Boxing's most stacked division?
Superstars, legends, top prospects, potential classics - welterweight has the lot
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The welterweight shark tank
THE LONG READ
On 10th April, Jaron Ennis and Conor Benn both sparkled when the spotlight was on, delivering victories that announced their names on the world stage and adding additional layers to a weight class that was already primed to catch fire.
‘Boots’ and ‘The Destroyer’ made their pro debuts in April 2016, just a few days apart. Ennis is further along in terms of progression, with a storied amateur career, more pro fights, and a higher level of opposition so far, something which is reflected in him now having a presence in the top ten of most welterweight rankings. For both though, these last victories were considerable steps forward for their ambitions in the sport.
In the States, Jaron sparkled with a complete display of boxing skill and power in his total dissection and stoppage of Sergey Lipinets, a former IBF Light Welterweight champion who was supposed to offer up a stiff test. ‘Boots’ is one of the most exciting young fighters in the entire sport and feels he is close to being ready to compete at the vanguard of the division. Kabir Chibber recently succinctly covered Ennis’ ability and appeal in a piece for his weekly newsletter The 13th Round.
‘The Destroyer’ Benn has rightly been called the most improved UK fighter and has gone from being mainly known as Nigel’s son to being acknowledged as Conor, and potentially even the next major star in British boxing. Although most felt he would likely defeat the ageing Samuel Vargas, his demolition of a fringe world contender in just two minutes surprised even the most ardent Benn acolytes and really caught the attention of the boxing world at large. For a fighter who was going life and death with journeymen in six rounders at London’s York Hall only a few years ago, this was a demonstration of just how much progress he had made.
Both Ennis and Benn inhabit the welterweight division, which has long been one of boxing’s highest-profile thanks to the likes of Sugar Rays Robinson, fights between Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Tommy Hearns in the 1980s, and the biggest-earning boxer of them all, Floyd Mayweather. Given the wealth of talent currently calling it home, the domain of the 147-pounders has now become arguably the most over-subscribed weight division in boxing, bar none.
There are many other weight categories with outstanding fighters and enthralling potential matchups - Beterbiev vs Bivol at light heavyweight, the new ‘four kings’ at lightweight, Fury and Joshua in the glamour heavyweight division - but, for me, nothing quite compares to the depth and diversity of fighters in the welterweight class of 2021.
At the top of the tree, Errol Spence and Terence Crawford should really have already begun an epic in-ring rivalry some time ago. They occupy rarified air as being universally acknowledged top pound-for-pound fighters campaigning in the same weight class at the same time, at or close to their athletic peaks, something which doesn’t happen all the time. They share most of the belts in the division (Spence WBC and IBF, Crawford WBO) and are undoubtedly the top two welterweights in the world, complete fighters with who would come out on top a hotly contested question. Sadly though they don’t seem to be really any closer to facing off than they were two years ago.
As with almost all best laid plans in boxing, politics and structure mean that the best may not end up facing off as they should. I wrote about the fascinating, frustrating nature of the fight game extensively recently, and the welterweight division at the moment feels the pinch from this as much as any other in the sport.
Spence fights under the PBC umbrella, Crawford is with Top Rank - and they are therefore connected to rival TV broadcasters. PBC prefers to keep their matchmaking between their own contracted fighters, something which hurts them and the sport overall. They both think they are the ‘A’ side in any negotiations. Not insurmountable odds but certainly, things that make this undoubted blockbuster contest more difficult to deliver. Of all people, Snoop Dogg recently succinctly articulated how frustrating it is that fans have been denied this fight.
Spence will likely have the opportunity to pick up the WBA Welterweight crown next, as it appears he is edging closer to a unification showdown with their ‘Super’ champion Yordenis Ugas. Another fighter to emerge from Cuba’s storied amateur-only training programme before heading to the US to go pro, Ugas is a skilled boxer who claimed his maiden world title in his last fight, a points win over Abel Ramos in September. He does have defeats on his record though, including against Shawn Porter in 2019, and the potential unification clash has the feel of a tailor-made opportunity for Spence to pick up another title should they meet this year.
