Volume VII: Sink or Swim
Errol Spence unified, Stanionis stepped up, and mob ties in combat sports
Errol Spence returned to unify the belts, Belal Muhammad avenged his 2016 loss to Vicente Luque, and Eimantas Stanionis defeated Radzhab Butaev in a clash of undefeated welterweight prospects.
Spence and Ugas might have been the main event, but Eimantas Stanionis (14-0) and Radzhab Butaev (14-1) stole the show on Saturday, in a potential preview of the future of the 147 lb. division. Though it wasn’t the most technical fight of the weekend it stole my Fight of the Week distinction by being pure action and high entertainment value.
The fight played out in a relatively straightforward manner: Butaev worked the body (particularly early on) and used his larger frame to lean on Stanionis in the clinch, both of which were intended to wear Stanionis down and tire him out so that Butaev would be able to pull ahead later in the fight. His high output was not efficient, however, and it was not enough to tire Stanionis enough to overwhelm him late. Butaev only managed to land 19% of all punches thrown and 29% of power punches.
For his part, Stanionis was relatively efficient and packed a lot of power. When his shots connected with Butaev they snapped his head back; it was quite impressive Butaev was able to withstand the onslaught without ever looking seriously hurt, though it didn’t help sway the majority of the judges in his favor.
This was largely the story of the fight without much in terms of momentum shifts or adjustments in fighters’ gameplans. The two stood toe-to-toe (and often quite literally head-to-head) with neither fighter being able to force his opponent backward. Though each round was relatively close I scored the fight comfortably for Stanionis without much difficulty.
Toward the end of the fight there was a little bit of drama, as it seemed Butaev’s work on the body early had begun to weigh on Stanionis. I’d go so far as to say Stanionis did look vulnerable, though I don’t think that he was ever in serious trouble. The biggest shift in the fight, however, took place during that same time, and it was in Stanionis’ favor. Referee Rafael Ramos deducted a point from Butaev after multiple warnings about Butaev’s aforementioned pushing down on Stanionis in the clinch. This all but sealed the fight in Stanionis’ favor, as Butaev would have had to win both of the last two rounds just to muster a split-decision draw. With the point deduction he effectively needed a knockout to win the fight, which he was not able to secure.
Though Stanionis looked good in the fight he also seemed relatively one-dimensional. After securing the victory he became the mandatory challenger for Errol Spence’s WBA title, but it’s hard to imagine him having the same success with Spence’s defense and offense being leagues ahead of Butaev’s.
The good news for Stanionis is that if Spence calling out Terence Crawford is any indication, he might get paid to step aside and have another fight to prepare before a potential title shot. The bad news is that in the meantime the most enticing matchups for him are fellow prospects Vergil Ortiz (18-0) and Jaron Ennis (28-0), both of whom are younger, have more professional fights, and show greater offensive (and defensive) versatility than Butaev did on Saturday. Both fights are winnable for Stanionis, but he wouldn’t be favored in either.
Other Notable Results
Errol Spence defeats Yordenis Ugas (TKO 10)
Isaac Cruz defeats Yuriorkis Gamboa (TKO 5)
Cody Crowley defeats Josesito Lopez (UD)
Conor Benn defeats Chris van Heerden (TKO 2)
Belal Muhammad defeats Vicente Luque (UD)
Boxing is a sport with a history marred by allegations (and proven examples) of match-fixing, often tied to organized crime syndicates. Though some would argue modern promoters aren’t much better, the highest level of the sport has mostly distanced itself from that history. Gone are the days of the mob coming into the locker room pre-fight and threatening a fighter if he won’t take a dive. There’s one man, however, who has managed to stick around. That man is Daniel Kinahan, an alleged leader of the Kinahan Cartel, an Irish criminal organization that smuggles guns and drugs into Ireland, the United Kingdom, and mainland Europe. The organization is also part of an ongoing turf war with fellow Irish crime syndicate known as the Hutch Gang. Their ongoing feud has resulted in 18 killings since 2015, most notoriously a 2016 murder committed at a weigh-in in Dublin prior to a WBO title bout.
