Boxing Challenge: Chavez quits, Jacobs wins

It was an ugly scene in Phoenix for DAZN's Matchroom Boxing card Friday, but it certainly was one that couldn't have come as a surprise to those that have watched the career of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Julio Jr. who has quit in the ring, missed weight, trained for fights in his living room rather than go to the gym, and failed drug tests by using drugs and refusing to take them ( a refused test is considered an automatic positive) managed to do several of these all during one signed fight and lost via TKO when he refused to continue after round five of his fight with Daniel Jacobs.

Chavez, who refused a drug test and was forced to receive a favorable court injunction to even participate, followed that up by paying Jacobs one million dollars for missing weight by five pounds and after all of that?
Chavez fought pretty well for five rounds.
I gave Chavez the first and fifth rounds and even though I gave Daniel Jacobs the fourth, it was a very tight round.
Chavez worked the body well in the fifth and as I watched the fifth round end, it was Jacobs that I was wondering about being potentially bothered.
That part was a surprise.
What wasn't a surprise was Julio Jr. deciding that he couldn't continue and ending the fight in the corner.
Depending on who was asked after the fight, Junior was having problems with his nose, his hand, and a cut around his eye and decided to concede.
The Phoenix crowd, who were the latest to be sunk by the Chavez hustle, weren't any happier than I was and began to throw things at the ring and hit several ringside persons, notably DAZN's Brian Kenny, while he was on the air. and Chavez as he ran fleeing up the aisle.
Daniel Jacobs will move on and I guess he'll receive a title shot against Callum Smith or Billy Joe Saunders in 2020.
As for Julio Jr. I've seen more than enough from him to say that anyone that tries to use him again should quickly change their mind- as I wrote yesterday, he's just not worth the effort.

The co-feature stole the show as Julio Cesar Martinez wore down Crisofer Rosales and stopped Rosales in the ninth round to win the vacant WBC flyweight title that Martinez almost won a few months back, but after knocking down then-champion Charlie Edwards Martinez hit him while Edwards was on the canvas and the fight was declared a no-contest.
This one featured many exchanges in the early rounds, but as the fight moved forward, the harder punching Martinez began to break the smoother boxing Rosales and the final few rounds were dominated by Martinez against the game but beaten Rosales.
Martinez looks to be a star in the making with an exciting style and he's one to watch in the 112-115 pound divisions.

The other challenge bout saw the ring return of former WBO junior welterweight champion Maurice Hooker as a welterweight and Hooker finished off Uriel Perez in one round.
Perez took several shots to the body and appeared to be injured after Hooker's shot dropped him to the floor.
A pained looking Perez rose but notified the referee that he couldn't continue further.
Hooker claims that he wishes to return to the junior welterweight division, but considering his problems making the weight in the past, I would think that weight is going to be very difficult to make for the former champion.

In the boxing challenge, Ramon Malpica outscored me six to five, the difference being the early ending in the Jacobs-Chavez Jr. pairing.
I lead the overall standings 307-271.

Boxing Challenge

I'm still not up to writing full columns yet, but I had this edition of the Boxing Challenge and the PPM that has been posted earlier today almost completely finished, so it didn't take a lot of work to post these.

I want to try to get back to normal sometime this weekend if I can with boxing, Browns, and when I can get through it, I want to write about my mom.


The Boxing Challenge starts early with a Friday DAZN card that seems filled with far more drama than it is worth and ends with a key junior middleweight title fight on Fox Saturday night.

Starting on Friday night, Daniel Jacobs will make his super middleweight debut against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr from Phoenix in a bout filled with licensing problems for Chavez and now hours before the tilt, Chavez missed weight so badly that Jacobs earned an extra one million dollars for allowing the fight to take place.
There are fewer bigger fans of Julio Sr. than I, but I'm very tired of the routine that comes with Julio Jr and he's just not worth the trouble.
For all the drama that comes with Julio Jr, he has always shown a very reliable chin and should Jacobs be able to take Chavez Jr. out, it would still be a notable feat even at this stage of his career.

