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Posted on 10/19/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions promoted a card at the Fantasy Springs Resort & Casino in Indio, California on ESPN2. It featured a NABF Middleweight Title bout between Jason Quigley and Freddy Hernandez.

In the Main Event of a NABF Middleweight title defense by Ireland’s Jason “El Animal” Quigley, 15-0 (11), of Woodland Hills, CA, defeated Freddy Hernandez, 34-10 (22), of Mexico City, MEX, over 10 rounds.

Photo Credit: Brandon Magpantay-Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

In the first round Quigley was throwing punches using the jab followed by left hooks and lead rights to the head of Hernandez, who was walking into punches. Quigley landed a left hook followed by a right cross to the chin of Hernandez. In the second round Quigley became even more aggressive against the 39 year-old Hernandez landing jabs followed by rights to the chin of Hernandez. Quigley landed a solid right to the mid-section of Hernandez that was heard throughout the arena. Quigley missed with a right but followed with a left hook to the body. While inside, Hernandez landed a double left hook to the body of Quigley.

In the third round Quigley returning to the ring after a year after breaking his right hand was having no problem landing it. A left hook in the previous round put a mouse under the left eye of Hernandez. Quigley missed a left hook but followed through with a right to the chin of Hernandez. Hernandez just couldn’t contend with the foot and hand speed of Quigley through the first three rounds. In the fourth round Quigley landed a combination to the head but got caught with a solid left hook to the chin from Hernandez. Quigley suffered a small cut outside the left eyebrow. In a clinch Hernandez landed half a dozen left’s to the head of Quigley.

In the fifth round heads clashed with Fernandez coming out of it with a nasty gash on his right eyebrow. The ring physician examined it. It seemed to spur Fernandez on as he had Quigley against the ropes slipping most of the punches by Hernandez. Fernandez countered with a solid right to the chin of Quigley. Both threw left hooks with Fernandez getting there first. In the sixth round Quigley was bleeding from the mouth. Fernandez has been very active since getting cut. Fernandez ended the round with a solid right to the chin of Quigley.

In the seventh round Fernandez landed the first punch a left hook to the body of Quigley. Fernandez had Quigley against the ropes landing body shots while the flood is flowing from his cut. Quigley came back with combinations of his own. Quigley landed a solid right to the head of Fernandez. Fernandez had Quigley against the ropes at the bell. Quigley seemed to be breathing heavy going to his corner while Fernandez seemed fresh. In the eighth round Quigley landed a good left hook to the body of Fernandez. Quigley countered Fernandez well as the latter walked in.

In the ninth round Quigley became more aggressive landing lead rights to the chin of Fernandez. Quigley landed a solid left hook to the chin of Fernandez. Fernandez landed a right to the chin with seconds to go in the round while it was Quigley who landed a hard right to the chin at the bell. In the tenth and final round Quigley landed a solid left hook to the head of Fernandez. Fernandez kept chasing Quigley getting countered. Fernandez landed a right cross in the final minute of the fight to the chin of Quigley. Quigley used his foot speed well in the final round.

Scores were Alejandro Rochin and Zac Young had it 98-92 while Edward Hernandez, Sr. had it 99-91 while this writer had it 97-93.

In the co-feature Welterweight Japan’s Shoki Sakai, 22-9-2 (12), of Mexico City, MEX, lost to Eddie Gomez, 22-3 (12), of the Bronx, NY, over 8 rounds.

In the opening round Gomez was the busier in a feeling out until a minute left in the round when Gomez landed several right uppercuts to the chin of Sakai. A double left hook from Gomez on the jaw of Sakai sent him back several steps. In the second round Gomez landed a lead right to the head of Sakai. Sakai came back stalking Gomez using his jab following him. Gomez countered with a right to the chin as Sakai was coming in. Gomez backed into the ropes ducking a right from Sakai that landed on the top rope.

