Fighters' grades: One A, one F, and a lot in between after a weekend full of boxing

This past play was highlighted by 2 large boxing cards successful New York. On Friday, an all-women paper that included six rubric fights with an unprecedented 17 titles connected the enactment took spot astatine Madison Square Garden nether the Most Valuable Promotions banner.

In the main event, undisputed inferior welterweight champion Katie Taylor defeated Amanda Serrano by bulk decision to stay unbeaten successful their combat trilogy. It was a superb show by Taylor, who decided to dilatory down the gait to support Serrano guessing and retired of range.

Also connected the card, Alycia Baumgardner retained her undisputed inferior lightweight championship, but bushed Jennifer Miranda successful little awesome fashion. Shadasia Green scored an upset of Savannah Marshall that unified 2 ace middleweight titles. Late replacement Cherneka Johnson took vantage of her accidental and became undisputed bantamweight champion with a TKO triumph implicit Shurretta Metcalf.

On Saturday, astatine Louis Armstrong Stadium successful Queens, The Ring III paper saw lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson alteration his accustomed antiaircraft attack to a much assertive attack. He dominated antecedently unbeaten powerfulness puncher William Zepeda. Hamzah Sheeraz, making his ace middleweight debut, knocked retired Edgar Berlanga successful the 5th round to get a measurement person to a megafight for the undisputed championship. Subirel Matias went the region for the archetypal clip successful his vocation successful a must-needed triumph implicit Alberto Puello to assertion the WBC inferior welterweight title. Andreas Hale took successful each combat connected some New York cards and grades the performances of each the apical fighters.

Friday study card

Katie Taylor: B

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Taylor: Nobody tin contradict I won this fight

Katie Taylor believes her 3rd triumph implicit Amanda Serrano was her astir ascendant triumph successful the trilogy.

It wasn't the slugfest of the erstwhile 2 meetings. The gait was slower than their erstwhile 2 fights and the output level was lower, which brings down the people here, but Taylor yet fought the combat she wanted against Serrano. Taylor utilized question and a cheque hook and doubled up connected the close manus to power agelong stretches of the fight. Her show emphatically proved Taylor is the amended fighter.

Amanda Serrano: D

Serrano had an atrocious crippled program against Taylor successful their 3rd fight. She opted to container alternatively of swarm and recovered herself connected the losing extremity of a determination that wasn't arsenic adjacent arsenic the archetypal 2 fights. Serrano admitted successful her postfight interrogation that she didn't judge her strategy from the archetypal 2 meetings would get the occupation done successful the third, but her assertive attack successful those performances won implicit fans and near country for opinions that she should person been up 2-0. Instead, she allowed Taylor to combat her combat and mislaid a wide decision. Serrano is inactive 1 of the greats, but this wasn't the close approach.

Alycia Baumgardner: C

"The Bomb" didn't amusement disconnected her vaunted powerfulness against the light-hitting Miranda and didn't needfully impressment those who had ne'er seen her fight. She gets a flimsy walk due to the fact that she had been comparatively inactive the past mates of years. Nevertheless, she played it harmless contempt being successful a presumption to triumph implicit caller fans with her power. Baumgardner promised successful her postfight interrogation that things volition lone get amended from here, an attack that would punctual fans what made her an undisputed champion successful the archetypal place. She has each the tools to beryllium a star.

Shadasia Green: B

Green was a important underdog successful her combat with erstwhile undisputed ace middleweight champion Marshall and dug herself a beauteous heavy spread by having a constituent deducted successful Round 4 for excessive holding. But the earthy endowment and grit of Green pulled her through, and she won a divided determination to go unified champion. It wasn't a cleanable show but proved that Green is the diamond successful the unsmooth that Jake Paul's MVP thought she was. More importantly, she acceptable herself up for a imaginable blockbuster showdown with ESPN's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, Claressa Shields.

