In this week’s mailbag, we tackle drug testing in boxing, Caleb Plant’s pursuit of a fight with Edgar Berlanga, Derek Chisora deciding to fight on, the state of the heavyweight division today as compared to past eras, and George Kambosos signing with a new promoter and moving to a new weight class.

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LEGALIZE PEDS IN BOXING

I have always agreed with this stance (“Sunny Edwards wonders if the only way to create a level playing field is to stop drug testing”). There are far too many athletes who can beat the system. Can PEDs cause an unfair advantage? Of course, but unless you can implement a foolproof system, it would be wiser to remove the testing rather than having the “smart” guys juice and get away with it while the clean athletes suffer.

-Claude Palle

response: Aside from the obvious concerns about health and damage, and a fighter being able to inflict more damage by being stronger, fitter and faster — and therefore take more damage, possibly — I have grave concerns about this stance, even though I understand it.

Is allowing anything and everything not only ethically irresponsible when we are talking about health and safety? Is it also going to create a new infrastructure in the sport? It could be like F1, where those with the best cars and the best crews win. 

That said, Sunny is talking about the lopsidedness of the playing field when a clean athlete takes on a dirty one. That is a dangerous place, and in boxing, even after a fighter is caught, the results are seldom overturned, logical punishments are rarely meted out and careers have been destroyed by this. David Price against Tony Thompson is a prime example. Price was never the same again.

That said, I don’t have an answer at the ready. To perform the amount of testing required that would satisfy us all would cost millions upon millions each year, and we’ve seen recently testing is not really a top priority for many in the sport, despite many paying lip service to it.

The only question I have is how many, as you put it, “smart” fighters are out there. I’d like to think not that many fighters are using PEDs without getting caught, but when you hear some of the stories and estimates, we might all be truly horrified and therefore look at Sunny’s comments through a more understanding prism.

WHY CALEB PLANT IS GOING AFTER EDGAR BERLANGA

I think Caleb Plant is just trying to stay relevant and make some money. He knows he is not getting another Canelo payday, but he needs to find someone with a name to fight, otherwise he is not getting paid too much for his next gig.

-BrankoB 

response: Isn’t that what we want fighters to do? Even if they’re not the best, they can distinguish themselves among the rest. 

That’s what other super middleweights have been left to do when they’ve either already faced Canelo Alvarez and lost, or never got the chance to face him in the first place. I wish David Benavidez would’ve gotten a fight with Canelo, but I’m glad he at least took on the likes of Plant and Demetrius Andrade in the meantime before his move to 175.

Plant fell short against Benavidez in that fight for the WBC interim world title, but at least he was willing to step in with him. Then Plant followed that up by beating the previously undefeated Trevor McCumby.

I also like what Jaime Munguia’s team is doing. Canelo is 34 years old and won’t be in boxing forever. Munguia will never match Canelo’s skills or accomplishments, and he’ll never be as popular a superstar, but that doesn’t mean Munguia can’t still thrive. He is building a fan base by staying active and performing in places where he can draw Mexican and Mexican-American crowds. Munguia’s upcoming bout with Bruno Surace will come just about three months after his victory over Erik Bazinyan.

Canelo’s only going to fight two times a year. He’s going to choose his own path, no matter what we demand, so long as he can make big bucks against them (and he will).

The junior middleweights were fun when everyone was facing each other. So let’s mix and match the remaining super middleweights in the meantime. Give me almost any combination of Berlanga, Osleys Iglesias, Christian Mbilli, Munguia, Diego Pacheco and Plant. Make a rematch between William Scull and Vladimir Shishkin and invite the winner into this unofficial round robin. And as more prospects develop, or as those who suffered defeats bounce back, they too can join the fray.

EVEN WITH TWO STRAIGHT WINS, DEREK CHISORA SHOULD RETIRE

I wish someone, anyone, could take Derek Chisora aside and convince him that going out on two wins, including a legit win over Joe Joyce, was the way to end it. Throw in how much fun he is to listen to and I bet his second career would be a blast. 

While there is entertainment value to this [Chisora was working on a fight with Jarrell Miller for February 2025, but Miller will not be part of that bout; Chisora will instead fight Otto Wallin], it just feels like a ticking time bomb for a man’s health. The boxing fan in me saw the headline and my first thought was, “Man, that is a sneaky good fight and I am excited!!” The man who respects Chisora thought, "Man, no, just stop him. Please just stop him." 

I am really of two minds on this fight. Miller, on the other hand, never cared about his health or the sport. He can keep going for as long as he wants. He deserves to be punched.