In the third round Sakai continued to follow Gomez around the ring until Gomez would stop in the middle of the ring when they would exchange punches before clinching. Gomez landed a chopping right to the head of Sakai while inside. Gomez landed a combination to the chin of Sakai. Sakai has thrown few right hands through three rounds. In the fourth round Gomez countered to the body of Sakai while the latter never threw a punch. Sakai missed a left hook while Gomez countered with a left hook to the chin. Gomez continues to slip punches and lands a left hook to the face of Sakai drawing blood from his nose.

In the fifth round Gomez immediately landed a left hook to the chin of Sakai. Sakai missed with a double jab and a follow-up left hook. Gomez countered a Sakai jab with a right to the chin. Gomez landed a double jab followed by a right to the body of Sakai. Just prior to the bell both exchanged jabs. In the sixth round both boxers exchanged left hooks to the chin. Gomez landed a left hook to the chin while Sakai countered with a left hook to the chin. Gomez landed a double left hook to the head of Sakai. Gomez landed a right to the head of Sakai. Gomez was warned by referee Cantu for using his head inside. Sakai finally landed a solid left hook to the chin of Gomez.

In the seventh round Gomez landed a lead right followed by a left hook to the head of Sakai. Sakai landed a rare combination to the body of Gomez. Gomez continues to be a step ahead of Sakai who kept following him. Gomez slipped to the canvas while referee Cantu called it exactly that. In the eighth round Gomez landed a combination starting with the right to the head of Sakai. Sakai was warned for a head butt. Sakai showed a slight cut under the right eye. Sakai ducked into a left hook from Gomez. Gomez landed a roundhouse right and got cornered by a Sakai right to the head just prior to the bell.

The scores were 80-72 by all 3 judges and this writer.
“It was real hard (very emotional having lost his father days before). Daddy took a week off from work to come out here in camp. He would have been proud today. He might not be here physically but will always be with me. Love you Pop’s,” said Gomez.

Posted on 10/17/2018

At Madison Square Garden in New York on Wednesday afternoon, Canelo Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KOs) and Golden Boy Promotions announced an 11-fight deal with global sports streaming leader DAZN. As part of the partnership, Golden Boy Promotions will put on up to 10 high-caliber fight nights per year that will stream live on DAZN beginning in early 2019. The new era will begin Saturday, Dec. 15 when Alvarez challenges Rocky Fielding (27-1, 15 KOs) for his WBA Super Middleweight World Title. This groundbreaking deal is the richest athlete contract in sports history.

In a press conference, the fighters and key executives took the stage to discuss the record-breaking deal as well as the upcoming fight at Madison Square Garden – Alvarez’s first in the iconic venue.

John Skipper, DAZN Group Executive Chairman

“Today represents a major shift in OTT sports content. Until now, fans haven’t received the value from these platforms that they deserve. DAZN is here to completely change that.”

“Oscar de la Hoya, as a boxer and a promoter, has been the most important figure in the history of pay-per-view. Right now, Canelo Alvarez is the most important fighter in pay-per-view. His next 11 fights will be available exclusively and internationally on DAZN. During the course of this deal, five years and the next 11 Canelo fights, DAZN will return premiere boxing matches to fight fans for a reasonable, affordable subscription price, and we will build a robust subscription base off of the demonstrated existing demand for these fights.”

“Adding this exclusive arrangement with Golden Boy and its quality roster of fighters to our Matchroom UK and Matchroom US fights gives us a year-long schedule of premium events for boxing fans. We add our Bellator, Combate MMA fights, and our World Boxing Super Series dates to provide a superior and affordable annual offering for fight fans.”

“Today I am thrilled to be here as we announce the beginning of a new era in boxing and the U.S. harbinger of a global transformation to a fan-centered and fan-friendly presentation of sports in OTT subscription services.”

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions President

“As we all know, the sport is undergoing an enormous change. We at Golden Boy Promotions have taken a major step forward to adapt to this change by signing this historic partnership with the leader of sports streaming DAZN. This is a direct and unprecedented partnership between two major global companies in the sport, Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN.”

