Boxing is at its best when the finest fighters are willing to put everything on the line (titles, records, money, reputation) and face each other. It seems simple enough but this is boxing so nothing happens as planned. That’s why a 50/50 match-up like Regis Prograis versus Josh Taylor is so important.
Thankfully Matchroom Boxing’s light welterweight showdown Saturday night at the London 02 was as good as advertised. The two undefeated light welterweight kingpins went all-in. Each wagering a divisional world title, and to sweeten the pot, the World Boxing Super Series’ Muhammad Ali Trophy was on the line.
Both fighters played to their strengths. The Louisianian Prograis employed his savage power to brutalize Taylor, leaving the Scotsman with a swollen-shut eye and a torso populated with firetruck red welts. Taylor countered with his exceptional head movement and tore up Prograis on the inside. The high-caliber, hard-hitting bout had it all as both warriors went the distance before the judges gave a battle-tested Taylor the nod via a majority decision.
So what’s next? Prograis (24-1) would love a rematch and deserves one, but Taylor (16-0) already is aiming higher with Jose Ramirez in his sights.
Shakur Stevenson puts an end to ring drama
Faced with a vengeful, undefeated opponent, Shakur Stevenson proved why he’s tipped by many as a future all-time great. In front of a packed Reno, Nevada crowd, the former US Olympian silver medalist pitched a gentleman’s shut-out against the game, but under matched Joet Gonzalez, winning 11 rounds on all three judges’ scorecards. The 22-year-old Stevenson wins his first world title, the WBO featherweight championship.
As you may have heard, the bout was a well-documented family affair. Gonzalez’s sister Jajaiara has been dating Stevenson for some time now, and let’s just say the Gonzalez family won’t be inviting the new champ over for dinner this holiday season. Luckily for Stevenson, he’s not short on people in his corner. At Saturday’s fight, he showed up with Andre Ward and Terence Crawford in his corner.
Unfortunately, the family drama doesn’t appear to be over as Joet and his dad bailed for the post-fight interview.
Stevenson (13-0) moves onto bigger and better things. After his victory, he called out “The Leeds Warrior” Josh Warrington (30-0), challenging the IBF champ to a title unification bout.
Chisora cuts down Price
Given the KO-heavy track records of Dereck Chisora and David Price, the judges’ scorecards were likely going to be nothing more than scrap paper. In a fourth-round stoppage, Chisora sent the towering 6’8″ Scouser crashing into the canvas with the battered Price stumbling up as his corner threw in the towel.
Chisora (32-9), who turns 36 at the end of the year, looks like he has a few more fights left in him. He’s likely eying one last big fight, possibly with Oleksandr Usyk or Joseph Parker, who was his original opponent on the card.
Easter celebrates in October
By 25 years old, Robert Easter Jr. was a world champion, beating a phenomenal fighter in Richard Commey for the IBF lightweight title. But after losing his first fight last year to Mikey Garcia, “E-Bunny” has lost a lot of his swagger.
On Saturday night, Easter wore minimalistic white trunks and black gloves to his fight against Adrian Granados (20-8-2), a far departure from his typically sequinned and tasseled ring-attire. In his corner was his close friend Adrien Broner, who beat Granados in 2017.
The fight was a fun back-and-forth bout that ended in a unanimous decision for Easter (22-1-1), who debuted at light-welterweight. One judge gave Easter every round in a fight that could easily have been scored in Granados’ favor. You’d have to be heartless not to feel for the man. For the snakebitten Mexican fighter, this loss is arguably the fourth time Granados (20-8-2) has been short-changed by a judges’ decision.
Mikaela Mayer looks ready for title shot
The only thing lacking from Mikaela Mayer‘s (12-0-0) building resume was a solid stoppage. Well, she can check that off with a dominating TKO victory over Alejandra Soledad Zamora. Mayer looks ready for a world title shot after overpowering the feisty Argentinian (7-4-0) who took 328 punches in six rounds before her dad/trainer told the referee to stop the beating.
