Dune Bud
Once again, a new week brings another superstar rumored to make a grand entrance in Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday, Turki Alalshikh shared a photo of Terence Crawford accompanied by a shrug emoji on Twitter. While such a tweet would have been overlooked previously, nowadays it ignites a frenzy within the entire platform. And undoubtedly, this particular day was no exception.
The intensity increased as Crawford responded with three emojis depicting a yellow character placing his finger over his lips. By the end of the day, Crawford was already associated with potential fights against top contenders like Josh Kelly and Israil Madrimov. Additionally, another name would join the conversation later in the week.
While Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia were fully immersed in fight week, their attention shifted away from baseball. They unexpectedly found themselves at the Empire State Building, engaging in a slightly physical encounter. Consequently, upon their arrival at Citi Field for the New York Mets versus Pittsburgh Pirates game, officials decided to revoke their opportunity to throw out the ceremonial first pitch due to concerns about potential further altercations.
Nevertheless, he subsequently included: “Have patience. It won’t be a shock when this fight takes place in September.” We cling to optimism.
Grim pickings
Remaining in New York, Thursday’s ultimate press conference was marred by several unfavorable incidents. One particular incident involved Garcia engaging in a heated exchange with a member of the audience, which included unnecessary crude remarks. However, the most shocking statements leading up to the event came from Bill Haney, Devin’s father and trainer, who boldly proclaimed that his son would cause Ryan Garcia’s demise.
Haney Snr declared, “I am dispatching my son to eliminate him. Regardless of anyone’s objections or aversion to witnessing it, they have the option to refrain from watching. His decision to participate in this fight was self-destructive, and as a result of the profound disrespect shown, it will transform into a killing on April 20. My son is determined to obliterate his opponent completely. It will be a total annihilation.”
To clarify, the aforementioned words were spoken by the father of a participant in the conflict. It is worth noting that he is an adult and therefore should possess greater wisdom.
Among all the repulsive statements made throughout this entire promotion, that one could easily be considered the most atrocious in a highly competitive array.
Due to the week-long tension and the overall atmosphere of the press conference, it was ultimately determined that there would be no face-off during the event. However, the two individuals would reunite the following day for the weigh-in.
The weight is over
Ryan Garcia, despite confidently claiming to have met the weight requirement during the week’s open workouts, ended up weighing a considerable 143¼bs, surpassing the agreed-upon 140lbs limit. Despite his efforts to meet the weight, Garcia’s actions, such as consuming a bottle of beer, drew criticism from the crowd, who booed him for his significant weight discrepancy. As a result of the contractual terms, Garcia was obligated to pay $500,000 for each pound he missed, ultimately increasing Haney’s earnings for their highly lucrative showdown.
As the two fighters posed for their final face-off, Bill Haney, who had recently made controversial “kill” remarks, found himself in another heated confrontation with Bernard Hopkins.
On the topic of the Crawford story, Thursday also featured a photograph of Jaron Ennis, a highly skilled welterweight, standing next to Turki Alalshikh. Additionally, in an interview with DAZN, Eddie Hearn, Ennis’ promoter, disclosed that ‘Boots’ has expressed his intention to potentially conclude his career in the light-heavyweight division after attaining world titles in five distinct weight categories.
Jaron Ennis
Ryan’s world
On Saturday, a significant show announcement revealed that Gervonta Davis is set to make his comeback in the boxing ring. After much speculation, it has been confirmed that Davis will face Frank Martin on June 15 in Las Vegas. This exciting showdown will be part of a PBC on Amazon Prime event.
Without a doubt, the highlight of Saturday’s events revolved around the Garcia versus Haney showdown, a match that, despite the outlandish promotion tactics, indeed took place. The peculiarity continued right up until the fight itself, with Garcia’s unconventional choice to have a string quartet stationed in his dressing room, performing classical melodies as he prepared for the bout. Undeniably, this was an unprecedented move.
When he finally reached the ring, it became a harmonious display of his signature left hooks that led to a surprising majority decision win, with Haney being knocked down three times. It instantly became a timeless masterpiece.
In addition, it is worth noting that the scorecards for the fight between Sean McComb and Arnold Barboza were some of the most peculiar in recent memory. Judge Benoit Roussel awarded a score of 98-92 in favor of McComb, whereas Tom Schreck (96-94) and Don Trella (97-93) both scored the fight in Barboza’s favor.
Fractious business
Garcia wasted no time after his success at the Barclays, as he quickly returned to social media to discuss his upcoming fight. Additionally, considering his significant weight miss, it appears that he has no intention of trying to reach the 140lbs mark again.
However, Conor Benn, a welterweight fighter, was one of the individuals he focused on during the Sabbath, leading to a brief exchange between the two.
Simply by Tweeting “great performance from Garcia,” Benn managed to ignite a fight between the two.
Garcia responded by saying, “Why don’t we have it in London, specifically at the O2? I’ll completely shatter your spleen and devour it,” indicating a slight misconception about the number of bones present in a spleen. “Sending a shoutout to London!”
Additionally, repercussions arose following the Barboza-McComb controversy that took place on Sunday.
Lou DiBella, the promoter, expressed his strong disapproval on Twitter, stating that the decision of Barboza winning the fight was not just a bad decision, but an outrageously unjust one. He emphasized his disbelief and frustration by using explicit language.
Lee Eaton, McComb’s manager, subsequently verified that a formal appeal/complaint had been filed.
Wishlist set for reality?
Following his tweet last Wednesday, Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority, took it a step further on Monday by participating in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit. During the session, he confirmed several upcoming plans for the next phase of his revolutionary boxing initiative.
Although he expressed interest in pairing Crawford with Ennis, it was not among the top three fights he aspired to arrange. Those coveted matchups included Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua (which I also eagerly anticipate), Canelo Alvarez against Crawford, and David Benavidez against the victor of Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol in Saudi Arabia on June 1.
In the past, creating a list like that seemed insignificant as major conflicts would often be disregarded. However, the current circumstances are different. It is highly likely that Turki will achieve his desires in all three aspects within the coming year.
In Tokyo, it has been officially announced that the highly anticipated showdown between the top-ranked super-flyweight contender Kazuto Ioka and the second-ranked Fernando Martinez will take place on July 7th.
Sequel confirmed
Chris Billam-Smith and Richard Riakporhe have agreed to their highly anticipated rematch on June 15th, following months of negotiations.
Billam-Smith, the reigning champion, deserves a nod of appreciation for accepting the challenge of visiting Selhurst Park, the residence of Crystal Palace, which happens to be Riakporhe’s territory in South London. While CBS triumphed in his hometown of Bournemouth to secure the IBF title, he is now willingly venturing to the capital city for an opportunity to seek revenge. Notably, his devoted legion of fans will also accompany him in this quest.
Since their initial clash in July 2019 at The O2, Riakporhe has remained undefeated and has continued to excel. In a surprising turn of events in 2023, Billam-Smith managed to defeat Lawrence Okolie, making it one of the most memorable upsets of the year.
“On the 15th of June,” Riakporhe declared, “I shall relentlessly defeat you without any hint of emotion. Your days are numbered, for The Midnight Train shall emerge victorious.”
Billam-Smith, mischievously, retorted, “Did you mention getting derailed?” We’re just over seven weeks away from fight night, and it’s going to be an incredible match.
