GRADES: SEBASTIAN FUNDORA, TIM TSZYU, ISAAC CRUZ, OSCAR VALDEZ, FABIO WARDLEY, FRAZER CLARKE & MORE

By: Jay Calderon

Well, damn, this was a busy weekend.

Right off the bat, I'm going to tell you that I couldn't possibly grade every fight/fighter over the weekend. I only have so much time, and can only watch so many fights. That said, I (briefly) covered a good amount, so there's that.

We started off on Friday (at least, that's where I started), with Oscar Valdez' stoppage win over the always game Liam Wilson in Arizona. Then, on Saturday in Inglewood, California, we saw history made when Gilberto Ramirez became the first Mexican to win gold at Cruiserweight with a decision over Arsen Goulamirian.

Also on Saturday in Las Vegas, we had the blood fest between Sebastian Fundora and Tim Tszyu, with the former picking up the win along with two pieces of gold at Jr. Middleweight. The under card saw Isaac Cruz pick up 140 pound gold with a stoppage over Rolly Romero and Erislandy Lara defend Middleweight gold with a stoppage victory over Michael Zerafa.

Finally, on Sunday, British Heavyweights Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke had a domestic classic, with both giving everything they had, in a reasonable split decision draw.

So, enough of the preamble, let's hand out these grades:

OSCAR VALDEZ
RESULT: DEF. LIAM WILSON, 7TKO (JR. LIGHTWEIGHT)
GRADE: B-
At this point, it is safe to say we fully understand the ceiling for Oscar Valdez. At 33-years-old, Valdez isn't getting better and may not have enough to beat the best of the best at or around Jr. Lightweight.

That being said, Valdez still seems to have enough to beat most fighters underneath that very top level. Against Liam Wilson, Valdez was able to adjust, drag Wilson into a fight using hard hooks and body shots, and punished his foe for his lack of discipline. Valdez should also get credit for overcoming the somewhat slow start, and taking the best work Wilson offered up early on.

Against the lesser regarded opposition, Valdez can still be in exciting fights and be successful. Whether Valdez will be find that to be enough for him at this point in his career is another question.

LIAM WILSON
RESULT: LOSS TO OSCAR VALDEZ, 7TKO (JR. LIGHTWEIGHT)
GRADE: C
Liam Wilson is one of those fighters that seems to have some decent tools in the tool box, but might not always know when and where to use them.

Early on against Oscar Valdez, Wilson was boxing well, staying at range and using his reach to effectively keep Valdez out of the fight. However, as Valdez pushed to make it more of a brawl, Wilson was all too willing. Once the action picked up and both fighters were in that proverbial phone booth, Valdez had a much easier time and was landing far more, making it a much tougher contest for the Aussie.

Wilson, going forward, can be a tough test for fighters looking to see where they rank against a world title-level opponent. But, unless he finds a way to change his approach in regards to getting into tear ups, Liam isn't likely to have success at the top of the sport.

GILBERTO RAMIREZ
RESULT: DEF. ARSEN GOULAMIRIAN, 12UD (CRUISERWEIGHT)
GRADE: A-
In the span of a few fights, Gilberto Ramirez has gone from a fighter seemingly lost in the shuffle to a record-setting world champion at Cruiserweight. After being dominated at Light-Heavyweight by Dmitry Bivol and missing weight for a Gabriel Rosado fight, this is quite the turn around for Ramirez.

But it's not just the win that's impressive. It's the fact that Ramirez, who not too long ago competed at Middleweight, was willing to take the chance, to stand and trade with the now former champion Arsen Goulamirian. The fact that "Zurdo" bravely let his hands go in spots and made it a fight is to be commended. He was successful, but also showed he can be positive in his approach as the smaller man at 200 pounds.

How far Ramirez can take this Cruiserweight run is questionable. 200 pounds has always seemed a bit devoid of talent, but in 2024, the king at the weight in Jai Opetaia is a giant exception to that rule. Time will tell how Ramirez navigates these waters.

ARSEN GOULAMIRIAN
RESULT: LOSS TO GILBERTO RAMIREZ, 12UD (CRUISERWEIGHT)
GRADE: D+
You don't want to be too tough on Arsen Goulamirian. He lost his gold in a relatively tough fight to a former champion in Gilberto Ramirez. On paper, that's nothing at which to scoff. However, the details tell the story.

Goulamirian, knowing he's facing a smaller man that's used to a busier work rate, has to play the role of a bigger man to be successful. Make it ugly, make it a fight. Make Ramirez feel your size and begin to fold under that sort of pressure. However, for most moments in the contest, the naturally smaller Ramirez was dictating the terms and landing the more impressive, powerful shots.

Yes, you have to give Ramirez some credit for taking the play away from Goulamirian. Still, you would expect Arsen to do well if he's a quality fighter when he's given numerous opportunities to trade with a smaller foe. It wasn't a terrible performance, but it doesn't look great the closer you look into the nuance of the contest.

SEBASTIAN FUNDORA
RESULT: DEF. TIM TSZYU, 12SD (JR. MIDDLEWEIGHT)
GRADE: A-
Starting off his title challenge with Tim Tszyu, Sebastian Fundora looked on his way to a second straight loss (having been stopped by Brian Mendoza in 2023). However, boxing is almost never that simple, and that was proved on the night when an accidental elbow gave Tszyu a massive gash on his forehead.

