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MAGNO'S BULGING MAIL SACK: WILDER, KHAN, LOMACHENKO, AND A RETURN TO DEONTAY-TYSON

By Paul Magno | December 13, 2018
MAGNO'S BULGING MAIL SACK: WILDER, KHAN, LOMACHENKO, AND A RETURN TO DEONTAY-TYSON

If you see me walking extra funny this week, it’s because my sack is extra bulgy. So, without further ado, let me whip this sucker out and let loose with the gooey, salty truth. This week, we have questions/comments about Deontay Wilder, Amir Khan, Vasiliy Lomachenko, and Wilder-Fury re-visited.

A Bit on Khan, A Bit on Lomachenko

Re: [Monday's] Notes from the Boxing Underground

I wanted to point out Kell Brook won his fight this past Saturday and based on his performance even Eddie Hearn thinks the fight with Amir Khan is off. Eddie not accomplishing this matchup has to be the biggest fail in boxing in the past 10 years. It would behoove Khan and Brook to take their chances with each other because the alternatives for both are sure fire knock out losses…Khan at the hands of Terence Crawford and Brook at the hands of Jarret Hurd. The UK fans deserve better from Hearn, they deserve better from Khan who has been ducking Brook for far too long. Once Khan signed with Hearn everyone thought the fight was looming, now two fights later Khan is still weaseling his way out of a Brook fight.

We should also note how desperate Top Rank will become in the near future with no credible opponents for Crawford or Lomachenko.

I would have to disagree with you about Loma getting pressure to move up in weight. That is not how things work for fighters as privileged as Loma. Same way it was with GGG, no one wants to see these guys challenged, they want to continue to see them succeed and win no matter who the opponents are so they can herald them as the Greatest of All time. Loma, who has spent much of his career beating up Mikey Garcia’s leftovers has the rare privilege of being called pound for pound #1 in the world while bolstering a 12-1 professional record. Gervonta Davis knocked Pedraza out when they fought and no one was calling him the best in the sport.

While I admit Lomachenko is an extremely talented fighter, I think it is an insult to other fighters who have paid their dues against hall of fame fighters in this sport. People like Canelo or Mikey Garcia. I must also note that I have a hard time watching Loma fights not because of him, but because of the fans/commentators that take it too far. To Loma’s credit, he would tell you Crawford is the #1 p4p fighter in the world, he would also do his best to challenge himself and fight the best, and he respectfully called for a fight with Mikey Garcia. Even though that fight should have happened this year, it’s not Loma’s fault he is promoted by a guy who continues to get sued by his fighters in Bob Arum.

There is a solid chance Loma won’t lose another fight in his career, that he will go on virtually unscathed for however long his career lasts. But he has to show me a little more before I am willing to call him the best fighter in the world.

--James E. Le Blanc IV

Really Good stuff, James.

Yeah, Khan-Brook should’ve happened years ago. But the problem was always with Khan, IMO. Khan lusted after superstardom and the paydays associated with fighting the superstars. As reality has set in, however, Khan is now looking for paydays in general. Two fights into a three-fight deal with Eddie Hearn and he’s done nothing. And now he’s apparently trying to loan himself out as a well-paid fall guy for Terence Crawford. Let’s just face it, Khan is just collecting paychecks at this stage of his career and he’s not even pretending to care about establishing a legacy or even maintaining a logical career path. At this point, though, not fighting Brook has to be mostly about ego and risk vs. reward because a bout with Brook is probably the biggest money fight out there for him at the moment. But, you know what? I stopped caring about Khan a long time ago. He has the right to pursue empty paydays, but I reserve the right to not care about anything he does.

As for Lomachenko, I think the pressure he may feel is an internal one. The guy has been talking a lot about his place in history and I really do believe that he’s eager to take some risks in pursuit of challenges. He probably won’t be allowed to go too deeply into risky places by Arum, but I think that if left to his own devices he would soon get bored at 135 and at least test the waters at 140. 

And I’m definitely like you when it comes to the tongue baths Loma gets from fans and media. It DOES affect how you see the guy and it does make you secretly root for a humbling at times. But you have to separate the man from the hype and Loma, himself, has done nothing to rile anyone up. 

Time to Re-Tool Wilder?

Hi, Paul

First time writing to you. Really enjoy your columns and wanted to get your opinion on one thing: Don't you think it's high time Wilder and his team admitted he needs to work on his skills a bit?

I mean, the Wilder-Fury fight was absolutely terrific and a rematch is great for boxing considering how charismatic and entertaining these guys are.

However, I get the impression Wilder is sometimes living in his own motivational TED talk -- all this visualization, seeing-and-believing claptrap, as amusing as it is, appears to be clouding his judgement, and even his team members, composed of very knowledgeable people, no less, seem reluctant to even mildly criticize his performances. 

Wilder takes risks and poses risks to anyone, but didn't you find it a bit funny when post-fight he was talking about being "too impatient" and "not waiting enough" when it was precisely his waiting that allowed Fury to score points?

Cheers

-- Phil

Hi Phil.

It absolutely boggles the mind that a guy with an 83-inch reach who works with Mark Breland, of all people, wasn’t turned into a jabbing machine early on in his career. Because, even with other flaws present, a Wilder who could deliver a sharp, stiff jab and come over with a compact follow-up right would be unstoppable. 

I always get blasted when I criticize Wilder for his sloppiness because what he does and how he does it has worked well for him so far. But there’s no doubt that he’d be infinitely better if he had a better, more complete skill set.

And I noticed that also in his post-fight interview. It lends credence to my firm belief that Wilder just doesn’t know how much he doesn’t know. 

But it’s too late to go and recreate him now. Team Wilder will just have to ride with Deontay “as is” and understand that every fight could result in a crushing victory or a ride-ending KO.

Revisiting the Wilder-Fury Non-Robbery

Good morning Paul,

I know I'm late but just wanted to comment on this fight/robbery mess.  To me, it really depends on how the 1st 5 rounds were judged.  Personally, I had it 3-2 Wilder.  Fury then won every round after the fifth where he wasn't knocked down.  With that said, my scorecard came out a draw.  If you had Fury 4-1 or, heaven forbid, 5-0 then Fury wins a close decision.  It was close fight where a few of the early round could have gone either way.  A robbery it was not!  Anyway, just wanted to chime in.  Love the mailbag.  Be blessed!

Regards

-- Damon Butler

Hey Damon.

You’re 100% right on the money. Those first five rounds were a mess of nothingness and, the way I saw the fight, giving Wilder at least two of those rounds makes a draw. This was absolutely not a robbery and those claiming it was are either Fury fans, Wilder haters, or those won over by Fury’s touching backstory of overcoming mental illness and addiction. There can be no other answer for why people were so up in arms over this close fight. 

Got a question (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? The best of the best gets included in the weekly mailbag segment right here at FightHype. Send your stuff here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.

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