‘Showtime’ Porter is generally considered to be leading the pack below Spence and Crawford, given his considerable resume, the fact that he is a former WBC and IBF titleholder, and that he ran Spence pretty close in 2019, losing by split decision. Porter’s relentless pressure fighting style invariably provides excitement, and his few defeats have come in tight decisions.
There was a time back in the mid-2010s when Keith Thurman was one of the hottest acts in the sport. Though his momentum has substantially slowed, and he hasn’t fought since a clear points loss to Manny Pacquiao in 2019, he has recently claimed he is coming back to dominate the welterweight division this year. If he can get himself close to the levels we saw a few years back (when he defeated the likes of Porter and Danny Garcia and was both WBA and WBC 147-pound champ), he could be a fascinating character to follow in the welterweight scene over the next year.
Pacquiao, undoubtedly a truly legendary boxing figure and the oldest welterweight world champ in history when he claimed the WBA (Super) title against Thurman, is still campaigning in this division as well. He looks to be edging towards a major pay-per-view fight with Terence Crawford - which apparently could happen this summer. This feels like an event that has the potential to add a fair amount to Crawford’s status beyond the hardcore boxing fans, just as Manny’s fight with Oscar De La Hoya in 2008 catapulted his own standing in the sport. At the age of 42 though, does the evergreen ‘Pac Man’ really have enough left to seriously challenge a peak Crawford, or is this fight (as Teddy Atlas and others have noted) ‘all wrong’ for him at this stage of his career and life? Either way, the presence of a bona fide boxing legend in the division still just adds to the intrigue.
At the other end of the career spectrum, and joining the likes of Ennis and Benn as the future of the division is Vergil Ortiz Jr., a decorated amateur who has looked incredibly impressive in taking his pro record to 17-0, and is one of the hottest prospects in the sport. Having comprehensively stopped Maurice Hooker in his last fight, Ortiz - who has only just turned 23 - has said that he wants a crack at Crawford next, a fight which could happen given that he is number two now in the WBO’s welterweight rankings, with Terence their reigning champion.
European welterweight titlist David Avanesyan stopping heavily-hyped Josh Kelly impressively in February in the Wembley bubble, a result which did much for the former’s standing whilst also being a considerable setback for the latter. Avanesyan holds an awkward position as an extremely tricky opponent without too much of a financial upside, hence why his name doesn’t seem to be mentioned too much by other fighters. If he stays at the weight, Kelly could still be a contender in the division as well, if he makes the necessary adjustments.
Former world champion Brits Kell Brook and Amir Khan were once on a collision course for one of the most anticipated fights in boxing, however it’s not 2014 any more and the interest in the match has dulled considerably over the years. Though well past their peaks, they are still considered active fighters in the welterweight division (both Brook and Khan were even dominated by Terence Crawford in recent fights, in 2020 and 2019 respectively), and either of their most likely major next steps could be a clash with ‘The Destroyer’ Benn. Conor has expressly called out Khan - but Amir, perhaps rightly in many ways, has expressed that he has very little to gain from what would be a pretty dangerous fight at this stage of his career.
Then there are the likes of the aforementioned Danny Garcia and his (unrelated) namesake Mikey Garcia, both of whom have had huge success in the past but insist they have a future at 147. Danny is a former WBC welterweight champion and remains a live contender, despite defeats to Porter, Thurman and Spence in recent years. In the case of Mikey, a vocal audience has claimed staying at this weight might be a mistake, given his humbling loss to Spence and his comparatively small stature - but the former four-weight world champion sees much more scope for big fights at welter than anywhere else.
