By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of July 8th to July 15th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Erislandy Lara: There Is No Way I Lost to Canelo

After landing more punches and connecting with a higher percentage, Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (19-2-2, 12 KOs) feels he was robbed in his fight with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KOs) that took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this past weekend.

Fact, Lara landed 107 total punches to Alvarez’s 97 and had a higher connect percentage (28% Lara – 23% Alvarez). The body shots that Alvarez landed were grazing shots that Lara blocked with his elbows, and most of them came in the round he got cut.

Erislandy sounds off on why he feels he won the fight and deserves an immediate rematch.
“Before the decision was announced, I felt 100% confident I won the fight,” said Lara. “The facts don’t lie, I landed more total punches. Looking at it from the punch stats, you’re supposed score based on clean and effective blows landed. Most of the shots that Canelo landed were body blows that didn’t even land cleanly, and most of them came in the round where I got cut. All my punches were clean shots. I out jabbed him and boxed his ears off. The punch stats don’t lie…there is no way I lost to Canelo.”

“I’m very disappointed in Judge Levi Martinez for his horrendous score. How in the world did he score it 117-111? Before the decision was announced, I stood across the ring and saw Team Canelo and their body language said it all. You could see the depression in their eyes. Everyone on their whole team had a look of despair because they were defeated. When the final score was read, their look went from despair to relief. They knew they lost the fight, period.”

“Levi definitely needs to be investigated and he should never be appointed to judge a big fight again. I’m not sure if he’s dishonest or inept to be judging at this level, either way he needs to be reprimanded for this horrible decision. This is the second time this has happened to me and I wouldn’t want to see this happen to someone else. Like what happen to the judges in New York in the Williams fight, Levi should be suspended. I left communist Cuba to escape corruption and now I see it happening here in the boxing world.”

“Oscar De La Hoya said that I have to wait in line to fight Alvarez again because there are 10 others ahead of me. That speaks volumes because he knows Canelo got a gift.” Lara concluded. “Who are these 10 guys he’s talking about…I want to know. I won this fight and a rematch needs to happen right away.”

Mayweather and Maidana New York City Press Conference Quotes

Macos Maidana and Floyd Mayweather Jr. recently held a press conference in New York City to formally announce their rematch taking place on Saturday, September 13th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Showtime PPV.

The following are some notable quotes from Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER, Eleven-Time, Five-Division World Champion

“My job is to win. Everyone remembers a winner. That’s my legacy.

“I don’t need to change my style. The guy who got the loss needs to change his style.

“Marcos Maidana came out and gave a tough effort, I mean he fought his heart out but it wasn’t clean.

“Was I ever hurt? Sure, the shots to the back of the head hurt. Whenever you’re in a heated battle you are going to be sore. It comes with the territory.

“Is Maidana a better fighter than Canelo? No. Cotto? No. He’s just a dirtier fighter. I didn’t get a deep gash from a punch; I got it from a head butt.”

“Cotto is a solid competitor but we saw what happened to him against Floyd Mayweather. When he fought me, they said he was washed up. Then, he fights again and wins, and apparently, he has been resurrected. Same with Marquez.

“There’s always testing. I’m the face of boxing and I want to clean the sport up.

“First they [Team Maidana] want to use gloves with no padding, and then they want to use knees, elbows and everything else. My back is always against the wall with Team Maidana.

MARCOS MAIDANA, Former WBA Welterweight World Champion

“Without a doubt we are going to prove who won the first fight with this fight; with this rematch.

“I fight dirty? He’s the king of the elbows.

“The rematch is a big deal in Argentina. The entire country watched the first fight. There’s going to be no exceptions in this one. Everybody is going to watch.

“Robert Garcia is very important presence in my career. I feel very comfortable training with him. I’ve been working with him since I faced [Jesus] Soto Karass and I think I’m going to retire with him.

“I’ve trained with many trainers and they all tried to change my style. That’s why I lost my way at some point in my career. But with Robert [Garcia], it is different. He added to my style and he brought me back on track.

“I keep getting better in each fight, with defense, head movement. What Robert has done is a fine tune. In the first Mayweather fight, I was a little too anxious, and that’s one of the things that Robert helped me fix.”

Stiverne Plans to Teach Wilder a Lesson

Deontay Wilder (31-0) is the mandatory number one challenger for Bermane “B.Ware” Stiverne (24-1) first title defense. Stiverne recently offered the following in response to Wilder’s trash talk.

“He’s not going to get under my skin,” Stiverne said. “I think he’s funny. Maybe he should think about doing a comedy act after I beat him? Friends have sent me stuff he’s said and done. It’s funny. He’s like a little kid who needs attention, so he keeps opening his mouth. His trash talking doesn’t bother me at all. I saw some people who brought up what he’s said. What am I supposed to do, hand my title to him? I guess he wants to entertain his fans. If he thinks his tricks are going to bother me, he’s going to be in big trouble.”

“I do feel like a fresh face in the heavyweight division,” Stiverne concluded. “I’m bringing excitement back to the heavyweight division like years ago. Wilder’s not a threat but I’m taking him serious. I take all my opponents seriously but I’m going to teach that little kid a lesson. It’s a shame his promoter and manager are putting him in such a big fight like this so early in his career.”

