Boxing Challenge: Beterbiev rolls over Browne

    Artur Beterbiev survived a vicious cut to his forehead from a fourth-round double headbutt and stalked Marcus Browne like a hunter stalking a fleet antelope in finishing the former Olympian in the ninth round and kept his WBC and IBF light heavyweight titles in Montreal, Canada.

Browne had won the first two rounds easily on my card and the third as well, although the third was close before the clash of heads that left Beterbiev with the worse of the cuts although Browne retreated with a cut alongside his right eye for the remainder of the fight.

One could instantly see Beterbiev processing the situation as the blood spurted from his gash and the fight could go to the scorecards once the fourth round (the one that the fight was currently in) and almost certainly would go to Browne at that point, costing Beterbiev his titles.

Beterbiev then immediately shifted into tank mode to finish the round but still at best if the fight was stopped then and there, Beterbiev would have a draw (and he trailed on the cards and would have lost under those conditions).

Before the fifth, the doctor entered the ring, checked both fighters, and told them one more round would be all that given.

That didn't turn out to be the case as Beterbiev was winning each round so decisively that stopping the fight would have been ridiculous and when Beterbiev sent Browne to his knees in the seventh after a left to the body followed by a right hand, the fight was essentially over as Browne's early scorecard edge was now erased.

Beterbiev continued to punish Browne in the eighth and finished in the ninth as he alternated between headshots and punishing the body before a left uppercut sent Browne to his knees where he took the ten count.

Beterbiev led 77-74 on my card after eight rounds.

For Beterbiev, I don't see anyone stopping him in the near future.

Canelo Alvarez does have the boxing skills to perhaps bother Beterbiev but can he handle what could be a more relentless bigger punching Gennady Golovkin for twelve rounds?

WBA champion Dmitry Bivol also has the boxing skills but in recent fights has seemed reluctant to engage against second-tier fighters, let alone a Beterbiev.

Will twelve rounds of running be rewarded on the scorecards?

WBO champion Joe Smith might make a fun fight between two huge punchers but unless Smith lands the home run bomb first, I don't think he stands up against this attack.

Gilberto Ramirez and Callum Smith are rangy fighters but naturally smaller in weight (remember Beterbiev was a heavyweight in the amateurs, losing a close decision in Olympic action to Oleksandr Usyk) and I am dubious that either can hold Beterbiev off any better than Browne did.

Beterbiev is the best light heavyweight in the world without a doubt and I'm hoping that he can be more active in 2022.

In Uzbekistan, another wacky boxing incident occurred as Ismail Madrimov stopped Michel Soro in the ninth round to win his WBA junior middleweight eliminator and would become the mandatory challenger in the organization- BUT maybe not.

Madrimov had Soro badly hurt near the end of the round but the bell rang.

Referee Salvador Rodriguez stood there like a bump on a log as my aunt used to say and watched Madrimov land between seven and ten shots on a stunned Soro before jumping in and awarding the fight to Madrimov!

Chaos ensued for ten minutes while the issue was decided for Madrimov by stoppage but I'd be surprised if this stands and will likely be changed to a no-contest, and if it does stand as a win, I think the WBA will order a rematch between the two before a title shot against the Charlo-Castano winner.

I would have had Madrimov ahead by one point had the ninth round been scored and Madrimov was beginning to take command but still fair is fair and this should be ruled a no-contest. 

Boxing Challenge: Kowacki outworks Arreola, Pascal stuns Browne

The largest part of the boxing weekend was brought to you by PBC on Fox from their unofficial home base at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, and entering the evening, the card looked very much like a less than stellar set of fights.
Instead, PBC provided a pretty strong evening of fun boxing and left me wishing that they would offer more nights like this in the future.

In the main event, heavyweight Adam Kownacki took a unanimous decision over Chris Arreola to continue his movement towards what might eventually see Kownacki face Deontay Wilder for Wilder's WBC title.
The fight was filled with more action in the first half of the fight than in the latter, but each fighter landed plenty in a fight that the Fox broadcast stated that records were set for punches thrown and landed for a heavyweight fight.
Neither fighter used a lot of movement, but it was Kownacki landing the bigger shots and forced the veteran Arreola backward for most of the fights.
There were no knockdowns scored and the first seven to eight rounds had toe to toe exchanges that had the crowd roaring with approval.
I wouldn't rate this as an all-time classic, but it was an excellent fight and any fight fan had to enjoy this one with a possible rematch being worth signing.
With that said, I wouldn't be against this fight standing alone either as PBC is building Kownacki as a future opponent for Wilder, yet his limitations could get him defeated in any fight and possibly blow a big crowd in Brooklyn for Kownacki, who lives in the area.
At the same time, as well as Arreola fought, it is also possible that this was the last stand for the veteran from California and a rematch could see a lopsided win for Kownacki.

The semi-main event between Marcus Browne and Jean Pascal for one of those pesky minor WBA belts looked to be all in the corner of Browne, who dominated the 36-year-old former champion for five of the completed seven rounds and looked the part of the best PBC light heavyweight as he fought for the first time since dominating Badou Jack earlier this year.
The problem was that Browne's chin considered a question since being knocked down twice by Radivoje Kalajdzic in an even more questionable split decision win, couldn't hold up as Pascal knocked Browne down in the fourth and twice more in the seventh with the bell perhaps saving Browne.
With the bout even on my card, Pascal jumped on Browne to start the eighth round and during that flurry, a clash of heads opened a horrendous cut over Browne's left eye and resulted in the fight being stopped shortly thereafter.
The decision by Pascal to attack resulted in his winning the fight, as the partially completed round still had to be scored and with Pascal winning that round on all cards, resulted in his winning the fight via the unanimous decision.
The fight screams for a rematch and with the dearth of PBC contenders in the division makes it likely to happen.
For Browne, it not only was his first loss, but it also showed his vulnerability to right hands as Pascal isn't known as a big puncher as he had never scored a knockout over a top ten contender in his career and makes one wonder how Browne would fare against a really big hitter.
For Pascal, who fought surprisingly well, the win should give him another payday or two as his career winds down and with luck, perhaps a few more.