This is an interesting card other than the main event with the co-feature of an especially intriguing bout for the vacant WBC flyweight title pitting Julio Cesar Martinez against Crisofer Rosales.
Martinez seemed to be close to winning that title in September against then-champion Charlie Edwards as he was delivering a beating to the champion, but after knocking Edwards down, Martinez hit Edwards and the fight was ruled a no-contest when Edwards was unable to continue.
Edwards vacated the title rather than face Martinez in a mandated rematch that was likely to see a similar result.
Rosales is a former WBC champion that upset the once-highly touted Daigo Higa to win the title before losing the championship to Edwards.
The other challenge fight will see former WBO junior welterweight champion Maurice Hooker move to the welterweight division against journeyman Uriel Perez.
Hooker suffered his first loss to Jose Ramirez earlier this year via a sixth-round KO in their unification matchup and with a taller frame, Hooker seems like a better fit at 147.

The most important fight of the weekend is on Fox and the PBC from Ontario California, as one day short of a year and one postponement later, the rematch of one of the most controversial fights of 2018 will finally occur as Tony Harrison defends his WBC junior middleweight title against Jermell Charlo.
Harrison upset Charlo in a fight that most (including me) thought Charlo won fairly handily and when the fight was rescheduled for earlier this year, it was postponed with Harrison suffering a training injury.
Charlo fought late substitute, Jorge Cota, knocking Cota out in three rounds, and then criticized Harrison for faking an injury.
Combine that with the decision and post-fight mess from the first fight and you have a legitimate grudge match entering this fight.
Here's the deal- Charlo should have won the first fight and before that fight, Harrison was thought of as a talented, but flawed fighter that fell short against the best two fighters that he had faced (knockout losses to Jarrett Hurd and Willie Nelson).
If you take those facts, Charlo should be a strong favorite to take the title back.

The other challenge bout is in the heavyweight division as PBC hopeful Efe Ajagba will face Iago Kiladze.
Ajagba has been terrorizing low competition on the PBC side with vicious early knockouts but looked much human in his last fight in July as he defeated Ali Demirezen via a unanimous decision.
Kiladze was knocked out three times in 2018 against top fifteen level fighters on the rise ( Adam Kownacki in six, Michael Hunter in five, and Joe Joyce in five), but made decent fights against all three and in his only fight of 2019, drew over eight rounds against undefeated Cuban Robert Alfonso.
Watch for how Ajagba wins this fight.
Should he knock out Kiladze around the same range as Kownacki, Hunter, and Joyce did, he looks legitimate, but should he go the distance and maybe even struggle or bore?
There is a red flag alert.

Earlier on Friday on ESPN plus, the top heavyweight prospect in the world returns as Daniel DuBois continues to rise on the ladder as he fights journeymen and fighters that are world-ranked, yet shouldn't be.
DuBois still has plenty of questions to be answered and of his 13 wins and 12 knockouts, only Kevin Johnson is anyone that was once considered top twenty and it was Johnson that took DuBois ten rounds. but DuBois looked so impressive in stopping fellow undefeated Nathan Gorman in five rounds in July that he is very highly thought of many (myself included) and is looked at as a potential championship opponent for someone in two years and could be a huge fight for the sport.
Oh, DuBois is fighting someone?
Yes, Kyotaro Fujimoto is 21-1 but has never fought anyone notable, and his only loss came at the hands of Solomon Haumono via a fifth-round KO.
Watch this one and check out DuBois, but don't take to long to settle in...

In a minor title/title eliminator, two former junior middleweight fringe contenders that lost their biggest tests, move up to middleweight and we'll see what happens with Liam Williams facing Alantez Fox.
Williams, who has lost twice to Liam Smith, although in the first fight I had him leading before being stopped on cuts from a deliberate headbutt that should have seen the out of shape Smith disqualified, has the hometown edge against Fox, who at 6'4 might be able to keep Williams on the outside and box his way to a win.
Fox lost his only step up in competition when he lost a decision to Demetrius Andrade and he is not a big puncher, so the key here seems to be can Fox keep Williams off him on the inside?
The fighter that answers that question will likely be your victor.


