By Tom Donelson / Member Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA)

The big fight on Netflix was Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul or that was the the fight that got all the intention.  Jake Paul’s job was to defeat a former great heavyweight who has not been in the ring in two decades and eligible for senior citizen discount. 

J

ake Paul did what Jake Paul was supposed to do, win the bout with jabs and combinations whereas Tyson hardly looked the fearsome fighter he was at his peak and connected on two punches per round.  It was easy fight for Paul and sad ending for Tyson but both men got rich in the process. 60 million people tuned in. 

In the fight round Paul landed a right that shook Tyson and Tyson landed a left hook that twenty years ago would have sent Paul in the front row, but it did nothing .   Paul jab was effective in keeping Tyson off.  I could remember a time when no jab would keep Tyson off in his prime.  He would find a way around it and knock you out.  But that was the young twenty something Tyson.  Tonight, father time reminded Tyson that indeed, he was an old fighter.

By Tom Donelson / Member Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA)

Anthony Joshua fought Daniel Dubois for the IBF which really belongs to Oleksandr Usyk who was the champion and vacated since he preferred to fight Tyson Fury and not Dubois.  Dubois gave Usyk a tough fight in their last bout, but Joshua was the favorite.   This was supposed to put Joshua in line for a maybe a third fight with Usyk or a fight with a Fury.  However, this fight turned out to be a complete disaster for Joshua as Dubois sent Joshua sprawling four times in the first round, the third round, fourth round and finally sent down for the final time in the fifth round.

In the opening round, Joshua worked his jab while Dubois attack with his hooks, and while Joshua punches were cleaning and landed a sharp upper cut, Dubois nailed Joshua with a looping right hand that sent Joshua down on wobbly legs.  The bell saved Joshua. 

Joshua looked shaky as the one round and Dubois landed the majority of shots as he landed four times as many punches but at least he stayed standing   After two rounds, the bout was easy to score 20-17.

Joshua threw a right hand that missed but Dubois didn’t miss with his counter left and Joshua rolled backwards as Dubois landed more blows that left Joshua taking a count and now Dubois had a 30-25 score.

By Tom Donelson (BWAA) Member Boxing Writers Association of America

Between 2015 and 2020 Deontay Wilder won 9 championship bouts all by knockout and had Tyson Fury not gotten off the canvas from their first fight, Wilder era may have lasted even longer but this  past June first, the Wilder era is officially over. Zhilei Zhang  wiped out Wilder in the fifth round with a vicious right.  This was not much of a fight as Zhang landed twice as many punches and was the more accurate puncher as he connected on 45 percent of his punches.

In this fight Wilder was the younger fighter at 38 as Zhang was 41 years old but Zhang was the better technical fighter  That was the rub for Wilder depended on his right hand which was one of the more powerful right hands in heavyweight history, but he never learned the basic boxing skills.  There were fights that he ended with his right hand but was outboxed.  He depended on his power and never learned the basics.  At the end of his career, he found himself against superior technicians like Parker and Fury.  Fury was the superior boxer, and he had the power to stop Wilder.  Parker boxing skills gave Wilder trouble and Zhang more technical skills. He lost four of his last five fights and they were not close events.  Wilder could have been a great fighter if he learned those basic skills of boxing instead of depending on his own right hand but as it was, he was a champion with a belt and he won his share of fights.  A good career if he chose retirement.