Pacquiao's Olympic Debut Shut Down, David Benavidez to Light-Heavyweight, Trouble at 154 lbs!

In a landslide decision, the International Olympic Committee has denied an exemption for Manny Pacquiao. This story begins four months ago, when Manny Pacquiao announced his intention to join the Phillippines Olympic Boxing Team. The boxing community was divided. Some felt that Pacquiao deserved the opportunity, seeing as how he sacrificed his amateur career early to pursue the world stage as a professional.

The normal course of action for someone would be to stay in the amateur rankings for as long as possible for the purposes of gaining experience. The average number of amateur fights a person would participate in before turning pro is 12 in the modern era, which shows that people are making the turnaround to the professional ranks quicker than they did in the early 2000s and 90s. People didn't start turning pro quickly until recently because of the financial incentive towards starting one's pro career younger.

The lack of backing for amateur fighters is another factor in why people began transitioning to the pros earlier. The International Olympic Committee has shown that it cannot be trusted to hold fair events for amateur boxing after being exposed for fraudulent activity several times already. The AIBA/IBA (International Boxing Association) isn't very trustworthy either. With no real organization or sanctioning body to trust, many amateurs have lost faith in the system.

This has created a vacuum in which much of the young talent flees to small and big promotions alike, leaving the tenured amateurs to duke it out for many years at a time. Some of these competitors retire as 35 to 40-year-old amateurs with many medals and trophies to their names. Others don't have the opportunity to turn professional due to the conditions of their country, such as those who live in Cuba.

It is rare for them to break out and start a pro career, but in the slight chance that they do, they are almost immediately shot to the top of the ladder. Andy Cruz is a solid example of this. Cruz competed in the amateurs for a total of 10 years, starting in July of 2011.

With almost half of his life spent as an amateur fighter, there was no doubt that Cruz was ready for the world stage. The relationship between the fans and the amateurs has changed drastically too. During the Golden Age of Boxing or the 1970s, there was significant traction around amateur rankings.

Every enclave of immigrants in a big city had their local hero. The Italians had their prospect, the Puerto Ricans had theirs, and so did the Mexicans. The amateurs and professionals were both a mark of community and racial pride. Whole cities propped their fighters up, using them as a force to rally behind. There was a soul in amateur boxing, a meaningful tie between the fighters and the people around them. In the present day, this is not the case.

Many amateurs struggle to get recognized by their town, so this deep tie that the people once had to their gyms and fighters is currently nonexistent. It isn’t until this fighter or group of fighters earn considerable victories and achieve success that their community begins to embrace them.

This lack of push has harmed the competitive spirit of the amateurs, creating a hostile environment for people who want to make a deep run at Olympic or National gold. Even making the Olympic team is a major accomplishment for a boxer, even though the sanctioning and governing bodies have notoriously treated international amateur boxers like garbage. In the Philippines, amateur boxing has a healthy base, but the competition and effort applied toward roster selection are not exceptional by any means.

The reason Pacquiao even had a sliver of a chance was because the Philippines National Boxing Team is so few in number. In comparison to the United States National Boxing Team, the Philippines' team is small. They have not sent many combat sports athletes abroad historically, which has granted them several exemptions in competitions.

Regardless of numbers, the International Olympic Committee has chosen to turn down Pacquiao's request. Pacquiao's participation in the Olympics could have had massive implications for the future and would have most certainly been a financial positive for his team and the tournament.

Many fans would show up to the boxing events during the Olympics, which means that local businesses like hotels and AirBNB hosts would benefit as well. Unfortunately, none of this will come to pass. Pacquiao will have to watch his fellow countrymen from the stands thinking about what would have been a spectacular last hurrah for his boxing career.

[Jermell Charlo Stripped of All Titles, 154 Moves On!]

The issues have grown larger for the 154 lb division. Sebastian Fundora, "The Towering Inferno," is set to fight for the WBC Super-Welterweight World Championship. The issue with this is the fact that Jermell Charlo is the WBC Super-Welterweight World Champion- or so we think. The beginning of the title woes at super-welterweight stems from Charlo being stripped of his WBO championship.

The sanctioning bodies' rules state that a champion has 12 months to defend his title, but the WBO chose to strip Charlo because he decided to fight Canelo instead of his mandatory challenger, the current WBO Super-Welterweight Champion, Tim Tszyu. Tszyu never officially won his championship from the original champion, and was instead elevated to WBO World status from WBO Interim status.

