Big Dog Lukie Boxing Podcast

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With a WBC interim junior welterweight (interim) title on the line, Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz will face Nestor Bravo.

Cruz has become a star since his performance against Gervonta Davis, which feels like eons ago. Bravo is a fighter that, in a different time, we would have seen more of. A Puerto Rican puncher, buried on the undercard, who never got vaulted up to the top spot. It is nice to see a PBC card that isn’t pay-per-view, but this fight, barring a massive Cruz decline, just feels like a high-level showcase for “Pitbull”.

Bravo deserves a chance and has been busy to land a fight like this, but Bravo’s best win is stopping Pedro Campa in January, whereas Cruz has had several high-profile fights.

Undercard:

WBC interim middleweight champ Jesus Ramos Jr will face Meiirim Nursultanov. This fight has me nervous. On one hand, Ramos to me and Dakota looks like the goods. We see him as one of the best in the division, if not the best. Then there is the fact that we have a mid track record. We called Robeisy Ramirez the best guy in the division, before his career got halted, and I have been misreading fights like mad this summer. Ramos will return after beating Shane Mosley Jr in December.

Nursultanov hasn’t fought in three years, but was an impressive amateur. A really hard and strange fight for Ramos.

The undercard feels like a rebuild using up-and-coming talent in developmental bouts. This is something I applaud a for too long the undercard has been an afterthought. Super middleweight Daniel Blancas, super middleweight Lazaro Lorenzana, middleweight Olympian Eumir Marcial, Mexican Olmypian Marco Verde, and Robert Guerrero Jr, the son of the former champion will all be featured.

Other notable fights:

John Hedges will face Pat Brown in the U.K. Brown was one of Matchroom’s big gets in 2024 after the Olympics. Hedges is unbeaten and solid in his own right. Brown is on track to win a British cruiserweight title quick and a win here vaults him into world-class foes.

On the undercard, Shabaz Masoud will face Ckari Cani Mansilla in a featherweight bout, and super middleweight Kieron Conway will face Mark Jeffers in a way-too-fun fight that doesn’t really have world-class implications.

On the East Coast, Lorenzo Simpson will face Shawn McCalman in super middleweight bout. It is a TV quality fight that appears to be flying under the radar. For Simpson, this is sink-or-swim.

In this livestream, Lukie and Dakota talk about Ryan Garcia's one-sided second-round knockout of Conor Benn. Why were experts divided on a fight that was so definitive? Why wasn't Oscar De La Hoya, the head honcho of Golden Boy Promotions, and Garcia's promoter there? Is Garcia the next U.S. star, or was this perfect matchmaking? Also, the guys break down Jai Opetaia's win, and then David Benavidez enters the ring afterward. A new heavyweight to watch: Da'Mazion Vanhouter looking awesome and Andres Cortes beating Mark Magsayo. Another thought: why were former champion Jose Ramirez and Alexis Rocha on the prelims? On ProBox TV, Abass Baraou defeated Giovani Santillan in a decent fight, and Dominic Valle defeated Francois Scarboro Jr. in a battle of unbeatens, and Luis Alberto Lopez looked much improved in his return; could Joseph Peres be the reason? Then the guys talk about this weekend's PBC card as Isaac Cruz faces Nestor Bravo, and Jesus Ramos Jr. returns in the co-feature.Timestamps0:00 Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn14:00 Jai Opetaia 21:00 Undercard29:45 ProBox TV31:00 Pitbull Cruz40:00 Jesus Ramos Jr44:21 undercard

In this livestream, Lukie and Dakota talk about Ryan Garcia's one-sided second-round knockout of Conor Benn. Why were experts divided on a fight that was so definitive? Why wasn't Oscar De La Hoya, the head honcho of Golden Boy Promotions, and Garcia's promoter there? Is Garcia the next U.S. star, or was this perfect matchmaking?

Also, the guys break down Jai Opetaia's win, and then David Benavidez enters the ring afterward. A new heavyweight to watch: Da'Mazion Vanhouter looking awesome and Andres Cortes beating Mark Magsayo. Another thought: why were former champion Jose Ramirez and Alexis Rocha on the prelims?

