Sunday 30 July 2017 12:51, UK
Mikey Garcia produced a supreme performance to dominate Adrien Broner, while Katie Taylor and Jarrell Miller edged closer to world title shots.
Three-weight world champion Garcia extended his unbeaten record to 37-0 to put his name amongst the pound-for-pound best at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn.
Fellow unbeaten fighters Taylor and Miller also rose to the occasion, while Jermall Charlo made a quick, if not slightly bizarre, transition to the middleweight division. Here, we discuss the main talking points from Brooklyn.
Mikey Garcia's formidable points victory over Adrien Broner all but confirmed his elite status in boxing and removed any doubt, if there was any, as to whether he belonged amongst the pound-for-pound best.
The way the Californian controlled and fundamentally outworked fellow multi-division titlist Broner, hunting down his opponent and landing accurate stinging blows, was full of class and done so with ultimate ease.
The fight was earmarked before as a breakout fight for the 29-year-old, a chance to finally have that career-defining victory over a fellow elite level fighter on his record and Garcia now has that.
His options now are aplenty and the unbeaten star said that he can fight in any division from welter down to lightweight, meaning potential mouthwatering clashes with the likes of Jorge Linares, Terence Crawford or even Errol Spence Jr are certainly possible.
Adrien Broner has lost twice before but the manner of this defeat may just hurt that little bit more after Garcia gave the flamboyant Cincinnati man somewhat of a boxing lesson.
In his previous defeats to Marcos Maidana and Shawn Porter, Broner was roughed up, bullied in the ring, and although he was knocked down in both, he was applauded for the heart he showed to reach the final bell both times - this loss was different.
The four-weight world champion is still only 28-years-old, but it almost feels now that he has had his time at the top and now he is on the decline. One major win would of course change that, but where will it come?
If he stays at super-lightweight, Terence Crawford is the man to beat and most , if not all, would say Broner can not beat him. At welter three are options, but again the liked of Keith Thurman and Spence Jr seem too fresh and active for 'AB'. It could be a long road back.
It seems that you give Katie Taylor the platform and every time she will perform. There are of course levels to the sport of boxing and Taylor is already at the highest level of ability, outclassing those she comes up against.
So far opponents, as hard as they have tried, simply can not match the speed, power and fluid boxing skills that Taylor so impressively possesses.
The Irish star is on the brink of a world title shot and it's the test she needs, it's the level where she belongs.
The lightweight's promoter Eddie Hearn has said that a world title opportunity could be in the offing for November time and maybe we will finally see someone match her or is she simply a cut above the rest?
Jarrell Miler backed up his brash pre-fight talking by stopping Gerald Washington and now the Brooklyn heavyweight wants a world title shot, but is he ready for the division's best?
One thing that is for sure is that the sheer size of Miller, almost 300lbs, would be a handful for any opponent and the 29-year-old undoubtedly has power, 17 stoppage wins from 19 fights speaks for itself.
Even so, although he dominated Washington, something felt missing or, more to the fact, Miller simply did not perform as well as many had hoped or thought he would.
He powered forward and often looked crude and sluggish, it seemed fortunate that Washington was in the opposing corner as one would suspect the likes of Anthony Joshua, Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder remain a level above.
Jermall Charlo would have imagined his middleweight debut would have gone slightly differently to the way it did as he comfortably stopped Sebastian Heiland in a WBC world title eliminator.
The chief support to the main event, this was Charlo's chance to make a statement and begin his assault on the middleweight division and his hopes of becoming a two-weight world champion.
But any chance to impress was taken out of his hands as Heiland, almost from the first bell, appeared to be harbouring a debilitating leg injury that made for uncomfortable viewing.
The Argentinian could barely put pressure on his stiff left leg and it made for quite a farcical show, and most were relieved when the contest was eventually called off. Charlo wants the winner of Canelo-Golovkin and unfortunately after this viewing, we are none the wiser as to how he compares to the two best middleweights.