“As a Golden Boy fighter, Canelo became the undisputed pay-per-view king. But now Canelo is starting a new era in the sport by having his next 11 fights on this amazing platform. We are committed to making this sport as accessible and affordable as possible for all the fans. The most remarkable thing about this deal is that fans will not have to pay any extra to see the biggest name in boxing, Canelo Alvarez.”

Canelo Alvarez

“I’ve always said, when one door closes, another door opens. And we’re very happy with this new alliance that we’ve made with DAZN. Forget about the prices, the amount of money we’re making. The most important thing is that fans can enjoy this fight at a very low price. Thank you very much DAZN and Golden Boy, I’m very happy.”

On the fight: “For me it’s a challenge. It’s a new challenge to move up a division. We know the challenge we have in front of us and we’re going to train real hard to enter the history of Mexican boxing.”

Eddy Reynoso, Manager and Head Trainer to Canelo Alvarez

“We’re very happy about the news with Golden Boy and DAZN.”

“On December 15, we have another important challenge in the career of Canelo Alvarez. Rocky Fielding is a very tough and strong fighter who’s coming off a nice string of good victories. We know it’s a big challenge to be moving up to 168 pounds. And we know that we will fight a strong boxer who’s well-schooled. We want to make history and we want to let everyone know that Mexican boxing will always be number one. We will prepare as always 100%, and we hope to make Canelo Alvarez a three-division world champion.”

Chepo Reynoso, Manager and Trainer to Canelo Alvarez

“On December 15, we will see another great victory so that Mexico can be proud of him. We’ll see you on December 15 with a great victory in the arena of MSG.”

Rocky Fielding

“Everyone wrote me off, no one gave me a chance, and I went there, believing I could do it, and I got the win. I’ve worked so hard all my life to get to the world stage. And now I’m fighting the biggest name, the biggest star in boxing. It’s every fighter’s dream to fight at MSG. I’ve worked so hard all my life for it. I respect Canelo, I’ve watched him over the years. I’m going in there to win. I’m coming in as a world champion. I want to give everything. Expect a good fight and I’m coming to win.”

Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Boxing Managing Director

“We joined up with DAZN, our biggest global boxing partners a few months ago, and when we give you our commitment, we give you our heart, we give you our blood, and we had a mission to make sure the DAZN platform would work and be a success. We launched the platform with Anthony Joshua, the first show being live on DAZN, and now through Golden Boy and DAZN, they bring Canelo Saul Alvarez. This is a gamechanger for the world of boxing and the way boxing fans digest content.”

“Things are about to change. The whole game is about to change.”

Jamie Moore, Trainer of Rocky Fielding

“I believe I’ve got the right sort of fighter in my hands in Rocky Fielding. He’s got massive self-belief, he’s got a lot of attributes that we believe will cause Canelo Alvarez problems.”

“I believe the 15th of December, we’re going to get the biggest win that the gym’s ever had.”

Posted on 10/17/2018

By: Jake Donovan

From the moment they announced their commitment to boxing earlier this year, the brass at DAZN insisted they were in it for the long haul.

So, too, is the entire Golden Boy Promotions family, including its biggest star Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

The reigning World middleweight champion has committed to a long-term deal with the sports streaming service, according to overnight reports from ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael and The Los Angeles Times’ Lance Pugmire. The reported $365 million deal is the richest in sports history, with Alvarez’ per fight guarantee surpassing that of Floyd Mayweather’s previous six-fight deal with Showtime.

Photo Credit: Golden Boy Promotions Twitter Account

BoxingScene.com senior writer Keith Idec was the first to break the story of Alvarez heading to DAZN, with specific terms of the deal since revealed by Golden Boy Promotions through its press office.

News of the record-breaking contract comes ahead of a scheduled Wednesday press conference in New York City, originally intended to formally announce Alvarez’ forthcoming December 15 challenge of secondary super middleweight titlist Rocky Fielding.

“I’ve always liked a challenge, and this is yet another challenge in my career,” said Alvarez, in a statement that can point to both the incredible deal and his quest for a title in a third weight class.

