Full Transcript for Gervonta Davis KOs Ryan Garcia With Dan At Ringside And More | Fight Freaks Unite Recap

never 30 00:02:07.560 --> 00:02:09.840 can, you know, sometimes you make we all make predictions, and that 31 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:14.439 doesn't necessarily go the way you thought. I mean, we'll talk about it, 32 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:15.599 obviously, but I think most people that thought that there would be a 33 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:21.879 knockout in this fight. Didn't necessarily see tanked by body shot. That's not 34 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:25.080 the biggest, uh you know, uh thing that would be on the top 35 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:28.840 of your mind when you're thinking about a Tank Davis knockout. You're thinking a 36 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:32.680 big head shot and uppercut, but not a rib shot. And uh, 37 00:02:32.719 --> 00:02:38.039 you know with Ryan, you know the fact that he was even to me, 38 00:02:38.879 --> 00:02:40.960 well again, we'll get all the details in. But he went down 39 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:43.719 twice. He went down on the body shot, which end of the fight, 40 00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:45.560 but he also had gotten down early in the fight on a on a 41 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:49.280 clean shot, a left to the chin. That left to the chin would 42 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:51.479 have knocked a lot of guys out. He was able to get up from 43 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:54.319 the chin shot and and seemed okay. But the body shot that they're the 44 00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:57.800 most you know, you asked any boxer I've talked. I don't take body 45 00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:00.960 shots, but I've talked to any number of fighters over the years, and 46 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:04.759 to a man to a woman, probably they'll tell you that they'd rather get 47 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:06.919 there with a clean head shot than a clean body shot any day of the 48 00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:08.520 week. Sure, all right, So we'll get into that for the end 49 00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:10.639 of that fight. We'll go over the whole card, by the way, 50 00:03:10.680 --> 00:03:16.240 a fantastic Cordina rock them off world title fight in Cardiff, Wales, and 51 00:03:16.280 --> 00:03:22.240 we're not overselling tremendous fight that we're going to cover and talk about chronologically. 52 00:03:22.319 --> 00:03:24.639 Next, a little bit of news and a little bit of nostalgia because a 53 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:30.960 heavyweight title upset happened over this weekend, back over twenty years ago, and 54 00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:32.719 Dan's got great stories from that. We've told it before on the podcast. 55 00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:36.360 We'll bring some of it back, but anyway, thank you for finding us 56 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:38.759 however you've done so on the Big Fight Weekend podcast feed. Make sure you're 57 00:03:38.759 --> 00:03:44.319 following or subscribing great content. Here. Were coming into the weekend previewing overnight 58 00:03:44.360 --> 00:03:46.840 Thursday into Friday, and just like right here, we come off the weekend 59 00:03:46.919 --> 00:03:53.879 recapping late Sunday into Monday. You're always going to get inside an analysis with 60 00:03:53.879 --> 00:03:57.360 whatever's going on. Dan is plugged in more so probably than anybody in this 61 00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:00.439 sport, and they're on location in Vegas, So make sure you're following or 62 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:04.520 subscribing. Okay, so you were there, let's begin. Let's just go 63 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:10.080 in order of this night and of this main event. Tell me about the 64 00:04:10.120 --> 00:04:14.840 atmosphere because we got some feeling about it through the Showtime slashed his own pay 65 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:17.759 per view PPV dot com. But you were there and you took a cool 66 00:04:17.800 --> 00:04:20.240 photo, by the way, and put it on social media about this was 67 00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:25.360 right before the bell rang. But compare it at least recently. What was 68 00:04:25.399 --> 00:04:29.439 the atmosphere like in the T Mobile arena as all of this built up, 69 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:32.560 they got in the ring and it began. As far as the photo that 70 00:04:32.600 --> 00:04:35.639 you mentioned, TJ, I've started doing that at the fights I go to. 71 00:04:35.720 --> 00:04:39.600 I never used to do it, and it's always ever since I was 72 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:43.920 a kid and I first started to watch boxing, I always found that the 73 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:48.800 greatest moments in sports it's not so much like when the guy scores the touchdown 74 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:54.839 or when there's a walk off home run. It's the anticipation of something that's 75 00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:59.920 really exciting. And to me, there's never a better moment in sports anywhere, 76 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.319 I don't care what it is. Is when after a huge build up 77 00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:06.399 to a humongous fight, you've been talking and talking and going through the week 78 00:05:06.439 --> 00:05:11.800 of the fight and all the press conferences and the chatter and the appearances, 79 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:15.399 and there's nothing left to say and they've cleared, you know, they've done 80 00:05:15.439 --> 00:05:18.160 the intros, and they've done the pageantry and the ring announcer and all that, 81 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:21.439 and they take the robes off and they start, you know, slowly, 82 00:05:21.480 --> 00:05:26.160 and I get an interesting bird's eye view sometimes, you know, you 83 00:05:26.199 --> 00:05:30.839 see this massive humanity suddenly clear, like a you know, like the parting 84 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:33.839 of the Red Sea, let's call it. And all the people get out 85 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:39.279 of the ring, the trainers, the coaches, the promoters, the hangers 86 00:05:39.319 --> 00:05:42.639 on, the guy that holds your belt, the inspectors, all that, 87 00:05:43.079 --> 00:05:47.800 and you look in there and there's two guys half naked, a referee holding 88 00:05:47.839 -->

00:05:50.680 his arms at and the bells about to go, and the fucking crowd is 89 00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:56.040 going absolutely bonkers. And it is the most it's it's intoxicating. I mean, 90 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:58.600 it's one of the things that makes me love what I do. It 91 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:02.839 is it is just an electrifying moment, and you want to have it every 92 00:06:02.839 --> 00:06:05.600 single time you go to a big fight. And so when that moment comes 93 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:11.319 and there's just those three guys in the ring and you're ready to go, 94 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:15.000 and the flashbulbs are now, camera phone start going off, there's absolutely nothing 95 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:19.680 like it. And I took that picture from where we were sitting you know, 96 00:06:19.720 --> 00:06:23.040 the media for this fight. We were not directly at ringside. We 97 00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:26.560 were sort of in the back of the of the floor slightly raised up. 98 00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:29.920 Not bad seats, obviously they're taking those pres seats and they're selling them for 99 00:06:29.959 --> 00:06:31.879 like five grand. I can I can't really argue with that. In any 100 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:35.319 event, you would like to confirm, you would like to confirm you were 101 00:06:35.319 --> 00:06:39.839 not paying five grand to be a media member and sit at ringside where you're 102 00:06:39.879 --> 00:06:42.800 actually doing my job there. But no, but you got you got Tank 103 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:46.279 on one side and Ryan another side, and you got the referee Thomas Taylor, 104 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:47.600 who I thought did a hell of a job. It's a tremendous referee, 105 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:50.120 you know, holding them to go, and you know then he signals 106 00:06:50.199 --> 00:06:53.680 to the timekeeper and they ring the bellot off we go. And I took 107 00:06:53.680 --> 00:06:58.160 a similar picture that was to me anyway, I'm no photographer. I took 108 00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:00.879 a picture like that on the night that Canelo Alvarez fought Billy Joe Saunders, 109 00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:04.199 when I was there in Arlington, Texas at the eighteen T Stadium. And 110 00:07:04.519 --> 00:07:08.199 you know, you see one of the I think it was one guy is 111 00:07:08.199 --> 00:07:11.680 turned around like in a moment of prayer, and the other fighter is ready 112 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:14.279 to hold it on the ropes sorady to charge out, and the referees like 113 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:15.920 that. It's just a great moment. I mean, it is phenomenal. 114 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:20.680 And you know, every fight I go to now, if it's especially if 115 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:23.199 it's a big one like this, I will do that. But you ask 116 00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:28.399 about the atmosphere. That moment is incredible no matter what. But I have 117 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:30.000 to say, and I don't want to like, I'm not like trying

to 118 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:34.360 be Debbie Downer, Okay, And maybe it's I've had the great privilege to 119 00:07:34.399 --> 00:07:39.480 cover so many megafights. I believe I'm not sure. Maybe I have to 120 00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:45.399 figure this out. I believe that last night was the either the fourteenth or 121 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:48.279 the fifteenth boxing event to take place inside the Team Ombrina. I have covered 122 00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:54.480 every single one of them, and so I have comparisons Mayweather fights and Canello 123 00:07:54.519 --> 00:07:58.879 fights and you know, Tyson Fury fights to certainly when he thought Deante Wilder. 124 00:08:00.439 --> 00:08:03.079 So the atmosphere was terrific, obviously, but it wasn't. I didn't 125 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:05.439 find it personally at that level. I think one of the reasons for it, 126 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:09.839 to be quite honest, is because both guys came to the ring with 127 00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:13.800 kind of chill music, not like something that's going to get the Ryan came 128 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:16.519 into a I don't know what the song was or what it was, but 129 00:08:16.839 --> 00:08:18.519 it felt like some kind of spiritual, like kind of a slower pace. 130 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:20.959 I don't know if it was a religious song or something. I mean of 131 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:24.160 respect that, you know, every boxer has to pick what's gonna make them 132 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:28.839 comfortable. But whatever Ryan selected was not the kind of thing that's gonna necessarily 133 00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:31.840 get a you know, a crowd, a sold out crowd of nearly twenty 134 00:08:31.840 --> 00:08:35.840 one thousand people jumping off their seats. And then I don't remember what tank 135 00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:39.120 song. I think it was. It was a rap song of some type. 136 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:41.840 It wasn't so much like of a driving beat type of thing that would, 137 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:43.320 you know, sort of lend itself to getting your all geared up, 138 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:46.320 so that that was a little bit of a disappointment, honestly, but you 139 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:50.480 can complaint. I mean, even if it was the fifteenth out of fifteenth 140 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:52.559 best atmospheres at Team Overin, it's still a big fucking fight and you're excited 141 00:08:52.600 --> 00:08:56.360 to be there. So and I also do one other thing before these big 142 00:08:56.360 --> 00:09:01.200 fights happened. I always take a moment, no matter what, just to 143 00:09:01.240 --> 00:09:03.240 take a deep breath and look around and at my hair, surroundings and sort 144 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:09.039 of take in the atmosphere just to sort of get a picture in my mind 145 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:11.960 that I hope last for a long long time. And I did that last 146 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:15.559 night in that place was absolutely packed. I mean there was

no place to 147 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:18.000 put other people. I mean that was how they had standing room only seats. 148 00:09:18.039 --> 00:09:20.360 That they had standing seats, but standing room only tickets. I believe 149 00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:24.519 that they had brought in some additional folks for that fight. So, I 150 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:30.080 mean, I wish every boxing fan TJ could go to a big fight because 151 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:33.440 I can't tell you how many people in my career I have met who they 152 00:09:33.519 --> 00:09:37.440 come to a fight and I'll come up to me to talk to me boxing 153 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:39.159 stuff, and they'll say, oh, you know, i've never been to 154 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:41.759 a big fight. Is my first time going to a fight. And I 155 00:09:41.879 --> 00:09:43.200 tell them, I said, if you're a big fan like this and you've 156 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:48.399 never been, when you go, you're done for life because you'll always get 157 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:50.759 a fan because that's how great the atmosphere for these big events can be. 158 00:09:52.240 --> 00:09:54.840 Yeah, you're hooked at that moment, all right, So let's get into 159 00:09:54.919 --> 00:10:00.720 it. I will say up front from a distance not being there, this 160 00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:03.120 is not an epic. It was not an epic. It did get a 161 00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:07.840 knockout. It delivered on excitement for that reason. Although it was kind of 162 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:11.360 weird as an unfolded we're gonna get into that. But in terms of action 163 00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:16.720 pat, in terms of lots of punches and drama, this was not that. 164 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:20.720 That's me saying that. All right, Now give me your analysis because 165 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:24.799 you were closer to it, and it obviously culminates with the body shot that 166 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:30.320 for a two or three seconds we didn't realize that's what put him down. 167 00:10:30.360 --> 00:10:33.480 I mean, just to say to you, I don't know what your reaction 168 00:10:33.559 --> 00:10:35.919 was. My first reaction was did he hurt his leg? Is something wrong 169 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:41.120 with my immediate first reaction is did he just hurt his leg? And then 170 00:10:41.159 --> 00:10:43.960 you saw him grimacing, and it's like that was the body shot, and 171 00:10:43.039 --> 00:10:48.240 the announcers even on showtime was the same thing. But take us through the 172 00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:52.639 fight and your thoughts on it and leading to the body shot and ended it. 173 00:10:52.480 --> 00:10:54.799 Well, I thought the same thing as you. I mean, I 174 00:10:56.240 --> 00:11:00.919 was watching it and I saw I mean the way that the knockout occurred where 175 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:03.879 we were sitting tanks back was to us and Ryan was facing us on our 176 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:09.200 side of the arena. But I thought I didn't

see the punch at first, 177 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:11.840 and I thought, yeah, he took a step back. I thought 178 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:13.759 he twisted his knee. It I had. I tell you what I immediately 179 00:11:13.799 --> 00:11:16.440 thought of. This is how like it came to my mind that it was 180 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:20.679 a like a leg injury. I was, I was in Atlantic. I 181 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:24.360 was in Atlantic City or either Atlantic City or I guess it was Brooklyn. 182 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:28.320 Actually I think about it Brooklyn Atlantic said. I forget when Charles Martin won 183 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:33.720 the IBF heavyweight title against Glasgow because it was never a punch drone. They 184 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:37.559 were like the second or third round and glass Cloff simply fell down and went 185 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:41.200 to it down because he had blown out his knee and there was no punch 186 00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:45.679 landing. And that's what I That was the first thing that popped into my 187 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:46.480 mind. I tell you know, it's a weird thing to think of, 188 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:50.080 but you're trying to think about, like what other situations are similar As it 189 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:54.039 turned out when you watched the replays, Yeah, it was a body shot. 190 00:11:54.080 --> 00:11:56.519 The reason why you thought it was a knee or a lag or a 191 00:11:56.519 --> 00:12:00.399 foot or an ankle or something like that was because there was so much time 192 00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:03.799 between the time that the punch connected and the time that Brian went down. 193 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:07.519 Relatively speaking, you get hit with a headshot like that, you're gone, 194 00:12:07.799 --> 00:12:09.639 you know what I mean. You get hit with a body shot, and 195 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:11.799 i've i mean every boxing ban that watches enough fights and you see body shots 196 00:12:11.799 --> 00:12:16.080 and guys go down to a knee. It's the late reaction is not an 197 00:12:16.200 --> 00:12:20.120 unusual thing. A guy gets hitting the liver or the ribs or whatever that. 198 00:12:20.279 --> 00:12:22.480 You know, sometimes it takes a second or two to transmit the pain 199 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:26.879 before they actually realize what's up, and they then they go down to a 200 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:31.120 knee. This one, as the late reactions go, seemed a lot longer. 201 00:12:31.159 --> 00:12:35.639 It was almost like one Mississippi, two Mississippi, and now he goes 202 00:12:35.639 --> 00:12:39.039 down to a knee. But you know, anybody that is suggesting that he 203 00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:41.240 wasn't truly hurt and it was, you know, he was kind of shamming 204 00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:43.200 out of the fight, that's nonsense. He was like he you could just 205 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:46.679 leave a look on his face as nose was bleeding. You know, he 206 00:12:46.759 --> 00:12:48.720 was in you know, the rest from that body punch. It was, 207 00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:52.240 and it wasn't. I didn't. I mean I watched it a few times 208 00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:54.480 on the replace. I don't believe it was a liver shot. I believe 209 00:12:54.519 --> 00:12:58.399 what it did what it took the breath away because he hit him like above 210 00:12:58.440 --> 00:13:01.799 the liver, like in the rib cage, and the combination of like you 211 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:05.159 know, taking your wind out plus getting hit on the ribs like that is 212 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:07.759 gonna it's gonna take you a few seconds to recover from that. So that 213 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:11.039 that was a spectacular punch from Tank Davis, not a punch I'm used to 214 00:13:11.080 --> 00:13:16.240 seeing from in terms of going to the body like that. But it was 215 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:20.279 to back up on some amount of things you mentioned as far as the activity 216 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:22.120 level and not being a class sicker or anything like that. Like, I 217 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:26.720 never thought it was going to be an epic fight, just because epic fights 218 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:30.519 usually don't happen when you have that kind of power with both combatants. Epic 219 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:33.679 fights often happen when you see guys who are, you know, good punchers 220 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:37.559 maybe, but they're not devastating punchers. And Ryan Garcian and Tank Davis can 221 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:41.200 eliminate you with one punch. It's it's the epic fights are the fights that 222 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:45.159 are guys that aren't necessarily the one punch knockout artists, but it takes them 223 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:48.279 a little while to break you down. That's why when I think about those 224 00:13:48.320 --> 00:13:50.480 types of fights, like you know, think about Eric Morales and Marco Antonio 225 00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:52.960 Brera. I mean, they both had a lot of knockouts and all that, 226 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:56.639 and they were good punchers, but no one's ever going to describe those 227 00:13:56.639 --> 00:14:00.039 two guys as knockout artists, And the same thing would go for like a 228 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:03.320 Mickey Warder and Artaro Gatti. Mickey though with the body shots, whether he 229 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:05.120 was capable of landing, you know, I'll go pick pick a trilogy even 230 00:14:05.159 --> 00:14:09.919 like like a Vander Holyfield and Ridding Bow heavyweights, both good punchers obviously, 231 00:14:11.799 --> 00:14:16.279 but neither of them were big one punch knockout artists as big guys like that, 232 00:14:16.440 --> 00:14:20.000 but they could take their shots and they could punch enough. So that's 233 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:22.840 why they weren't going to hang in and make them epic fights. With Tank 234 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:24.559 and Ryan, I never thought it would be that because I

