THE GLORY OF THE GARDEN
fight, he admitted that boxing history was the last thing he wanted to talk about. That’s more common than a lot of fans would think and is completely understandable. RINGSIDE I took my seat to watch 317½-pound heavyweight Jarrell Miller duke it out with Kingsley Ibeh, who weighed in at a mere 288. I was struck by the fact that the arena was almost completely full and there were still three fights to go after this one. Suddenly my eyes told me that Miller had his head snapped back so violently that his scalp dislodged. Wait, that couldn’t have happened! Several “What the fuck?” sound bites and gasps started going off all around me. Then a crowd member brought us in touch with reality, “Big Baby is wearing a fuckin’ wig!” In all my years at ringside, I’ve never heard a crowd laugh as loud or for as long. Just when you thought you’d seen everything. The enigmatic American lost his hair but claimed a close decision. Next up was Carrington against Carlos Castro for the vacant WBC featherweight title. Sitting to my right was acclaimed coach Manny Robles, who, like me, was looking forward to seeing Shu Shu in action. Robles was accompanied by recently elevated super middleweight titleholder Jose Armando Resendiz, who had won The Ring’s Upset of the Year award for his stirring points win over Caleb Plant. We both agreed that the only question left for Carrington to answer was his ability to hold a shot. Boom! Just moments after Robles had called for Carrington to keep his left hand up, he was nailed above the ear by a right hand in Round 4 and the punch had an immediate effect on his legs. Another right hand landed flush on the chin in the fifth, but the talented Brooklynite absorbed that one far better. Shu Shu overcame those shaky moments to produce what is sure to be a Knockout of the Year nominee. A spectacular multi-punch combination took Castro out in the ninth. It was one of the best finishes I’ve seen live in years.
In the co-main event, Virginia’s Keyshawn Davis returned to action for the first time in 11 months against the always tricky Jamaine Ortiz. This was an audacious choice of opponent for Davis, given that he was making his junior welterweight debut, but the former WBO lightweight titleholder was largely dominant and handed Ortiz his first stoppage defeat. After being spoiled by Shu Shu’s Mortal Kombat-like finish, the crowd was a little restless during this encounter but came to life when Davis forced the stoppage with less than 30 seconds remaining in the fight. The main event featured a virtuoso performance by Shakur Stevenson, who annexed the Ring and WBO junior welterweight titles at the expense of Teofimo Lopez. It was a privilege to watch live. While Lopez is unquestionably an elite-level player, he just didn’t have the skills to cope with a technician of Stevenson’s caliber. The southpaw jab was artistry, lashing out as a lead and as a counter. Almost any time Lopez let his hands go, he was
blasted flush by a solid right stick that threatened to permanently flatten his face. Stevenson’s timing and distance were perfect from Round 1 and he had a field day, scoring every punch in the book en route to 119-109 scorecards from all three officials. Finesse fighters are often derided for rarely scoring knockouts. Pernell Whitaker and Floyd Mayweather put up with that criticism through glittering Hall of Fame careers. Boxing is the name of the game. Whitaker’s dazzling victory over Azumah Nelson and his bogus draw with Julio Cesar Chavez are both celebrated decades later. In Mayweather’s case, he rendered future pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez inept with a beautiful display of ring generalship and quick punching. You can take Stevenson’s performance against Lopez and file it alongside those
precise, and Teo was falling over his front foot a little bit and reaching over. Maybe he could have pressured him a little bit more, but credit to Shakur for a great performance. “You’re never going to catch Shakur with one punch; you need to set it up. You’ve got to try and throw from wherever, clubbing shots, combinations, and a high work rate. Shakur is just a quality operator.” As we went to print, Smith was tabbed to take on mandatory challenger Alberto Puello, the former two-time titleholder from the Dominican Republic. While he’s no Shakur
Shakur Stevenson was nigh untouchable for 12 rounds against Teofimo Lopez.
of his predecessors. Robles perhaps said it best midway through Stevenson’s master class: “I’ve been telling people for years, nobody beats Shakur! Nobody!” A CHAMPION’S ANALYSIS When Lopez vs. Stevenson was over, I headed back out to the bar area to meet up with Dalton Smith, who had agreed to give me his thoughts on the main event. When he saw me, we exchanged a look that suggested the fight had played out exactly as we expected. Smith had picked Stevenson from the beginning, while I’d literally predicted 118-110 scorecards in his favor. I was one round out. It’s cliché, but boxing almost always comes down to styles. We’d seen Lopez struggle to get a foothold against Jamaine Ortiz and tricky former European champion Sandor Martin, a fight many onlookers had Teo losing. Both of those fighters gave Lopez movement and managed to frustrate him. Stevenson, a master at defusing opponents, is in the stratosphere compared to those guys. “I expected that kind of fight; a bit of a shutout from Shakur,” Smith told me. “Maybe Shakur made Teo look a bit
Stevenson, Puello is similar in that he’s a side-on southpaw with quick hands and excellent counterpunching ability. “It’s a completely different style [from Matias], but I love a tricky southpaw,” Smith stated with a smile. “I’ve fought five as a professional, all knockouts, and even in the amateurs, I loved a tricky southpaw. Again, another great fight, another great fighter, and if that’s what’s next, then that’s what we’ve got. “With a southpaw, get your left foot on the outside, good jab, and come off to your left. Teo was coming in from his right. I just think that coming off to your left against a southpaw is a big thing. A southpaw and an orthodox, you’re always fighting for that lead foot on the outside. Some people like fighting southpaws and some don’t.” And would Smith relish the opportunity to take on Stevenson, who recently rose to No. 3 in The Ring’s mythical pound-for-pound rankings? “Of course,” said the British star without hesitation. “There are other names out there, but whoever the number one name is in the division, that’s who we want. But I’ll never disrespect Shakur. He’s always respected me and I’ve always respected him. He’s a great fighter.”
Keyshawn Davis was sharp in his junior welterweight debut vs. Jamaine Ortiz.
sloppy. He struggled with his timing, his range, and he didn’t change much, but that was down to Shakur sticking to a very good game plan. “I gave Teo a maximum of two rounds. Shakur took a round or two off in the middle of the fight to catch a breather. However, you could easily have given him every round. He’s already stamping his legacy as a four-weight world champion and a generational great. He’s at my weight, but I’ll always give credit where credit’s due. He’s one helluva fighter.” A boxer of Smith’s ability sees things that few others will see as a match unfolds in front of them. It doesn’t matter how good you are as an analyst; a fighter knows more than you do. You should always remember that. I was interested to find out if Smith felt Lopez, with the attributes and strengths he possesses, could have made this fight any more competitive. “It’s hard when you’re in there,” admitted Smith. “Shakur is cute, he’s
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