GRADES: EMANUEL NAVARRETE, OSCAR VALDEZ, ANTHONY JOSHUA, EMMANUEL RODRIGUEZ & MORE

By: Jay Calderon

Solid weekend of action, with a Heavyweight bout kicking things off before two lighter weight championship bouts here in the States.

First, in London, former Heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua blasted out late replacement Robert Helenius inside seven frames. Helenius was replacing Dillian Whyte, who (shockingly) was popped for a positive drug test.

Then, in Glendale, Arizona, Jr. Lightweight titlist Emanuel Navarrete picked up a massive win over former titlist Oscar Valdez. Around the same time in Maryland, Emmanuel Rodriguez was picking up Bantamweight gold with a win over Melvin Lopez.

All that and a bit more. So, without much more ado, let's hand out these Grades:

ANTHONY JOSHUA
GRADE: B-
RESULT: DEF. ROBERT HELENIUS, 7KO (HEAVYWEIGHT)
Well, it wasn't always pretty, but Anthony Joshua's win over late-sub Robert Helenius was effectively what you can expect from the former at this point in his career.

Joshua will struggle at times, unsure of just how he needs to progress as a fighter. AJ will sometimes second guess himself while trying to implement his new trainer Derrick James' gameplan.

However, the Londoner still has more than enough spite in his shots to end matters if and when he connects.

The question going forward will be if he has the mental capability to pull the trigger when needed in those bigger fights against opponents that may offer more resistance than Helenius.

EMANUEL NAVARRETE
GRADE: A
RESULT: DEF. OSCAR VALDEZ, 12UD (JR. LIGHTWEIGHT)
Coming off the back of perhaps his worst performance as a professional (a come-from-behind stoppage win over Liam Wilson), Emanuel Navarrete had the best night of his career in against the biggest name he's faced in Oscar Valdez.

Yes, Navarrete dipped a bit in those middle frames, but he also likely hurt his hand. If it wasn't for that injury, this fight might have been even more one-sided than it already was for large stretches.

Navarrete isn't perfect, as he will get hit too much and has what Timothy Bradley called "horrible foot work". But his is a style that works perfectly for him -- and when Navarette gets going, he's hard to neutralize.

Is he ever good enough to beat Shakur Stevenson? Probably not. But that awkward style could be one of the trickier nights at the office for the American should the two decide to face off.

OSCAR VALDEZ
GRADE: C-
RESULT: LOSS TO EMANUEL NAVARRETE, 12UD (JR. LIGHTWEIGHT)
Oscar Valdez put on a brave performance in a losing effort to Emanuel Navarrete, nearly turning the tide of the contest midway through.

And, in modern terms, it's one of the better fights you will see. If you missed it I suggest you go back and take a look, it's worth your time.

However, as far as the performance and the success of the tactics, Valdez and his team seemed to fall way short. While they soon found a home for the left hand, they had nothing for Navarrete when he showed an ability to take it.

Valdez didn't attack the body nearly enough, couldn't take advantage of the few moments he had and was unable get through the gears. Navarrete simply saw him coming the entire time.

All while coming into the fight as the slight favorite. Now, while the odds don't matter once the bell rings, it's not a great look when you're losing the fights many expect you to win...and it wasn't always thst close.

EMMANUEL RODRIGUEZ
GRADE: A-
RESULT: DEF. MELVIN LOPEZ, 12UD (BANTAMWEIGHT)
Any time you become a world champion in a one-sided affair, it's hard to knock the performance. And that's exactly what Emmanuel Rodriguez did when in against Melvin Lopez.

While the face of Rodriguez looked like he had been hit by a Triple H sledgehammer, he was clearly the better man and used his skills throughout the one-way frames. He also showed a bit of power, dropping his man three times late in the contest.

Outside of the scar tissue that might develop if Rodriguez is unlucky, it's hard to take anything away from him for the Lopez performance.

Rodriguez is once again a world titlist and looked impressive in pulling off the feat.

GARY A. RUSSELL
GRADE: A-
RESULT: DEF. KENT CRUZ, 1KO (JR. WELTERWEIGHT)
You can't take too much stock from a first round demo job. That said, Kent Cruz came into his bout with Gary A. Russell undefeated, and having not looked too bad in recent outings.

Russell changed that.

While Cruz was getting flustered in the moment and looking to the referee for help, Russell helped himself and dropped Cruz twice en route to an early stoppage.

Most impressive was Russell's ability to keep his foot work sharp while looking for the knockout. Only gripe was he could have gone to the body a bit more, but I'm knit-picking at that point.

LINKS:

- SCHEDULE & ODDS

- RESULTS

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