figured if someone's 235 00:14:24.600 --> 00:14:30.519 gonna connect like that, someone's gonna go. But the one thing about it, 236 00:14:31.159 --> 00:14:33.559 the amount of punch is thrown. I mean we talked beforehand about the 237 00:14:33.639 --> 00:14:39.799 cautious not the cautiousness, but the economic punching of Tank Davis because he throws 238 00:14:39.919 --> 00:14:41.840 so few punches, but he lands at such a high rate. That's a 239 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:46.679 great combination if you're a boxer. Ryan obviously a little more active and lands 240 00:14:46.679 --> 00:14:50.720 a little bit more. But in this particular fight, I mean, if 241 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:54.519 you if you just looked at the raw punch stats and you hadn't to watch 242 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:56.600 the match, You're like, oh my god, that was like they were 243 00:14:56.200 --> 00:15:00.960 statistics that were in the toilet. I mean they barely they barely threw any 244 00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:05.200 punches. I use your word cautious. He was overly cautious at the beginning 245 00:15:05.240 --> 00:15:09.159 of the fight. Jervonte Davis like, I am afraid almost to get countered 246 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:13.919 until I figure out distance and angles. And then he eventually did figure it 247 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:16.399 out quickly in the second round with a leap. But I mean it was 248 00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:18.639 almost overly cautious. I would say for a lot of the early part of 249 00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:24.000 the fight from Davis in terms of what they landed and this. You know, 250 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:26.679 again we talked about Company Box all the time. I respect what they 251 00:15:26.759 --> 00:15:28.720 do. I again, I've said a thousand times it's not the end all 252 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:31.000 be all. It doesn't tell you exactly what the fight is, but it 253 00:15:31.080 --> 00:15:33.039 does sures help give a good guy, especially when you keep looking at those 254 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:37.720 numbers fight after fight after fight, and not just one at a time as 255 00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:41.679 a whole totality. And in this particular fight you had six was it six 256 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:46.279 completed rounds and then you know a little bit into the seventh round before they're 257 00:15:46.279 --> 00:15:52.480 not gonna occurred. So for both fighters, only one time did one of 258 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:56.519 them land double digits in a round, so Tank Davis was credited with landing 259 00:15:56.559 --> 00:16:00.320 I believe it was ten punches in the sixth round, correct, Other than 260 00:16:00.440 --> 00:16:04.720 that one, two, three, four, five and seven single digits and 261 00:16:04.879 --> 00:16:08.799 Garcia's single digits in the sixth round, and it was only ten punches, 262 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:14.799 not fifteen or twenty or more. So that tells you that there wasn't a 263 00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:18.039 lot of leather being swapped or landed. But what what the thing about the 264 00:16:18.440 --> 00:16:23.240 atmosphere and knowing the power that these two guys possessed and that anything can happen 265 00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:29.120 at any moment and the crowd. I found it to be. While not 266 00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:33.240 a great exciting fight, there was to me always an element of tension like 267 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:36.799 even though there wasn't a lot of punches. I mean, I've seen shot 268 00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:41.000 like I'll give you an example watching the Beck the Bully Gabriel Rosotto undercard fight. 269 00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:42.159 You know, I wanted to blow my fucking brains out how bad that 270 00:16:42.240 --> 00:16:47.320 fight was. But there was no punches landed, no punches throwne just a 271 00:16:47.399 --> 00:16:51.720 horrible, horrible fight. But so there was I wanted to doze off. 272 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:56.360 Even though there wasn't a lot of punches or activity being going on. During 273 00:16:56.399 --> 00:16:59.919 the Tank and Ryan fight, there was always like intense tension because they were 274 00:17:00.039 --> 00:17:03.159 like sizing each other up. You knew something was gonna come. And even 275 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:06.480 though there wasn't a lot of punches going or you know either way, they 276 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:11.519 still did throw enough where they were connecting and making it interesting. So the 277 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:15.279 lack of output didn't make it a terrible fight. But again, like you 278 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:18.160 said, it wasn't a classic. I didn't expect the classic, but it 279 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:22.119 was. You gotta give Tan credit, man, he got a job done, 280 00:17:22.119 --> 00:17:25.000 and that's what it's all about. Take us back to the moment in 281 00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:27.680 the arena in the second round when he lands the left upper cutting. It's 282 00:17:27.720 --> 00:17:30.960 interesting at the angle that he was at He landed it on the left side, 283 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:34.880 the left jaw, on the chin of Garcia and knocked him down. 284 00:17:36.519 --> 00:17:40.519 I mean, everybody on their feet. I sat up. Tell me in 285 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:42.599 the arena what it was like in the team loble arena. Just a huge 286 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:47.200 pop. I mean when when there's that moment and everybody's been excited for this 287 00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:49.920 fight and you're expecting action. And the first round was okay. I mean 288 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:52.599 Ryan sort of established the jab and he had a really good round, I 289 00:17:52.680 --> 00:17:56.039 thought, even though it wasn't like a dominating round, but you know, 290 00:17:56.200 --> 00:17:59.160 he can fight and he's in the ring. I mean he's rather he's in 291 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:03.039 the fight and he's taking control. And uh, not so much a surprise 292 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:07.119 because we've

talked many times about the the the Tank Davis slow start where he 293 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:11.319 doesn't throw much and that usually extends deeper into the fight. So that didn't 294 00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:15.519 surprise Gate. But when he landed that shot. Remember in the second round, 295 00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:19.759 Ryan was dominating the round. He was making Tank hold onto him. 296 00:18:19.799 --> 00:18:25.359 He had landed some nice combinations and he was having you know, he had 297 00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:27.599 him hanging on for dear life. At one point he landed some some very 298 00:18:27.640 --> 00:18:30.799 solid punches and so You're like, Okay, he's gonna he won the first 299 00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:34.079 round, he's probably he's definitely winning the second round so far, and then 300 00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:38.759 suddenly Tank with a beautiful count on the left hand. Clear up, you 301 00:18:38.799 --> 00:18:41.640 know, he dropped his hand and clear on the chain. And I have 302 00:18:41.720 --> 00:18:45.200 to tell you it was his face that would have been knocked out by that 303 00:18:45.240 --> 00:18:48.319 punch. And Ryan Garcia he took that shot like a champ right, and 304 00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:52.079 he got up. And he not only did he get up, he didn't 305 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:55.960 really even seem that shaky, like he can't call it a flash knock now 306 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:57.400 because it was like clean is you know, clean is a whistle kind of 307 00:18:57.440 --> 00:19:00.319 punch. But he shook that off, I mean kind of the same way 308 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:03.880 he did a similar left hand that dropped him against Louke Campbell the only other 309 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:07.920 time he's been on the dead right, So that was early in that fight. 310 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:11.759 And then, ironically for what we're talking about, he ended the Campbell 311 00:19:11.799 --> 00:19:15.079 fight with a body shot of his own hitting Campbell, So in this fight 312 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:18.000 ended the other way with him getting hit with the body shot. Do you 313 00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:23.960 believe it made Garcia more apprehensive from that moment on? What did you judge 314 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:30.359 from your ringside seat that now he tasted that power and it made him a 315 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:33.839 little more apprehensive. No, I didn't sense that. I don't. I 316 00:19:33.880 --> 00:19:38.880 didn't sense apprehension because he knows that he's a puncher. You know, he 317 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:42.400 knows that, and you know he wasn't hurt. I mean, he was 318 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:45.599 gonna be careful. He was always going to be trying to be careful of 319 00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:47.720 the left hand. That is, you know tanks, you know, a 320 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:51.079 south buzz. He's got a very powerful left hand. So I don't I 321 00:19:51.079 --> 00:19:53.599 didn't sense apprehension because he was

always going to be on the lookout for that 322 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:56.799 punch, and you know, he just didn't catch it that time. In 323 00:19:56.920 --> 00:20:00.200 terms of I don't I don't know. I don't mean a up. But 324 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:02.759 I don't know how much you got to hear, if anything of the corner 325 00:20:02.839 --> 00:20:07.160 audio. But it was interesting from Joe Goosen after the second round where he 326 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:10.960 was saying to Ryan Garcia, he is loading up and setting you up for 327 00:20:11.039 --> 00:20:14.680 that. Be careful, he's loading you up for that left upper cut. 328 00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:18.079 Keep moving, keep using the jab. So obviously they had talked about it, 329 00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:22.079 they've watched it on tape. That's not a surprise. But it was 330 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:25.000 interesting that that goose, and I just wanted to let you know that was 331 00:20:25.119 --> 00:20:27.960 reminding him in between rounds. He's setting you up for that left upper cut. 332 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:33.119 Just Joe would be derelicting his duty of course, Ryan, I mean 333 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:37.680 that that's Tank Davis's not his only weapon, but that's like the best thing 334 00:20:37.720 --> 00:20:41.599 he does is land big left hands and upper cuts. But back to round 335 00:20:41.640 --> 00:20:44.039 two, with the scoring of that round, I found that to be very 336 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:47.839 interesting. No no, no laugh so let me just oh I am laughing, 337 00:20:47.880 --> 00:20:49.000 but go ahead. Interesting is one way to describe it. Yeah, 338 00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:53.079 Ryan had, as we mentioned, dominated the round, and he got knocked 339 00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:56.680 down late in the round and when the when the round was over night, 340 00:20:56.759 --> 00:21:00.240 when the fight was over, rather we got copies of the scorecards. Look 341 00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:04.519 at you had three judges, two of scored. Two scored the round only 342 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:10.400 ten to nine in favor of Tank Davis. Because he had lost so one 343 00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:14.079 sidedly in the first part of the round. They felt like the knockdown wasn't 344 00:21:14.119 --> 00:21:17.920 justifiable enough to give them two points. I didn't agree with that, but 345 00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:22.480 I understand that Dave Moretti, who is one of the best judges in boxing 346 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:27.000 and has been for decades, scored the round ten to ten, and again 347 00:21:27.640 --> 00:21:32.240 that is permissible by the rules and his philosophy. I again, I don't 348 00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:33.839 agree with it, but I'm not going to argue with Dave Ready, who's 349 00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:37.319 got a lot more experience than you, me or anybody else. Frankly, 350 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:45.279 his position is that that the knockdown brought it back to a tie. That's 351 00:21:45.319 -->

00:21:52.200 how dominating Garcia had been. Now, I after the fight, had a 352 00:21:52.279 --> 00:21:55.799 conversation with one of the judges, and not because I sought him out or 353 00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:59.640 vice versa. I just happened to be the park MGM, which is across 354 00:21:59.640 --> 00:22:02.839 the street the Team Mobile arena, and met up with a couple of people 355 00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:06.480 and some of the judges and the other commitment and other people involved with the 356 00:22:06.519 --> 00:22:08.119 event were there. And it's a judge I have known for a long time. 357 00:22:10.119 --> 00:22:11.359 We're not friends, we don't like hang out, but you know, 358 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:15.079 we've known each other for years and have a healthy respect for one another. 359 00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:19.200 And I stopped and we talked about it, and I wasn't like argumented if 360 00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:23.960 I was interested to, like, what's the philosophy? And my philosophy is 361 00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:29.960 that a knockdown, particularly one that that is that hard, that's a big 362 00:22:30.079 --> 00:22:33.200 moment in a fight as a knockdown and you deserve the extra point. I 363 00:22:33.279 --> 00:22:36.880 didn't see Ryan as being that dom make it only in one point round, 364 00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:41.000 so I scored round ten to eight. My bad. Maybe the other two 365 00:22:41.079 --> 00:22:45.039 judges scored a ten to nine and Ready went ten to ten. I understand 366 00:22:45.079 --> 00:22:48.200 the rationale, and I know it's easy to look at it and say, 367 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:49.559 you know, oh my god, what are they thinking? But if you 368 00:22:49.720 --> 00:22:52.759 know how judges are supposed to score, what the rules of boxing are, 369 00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:56.680 what is recommended by the commission, what the sanction bodies talk about, it 370 00:22:56.880 --> 00:23:02.160 was not terrible. I was only surprised that a judge would have scored it 371 00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:04.400 ten to nine, or even in Murdy's case, which is a little bit 372 00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:08.400 more controversial, if you will, ten to ten. I was a little 373 00:23:08.400 --> 00:23:11.119 surprised that not any of the three judges scored a ten to eight, frankly, 374 00:23:11.240 --> 00:23:15.559 but you know, thankfully, it didn't have any impact on the right 375 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:18.799 scoring into the fight going the distance because obviously there was a knockout. Because 376 00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:22.240 trust me, if that fight goes the distance and it's a close fight or 377 00:23:22.279 --> 00:23:26.319 a draw, or it's one point one way, or that extra point might 378 00:23:26.359 --> 00:23:27.799 have meant that difference between a win a loss. That would have been the 379 00:23:27.839 --> 00:23:32.079 controversies. You've got a knockdown and you didn't give him a ten a by 380 00:23:32.119 --> 00:23:36.200 the way, and

by the way, we're coming to that with the Cordina 381 00:23:36.279 --> 00:23:40.519 rock them off ending where the fight ends on a one point decision because of 382 00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:44.920 the knockdown round your exact point that we will talk about in a little bit. 383 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:47.880 And we should be and when we should be clear on this. That's 384 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:52.279 why it's called a ten point must system. You had to give ten points 385 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:56.440 to the winner. But still, I mean, Tank Davis won the round, 386 00:23:56.599 --> 00:24:00.119 So make it a ten nine round if that's the case. Well, 387 00:24:00.559 --> 00:24:03.960 I know, but the one that scored a ten ten, Tank Davis has 388 00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:07.519 knocked down one that rap, so make it make a ten line. After 389 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:11.000 the fight, I'll let the take you behind the curt a little bit. 390 00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:15.400 So the the uh, the PR team that works the fight that helps, 391 00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:18.359 you know, helps and it does great work to help all of us out 392 00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:22.640 that our journalists. Um. What they do is they'll send the packet after 393 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:25.599 the fight an email and in that email, one of the things they send 394 00:24:25.640 --> 00:24:29.039 you is the official scorecard. Like it they'll take there's a there's a what 395 00:24:29.160 --> 00:24:32.519 do you call it a photo link? What do we call like a drop 396 00:24:32.599 --> 00:24:36.160 box link? All right, So in the drop box, you know, 397 00:24:36.599 --> 00:24:38.880 like you picked the artwork that the that the photographer, you know, showtime 398 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:42.519 and a PBC they have their photographers are that allows any of the media to 399 00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:47.759 use those those images. But they also put the official scorecard in there. 400 00:24:47.839 --> 00:24:49.160 So I blew that up on my screen because I wanted to see where we 401 00:24:49.200 --> 00:24:52.920 were at at the time of the knockout. And I'm looking and I see 402 00:24:52.920 --> 00:24:55.319 Okay tank as a head on the scorecards, which makes sense, and I'm 403 00:24:55.319 --> 00:24:57.119 like doing a double take, like why is the one fifty you know, 404 00:24:57.599 --> 00:25:02.799 fifty was a fifty eight fifty seven. I'm like, why is this all 405 00:25:02.839 --> 00:25:04.839 different? And I'm looking down each road and then I realized the ten ten 406 00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:08.559 round was making me crazy and They're to like do my math. It was 407 00:25:08.559 --> 00:25:12.359 just highly unusual. So yeah, So after all these fights each at least 408 00:25:12.359 --> 00:25:15.319 the fights that were on the pay per view, within a you know, 409 00:25:15.319 --> 00:25:18.759 a couple of minutes after the fight, we get the copy box statistics, 410 00:25:18.799 --> 00:25:22.240 and we get the squorecard and in a link to go to the images of 411 00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:25.720 the bout. And I always take a look at that squrecard and I was 412 00:25:25.799 --> 00:25:29.400 just sort of like surprised, as we've been talking about that it was that 413 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:32.240 that all three judges scored that round the way way that they did. I 414 00:25:32.319 --> 00:25:34.079 mean, but that's uh, you know, they all agreed so or at 415 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:37.000 least, well, it is interesting they all agreed that it shouldn't be ten 416 00:25:37.039 --> 00:25:41.359 to eight point. And your point about the closeness of the round of the 417 00:25:41.400 --> 00:25:45.599 judges point would be at the beginning of that round, Ryan Garcia laid a 418 00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:49.000 couple of right hands and Tank Davis appeared to be a little stunned, and 419 00:25:49.079 --> 00:25:52.039 then he wanted to do in the football rough housing. I'm going to try 420 00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:55.480 to tackle you so you can't hit me with a follow up punch, and 421 00:25:55.559 --> 00:25:59.880 he got warned. It was kind of he was following and trying to tack 422 00:26:00.119 --> 00:26:03.799 Ryan Garcia at two different times across the ring because I think he was legitimately 423 00:26:03.839 --> 00:26:08.200 concerned about a follow up punch and then boom. That's if you find if 424 00:26:08.200 --> 00:26:11.920 you find yourself in trouble, that's a strategy to use, and you do 425 00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:15.079 it until the reftels you. Yeah, Thomas Taylor did eventually tell him to 426 00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:18.200 knock it up. All right, So the fight goes along and Davis eventually 427 00:26:18.680 --> 00:26:22.359 gets the punch, gets the knockout win. How would you describe it? 428 00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:25.079 Again, this is why we love having you there. How would you describe 429 00:26:25.160 --> 00:26:27.880 the crowd in the seconds at the end of it? Was it more confusion? 430 00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:33.839 Was there some booing you couldn't audibly tell if there was booing that had 431 00:26:33.880 --> 00:26:36.680 stayed on the knee. What was it like in the arena in that moment? 432 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:40.039 There was definitely some confusion about why he went down, but there was 433 00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:42.480 no confusion that the fight was over. So the people didn't care why it 434 00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:45.160 was over. If you were there for Dank Davis. What was interesting about 435 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:48.240 the crowd And you don't see this a lot of times for some of these 436 00:26:48.319 --> 00:26:53.359 megafights, where there's usually a clear you know, house fighter, the popular 437 00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:56.759 fighter, and then there's the villain fighter. You know, who's the outsider 438 00:26:56.799 --> 00:27:00.839 who maybe not from this country or not from that air area. In this 439 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:03.680

