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MAGNO'S BULGING MAIL SACK: TANK-GHOST, BENAVIDEZ-GVOZDYK, MATIAS-PARO, MORE...

By Paul Magno | June 13, 2024
MAGNO'S BULGING MAIL SACK: TANK-GHOST, BENAVIDEZ-GVOZDYK, MATIAS-PARO, MORE...

Hello boxing fans and dedicated haters. Here’s another week’s worth of my bulbous sack, bulging with gooey, salty truth, in your face. Enjoy. This week, we have comments/questions regarding Gervonta Davis-Frank Martin, David Benavidez-Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Subriel Matias-Liam Paro, and a final word on Deontay Wilder.

Ghost vs. Tank, Benavidez vs. Gvozdyk, Matias vs. Paro

Hello Paul.

Hope yourself and your family are not suffering with the elevated temperatures in Mx...

Speaking about temperatures, I believe Frank Martin fights in such a cold and non-explosive manner that I have trouble seeing him getting through Tank. If he sticks to using his reach, I see him making tank uncomfortable as Barrios did when they fought, but its just a matter of when he catches him.

I am a little bit more excited about watching how Benavidez fares against someone as big as he is, although I am not sure how past his best Gvozdyk is. I saw an interview on Youtube about a fighter known as Lonnie B (sparred both) that claims Gvozdyk might get the win against Benavidez (provided he is close to the level he was when he fought Beterbiev).

Lastly, the fight i am looking forward to the most is Matias vs Paro. They are both southpaws and they only fight going forward, I believe Matias will just be too much for Paro but this is based on Matias being so proven and that relentless style of his, but I would not be surprised if Paro turns out to be as resilient as Matias.

Best regards.

– Miguel

Hey Miguel.

We are definitely struggling to stay sane in the heat/drought, but I think we may survive (maybe).

I don’t see a real path to victory for Frank “Ghost” Martin, unless Gervonta Davis comes into this fight wildly unfocused and/or out of shape. Martin is just too dispassionate in the ring, one of those guys who will do just enough to win and who doesn’t seem to have a next gear. While he’s very skilled, there’s nothing he does in the ring that’s exceptionally special and his only hope is to workman his way to a points victory-- against a guy who IS a special talent with a definite (and formidable) next gear. 

Martin will keep things close for a good chunk of the fight as Davis figures things out and works into his spots. Then, it’ll just be a matter of how solid Martin’s chin is. I think this one could go to a decision, with Tank winning a comfortable UD. 

Benavidez-Gvozdyk has the potential to be a good one. I think, however, that Gvozdyk is well past his prime and, in any case, stylistically tailor made for Benavidez. I see Davis stopping Gvozdyk late.

Matias-Paro is intriguing because of the power fighter vs. power fighter dynamic, but more so for their respective weaknesses. Paro is almost totally unproven at the world class level, with his career high-water mark victory coming against Montana Love. Matias is not that much more accomplished, to be honest, and has shown considerable chinks in his armor. This should be an entertaining fight for as long as it lasts and I wouldn’t doubt one bit that unwise Matchroom Boxing matchmaking could result in another incoming “star” fighter taking an ugly “L.”

More Deontay Wilder

Not trying to throw Wilder under the bus or kick dirt while he's down. But the reality is that it didn't have to end like this. He made a choice to not surround himself around brilliant boxing minds and refused to become a student of boxing. 

Did you hear recently about Jared Anderson hiring Sugar Hill Steward as a trainer? That's a smart move and indicative of a young fighter who recognizes his flaws and wants to do something about it. Had Wilder taken a similar approach early in his career, chances are his legacy would be completely different. Wilder was arrogant and stubborn and ignored his inability to box.  The glimpse of severe flaws that Wilder exhibited over the years finally took a toll. By far the least skilled champion boxer that we'll ever see. Also, one of the hardest hitting champions that we'll ever see.  On a positive note, he brought back heavyweight PPV boxing and gave us a trilogy that might go down in history. 

How ironic that his career ended on a card promoted by the company that denied him of what would've been the biggest fight of his career against Anthony Joshua. In my book, the highlight of Wilder's career was his two fights against Luis Ortiz. A guy that no one wanted to fight. When Ortiz was undefeated, virtually every heavyweight ducked Ortiz. But Wilder fought him twice and beat him both times, in an entertaining fashion. I don't think he's ever gotten the proper respect for those victories. I do believe the first Ortiz fight took a lot out of Wilder.  

– Na'-il Rahman

Hey Na’il. 

You’re right. The sad thing is that it wouldn’t have taken a whole lot of fine-tuning to get him enough skill to really benefit his career and increase his longevity. Establishing a quality, consistent jab and some serious footwork drilling might’ve been enough. All he needed was something to help set up that big right hand and not make it a wild “bolt out of the blue” every single time. There was some improvement in those areas under Mark Breland, but things got really bad when he went bat-shit crazy on the guy and canned him. 

When all is said and done, though, he got the most from the least and worked his way into the history books, while making a shit ton of money in the process. If I were even marginally as successful in my profession as Wilder was in his, I’d retire a happy man. But, yeah, what could’ve been….

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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