Cherneka Johnson: B

Johnson wasn't adjacent primitively connected the paper but got the telephone to articulation MVP aft Dina Thorslund withdrew erstwhile she learned she is pregnant. Johnson took afloat vantage of the accidental and tore done Metcalf with a ninth-round stoppage successful a bantamweight conflict to go Australia's archetypal undisputed champion. She made a beardown content and is present successful premier presumption to go a star.

Saturday study card

Shakur Stevenson: A

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Shakur Stevenson wins by unanimous determination to clasp his title

Shakur Stevenson beats William Zepeda to clasp his WBC lightweight title.

Stevenson silenced those who called his benignant boring by staying successful the pouch and outslugging a slugger successful a ascendant unanimous determination triumph against Zepeda. He didn't request to enactment connected an breathtaking show to bushed the offensive-minded Zepeda, but helium fought similar helium wanted to beryllium a constituent to his doubters. His combat could person easy been successful the headlining spot, fixed that Stevenson is among the champion pound-for-pound fighters successful the satellite and was defending his lightweight championship. He landed an absurd 52.2% of his punches (295 of 565), weathered each azygous tempest helium encountered from Zepeda and won astir each circular connected the scorecards (118-110, 118-110 and 119-109). This show proves helium tin triumph successful conscionable astir immoderate benignant helium wants.

William Zepeda: C

Zepeda fought the mode helium ever fights, launching a ridiculous 979 punches astatine his opponent. He gave Stevenson each helium could grip with a relentless violative attack that had been bully capable to bushed 33 different fighters, but Stevenson was excessively bully to beryllium overwhelmed by Zepeda's output. Zepeda landed conscionable 27.8% of his full punches and was excessively casual for Stevenson to find, with Stevenson landing implicit 50%. Zepeda near with a loss, but fans volition privation to spot him again due to the fact that of his breathtaking style.

Hamzah Sheeraz: A

Sheeraz had to perceive to Berlanga's trash speech for months, astir however helium was going to marque abbreviated enactment of the Brit, who was making his ace middleweight debut. Berlanga had the backing of New York City erstwhile the 2 met successful the main lawsuit astatine Louis Armstrong Stadium, with Berlanga being accompanied by Fat Joe and Remy Ma performing their deed "Lean Back" for his entrance. Ironically, it would beryllium Sheeraz who forced Berlanga to "lean back" by knocking the Puerto Rican down 3 times and picking up an awesome fifth-round knockout. He proved that the determination to 168 pounds was the close 1 and present sets himself up for the victor of Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford.

Edgar Berlanga: F

For each the talking that Berlanga did to Sheeraz (and promoter Oscar De La Hoya), helium couldn't backmost it up and was blown retired successful 5 rounds. Hubris has seemed to get the champion of the Puerto Rican, who burst onto the country by winning his archetypal 16 fights by first-round knockout. In September helium landed a combat against Alvarez that proved to beryllium excessively aboriginal successful his career, successful a one-sided unanimous determination loss. He came into this combat afloat of confidence, but helium was dropped 3 times successful beforehand of his location fans. Hopefully this humbling infinitesimal for Berlanga gets him backmost successful the laboratory to hole the holes successful his game. He's talented but volition request to recognize his limitations moving forward.

Subriel Matias: B-

Matias won a determination for the archetypal clip successful his career, a hard-fought conflict with Puello to go the WBC inferior welterweight champion. Matias, who entered the combat with a 100% knockout-to-win ratio, surely tried to adhd different knockout to his grounds with a full-court property of Puello. He stayed connected his beforehand ft for astir the full fight, bouncing punches disconnected each portion of Puello's body. But helium started to deterioration down precocious and had to bent connected for a constrictive bulk determination win. If Puello had power, this mightiness person been a antithetic outcome.

Alberto Puello: C+

Puello was forced to woody with the relentless unit of knockout creator Matias and astir escaped with his title. He fought good disconnected his backmost foot, weathering the tempest and utilizing crisp counterpunching. He ne'er allowed the combat to get distant from him, managing to go the archetypal combatant to spell each 12 rounds with Matias. Puello is crafty, but his deficiency of powerfulness yet did him in.