EDITOR’S LETTER
Why the Lomachenko and Linares showdown can trigger a golden era
Lomachenko can trigger a golden era
GREAT fighters cannot be made by potential alone. Nor can they be made by glossy records, multiple titles or loud mouths. Only great fights can make great fighters.
And if that simplicity occurs often enough, where the best fight the best in an effort to become the best, great eras follow. Genuinely great eras. Not those that only promoters shout about, or certain members of the media shout about while trying to please those promoters, but true golden eras that will stand the test of time.
Last weekend, Vasyl Lomachenko, with his blue and yellow costume zipzapping around the ring with the kind of supersonic elegance Bananaman could only dream of, defeated the brilliant Jorge Linares in the 10th round of a bout overflowing with quality. It really did feel like something special, like a contest that this era could show off to any other in history. Perhaps it lacked the breathless drama of an out-and-out slugfest – like, say, Arturo Gatti versus Micky Ward – yet the skills on display from both, the deft footwork, the parries and feints, the head movement and, of course, the clever and accurate punching, should have been enough to make even the bloodthirstiest fan stand and applaud. It really was boxing as boxing should be, a glowing advertisement for the noble art when the top-end of the sport – still recovering from the meaty Canelo Alvarez saga – needed it most.
There’s more, too. On Saturday night in Toronto, the brilliant Badou Jack will test himself to the max against lightheavyweight titlist, Adonis Stevenson, a puncher of high quality who is overdue a test like this and, for the fans, it’s another sumptuous matchup.
Over here, in Leeds, one of the best world title fights to be made involving two British fighters, the featherweight collision that pits Lee Selby against Josh Warrington, is set to be witnessed by tens of thousands of fans at Elland Road.
Elsewhere there’s positive noises, noises where less is certainly more, emerging from the latest round of negotiations to bring Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder together in an all-conquering heavyweight showdown later in the year. And let’s hope that happens. The best fight the best and the sport thrives. It really is that simple.
l SUCH thinking was the inspiration behind the World Boxing Super Series. And that thinking elevated charismatic promoter Kalle Sauerland to cult hero status among the social media generation as the cruiserweight and super-middleweight tournaments spewed out superb fights and intrigue. But last week, after he told Boxing News that Chris Eubank Jnr was “absolutely” in the running to replace George Groves, the man he comprehensively lost to two months ago, Sauerland’s decision, and popularity, went down like a seagull landing in your fish and chips.
Groves is struggling with a shoulder injury, sustained while decisioning Eubank in the semis, and is racing against time to be fit for his proposed date with Callum Smith, a formidable opponent at the best of times, let alone when you’ve got a dicky arm. Originally set for June 2, Sauerland and the WBSS heads have already granted the WBA champion extra time to get ready for a final they initially stated would not be postponed. And from their point of view, with another series set for launch in September, setting July as the cut-off point to conclude current business is both understandable and fair.
The issue here, then, is what to do in the increasingly likely event that Groves doesn’t believe his shoulder will do him justice against Smith. In a world not governed by money, the fairest solution would be to hand Smith the trophy if his fellow finalist can’t make it. But, with revenue required from a glitzy last dance, a replacement will be found.
Fit and ready, and not at war with the promoters – like the most logical replacement, Juergen Braehmer – Eubank will guarantee interest, and effort. Not ideal, though, I agree. But better, surely, than a fighter who has not thrown a single punch in the competition being granted access to the supposed showpiece. At least Eubank has the balls to put his career on the line (lose, and all his promises will likely remain forever broken), and has put in some serious work in the tournament already.
Moving forward, and for the sake of the series’ long term prospects, a transparent system – perhaps even a league table of ‘leading losers’ – has to be put in place so there is no confusion and debate the next time this happens.