{"id":68844,"date":"2017-09-12T15:14:19","date_gmt":"2017-09-12T20:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=68844"},"modified":"2017-09-12T15:14:49","modified_gmt":"2017-09-12T20:14:49","slug":"kaps-smoke-ring-vol-3-roman-chocolatito-gonzalez-srisaket-sor-rungvisai-rungvisai-naoya-inoue-oleksandr-usyk-kell-brook-vs-amir-khan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=68844","title":{"rendered":"Kap\u2019s Smoke Ring Vol. 3: Roman \u201cChocolatito\u201d Gonzalez, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue, Oleksandr Usyk, & Kell Brook Vs Amir Khan?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By \u201cKap\u201d Kaplowitz<\/strong><\/p>\n

If it\u2019s Tuesday, this must be Ringside Report. Lemme step out onto and into my porch\/office and light up a cigar. A short and sweet something to burn in my smoke-hole, for this post on its own may be bitter in parts — and I\u2019m prone to being verbose. I shall be the cigar, in tobacco zen fashion. Nevertheless, all that aside, and not for nothin\u2019 — Unlike Roman \u201cChocolatito\u201d Gonzalez in Saturday\u2019s StubHub, I\u2019m sure glad to be here.<\/p>\n

Was that sad, or what, gentlepersons? Chocolatito \u201cmelted in the ring,\u201d as I heard it said more cleverly than I\u2019m capable of saying somewhere on social media. Rungvisai put to bed thoughts of any fluke in their first encounter and firmly established himself a star in the 115 division. Maybe. Or maybe he simply reiterated his particular ownership of Gonzalez, a pug whose style lines up perfectly for him, and one ripe for the picking due to mileage and moving up in weights. <\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for the rapid firing Rungvisai? I\u2019d like to see him go against Inoue, whom I shall touch on later. Some would say Juan Estrada should be his next defense, to which I say I want Estrada – Cuadras II. Naoya Inoue\u2019s got the marquee name, some gold, and probably the goods. Like I said, more on Monster in a tick. Next for Gonzalez? He needs to hang \u2018em up and hang \u2018em high. He outgrew his fighting weight and cannot compete where he now naturally sits. It\u2019s not laziness, it\u2019s just he ain\u2019t a kid no more and can\u2019t cut back down to where and when he was. One of the many reasons the little guys age like fruit flies.<\/p>\n

This cigar is so sweet I\u2019m afraid my facial hair is gonna pick up its flavored aroma and take on the smell of the bottom of an old lady\u2019s pocketbook. As I sit here typing, the taste of the thing conjures up visions in my head of a fat French prostitute eating skittles with both hands. Infused cigars: feh! But this ain\u2019t a cigar column. But I did mention beards\u2026 They\u2019re all over now. Even yours truly has one — albeit short and due to laziness. Everywhere. Bearded guys.<\/p>\n

Even, as I see more and more, in the ring. You never used to see that. Didn\u2019t the athletic commissions at one time require a clean shave? This was for reasons not strictly cosmetic, like the Yankees under Steinbrenner, but because a beard offers an advantage. A cushion to a blow, a built-in bit a\u2019 Brillo to rough up a fella on the inside. I mean, we use the word \u201cbeard\u201d interchangeably with \u201cchin\u201d as a measurement of standing up to a punch, of tough resilience…<\/p>\n

Speaking of beards: Kell Brook Vs Amir Khan is a potentiality I\u2019ve heard bandied about in certain circles. Literally and figuratively, twixt the two there ain\u2019t a single hair follicle. But to be fair, Brook don\u2019t own a third orbital bone to have shattered. When Inoue fought the overwhelmed Nieves, the leather to flesh pop was echoing thunderously throughout Carson, California. I imagine Brook and Khan throwing down would sound a lot like a teacup being clanked upon a saucer. Fine China, natch.<\/p>\n

Thoughts on Inoue. It\u2019s about that time, and this cigar is burning fast. I wasn\u2019t as impressed as some. For as fast as his hands doth flew, he didn\u2019t throw as many punches in bunches as I\u2019d like to have seen. That left hook is something. Woulda been nice to see him double up on it more. Plus, he got tagged once or twice whenst he put himself in stalking mode at the end. Insignificant pitter-patters, but touched, nonetheless. The worst bit: watch the fight over — his vaulted and bally-hooed hooks sometimes have a hiccup of a telegraph to them. Like many fighters who rely on natural talent over fundamentals, he errs toward sloppy at times. If he wants to live past Gonzalez\u2019s 30, he should mark my words. Does Inoue even read this? Make no mistake, humsoever, Monster is a monster talent with a very high ceiling and time on his side.<\/p>\n

Okay, the stogie is now but a nub in my ashtray. One last thing. Usyk battered Huck. You probably didn\u2019t see it, because the World Boxing Super Series still hath no TV deal and according to many their legal live stream [Michael] buffered to the point of being impossible to watch. Michael Buffer. Hey, thanks for reading another week\u2019s Kap\u2019s Smoke Ring, my name is \u201cCarlos Estrada.\u201d Wait, that ain\u2019t right\u2026 Whatever my name is, keep yer chin tucked till next time.<\/p>\n

To read and hear more of \u201cKap\u201d Kaplowitz:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

www.Kaplowitz.xyz <\/a>and Kaplowitz Radio are the blog (daily) and podcast (Sundays & Wednesdays) homes of \u201cKap\u201d Kaplowitz. In broad strokes, topics include: lifestyle, sports, and fashion. In more narrow strokes: cigars, boxing, baseball, and sweatpants. Want more? Advice and etiquette. Still more? Schtick Yiddish & Pig Shakespearean. Have you Kaplowitz\u2019d to-day? Every week, Kap will make an appearance here at Ringside Report; smoking a stogie and unloading his boxing brains.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n