These troubles continued to follow Charlo as he later vacated his IBF title in November of 2023. The IBF attempted to force Charlo into a purse bid for an opponent that wasn't monetarily favorable, so Charlo made the smart decision and dropped the belt. Many people within the combat sports community called Charlo a duck online, but within the lens of business, Charlo's stock would have dropped.

Fast forward to January 13th, and Jermell Charlo is stripped of the WBC's version of the super-welterweight championship. Mauricio Suleiman steps up and names Serhii Bokachuk and Sebastian Fundora as the challengers for the belt, and the rest is history. Since then, things have gotten significantly worse for Charlo. The younger of the twins has officially hit rock bottom on the world stage. This morning, it was announced that Jermell Charlo is no longer a world champion in any regard outside of lineage. The WBA and Gilberto Jesus Mendoza have decided to move on from Charlo, stripping him of their version of the super-welterweight strap.

With no belts or fights to his name at the moment, it is safe to say that Jermell Charlo's time in the spotlight is over for now. There'd be nothing wrong with bowing out and calling it a career from here. He landed the Canelo fight, he avenged his loss to Tony Harrison, and he silenced all of his critics with his knockout victory over Brian Castaño.

There's no guarantee that Charlo will make it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, but there is no doubt that he will be remembered for generations to come. In the event that Charlo chooses to fight on, there are some lucrative fights on the horizon for him. Terrence Crawford, Conor Benn, and GGG are all plausible fights for someone like Charlo. Carrying no belts but still having significant star power is quite the predicament to be in, but the boxing public is sure that Jermell Charlo will find a way to climb back to the top of the super-welterweight mountain.

[David Benavidez Moves Up to 175 for a Major Title Shot!]

David "The Mexican Monster" Benavidez is a formidable force in the world of boxing, known for his impressive record and powerful knockout victories. Born to a Mexican father and an Ecuadorian mother, Benavidez has embraced his heritage and become a symbol of pride for both countries.

With an undefeated record of 28-0, with 24 wins by knockout, Benavidez has established himself as one of the top contenders in the super middleweight division. His latest victory, a knockout win against Demetrius "Boo-Boo" Andrade, showcased his skill and power in the ring, further solidifying his status as a rising star in boxing.

Another of Benavidez's notable victories came against Alexis Angulo, a common opponent he shares with Puerto Rican boxer Edgar Berlanga. Benavidez managed to make Angulo quit in the 10th round, demonstrating his ability to break down tough opponents. In contrast, Berlanga faced Angulo and went the full 10-round distance, highlighting Benavidez's dominance in the ring.

In a shocking turn of events, Benavidez has moved up to 175 lbs. This move comes after Canelo Alvaréz and Benavidez were linked for a potential fight. This link snapped when Canelo left PBC on Monday of last week, ending any chance of PBC making the fight between Benavidez and Canelo.

A quick turnaround resulted in Benavidez being named as a challenger for the WBC Interim Light-Heavyweight World Championship against Oleksandr Gvozdyk. This belt is vacant, as Artur Beterbiev occupies the full WBC Light-Heavyweight World Championship.

Beterbiev is the only man to knock Gvozdyk out or give him a loss in a career that began in 2014. Benavidez has historically been a bigger super-middleweight, many people have made calls for him to move up due to perceived struggles on the scale. His knockout power is undoubtedly going to have an impact on this fight. It is also important to remember that Gvozdyk is 36 years old. He may be a seasoned light-heavyweight contender, but age can be a red flag for some people in the higher-weight classes.

Even though Gvozdyk has only been finished once, the styles between Beterbiev, the man who finished him, and Benavidez, his next opponent, are similar. Benavidez and Beterbiev both have heavy, fast hands. Both men are known worldwide for their volume punches, overwhelming opponents against the ropes or in the corner. Unless Gvozdyk fights on his bicycle and avoids having the ring cut off, he will surely be caught by Benavidez just as he did against Beterbiev.

Benavidez's combination of skill, power, and determination makes him a force to be reckoned with in the super middleweight division. As he continues to climb the ranks and take on top contenders, fans can expect to see more exciting performances from "The Mexican Monster."