particular fight, both guys had, you know, tremendous support. There was 440 00:27:03.759 --> 00:27:07.920 one moment in I believe it was in the sixth round and I wrote this 441 00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:12.720 in my piece, where that there was there was a good exchange where both 442 00:27:12.799 --> 00:27:17.599 guys got in good punches in the sixth round and the crowd. Half the 443 00:27:17.640 --> 00:27:19.440 crowd started chanting Ryan, Ryan, and the other half, you know, 444 00:27:19.599 --> 00:27:23.200 moments later started channing Tank Tank Tank. So there was a split crowd. 445 00:27:23.279 --> 00:27:27.359 I mean, both guys got their huge you know cheers, both guys got 446 00:27:27.440 --> 00:27:32.000 their booze. Uh. And that makes it interesting. It was really truly 447 00:27:32.039 --> 00:27:34.319 a split house. There was a ton of people there for for for Jervonta 448 00:27:34.359 --> 00:27:37.079 Davis. There was a ton of people there that were cheering on for Ryan 449 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:41.400 Garcia, and that makes it interesting. So, like I said, when 450 00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:45.079 the fight ended, there was definitely confusion, and there was that. There 451 00:27:45.240 --> 00:27:48.119 was a lot of cheering from the Tank people and not really much of it. 452 00:27:48.200 --> 00:27:51.599 Did you hear booing or you couldn't hear booing? You just only heard 453 00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:55.880 booing, I mean when the fight was ended, correct booing when the most 454 00:27:55.920 --> 00:27:59.079 people most of the time that there's no when the fight's over. The booing 455 00:27:59.119 --> 00:28:00.519 usually only takes place that there's a you know, people are upset with the 456 00:28:00.559 --> 00:28:03.440 scorecard, but on a knockout, you know what happens, and that's that. 457 00:28:03.640 --> 00:28:08.759 So that this was unusual. You know where I'm coming because he's on 458 00:28:08.880 --> 00:28:14.000 a knee. He's taking the full count, and I think that most people 459 00:28:14.119 --> 00:28:17.960 watching believe he was going to get up at eight or nine, and he 460 00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:21.960 stayed there and in that moment when he stood up, my initial reaction was 461 00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:26.119 what he stood up after the ten count? And so I just wonder if 462 00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:29.000 some people in the arena, we're not only going what, but what are 463 00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:32.200 you doing? And booing about it that he that he could have maybe continues. 464 00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:33.559 So I'm just curious. It was quite like that. It was like 465 00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:37.359 when when again watching the rid play, you could tell Ryan and he just 466 00:28:37.480 --> 00:28:40.359 he couldn't catch his win. He just was, you know, the onely 467 00:28:40.480 --> 00:28:44.079 thing. And I understand the criticism. The only thing is he's wincing. 468 00:28:44.200 --> 00:28:45.839 And and what's interesting

when you go back and watch, it's like the Suppruter 469 00:28:45.960 --> 00:28:48.960 film, Back into the Left, Back into the Left. I'm just trying 470 00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:51.599 to make you laugh. But when you watch the beginning of the knockdown, 471 00:28:51.880 --> 00:28:53.960 he tries to get up, like the first knockdown, right away in the 472 00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:57.440 first second or two, and his legs don't work. I'm serious. Watch 473 00:28:57.480 --> 00:29:00.599 it again, people, he tries to get Up'm not saying this to Dan. 474 00:29:00.759 --> 00:29:03.519 Watch it to the fans, he tries to get up in the first 475 00:29:03.559 --> 00:29:07.240 second or two when he winces like, my god, my legs don't work. 476 00:29:07.279 --> 00:29:08.480 I can't you know, like you said, I can't catch my breath. 477 00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:12.759 Whatever's wrong. And then he's there on knee and Thomas Taylor sees, 478 00:29:12.880 --> 00:29:15.920 okay, he's not up off the knee. I'm gonna get down right in 479 00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:18.079 front of him, so he knows what the count is while the while the 480 00:29:18.119 --> 00:29:22.200 crowd's going crazy. That's exactly what he should do. And when he gets 481 00:29:22.240 --> 00:29:23.920 to the count of seven and says seven, Ryan looks right at him and 482 00:29:25.039 --> 00:29:27.880 nods, and I took that nod in the moment. I'm gonna get up. 483 00:29:29.319 --> 00:29:32.160 And then he counts eight. And then he counts nine and I'm like, 484 00:29:32.240 --> 00:29:34.480 he's getting up. No, he's not getting up. And then the 485 00:29:34.599 --> 00:29:38.160 count is ten, and this is where people are going a bit crazy. 486 00:29:38.200 --> 00:29:41.680 The internet is what it is. He stands up immediately and walks right to 487 00:29:41.759 --> 00:29:45.880 the corner where people are saying, you could have done that at nine, 488 00:29:45.400 --> 00:29:48.480 you could have done that at nine, all right? Then I see you 489 00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:51.960 shaking your head, but go ahead. You just never know. I mean, 490 00:29:52.119 --> 00:29:56.240 I believe that he was not capable of continuing because of that punch. 491 00:29:57.160 --> 00:30:00.400 I mean there are times where you see guys in I feel like, you 492 00:30:00.440 --> 00:30:03.079 know what, they really didn't give it their best effort, and they made 493 00:30:03.119 --> 00:30:04.720 a trying to find a way out. Trust me, Ryan Garcia was not 494 00:30:04.839 --> 00:30:07.559 looking for a way out of that fight. I mean, you know, 495 00:30:07.640 --> 00:30:10.480 he was down on the scorecards fair enough, and he had been dropped. 496 00:30:10.759 --> 00:30:12.160 But that was not a fight that was out of hand. That was not 497 00:30:12.240 --> 00:30:15.319 a fight that was not competitive round to round. Even if he wasn't getting 498 00:30:15.319 --> 00:30:19.559 the scores, he still has the ability to possibly land one of his dynamic

499 00:30:19.680 --> 00:30:23.880 left hooks and do some damage. So anybody that's suggesting that somehow he was 500 00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:27.640 looking for a way out or didn't want to continue, or you know, 501 00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:32.680 was quitting, that is absolutely I'm going to coin up a phrase from our 502 00:30:32.720 --> 00:30:36.359 friends in Britain. That's rubbish. It is rubbish, okay, So take 503 00:30:36.440 --> 00:30:38.200 me. So, now we saw the in ring interviews and then we I 504 00:30:38.279 --> 00:30:41.319 even saw a little bit of the postfight, and you were there for the 505 00:30:41.400 --> 00:30:44.480 post fight interviews at Longer. All right. So the first thing is Davis 506 00:30:44.559 --> 00:30:48.720 says to Jim Gray and on the PA, I was surprised he didn't get 507 00:30:48.839 --> 00:30:52.079 up from that shot. Okay, that's fair enough. Ryan Garcia then says, 508 00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:55.720 I'm not going to make excuses. I could not get up. I 509 00:30:55.799 --> 00:30:57.640 couldn't get up, and I'm not going to make excuses. All right now, 510 00:30:57.839 --> 00:31:02.920 postfight press Contrice, they take the ring down, this is they empty 511 00:31:02.960 --> 00:31:04.359 out the arena. This is for the media only. And they showed a 512 00:31:04.400 --> 00:31:07.519 little bit of that on Showtime's YouTube channel, and I've seen some of the 513 00:31:07.559 --> 00:31:12.920 clips. Garcia again repeated, I'm not gonna make excuses. I was hurt 514 00:31:12.920 --> 00:31:17.880 and I could not get up. So there it is, Ryan Garcia. 515 00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:21.039 I mean again, I've covered a thousands of these kind of fights, okay, 516 00:31:21.319 --> 00:31:23.039 and I can't till many times you see a guy that's lost the fight, 517 00:31:23.400 --> 00:31:26.359 they have an alibi, they make an excuse. I mean, you 518 00:31:26.440 --> 00:31:29.440 feel bad for them because they lost, but they're they're looking for reasons they're 519 00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:30.720 in there. You know, it's hard to take a loss like that, 520 00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:34.640 especially when you're a fighter like a Ryan Garcia with an undefeated record and you're 521 00:31:34.680 --> 00:31:37.279 in a really, really big fight. But I have to give the kid 522 00:31:37.359 --> 00:31:41.039 credit. I mean, Ryan Garcia is a stand up guy. He did 523 00:31:41.119 --> 00:31:45.480 not make a single excuse. He didn't say anything about I actually asked him 524 00:31:45.480 --> 00:31:48.759 at the press conference, and some people are criticizing I've seen on Twitter, 525 00:31:48.839 --> 00:31:52.480 but fuck them because it's a legitimate question that somebody had to ask. I 526 00:31:52.640 --> 00:31:56.519 asked him, you know, were you at all compromise by the weight loss 527 00:31:56.559 --> 00:31:59.240 because they made you come down to one thirty six and even more so, 528 00:31:59.400 --> 00:32:01.359 they made you a rehydration.

Why why are they coming? That's the most 529 00:32:01.519 --> 00:32:06.440 legitimate thing to ask after the fight. Why are the count give me a 530 00:32:06.559 --> 00:32:08.799 break? Please? Let me tell you. You come with the king, 531 00:32:08.839 --> 00:32:12.799 you better well, Land, I agree with you because you're gonna swat me 532 00:32:12.880 --> 00:32:15.160 on you swat me on a regular basis. But yes, I mean that's 533 00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:17.920 a valid point. But so kay, Ryan Garcia did not you know he 534 00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:22.200 basically I don't remember exactly what he said in the answer. He's like, 535 00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:24.880 you know, being honest, Yeah, you know it. It didn't help, 536 00:32:24.920 --> 00:32:28.880 and that it was I was, you know, I was not maybe 537 00:32:28.960 --> 00:32:30.640 at my desk, but I'm not making his uses as I signed a contract 538 00:32:30.880 --> 00:32:35.920 and we fought the fight. So a lot of guys and I asked it 539 00:32:36.039 --> 00:32:37.960 for this reason. I want to see, what is your character? What 540 00:32:38.279 --> 00:32:42.400 is your character in this moment, and I have said this from the beginning 541 00:32:42.440 --> 00:32:45.480 of my boxing writing career. Actually, the first time I really kind of 542 00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:49.079 thought about this early on, and I'm gonna stay side track for a quick 543 00:32:49.119 --> 00:32:52.799 second, was when Prince Nasimham had lost to Marco Antonio Burr and I was 544 00:32:52.359 --> 00:32:54.640 I've seen more talk more shit than anybody in the world. He had the 545 00:32:54.680 --> 00:33:01.119 biggest ego and he you know, he was the always about himself in terms 546 00:33:01.160 --> 00:33:06.359 of his public persona, and he thought he's going to be the source loser 547 00:33:06.400 --> 00:33:07.880 of all time and make all the excuses in the world when Brera beat his 548 00:33:07.960 --> 00:33:12.720 ass. And I've always to this day remember going to that post side press 549 00:33:12.720 --> 00:33:16.079 guards and my respect for Ahmed who which was always high, rising to another 550 00:33:16.200 --> 00:33:21.039 level because he did not make any excuses. Remember he lost his undefeated record 551 00:33:21.119 --> 00:33:24.000 that night and it was this month that year, Like, yeah, he 552 00:33:24.079 --> 00:33:28.799 talked about it a couple of weeks ago and he was nothing, but he 553 00:33:29.039 --> 00:33:31.319 was nothing but class after the fighting, gave credit to Barrera and didn't make 554 00:33:31.359 --> 00:33:35.480 excuses. You said that lost the perfect record, lost the you know, 555 00:33:35.519 --> 00:33:38.680 the featherweight lineal championship, all that anyway, But the point is I felt 556 00:33:38.720 --> 00:33:40.720 at that moment in my mind, I said, you know what, it's 557 00:33:40.759 --> 00:33:45.640 more interesting to learn the character of a fighter when they lose than it is 558 00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:49.079 to see what the fighters like when they win. And so that's always sort 559 00:33:49.079 --> 00:33:51.640 of stuck with me. And I found myself over all these years, when 560 00:33:51.680 --> 00:33:54.160 the fight's over and it's a knockout, I find myself, my eyes and 561 00:33:54.880 --> 00:33:59.119 my interest going towards the loser, sometimes more so than the winner. So 562 00:33:59.240 --> 00:34:02.960 when they came, Ryan asked that question specifically, are you going to make 563 00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:07.559 an excuse or are you gonna say what? And Ryan answered it the way 564 00:34:07.599 --> 00:34:09.599 I would have not that I cared how he answered. I was just entered 565 00:34:09.800 --> 00:34:13.719 what the answer would be. But I'm glad that he answered it the way 566 00:34:13.760 --> 00:34:15.519 he did because he showed that he's a stand up guy. He didn't make 567 00:34:15.599 --> 00:34:21.719 excuses. He gave Tank David's credit for landing a great punch. He said, 568 00:34:21.800 --> 00:34:23.239 you know, he appreciated being in the ring with another great fighter, 569 00:34:23.960 --> 00:34:28.320 and I like to hear that. I. You know, we all get 570 00:34:28.360 --> 00:34:30.920 all over guys when they when they make excuses. The guy didn't make any 571 00:34:30.920 --> 00:34:34.719 excuse, and people still getting all over him about stuff. Lane pick a 572 00:34:34.800 --> 00:34:38.639 Lane That's what we like to say. Sometimes you just sometimes you can't win. 573 00:34:38.760 --> 00:34:44.920 And Ryan Garcia, I'm gonna say this deserves the respect from every single 574 00:34:45.039 --> 00:34:47.719 boxing fan because, as I wrote in the pre fight and many talked about 575 00:34:47.760 --> 00:34:52.280 and wrote about also, Ryan Garcia, will this fight to happen. We 576 00:34:52.519 --> 00:34:57.480 wanted as fans to see the best guys against the best guys. We wanted 577 00:34:57.480 --> 00:35:00.119 this megafight. We wanted to see two guys in there, best undefeated, 578 00:35:00.320 --> 00:35:05.400 who are exciting, who have big fan bases, come together when so many 579 00:35:05.480 --> 00:35:08.760 other fighters just refused to take those gambles make it impossible to make a deal 580 00:35:08.920 --> 00:35:13.400 Terre Scrafford, Arrow Spence, and you can't get it done. And these 581 00:35:13.480 --> 00:35:15.920 guys took the gamble, took the risk. Now, thank Davis was part 582 00:35:15.960 --> 00:35:17.400 of it too, he had to go along with it and he's half the 583 00:35:17.400 --> 00:35:21.599 equation. But I'm telling you, without the Ryan Garcia pushing, pushing, 584 00:35:21.920 --> 00:35:24.639 pushing, pushing for the last year and a half, this fight would not 585 00:35:24.760 --> 00:35:29.119 have happened. He ate a lot of shit making this fight. He took 586 00:35:29.159 --> 00:35:31.000 the short end of the money and b side billing. He took the weight 587 00:35:31.079 -->

