A quick snapshot at the weekend that was.
Biggest Upset: Elijah Pierce +650 over Irvin Gonzalez
Notable New Champions:
- OneFC Lightweight Champion: Christian Lee
- OneFC Lightweight Kickboxing Champion: Regian Eersel
- Glory Lightweight Champion: Marat Grigorian
- WBO World Super Middleweight Champion: Billy Joe Saunders
- IBF World Bantamweight Champion: Naoya Inoue
- IBF World Junior Welterweight Champion: Josh Taylor
A Few Storylines Going Forward:
- WBSS: Season Two of the greatest tournaments in boxing are wrapping up, and two divisions have their finals after this weekend’s bouts. At bantamweight, the most entertaining fighter in the world, Naoya Inoue advances to fight a Nonito Donaire, who has advanced by every weird bounce imaginable, and Josh Taylor claws his way to fight the gold standard at 140lbs, Regis Prograis.
- The Bronze Bomb: Which is what I’m calling Deontay Wilder‘s right hand knockout after he goddamned crow-hopped and sent Dominic Breazeale to another dimension. We all had Wilder winning this, but that emphatic first-round KO sent a message. As far as I’m concerned for Deontay, the only logical next steps are either Dillian Whyte, if the WBC stops their weird grudge against him, Fury II, or AJ. It’s time.
- Gas Shortage: Well, shit. We didn’t learn much at all. Kevin Lee moved up to welterweight after weight-cut issues at lightweight and fought another former lightweight in Rafael dos Anjos. What we do know is that Lee does not have the gas tank for hang for twenty-five minutes with fighters that can actually fight back on the ground. I know the “Q” word is uttered in hushed-tones in the fight game, but there’s no way else to view it as Lee going for his trademark takedown, and when it didn’t work, he was a sitting duck for RDA to slap on an arm-triangle choke for the win.
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