On ProBox TV, Abass Baraou defeated Giovani Santillan in a decent fight, and Dominic Valle defeated Francois Scarboro Jr. in a battle of unbeatens, and Luis Alberto Lopez looked much improved in his return; could Joseph Peres be the reason?

Then the guys talk about this weekend's PBC card as Isaac Cruz faces Nestor Bravo, and Jesus Ramos Jr. returns in the co-feature.

Timestamps
0:00 Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn
14:00 Jai Opetaia 
21:00 Undercard
29:45 ProBox TV
31:00 Pitbull Cruz
40:00 Jesus Ramos Jr
44:21 undercard

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It is over!

Advertised as an interesting competitive bout, it was anything but that.

Ryan Garcia landed a big punch, then another, and another. It started in the first round, and by the second it was over, as Conor Benn hit the deck and was stopped shortly thereafter while standing.

The fight proved a lot of things, but mostly talent matters. Benn, the son of Nigel Benn, is a domestic British level with his major win coming against Chris Eubank Jr., who is another fighter living off his father’s fame. Benn isn’t bad, but he is untested. Against Garcia, he simply didn’t understand what was happening. Conversely, Garcia was having a ball loading up on power shots as he waited for Benn, who looked like he thought toughness would vanquish Garcia’s skill (and speed) this evening.

Spoiler alert: it didn’t.

Instead, Benn, who posted a photo weighing a lot more than the 146 lbs he weighed in at the day prior, proved that when talent isn’t the same, weight classes don’t matter. Benn could have entered as a heavyweight and the result would be the same.

The scariest thing (at least to me) was that this was fairly obvious. Yet, with some marketing and two guys trash-talking, it got people going. Garcia is still unproven as an elite fighter, but building a resume, whereas Benn probably will have many more nights like this if he fights elite fighters, with the hope of toughness winning the fight alone.

Undercard results:

In the co-feature, cruiserweight Jai Opetaia earned a ninth-round technical knockout over Noel Mikaelian. The bout was rugged. Opetaia’s power was the difference. He dominated the majority of the fight, but Mikaelian’s mauling style, similar to former Australian champion Sam Soliman, made for a clumsy tactical bout. In the ninth, Opetaia landed a series of clean left and right hands that rocked Mikaelian. Mikaelian wobbled into the ropes, as the referee ruled it a knockdown. Despite Mikaelian wanting to continue, the bout was halted.

Bring on Opetaia versus David Benavidez, ASAP. That is the best fight that could be made. They faced off in the ring after the fight.

Da’Mazion Vanhouter announced himself as America’s next hope for a heavyweight. The 21-year-old Vanhouter stopped Raphael Akpejiori in the first round. Most impressively, he dropped Akpejiori twice and potentially had his shoulder dislocate before landing the biggest blow.

To open the main card, lightweight Andres Cortes won a 10-round unanimous decision over former featherweight champion Mark Magsayo. The fight was ugly, but Cortes continues to impress with Zuffa. He now has back-to-back upset wins. Magsayo struggled to handle Cortes’ inside fighting.

Welterweight Alexis Rocha handed former world champion Jose Ramirez his third consecutive loss, winning a 10-round unanimous decision. Fighting at 152lbs catchweight, Vlad Panin stopped Dakota Linger standing in the fourth round. Panin has stopped four straight opponents. Welterweight Abel Gonzalez got off the deck in the first round to Raul Salomon, winning an eight-round unanimous decision. Junior lightweight Oswald Molina defeated Pablo Rubio via a six-round unanimous decision. In the opener, Sean Garcia won a six-round majority decision over Abraham Morales.

Other notable results:

On ProBox TV, former junior middleweight titleholder Abass Baraou defeated Giovani Santillan via majority decision. Former featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez fought for the third time at junior lightweight. Three must be a lucky number for Lopez as he stopped Daniel Lugo in that round. Junior lightweight Dominic Valle outlasted Francois Scarboro Jr. in a battle of junior lightweight unbeatens. In a somewhat surprising upset, little-known Jorge de Jesus won a majority decision over Mercito Gesta. Lightweight Julian Montalvo stopped Anthony Cruz Herrera in five.