00:35:37.079 restriction in terms of the catchweight and the rehydration class. His team took the 588 00:35:37.239 --> 00:35:39.840 fight from their platform to zone to go to showtime to make the fight. 589 00:35:40.039 --> 00:35:44.360 He even argued with his own people at Golden Boy because he wasn't going to 590 00:35:44.440 --> 00:35:47.159 take no for answer, and I'm gonna be pissed off if people dump out 591 00:35:47.360 --> 00:35:52.880 over him the fight. He made the fucking fight happen, and he gave 592 00:35:52.960 --> 00:35:55.559 us what he gave us, and he got nailed with a beautiful body shot. 593 00:35:55.679 --> 00:36:00.800 Tank Davis deserves all the credit for taking him out like that, but 594 00:36:00.159 --> 00:36:05.800 you cannot have it both ways. Demand showed character in defeat and I appreciate 595 00:36:05.960 --> 00:36:08.039 that. All right, good enough on that, so I ask one more 596 00:36:08.119 --> 00:36:10.000 follow up. We'll get to the rest of this card. Then we're getting 597 00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:16.239 into Cordina and his win over rock him off for the IBF Super Featherweight title, 598 00:36:16.320 --> 00:36:20.000 which was a tremendous fight again in Cardiff, Wales earlier in the day. 599 00:36:20.320 --> 00:36:22.400 We always kind of wrap these with what's next, all right, So 600 00:36:22.559 --> 00:36:29.840 let's talk about Davis. Do you believe he I mean, realistically, at 601 00:36:29.920 --> 00:36:32.400 one thirty five, we have Devin Haney, we have Lomachenko, we have 602 00:36:32.480 --> 00:36:36.639 Shakour Stevenson who they're grooming and what do they all have in common? Their 603 00:36:36.719 --> 00:36:38.880 top rank, And I don't think Davis is going to get a shot at 604 00:36:38.920 --> 00:36:44.039 any of that unless belts get split up somehow, some way. That's me 605 00:36:44.239 --> 00:36:45.440 saying that, what do you what do you think is next? Either at 606 00:36:45.519 --> 00:36:50.079 lightweight or at one forty for Tank Davis? Off this win. Now we 607 00:36:50.199 --> 00:36:53.519 know what's immediately next. He's going before a judge in Baltimore. But in 608 00:36:53.719 --> 00:36:59.400 the ring, after whatever happens with jail time or whatever, what is next 609 00:36:59.519 --> 00:37:04.480 in the theorized for me, mighty one go, I'm going to characterize it 610 00:37:04.559 --> 00:37:08.320 completely different than you because I think agree with your characterization. It's not that 611 00:37:08.559 --> 00:37:12.880 he won't get a shot at those guys, it's that those guys won't get 612 00:37:12.880 --> 00:37:15.320 a shot at him. Now, Yes, Devin Hany's the undisputed champion and 613 00:37:15.360 --> 00:37:20.079 a fine champion at that, and if Loma Chenko wins their fight coming up 614 00:37:20.119 --> 00:37:22.119 next month, he will be the undisputed champion and he is a great fighter 615 00:37:22.159 --> 00:37:24.880 and a future Hall of Famer. And sha course, Stevenson obviously is on 616 00:37:24.960 --> 00:37:29.360 the rise and probably will be a pound for pound king someday, and as 617 00:37:29.400 --> 00:37:34.719 a tremendous boxer and just a terrific fighter all around, but those three guys 618 00:37:34.880 --> 00:37:37.320 don't have what Tank Davis has. Now, those guys may you know, 619 00:37:37.840 --> 00:37:42.320 Da Loma has been a unified champion and one belt in multiple weight classes. 620 00:37:42.559 --> 00:37:45.719 Shakor has one titles and two weight classes. He's probably at some point in 621 00:37:45.800 --> 00:37:50.199 the future eventually going to have a lightweight title somehow. And obviously Devin now 622 00:37:50.280 --> 00:37:53.920 has all the belts as undisputed, but they don't have them in the financial 623 00:37:54.320 --> 00:37:59.639 muscle, an economic muscle that Tank Davis has taint. Davis has had some 624 00:37:59.719 --> 00:38:01.719 title, He's had secondary titles. He won a legit title, had one 625 00:38:01.800 --> 00:38:06.840 hundred and thirty want to you know a regular I guess a real title at 626 00:38:06.880 --> 00:38:08.920 one thirty five, but it was sort of manufacturing in the way that they 627 00:38:08.960 --> 00:38:14.039 went about getting him that belt. But Tank Davis is not really a guy 628 00:38:14.119 --> 00:38:16.079 that's ever talked or I'm not saying he doesn't care about titles, but he 629 00:38:16.159 --> 00:38:20.519 wants to make that money and put on those big events. And if Loma, 630 00:38:20.599 --> 00:38:22.280 Chenko and Hany and should court in any other of the top lightweights want 631 00:38:22.280 --> 00:38:27.280 to do that, he's the rainmaker. Now, now I'm not saying I 632 00:38:27.360 --> 00:38:31.000 don't necessarily subscribe to the talking point before the fight between him and Ryan Garcia 633 00:38:31.280 --> 00:38:35.719 that the winner was now somehow going to become the face of boxing, because 634 00:38:35.760 --> 00:38:39.079 the two guys were already among the biggest stars beforehand. Tanks obviously now become 635 00:38:39.119 --> 00:38:42.880 bigger. But I would say to you that even in the loss, Ryan 636 00:38:42.920 --> 00:38:45.559 Garcia gained in stature because he's gonna still have a lot of people that are 637 00:38:45.559 --> 00:38:49.599 gonna want watch him. It's a fascinating thing to see how he comes back 638 00:38:49.639 --> 00:38:52.760 and all that. But Tank Davis is now, you know, from below 639 00:38:52.840 --> 00:38:57.880 heavyweight, there's always somebody that's the rainmaker below heavyweight, whether it was Sugary 640 00:38:57.920 --> 00:38:59.719 Leonard or was you know, many packing on Floyd, they with her, 641 00:38:59.760 --> 00:39:02.159 you know the who headed Monster or Oscar dal Joy or Knello Alvarez, whoever 642 00:39:02.199 --> 00:39:06.639 you want to pick. At this moment in time, it is in fact 643 00:39:06.719 --> 00:39:09.079 now, I believe based on the magnitude of the events and that

kind of 644 00:39:09.119 --> 00:39:12.639 crowds he does, and the pay per view and even though the pay per 645 00:39:12.679 --> 00:39:14.920 views previously we're in the two hundred round, this one's going to be a 646 00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:19.440 monster of you know, our friends at PPV dot com. One of the 647 00:39:19.480 --> 00:39:22.920 people that works with them said to me last night, they already knew that 648 00:39:22.000 --> 00:39:25.480 it was the biggest PPV dot com event they had ever done, period because 649 00:39:25.519 --> 00:39:30.480 they know they know their digital numbers immediately. So that tells you this is 650 00:39:30.519 --> 00:39:34.239 going to be a big monster relative to today's pay per view era. So 651 00:39:34.400 --> 00:39:37.400 I'm saying to you that having titles and having all of that stuff, and 652 00:39:37.480 --> 00:39:40.119 I appreciate the championships in history of the sport, but the rainmaker, the 653 00:39:40.199 --> 00:39:45.199 guy that the one hundred thirty one hundred forty is going to revolve around for 654 00:39:45.280 --> 00:39:50.320 the next few years unless he's incarcerated, is going to be Jervonte Davis. 655 00:39:50.360 --> 00:39:53.519 And so if the fight gets big enough, like we've seen in boxing, 656 00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:58.280 I think something we would see at Tank Davis fight against Ash. Of course, 657 00:39:58.280 --> 00:40:00.639 Stevens the type of guy you know. Ryan See was saying, you 658 00:40:00.639 --> 00:40:02.559 know, hopefully he can coin a couple of fights and get a rematch either 659 00:40:02.599 --> 00:40:07.679 at one forty said maybe even at one forty seven. So you know a 660 00:40:07.719 --> 00:40:08.840 lot of guys are gonna be calling Tank Davis out. He's gonna bring the 661 00:40:08.920 --> 00:40:13.079 money, but he also brings the pain, and he also brings the really 662 00:40:13.119 --> 00:40:15.360 good chance of losing your losing your fight, all right, and we'll see 663 00:40:15.400 --> 00:40:20.960 again. May the fifth is when uh Senko demile. As a matter of 664 00:40:21.000 --> 00:40:23.239 fact, is when he will be sentenced. And what is that sentence in 665 00:40:23.280 --> 00:40:27.559 Baltimore for the felony hit and run. That's a couple of weeks away. 666 00:40:27.719 --> 00:40:32.320 That's the next domino here, and realistically that is probably the rest of this 667 00:40:32.599 --> 00:40:36.760 year. If he sentenced to jail time, let's see though that's not it's 668 00:40:36.800 --> 00:40:40.280 not completely certain, but we believe that there is. All right, yeah, 669 00:40:40.320 --> 00:40:44.599 but make one more prediction. By the way, if he if he's 670 00:40:44.800 --> 00:40:46.400 not in jail and he's able to fight again at the end of the year 671 00:40:46.440 --> 00:40:50.760 or even in the early part of the next year. People were asking me 672 00:40:50.840 --> 00:40:52.000 that, So it's sort of been in my mind. Who would he actually 673

00:40:52.079 --> 00:40:57.599 fight. I actually think there's a very good chance for different reasons. I'm 674 00:40:57.639 --> 00:40:59.880 not saying it's one hundred percent, obviously, but I think there's a really 675 00:41:00.079 --> 00:41:04.440 reasonable chance that in next fight we might see him rematch with Isaac Pitt, 676 00:41:04.480 --> 00:41:12.840 Bull Cruz makeable fight. Yeah, as far as Ryan Garcia goes, he 677 00:41:12.960 --> 00:41:15.480 said a hundred you know, he said it a couple of times afterwards, 678 00:41:15.519 --> 00:41:17.400 he's gonna go to one forty, and at one forty there's a rich weight 679 00:41:17.440 --> 00:41:20.760 class with a lot of good talented guys and a lot of decent you know, 680 00:41:20.760 --> 00:41:22.800 a lot of good names, and even if they're not with Golden Boy, 681 00:41:22.880 --> 00:41:27.000 that's fine. Ryan Garcia is similar to Tank. He's gonna still be 682 00:41:27.079 --> 00:41:30.719 a rainmaker. Maybe not at the level of Tank Davis in terms of those 683 00:41:30.840 --> 00:41:32.480 huge, huge, huge fights, but trust me, Ryan Garcia's gonna help 684 00:41:32.519 --> 00:41:36.480 his opponent and make the most money they've ever made. And one forties a 685 00:41:36.599 --> 00:41:39.239 rich division, and you know it's not impossible. Golden Boy, which promotes 686 00:41:39.360 --> 00:41:44.639 Ryan and Top Rank, which has several fighters in that weight class, including 687 00:41:44.760 --> 00:41:47.840 Josh Kaylor the champion, and Tiethimo Lopez who's going to challenge him, Devin 688 00:41:47.880 --> 00:41:51.960 Haney if he decides to go up after one Wi Chango, whatever happens there, 689 00:41:52.199 --> 00:41:55.079 and others. You know, they've done plenty of business in recent times, 690 00:41:55.119 --> 00:41:58.199 and I don't think that's a huge deal. They have Jose Ramirez, 691 00:41:58.239 --> 00:42:00.800 there's a former champion in that weight class, did a lot of a lot 692 00:42:00.840 --> 00:42:05.679 of good talented fighters at wont would it surprised you? Would it surprise you 693 00:42:05.800 --> 00:42:12.000 that Garcia would immediately get a title fight at one forty with somebody without fighting 694 00:42:12.119 --> 00:42:15.800 somebody else and beating them first in a non title fight. Would it surprise 695 00:42:15.880 --> 00:42:19.679 you if this fall he's right back in there in a title fight, maybe 696 00:42:19.719 --> 00:42:22.239 at one forty. The name I keep thinking is Regis Program, who keeps 697 00:42:22.280 --> 00:42:27.320 saying I'm a promotional free agent. He's got an WBC belt. But would 698 00:42:27.320 --> 00:42:30.039 it surprise you back to the Garcia point that he doesn't fight somebody else first 699 00:42:30.079 --> 00:42:34.039 to get a confidence building win and then fight for a title. What is 700 00:42:34.039 --> 00:42:37.920 your thought on that hypothetical. Ryan hasn't yet to fight for a major world 701 00:42:37.920 --> 00:42:40.800 title in his career yet anyway, So and I quiz him about the the 702 00:42:42.039 --> 00:42:45.960 the how important it was to in on our podcast that we did that I 703 00:42:46.079 --> 00:42:50.719 did with back in the build up to this fight, you know, And 704 00:42:50.800 --> 00:42:52.239 he's like, yeah, that is something that he would like to do, 705 00:42:52.320 --> 00:42:54.519 but it was it's not been the most important thing. It's about who he's 706 00:42:54.519 --> 00:42:58.039 fighting for that title. So for example, it was Regis Program, who 707 00:42:58.039 --> 00:43:00.639 I think most people would view as at work the second in the division. 708 00:43:01.079 --> 00:43:05.360 You know, Taylor maybe number one, he's lineal. He defeated Regis, 709 00:43:05.639 --> 00:43:07.679 although he you know, he hasn't fought for a while. He had a 710 00:43:07.880 --> 00:43:09.800 you know, pretty poor performance at his last fight. The point I'm saying 711 00:43:09.840 --> 00:43:13.719 here's this. You're right, Regis Probe is a promotional free agent. That 712 00:43:13.800 --> 00:43:15.960 is one hundred percent true, and him and him and Ryan Garcia would be 713 00:43:15.960 --> 00:43:19.920 a hell of a fight. But I don't see that necessarily being the next 714 00:43:19.960 --> 00:43:22.320 fight, but I think that would be a possibility. I mean, that's 715 00:43:22.360 --> 00:43:28.719 a great let me tell you something. That's a dynamite fight. They got 716 00:43:28.800 --> 00:43:31.480 good personalities, they're very marketable, they have, uh, you know, 717 00:43:31.639 --> 00:43:35.239 a good style to go together. But I mean, look, Ryan was 718 00:43:35.280 --> 00:43:36.880 like, I want to get back in the ring, give me like a 719 00:43:36.960 --> 00:43:39.239 few months. He's gonna be on a suspension anyway for taking the knockout, 720 00:43:39.280 --> 00:43:42.320 you know, for however long. That's probably sixty days before he can have 721 00:43:42.400 --> 00:43:45.239 contact anyway. You know, he just made a ton of money on Saturday 722 00:43:45.400 --> 00:43:47.840 night. He doesn't have to get back in the ring or right away. 723 00:43:47.880 --> 00:43:52.320 But yeah, well I'm very confident that we'll probably see Ryan Garcia back in 724 00:43:52.360 --> 00:43:53.960 the fall, and hopefully they can come up with a with a good name. 725 00:43:53.960 --> 00:43:57.960 He'll makers his true day. He's want to be his debut. One 726 00:43:58.079 --> 00:44:00.960 hundred and four he's fought two fights there, But go back to a good 727 00:44:00.960 --> 00:44:02.840 opponent and make a big show out of it and uh, you know, 728 00:44:02.920 --> 00:44:06.159 and whatever happens, then move on from there. And you know, to 729 00:44:06.199 --> 00:44:07.760 say you're automatical, you're gonna get a title shot, it's hard to say 730 00:44:07.800 --> 00:44:12.320 that because you know, even in a time when when there's non disputed champion,