The opening fight saw another upset as middleweight Wale Omotoso crushed former middleweight title challenger Curtis Stevens in three rounds.
Stevens, who has made his career in beating fringe contenders outside the top ten, attacked in his normal manner, but was knocked down once in the first and twice in the second, appearing to be in big trouble in round two.
Stevens came out strong in the third and seemed to be Omotoso hurt and prepared for a come from behind victory before Omotoso dropped Stevens to end the fight after Stevens just barely rose and the referee ended the fight.
Stevens should likely retire and Omotoso will remain a fringe contender in the middleweights.
Considering the spectacular win, I would not be at all surprised to see Omotoso in against WBC champion Jermall Charlo, with the weak condition of 160 pounders on the PBC side.

The other challenge fight is one that I have not seen yet as featherweight prospect Michael Conlan stopped Diego Antonio Ruiz in the ninth round.

In the boxing challenge, I outscored Ramon Malpica 2 to 1 to move my lead to 200-174

Boxing Challenge: Pacquiao solves the Problem

 Before their pay per view fight, the story had been almost entirely about the typically boorish behavior of Adrien Broner and only a little about the skills of 40-year-old Manny Pacquiao.

The questions now are these-  just which PBC star will Manny Pacquiao face next and when will PBC realize that Adrien Broner is simply not an elite level fighter and when will their promotional company stop presenting him as such?
Manny Pacquiao threw more punches, landed the harder punches and was never threatened in a unanimous decision victory that some scored as a shutout.
I scored it 118-110 and it was surprisingly closer on the official cards, but the easy win opens up Pacquiao several avenues to choose from for his next fight.
There's always the rumors of a Floyd Mayweather return, but in hoping that never happens, Manny still has options.
Fights vs WBA champion Keith Thurman (Pacquiao holds a WBA minor title) and WBC champion Shawn Porter are possible as could be one vs Danny Garcia, who always seems to be in the thick of these events, much like Adrien Broner (more on him in a bit) and could be of interest.
IBF champion Errol Spence would be a huge challenge, should he defeat Mikey Garcia, but I'm doubtful we ever would see a Spence-Pacquiao fight as many of the reasons that Pacquiao left Top Rank was an unwillingness to face Terence Crawford so Spence wouldn't be as equal of a reward as the risk.
Mikey Garcia is a possibility, especially if he upsets Spence as the two are close to the same natural size, might make the exciting fight of the bunch and would be an attractive PPV event.

Manny Pacquiao showed enough in victory to remain viable, but Adrien Broner did not.
Broner, who despite a watered down "four division champion" resume' line has never decisively beaten a fighter better than Antonio DeMarco, has some 'arguable' decision wins over the likes of Daniel Ponce DeLeon, Paulie Malignaggi, Adrian Granados and a really questionable draw vs Jessie Vargas and losses against every top opponent he has faced (Marcos Maidana, Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter and now Manny Pacquiao) continues to receive sizable paychecks and big fights despite mouth that delivers more in the press conference that he ever brings to the ring.
Broner's awful treatment of Al Bernstein and racist statements towards the Pacquiao camp were bad enough, but his effort, which showed a sturdy chin and nothing else, was lacking until his delusional post-fight conduct where he hollered about whipping Pacquiao for "The Hood", screaming about being robbed and talking about beating up 60-year-old Showtime interviewer Jim Gray, seemed more aimed at being a character rather than a fighter.
If we see Broner anywhere near a big fight again, PBC needs to take a deeper look at their managemental decisions and perhaps "The Zabbies" may eventually be renamed "The Bronies"!

In the co-feature, former Olympian Marcus Browne dominated and busted open Badou Jack in winning a unanimous decision (116-110 on my card) to win a minor title.
Browne boxed very well off the jab and clearly controlled the fight, but his best shots were a right hand that seemed to hurt Jack in the fifth and a headbutt that left a vertical cut down Jack's forehead which gushed as much blood as you'll see in a boxing ring.
Browne has the potential with his size and skills to be a tough fight with any of the best at 175, but
his chin has been shown to be questionable and I still think he received a gift split decision against Radivoje Kalajdzic, in a decision that was as bad you'll see.
Browne now holds a WBA minor title and will eventually face their true champion Dmitry Bivol down the road.

In the other challenge bout, Nordine Oubaali won the vacant WBC bantamweight title with a competitive, yet clear unanimous decision over Rau'Shee Warren in a pairing of southpaws.
The fight was a rematch of their 2012 Olympic fight, which was also won by Oubaali, who marched forward with a strong right hook and is in a position to be the only bantamweight title that will not be held by the winner of the World Boxing Super Series in the division.

The Jhack Tepora-Hugo Ruiz fight was canceled when Tepora was far overweight at the weigh-in.

In the boxing challenge, Ramon Malpica earned four points to my wo on the evening.
Ramon added two points each from the Pacquiao and Oubaali wins, while both of my points were due to the Pacquiao win.
I lead the challenge 9-8.