In the boxing challenge. I lead Ramon Malpica 302-265

Super Middleweights. 12 Rds
Daniel Jacobs vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr
R.L: Jacobs KO 9
TRS: Jacobs Unanimous Decision

Vacant WBC Flyweight Title. 12 Rds
Julio Cesar Martinez vs Crisofer Rosales
Both: Martinez Unanimous Decision

Welterweights. 10 Rds
Maurice Hooker vs Uriel Perez
R.L: Hooker KO 5
TRS: Hooker KO 3

Heavyweights 10 Rds
Daniel DuBois vs Kyotaro Fujimoto
R.L: DuBois KO 7
TRS: DuBois KO 1

Middleweights,12 Rds
Liam Williams vs Alantez Fox
R.L: Williams Unanimous Decision
TRS: Fox Unanimous Decision

WBC Junior Middleweight Title. 12 Rds
Tony Harrison vs Jermell Charlo
R.L: Charlo Unanimous Decision
TRS: Charlo KO 8

Heavyweights. 10 Rds
Eje Ajagba vs Iago Kiladze
R.L: Ajagba Unanimous Decision
TRS: Ajagba KO 6

PPM

I'm still not up to writing full columns yet, but I had this edition of the PPM and the Boxing Challenge that will go up later today almost completely finished, so it didn't take a lot of work to post these.

I want to try to get back to normal sometime this weekend if I can.

I'm predicting all bowl games through next Friday (12-27) and then I will add the remaining bowl games on the following PPM.

Last Week: 12-2
Overall: 141-54

Bowls

Bahamas Bowl
Buffalo over Charlotte 30-21

Frisco Bowl
Utah State over Kent State 40-21

New Mexico Bowl
San Diego State over Central Michigan 27-24

Mortgage Cure Bowl
Georgia Southern over Liberty 35-33

Boca Raton Bowl
SMU over Florida Atlantic 45-32

Camellia Bowl
Arkansas State over Florida International 34-28

Las Vegas Bowl
Boise State over Washington 29-28

New Orleans Bowl
Appalachian State over UAB 27-17

Bad Boy Mowers Bowl (I just laughed out loud typing this)
Central Florida over Marshall 34-24

Hawaii Bowl
BYU over Hawaii 28-21

Independence Bowl
Louisiana Tech over Miami FL 40-36

Quick Lane Bowl
Pittsburgh over Eastern Michigan 35-14

Military Bowl
Temple over North Carolina 24-21

Pinstripe Bowl
Wake Forest over Michigan State 23-21

Texas Bowl
Oklahoma State over Texas A&M 45-38

Holiday Bowl
USC over Iowa 26-23

Cheez-It Bowl
Washington State over Air Force 34-28

Pro
Ravens over Browns 35-14
Saints over Titans 34-21

Games of the Week
Patriots over Bills 28-17
Cowboys over Eagles 27-24
Packers over Vikings 28-24

Devils trade Taylor Hall to Coyotes

When you are two months into a disappointing season that fans expected to be so much better, changes are going to be made.

No, it's not the Cleveland Browns that I am writing about, its the New Jersey Devils that have disappointed and with a superstar that is due for free agency at the end of the season that has underperformed as much as his team, the time to make a move has come.

Taylor Hall, who won the Hart Trophy just two seasons ago, but has been disappointing after winning the award, was traded to the Arizona Coyotes this morning along with Blake Speers.
The Devils return for Hall?  Prospects Kevin Bahl, Nick Merkley, Nate Schnarr, the Coyotes first-round selection in the 2020 draft and Arizona's third-round pick in the 2021 draft with conditions.
The 2021 pick will become a second-rounder if Arizona either wins a first-round series in the playoffs or can re-sign Hall after the season.
If both of those stipulations occur, the Devils would receive the Coyotes first-rounder in 2021 to complete the trade.

Taylor Hall was struggling a bit on a bad team in his return from knee surgery and it was apparent that neither Hall nor the Devils were exactly thrilled with the current situation with both the player and the team.
Hall scored six goals with nineteen assists in thirty games this season for the Devils and had been scratched from his last two games against Colorado and Arizona with trade talks beginning to peak.
Hall did score goals in two of his final three active games and with his ability, Hall could be just rounding into top form.
Blake Speers played three games for the Devils in 2015-16 and hadn't returned since.
The 22-year-old center has played for the AHL's Binghamton Devils for the last three seasons and in ten games for the B-Devils this season managed one assist.

I've noted before that I'm not as knowledgable about hockey prospects as I am the other three sports, therefore I don't have a lot of opinion on the three newest members of the organization from personal knowledge.

The centerpiece of the trade appears to be nineteen-year-old defenseman, Kevin Bahl.
The 6'7 Bahl was the Coyotes second-round pick in the 2018 draft and is currently playing for the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League.
Bahl has five goals and fifteen assists this season in twenty-eight games for Ottawa, which is an offensive improvement over his past seasons, but this often happens to the older players in junior hockey.
Bahl is a physical defenseman and from what I'm reading, appears to be a player that could be a second pairing steady defensive blueliner.

