Each Thursday right here at FightHype, I pull out my gigantic, bulbous, bulging sack and provides truth-minded boxing followers a gander. This week, I shoot ropes of reality throughout feedback/questions relating to Wilder vs. Zhang, David Benavidez, and Ryan Garcia.
David Benavidez, Hype Job?
Magno.
I simply obtained to say this as a result of nobody else appears to have the heart or boxing savvy to carry this up, however David Benavidez is a pretend. The person is nothing however a weight bully who fought no person up till final yr and final yr simply beat a few very overrated names in Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade. The person is nothing within the massive image of issues and the entire act about him chasing Canelo and Canelo operating scared is extraordinarily performed out. There’s nothing to run from as a result of Benavidez is nowhere close to the identical class as Canelo. Now the hype job strikes as much as gentle heavyweight to combat one other blown up jobber whose solely declare to fame is getting starched by Artur Beterbiev 5 years in the past whereas folks nonetheless say Canelo is operating! Benavidez moved to a different weight class, dummies! Who’s operating from who? I can’t anticipate this hype job to be uncovered.
— Sam from Michigan
Hey Sam.
Wow. Inform us how you actually really feel. I simply don’t agree with you in saying that Benavidez is a hype job or that he doesn’t deserve a shot at Canelo. The actual fact of the matter is that there’s no person at 168 who deserves that combat greater than Benavidez. You may scoff at Andrade and Plant, however these wins– and the way through which won– ought to’ve earned him that massive combat. To be trustworthy, he ought to’ve been consensus prime contender to Canelo even earlier than these fights. There’s no person Canelo can select to combat who’s extra deserving than Benavidez. That’s simply indeniable reality. If Benavidez decides to remain at 175, then Canelo is off the hook. However, till then, he deserves the large combat and Canelo’s legacy will take some well-deserved hits if he doesn’t get it.
As for Benavidez combating Gvozdyk? I’m not too enthused. However for a primary combat in a brand new division, it’s alright.
I occur to consider Benavidez as WAY extra of a legit foremost stage fighter than you do, clearly. He’s obtained some candy offensive abilities and underrated defensive chops as nicely. However we’ll solely discover out simply how good he’s when he faces elite-level talent– like Canelo.
Ryan Garcia: Tremendous Soiled, A Little Soiled, or Clear?
Hey Paul.
I don’t know what to make of all this PEDs discuss with Ryan Garcia. He examined optimistic for Ostarine the day earlier than and day after the Haney combat. Then the B pattern got here again optimistic additionally. Then he did a hair follicle take a look at that mentioned he was clear. I don’t know what’s occurring. What;s your tackle the Ryan Garcia state of affairs?
— Luis
Hey Luis.
All we have to make of it’s that Garcia had a banned substance in his system. That’s it. That’s sufficient for a suspension and extra. It doesn’t matter the way it obtained there and the way a lot was inside him, the principles are the principles.
But when we need to take a deeper dive, there are questions on whether or not Garcia supposed to cheat or if the substance got here by way of tainted complement.
Extra importantly, we are able to speak about boxing’s wildly ineffectual anti-doping efforts (or lack of efforts) and the way the Garcia state of affairs spotlights the truth that we don’t know whether or not women and men coming into the ring are clear, soiled, how they obtained soiled, who gave them any illicit assist, and whether or not something will likely be completed to actually punish these fighters who do pop soiled. In spite of everything these years and all of the lip service given to PEDs testing, we’ve gotten nowhere.
A lot of this, as I’ve written earlier than, is because of the truth that media and followers have been conned into voluntary testing, which primarily allowed boxing bossmen to deal with their very own testing and outcomes management– one thing akin to letting grade-schoolers make out their very own grades after the ultimate examination.
The one reply for the game is the robust one. Boxing wants to show over its testing to an impartial celebration who could have the facility to maneuver past easy pattern assortment and lab work, working like an precise anti-doping program with broader powers and the flexibility to challenge binding sanctions. Good luck with that.
Wilder vs. Zhang
Hello Paul.
The one combat I care about on this Saturday’s 5 vs. 5 card in Saudi Arabia is Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang. Wilder regarded actually dangerous in shedding his final combat and Zhang misplaced in his final combat as nicely. So you may say this can be a should win combat for each. Each have the facility to harm the opposite, however who wins comes right down to who’s obtained how a lot left. For me, this combat is as a lot of a psych take a look at as it’s a energy punching contest. For that motive, I’ve to go along with Zhang. How about you? Who wins Wilder vs. Zhang and the way?
— Carlos Zapata
Hey Carlos.
I’ll take your evaluation a bit additional and say that Deontay Wilder, particularly, would be the key to the end result. Zhang is sluggish like a glacier and he’ll be there to be hit. How a lot he’s hit and the way arduous he’s hit will likely be decided by how aggressive Wilder is. In his final combat (towards Joseph Parker), Wilder regarded completely docile. A whole lot of that will have been due to Parker’s delicate motion away from Wilder’s energy hand, but when Deontay wished to go arduous, he would’ve gone arduous. He by no means did. He regarded tame and disinterested in pushing issues ahead. Coming into this Zhang combat, he has to know that, if he plans on persevering with his profession, every little thing is on the road. A loss means no Joshua combat, no Usyk title combat. He HAS to come back into this combat with a fireplace lit in his stomach. If he does, Zhang– sluggish, with defensive liabilities and identify worth constructed from some stable wins and gushing media coverage– is the proper foremost stage, profession re-birthing opponent for him. As a southpaw, Zhang may even be particularly weak to Wilder’s wild proper hand. If that fireplace actually can’t be rekindled, although, Wilder will seemingly be knocked out and retired. It ought to be fascinating.
Obtained a query (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? One of the best of the perfect will get included within the weekly mailbag section proper right here at FightHype. Ship your stuff right here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.