Junior flyweight Regie Suganob knocked out former champion Sivenathi Nontshinga in the fifth round. It was a big KO. Suganob went down in the third round. Suganob is the mandatory challenger for the IBF belt. Thanongsak Simsri holds the title and will face Mark Vicelles on September 26. Thank you, Tokkers, for updating us on this fight.

In this podcast, Lukie is joined by his good friend, Tookers (https://x.com/ATokkers5), to talk about Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn. They also talk about British boxing, Jai Opetaia, and the ProBox TV cardTimetamps0:00 Intro0:50 Dylan Arbuckle deep dive5:44 Understanding British boxing15:35 Garcia-Benn breakdown19:50 Jai Opetaia28:55 Zuffa undercard33:27 ProBox TV

In the second half (38:25), Joseph Herron comes on to discuss the business of boxing and his thoughts on the business in 2026.

In this episode, Lukie is joined by Bay Area legend Eddie Croft, a former title contender and a trainer of world champion Melissa McMorrow. The two talk about why it isn’t easy to hit Ryan Garcia and why part of the perception of that is Garcia’s game plan.

Then, Lukie talks about the fallout from Moses Itauma’s loss as readers send in more thoughts about Itauma's coach, Ben Davison.

Film study:

* Sean Garcia vs. Abraham Morales

* Abel Gonzalez vs. Raul Salomon

* Giovani Santillan vs. Abass Baraou

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Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn

How to watch: Saturday, 5 PM PST on Paramount+, prelims before

Does it even matter?

Ryan Garcia is a good fighter, but how good? Not sure.

Conor Benn is a famous fighter with a lot of controversy around him and a famous last name. How good is he? Probably not elite, but hey, he looks cool, right?

The fight is like a social media collab between two famous faces.

A main event pitting Garcia vs. Benn makes no sense in terms of world championship boxing, but Benn has to be billed as a top guy to justify what he was paid to join Zuffa Boxing; and Garcia, coming off a win over Mario Barrios in February, is looking for another marquee bout.

A signature date gets a fight built more around personalities than talent. I am up for what Zuffa does, but this fight is a swing and a miss, as I am not sure who the audience is. Or the audience is so far removed from a traditional boxing one that I am unaware. Never seems great, if you ask me.

The fight is a mismatch on paper to me, as Garcia is just a better fighter than Benn. Benn’s biggest win comes against Chris Eubank Jr, who probably won’t fight again, at two weight classes above. This is more for fans of talking, who think a good interview equates to in-ring talent.

Undercard:

Cruiserweight Jai Opetaia will face Noel Mikaelian. Opetaia is one of the best in the world, with fast hands and relentless pressure, and Mikaelian holds the WBC cruiserweight title. That said, Opetaia, for being such a high-profile signing to Zuffa, hasn’t really shaken up the world as of now.

Lightweight Mark Magsayo vs. Andres Cortes is an interesting bout between two contenders. Magsayo, a former featherweight champion, lost his belt in his first defense to Rey Vargas. Cortes has some good wins, but has never gotten the shot at glory (a belt). The winner becomes a top lightweight for Zuffa.

Heavyweight Da’Mazion Vanhouter might be the answer to who is the next American heavyweight. He will face Raphael Akpejiori, who was stopped last year by Stephan Shaw. I am high on Vanhouter, and have a belief he can go to the next level. I even talked at length about him on this week’s pod.

Deeper on the undercard: Jose Ramirez will return at welterweight against Alexis Rocha. The stakes are reversed. It feels like the loser becomes a gatekeeper, and the winner will get a profitable hard fight. Welterweight Vlad Panin will face one of the best gatekeepers in the business, Dakota Linger; it is a sneaky fun one. Junior lightweight Oswaldo Molina, 19, will face veteran of the L.A. boxing scene Pablo Rubio Jr., and Abel Gonzalez will face Raul Solomon in a super middleweight bout. Keith Connolly, the manager of Benn, also manages Gonzelz

Friday night

On ProBox TV, a junior middleweight crossroads bout will top the bill as Giovani Santillan will face Abass Baraou. Santillan has been leaking oil lately, and Baraou is a former champion who lost his title to Xander Zayas earlier this year.

