Last weekend was a fun one in terms of which fighters we got to see, but not every fight was as much fun. Marco Huck vs. Krystoff Glowacki was the second Cruiserweight offering of Haymon on a PBC card in the last month. BJ Flores vs. Beibut Shumenov was a stink fest with Shumenov pecking and running his way to a close decision win. Huck-Glowacki was a brawl, with both fighters hitting the deck, in a close fight that ended with a brutal KO, and the title changing hands. I don't anyone wants to see Shumenov or Flores in the ring again soon (especially Shumenov), but if they are, kit should be against Huck or Glowacki, who will certainly make them fight.
Antonio Tarver vs. Steve Cunningham did not answer any questions at all. That is exactly what both men wanted. Cunningham gets to remain a tough assignment, if not always an exciting one, for top heavyweights, while Tarver keeps his dream of a heavyweight title shot alive. Given both men's history with judges (especially Cunningham), one had to figure out who to rob, in order to score the fight. Each round was close, and I have no argument with the draw, but Cunningham has already lost to Fury, the least talented of the big 4 at heavyweight right now (Klitschko, Wilder, and Povetkin are the others). Therefore, I do not want to see what happens when either of these two step in with them. Tarver's chin and defensive abilities may avoid embarrassment against Wilder, but he is too old and slow to beat him.
Lucien Bute is back, I guess... but who cares. he cannot beat the top 175lbers, and is just wasting his time, and taking damage. His Italian opponent had no chance to win, and everyone, including his corner, knew it. Are they really thinking of putting him in with Beterbiev, Stevenson, or Alvarez... the Montreal trifecta of power punchers? It would be suicide. Alvarez seems to be maturing well, as he had a live opponent last Saturday, and went a full 12 rounds of rugged fighting. As long as Haymon has a hand in this, however, do not look for any of the Montreal big names to be fighting each other. That is not his way. They will simply share cards until one or more of them lose, and then we may see some good matchups.
Quillin and Wilder announced their opponents, and as expected, they are foreigners with weak resumes, who no one has heard of. Kudos to Haymon for being consistent. If someone is unbeaten, they will never be tested. The best move for the legacy of both men is to lose on purpose. Then, like Broner, they will finally get the big fights. However, when you have that ), Haymon will guarantee you fighting stiffs until it goes. I don't mean for a little while. Just ask Keith Thurman how long this coddling can last.