Shawn Porter to Face Kell Brook on August 16th

The Stubhub Center in Carson, California will be the host site for another world title bout on August 16th live on Showtime.

The main event will be between Shawn “Showtime” Porter (24-0) and Bristish star Kell Brook (32-0) for Porter’s IBF Welterweight title. The co-feature of the night will be between Omar Figueroa (23-0-1) and Daniel Estrada (32-2-1) for Figueroa’s WBC Lightweight World Title. The opening bout of the night will be between Sakio Bika (32-5-3) and Anthony Dirrell (26-0-1) for Bika’s WBC Super Middleweight Title.

Tickets can currently be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com

Carlos Molina Believes He Can Beat Canelo or Lara

Carlos Molina offered the following thoughts after Saturday’s fight between Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara.

“The media kept saying that Canelo and Lara was supposedly between the two best fighters at 154 lbs, like I’m not even there,” said Molina. “They’re trying to overlook me and not give me a chance. And after the way they both looked in there, I know I could beat both those guys. I already beat Lara, not officially, but in the eyes of most people who saw the fight.”
“Every time you see a fight in your weight class, you try to see how you would fight them and neither guy looked really spectacular. Give me the chance and I’ll do to Canelo what I did to Lara. I’m the true champion in this weight class.”

Molina (22-5-2, 6 KOs) is currently training hard for his next fight, a defense against former champion Cornelius Bundrage in Cancun, Mexico.

“Training is going great. I’m very focused and everything is good. Eager to get in the ring and show once again I belong at the top of the division.”

Thomas Dulorme Eyes a Bout with Pacquiao

Talks between Manny Pacquiao and Chris Algieri have seemingly come to a standstill, but Gary Shaw Productions Thomas Dulorme (21-1) has offered to face Pacquiao if Algieri is unable to.
“I’m available and willing to fight the best,” said Thomas Dulorme, who currently at 140 pounds is ranked #2 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), #3 by the World Boxing Council (WBC), #4 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF), and #8 in the World Boxing Organization (WBO). “Manny Pacquiao may still be looking for a opponent in November, and if that’s the case, I’m ready. I was supposed to fight Ruslan Provodnikov but I was rejected by his team, and they instead accepted the Algieri bout. I will keep training hard in Oxnard with my trainer Robert Garcia, who believes in my talent, and we’re hoping for a great opportunity to show the boxing world what I’m made of.”

Willie Nelson to Headline Upcoming ESPN Friday Night Fights Card

Willie Nelson (21-1) will headline the August 8th ESPN Friday Night Fights Card against Luis Grajeda (17-2-2) in a ten round junior middleweight bout at Fallon, Nevada.

The co-feature will be between eighteen year old Norbert Nemesapati (14-0) and fellow unbeaten
Lennox Allen (17-0-1) in an eight round super middleweight bout. The opening bout of the card will feature the professional debut of 2008 Olympic Games Silver medalist Zhang Zhilei in a heavyweight bout.

“From top to bottom, this is a terrific event, featuring up-and-coming local talent in exciting fights on the undercard and three intriguing televised bouts on ESPN. Willie is knocking on the door to a world title opportunity and an impressive performance against the hard-punching Grajeda moves him in that direction. The co-feature pits two undefeated boxers in the most important fight of their careers. Norbert is on the fast track to stardom and is looking to make an immediate impact on the super middleweight division in his US debut, but this is the type of opportunity that Lennox has been waiting for, to prove that he is among the best 168lb. fighters in the world. It is a true crossroads bout, with the winner clearly cementing himself as a legitimate player in the 168lb. division. Opening up the card, you have Zhilei, a silver medalist who many believe has the ability to be a future star in the heavyweight division. This is a big event for the people of Fallon and we are excited to be a part of it,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment.

LaManna Steps up in Class Against Jamaal Davis on August 23rd

Middleweight prospect Thomas LaManna, of Millville, NJ, faces the toughest test of his three-year pro career when he goes against Jamaal Davis, of Philadelphia, PA, in a scheduled eight-round fight on Saturday evening, Aug. 23, in the Grand Ballroom at Bally’s Atlantic City.
Headlining the seven-bout card is a scheduled 10-round welterweight contest between Mike Jones, of Philadelphia, and Jaime Herrera, of Franklin Park, IL.

LaManna turned pro early in 2011 and he has a record of 14-0, 7 K0s. He is ranked No. 5 among 160-pounders by the United States Boxing Association (USBA).

In his last fight April 12, also at Bally’s, he earned unanimous eight-round decision over Ahsandi Gibbs, of Tampa, FL. This will mark LaManna’s sixth fight at Bally’s.

“I’ve been waiting for this fight for a while because I feel I need to prove something to myself,” LaManna said. “Jamaal Davis is a tough, nitty-gritty veteran who’s been in the ring with everybody. This is a huge step for me, but if I want to become a relevant boxer, I have to beat Jamaal Davis.

“Bally’s in Atlantic City has been my second home and has been great to me. I’m excited to be the co-feature again and to be part of another Philly vs. Jersey battle.”

Davis, 33, is 14-11-1, 6 K0s. He has lost his last three, all against world-class competition: Patrick Majewski, of Atlantic City, NJ; Yuri Foreman, of Brooklyn, NY; Jorge Melendez, of Manati, Puerto Rico.

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