Nick Merkley was a highly rated player entering his draft year of 2015 and was thought to have a chance to be selected in the upper portion of the first round.
Merkley was a first-rounder, albeit with the final selection of the first round by Arizona.
At 5'11, the twenty-two-year-old Merkley's smaller for a center and is more of a playmaker than a pure scorer and he has spent the last three seasons for the Coyotes AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, where he scored three goals with thirteen assists in twenty-six games.
Merkley was assigned to AHL Binghamton.

Center Nate Schnarr was the Coyotes third-round selection in 2017 and broke out in his final year of junior hockey with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League with a 34 goal/68 assist final season.
Schnarr has good size at 6'3 and is reported to be a good skater as well.
Schnarr turns 21 in February and could turn out to be the surprise of the trade.
Schnarr is playing his first pro season and scored one goal with eight assists in twenty-two games at AHL Tucson and like Nick Merkley, was assigned to Binghamton.

The Devils didn't add a top prospect, although they did add three players that will be possible future Devils,  in the trade.
The draft picks will hopefully become players that help them rebuild, but I wouldn't count on the 2021 pick moving into the first round range, although it could become a second-rounder with luck.
I suppose that if Ray Shero wanted a first-round pick involved, the Devils weren't going to receive a top prospect as well and conversely, had Shero desired a prospect of that level the Devils weren't going to add the first-rounder.
That says volumes for what Shero was looking for in return for Taylor Hall and when you consider those wishes, I can't argue with the trade.
It's about what I expected and now we wait to see how these young players and draft picks eventually contribute to the New Jersey Devils future.

Dusted in the Desert-Browns playoff hopes disappear

The Cleveland Browns could have seen their slim playoff possibilities increase by a sizable amount on a day that saw every team ahead of them lose and instead turned in such an awful effort that the playoff hopes dwindled mathematically and competitively in a 38-24 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Arizona.

Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes and finished with 247 yards passing, while Nick Chubb continued to dominate the league on the ground with 127 yards on 17 carries and a rushing touchdown.
The now 6-8 Browns return home to face the Baltimore Ravens, who have not lost since what in hindsight seems like such a mirage in their first meeting.

Brownie Bits

1) I know all the talk about Freddie Kitchens and his future grows old, but it is games like yesterday's loss that make me think that yet another change is needed at the end of the year.
Cleveland's most recent three road games have been against two rookie quarterbacks ( Kyler Murray and Duck Hodges) and one that might as well have been a rookie as Brandon Allen was starting his first NFL game with all three being defeats.
In two of those three (Denver and Arizona), the team seemed listless and unprepared and that falls on the coaching staff.
Preparation always falls on the coaching staff.

2) Baker Mayfield's numbers look better than he actually played with a first-period interception in the end zone that terminated a drive and cost the Browns red zone points.
Most of Mayfield's yardage occurred in garbage time in the fourth quarter and didn't have an impact on the final result.
It is clear to this observer that Baker Mayfield has more questions to answer than previously thought when the season began and the Cleveland Browns will enter the 2020 season still pondering their future under center.

3) The sideline confrontation between Freddie Kitchens and wide receiver Jarvis Landry can be looked at in one of two ways.
This is the type of disagreement that happens every game on every team, but to be so out in the open that the television camera cannot miss it, shows the dysfunction that is eroding the faith in the head coach for both leadership and play calling.
Arguing with the head coach is far different than disagreeing with the standard position coach away from the field. It shows a disrespect that a head coach cannot tolerate from almost any player period let alone a star player that should be setting an example as a team leader.

4) Nick Chubb was the offensive star as usual and he carried the football only seventeen times to earn those one hundred and twenty-seven yards.
The Cardinals had no answer for Chubb and yet the Freddie Kitchens led offense continued to sputter other than when Chubb or...

5) Kareem Hunt touched the ball.
Hunt caught eight of nine passes thrown his way for sixty-two yards and Hunt is making an impact as a receiver even if as a runner, the rust isn't completely removed from his time away from the game.
Hunt might be the player that improves most next season and with the right play-caller could be sitting on a big season.

