- Sadly the legendary Muhammad Ali passed away last week at the age of 74. After a long and public battle with Parkinson's disease and other illnesses that came along with it due to poor health Ali's body could finally take no more. The man known as "The Greatest" will be remembered as one of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport but Ali was never just an athlete. He will also be remembered for his refusal to go to the Vietnam War and for always being an outspoken athlete. When compared to today's athletes who often keep quiet about social issues as to not offend sponsors, Ali always spoke his mind. Ali's death overshadowed all sporting events at the time and really all events around the world. He will certainly be missed in the boxing community but his legend will never die.
- As for last week's action, it was so good Muhammad Ali would have had to be proud. The best fight of the week and so far of the year was the war between Francisco Vargas and Orlando Salido on HBO on Saturday night. The fight started off fast and didn't let up for any of the 12 rounds. At times Vargas would get the better of the action but then on would come Salido. The sixth round is a candidate for 2016 Round of the Year and the fight as a whole is the front runner for the 2016 Fight of the Year. It was a fantastic back and forth battle and whenever one fighter seemed to slow down he would somehow manage to find more energy and come back even better. It was one of those rare fighters where if either man had won by a round or it was ruled a draw seemingly no one would have an issue with the decision. When the scores were announced the fight was in fact ruled a draw but that draw won't do any damage to either fighter's career or reputation as an all-action fighter who always gives fans a thrilling performance.
- Also on HBO was a fight between two young, undefeated prospects in Julian Ramirez and Abraham Lopez. While Lopez was viewed as the bigger puncher it was Ramirez who was thought to be more skilled and the better prospect. During the fight Ramirez impressed and showed that perhaps he carries a bit more pop on his punches than previously thought. The fight always remained close but to viewers, and those working the fight ringside it appeared that Ramirez was the clear winner. Certainly no one had Ramirez blowing Lopez out but his win was a clear one. That was until the official judges scores were announced. All three judges scored the fight for Lopez, giving him the unanimous decision win and handing Ramirez the first loss of his career in highly controversial fashion. It is a shame that a young fighter has to suffer his first loss in a fight he won and all three judges should be investigating and perhaps even suspended.
- Also on Saturday the PBC finally returned to ESPN. That card was headlined by light heavyweight destroyer Artur Beterbiev. Beterbiev put his perfect record on the line against Ezquiel Maderna in a fight most expected Beterbiev to dominate, and dominate he did. Maderna was dropped twice in the third round and deducted a point. In the fourth round he was down twice again and after the second knockdown the referee stopped the fight making Beterbiev 10-0 with 10 knockouts. Southpaw welterweight prospect Bryant Perrella also fought on that card, going up against David Grayton. Perrella was able to stay undefeated and took care of Grayton by the way of second round stoppage, making even quicker work of his opponent than Beterbiev did to his.
- On Friday night the PBC aired a card on Spike headlined by a bout between Rances Barthelemy and Mickey Bey. Despite being dropped in the second round Barthelemy was able to recover nicely and controlled the action for the most part of the fight. While he didn't blow Bey out of the water it seemed clear he had done enough to win. All but one of the judges felt the same way and Barthelemy's perfect record remained that way and he was awarded the split decision win.
- Also on Friday night was another L.A. Fight Club card presented by Golden Boy Promotions which aired on Estrella TV. Those cards are usually filled with prospects and young contenders and last week's edition was headlined by Ronny Rios and Efrain Esquivias. Rios, who was coming off a career best win over Jayson Velez wasted no time in jumping all over Esquivias. Rios dropped Esquivias in the very first round and stopped him in round two.
WEEKLY RECORD: 4-1-1
MONTHLY RECORD: 4-1-1
OVERALL RECORD: 705-199-30
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