GRADES: TIM TSZYU, TONY HARRISON, CARLOS TAKAM, TONY YOKA & MORE

By: Jay Calderon

We got a little bit of everything this weekend. Its nice when boxing can provide a mix of all the elements that make the sport great.

We had a coming out party for Tim Tszyu in front of over 10,000 fans in Australia, an upset win in favor of veteran Heavyweight Carlos Takam over the once heavily-touted Tony Yoka in Paris and another destructive stoppage for the undefeated Diego Pacheco in Liverpool.

So, without much more rambling, let's hand out these grades.

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DIEGO PACHECO: B+
RESULT: DEF. JACK CULLEN, 4TKO (SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT)

It's hard to find much wrong with a four round demolition job. Which is about what we got when we say Diego Pacheco take the first round to figure out Jack Callun, then the following two and half rounds to break him down.

However, it must be said, it wasn't a perfect performance. The biggest issues you see with Pacheco thorought his young career still seemed present in the Cullen victory. Pacheco can be a bit slow footed, cocks back the guard hand when jabbing, and he seems to keep his head on a straight line far too often.

Thus far, he is so heavy-handed and so well equipped to string shots together, few have had the skill or courage to make him pay for those mistakes. At the top of the sport, that won't be the case.

Perhaps some of those flaws go away if Pacheco knows he's in with better talent. Perhaps. But you don't love to see it on the way up. A good rule of thumb in boxing: If you see the flaw on the way up, it's likely what leads to the way down.

That said, a classic breakdown of an overmatched fighter. Pacheco still has tremendous combinations, and seems very heavy-handed. Lapses in defense aside, those two traits can take you a lot of places.

CARLOS TAKAM: A+
RESULT: DEF. TONY YOKA, 10SD (HEAVYWEIGHT)

Maybe the performance itself wasn't perfect.

You could argue that Carlos Takam's win over Tony Yoka still gave us all the flaws we are accustomed to in the former's fights.

Takam isn't the best Heavyweight in the world, he can be slow, predictable at times. However, you have to put the win in its proper context.

At 42 years of age, Takam was brought in to lose. Yoka was coming off a loss from last year, and his promoters were certainly bringing in an older fighter with a name that their man could pick off. It would potentially help prove Yoka's loss to Martin Bakole was a fluke, and help restore some confidence in the gold medalist.

On paper, that makes sense. Yoka was a 6-1 favorite to pull off this win.

Unfortunately for Team Yoka, fights don't happen on paper, they happen in the ring -- and the odds no longer matter once the bell rings.

Takam did what a veteran fighter should do: he bullied an unsure-of-himself younger fighter coming off a loss all night long, warning a split decision that really should have been unanimous.

It doesn't mean Takam gets a title shot anytime soon. But the win keeps the perennial gatekeeper in business for a few fights more.

TONY YOKA: F
RESULT: LOSS TO CARLOS TAKAM, 10SD (HEAVYWEIGHT)

While an F might seem harsh to some, it's about as nice a grade as I can hand to Tony Yoka. Let's put things into perspective:
Yoka was a 6-1 favorite to defeat Carlos Takam, a tough man that has, respectfully, lost to just about anyone at Heavyweight with a pulse. Yoka lost thst contest to the 42-year-old -- and it wasn't even that close.

What's more, this is off the heels of his first loss as a professional. Back in May of last year, Yoka was dropped and decisioned by Martin Bakole over ten rounds. Yoka was a 3.5 to 1 favorite in that encounter.

It seems the moment Yoka is faced with any resistance, his back is up against the wall, he can't even get out of the blocks. He doesn't have the greatest chin, doesn't seem to have a second plan of action, ND doesn't have the will to dig deep and make something happen.

Yoka, an Olympic gold medalist at the 2016 games, may have found his level in the pro ranks in just 13 outings. And it doesn't look like that level is anywhere near the top of the sport.

TIM TSZYU: A-
RESULT: DEF. TONY HARRISON, 9TKO (JR. MIDDLEWEIGHT)

Tony Harrison really is a good talker. For a fighter that has been stopped three times heading into the Tim Tszyu encounter, he really had you (and I) believing he was going to pull off this upset.

In some ways, all the ingredients seemed in place for the upset. Tszyu was coming off a less-than-stellar win over Terrell Gausha back in early 2022, where he was dropped early on. What's more, Tszyu had never really been tested at the top.

When you couple that with the fact that Tszyu might have been looking past Harrison with a world title shot against Jermell Charlo looming, and an upset didn't seem too far-fetched.

However, once a few rounds had passed, the only reasonable outcome was Tszyu taking home the 'W'.

Tim was composed, patient, and his shot selection was spot on. Tszyu also seemed just as fast as Harrison, and seemed able to land the harder shots in the process.

By the time the ninth round came along, it seemed inevitable that Tszyu's title shot was in tact. Tim proved that to be true with a destructive combination that ultimately halted the action.

Great performance, and a great set up to Jermell Charlo vs. Tim Tszyu later this year.

TONY HARRISON: C
RESULT: LOSS TO TIM TSZYU, 9TKO (JR. MIDDLEWEIGHT)

It's tough to give Tony Harrison anything too harsh for his loss to Tim Tszyu.

While many (correctly) credited Tszyu for taking a tough fight right before his title shot, Harrison equally should be given credit for his efforts as well.

Harrison could have attempted to pick and choose the least resistance to a mandatory position, and cash out with a Jermell Charlo trilogy match. Instead, he went after the quickest, toughest route by challenging Tim Tszyu. What's more, he was brash and confident, willing to travel to Australia for his attempt.

Obviously, he came up short. After the first three or four rounds, it wasn't very close.

Still, the effort and the willingness to challenge himself should be commended.

Harrison also showed tremendous heart, trying to stand and trade when it didn't exactly favor him.

All in all, it might be the last we see of Harrison near the top of the sport. But it won't be due to a lack of heart or ambition.  

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