Sherdog Boxing: The Weekly Wrap

David Lemieux Fighting Tureano Johnson on Canelo-Fielding Undercard

After his brutal first round knockout of Spike O’Sullivan, David Lemieux was hoping to get a fight against either GGG or Canelo Alvarez. Instead, he will be fighting Tureano Johnson on the Dec. 15 undercard of the match between Canelo Alvarez and Rocky Fielding. Johnson was last seen losing to Sergiy Derevyanchenko by 12th round stoppage in August, and although Lemieux will be favored is good enough to make this an interesting fight.

Mikey Garcia Vacates IBF Belt in Search of Bigger Fights

Mikey Garcia was supposed to face his IBF deemed mandatory opponent, Ghana’s Richard Commey, but has opted to bail on that title in search of bigger fights. Although Garcia still holds the WBC belt at lightweight, when asked about his decision to vacate the IBF title he once again reiterated his desire to move up two weight classes and fight Errol Spence Jr. Another fighter looking to face Garcia is Manny Pacquiao. Garcia’s brother and trainer Robert Garcia recently claimed that with Floyd Mayweather wavering about when a rematch between him and Pacquiao would be, Manny is now looking to face Garcia after he fights Adrien Broner in January. Neither of these proposed fights are the one boxing fans want to see from Mikey Garcia, that would be a bout against pound for pound king Vasyl Lomachenko which appears less and less likely to ever happen.

Diego De La Hoya to Fight Edixon Perez in his Hometown

Oscar’s cousin, Diego De La Hoya will be fighting in his hometown of Mexicali, Mexico for the first time when he faces Venezuela’s Edixon Perez on Nov. 17. De La Hoya is the mandatory contender for Isaac Dogboe’s WBO title, but with Dogboe fighting on the Lomachenko undercard in December, De La Hoya needed an easy fight to stay sharp before he faces anybody good. But in case you think I’m demeaning Edixon Perez’s chances, you should know Joel De La Hoya is the one who acknowledges this fight isn’t very good, telling RING Magazine “It is going to be a stay-busy fight for Diego on Nov. 17. We’re really going to push for a big fight during the first few months of 2019. We believe Diego is ready for that next step.” Calling a bout with Perez nothing more than a stay busy fight for De La Hoya isn’t prefight bluster, it’s just a fact.

Pacquiao to Speak at Oxford and Cambridge despite Controversial Past Statements

Speaking of Manny Pacquiao, the longtime boxer and Filipino Senator will be speaking at the University of Cambridge and Oxford University about his boxing and political careers. In a statement, Oxford Union President Stephen Horvath glowingly praised Pacquiao, saying “We would be delighted to hear more about how you stood above the characteristic trash-talking of big fights to stay focused on winning. You have applied this determination and endurance to your political career as well, overcoming an initial setback in your first election to become a widely-popular and respected Senator. At a time where there is such international interest in the politics of the Philippines, our members would be intrigued to hear more about your views on President Duterte and the war on drugs.”

Manny Pacquiao has pushed for the death penalty to be established in the Philippines as a sentence for drug crimes and once said that gay people were “worse than animals.” Considering how many Conservative speakers are being banned from college campuses for far less inflammatory ideas, Horvath’s over-the-top praise and celebrity worship is concerning. Hopefully he will have the guts to challenge some of Manny’s ideas, but it is doubtful.

Tyson Fury Bares his Soul to Joe Rogan and Details Suicidal Past

Tyson Fury appeared on “The Joe Rogan Experience” and was very forthcoming about his battles with mental illness, and while the whole episode is certainly worth a listen, the most compelling bit was when Fury described a period after his win over Wladimir Klitschko in which “The Gypsy King” became suicidal. He told Rogan, “I would start thinking these crazy thoughts. I bought a brand-new Ferrari convertible in the summer of 2016. I was in it on the highway and at the bottom, I got the car up to 190 MPH and heading towards a bridge. I didn’t care about nothing, I just wanted to die so bad. I gave up on life but as I was heading to the bridge I heard a voice saying, ‘No, don’t do this Tyson, think about your kids, your family, your sons and daughter growing up without a dad.’ Before I turned into the bridge I pulled onto the motorway, I didn’t know what to do, I was shaking, I was so afraid. I said I’d never think about taking my own life again.”

Considering how Fury has been portrayed by the boxing community as a foolish clown, hearing these words and this openness was jarring, and while Fury has said plenty of horrible things in the past, if he’s able to open a dialogue about mental health and depression in a sport known for its machismo, that would be great.

This week, Fury also detailed how when he decided he was going to come back to boxing "I rang my wife up and said to me wife 'I'm coming back to boxing!', to which she replied: 'No, you're not. You're too fat.” I don’t know much about mental health and depression, but I feel confident “You’re too fat” is never the right thing to say to a depressed guy.

Jarrell Miller Calls Anthony Joshua a ‘Toaster Strudel’ in Stunning Lack of Self-Awareness

Speaking of calling people fat, this week Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller continued his verbal assault on Anthony Joshua. He said, "I want those big names, the Anthony Joshuas, the Dillian Whytes, Deontay aka Beyonce Wilder – you know I can’t stand that guy. So, let’s get this win and then if Dillian doesn’t fight AJ, I can turn that English muffin into toaster strudel!”

Aside from the fact that the line isn’t very clever, there’s a far worse problem for “Big Baby.” Jarrell Miller weighs 317 pounds. Rule No. 1 of fat guy trash talk is never bring up food because it sets up an incredibly easy comeback. Jarrell Miller needs to be smarter than this and accept that Anthony Joshua is probably not going to fight him anytime soon no matter what he says.