Their bout—which will headline at Madison Square Garden, where Alvarez will fight for the first time in his career—had yet to disclose which network or platform would carry the event, which was supposed to be revealed on Wednesday. Golden Boy fielded offers from several outlets, including HBO which had presented Alvarez’ last seven bouts and 15 overall through its various networks and Pay-Per-View Arm.

HBO remained in the running to serve as the broadcast provider for Alvarez-Fielding, but removed its name from the fold after declining to match DAZN’s lucrative offer. The development means Alvarez appearing on a platform other than HBO, Showtime (where Alvarez appeared five times from 2012-14) or their respective PPV arms for the first time this decade.

Alvarez’ lucrative deal with HBO expired following his narrow points win over previously unbeaten and unified middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin in their rematch this past September. The event generated more than 1.1 million PPV buys, slightly down from the 1.3 million units sold for their controversial draw one year prior.

The two events managed to generate more than $180 million in PPV revenue, with Alvarez (50-1-2, 34KOs) alone clearing in the neighborhood of $50 million for the rematch between his guaranteed purse and PPV incentives.

Now armed with the richest sports contract ever, the 28-year old superstar from Guadalajara, Mexico will only have to worry about his name helping drive subscriptions to his new boxing home.

“We are thrilled to be exclusive partners with Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya,” said John Skipper, DAZN Group Executive Chairman who previously headed programming at ESPN. “By bringing Canelo’s fights to DAZN, we will turn his pay-per-view success into a growth engine for subscribers – a truly transformational moment for our business and the entire industry.”

DAZN entered the boxing fray earlier this year, cutting a deal with leading UK promoter Eddie Hearn for up to eight years worth $1 billion for the service to be available in the US market. The sports streaming app has already proven successful in several other markets throughout Europe and Asia, and its USA launch has so far been embraced by boxing fans.

The US-brand officially launched in September, with its first card available to North American viewers on September 22. The event aired live from London, starring unbeaten and unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua—easily the biggest star on that side of the pond—in his thrilling 7th round knockout of Alexander Povetkin.

It was a smart way to launch a new service, which had also armed itself with the entire schedule for season two of the World Boxing Super Series which spans three weight classes (bantamweight, super lightweight and cruiserweight). However, less inspiring was the name recognition that came with the first two shows from Hearn’s Matchroom USA company.

The October 6 show in Chicago provided plenty of thrills, far exceeding the notoriety that came with the night’s full lineup. Three separate title fights graced the undercard, but the event drew criticism for its choice in a headlining act between Jessie Vargas and Thomas Dulorme. The fight surpassed expectations, with post-fight buzz supplanting any pre-fight criticism that came with claims of the event failing to move the needle.

Still, another speed bump came ahead of this weekend’s scheduled show in Boston. The originally scheduled main event between unbeaten middleweights Billy Joe Saunders and Demetrius Andrade endured a major facelift when Saunders—who was due to defend his portion of the middleweight title—was scratched from the card after a failed pre-fight drug test resulted in his being denied a license by the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission.

Andrade will now face unbeaten but unheralded Namibian contender Walter Kautondokwa, with the now vacant title at stake but carrying far less intrigue.

That dynamic dramatically changes now that the winner can now position himself for a very makeable fight with the division—and sport’s—biggest draw.

Alvarez’ arrival adds to an already increasing middleweight pot on the DAZN side of the street. His old home, HBO is still the network provider for the October 27 vacant title fight between Daniel Jacobs and Sergey Derevyachenko. Jacobs is promoted by Hearn and Derevyachenko by Lou DiBella, who has shown a willingness to work with all promoters, as evidenced by entering a co-promotional deal with Hearn for 130-pound titlist Tevin Farmer, who defends on this weekend’s card in Boston.

Any mixing of matching between Alvarez and the winners of the aforementioned middleweight bouts will at least now come without network roadblocks.

Meanwhile, Golden Boy Promotions—who cut its own deal with DAZN in lieu of a co-promotional pact with Hearn—also finds a new home for the rest of its stable.