Luis Alberto Lopez will return in a stay-busy type fight against Daniel Lugo. Lopez is a former featherweight titleholder.

The opener is a good battle testing prospects as Dominic Valle will face Francois Scarboro Jr. Both are unbeaten, and it is a good fight.

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In this livestream, the guys break down all the action, but FIRST... can Ryan Garcia become America's next boxing superstar?

We head into a new era. Who will be the next top guy? Garcia will look to make his case when he faces Conor Benn in a welterweight bout. Also, Jai Opetaia will be in the co-feature, and lightweight Andres Cortes will face Mark Magsayo. Other good bouts: heavyweight Da’Mazion Vanhouter vs. Raphael Akpejiori, welterweight Jose Ramirez vs. Alexis Rocha, and Vlad Panin vs. Dakota Linger

We shift gears as we talk about Dakota's rightful pick of Damian Knyba defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. What did we learn from this fight? Also, we break down the rest of the main card, including middleweight Vito Mielnicki Jr's win over Austin "Ammo" Williams, Eridson Garcia's upset of Alan Chaves, and Zaquin Moses getting his TV debut

Then, we talk about Katie Taylor's retirement fight against Flora Pili. How was her last fight? Plus, we talk about the odd bout between Thomas Carty and Dave Allen, as well as Paddy Donovan's stoppage win over Tyrone McKenna.

Also, shout-out to Tokkers on X, but please watch Dylan Arbuckle versus Frankie Storey if you get a chance.

We conclude by talking about a stacked ProBox TV card on Friday that features Giovani Santillan vs. Abass Baraou, Dominic Valle vs. Francois Scarboro Jr, and Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Daniel Lugo

Timestamps

0:00 Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn

11:50 Jai Opetaia-Noel Mikaelan

21:33 Damian Knyba beats Andy Ruiz

28:30 Boots-Bud Crawford

31:52 undercard

41:15 Katie Taylor

47:00 undercard

49:25 ProBox TV

n this livestream, the guys break down all the action, but FIRST... can Ryan Garcia become America's next boxing superstar? 

We head into a new era. Who will be the next top guy? Garcia will look to make his case when he faces Conor Benn in a welterweight bout. Also, Jai Opetaia will be in the co-feature, and lightweight Andres Cortes will face Mark Magsayo. Other good bouts: heavyweight Da’Mazion Vanhouter vs. Raphael Akpejiori, welterweight Jose Ramirez vs. Alexis Rocha, and Vlad Panin vs. Dakota Linger

We shift gears as we talk about Dakota's rightful pick of Damian Knyba defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. What did we learn from this fight? Also, we break down the rest of the main card, including middleweight Vito Mielnicki Jr's win over Austin "Ammo" Williams, Eridson Garcia's upset of Alan Chaves, and Zaquin Moses getting his TV debut

Then, we talk about Katie Taylor's retirement fight against Flora Pili. How was her last fight? Plus, we talk about the odd bout between Thomas Carty and Dave Allen, as well as Paddy Donovan's stoppage win over Tyrone McKenna. 

Also, shout-out to Tokkers on X, but please watch Dylan Arbuckle versus Frankie Storey if you get a chance. 

We conclude by talking about a stacked ProBox TV card on Friday that features Giovani Santillan vs. Abass Baraou, Dominic Valle vs. Francois Scarboro Jr, and Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Daniel Lugo

Timestamps

0:00 Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn

11:50 Jai Opetaia-Noel Mikaelan

21:33 Damian Knyba beats Andy Ruiz

28:30 Boots-Bud Crawford

31:52 undercard

41:15 Katie Taylor

47:00 undercard

49:25 ProBox TV

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Knyba beats Ruiz

Andy Ruiz Jr lost again and still hasn’t won a fight in four years.