If we are looking for wildcards, what about the welterweight prospects of Josh Taylor? He has made it clear that, should he get past Jose Ramirez in their upcoming 140-pound undisputed unification fight (or even if he doesn’t), he sees himself moving up in the very near future and would love to fight the likes of Crawford and Pacquiao. Ramirez has made overtures about moving up in weight to fight Crawford himself, so whatever happens in their fight in May the likely presence of both could add yet another fascinating layer to the welterweight ecosystem.
The supremely talented Regis Prograis has also regularly publicly discussed fights at 147, with a move up to welterweight seeming inevitable for him too. He appears to have some major beef brewing with Adrien Broner and is hoping to make that fight with Triller later this year. Broner himself recently returned to the welterweight division - defeating unknown Jovanie Santiago on points, including winning a round in which he didn't manage to land a single punch. Although his best days seem past him, this is a former four-weight world champion whose name recognition alone would still be of great value to a number of contenders hoping to stand out from the chasing pack.
This all makes for a weight class bubbling up to a crescendo. With so many talented players falling into place, the onus now falls on the sport as a whole to deliver the fights we all want to see. Can boxing pull its finger out now and make the most of the rich potential opportunities to create legacy moments? Perhaps don’t hold your breath on that last part.
MORE FROM DOUBLE DUTCH BOXING…
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THE BOXING AGENDA
Quick thoughts on the boxing newswire…
The Athletic reported on Wednesday that Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing had signed an exclusive five-year, nine-figure UK broadcasting deal with DAZN, ending their long and fruitful association with Sky Sports. If this is confirmed, and it hasn’t been so far, it’s an absolutely seismic shift for boxing in Britain. The exclusive relationship with Sky has been a launching pad for the huge surge in interest in prizefighting overall in Britain, and for Hearn’s company to grow worldwide, but Matchroom would no longer have the Sky promotional machine at their disposal (aside from Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte, who apparently have separate deals and would remain on Sky for the time being). This would be a big risk, but Hearn and Matchroom must be confident that DAZN will be making even more of a splash in not just boxing - the next Premier League football rights are up for grabs from next year, for example - to make the jump. The world of sports media rights is ever-changing, and the synergy offered by having the multi-billion-backed DAZN as sole partner in over 200 countries and territories offers the potential for exponential growth in other markets beyond Matchroom’s original base. This also chimes with Hearn’s continued narrative of working towards his stated aim of Matchroom becoming the UFC of boxing. What this would mean for boxing on Sky is entirely unclear currently, perhaps they would return to their 1990s model of multiple promoters being allocated events and buying rights to more shows from America - although most of those are on DAZN now as well. Fascinating times for British fight fans but also potentially huge implications for the world of boxing as well…
Did the Triller Fight Club event last Saturday headlined by Jake Paul vs Ben Askren really garner 1.4 million pay-per-view buys, or more, as has been reported? We might never know for sure, Triller’s buy rates are not independently verified, but from a purely sporting perspective, there has been fairly strong condemnation from journalists and purists alike. The reality is though that Triller’s business model involves attaining a completely different audience to traditional boxing fans, and therefore they may have cracked open an untapped source of sporting income long-term boxing promoters have summarily failed to find over the years. Although I understand the argument around it being a complete circus, from a purely business perspective they could well be on to something. How their next event - headlined by a fight between ‘real’ boxers Teofimo Lopez and George Kambosos for the unified lightweight title - fares both financially and creatively will give us a more clear view on whether Triller is here to stay...
After a heated build-up that drew equal amounts of attention and scorn (due to the weigh-in attire of Bridges, mainly), the fight between Shannon Courtenay and Ebanie Bridges on the Benn-Vargas undercard in mid-April proved to be one of the most engrossing fights of Matchroom’s year so far. Although not fought at a particularly high skill level, the action was still absorbing and Bridges showed incredible heart by continuing on for most of the second half without being able to see at all from a gruesome eye injury. Downsides were the Sky commentary (heavily biased towards eventual winner Courtenay) and the fact that this was sanctioned as a world title fight, the latter perhaps though denotes the lack of depth in women’s boxing.