6) I know Joe Schobert has played well this season, but he was not up to that level against the Cardinals.
Schobert seemed a step slow and missed tackles that brought to mind his problems from the 2018 season and at a time that John Dorsey and the Browns will be considering how much they are willing to pay to retain Schobert, it was not a good time to throw a bad game into the mix by Schobert.

7) Why was Jarvis Landry so upset at Freddie Kitchens?
Landry was targeted eight times, catching five, but those five catches totaled twenty-three yards with the longest catch going for a mere ten-yard gain.
Landry had become the star of the passing game in recent weeks and with Odell Beckham being thrown to thirteen times, Landry was being used as the "Checkdown Charlie" in this game against the Cardinals.
I don't blame Landry for wanting to be more than that in the offense, but those outbursts clearly give the visual of a team out of control.

8) The Browns defense was awful in allowing 38 points to a team that had lost their last six games in a row.
Kyler Murray wasn't sacked at all and Kenyan Drake ran for 137 yards and four touchdowns on the ground as the Cardinals offense did whatever it wanted against the Browns defense that was on its heels throughout the contest.
Arizona finished the day with 226 yards rushing and 219 through the air.

9) The loss of Myles Garrett has been larger than I could have imagined as the Browns pass rush has been diluted to the point of non-existence.
The injury to Olivier Vernon has not helped either and despite Sheldon Richardson playing well up the middle, the Browns have been unable to develop any type of pass rush off the edge.
I will admit many of the defensive ends are marginal to even be roster players and only Chad Thomas started the year as part of the rotation, so the lack of talent is a factor.

10) Mack Wilson is a player that I loved going into the 2019 draft and he is still learning on the job, but he continues to improve by the week and he might have a chance to be the type of linebacker that the Browns haven't possessed in years- a linebacker that can not only play three downs but rush the passer and drop back into coverage.

11) To all those people that still think Sashi Brown did a good job that was unappreciated, one more note- tight end David Njoku, who Brown thought was worthy of trading picks to grab at the end of the first round, was a healthy scratch.
Ricky Seals-Jones did catch two touchdowns from the tight end position, but how high can the Browns be on Njoku and his disappointing tenure appears to be close to over.

12) This was a day that the Browns could have made a major gain for a wild card shot- all the teams that played yesterday (Colts play on Monday Night Football) lost as the Steelers, Raiders, and Titans all lost.
Had the Browns defeated an Arizona team that had lost six in a row, they would have pulled within one game of the Steelers and Titans and would have been in the race.
Instead, they couldn't be bothered enough to show up and the season is one big disappointment.

Indians trade Corey Kluber to Texas

I haven't had time yet to catch up on the San Francisco Giants hot stove yet, but this news crossed the wire today and while I'm not surprised that the always thrifty Cleveland Indians traded Corey Kluber after an injury-filled 2019, I am surprised that they acquired so little in a trade involving him.

The two-time Cy Young award (2014 and 2017) winner and two-time third-place finisher ( 2016 and 2018) struggled last season to a 2-3 record with an ERA nearly six in seven starts before his season ended after being struck by a line drive in May.
Kluber turns 34 in April and is signed for the 2020 season with the Rangers now holding a team option for 2021.

The return was surprisingly small for a pitcher that won the Cy Young just two years ago and despite the injury issues (Kluber is expected to have a full recovery and be ready for the spring) with those terrible 2019 stats, I thought Cleveland would add a little more than a reliever and yet another journeyman outfielder for Kluber.

Many in baseball are high on pitcher Emmanuel Clase, who pitched for Down East (High A) and Frisco (AA) before a callup to the Rangers where he would make 21 appearances with a record of 2-3 with a save to pair with an ERA of 2.31.
Clase struck out 21 in 23 innings with Texas and is reported to throw a cutter at 101 MPH with some comparing it to that of Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera.
That is a very high level to reach and although the K-IP ratio is impressive, you would think with the reported stuff that Clase has the strikeouts would be even higher.
Clase turns 22 before spring training and if you assume that Clase is a safe bet to continue his performance, which is never an easy assumption to make when you consider relievers, Cleveland will have six years of a controllable cost-fixed asset.
I have also read of Clase possibly having the ability to stretch out and eventually becoming a starter.
Clase did make one start for the Rangers last season, but pitched one inning as the "opener".