731 00:44:12.360 --> 00:44:14.440 it's hard. But even when there's not a non disputed champan, you 732 00:44:14.480 --> 00:44:17.480 gotta pick that guy you can deal with. Regis WBA situation is going to 733 00:44:17.519 --> 00:44:22.239 be in flux because of the probable stripping of Alberto Playo that is coming up 734 00:44:22.320 --> 00:44:25.960 due to his failed drug test. Um. Who are the old champions in 735 00:44:25.960 --> 00:44:30.199 one hundred and forty pounds? I mean it's uh, they're not They're not 736 00:44:30.360 --> 00:44:32.119 necessarily finds that you can make right away. Who are I didn't remember off 737 00:44:32.119 --> 00:44:34.800 the top my head? With the other champions? Are? You got program? 738 00:44:35.159 --> 00:44:39.039 And uh and Taylor and obviously is fighting Taya Femo Lopez later this summer 739 00:44:39.079 --> 00:44:43.480 as well. Okay, so wayo is WBA. That's probably probably gonna be 740 00:44:43.599 --> 00:44:47.199 vacant or something's gonna happen there. Program's WBC. Taylor's WBO. Taylor's fighting 741 00:44:47.280 --> 00:44:52.639 Ta Femo in June. And who's the an IBF champion who should not be 742 00:44:52.679 --> 00:44:54.960 forgotten, not because he's a tremendous fighter. Also is Sabrill Matias with the 743 00:44:55.039 --> 00:44:59.320 big gut gut artist who doesn't have a fight scheduled. He's a PBC fighter, 744 00:44:59.840 --> 00:45:01.199 h and he's I know he's They've been looking around for fights for him. 745 00:45:01.800 --> 00:45:05.400 We'll see if he if he sticks with PBC or not. But you 746 00:45:05.480 --> 00:45:07.159 know, I don't necessarily see Ryan coming back and fighting for any of his 747 00:45:07.280 --> 00:45:10.159 belts in the next night. But Ryan Garcia is not a guy that you 748 00:45:10.239 --> 00:45:14.840 know as a fan, you'd like to see the best the champions. But 749 00:45:15.119 --> 00:45:17.480 he can fight significant fights and not necessarily have a title associated with it, 750 00:45:17.800 --> 00:45:23.039 as he did on Saturday Night with Tank Davis snow titles. Nobody cared good 751 00:45:23.159 --> 00:45:28.679 enough alright, immediately preceding that one, the co feature victory in just one 752 00:45:28.800 --> 00:45:32.000 round, you mocked me with good reason on Friday that I'm never gonna learn, 753 00:45:32.079 --> 00:45:36.360 I said Morrell. I said the under I said it could happen quickly, 754 00:45:36.440 --> 00:45:38.480 and it did. And I have to defer to you that you see 755 00:45:38.519 --> 00:45:43.360 the well, fine, but you see the opponents much more than I do. 756 00:45:43.519 --> 00:45:46.039 You made a strong case for why foul Cow could last a while. 757 00:45:46.719 --> 00:45:51.159 It did not happen. Morrell overwhelmed him. You were at ringside, go 758 00:45:51.639 --> 00:45:54.239 you saw it. You got the under and I'll just say that sometimes even 759 00:45:54.280 --> 00:46:00.519 a blind squirrel gets I will say this, that was a

thundering right hand 760 00:46:00.639 --> 00:46:06.239 over TV, tell me about that thundering right hand that ended it at ringside 761 00:46:06.280 --> 00:46:09.840 for Morrell with the knockout in the first round. It was a tremendous performance. 762 00:46:09.960 --> 00:46:14.440 David Morrell's a really good fighter. I mean he's He's a guy that 763 00:46:14.599 --> 00:46:17.000 came out of that massive amateur background who was able to move very quickly as 764 00:46:17.000 --> 00:46:22.920 a professional. Maybe not at the incredibly swift speed of like a Lomachenko, 765 00:46:22.000 --> 00:46:25.679 who was you know, fighting with major fighters and world champions and winning belts, 766 00:46:25.719 --> 00:46:30.679 you know, and like what three or four fights, But David Morrell 767 00:46:30.760 --> 00:46:32.039 is the real deal. Dabrell is not a guy to play with. He 768 00:46:32.199 --> 00:46:37.760 is a real He is a real deal. And as I as I mentioned 769 00:46:37.800 --> 00:46:39.159 I think in the preview, like I got a chance to meet him in 770 00:46:39.159 --> 00:46:44.000 person this week, and I just didn't realize how big he was for super 771 00:46:44.079 --> 00:46:45.960 middle he's a big dude, like I don't know how he gets into one 772 00:46:46.000 --> 00:46:49.320 hundred and how that body gets into a one hundred and sixty eight pounds. 773 00:46:50.280 --> 00:46:55.559 He's strong, he's powerful. He's got a tremendous background from his amateur days 774 00:46:55.559 --> 00:46:59.920 in Cuba. He's got that soul called the ring IQ. He's in great 775 00:47:00.039 --> 00:47:05.320 condition. He's got a really friendly, nice, chill, distant disposition about 776 00:47:05.400 --> 00:47:08.280 him, and he wants to fight big fights. He wants that challenge himself. 777 00:47:08.320 --> 00:47:12.639 He's not. I get the impression from talking to him briefly and hearing 778 00:47:12.679 --> 00:47:15.159 interviews with him and also talking to his team, doesn't not looking to protect 779 00:47:15.199 --> 00:47:19.599 his undefeated record. Wants to make the biggest fights possible. And uh, 780 00:47:19.719 --> 00:47:23.079 you know, if people were watching, they saw immediately after dispatched poor Yamagucci 781 00:47:23.159 --> 00:47:28.440 Falco so violently calling out David benavides right away. That's a great fight. 782 00:47:28.480 --> 00:47:32.199 They're both with PBC right on that point. How realistic is that? Would 783 00:47:32.440 --> 00:47:37.840 Navidez? Would Benavidez want that right now? As opposed to sitting in his 784 00:47:37.960 --> 00:47:40.559 perch and saying, I want Canelo give me some insight into that. Well, 785 00:47:40.599 --> 00:47:44.760 he's not. He's not, you know, he getting Canello. Is 786 00:47:44.800 --> 00:47:46.679 that, I think probably what every superman of weight would want because it's the 787 00:47:46.719 --> 00:47:50.039 biggest challenge, he's the champion, it's the most money. I mean, 788 00:47:50.079 --> 00:47:52.760 it checks all those boxes. But Cannelo Albarez, his year is pretty much 789 00:47:52.800 --> 00:47:58.800 spoken for. He's gonna fight John Ryder in a few weeks and then his 790 00:47:58.880 --> 00:48:00.920 fight that's going to be in September. That's not definite, but there's a 791 00:48:01.000 --> 00:48:04.679 probably a very strong likelihood that it's going to be a rematch against the major 792 00:48:04.719 --> 00:48:07.880 b ball and that means there wouldn't be a fight against any of these other 793 00:48:07.920 --> 00:48:12.559 guys. Now, Morrell is a Canelo mandatory as the WBA's a regular champion. 794 00:48:13.199 --> 00:48:16.800 David Benavides as the WBC's interim champion is maybe not technically the mandatory because 795 00:48:16.800 --> 00:48:20.719 they have to call the mandatory just because your interim doesn't mean you are the 796 00:48:20.760 --> 00:48:24.159 mandatory, but usually you become the mandatory in that position. And he certainly 797 00:48:25.320 --> 00:48:29.800 the best of the other guy guys in that in their rankings, let's say, 798 00:48:30.400 --> 00:48:32.079 and that's a fight that he would want also. But if you can't 799 00:48:32.119 --> 00:48:36.519 get the Canelo fight, and you in Tim Benavides this case, you already 800 00:48:36.639 --> 00:48:39.039 defeated Kayla Plant, probably the next best known guy in your way class, 801 00:48:39.440 --> 00:48:43.159 and you got this guy out there that's calling you out and it's a makeable 802 00:48:43.239 --> 00:48:46.119 fight, and you just put on a big event on pay per view with 803 00:48:46.320 --> 00:48:50.239 Kayla Plant and you know, made a good payday. And the thing about 804 00:48:50.239 --> 00:48:55.519 it is with David Morrell, his economic requirements to make the match are not 805 00:48:55.719 --> 00:48:59.920 going to be at the higher level the way that Caleb Plants was who made 806 00:49:00.079 --> 00:49:05.559 million dollars against Kennelo Alvarez. So if you're David Morrell, he's going to 807 00:49:05.599 --> 00:49:08.360 be respected for his position. Can make his biggest pay day in the millions, 808 00:49:09.039 --> 00:49:15.159 but still fall far short of what it was required to pay you know, 809 00:49:15.360 --> 00:49:19.519 other top opponents, like you know when Cannello paid Plant, you know, 810 00:49:19.559 --> 00:49:21.760 the ten dollion or so. So it's a makeuple fight, I believe 811 00:49:21.800 --> 00:49:24.920 economically, and I think both guys would take it. David Benavides has said 812 00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:28.840 to everybody that will listen, I'm not ducking anybody. I want to fight 813 00:49:28.880 --> 00:49:32.119 all the top guys. And for him, if he fought Morrell, you 814 00:49:32.239 --> 00:49:36.280 know, he get another belt. I mean, I don't know is a 815 00:49:36.360 --> 00:49:39.119 secondary WBA belt worth more than an ib WBC interro Belt. I have no 816 00:49:39.199 --> 00:49:42.480 idea,

but the point is no one's gonna really care about the belts. 817 00:49:42.559 --> 00:49:45.119 That's a great fight, and I'm gonna say it for the second time in 818 00:49:45.119 --> 00:49:47.400 about five minutes. Sign me up for that one, Benavidez and Morrell, 819 00:49:47.519 --> 00:49:52.280 and if you win, either Morrell or Benavidez, you are now the clear 820 00:49:52.440 --> 00:49:58.480 guy, the clear guy to be in line with Cannello Alvarez. I believe 821 00:49:58.519 --> 00:50:00.320 at one sixty eight you could maybe an argument for somebody else, but so 822 00:50:00.400 --> 00:50:04.159 I don't I don't know if it's definitely the next fight because they you know, 823 00:50:04.360 --> 00:50:07.000 Bena vEDS just fought on pay per view. That could be a fight 824 00:50:07.079 --> 00:50:10.159 that maybe showed time can afford to do on a regular show time potentially, 825 00:50:10.559 --> 00:50:15.400 But you have to remember also they're gonna have Demetris Andreid in the mix. 826 00:50:15.480 --> 00:50:20.360 Heres recent fight in January that took place on the Tank Davis Hector Louise Scarcia 827 00:50:20.440 --> 00:50:22.079 undercard, that was like the so called warm up fight, you know, 828 00:50:22.199 --> 00:50:27.800 welcome back to the sport after a layoff and a shoulder injury and changing to 829 00:50:28.159 --> 00:50:30.840 your new team. He's going to be in the mix to fight any of 830 00:50:30.840 --> 00:50:32.960 those guys. It wouldn't shock me at all if we saw Andrei get you 831 00:50:34.039 --> 00:50:37.719 know, a fight Morrell or with Benavides before the two of those guys fight 832 00:50:37.800 --> 00:50:42.000 each other. But there's definitely gonna be anticipation for that fight David and Morrell. 833 00:50:42.400 --> 00:50:46.079 And this may sound like something that won't people won't love this, And 834 00:50:46.239 --> 00:50:51.599 I don't advocate this often. Every so often you gotta be realistic, I'm 835 00:50:51.599 --> 00:50:54.760 not. I think David Merrell would be helped by having another one or two 836 00:50:55.199 --> 00:51:00.320 fights before he gets that fight. Like it does need to sign a like 837 00:51:00.480 --> 00:51:02.079 marinate a little bit. To use my name, Bob Aaron's phrase, not 838 00:51:02.199 --> 00:51:06.960 a lot. But you know, Morrell needs a little bit more attention to 839 00:51:07.039 --> 00:51:07.719 get to be known a little bit better, and they can make that a 840 00:51:07.840 --> 00:51:10.639 much bigger event. Um. I mean, I wouldn't if they make it 841 00:51:10.760 --> 00:51:14.159 right away. I'm I'm not gonna complain. I know who the guys are, 842 00:51:14.800 --> 00:51:17.960 but I understand that, you know, it does need mebe a little 843 00:51:19.039 --> 00:51:22.760 bit of cooking, if you will, not a lot. So I don't 844 00:51:22.840 --> 00:51:27.239 necessarily think that will be the next fight, but I do think that within 845 00:51:27.599 --> 00:51:29.679 one or two fights,

we're going to see that kind of thing. And 846 00:51:29.719 --> 00:51:32.760 the think about Morrel also is, uh, you know, he seems to 847 00:51:32.760 --> 00:51:37.400 be getting better, and you know won't You're gonna let's get him when you 848 00:51:37.440 --> 00:51:40.039 can get him if you can't. It's kind of like the philosophy I think 849 00:51:40.079 --> 00:51:44.039 that Floyd used when he fought Canello. Let me get him now when he's 850 00:51:44.039 --> 00:51:45.679 twenty two, when he's still kind of green and went behind the ears, 851 00:51:46.360 --> 00:51:50.119 and not wait another two years when he's going to be a real badass, 852 00:51:50.159 --> 00:51:52.880 even more than he already was. So that that could be sort of one 853 00:51:52.880 --> 00:51:54.800 of the things in that equation. But I'm gonna tell you something about David 854 00:51:54.800 --> 00:51:59.639 Morrell that I thought of when I watched him, the way he just fucking 855 00:51:59.679 --> 00:52:04.039 destroy in Falco. They have different styles. They're obviously not the same fighter. 856 00:52:04.159 --> 00:52:07.320 And and and David Zoe a big, big guy. The punching power 857 00:52:07.440 --> 00:52:13.599 reminded me of the super middleweight Roy Jones. I mean, and that's the 858 00:52:13.679 --> 00:52:17.159 highest compliment I can get. You're not saying he is Roy Jones. You're 859 00:52:17.199 --> 00:52:22.360 saying the punching power at one sixty eight, and of course Calzagi had big 860 00:52:22.400 --> 00:52:24.239 punching power two. You can compare those two. You're not saying he's one 861 00:52:24.280 --> 00:52:29.000 of those guys. I'm not saying that David Morel is Roy Jones at all. 862 00:52:29.119 --> 00:52:32.119 What I'm saying is that super middleweights with that kind of power. It 863 00:52:32.360 --> 00:52:36.760 just struck me. It's something that jumped into my mind when I saw the 864 00:52:36.800 --> 00:52:39.079 way he took him out. You know, Roy had devastating one punch power 865 00:52:39.119 --> 00:52:43.159 as a middleweight and as a super middleweight and even as a light heavyweight. 866 00:52:43.840 --> 00:52:46.840 And Morrell just the way he just destroyed him. I mean, and now 867 00:52:46.960 --> 00:52:50.599 I know it's Yamaguchi Falco. I'm not making it out like he was fighting, 868 00:52:50.639 --> 00:52:52.119 you know, a Hall of Famer or anything like that, but it's 869 00:52:52.119 --> 00:52:55.039 still impressive. That guy was a bronze medal winner in the Olympic Games. 870 00:52:55.079 --> 00:52:58.840 The guy won like eight fights in a row. He'd been very active. 871 00:52:59.239 --> 00:53:00.440 You know, he wasn't an old man. He was thirty four, which 872 00:53:00.480 --> 00:53:02.480 you know, it's not like a young spring chicken. But it's not like 873 00:53:02.519 --> 00:53:06.840 he's forty two or forty three. He didn't have a ton of wear and 874 00:53:06.880 --> 00:53:09.519 tear on him as a professional. So I and

I thought going in, 875 00:53:09.599 --> 00:53:13.760 I'm not gonna dinna runaway from my comment, I said, and I stand 876 00:53:13.840 --> 00:53:16.719 by it. That that Yamaguchi Faco was a better opponent on short notice than 877 00:53:16.760 --> 00:53:20.360 the original opponent of Senna Egbecco, and I will stick by that. So, 878 00:53:20.960 --> 00:53:22.880 uh, Count Me is impressed. I mean, I think David Morrell, 879 00:53:23.360 --> 00:53:28.000 with that smile of his, that he can communicate with everybody in English 880 00:53:28.079 --> 00:53:30.599 or in Spanish, with the team that he has around him, he's got 881 00:53:30.639 --> 00:53:34.039 a chance to be, you know, in some major fights for a while. 882 00:53:34.159 --> 00:53:38.599 He's he's a breath of freshman in this sport and for one of those 883 00:53:38.679 --> 00:53:43.159 big fights with him, all right, and quickly, anything else before we 884 00:53:43.280 --> 00:53:45.840 leave Las Vegas. Wasn't that a movie? Leaving Las Vegas? Before we 885 00:53:45.920 --> 00:53:47.679 leave Las Vegas? Before you leave Las Vegas, and we want to talk 886 00:53:47.719 --> 00:53:51.960 about the match room to Zonne main event in Wales. Anything else off the 887 00:53:52.079 --> 00:53:53.800 undercard, Well, I don't think we need to spend a lot of time 888 00:53:53.840 --> 00:53:58.559 on it. But just the back to bully fight, the rematch he had 889 00:53:58.599 --> 00:54:01.599 with Gabrielson out to revenge after getting absolutely smoked in a massive knockout in a 890 00:54:01.679 --> 00:54:07.760 huge upset a couple of fights ago by Rosotto and Rosalto. You know, 891 00:54:07.000 --> 00:54:09.960 that was a terrible fight. It was, as I tweeted a terrible, 892 00:54:10.079 --> 00:54:15.280 terrible, terrible fight back. It'll be you know, a gem for him 893 00:54:15.280 --> 00:54:16.599 because he got to win an avenge the fight. He said before the fight, 894 00:54:16.800 --> 00:54:20.400 I'd rather fight a rematch with Rosotto than have a world championship fight. 895 00:54:20.440 --> 00:54:22.800 That's how badly he wanted to get the uh, you know, get the 896 00:54:22.880 --> 00:54:25.400 win back that that you know that he lost in that fight against Rosalto and 897 00:54:25.599 --> 00:54:30.000 Rostto, Uh it is thirty seven and suffered another loss. He's now lost 898 00:54:30.000 --> 00:54:32.159 I believe five out of the last six. One win was that knockout against 899 00:54:32.519 --> 00:54:37.159 back And I was happy to hear Rosalto's post fight comments that us he just 900 00:54:37.440 --> 00:54:39.719 had no ability to catch up to him. He was a step behind, 901 00:54:40.039 --> 00:54:44.159 and while he didn't say I'm retired, he basically was like, it's time 902 00:54:44.199 --> 00:54:46.280 to stop and go teach the younger group. And you know what, Gab 903 00:54:46.320 --> 00:54:50.000 will probably wind up training guys or managing guys, and he'll do a fine 904 00:54:50.079 --> 00:54:52.000 job. And you know, and uh, he's a smart boxing guy and 905 00:54:52.039 --> 00:54:54.320 he knows his stuff. And I wish Gaber's out of the best. I 906 00:54:54.320 --> 00:54:57.199 mean, I know, I dumped all over this fight for a good reason, 907 00:54:57.440 --> 00:55:00.400 and it turned out to be an absolute perst shit fight. But I've 908 00:55:00.440 --> 00:55:02.400 always had respect for Gabe. He's a warrior and if he is in fact 909 00:55:02.440 --> 00:55:04.840 done, good for him. He was in some help, you know, 910 00:55:04.880 --> 00:55:07.639 some tremendous fight spot for world titles. You know, we had was one 911 00:55:07.639 --> 00:55:08.920 of the only guys that had the balls to fight Triple G when it has 912 00:55:08.920 --> 00:55:12.960 absolute best in middleway and uh, and gave a good go against him, 913 00:55:13.360 --> 00:55:15.679 and uh, you know what can you say? So good luck to Gabe 914 00:55:15.719 --> 00:55:19.360 and you know, beck to Bullie. Hopefully you know he learned his lesson 915 00:55:19.440 --> 00:55:22.440 a getting them that not got lost and we could seem a little more aggressive 916 00:55:22.480 --> 00:55:24.119 in his next fight. And in terms of the other fight that was the 917 00:55:24.199 --> 00:55:28.840 opener of the pay per view, Elijah Garcia. He looks so great against 918 00:55:28.840 --> 00:55:31.320 Alma karved Do with that win in his most recent fight before this one on 919 00:55:31.440 --> 00:55:37.199 Showtime, this one against Kevin Salgado, a much tougher struggle but a good, 920 00:55:37.440 --> 00:55:40.079 a good, solid win for an up and coming guy. I mean 921 00:55:40.119 --> 00:55:45.840 he's only nineteen years old Garcia. So that was a solid victory against a 922 00:55:45.920 --> 00:55:51.000 good professional and it wasn't easy. Started off slow. Salgado was there to 923 00:55:51.400 --> 00:55:52.880 bring it to him a little bit, and you know, it's definitely going 924 00:55:52.960 --> 00:55:54.880 to be the kind of fight that he learns from and I look forward to 925 00:55:54.880 --> 00:55:59.639 seeing him again. All Right, So now we move on to what was 926 00:55:59.719 --> 00:56:02.440 the best fight of the weekend, I believe, at least on the biggest 927 00:56:02.440 --> 00:56:09.679 stages, and that is Joe Cordina's narrow split decision victory over shov rock him 928 00:56:09.719 --> 00:56:15.199 Off for the IBF one hundred and thirty pound title. I was texting you 929 00:56:15.480 --> 00:56:19.159 because you were making your way into the arena and you were like, Hey, 930 00:56:19.239 --> 00:56:22.239 I'm trying to get set up, tell me what's going on? What's 931 00:56:22.280 --> 00:56:24.639 and I'm like, great fight, great fight, exclamation point, exclamation point, 932 00:56:27.280 --> 00:56:31.559 what a battle again? Cordina not unlike Tank Davis early knockdown scores, 933 00:56:31.599 --> 00:56:35.920 the early second round knockdown and you're wondering, is he

