By Norm Frauenheim –
From New York to Omaha to Tokyo, a mixed message was delivered over a few days that summed up a year.
Let’s start where it ended. Naoya Inoue stamped himself as the world’s most entertaining fighter, if not its best.
He’s just a lot of fun to watch He’s also relentless. Paul Butler never had a chance, an expectation before opening bell. Actually, it was more than that. It was a sure thing, a certainty predicted in betting odds not seen since Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson in 1990, also in Tokyo
Inoue was a 60-to-1 favorite, more one-sided than the 42-to-1 number that favored Tyson. Butler wouldn’t – couldn’t — pull off a Douglas-like miracle.
For now, at least, it looks as if nobody in the lighter divisions can beat Inoue, who mocked and rocked Butler while unifying the bantamweight title Tuesday with an 11th-round stoppage.
Next move: Up the scale, to junior-featherweight in a quest to be a four-division champion.
Now, on to Omaha. That’s where Terence Crawford, more controversial than ever in the wake of collapsed negotiations for a welterweight date with Errol Spence, showed he’s still as dangerous as ever.
Crawford has been called cold-blooded, and that’s what he delivered with a chilling left-uppercut, right-hook combo that left David Avanesyan flat on his back in the sixth round.
Just like that, it was over. But the controversy was not. It follows Crawford these days.
This time, it involves his gloves. On a night when Everlast became Neverlast, they came apart at the seams.
Everlast took the blame. In a statement posted to Twitter, it said the gloves were made with defective leather. It also said Crawford was blameless.
But the controversy rages on. And on. Remember, this is boxing. In a story first reported by BoxingScene, Avanesyan’s management filed a complaint with the Nebraska Athletic Commission this week.
It takes issue with a decision that allowed the 147-pound title fight to proceed when it was evident that padding was coming through the seams on the right thumb and along the sides of each glove.
At the start of the sixth, the referee called time-out, asking ringside officials to examine Crawford’s gloves. The decision was to continue. Moments later, at 2:14 of the sixth, it was over, Avanesyan finished with a defense as defective as Crawford’s gloves.
Last stop: New York, where this crazy video journey began. Teofimo Lopez was at home, fighting at Madison Square Garden, in a junior-welterweight bout that many believed would make everybody finally forget about his meltdown after a loss to George Kambosos. It didn’t.
Lopez escaped with a spit decision – controversial by definition – over Sandor Martin, an awkward Spaniard unknown until his upset of Mikey Garcia in October 2021. Lopez looked listless and often uncertain. He got knocked down in the second. It appeared he was down again in the seventh, but the referee ruled it a slip.
Lopez, who drops his hands in the ring and his emotional defenses out of it, questioned himself after the bout. The camera catches him looking at his corner, asking questions full of self-doubt.
“Do I still have it?’’ he says. “Do I still got it?’’
Good questions, all asked by an ESPN audience that watched and wondered. It didn’t take long for Lopez to walk back the inescapable implications.
“I know I got it,” Lopez said on social media. “Remember, I give you all something to talk about now.”
The talking continues, despite Lopez’ efforts to silence it.
“I know I got it,’’ he posted. “Are you dumb or dumber?”
It’s dumb, and dumber, to not at least question whether it’s time for Lopez to find a new trainer. His father, Teofimo Lopez Sr., has always been his trainer. Yet, some tension was evident against Martin.
Before the 10th and final round, dad ordered his son to sit down. He didn’t.
It was as if Lopez Jr. already was wondering whether he still “had it.’’
He might. He’s likeable. His speed and power are still evident. But it’s going to take change and a lot of work.
Same can be said for all of boxing after an up-and-down year that will probably be remembered for what didn’t happen.
That’s unfair to Dimitry Bivol, an underrated light-heavyweight who proved to be a revelation in May with his upset of Canelo Alvarez.
It’s unfair to Juan Franciso Estrada and Ramon “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, who staged a magnificent battle throughout the conclusion to a SuperFly trilogy won by Estrada in a narrow decision on Dec. 3. A crowd of about 10,000 in Glendale AZ knew it had witnessed a high-level exhibition of skill.
It’s unfair to Inoue, who on this pound-for-pound rating goes into 2023 tied at No. 1 with Crawford.
Nevertheless, 2022 will be remembered for the failed Crawford-Spence negotiations. The talks are little bit like Crawford’s gloves, a fitting symbol for a futile year. They fell apart.
Oscar Valdez Update: It’s not clear what’s next for the Phoenix boxing market, which has been busy over the last few months. Oscar Valdez Jr., a former featherweight and junior-lightweight champion, was projected for an intriguing, ESPN-televised fight against Emanuel Navarrete on Feb. 3.
The 130-pound bout was supposed to be the next biggie in Glendale AZ at Desert Diamond Arena, the site for the compelling Estrada-Chocolatito 3 a couple of weeks ago.
But Valdez was forced to withdraw because of an injury suffered while training, according to a story first reported by Boxing Scene and confirmed by 15 Rounds. Valdez, a former Mexican Olympian who went to school in Tucson, had been training in Hermosillo, according to his father, Oscar Valdez Sr.
Australian Liam Wilson has agreed to step in for Valdez, according to an ESPN report. But there is still no official announcement from Top Rank.
As of Thursday, there was still nothing listed on the Desert Diamond Arena’s calendar. It never listed the projected Valdez-Navarrete bout either.