The beloved Mexican-American heavyweight, Ruiz, best known for his relatable chubby physique, recently signed a deal with promotional powerhouse Matchroom Boxing.

His first test: Damian Knyba, a 6 ft 7 in Polish heavyweight who is good at using defense, but not all that fluid or coordinated.

Knyba winning a 12-round unanimous decision wasn’t surprising, but it still served as a shock. From the onset, Knyba dictated the fight with his reach advantage, forcing Ruiz to stay on the outside. Most notable was that, despite Ruiz having fast hands, his feet were nowhere near as quick.

In the seventh round, the most viral moment of the fight occurred when Knyba lulled Ruiz to sleep and pounced, landing a vicious combination that floored Ruiz. Ruiz would barely get up, but referee David Franciosi made it a confusing mess. Franciosi appeared to nearly stop the bout before Ruiz hit the canvas, then showed indecision about whether to stop the bout or let it continue when Ruiz got up.

To Ruiz’s credit, he got off the deck and won a majority of the later rounds until tiring at the end. Knyba would win, but just barely, as two judges had the fight 114-113, which doesn’t seem right. I scored the bout 117-110.

The big takeaway: boxing has changed. The names of yesterday are no longer the best guys in the division, and Knyba proved that.

Undercard results:

In the co-feature, Vito Mielnicki won a 10-round unanimous decision over Austin “Ammo” Williams. Mielnicki made a statement early, dropping Williams in round one. Williams would bloody Mielnicki’s nose

Boxing is tough; one fight ago, Alan Chaves was a monster; now he is looking to rebuild. Eridson Garcia was all hype but was written off after a disappointing loss to Andres Cortes, which led Zuffa Boxing to cut him.

Instead, in a lightweight bout, Garcia won a 10-round unanimous decision over Chaves. Garcia dropped Chaves in round two. Chaves was sent to the canvas in round five. Garcia would send Chaves down in the same round with a body shot. Chaves was awarded a questionable knockdown of Garcia in round six, which was later overturned, and Garcia knocked Chaves down again for good measure in one of the later rounds.

Junior lightweight Zaquin Moses stopped veteran Angel Antonio Contreras in the fifth round. Contreras didn’t answer the bell for the sixth round. Moses, Shakur Stevenson’s young cousin, opened the TV telecast.

Taylor sets off into the sunset

While I worried about Katie Taylor looked good in her final fight at Croke Park; she reassured everyone that legends don’t falter.

Taylor would win a spirited 10-round unanimous decision over Flora Pili to end her soon-to-be Hall of Fame career.

Taylor is one, if not the most significant women’s boxer, and seeing her treated like a rockstar was cool. She also had a clear hand speed advantage and higher boxing IQ, which dictated the fight.

Undercard results:

Make a goofy heavyweight fight, and you will get a goofy result. Heavyweight Thomas Carty and Dave Allen fought to a no-contest when Carty fell out of the ring and was unable to continue.

Welterweight Paddy Donovan stopped Tyrone McKenna in four rounds. Donovan dropped McKenna in the second, and the bout was called off in the fourth when McKenna was bleeding from a cut. It was a fitting ending as Donovan moves forward toward a title, while McKenna can tell his friends he could have kept going.

Super middleweight Taylor Bevan outclassed Emmet Brennan, leading to a scary sixth-round knockout. Brennan was down for some time after the bout was called.

Other notable results:

Junior flyweight Daiya Kira stopped Carlos Canizales in the seventh round to win the vacant WBA title.

In the main event, cruiserweight Lenar Perez continues to look mid. He stopped Thabiso Mchunu in the eighth round, but Perez was dropped in the fight.

In the co-feature, super middleweight Moreno Fendero picked up a unanimous decision over Stephane Fondjo. It was Fendero’s best performance of his career.

Junior welterweight Jhon Orobio stopped Antonio Moran in the fourth; lightweight Wyatt Sanford stopped Costin Ion in two rounds

In the boxing sicko fight of the week, unbeaten junior featherweight Dylan Arbuckle got off the canvas to stop Frankie Storey. What a fight.