-landotter

response: It's almost certainly already too late for Chisora — his quality of life will be severely undermined in the years after whenever it is he finally retires. Which isn't to suggest that the right move isn't for him to retire before throwing or absorbing another punch.

I've feared for Chisora as far back as his rematch with Dillian Whyte in 2018 — so much so I asked him, post-fight that night, if he'd consider retirement, and was disappointed when he was so dismissive of the prospect.

My belief was that after punishing defeats by Vitali Klitschko, David Haye, Tyson Fury and then Whyte, Chisora had already absorbed more punishment than was safe for one fighter. In fighting Whyte for the second time, his last rivalry had just run its course. In those aforementioned fights, he’d also been paid more money than he had been expected to ever earn in his earliest days as a professional, and having lost the rematch with Whyte, his last chance of challenging for a version of the world heavyweight title — the one worthwhile reason to fight on — had gone.

I'd also been present at his previous fight, when he stopped Carlos Takam to record one of his finest wins, and I was touched by Chisora being cheered into the ring at London's O2 Arena like a hero. The reception he received that night was a demonstration of the transformation of his reputation. In the same city he'd been booed into the ring against Haye and viewed as the villain against Danny Williams in 2010. Williams that night was the shot fighter Chisora has since become. Sadly, the popularity Chisora's since earned has encouraged him to fight on, when it was to be hoped it’d do the opposite.

That he's been involved in 10 fights since the rematch with Whyte — including an undeserved and uncalled for heavyweight title fight with Fury, and will enter an 11th, and likely others, and also add to the 13 defeats he has already recorded — reflects so much that is troubling about his profession.

THIS IS THE WORST ERA OF HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING

This is the worst heavyweight division in the history of the sport. Tyson Fury will only be a Hall of Famer by default. Maybe Anthony Joshua. Definitely Oleksandr Usyk.

-BodyBagz

response: I can only assume you weren't watching heavyweight boxing in the years immediately after Lennox Lewis retired. Terrific fighters though both of the Klitschko brothers were, it wasn't until David Haye was matched with Wladimir in 2011 that a world heavyweight title fight was made that felt fitting of the traditions of the heavyweight division — and their fight still didn't deliver in the way it was widely hoped that it would.

In other words, what we're watching in 2024 isn't even the worst heavyweight scene of the modern era, let alone in history. At their peaks, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk would have been competitive in any era. Their first fight was one of the finest at heavyweight of the modern era. Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, who is one of the most devastating punchers in history, have also contributed to making this a particularly memorable time in the heavyweight division. Regardless of how Usyk-Fury II unfolds, when this era is over, most observers will miss it and reflect on it as among the best we’ve seen.

IN PRAISE OF GEORGE KAMBOSOS

He can be annoying, but fair play to George Kambosos (“George Kambosos Jnr signs co-promotional deal, targets early 2025 return”)! He always wants the smoke. He never ducks anyone!

-1Eriugenus

response: George Kambosos Jnr is one of those rare figures who might be both underrated and overrated simultaneously — yes, it’s a paradox, but stick with me. 

On one hand, Kambosos is the quintessential underdog. His fighting spirit is unmatched, a relentless drive that has seen him rise through the ranks and become a unified titleholder and to some an undisputed champion. Sure, he’s had his flaws, but they often are seen in contrast with the best in the division. His 2023 “stay-busy” fight against Maxi Hughes, a veteran on a solid win streak, is a perfect example of how Kambosos never shies away from a tough matchup.

When you look at his resume dating back to December 2019, it’s hard to ignore the caliber of opponents he’s faced. He’s fought Mickey Bey, Lee Selby, Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney (twice), Maxi Hughes, and Vasiliy Lomachenko — certainly no walk in the park. Outside of his win over Lopez, though, Kambosos has struggled at the highest level. Unlike many fighters who protect their records by fighting less formidable opposition, Kambosos has taken on the best, and that often leads to more losses than wins. He is also 1-3 in his four fights.

He can come across as overly rehearsed in interviews, and at times, he relies more on athleticism than a well-devised game plan. Yet he’s a fighter willing to take on challenges. And while that often leads to ridicule for not winning every big fight, there’s a certain respect in that. Kambosos might just be the boxing equivalent of a one-hit wonder. Not every fighter — or band for that matter — can say they had that one moment. His win over Lopez will be forever remembered, and when you think about it, that’s actually a pretty big honor.

Want to be featured in the mailbag? Comment or ask a question in the comments section below. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. We also may select readers’ comments from other BoxingScene stories.