As if the Indians didn't have enough light-hitting outfielders, they added another in this trade as the Indians received outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. as the other part of the trade.
DeShields hit  .249 with four homers and 32 RBI in 357 at-bats to go along with 24 steals last season for Texas.
DeShields is a plus defender, but when you look at the Indians outfielders currently on the roster, they are filled with similar players such as Greg Allen, Tyler Naquin, and the returning Bradley Zimmer.
I'm just not seeing the need for DeShields unless the plan is to move one of the other outfielders or even flip DeShields in a trade.

On the overall, one has to like the upside of Emmanuel Clase and the contract helps as well.
However, relievers are so difficult to count on from season to season and with DeShields being only a journeyman type, the Indians are putting all their hopes on Clase as their return for Corey Kluber.
The return doesn't seem enough for me (Clase is fine, but I would have preferred a minor leaguer with a chance to develop than another outfielder)  and it seems like Cleveland was (once again) in salary dump mode.
Still, Kluber comes with many questions and we could look back at the trade with Clase as a top reliever as an excellent return for an aging pitcher.

Grading the trade now, I give the slight edge to Texas, but there is a chance that the Indians could swing the trade their way, so it's not a lopsided trade.

Back next time with the Browns disappointing effort in Arizona.

Boxing Challenge: Crawford KO's Kavaliauskas

The Saturday night card from Top Rank on ESPN gave viewers all that they could expect from the card from Madison Square Garden as arguably the world's best fighter received a test for a few rounds and a prospect turned into a champion with the type of explosive performance that made fans look anxiously forward to a future fight against a superstar.

Terence Crawford survived a few uneasy moments in the early rounds before knocking out Egid Kavaliauskas in the ninth round.
Kavaliauskas landed some big punches on Crawford in the second and third rounds before Crawford settled into his normal groove and began land more often.
Crawford knocked Kavaliauskas down late in the seventh and appeared to be biding his time through the eighth before two knockdowns ended the fight in the ninth from the best finisher in boxing.
I had Crawford well ahead despite taking more punches than he is accustomed to by a score of 78-71.
I'm not sure what fighter will face Crawford next with the PBC still having the best depth in the division, but Crawford does have hope in the future with strong junior welterweights such as Jose Ramirez, Regis Prograis, and Josh Taylor possibly moving up in late 2020 or early 2021.

Teofimo Lopez established himself as a champion and possible star with a two-round destruction of Richard Commey that won the IBF lightweight title for Lopez and the chance for two more titles against Vasyl Lomachenko in the spring.
I thought Commey won the first round and might have been winning the second before both fighters cocked right hands.
It was Lopez landing first with a devastating shot that Commey showed a great chin and heart by even rising from a shot that against many would have ended the fight.
However, at that stage, heart and chin weren't going to be enough to survive and as Lopez landed combinations that trapped a groggy Commey against the ropes, referee David Fields was forced to stop the fight.
I would favor Vasyl Lomachenko against his fight against Lopez, but Lopez has the power and speed to trouble Lomachenko and with the puncher's chance of pulling the huge upset.

In the ESPN opener, featherweight Michael Conlan dominated Vladimir Nikitin and won a ten-round decision in a rematch of their Olympic match that ended with Nikitin winning a controversial decision.
Their professional battle wasn't close (98-92 on my card) as Conlan patiently boxed on the outside and picked apart the attacking Nikitin in a bout that lacked excitement other than a seventh-round that featured a few exchanges.
Conlan will face Shakur Stevenson sometime next year as he has risen to the top contender's position in the WBO without facing a top fifteen fighter.

Friday night in the main event from Golden Boy on DAZN, another talented future star looked very sharp as welterweight Vergil Ortiz stopped veteran Brad Solomon in five rounds.
The crafty Solomon did his best to keep Ortiz off him and simply lacked the strength to do so against the power of Ortiz.
Ortiz scored a flash knockdown in the fourth round but dominated the fifth with Solomon being forced to his knees twice before the fight was called off.
Ortiz looks to be a match for even the best welterweights in the game, but like Terence Crawford appears to be trapped in a spot where he is going to have problems finding big fights due to his promoter.
Ortiz does hold one of those minor WBA belts, so perhaps Alexander Besputin, who holds another one of those, of Top Rank, could be a match or even Terence Crawford in what would be a high-risk high reward for both men.

In the boxing challenge, Ramon Malpica outscored me seven to five in the boxing challenge with the difference being the win from Teofimo Lopez and an extra point from Vergil Ortiz
I lead the challenge 302-265