gonna knock him out? 934 00:56:36.239 --> 00:56:38.519 To his credit, rock him off out of the southpaw stance, remained 935 00:56:38.519 --> 00:56:44.119 aggressive, even fired back Dan Raphael in that second round and in the third 936 00:56:44.159 --> 00:56:47.599 and fourth round coming right back at Cordina. This has to be in the 937 00:56:47.679 --> 00:56:51.239 conversation. I'm not saying it is the fight of the year, but for 938 00:56:51.280 --> 00:56:52.000 the first half of the year, this has got to be in the top 939 00:56:52.079 --> 00:56:55.320 four or five fights of the first half of the year. Brow hotly contested 940 00:56:55.360 --> 00:56:59.800 it was, and it turns out that it's a split decision win by one 941 00:57:00.159 --> 00:57:05.440 point on the third and deciding card that wins it for Cordina, who lost 942 00:57:05.519 --> 00:57:08.719 his title as we well documented with a hand injury and hand surgery, gets 943 00:57:08.800 --> 00:57:12.480 the title right back by beating rock them all. This was a great fight. 944 00:57:12.679 --> 00:57:15.400 Enough of me, Tell me more about what you thought and what you 945 00:57:15.480 --> 00:57:19.639 saw of this one in Cardiff, Wales. Well, I was getting I 946 00:57:19.800 --> 00:57:22.199 was getting set up in the arena when that fight had started. So when 947 00:57:22.199 --> 00:57:25.320 I finally did get set up and I was able to log on to my 948 00:57:25.480 --> 00:57:29.800 laptop and check out his zone, you know, I picked it up. 949 00:57:29.800 --> 00:57:31.039 I want to say it about maybe like the fifth round or so something like 950 00:57:31.119 --> 00:57:35.400 that, And I have to confess I wasn't paying like like enough attention where 951 00:57:35.440 --> 00:57:37.119 I was scoring it on paper, but I was watching it, just enjoying 952 00:57:37.199 --> 00:57:40.199 it. And actually I think at that time there was a lull in the 953 00:57:40.679 --> 00:57:44.119 undercard in the arena, so it wasn't like there was another fight in the 954 00:57:44.199 --> 00:57:46.800 ring that was distracting me necessarily for at least part of it, and it 955 00:57:46.920 --> 00:57:49.679 was a hell of a fight, as you said, I mean, I 956 00:57:49.920 --> 00:57:52.440 expected a tough, hard fight. I've watched Cordina, I've watched rock him 957 00:57:52.480 --> 00:57:55.000 up a few times. I know he's tough as nails, got a good 958 00:57:55.039 --> 00:57:58.920 chin, and they inflicted a lot of damage on each other. And obviously 959 00:57:59.159 --> 00:58:01.559 Cordina came out looking much pressure, you know, rock Themof's face was all 960 00:58:01.559 --> 00:58:05.559 bruised up and everything. But those guys, they laid it off all out. 961 00:58:05.599 --> 00:58:08.480 They gave a great performance, a great show, very close fight as 962 00:58:08.519 --> 00:58:12.400 you mentioned. But I you know, again, I didn't score the fight 963 00:58:12.480 --> 00:58:15.920 on paper. For when I saw it, felt like Cordina was the winner, 964 00:58:15.079 --> 00:58:17.920 you know, in a close manner, and that's exactly what happened. 965 00:58:17.960 --> 00:58:21.960 And then when you put on top of the fact that he's fighting at home, 966 00:58:22.719 --> 00:58:24.840 you know that there's a reason why they called home field advantage in baseball, 967 00:58:24.880 --> 00:58:28.400 football, basketball, It's that case in boxing too. You got those 968 00:58:28.400 --> 00:58:30.800 fans, they know the judges are humans. But I felt like it was 969 00:58:30.920 --> 00:58:35.480 a hell of a fight, and and he should never have been stripped in 970 00:58:35.480 --> 00:58:37.920 the first place. So what's sort of like we're back where we started. 971 00:58:37.960 --> 00:58:39.480 In a way, he's the champions though in the IBF, and now he 972 00:58:39.559 --> 00:58:43.400 moves on to whatever he's gonna do next. So a couple of big points 973 00:58:43.679 --> 00:58:46.840 is that Cordina was certainly landing the harder right hands, but but rock him 974 00:58:46.840 --> 00:58:50.400 off in the middle of the fight. Seventh round, he suffered a cut, 975 00:58:50.480 --> 00:58:52.400 like you mentioned, his eyes starting to swell. He's battling back, 976 00:58:52.480 --> 00:58:58.440 and he actually stunned Cordina a couple of times in in the ninth round in 977 00:58:58.519 --> 00:59:01.960 particular, had him stunned. And then here we come to the dramatic finish. 978 00:59:02.000 --> 00:59:05.239 And what do we keep talking about all the time? You've talked about 979 00:59:05.239 --> 00:59:07.840 it for years. Go win the eleventh round, Go win the twelfth round 980 00:59:08.119 --> 00:59:13.599 to make sure. And it was big that he won the eleventh round in 981 00:59:13.760 --> 00:59:17.119 particular on all the cards, Cordina with some big uppercuts. There's a great 982 00:59:17.159 --> 00:59:21.840 photo free plug by the way, on Bigfight Weekend dot Com in the recap 983 00:59:21.920 --> 00:59:24.400 story of Cordina landing one of those uppercuts, which I think was probably in 984 00:59:24.440 --> 00:59:28.800 that eleventh round. Then in the twelfth round, one judge gave it to 985 00:59:28.880 --> 00:59:30.000 Cordina, but the other two gave it to rock him off. And this 986 00:59:30.079 --> 00:59:37.280 would be big in the split decision because it narrowed the English judge Dan Rayfield 987 00:59:37.320 --> 00:59:43.239 to a one point win. So he had Cordina up by two points going 988 00:59:43.280 --> 00:59:45.519 to the final round, but he gave Rock him off the final round. 989 00:59:45.679 --> 00:59:51.119 So that's interesting to make it a one point one fourteen one thirteen win. 990 00:59:51.239 --> 00:59:55.960 And the knockdown is the difference on that card not being a draw one fourteen 991 00:59:57.039 --> 01:00:00.360 one fourteen, then no one wins on the English judge card. The American 992 01:00:00.519 --> 01:00:05.519 judge interestingly gave

Rock them off eight of the rounds. I don't agree with 993 01:00:05.599 --> 01:00:09.079 that on the scoring. The Polish judge gave Rock them off only five rounds. 994 01:00:09.119 --> 01:00:14.840 Had it seven five or Cordina with the knockdown. And then one more 995 01:00:15.000 --> 01:00:21.280 dramatic moment is whoever was conveying and transcribing over to the bouts sheet for David 996 01:00:21.360 --> 01:00:25.400 Diamante to read as the as the PA announcer and for all the media to 997 01:00:25.480 --> 01:00:30.440 see the bouts sheet, whoever was transcribing that from the cards made a math 998 01:00:30.679 --> 01:00:32.079 error, Dan ray Field, and so there was a delay in the ring 999 01:00:32.119 --> 01:00:36.320 and I kept I kept saying to you, there's a delay, there's something 1000 01:00:36.400 --> 01:00:42.239 going on with the scoring. And the math error was that person transcribing put 1001 01:00:42.480 --> 01:00:47.960 under Phil Edwards scorecard one sixteen one thirteen instead of one fourteen one thirteen, 1002 01:00:49.239 --> 01:00:52.119 and the math didn't add up, so they had to go back over every 1003 01:00:52.280 --> 01:00:55.679 round. Obviously, do the math. What's his card say? And it's 1004 01:00:55.800 --> 01:01:00.320 one fourteen one thirteen is what it was about. Go ahead. It didn't 1005 01:01:00.400 --> 01:01:05.400 change the outcome. I have seen I've seen fights where they announced a score 1006 01:01:05.719 --> 01:01:07.320 and they realized an error and it actually changed as a result. I mean, 1007 01:01:07.360 --> 01:01:13.440 there's a very famous example when h was a WBC lightweight title fight between 1008 01:01:13.800 --> 01:01:19.159 was the rematch between Stevie Johnston against Jose Louis Castillo, and uh, it 1009 01:01:19.320 --> 01:01:22.519 was in Stevie Johnson's hometown of Denver. He thought he had regained the title. 1010 01:01:22.920 --> 01:01:27.079 It turned out that from memory is correct, this is maybe I need 1011 01:01:28.840 --> 01:01:31.800 my memory is Castillo had taken the title from Stevie Johnson in the first place 1012 01:01:31.920 --> 01:01:36.719 when they had a rematch in Denver, Stevie's hometown. I guess they announced 1013 01:01:36.800 --> 01:01:37.679 him as the winner of the fight and they gave him the title back, 1014 01:01:38.039 --> 01:01:42.239 and then they realized after they went over the scorecards, in fact it was 1015 01:01:42.280 --> 01:01:45.239 a draw and they give the title back. So you said it would have 1016 01:01:45.280 --> 01:01:46.840 been drawn, nobody would have won. The reality is some boxing in a 1017 01:01:46.920 --> 01:01:50.039 draw, if you're the champion, it's really like a win, even if 1018 01:01:50.039 --> 01:01:52.559 it's dig because you've keep the title. And that's what happened in rock them 1019 01:01:52.559 --> 01:01:54.559 off. If they had been there that I got a more famous one. 1020 01:01:54.559 --> 01:01:58.199 I'm gonna make you smile our man, wink you right, one of my 1021 01:01:58.280 --> 01:02:01.320 all time favorite Where I'm coming. I just jawged you. He fought in 1022 01:02:01.440 --> 01:02:06.159 the UK and it's Herbie Hide. Do I get five on his points? 1023 01:02:06.400 --> 01:02:08.440 What's the name David Hide? No, David Hides the heavyweight. Who's the 1024 01:02:08.800 --> 01:02:14.599 who's the fighter? Anyway? They are now stop step stop. Herbie Hides 1025 01:02:14.599 --> 01:02:17.519 a fucking heavyweight, number one, a heavyweight. Well that's yeah. Winky 1026 01:02:17.639 --> 01:02:22.440 Wright had the controversial fight. I believe you're thinking of a fight that was 1027 01:02:22.519 --> 01:02:27.719 in Namibia in Africa against Harry Simon. Harry Simon, Okay, that sounds 1028 01:02:27.800 --> 01:02:32.320 right. They announced Winky as the winner. They celebrate, they do the 1029 01:02:32.440 --> 01:02:37.519 interviews, they're back in the locker room celebrating because Dan Birmingham told me it's 1030 01:02:37.519 --> 01:02:39.679 the most heartbreaking thing I've ever been through in my life. They come in 1031 01:02:39.800 --> 01:02:44.519 the room and tell him you didn't win. One of the cards is wrong 1032 01:02:44.639 --> 01:02:49.639 and we got to take the belt back from you. That literally happened on 1033 01:02:49.760 --> 01:02:52.639 a bad scorecard while we just digressed. Okay, so I didn't get the 1034 01:02:52.719 --> 01:02:54.760 name right off the top of I'm not as good off the top of my 1035 01:02:54.840 --> 01:03:00.159 head as you without looking at in the morning, and I'm coming up and 1036 01:03:00.239 --> 01:03:05.719 fucking that maybe a Harry and heard behind. What the fuck is wrong with 1037 01:03:05.880 --> 01:03:07.760 me? I know yet, because you are who you are. But again, 1038 01:03:08.000 --> 01:03:14.440 Cordina deserves a tremendous amount of credit because rock him Off was hanging in 1039 01:03:14.559 --> 01:03:15.239 there. I mean, you want to know how much this men, and 1040 01:03:15.280 --> 01:03:20.360 I texted this to you. Rock him off in tears in his corner after 1041 01:03:20.440 --> 01:03:23.280 the decision. I mean I'm not talking about a tear rolling down his cheek. 1042 01:03:23.599 --> 01:03:28.119 He is sobbing in the corner, holding on to one of his cornerman 1043 01:03:28.199 --> 01:03:31.119 and beside Freddie roach on how how badly he wanted to win this fight and 1044 01:03:31.199 --> 01:03:36.599 he lost by a one point split decision to lose the title. All Right, 1045 01:03:36.679 --> 01:03:39.079 so here's the thoughts. Give me your thoughts on I'm still stuck on 1046 01:03:39.119 --> 01:03:43.119 winky right against Harry Simon because that fight. I just as we're talking, 1047 01:03:43.280 --> 01:03:45.000 right, I looked it up if I was in nineteen ninety eight, that 1048 01:03:45.039 --> 01:03:47.480 fights twenty five years ago. And I have to tell because I don't think 1049 01:03:47.519 -->

