Weekend Review: Shakur Stevenson, Brian Mendoza, 'Bam' Rodriguez have their way

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER
Shakur Stevenson

Stevenson is building the case that he’s the best pure boxer since Floyd Mayweather ruled the sport. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist was brilliant once again against Shuichiro Yoshino in his 135-pound debut Saturday in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, landing power shots at will to break down, score two knockdowns and finally stop his Japanese opponent in the sixth round. All the while he took almost nothing in return even though he stood directly in front of Yoshino throughout, underscoring his defensive wizardry. The dazzling performance was as perfect as it gets. And remember: Yoshino, while a significant underdog, was no pushover. He was coming off back-to-back victories over capable countrymen Masayuki Ito and Masayoshi Nakatani, earning him a ranking in three of the four major sanctioning bodies. And Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) made Yoshino (16-1, 12 KOs) look like he didn’t belong in the ring, which he does against most opponents. We’ll see how Stevenson does against next level opposition – Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, et al – but he couldn’t have been much better so far.

BIGGEST WINNER II
Brian Mendoza

Everyone loves a good rags-to-riches story. And Mendoza’s is compelling. The 29-year-old from Albuquerque seemed to have hit his ceiling as an elite boxer when he lost two of three fights between 2019 and 2021, the second against talented Jesus Ramos. Mendoza wasn’t ready to give up, however. And his persistence paid off. He received a chance to prove that he is more than journeyman when he took a fight against former unified 154-pound champion Jeison Rosario on short notice and stopped him in November. That led to an even bigger opportunity on Saturday, when he delivered a Knockout of the Year candidate against rising star Sebastian Fundora in the seventh round of a fight he was losing to claim his place among the best junior middleweights in the world. Mendoza (22-2, 16 KOs) went from an afterthought to the cusp of a world title fight in two bouts. Can he take down undisputed champion Jermell Charlo or Tim Tszyu? Probably not. But he certainly has earned the opportunity. And he has proved in his past two fights that anything is possible if you believe in yourself.

BIGGEST WINNER III
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez

Rodriguez’s unanimous decision victory over Cristian Gonzalez to win a vacant 112-pound title Saturday – giving him a major belt in a second division at 23 – wasn’t pretty but it was gutsy and convincing. Gonzalez’s strategy wasn’t complicated: Throw punches on the run, the idea being Rodriguez will have difficulty hitting a moving target. And the Mexican had some success, forcing his more-heralded opponent to give chase the entire fight. The problem for Gonzalez (15-2, 5 KOs) was that Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) was able to corner him enough to land hard, eye-catching shots and win over the judges. We learned afterward that Rodriguez suffered what he believes was a broken jaw in the middle rounds, meaning he fought half the bout in great pain. It wasn’t Rodriguez’s greatest performance, as he acknowledged afterward. At the same time, the young star demonstrated that he can overcome multiple obstacles to win an important fight by a clear margin. That’s a good night’s work by any standard. The downside is his injury. A broken jaw probably would keep him out of the ring until late in the year or even early 2024.

BIGGEST LOSER
Sebastian Fundora

Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KOs) described his fate perfectly in his post-fight interview. “This is boxing,” he said. Indeed, the 6-foot-6 “Towering Inferno” was in full control of the fight for six-plus rounds, alternately peppering the 5-10 Mendoza with his long jab and beating him up on the inside. He was pitching a near shutout after six rounds. Then disaster struck. Mendoza landed a left hook from hell, which buckled Fundora’s knees. And he followed with a right-left combination to the head of his suddenly helpless foe that put him down and out. This is boxing. Fundora couldn’t have been classier after his heartbreaking setback, which temporarily derailed his plans to fight for a world title. He gave Mendoza credit and vowed to bounce back. And he will. The 25-year-old  looked terrific for six-plus rounds and then got caught with a perfect shot from a strong puncher. He’ll go back to the gym, work on his defense and return with more motivation than he has ever had.

RABBIT PUNCHES

Promoter Bob Arum has said he’d like to have Stevenson face the winner of the May 20 fight between Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko unless Haney wins and moves up to 140 pounds. That would provide Stevenson’s first genuine opportunity to make a case that he’s the best fighter on the planet. Let’s hope it happens in the fall. After that? It would be difficult to match “Tank” Davis with one of the above because of competing alliances but the fans certainly will demand it. A lot of great 135-pound matchups appear to lie ahead. … I doubt anyone will reach the level of a prime Mayweather in terms of pure boxing ability but Stevenson has a chance. He’s a hit-and-not-get-hit wizard if there ever was one. And if his performance against Yoshino is an indication, he’s determined to add knockout power to his arsenal. That could mean he’s getting better, which is a scary thought for those at or near 135 pounds. …

Marlon Tapales (37-3, 19 KOs) of the Philippines delivered a tremendous upset on the Rodriguez-Gonzalez card, defeating the celebrated Murodjon Akhmadaliev (11-1, 8 KOs) of Uzbekistan by a split decision to become a unified 122-pound champion at 31. Tapales, a former 118-pound beltholder, outworked the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist early in the fight and then withstood a fierce rally down the stretch to record his biggest victory. My guess is that Akhmadaliev would work harder in the opening rounds and win a clear decision in a rematch. … Gifted 126-pound contender Raymond Ford (14-0-1, 8 KOs) looked impressive in his one-sided decision victory over veteran Jessie Magdaleno (29-2, 18 KOs) on the Rodriguez-Gonzalez card. Ford outboxed Madaleno, put him down twice and hurt on several other occasions in a dominating performance. And Ford is still developing. He’s one to keep an eye on. …

Heavyweight contender Jared Anderson (14-0, 14 KOs) maintained his perfect knockout record against previously unbeaten George Arias (18-1, 7 KOs) on the Stevenson-Yoshino card. “Big Baby” is only 23, which is an infant in his division. Still, he appears to be ready to face a fellow contender. The question is: Who is going to want to fight him? He’s that good, that imposing. … Lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis (8-0, 6 KOs) turned in another strong performance on the Stevenson-Yoshino card, dominating and then stopping veteran Anthony Yigit (26-3-1, 10 KOs) in nine rounds. It’s too early to pit Davis against one of the elite 135-pounders mentioned above but he’ll get there soon enough. The talent is there. … Junior welterweight Brandun Lee (28-0, 23 KOs) withstood a fierce effort from Pedro Campa (34-3-1, 23 KOs) to win a unanimous decision on the Mendoza-Fundora card. Lee probably was too focused on stopping the Mexican veteran, which made his mission more difficult. However, the 23-year-old from the Southern California desert got the job done and will have learned from the experience.