“This is easily one of the best days in the growing history of Golden Boy Promotions,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO. “We are committed to making this sport as accessible as possible and at an affordable price for all the fans.

“My dream has been to make boxing a sport for all. DAZN has the perfect platform to make this dream come true, and with the biggest star in the sport at the helm of this journey, I have no doubts that we will succeed in unimaginable ways.”

With HBO announcing its exit from the sport—due to come by year’s end—after 45 years in service, Golden Boy lost out on several fight dates. The company was also faced with the burden of its own four-wall deal with ESPN expiring at the end of 2018.

That is no longer a concern. According to ESPN.com, Golden Boy secured a pact with DAZN—separate from Alvarez’ deal—due to begin in the first quarter of 2019 and guaranteeing ten fight nights per year. This opens the door for several notable fighters either promoted or affiliated (through co-promotional deal with other companies) by Golden Boy, including current titlists Rey Vargas, Alberto Machado and Angel Acosta, former titlist Jorge Linares and rising contenders and prospects like Diego de la Hoya and Ryan Garcia.

Linares and Garcia recently appeared on Golden Boy’s current Facebook Live series, but would stand to benefit from a bigger budgeted promotion that would come with DAZN, who between Joshua and now Alvarez can boldly proclaim itself as the home for the two biggest stars in the sport today.

“Being part of this historic deal will require me to prepare myself even more and offer fans even better performances,” Alvarez insists, quite the claim since he’s already led a Hall-of Fame worthy career. “At the same time, I am humbled to be selected to lead this new vision for the sport of boxing, which will without a doubt be for the benefit of the fans.”

Posted on 10/05/2018

By: Ken Hissner

On Thursday night Golden Boy Promotions put on a card from The Hangar, in Costa Mesa, CA, on ESPN2. The main event featured NABF Bantamweight Champion Colombia’s Oscar “Jaguar” Negrete, 18-1-1 (7), living in Rosemead, CAL, and San Antonio’s Joshua “El Professor” Franco, 14-1-1 (7), over 10 rounds.

In the first round both fighters were mixing it up quite well. Both fighters were skilled going to body and head. Negrete seemed to have a slight edge. In the second round Negrete was getting away with low blows. In the final minute Franco drove Negrete into the ropes with a flurry of punches. Negrete came right back with a solid right to the head of Franco.

In the third round Franco landed four punches to head and body. Negrete came back with half a dozen punches of his own. Negrete was warned by the referee about coming in with his head. It was another good round by both. In the fourth round Franco came out firing punches while Negrete came right back. Negrete comes in with his head again but no warning from the referee. Good round for Franco.

In the fifth round the fists were flying once again with Franco landing three or four punches and Negrete coming right back with his three or four punches. To say they were throwing close to 100 punches a round is no exaggeration. It’s been a torrid pace with Negrete landing a solid right to the head of Franco just prior to the bell.

In the seventh round Negrete was landing half a dozen punches with Franco coming back with a combination. Negrete had a mouse under his right eye. Negrete walked into a right hand getting rocked by Franco. At the end of the round they were still punching. In the eighth round Franco was still holding his own with Negrete comes back after a Franco rally. Franco landed three punches to the head then ended with a left hook to the ribs of Negrete. Franco ended the round rocking Negrete with a right to the chin.

In the ninth round Franco drove Negrete into the ropes. Negrete came back driving Franco into the middle of the ring. The action on both parts of the fighters is still action packed. Both fighters have surpassed the 1,000 punch mark. In the tenth and final round Franco landed a hard right to the chin buckling the right knee of Negrete. The fans have been hollering the entire fight.

Scores were DeLuca 96-94 Franco, Sandoval 96-94 Negrete and Viarial 95-95 as did this writer.

“One more round right now,” said Negrete. “I didn’t think he was going to be this tough. But look at his face,” said Franco. They both laughed after their comments.