01:03:51.800 a lot of people even know you mentioned Dan Birmingham. I know him, 1050 01:03:51.840 --> 01:03:54.159 you know him. I don't know if a lot of our listeners because you 1051 01:03:54.239 --> 01:03:59.360 know, he's not the commonest name in boxing these r Dan Birmingham as the 1052 01:03:59.400 --> 01:04:01.480 trainer for Winky Wright and one of the one of the top trainers from a 1053 01:04:01.519 --> 01:04:05.719 long time trained uh you know other fighters, Jeff Lacy, President Day c 1054 01:04:06.000 --> 01:04:10.559 Thurman, Yep, exactly. So that's who Dan Birmingham is. And Dan 1055 01:04:10.719 --> 01:04:16.559 is uh personally speaking, he's one of my favorite trainers. I've known that 1056 01:04:16.639 --> 01:04:20.920 story. But any but anyway, it was back to Cordina. Uh. 1057 01:04:23.519 --> 01:04:27.800 It's a great win for him against a good quality opponent. He should never 1058 01:04:27.880 --> 01:04:30.119 have lost the title in the first place. Now we've got it back and 1059 01:04:30.519 --> 01:04:33.280 uh, you know the we'll see what happens with him. I mean, 1060 01:04:33.360 --> 01:04:38.760 he's he's he's gonna he's a good draw, he's an exciting guy. He's 1061 01:04:38.760 --> 01:04:42.480 got an undefeated record. He was an Olympian with a great background he's now 1062 01:04:42.639 --> 01:04:45.639 gonna become or he is. I believe that with this title and having overcome 1063 01:04:45.719 --> 01:04:50.280 that very tough fight as well as the spectacular fight that he had previously against 1064 01:04:50.320 --> 01:04:54.000 odd would win the title in the first place before the hand injury and that 1065 01:04:54.079 --> 01:04:57.760 got him stripped. He's now got to be considered one of the stalwarts of 1066 01:04:58.559 --> 01:05:01.599 of the guys who are champions in the matchroom boxing stable because he checks the 1067 01:05:01.639 --> 01:05:05.840 boxes, world title, undefeated and a hometown crowd that will support him hand. 1068 01:05:06.159 --> 01:05:10.519 You know, from the point of view of non people that live in 1069 01:05:11.000 --> 01:05:13.880 Wales, he's exciting to watch. Who wouldn't want to watch Joe Cordina fight 1070 01:05:14.280 --> 01:05:16.440 And it was interesting in the post fight interview that he said this, and 1071 01:05:16.480 --> 01:05:19.119 I don't know how much you got to hear too, Eddie Hearn. I 1072 01:05:19.199 --> 01:05:23.599 got three questions for you, Eddie. The first one, have I earned 1073 01:05:23.679 --> 01:05:27.000 the stadium fight? He wants to fight in the stadium where they have had 1074 01:05:27.079 --> 01:05:30.719 world heavyweight title fights, Kalzagi has fought there. They were in the arena 1075 01:05:30.800 --> 01:05:33.760 that was electric in Cardiff and Eddie said yes, And he said, and 1076 01:05:33.840 --> 01:05:38.719 now are you buying me my Rolex? I want my Rolex And so that 1077 01:05:38.920 --> 01:05:42.039 Eddie's going we didn't have that arrangement for this fight. He goes, no 1078 01:05:42.280 --> 01:05:45.800 mate, gold gold facing rolex. He had him on the spot, Dan 1079 01:05:45.079 --> 01:05:49.320 that he wanted a gold gold facing rolex from Eddie Hearn after winning that, 1080 01:05:49.440 --> 01:05:53.679 so Cordinas stock definitely going up and Eddie did agree ed. He said, 1081 01:05:53.679 --> 01:05:58.360 Okay, I'll get you the rolex after this. I'm with you. I'm 1082 01:05:58.400 --> 01:06:00.599 with you, and game by the way, third time on the podcast, 1083 01:06:00.639 --> 01:06:02.280 we'll say, sign me up for Cordina, rock them off too if it's 1084 01:06:02.320 --> 01:06:05.119 a rematch. I don't know if it's the next fight for these two guys, 1085 01:06:05.559 --> 01:06:11.400 but that was highly entertaining and dramatic and at the end, for sure, 1086 01:06:11.480 --> 01:06:15.760 I'll tell you one thing. Nobody knows one hundred percent, but I'd 1087 01:06:15.800 --> 01:06:17.079 say it's one hundred and one percent that it won't be a rematch with rock 1088 01:06:17.159 --> 01:06:19.840 him up next, no chance or doing the next right, right right. 1089 01:06:20.039 --> 01:06:23.920 For one reason, they don't, They're not obligated to it, not take 1090 01:06:24.000 --> 01:06:27.880 money fight, relatively speaking, they don't. I'm gonna go back to a 1091 01:06:27.920 --> 01:06:30.760 phrase I've often used at this moment, and then we don't need that man 1092 01:06:30.840 --> 01:06:33.119 in our life, Rocky, Rocky, We don't need this man in our 1093 01:06:33.159 --> 01:06:38.360 lives. Okay, you're almost You're almost done. You're almost on the way 1094 01:06:38.400 --> 01:06:43.239 to the airport as Dan again is doing this before departing again against say leaving 1095 01:06:43.320 --> 01:06:47.880 Las Vegas, after Garcia and Davis, after Tank Davis's knockout win. Um, 1096 01:06:48.239 --> 01:06:53.039 do we even want to go here with the with the Don King Adrian 1097 01:06:53.119 --> 01:06:57.840 Broner pressor that neither one of them show up to what's the name of the 1098 01:06:57.880 --> 01:07:00.679 opponent. It's Hutchinson, right, that's the name of the hone it he 1099 01:07:00.880 --> 01:07:04.639 got me. He got off an all time classic zing where he is a 1100 01:07:04.840 --> 01:07:08.480 lawyer? Did you know this before? I didn't know this. He's a 1101 01:07:08.559 --> 01:07:12.360 lawyer and he said I'll represent Adrian Broner after this is all over with for 1102 01:07:12.440 --> 01:07:15.239 this whole mess, I'm like, this is phenomenal from the guy he's supposed 1103 01:07:15.280 --> 01:07:18.559 to fight. King doesn't show up and Broner doesn't show up to their own 1104 01:07:18.599 --> 01:07:24.480 press conference. What is give me more real quick? I'm gonna say this 1105 01:07:24.519 --> 01:07:26.320 and then we're moving on. I do not want to spend a lot of 1106 01:07:26.360 --> 01:07:28.599 time on this place. I obviously it was in Las Vegas. I

was 1107 01:07:28.679 --> 01:07:31.719 invited to the press conference. Uh, the PR person that was involved who 1108 01:07:31.719 --> 01:07:34.679 I've known for forever, Ed Keenan, who's a does a great job, 1109 01:07:34.960 --> 01:07:39.119 has been working this event for Don and I said, Eddie a baby, 1110 01:07:39.280 --> 01:07:42.239 I love you. Man. I ain't coming to the press conference because to 1111 01:07:42.360 --> 01:07:45.679 go to a press conference on a Saturday morning of a major fight where you 1112 01:07:45.719 --> 01:07:47.960 know it's gonna be like a fifteen hour day, and I'm not complaining, 1113 01:07:48.000 --> 01:07:50.159 but I'm just right, I'm gonna give up my morning and I got all 1114 01:07:50.239 --> 01:07:54.719 things new to prepare for the fight, and you know all that, especially 1115 01:07:54.800 --> 01:07:57.320 when it wasn't even in the hotel we're all staying, so you gotta slept 1116 01:07:57.360 --> 01:07:59.599 over to the other hotel, which is a pain in the neck, and 1117 01:08:00.239 --> 01:08:01.960 then you're gonna sit through the long press covers. And honestly, I don't 1118 01:08:01.960 --> 01:08:05.679 give a shit about Adrian Broner fighting Bill Hutchinson. Who cares? Honestly, 1119 01:08:05.840 --> 01:08:09.920 I mean, I'm not I'm not knocking him, but they can. Apparently 1120 01:08:10.119 --> 01:08:14.159 Adrian doesn't care that much because he didn't show up. So here's the point. 1121 01:08:14.599 --> 01:08:17.560 So a couple of things about that. So I got another reminder of 1122 01:08:17.600 --> 01:08:20.479 press release that had a link to it. You could click the stream if 1123 01:08:20.479 --> 01:08:23.119 you wanted to watch press cover, so I figure, you know what, 1124 01:08:23.399 --> 01:08:25.600 I'll check it out for a couple of minutes and see what's going on, 1125 01:08:25.800 --> 01:08:28.880 even though if I'm not going to go over there. The stream wasn't working, 1126 01:08:29.279 --> 01:08:32.159 okay now, as I realized later on, and it said, you 1127 01:08:32.239 --> 01:08:36.079 know, come to the press covers Adrian Broner and Don King, you know, 1128 01:08:36.119 --> 01:08:41.359 breakfast to serve whatever. No thank you, But Don didn't show up. 1129 01:08:41.720 --> 01:08:44.720 But they knew about it on Thursday or Friday. I guess it wasn't 1130 01:08:44.720 --> 01:08:46.880 gonna show up. Apparently Don had some kind of I don't know if it 1131 01:08:46.960 --> 01:08:50.560 was his back, some kind of something that kept him from flying that the 1132 01:08:50.680 --> 01:08:54.239 doctor was like, don't fly, So he wasn't gonna show up. I 1133 01:08:54.279 --> 01:08:57.079 don't know who was going to take his place, because nobody can take Don's 1134 01:08:57.119 --> 01:09:00.439 King's place. But then Broner doesn't trump. It's his own god m event. 1135 01:09:00.119 --> 01:09:02.399 So if he doesn't give a shit, why should I care? I 1136 01:09:02.479 --> 01:09:08.600 mean, Adrian Broner, I mean, listen, he's got so many issues. 1137 01:09:08.840 --> 01:09:11.800 I don't wish bad on the guy at all. I wish him peace 1138 01:09:12.279 --> 01:09:15.319 and harmony in his life, but you can't not show up for your own 1139 01:09:15.319 --> 01:09:20.439 Prescurrants and as as my pal Jake Donovan from Boxing Scene tweeted, I thought 1140 01:09:20.479 --> 01:09:24.399 this was absolutely hilarious and if Jake is listening, God bless you for this 1141 01:09:24.439 --> 01:09:28.760 tweet. He said something to the effect of thoughts and prayers for those who 1142 01:09:28.800 --> 01:09:30.920 showed up for the don King Ajor and Broner Prescarmants. They weren't They didn't 1143 01:09:30.920 --> 01:09:33.319 bother to show up, you know, for those who wasted their time, 1144 01:09:33.319 --> 01:09:36.199 and there were people that went to cover it, you know, to take 1145 01:09:36.319 --> 01:09:40.960 video and to do things, and you know, it's just another example of 1146 01:09:41.039 --> 01:09:45.720 how and again there's so many times in this sport where boxing media is just 1147 01:09:45.840 --> 01:09:49.199 so utterly disrespected. We're big boys, but you know, if you're going 1148 01:09:49.279 --> 01:09:53.319 to be disrespectful to us, why are we going to be respectful to you? 1149 01:09:54.520 --> 01:09:57.920 Amen. All right, let's move on one final piece of nostalgia. 1150 01:09:58.000 --> 01:10:00.359 And we have talked about this before, and you even talk about it a 1151 01:10:00.399 --> 01:10:05.119 couple of weeks ago, about three weeks ago when the Hahmed Berrera fight happened, 1152 01:10:05.960 --> 01:10:11.439 that they were also filming the Ocean's eleven scenes for the robbery with the 1153 01:10:11.560 --> 01:10:15.600 Fictitious. At that time, Lennox Lewis Klitchko fight, and then a couple 1154 01:10:15.640 --> 01:10:20.479 of weeks later, Lennox Lewis was actually fighting against Hassim Rachman in South Africa. 1155 01:10:20.880 --> 01:10:25.960 All right, the twenty second anniversary was Saturday, April twenty second of 1156 01:10:26.039 --> 01:10:30.439 two thousand and one. We have talked about this on the press cont on 1157 01:10:30.520 --> 01:10:33.640 This Up podcast before, but we might as well bring it up just briefly 1158 01:10:33.680 --> 01:10:36.439 for this audience. You were not at that fight in the middle of the 1159 01:10:36.520 --> 01:10:42.720 night in South Africa. However, you got friends of yours tickets to be 1160 01:10:42.840 --> 01:10:45.880 able to go and see it. Just give me the quick version of how 1161 01:10:45.960 --> 01:10:47.880 that came about, because my god, they were part of a shocking heavyweight 1162 01:10:47.960 --> 01:10:54.199 one punch knockout upset of the of the world champion, Lennox Lewis. So, 1163 01:10:54.920 --> 01:10:59.840 I have one of my closest friends from why met in seventh grade and 1164 01:11:00.439 --> 01:11:04.319 we've been friends for all that

time, And to say that she and her 1165 01:11:04.399 --> 01:11:10.359 husband are not sports fans is like an understatement they don't. I joke with 1166 01:11:10.479 --> 01:11:13.720 her sometimes like I don't know if you'd know the difference between a baseball and 1167 01:11:13.800 --> 01:11:18.159 a basketball not sports fans. Beautiful people not sports fans, which is fine 1168 01:11:18.239 --> 01:11:24.960 to each their own So they were working for a pharmaceutical company and they were 1169 01:11:25.039 --> 01:11:29.640 relocating to South Africa for a couple of years to do some work in that 1170 01:11:29.840 --> 01:11:34.680 particular area of where that company was, and they moved to Johannesburg about three 1171 01:11:34.760 --> 01:11:40.000 weeks. I want to if my memory served three weeks before the Rockman fight 1172 01:11:40.039 --> 01:11:45.399 against Lennox Lewis, and I had been speaking to Steve Nelson, who was 1173 01:11:45.520 --> 01:11:48.680 the longtime co manager of Hassim Rockman, and this is I must have been 1174 01:11:48.720 --> 01:11:51.199 doing a story before the fight. I was working at USA Today at the 1175 01:11:51.279 --> 01:11:55.319 time, and I remember Steve was like saying, oh my god, you 1176 01:11:55.359 --> 01:11:59.199 know we're going to you know, Rockman. I guess was already in South 1177 01:11:59.239 --> 01:12:00.920 Africa. He spent like a month there, I think, training before the 1178 01:12:00.960 --> 01:12:04.600 fight, and they were talking about how, you know, nobody's gonna be 1179 01:12:04.600 --> 01:12:10.479 there rooting for us where it's like that that me my partners, Dan Hoffman, 1180 01:12:10.520 --> 01:12:14.640 our promoter who at the time was Cedra Kushner Rockman and maybe like Rockman's 1181 01:12:14.680 --> 01:12:16.520 brother. They had nobody coming to the fight, and He's like, you 1182 01:12:16.560 --> 01:12:19.119 know, the funny thing is we ended up because of our contract. I 1183 01:12:19.159 --> 01:12:21.479 think they gave us like a dozen tickets. We don't have anybody to give 1184 01:12:21.520 --> 01:12:24.800 them to. That's how nobody's gonna be cheering for us. I go, 1185 01:12:25.000 --> 01:12:26.840 that's that's unfortunately, he goes. It's funny, you know, I have 1186 01:12:26.880 --> 01:12:29.399 actually and I just mentioned this because it was in the conversation. Say, 1187 01:12:29.439 --> 01:12:32.159 you know two of my two good friends of mine, my friend from high 1188 01:12:32.159 --> 01:12:35.039 school and and her husband, they literally just moved to South Africa, to 1189 01:12:35.159 --> 01:12:38.840 Johannesburg, you know, a few weeks ago. And he was like, 1190 01:12:38.880 --> 01:12:40.840 well, dud, they wanted to go to the fight. I was like, 1191 01:12:40.960 --> 01:12:43.920 seriously, I was like, well, let me, I'll ask. 1192 01:12:43.960 --> 01:12:46.119 Because he goes, he goes. Believe me, we have no use for 1193 01:12:46.199 --> 01:12:48.520 these tickets. We can't do anything with him. We have nobody coming to 1194 01:12:48.560 --> 01:12:53.840 support us, so they're just gonna go unused. I'll said, I'll ask. 1195 01:12:53.920 --> 01:12:56.359 You know, I thought, you know, they're they're they're adventurous, 1196 01:12:56.359 --> 01:12:59.479 maybe they'd be interested. Now the fight was taking place in this casino on 1197 01:12:59.560 --> 01:13:01.319 the out it's a Johannesburg, which is a place that's hosted plenty of boxing 1198 01:13:01.640 --> 01:13:06.920 events called what is it called in Kempton, Kempton Emperor's Palace. I want 1199 01:13:06.960 --> 01:13:09.880 to say or is that what it? I forget if that was the one. 1200 01:13:10.199 --> 01:13:13.399 In anyway, it's a it's a casino on the outskirts of Johannesburg. 1201 01:13:14.000 --> 01:13:16.399 In any event, I talked to my friend and I was like, listen, 1202 01:13:16.520 --> 01:13:19.600 I know you guys aren't sports fans, but there's a big boxing match. 1203 01:13:19.680 --> 01:13:23.119 It's taking place at this casino near where you guys are gonna be living, 1204 01:13:23.359 --> 01:13:26.600 probably like a half an hour from where they were heavyweight championship. I 1205 01:13:26.640 --> 01:13:29.119 mean, are there any interesting going to see a boxing match? And she 1206 01:13:29.199 --> 01:13:30.920 kind of thought for saying, it's like, you know, that actually sounds 1207 01:13:30.960 --> 01:13:33.920 pretty cool, Okay, So I said, you know, if it's if 1208 01:13:33.920 --> 01:13:36.840 it's no trouble, you know, put them down. So they went and 1209 01:13:38.039 --> 01:13:42.000 and remember the fight took place at normal American prime time ten thirty or so 1210 01:13:42.119 --> 01:13:45.560 at I in the United States, but for the live HBO broadcast, which 1211 01:13:45.640 --> 01:13:47.279 was paying the bulk of the money for the event, took place like five 1212 01:13:47.319 --> 01:13:50.319 in the morning. Rasberg I told her, I said, listen, just 1213 01:13:50.439 --> 01:13:53.319 so you know, it's not like you're gonna go to have dinner and then 1214 01:13:53.399 --> 01:13:55.800 go to the show. This is you know, the fights at like five 1215 01:13:55.840 --> 01:13:58.720 am. She said that actually makes it even more of like an adventure. 1216 01:13:58.760 --> 01:14:00.960 So you know, I've heard the story like driving across the savannah of of 1217 01:14:01.079 --> 01:14:03.640 South Africa to get to the casino. But anyway, so they go to 1218 01:14:03.720 --> 01:14:10.000 the fight, and I always remember this. I was watching in my part, 1219 01:14:10.039 --> 01:14:15.239 you know, in my townhouse in northern Virginia, and she called me 1220 01:14:16.279 --> 01:14:20.239 from the arena. You could hear the background noise, like the crowd, 1221 01:14:20.640 --> 01:14:26.840 Hey boy, we're having a great time. Who's winning. I'm like, 1222 01:14:26.960 --> 01:14:29.399 well, I was just like in between rounds,

