabia for the ‘Last Crescendo’ card that was a long-running affair from early afternoon into the night, although not as late as expected once they got things back on track. Let’s see who emerged with credit or disdain from the evening’s exploits.
Boxing winners of the week
Dmitry Bivol
No prizes for guessing the main man this week: Dmitry Bivol. An outstanding performance from the Russian mover who rode out an early storm as his rival, Artur Beterbiev, realised he’d set a pace he wasn’t able to maintain. Bivol could, and did; moving, hitting, escaping, all within the rulebooks of the noble art. A vintage display.
Martin Bakole
Getting banged out in two rounds on a chief supporting slot is not much of a success story but big Marty is chuckling all the way to the bank. Drafted over at short notice on a commercial flight, sampling the delights of Saudi for less than 24 hours before being packed anyway in barely five minutes.
A heavyweight title eliminator is still on the cards for May. Win-win for the rotund Congolese puncher who could find himself right back in the mix once summer rolls around.
Josh Padley
Another fighter flown over from the UK was Yorkshire electrician Josh Padley who answered the call to replace Floyd Schofield, boxing Shakur Stevenson for the WBC lightweight title. Talk about putting a spark in your career. Padley went beyond the call of duty.
Last year, we wondered where to place Padley in the Boxing News domestic rankings. One surprise win, over Turki’s favourite fighter, Mark Chamberlain, and he’s right bang in the mix. His tight shape, fast hands and immense courage saw him reach the ninth round.
Agit Kabayel
Another massive win for Germany’s Kabayel, who has meandered just below the top level for large portions of his career and enjoys dishing out beatings when he’s in the boxing mood. If anyone deserves a world title shot next it’s Agit who battered Zhilei Zhang’s welcoming gut until the heavy-handed Chinese southpaw could withstand no more, hunching down on a knee of surrender.
Boxing losers of the week
Artur Beterbiev
Just months after defeating Dmitry Bivol, the belts were forcibly removed from Beterbiev’s waist as the 40-year-old stared defeat in the face for the first time as a professional. The trilogy will tell us a lot about where both men are at, but you’d rather be the fresher Bivol at this stage, right?
Frank Warren
The smiling carefree Frank of the five-versus-five has vanished, replaced by the snarling bulldog we all know and love. Sliding into Hamzah Sheeraz’s corner last night to offer words of advice as his next-gen hope spluttered to find the right gears, Frank was back to his apoplectic best as Zhang crumbled under duress.
Shawn Porter
Saying afterwards that Sheeraz had beaten Adames was not the most outrageous call from Porter who at least made a pick rather than sitting on the fence. Normal service was later resumed when the DAZN crew tried to extract a prediction for the main event. The usual caveats and clauses, without revealing an actual name, makes for stale punditry.
Shakur Stevenson
Maybe the online brainboxes who come up with quips such as “Sha-bore” and the like are on to something. As brave and game as Josh Padley was in the ring, any pound-for-pound aspirant needs to take care of business. Would the masterful Floyd Mayweather, whom they all continue to replicate, have made such a laborious job of things?
Well, possibly the version of Floyd that fought Victoriano Sosa or Carlos Hernandez. These young guns are all mixed up about what they’re trying to be. Apart from Gervonta Davis, who has the chance to one-up Shakur next weekend when he tackles Lamont Roach. ‘Tank’ would be chuckling away in front of his smartphone at Stevenson’s display last night.
