It was another interesting week in boxing. Here are the highs and lows of the last seven days.
The Good
- Devin Haney continues his rapid ascension. Typically, a 20-year-old is going to college. Haney, meanwhile, was competing inside the ring at the No. 1 media market in the United States and winning his first major world title, destroying Zaur Abdullaev in four rounds on Friday night in New York to win the interim WBC lightweight title.
Haney battered Abdullaev to the point where he possibly broke his cheekbone. His speed and power were too much for Abdullaev to overcome.
For those wanting to question Haney and how good he is — those questions should stop. He dominated a legitimate opponent from start to finish. I like how he put the pressure on unified champion Vasiliy Lomachenko to face him next, even calling him "No-machenko." Lomachenko is expected to face the winner of the IBF title fight between Richard Commey-Teofimo Lopez to determine an undisputed champion.
Will Lomachenko stay around long enough to face Haney? It would be a great fight to see. With each passing battle, Haney is showing he could be the future face of boxing.
- Jaime Munguia returns to form. A lot of questions surrounded Munguia heading into Saturday's WBO junior middleweight title defense vs. Patrick Allotey. Had we already seen the best of Munguia? Would new trainer Erik Morales be the cure to his struggles in his last two fights?
Well, Munguia made an emphatic statement, thrashing Allotey in four rounds to defend his belt for the fifth time. He looked like the guy who blasted his way onto the boxing scene and won a world title at 21-years-old, instead of the guy who looked ordinary against Takeshi Inoue and appeared lost in his fight with Dennis Hogan.
In one fight under Morales, Munguia fought smarter and with a renewed sense of confidence, which resulted in him sending Allotey down to the canvas three times.
This should have been the last time Munguia fights at 154 pounds. He's 22 and his body is still growing. Munguia should be competing at middleweight and getting ready to tackle the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Gennadiy Golovkin and Demetrius Andrade instead of struggling at the scale.
- Otto Wallin makes a name for himself even in defeat. Usually, this section is reserved for people who win, but we are making an exception here.
Wallin had no reason being competitive against lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. His role on Saturday night was supposed to be a body in the ring, so Fury could get some work in to get ready for a likely rematch against WBC titlist Deontay Wilder.
However, Wallin had other plans in mind. He caused a severe cut over Fury's right eye which could have forced the ringside doctor to wave the fight off at any time, and landed several hard shots that stunned Fury, including five hard left hands to begin the 12th round. Overall, he showed a ton of heart by giving 100 percent for all 36 minutes.
The 28-year-old from Sweden didn't fly to Las Vegas to be a punching bag. He came to win, and if his cardio didn't let him down, perhaps we would have seen an enormous upset. Wallin made himself a contender, and more big fights await him.
The Bad
- Tyson Fury failed to get people excited for the Deontay Wilder rematch in an average performance. A lot of people are praising Fury for overcoming the deep gash in the third round. While he should be commended, it should never have gotten to that point.
Instead of parading to the ring with a mariachi band and taking the first two rounds off, Fury should have blasted Wallin out inside two rounds as he did to Tom Schwarz in June.
Some will argue that Fury needed rounds to prepare for Wilder. But why take that risk, especially in the heavyweight division, where a fight can end with one shot? Get in and get out. Fury had to come from behind in a match that he should never have had to come back from. If this Fury shows up vs. Wilder, it will be a short night.
The Dirty
- Ryan Garcia's adverse situation with Golden Boy Promotions. Heading into his scheduled fight Saturday with Avery Sparrow, Garcia's relationship with Golden Boy was seemingly already in need of repair. Garcia reportedly was unhappy with his pay in his last fight against Jose Lopez, as well as how he was being promoted.
If things between the two sides were going better, that quickly changed last weekend.
Sparrow was arrested on Friday after having a warrant out for an incident in April, and his fight with Garcia was called off. DAZN's Chris Mannix reported on Friday night that Golden Boy president Eric Gomez told Garcia's camp that Romero Duno was ready to fight as a replacement, but that Garcia's camp didn't want to face Duno because "Duno is too tough."
Gomez later clarified the statement, saying Garcia's trainer believed Duno was a tough opponent to face on short notice, but it was too late.
Garcia was livid. He took to his Instagram account, saying all he wanted was a "fraction" more money and would have faced Duno on one day's notice.
Garcia is someone people want to see. Golden Boy can make itself a ton of money with him. But refusing to pay Garcia a bit more money in a fight he really didn't need to take against a tough opponent on less than 24 hours notice shows a lack of awareness and sounds petty to its core. These boxers put their lives on the line every time they step through the ropes. The head of the promotion, the legendary Oscar De La Hoya, should understand that more than anybody else.
Is the relationship salvageable? De La Hoya says it is. Let's hope both sides look at this as a learning experience. Handle your business behind closed doors, and don't air your dirty laundry for the world to see.