Monday 29 June 2015 15:41, UK
Refereeing errors, the force of Fielding , the menace of Murray and more. We look back on what we learned at the weekend.
It was an entertaining night in Liverpool as Callum Smith came through a tough test and Rocky Fielding wowed the crowds while in the States, there was refereeing controversy.
Here are five things we can be sure of after that...
There was a high profile error from referee Pat Russell at the weekend and a slightly less high-profile error from Ian John-Lewis too.
Timothy Bradley was comfortably ahead on the scorecards in his interim WBO world welterweight title clash with the unbeaten Jessie Vargas in Carson, California. Nobody is disputing that, but how different the result may have been but for Russell stopping the fight 10 seconds early, we'll never know.
Vargas was enjoying a potentially bout-winning final round. He had rocked Bradley badly with a short right hook and was chasing the stunned former world champion around the ring, hunting the stoppage he desperately needed. Bradley held. Russell intervened, then waved in Vargas' face as if to say it was over. Vargas raced towards the opposite corner in celebration, believing he'd pulled off a miraculous victory. The scorecards that he'd thought were irrelevant told him otherwise soon afterwards.
Russell, 67, admitted afterwards that he mistook the 10-second warning claps as the final bell. The boxing commission are now reported to be considering changing the 10-second warning noise to an air horn for outdoor events.
John-Lewis also attracted criticism for his handling of Rocky Fielding v Brian Vera. The American appeared to have stood to await a count from the referee having clearly touched down - only to be met with two right hands and a thundering left hook from Fielding. Moments later, he was stopped.
Very loud in that 12th round and I thought I heard the bell, so the fight was over when the bell went off.
Brian Vera was less than complimentary about the Liverpudlian's power in the lead-up to their super-middleweight clash at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, claiming he "couldn't crack an egg."
The experienced American has a reputation for being durable and hadn't been stopped since 2008 when the hard-hitting James Kirkland scored an eighth-round TKO. In Vera's three fights prior to facing Fielding, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (twice) and Willie Munroe Jr had been taken the distance.
The unbeaten Fielding was expected to have to weather an early storm from the 33-year-old Vera, who respected the script and came out trying to put the pressure on the home fighter. Fielding's timing with his counters clicked immediately, though, and it wasn't long before Vera was thinking twice. A three-punch combination, climaxing in a sweet uppercut, floored Vera in the first.
There was better to come from Fielding in the second. Clubbing hooks sent Vera briefly to one knee again. Perhaps referee Ian John-Lewis didn't see it, and the way in which Vera was left open seemingly awaiting the count to start when Fielding took aim again did not look pleasant. Regardless, the left hook that connected was crushing.
The brave Vera rose to his feet for a third time (second, according to John-Lewis) but he was out on his feet and as he continued to stumble in the middle of the ring taking heavy shots, the fight was stopped. The improvement in Fielding's power was confirmed.
I was nervous because I expected a tough 12-round fight but I knew I was carrying some power and I got the job done.
Kell Brook has the IBF world welterweight title. Floyd Mayweather has all the others. Yet the American has never so much as mentioned the Sheffield fighter as someone he's considering taking on.
Keith Thurman certainly has. The WBA champion (Mayweather is 'Super' champion) was full of praise for Brook and highlighted the fact that as unbeaten and natural welterweights, the pair should be at the front of the queue for the lucrative bout with 'Money.'
Seemingly spurred on by the compliments coming his way from the States, Brook spoke enthusiastically about the prospect of taking on the 38-year-old Mayweather, saying he wanted to face 'a big dog.'
As it stands, Brook seems likely to defend his belt against Brandon Rios on September 12 but on Saturday he told Sky Sports News HQ that he retains hope of Mayweather performing a U-turn and fighting outside America for the first time in his flawless career.
However likely or unlikely it is that Brook could provide Mayweather with a worthwhile 'risk,' the fact that one unbeaten champion is challenging another to try to unify their division can only be a positive thing for boxing.
If he wants to compete at welterweight and unify the division then it's a natural choice to fight me.
Up until Friday night, Callum Smith's super-middleweight career had been a bit of a breeze. Few seemed to be able to withstand his withering body blows. He had stopped five of his last seven opponents inside three rounds and was handed the headline slot in his hometown of Liverpool.
Every man and his dog has been saying that the youngest Smith brother is a world champion in waiting. A towering presence in the ring and athletic enough to be able to use his long reach effectively, Smith simply 'looks' like a very good boxer. Furthermore, his power - particularly in his body shots - has earned even more exposure.
In Christopher Rebrasse, Smith faced his first serious step up. A year previously, the Frenchman took world title challenger George Groves the distance at Wembley Arena. At the time, the Londoner drew some criticism for the performance - but Friday night certainly prompted a rethink.
Those Smith body shots that have sent so many to their knees gasping for air seemed to have little impact on Rebrasse, who marched forward and threw an incredible amount of punches throughout. One eventually did force the Parisian to take a knee in the 10th. It looked all over, then, but back he came and forced Smith into another two and a half high-intensity rounds.
The visitor was not just worthy of praise for his punch endurance, though. His shots connected with Smith time and time again and although it may be of concern how easy 'Mundo' seemed to be to hit, the old cliche of 'a learning fight' was never more relevant as the 25-year-old battled to a wide points victory.
Eddie Hearn said afterwards that Smith is now 'one fight away' from a world title shot. With that fight possibly against Rocky Fielding, his education may be completed in double-quick time.
That puts him one fight away from challenging for the world title. George Groves fights Badou Jack in August or September and we feel we're one fight away from that.
We already have Callum Smith and Fielding as rising super-middleweight stars - snapping at the heels of IBF world champion James DeGale, George Groves and Paul Smith. Carl Froch hasn't retired just yet, either.
With such a range of champions and challengers, Martin Murray's step up from middleweight has gone slightly under the radar. Had the three-time world title challenger gone from, say, super-middleweight up to light-heavyweight, the column inches may have lengthened.
Granted, he came in to Friday's fight with George Beroshvili having weighed in above the super-middleweight limit, but the manner in which he put the Georgian away with a single body shot inside two rounds should serve as a warning to his new rivals.
Murray went so close to becoming a world champion at middleweight - suffering an agonising points defeat and a draw to Sergio Martinez and Felix Sturm away from home. More recently in February, he took one of the world's most fearsome fighters, Gennady Golovkin, to the 11th round.
With his class proven and his power looking like it will carry over, if Murray can adjust quickly to life as a super, we could be talking about a genuine world title prospect sooner rather than later.
I think fighting at super-middleweight is going to suit me. We know if we catch anyone clean with those body shots then they're going to go.