From the point of that injury onward, Fundora just seemed a step ahead of his foe. Making things even better for Fundora was that he was boxing smart, using his incredibly long jab and keeping Tszyu blinded all night (along with the pouring blood). When needed, Fundora would sit down on his shots and land power blows as well to create an almost perfect mix. In some ways, while not the exciting Sebastian we have become used to, it was the best performance of Fundora's career from about the third round on.

Now, after what seemed like a massive setback in a knockout loss to Brian Mendoza back in April of last year, Fundora is a major player at 154 pounds with two pieces of gold and Tszyu's scalp (no pun intended) to his name.

TIM TSZYU
RESULT: LOSS TO SEBASTIAN FUNDORA, 12SD (JR. MIDDLEWEIGHT)
GRADE: B-
You have to feel a little bit for Tim Tszyu, who, after two rounds, seemed well on his way to a quality performance against the physically challenging Sebastian Fundora. However, when a gash the size of Texas opened up on Tszyu's hairline late in the second, things dramatically changed for the Aussie.

While one could cynically say that Tszyu and his team should have been better prepared, if you're looking at the fight honestly, you know there is little Tszyu could have done differently. That blood was never going to stop pouring during the fight, he was going to have vision problems against someone with freakishly long arms and reach and a good jab at that. It was an uphill battle with loose dirt under Tim's feet from the third round and beyond.

Still, while Tszyu deserves all the credit in the world for continuing to fight bravely, his team needs to seriously consider what they were thinking letting their young charge fight on blind for the majority of a championship fight. Having courage is one thing, but that's for the fighter. The corner isn't supposed to be brave, they're supposed to be sensible.

ISAAC CRUZ
RESULT: DEF. ROLLY ROMERO, 8TKO (JR. WELTERWEIGHT)
GRADE: A+
For a few years now, one could have made the argument that Isaac Cruz was sort of living off the loss to Gervonta Davis. And while it certainly allowed for Cruz' stock to rise, you never want to be known most for a fight in which you lost.

Well, that certainly changes now that Cruz has demolished Rolly Romero, capturing a portion of the gold at 140 pounds in the process. Cruz was all over his bigger foe, bossing him around and ultimately stopping Romero in fairly sensational fashion. The smaller man, Cruz looked like the only one with power and a bit of skills thrown in there to get that power home. It's a career-best performance at this point.

Going forward, one isn't sure if Cruz is a perfect fit for 140 pounds. Then again, having some gold and potentially more lucrative offers might mean Cruz takes that chance and stays at the weight. Either way, very solid performance for the Mexican, nearly the weekend's best.

ROLLY ROMERO
RESULT: LOSS TO ISAAC CRUZ, 8TKO (JR. WELTERWEIGHT)
GRADE: F
I don't just hand out Fs (I could, who cares?). I try to find somewhere in my assessment to give a fighter credit. However, that seems just about impossible for Rolly Romero.

When you're a brash fighter, one trying to call your shots or making bold predictions, you inherent a risk. If all goes well, you look like a confident star. When it goes poorly, you look like a fool. There is almost no in between ground here. And, let's make this perfectly clear: Rolly Romero got everything wrong against Isaac Cruz.

Romero was busted up and punched literally around the ring in his first title defense, and was ultimately rescued from further punishment by the referee after having shown no ability to turn things around or defend himself. It's hard to even critique the work Romero did because there was so little done by the American.

In his biggest fights, Romero has looked questionable at best, and usually seems to fall short. It's hard seeing that change for Rolly going forward. And the memes will follow with every setback so long as Rolly keeps up the pre-fight antics.

ERISLANDY LARA
DEF. MICHAEL ZERAFA, 2KO (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
GRADE: B+
At 40 years of age, you would think you'd begin to see some signs of slippage from Erislandy Lara. However, that wasn't the case against Michael Zerafa, however you choose to look at that.

Lara was patient, set up his work and landed a perfect 1-2 from the southpaw stance to end matters. It was a perfect shot. Even in beating the count, Zerafa could be seen shaking his head "no", as if to answer the "can you continue?" question referees will ask after a hard knockdown.

The performance was great, but the opposition left something to be desired. So, that B+ grade makes sense to me for Lara.

FABIO WARDLEY/FRAZIER CLARKE
RESULT: 12SDRAW (HEAVYWEIGHT)
GRADE: A-
Normally, even for draws, I don't love to grade fighters together. For the most part, they perform differently with different expectations and hurdles, so they should get separate grades for their efforts. However, it feels fitting in the case of Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke.

On Sunday, the pair battled it out in one of the better scraps of the weekend, and kept it mostly as close as the odds were for their contest. While Wardley was the betting favorite, he wasn't an overwhelming favorite and the fight showcased just that. Clarke, while dropped fairly hard in the contest, battled back and kept the scoring tight (very tight, as the cards would show in the end), likely taking many of the latter frames.

Wardley seemed to be in better shape, but was also busted up in the fight and you could sense he was impacted. Clarke might have finished stronger, but didn't quite have the gas to really cement a victory in those championship frames. It really was give and take, tug and pull in so many ways for the pair.

Rematches aren't always in order, even in close fights. I've seen some close, timid fights that I would never want to sit through again. However, this fight calls for a rematch as much as almost any fight you'll see due to the tight scoring and the action produced by both Wardley and Clarke.

They both showed some skills, some toughness, and had moments that might make them believe they can improve in a return. And I'd love to see either man try and prove that point.

LINKS:

- SCHEDULE & ODDS

- RESULTS

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