Another Saturday, another over-filled bounty of boxing to take in.
Josh Taylor smashed his way onto radar screens with his handling of Regis Prograis in a 140 pound showdown, and then, later that night, 126 pounder Shakur Stevenson provoked some comparisons to Floyd Mayweather with his dismantling of Joet Gonzalez . Two superlative showings….which one of the victors would get another honor, and snag Who Won the Weekend first place? Read on….
“Shakur Stevenson won the weekend,” said Abe Gonzalez. “Coming into this fight, there were some that weren’t completely sold on Stevenson as they knew he had talent but seemed to get distracted at times. In some cases, when we see two fighters going for a vacant title, one of the two names usually results in a eye roll and the Twittersphere goes off on the sanctioning body. In this case, we clearly had two of the best fighters going up against each other and it was an exciting feeling leading up to it. Although some may not like how Stevenson fought, I think he did a masterful job of disarming Joet’s arsenal and making it look easier than expected. Stevenson rightfully so mentioned at the end of the fight that “Joet is a tough motherf*cker” acknowledging that it wasn’t an easy twelve round bout. Shakur Stevenson gave a great performance against a great fighter and showed the world he is ready to be considered one of the top names in the sport. You can follow me on twitter @abeg718 or check out any of my previous articles at https://nyfights.com/author/abe/.
What say you, John Gatling? “Josh Taylor definitely won the weekend and I think he's a Top 10 pound-for-pound fighter. He won super lightweight supremacy, the WBSS Ali trophy and probably the trunks Regis Prograis wore if we're being fair about this. I read a fine preview feature by our own Abraham Gonzalez and old friend Colin Morrison… I thought Josh would win going in and nothing he did surprised me. He beat the Cajun seasoning out of Rougarou, with a better array of technical fundamentals and grit. Josh is like an old school Ken Buchanan with a lot of Barry McGuigan in him, a lot to admire there. If you're Prograis, you don't hang your head too much. As soon as I saw him moving more and trying to win out of character, I knew it was because Josh just had more character. But Regis is nothing but an old school fighter — he'll bounce back. What a fight though. Definitely worth rewinding and a rematch.”
Kelsey McCarson, you think what?
“Josh Taylor won the weekend. He unified at 140, won the Muhammad Ali trophy and defeated a very game and highly skilled Regis Prograis in a fantastic fight that could be the start of a really great trilogy. The Ring's Doug Fischer compared the bout to the first Erik Morales vs Marco Antonio Barrera fight, and I really like that comparison. Congrats to Taylor for solidifying himself as a star.”
“Shakur Stevenson won the weekend…he not only took home a belt this weekend, he did it in dominant fashion, putting on an absolute clinic against fellow undefeated, Joet Gonzalez. It had to feel pretty good to him after all the pre-fight bad blood. Stevenson has been one of the most exciting new faces to arrive on the scene in some time. The performance he gave this weekend did two things. It delivered on the promise he has shown, while also showcasing the potential to get even better. Which ought to scare the hell out of the featherweight class. Lord knows, he's awfully damn good now,” said David Phillips.
“Yes, Shakur Stevenson won to become the youngest fighter in boxing (at this time) to win a world title,” said Xavier Porter. “Yes, Prograis vs Taylor was a phenomenal fight, in which I felt that Prograis won the fight (could've been a draw at best). But in no offense, it's kind of hard for me to say “Who Won The Weekend” when Pat Day's wake and funeral took place on Friday and Saturday (respectively). Attending Pat Day's wake on Friday was greater than anything else that took place in boxing this weekend.
I get it. We all love boxing. But to be honest, I really didn't want to watch boxing this weekend. I wanted and felt the need to celebrate a life that didn't need to fight, but loved to fight. I walked into the wake with my guys Tommy Rainone as well as Anthony Karperis, Daniel Jacobs, and a host of others. I walked in with is Freeport Boxing Team members, namely Titus Williams and Tyrone James.
The truth of the matter is those guys, those men and women who have stepped inside the ring and put their lives on the line each and every time, they are the true winners. Accolades and belts are great but genuine respect and love is what's missing in boxing, it's what's missing in life. I have real, genuine love for Tommy and for Anthony and for every fighter who puts their life on the line each and every time they decide to fight. That takes precedent over anything else.
I sat with Lou DiBella for over 20 minutes. Here I am, sitting with the great Lou DiBella, who's shedding tears, just like myself. Words can never explain the loss that boxing and our lives took with the loss of Pat Day.
God Bless his family through and through and God Bless Joe Higgins. His speech has truly given me so much passion to live and enjoy life. I thank Pat Day for that!”
“Josh Taylor won the weekend,” said Tommy Rainone. “A possible star is born. Excellent fight with Prograis. Two world class fighters playing chess with gloves on at the highest level. This is a fight we may see again in the best future but for the time being Taylor – Ramirez for all the marbles is the must see match up at 140 pounds.”
“I will go as far as to say that Taylor, who won the weekend, is in the conversation of one of the top pound for pound fighters in the game,” said John Vena. “He is sound all the way around and particularly great at infighting for a taller fighter. His conditioning and confidence are also tremendous. After only 16 fights he has built up a nice resume. As 140 pounds is my favorite weight class, I can't wait for a Ramirez-Taylor clash.”
