“Zute” For Thought: Ringside Report Boxing Edition

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By Anthony “Zute” George

Allow me to address something. Personally, I thought Sergey Kovalev was ahead against Canelo before he was stopped, as I thought he was ahead against Andre Ward in their rematch. With that said, I could understand how some people, including two of the judges, had Canelo slightly ahead. It was a situation where you could have given Sergey less credit for the abundance of slab jabs he was landing, and at no time did Sergey seem to be in control of the fight, as he appeared to be in survival mode from around the third or fourth round. I thought he still won more rounds just because Canelo’s work rate was so low but seeing it the other way was understandable. You see, it takes a mature adult to be able to understand a point of view that you do not necessarily agree with. Instead, followers of boxing often sling insults in the direction of those they do not agree with. How mature.

Speaking of insults, social media was on the prowl after this fight. As typical, the main voice going around was that fans who never stepped inside the ring do not know what it takes, and therefore have no right to criticize Canelo. Well, the major problem with that is, I would say, around seven times out of ten, the insults about Canelo are indeed coming from those who have boxed in some capacity (I am probably low balling that percentage). What is up with that? Where is the voice against those folks?

So, let me get this straight, you have a rite of passage to criticize Canelo because you had a losing record in say around fifteen or so professional fights, but those who never fought cannot voice their opinion? That seems a little incongruent to me. Or do you just feel safer getting on those people who you feel superior to? For the most part, all fighters who I have met have been great people, but somehow, they can get just as foolish as those keyboard warriors they have such disdain for when they are indeed in front of a keyboard. Just saying. When criticism is valid, it should not matter where it comes from, the same way a completely outlandish statement, such as Canelo sucks, should be handled the same way regardless of who spews it. If we live by that mentality, then no one can complain it their dinner in a restaurant is not up to par, save for those who are also head chefs.

“Excuse me, but my pasta is a little too al dente.”

“Screw you! Have you ever run a professional kitchen in your life?!!!”

Sometimes you do not need to have done it yourself to know. Yes, even in boxing.

Speaking of valid criticisms, DAZN really s*** the bed with delaying the Canelo, Sergey fight. Now, I am not sure why they did, but it was a terrible idea, and all it did was torture boxing fans. Since DAZN kept flashing that the fight would start around 12:20 AM throughout the telecast, you would have to think that it was not planned to wait for the UFC pay per view card to finish, because that would mean the people at DAZN have no concept of time; I hope I can say that since I never built a clock. The fact that Ryan Garcia won in such a swift manner really seemed to cross them up. They have to do a better job with their time. If not for the time change, the card would have commenced at 2:30 AM. That is just cruel to the fans on the East Coast.

With that said, some people who benefited from the delay. Fans of both great combative sports were able to watch both the UFC and the boxing main event live, assuming they were able to stay awake. Hooray for them.

Speaking of Canelo, I am not sure why he gets so much criticism for not knowing how to fight. Some other criticisms of him may be valid, but to say Canelo is not good should not be uttered from anyone’s mouth, not fans who never fought, not the journeymen with fifteen fights, not Terence Crawford, and not the skull and bones of Harry Greb. It is a foolish statement regardless of who says it. At the very least, Canelo stopped Kovalev with legitimate punches, while Andre Ward literally stopped Sergey with a combination to the groin.

Speaking of DAZN, at least they are getting it right with their fights. Look at what we have been treated to as of late. The Josh Taylor and Regis Prograis fight was as special as I thought it would be, although I was expecting a different result. And what a surprise the Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire fight was. A great battle between two sensational fighters. The WBSS has done a lot of good things for boxing.

Speaking of Regis Prograis. I have interviewed him quite a few times. I had him on my podcast, which is on a hiatus right now, when nobody else would give him such airtime, and he has always been consistent with his declaration of not watching tape on any of his opponents, as he always felt he did not need to. Assuming he felt that way for the Taylor fight, I wonder if he will think about adding that dynamic to his curriculum, as he seemed to start figuring some things out as the match went on. I do plan on asking him that question the next time I talk with him.

Speaking of Josh Taylor, can someone say fighter of the year? He has to be in the conversation.

No?

Stay tuned…

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