as you relate the story 1223 01:14:29.439 --> 01:14:31.680 before, it's in between rounds, before the knockout. I said, well, 1224 01:14:31.720 --> 01:14:33.840 you can't. It's boxing. You don't know who you can know if 1225 01:14:33.880 --> 01:14:36.399 you think you're watching, you can say who you think is winning, but 1226 01:14:36.560 --> 01:14:40.279 you actually know who's winning. Until two things happened. Either A they read 1227 01:14:40.319 --> 01:14:43.840 the scorecards after twelve rounds or b you see somebody laying on the canvas, 1228 01:14:44.119 --> 01:14:46.560 you know, as sort of joking and she's okay, So now two rounds 1229 01:14:46.640 --> 01:14:49.880 later or whatever. It was Rockman full, you know, just Knox Lennox 1230 01:14:49.960 --> 01:14:53.640 lewis into one of the men and he wins the heavyweight championship, one of 1231 01:14:53.640 --> 01:14:57.880 the biggest upsets in heavyweight history, a humongous event for boxing, and it 1232 01:14:58.039 --> 01:15:00.840 was. It was at the time, thought it was gonna completely derailed the 1233 01:15:00.920 --> 01:15:02.760 notion of Lennox Lewis against Mike Tyson, which was the biggest fight in the 1234 01:15:02.800 --> 01:15:05.720 world at that moment. I remember Rockman running around the rings screaming, no 1235 01:15:05.800 --> 01:15:11.640 more Lewis and Tyson, uh, like crazy, and then he wins the 1236 01:15:11.680 --> 01:15:14.479 title. Now they were on their way home. Now it's the middle of 1237 01:15:14.560 --> 01:15:16.800 night, but I was still away. She calls me again and tells me 1238 01:15:16.960 --> 01:15:19.600 like that was incredible, and I was, you know, it was a 1239 01:15:19.680 --> 01:15:23.279 lot of fun. Thank you for hooking it up. I said, do 1240 01:15:23.319 --> 01:15:27.039 you realize what you saw? I had to explain like you just saw. 1241 01:15:27.760 --> 01:15:31.000 I mean they understood, um, you know, uh intellectually we saw that 1242 01:15:31.239 --> 01:15:34.439 there's a new heavyweight champion. But I had to sort of impress on them 1243 01:15:34.520 --> 01:15:38.800 like that was not just any old like fight where a guy wins a belt 1244 01:15:38.880 --> 01:15:43.039 or whatever. This was like a huge upset and had you not a belt. 1245 01:15:43.439 --> 01:15:47.840 The heavyweight championship changed hands in a in a very dramatic manner, in 1246 01:15:47.920 --> 01:15:54.960 a highly unusual way, in an very exotic location for uh that era of 1247 01:15:55.079 --> 01:15:58.079 boxing and uh, you know. So, yeah, my friends went to 1248 01:15:58.119 --> 01:16:01.800 see the heavyweight championship, and as everybody knows, I'm a big boxing collector 1249 01:16:01.880 --> 01:16:08.199 of memorabilia, my requirement for the ticket and that requirement I was joking, 1250 01:16:08.239 --> 01:16:10.399 but I was like, kids, you get me a program and maybe a 1251 01:16:10.479 --> 01:16:12.960 poster. And they got me hooked up with my material

and sent it off. 1252 01:16:13.000 --> 01:16:15.560 And so my Hassim Rockman, which I tweeted the other day and have 1253 01:16:15.640 --> 01:16:17.479 it in my I don't know if I put it in my newsletter, but 1254 01:16:17.560 --> 01:16:20.479 I tweeted a picture. You can check my Twitter or my Instagram or whatever. 1255 01:16:21.319 --> 01:16:28.239 The program from South Africa from Rockman Lewis one twenty two years ago on 1256 01:16:28.439 --> 01:16:32.239 Saturday. Amazing, amazing and a great story with all of that that you've 1257 01:16:32.279 --> 01:16:39.000 relaid now a couple of different times because of the story that you mentioned at 1258 01:16:39.039 --> 01:16:43.319 the top of this discussion about how he was in Las Vegas doing the Oceans 1259 01:16:43.359 --> 01:16:47.479 eleven movie when I saw how uninterested he was in fighting against Hassim Rockman, 1260 01:16:47.720 --> 01:16:51.800 as well as my good pal Emmanuel Stewart and Lennox Lewis's trainer, they were 1261 01:16:51.880 --> 01:16:55.840 much more interested in being movie stars. And as I have said before, 1262 01:16:56.319 --> 01:16:58.840 you know, being on the set of The Ocean's Love and Film for a 1263 01:16:58.920 --> 01:17:02.359 day because I was doing interviews with the Clitch right right. So when I 1264 01:17:02.399 --> 01:17:05.399 see Lennox lewis like in the commissary where they had it set up for all 1265 01:17:05.399 --> 01:17:09.880 the folks involved with the fight, and he's like eating doritos and being a 1266 01:17:09.960 --> 01:17:13.039 movie star. And Rockman's been in South Africa already for like three weeks, 1267 01:17:13.279 --> 01:17:16.800 you know, training in a cave at six thousand feet altitude. I made 1268 01:17:17.039 --> 01:17:19.680 what I still consider to this day. I mean, we pick fights every 1269 01:17:19.720 --> 01:17:23.399 single week on the beat Us Show. We pick fights every single week, 1270 01:17:23.439 --> 01:17:25.840 even if we're not doing a bet Us show. My greatest pick of my 1271 01:17:26.119 --> 01:17:30.399 entire time as a boxing reporter was picking Rockman buy knockout in that fighting you 1272 01:17:30.560 --> 01:17:33.720 called it, Hey one more. We did not rehearse this, And I 1273 01:17:33.840 --> 01:17:36.000 know you want to go because you're fatigue and you want to get to the 1274 01:17:36.079 --> 01:17:42.680 airport. But if I'm going in the chronology, Leon Spinks beats Muhammad Ali, 1275 01:17:42.880 --> 01:17:45.399 not a knockout, but he beats him. That was out of nowhere. 1276 01:17:45.680 --> 01:17:48.039 I mean, Spinks had been an Olympic champion, but that was out 1277 01:17:48.079 --> 01:17:51.359 of nowhere. It's for the heavyweight title. We moved forward to the all 1278 01:17:51.479 --> 01:17:57.119 time upset, which is Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson. That's a knockout. 1279 01:17:57.640 --> 01:18:02.800 Then we moved forward to Andy Ruey besides this one knocking out Anthony Joshua 1280 01:18:03.199 --> 01:18:09.600 along with Rockman knocking out Lewis. Where does Dan Raypael rank. It's not 1281 01:18:09.720 --> 01:18:14.600 gonna beat Buster Douglas, but where does Dan Raphael rank the Rockman knockout versus 1282 01:18:14.760 --> 01:18:19.600 Ruise over Joshua and Spinks beating Ali. What would you what would you say 1283 01:18:19.640 --> 01:18:25.640 to that? I was a kid when the when the Ali Leon Spins thing 1284 01:18:25.720 --> 01:18:29.319 happened. I remember it because Leon Spinks became an overnight sensation and just you 1285 01:18:29.399 --> 01:18:31.000 know, he was on the cover of every magazine and every newspaper, at 1286 01:18:31.039 --> 01:18:34.800 every newscast, every TV program, you know, on every talk show at 1287 01:18:35.079 --> 01:18:40.039 etc. But I don't have like a good like memory of La. I 1288 01:18:40.159 --> 01:18:43.359 know it was an upset in my obviously studying boxing history, knowing how big 1289 01:18:43.399 --> 01:18:46.359 of a deal that was. Um Ali was older, they thought he was 1290 01:18:46.359 --> 01:18:49.760 gonna obviously get an easy one over Leon, the gold medal winner, But 1291 01:18:50.439 --> 01:18:53.720 it wasn't a dramatic kind of fight. It wasn't a knockout, So I 1292 01:18:53.720 --> 01:18:59.399 don't know if I can say that that would trump the other one and the 1293 01:18:59.560 --> 01:19:02.319 Ruise and Joshua fight which I was at. Obviously, that was a huge 1294 01:19:02.439 --> 01:19:04.439 That was a huge upset. I mean there was no doubt. I mean, 1295 01:19:04.520 --> 01:19:06.960 in fact, they fight that fight in New York City, either thought 1296 01:19:08.000 --> 01:19:11.119 you were in London because the entire Madison Square Garden was filled with British fans. 1297 01:19:11.600 --> 01:19:15.359 That was a huge upset. And I have covered basically not everyone. 1298 01:19:15.399 --> 01:19:18.439 I might have missed two or three over the years, but basically over the 1299 01:19:18.560 --> 01:19:25.239 last twenty three years, I've covered every single main event that's taken place in 1300 01:19:25.319 --> 01:19:29.199 the Madison Square Garden main arena, and I'm hard pressed to think of a 1301 01:19:29.279 --> 01:19:31.279 bigger upset that has taken place there. And I'm hard pressed to think of 1302 01:19:31.279 --> 01:19:38.239 a bigger upset that I've personally been a ringside. But it's hard to to 1303 01:19:38.479 --> 01:19:41.920 not pick Lewis Rockman. Now. I know it was an upset. I 1304 01:19:42.000 --> 01:19:44.479 didn't think it was gonna I thought that was what was gonna happen. I 1305 01:19:44.560 --> 01:19:46.479 mean, I really did pick Rockman to win the fight, But in the 1306 01:19:46.600 --> 01:19:50.079 larger picture, I have to say that was a bigger upset because Lewis was 1307 01:19:50.159 --> 01:19:57.199 more highly regarded, I believe than Joshua was when he lost. Andy Ruiz 1308 01:19:58.000 --> 01:20:01.520 was a former tie

holder who even if he wasn't considered a great fighter, 1309 01:20:01.600 --> 01:20:05.560 still had respect from a lot of people. Rockman was considered at that time, 1310 01:20:06.000 --> 01:20:10.720 I think a journeyman ish, I mean, an exciting guy, you 1311 01:20:10.760 --> 01:20:14.920 know he wants some less some, but no, he was hand picked, 1312 01:20:15.319 --> 01:20:16.880 like from the beginning. I mean Andy took that fight as a late replacement 1313 01:20:16.920 --> 01:20:19.520 where they really have a choice but to find somebody to keep the show live. 1314 01:20:19.680 --> 01:20:25.600 But they purposely hand picked Rockman to take that fight, believing it was 1315 01:20:25.640 --> 01:20:28.039 an easy smoke, you know, just going to smoke them and then go 1316 01:20:28.119 --> 01:20:31.239 on to a Tyson fighter or whatever else was out there. So I guess 1317 01:20:31.239 --> 01:20:34.279 if I have to make the list, taking Buster and Tyson as being number 1318 01:20:34.279 --> 01:20:36.840 one, put that of course number one. I would say number two is 1319 01:20:36.920 --> 01:20:43.960 probably Rockman and Lewis because it was just supposed to be so easy, It 1320 01:20:44.119 --> 01:20:48.439 was so unexpected. It was the exoticness of doing it in Africa, doing 1321 01:20:48.520 --> 01:20:51.279 it and then you know, at five o'clock in the morning lent itself to 1322 01:20:51.399 --> 01:20:56.600 like just a much more dramatic situation. So I'll take that as number two 1323 01:20:56.680 --> 01:21:00.840 behind Buster and U and Tyson. That's why you are who you are. 1324 01:21:00.000 --> 01:21:03.680 Loved the nostalgia, and I think I think I agree with you just from 1325 01:21:03.720 --> 01:21:06.800 the standpoint you mentioned it. Anthony Joshua was not Lennox Lewis, and he 1326 01:21:06.880 --> 01:21:10.920 was not Mike Tyson, and my god, don't even it's not Muhammad Ali. 1327 01:21:11.119 --> 01:21:14.079 And one more thing on the Ali thing, And again I've on the 1328 01:21:14.159 --> 01:21:16.560 nostalgia and the history, gone back, looked and been around this on the 1329 01:21:16.680 --> 01:21:20.000 magnitude of that upset folks, I know it's nineteen seventy eight. I know 1330 01:21:20.119 --> 01:21:24.159 it's forty five years ago, and we did talk about it on the podcast 1331 01:21:24.399 --> 01:21:27.880 a few months ago. When the forty fifth anniversary happened. Ali had only 1332 01:21:27.960 --> 01:21:31.640 lost one time to Joe Frazier before he lost that night. He had won 1333 01:21:31.760 --> 01:21:36.479 like eighteen fights in a row. Before Leon Spinks beating that night, This 1334 01:21:36.800 --> 01:21:43.279 was the biggest story in the country, in the country for those worlds, 1335 01:21:43.600 --> 01:21:46.039 not just sports story now right, not just sports story. This was the 1336 01:21:46.239 --> 01:21:51.159 biggest story for a day or two in the country that Ali had been beaten 1337 01:21:51.199 --> 01:21:55.279 by Leon Spinks. But again, in my qualifier and Dan did a great 1338 01:21:55.359 --> 01:21:59.039 job. It was not a knockout. This was a one moment that you 1339 01:21:59.159 --> 01:22:04.680 remember forever type punch or knock out that Rockman landed. Yeah, I'll just 1340 01:22:04.720 --> 01:22:09.439 say one other thing. The other reason why I would rank Rockman's upset of 1341 01:22:09.479 --> 01:22:15.359 Lewis ahead of Joshua's lost to Andy Ruise is because when Rockman beat Lennox, 1342 01:22:15.479 --> 01:22:19.119 it was for the title. Besides belts, it was the lineal championship of 1343 01:22:19.199 --> 01:22:24.279 the world. And when Induris knocked out Anthony, Joshua had taken anything away 1344 01:22:24.319 --> 01:22:26.880 from it. He won three belts, but it wasn't a lineal title. 1345 01:22:27.119 --> 01:22:29.399 It was you know, he won the belts, but it wasn't like he 1346 01:22:29.560 --> 01:22:34.960 wasn't considered the champion. That was still Tyson Fury. All right, beautiful, 1347 01:22:35.680 --> 01:22:41.439 great stuff here on the nostalgia great stuff from Ringside with Jervonte Davis, 1348 01:22:41.640 --> 01:22:45.600 Ryan Garcia. Another Vegas weekend in the books. You have my permission to 1349 01:22:45.640 --> 01:22:48.359 decompressed for a few minutes. Go get through airport security, get your way 1350 01:22:48.439 --> 01:22:54.039 back to Northern Virginia and the FAM, and you and I will reconvene later 1351 01:22:54.159 --> 01:22:58.760 this week on All Things will read you on your Fight Freach Unite, substack 1352 01:22:58.800 --> 01:23:00.560 will read you on Big Fight week and dot com as well. Great job 1353 01:23:00.640 --> 01:23:03.520 for this weekend. Thank you Dan Raypheel for all of us. Get some 1354 01:23:03.640 --> 01:23:06.119 rest as well. My friend was a lot that we covered here on the 1355 01:23:06.159 --> 01:23:09.960 show. Alright, man, I will talk to you later. All right, 1356 01:23:10.039 --> 01:23:12.439 there is the one and only Dan Raypheel again. Thank you for finding 1357 01:23:12.520 --> 01:23:14.560 us. Off the weekend. It's the Fight Freaks You Night recap. We 1358 01:23:14.640 --> 01:23:16.560 go into the weekend with the Big Fight Weekend preview. Come off the weekend 1359 01:23:16.640 --> 01:23:20.199 with the recap show, follow or subscribe where if you've done so, read 1360 01:23:20.279 --> 01:23:24.640 us up on Big Fight Weekend, dot Com and Dan substat Fight Freaking Night. 1361 01:23:24.720 --> 01:23:27.680 For now, I'm TJ Reeves. Thanks for being with us for all 1362 01:23:27.760 --> 01:23:30.439 of the coverage of this weekend, that Davis knockout win, the great Pordino 1363 01:23:30.560 --> 01:23:33.399 rock them off fight, and even some nostalgia. We're good now on the 1364 01:23:33.479 --> 01:23:36.720 Big Fight Weekend podcast feed in the Fight Freaks You Unit. Recap by