GRADES: AMANDA SERRANO, ALYCIA BAUMGARDNER, EMANUEL NAVARRETE, LIAM WILSON & MORE

By: Jay Calderon

We had a ton of action this past weekend, which really started Thursday in Quebec, Canada, and ran through late Saturday night in New York.

The first major fight for the week was fought on Friday, with Emanuel Navarrete defeating Liam Wilson, capturing a vacant world title at 130 pounds in the process in a Fight of the Year contender. Not to be outcome, Amanda Serrano defeated Erika Cruz Hernandez to unify the Featherweight division in a bloody back and forth encounter.

Also, on the Serrano-Cruz undercard, Alycia Baumgardner unified the Jr. Lightweight division with a solid win over Elhem Mekhaled.

So, there was tons of action. With that said, let's get to these grades.

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EMANUEL NAVARRETE: B

RESULT: DEF. LIAM WILSON, 9TKO (Jr. Lightweight)

Let me begin here by saying that this fight was an absolute thriller, and both men should be proud of the heart displayed on the night.

However, that isn't to say Navarrete put in a perfect performance, despite the ninth round stoppage he ultimately earned. Yes, he captured gold in his third weight class, but it wasn't a flawless exhibition by any stretch.

He was tagged much more than you would like for a star fighter. Navarrete also seemed to struggle with the power at 130 pounds, getting dropped hard in the fourth and being hurt once more in the sixth. Against better fighters, that is something Navarrete won't be able to do.

Navarrete showed his poise, he showed his heart. And he showed that he still has solid pop against perhaps naturally bigger opponents. However, off the back of struggling with a relative novice in Wilson, who entered the contest with an 11-1 record, it's hard to imagine Navarrete being able to cope with the best in the new category.

Still, who doesn't want to watch Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez?

LIAM WILSON: B-

RESULT: LOSS TO EMANUEL NAVARRETE, 9TKO (Jr. Lightweight)

Wilson did far better than many expected. That is naturally going to make this grade a little higher than if this was perceived as a pick 'em heading into the contest.

Wilson was a giant underdog, coming into the fight as a +1600 in some sports books. Yet, based on performance, Wilson more than held his own, making those odds look rather silly in retrospect.

Navarrete is awkward for most, using a very difficult style that befuddles opponents. Nonetheless, Wilson was calm and composed, far beyond his brief years as a professional. Perhaps, one could argue, had Wilson gone a bit more to the body, he might have produced a different result.

Still, that lack of a body attack is what sinks him here. He didn't seize the moment quite enough, missing that major key to success and suffered the second loss of his career as a result. Regardless, a very solid performance for someone viewed as a no-hoper heading into the bout.

AMANDA SERRANO: B

RESULT: DEC. ERIKA CRUZ HERNADEZ, 10UD (Featherweight)

It wasn't the perfect fight for one of the greatest female fighters of all time, but she managed to get the job done.

Now, while some will call the scorecards far too wide in Serrano's favor (and they were), the truth is she did just a bit more damaging work in a close fight. To me, if the fight is otherwise close, the damage should be weighted most. Again, just my opinion, but that should matter.

Having said all of said, Serrano was definitely pushed to her limit against a seemingly limited Erika Cruz Hernandez. It's not that Cruz is a bad fighter, but this was supposed to be a fairly comfortable win for Serrano.

It definitely wasn't.

Perhaps Cruz just has a great chin and a style that would always give Serrano trouble. Or, perhaps, at the age of 34, Serrano is beginning to show signs of exiting her prime. In either event, it wasn't a vintage Serrano performance. She had to dig deep in a bloody, messy affair.

She did enough to win, but she'll have to do more in a rematch with Katie Taylor later this year.

ERIKA CRUZ HERNANDEZ: B

RESULT: LOSS TO AMANDA SERRANO, 10UD (Featherweight)

When a fight is good, both the winner and loser tend to benefit. When a fight is good and close, that rules tends to stick even more. The stock of Erika Cruz Hernandez will certainly rise after her grueling encounter with Amanda Serrano, even in defeat.

Cruz was far better than most expected the Mexican to be, and even better than the first round seemed to indicate. She needed a solid round to get going. However, once she warmed up, she was taking the fight to the legendary Serrano, at times controlling the pace and tempo of a fight most expected her to lose convincingly.

Due to a nasty headbutt early in the contest, Cruz had blood pouring down her face for much of the fight. It didn't stop her. She was getting tagged by big shots from Serrano in the second half of the fight. It didn't stop her.

She was all but completely exhausted by the final bell, but that makes total sense. In a ten round fight with only two minute rounds, Cruz had landed over 200 shots, while throwing nearly 1,000. It was an incredible pace, a pace that Serrano had statistically never faced as a professional.

Whatever the result on the night, Cruz has shown she is a force at Featherweight.

ALYCIA BAUMGARDNER: A-

RESULT: DEF. ELHEM MEKHALED, 10UD (JR. LIGHTWEIGHT)

Two years ago, few in boxing knew the name of Alycia Baumgardner. And in relatively short order, she has knocked off two previously-undefeated titlists and completely unified the Jr. Lightweight division. That is no small feat.

Has it always been perfect? No. She seems to load up on her shots a bit too much, and will gas mid-round if her opponent isn't knocked down or retreating. Also, Alycia can at times telegraph her shots, making herself easier to counterpunch.

That said, she wins. She continues to find ways to win. And that's what she did against a tough Elhem Mekhaled that refused to be denied in her own right.

Baumgardner will need to shore up some of those previously-mentioned tendencies, and couple this improvements with her power and quick hands. And if she's able to, she will be a real problem for anyone around 130 pounds.

OTHER GRADES:

ELHEM MEKHALED: B (LOSS TO ALYCIA BAUMGARDNER, 10UD/JR. LIGHTWEIGHT)

ARNOLD BARBOZA: B- (DEF. JOSE PEDRAZA, 10UD/JR. WELTERWEIGHT)

JOSE PEDRAZA: C+ (LOSS TO ARNOLD BARBOZA, 10UD/JR. WELTERWEIGHT)

ERIK BAZINYAN: B- (DEF. ALANTEZ FOX, 10MDEC/SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT)

ALANTEZ FOX: C (LOSS TO ERIK BAZINYAN, 10MDEC/SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT)

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