Last week the State Department, in conjunction with the DEA and crime prevention agencies in Ireland and the UK, offered a reward of $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Daniel Kinahan and members of his family. The Department of the Treasury also announced that Kinahan and associates would be barred from doing business in the United States, which includes any sort of financing or bank dealings. This effectively freezes all assets owned by members of the organization in the United States, including property, bank accounts, and credit or debit cards.
Kinahan is much more than a cartel boss, however. Kinahan is the founder of MTK Global, a boxing and MMA promotion company that works primarily with Irish and UK fighters. Though the company officially severed ties with Kinahan in the wake of the aforementioned 2016 shooting, he has been accused of continuing to influence the organization as a behind-the-scenes advisor. The organization has been accused of existing as a front to help the cartel launder money from their illicit activities. MTK Global fighters currently include heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, undisputed 140-pound champion Josh Taylor, former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton, former 130-pound champion Jamel Herring, and former 168-pound champion Billy Joe Saunders. They also work with UFC contenders Alexandar Rakic and Darren Till, along with unranked welterweight Mounir Lazzez, who specifically thanked Kinahan after his win this Saturday, casting further doubt on Kinahan’s relationship with MTK Global. Despite the supposedly severed ties between Kinahan and the promotion company, Kinhahan himself acts or has acted as a special advisor to a number of the fighters, including Tyson Fury. Last year Fury was set to face off against former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in one of the largest fights in British boxing history. Despite Kinahan allegedly no longer working with MTK, Fury expressly thanked Kinahan for “getting the fight across the line.” (Deontay Wilder eventually won arbitration regarding a rematch clause, granting him the trilogy fight with Fury and getting in the way of a Fury/Joshua showdown.) In exchange for this role as an “advisor” Kinahan would take home a fee of up to $1,000,000.
So how will this impact Tyson Fury and the world of combat sports? Despite their previous connections, Fury and current promoter Bob Arum both remain adamant that Kinahan is in no way currently related to the boxer’s career; that’s something we’ve heard before, however, so when Arum told the Daily Mail "I'm a US citizen and the Treasury Department does not take these steps lightly, we will respect [the sanctions]” some in the boxing world remained skeptical. For his part Fury was very non-committal, telling Ring Magazine “It’s none of my business, and I don’t get involved in other people’s business.” when asked about the US government’s recent actions taken against Kinahan. Fury’s title fight with Dillian Whyte seems likely to proceed as scheduled this Saturday, barring any groundbreaking developments in the case against Kinahan.
Ultimately it seems unlikely that this changes much in the world of boxing and MMA. With Kinahan being sanctioned fighters will likely sever official ties, even as the official “advisor” services some of them pay him for. Arum, Dana White, and other promoters will likely also remove him from any official business dealings, as they’d be afraid of losing their status at the top of the sport just to go down for some racketeering charges under the RICO Act. However, between Kinhahan’s current status in the sport being a vague one and Dubai, where Kinahan currently resides, being regularly thrown around as a destination for “big money” fights, it’s unlikely the combat sports world is truly rid of him just yet.
Update:
Bob Yalen, CEO of MTK Global, resigned on Tuesday, April 19, citing “personal reasons” for his departure.
Errol Spence called out Terence Crawford after unifying titles with Yordenis Ugas, sparking hope that a Spence/Crawford super fight is possible before the end of the year.
Amir Khan and his wife, Faryal, were victims of an armed robbery in East London. Both are safe.
Stipe Miocic has been allegedly offered a UFC heavyweight interim title fight against Jon Jones.
Henry Cejudo has re-entered the USADA testing pool, the first step to a potential UFC return. UFC boss Dana White isn’t sold on the matter.
Boxing
Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte, Saturday 4/23, 3:00PM (EST)
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MMA
UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade, Saturday 4/23, 7:00PM (EST)
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Wow, the bit on Kinahan is wild!