This was overall a really positive night for the female side of the sport though - Savannah Marshall looked slick, sharp, and dangerous in her destructive title defense. The calls will only grow now for a fight with Claressa Shields, for a middleweight fight which would be almost certainly the highest-profile female boxing fight ever. That is absolutely one of the most interesting potential matchups in all of boxing in 2021. Joshua-Fury co-headliner anyone?...
THE NEXT ROUND
A far-from-exhaustive rundown of upcoming boxing calendar highlights…
24th April 2021
Denzel Bentley vs Felix Cash
Promoter: Frank Warren / TV: BT Sport (UK - no US broadcaster)
This is exactly what a good British title fight should be. Two of Britain’s best prospects putting their undefeated records on the line in a 50/50 fight which should elevate both considerably, with the winner having one eye on world honours in the not too distant future - although they should perhaps both look to build their resume at British/European level before aiming higher. British middleweight champ Bentley (14-0-1) goes up against Commonwealth 160-pound titlist Cash (13-0), in a clash not only of contenders but of promoters, with Denzel signed with Warren and Felix representing Matchroom. Anyone who tells you they are confident in predicting the winner is a liar, it’s a fascinating contest. I would very slightly side towards Cash due to his Team GB experience and being a more polished operator, but given that Bentley is rapidly improving I say that with very little certainty. Just how it should be.
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30th April 2021
Moruti Mthalane vs Sunny Edwards
Promoter: Frank Warren / TV: BT Sport (UK); ESPN+ (US)
Hipster boxing fans have been falling over themselves to heap praise on South African Mthalane since this fight with Edwards for his IBF World Flyweight title was announced, despite the fact his fights have rarely been accessible outside of his homeland. From what I have seen though, the reality is that this appears to be a very tough assignment for 15-0 British contender Edwards if Mthalane isn’t over the hill. It is certainly a big step up in terms of competition. Mthalane (39-2) holds knockout victories against the likes of Zolani Tete and Johnriel Casemiro, and has been a world champion for large parts of the last decade. He is now 38 years old though, and the thinking of the matchmaking is that this is the ideal time for the precociously talented Sunny to make his tilt at a world crown.
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1st May 2021
Derek Chisora vs Joseph Parker
Promoter: Matchroom / TV: Sky Sport Box Office (UK); DAZN (US)
Does Chisora vs Parker really deserve to headline a pay-per-view event in 2021? Even with an undercard of Katie Taylor/Natasha Jonas, Dmitry Bivol fighting in the UK for the first time, Chris Eubank Jr.? Not really, no. But as I’ve noted previously, the fact that both Derek and Joseph have brought brand new trainers in (Buddy McGirt and Andy Lee, respectively), one highly experienced and taking on their first major assignment, does make the bout far more intriguing. Chisora’s latest career Indian summer must be coming to an end at some point, but he is invariably in engaging fights - which is why he continues to be featured so prominently. Parker’s last outing with Junior Fa in February in New Zealand was a bit of a stinker though, hence the shift in trainers.
Andy Ruiz Jr. vs Chris Arreola
Promoter: Premier Boxing Champions / TV: FOX pay-per-view (US - no UK broadcaster)
Speaking of questionable pay-per-views…this one is on another level. Expect something more long-form from me on the state of boxing’s messy relationship with paywalls soon, but this is one of the worst mainstream boxing PPV main events in a good while. Ruiz has some name value for sure, against the right opponent, but Arreola hasn’t been relevant for years and has been absolutely nowhere near world title contender level either. This isn’t just some independent production which wouldn’t be shown otherwise were it not on pay-per-view, this is supposedly a major event backed by FOX. As a return fight for Ruiz to give him a platform to look good on, say, Showtime - not too much of a problem. As a pay-per-view headliner - no chance.