In the co-feature Welterweight Danielito “El Zorro” Zorrilla, 9-0 (8), of Rio Piedras, PR, stopped Dakota “The Lone Wolf” Linger, 10-1-2 (6), of Buckhannon, W.V., 2:59 of the second round of a scheduled 8.

In the first round Linger landed three rights to the head of Zorrila who moved several steps away. Zorrilla landed several left hooks to the head of Linger. There was “no feeling out” in this round with both mixing it up.

Seconds later Zorrila rocked Linger with a right uppercut to the chin. Then drove Linger into the ropes with ten punches and what looked like he broke the nose of Linger who was about to collapse when the referee gave him the 8 count and asked him to come forward as Linger wiped his nose with blood gushing and the referee wisely halted the fight.

In the third round Gonzalez was leaning on Delgado and hitting him in the ribs without warning from the referee. Gonzalez landed four unanswered punches from Delgado. Delgado came back with a flurry of half a dozen punches. In the fourth round Gonzalez landed a double left hook to the head of Delgado who grabbed him. Gonzalez then while tied up hit Delgado behind the head with warning from the one sided referee favoring Gonzalez. Gonzales landed three punches than a fourth a right had to the head of Delgado in the punches he threw. In the sixth and final round Delgado landed a double left hook to the body of Gonzalez. The referee warned Delgado for hitting behind the head while in a clinch. Gonzalez was coming off knee surgery last month.

Scores were 58-56 Delgado, 57-57 twice. This writer had it 58-56 Gonzalez.

“I respect the judges but I haven’t fought in about six months and thought I won,” said Delgado. “I will fight anyone and thought I won,” said Gonzalez.

Posted on 10/04/2018

By: Sean Crose

“I trained very hard for it,” Joshua Franco tells me. It’s a rainy Tuesday evening. In just over 48 hours, Franco will be stepping into the ring to face fellow bantamweight Oscar Negrede in a bout which will be the main attraction on an ESPN card. “I know,” he adds, “how it’s going to be.” That’s something all professional fighters want to be able to say – that they know how it’s going to be, even if there’s no way to prove it until they step inside the ring. It’s the kind of confidence that an carry an athlete through a career.

Photo Credit: Joshua Franco Twitter Account

Like Franco, Negrede has a single loss on his resume. Also like Franco, Negrede is looking to redeem himself in front of a live televised audience after a single successful comeback bout. In short, this is a big fight for both men. “I’m feeling good,” Franco, the 14-1 bantamweight says, adding that his camp has contained a “lot of sparing.” A pupil of famed cornerman Robert Garcia, Franco knows he’s in serious hands. “When I was first at Oxnard with Robert,” says Franco, “he says ‘you look like you could be a professor.’” Hence the nickname Franco has carried with him throughout his career to date – The Professor.

“He has a lot of knowledge,” Franco says of his trainer. Garcia’s gym in Oxnard, California is also a place where Franco feels comfortable training. “Everybody gets along,” he says. As for Negrede, the 18-1 fighter known as The Jaguar, Franco realizes he’s in with someone much like himself. Still, the native of San Antonio exudes self belief on this rainy Tuesday, while making it clear he’s no one trick pony. “I can box,” he says, “and I can move forward.” Should he emerge victorious on Thursday, the bantamweight division may be Franco’s oyster.

“I’m not looking past Oscar Negrede,” Franco says, adding he knows that “Robert has big plans,” should he walk out the ring the winner Thursday night. For his own part, though, Franco wants to stay on point. “That’s something we’ll talk about after the fight,” he says of the future. Enthralled with boxing from a young age, Franco shows a willingness to take the steps needed to get to the top. And Golden Boy Promotions is happy to guide him along the way. “They have confidence in me,” he says of his promotional team. “They’re moving me very well.”

Franco-Negrete will air at 10 PM eastern time Thursday night on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. It will be broadcast live from the Hangar at California’s OC Fair and Event Center.

Posted on 10/03/2018

By: Ken Hissner

On Thursday night Golden Boy Promotions will put on a card from The Hangar, in Costa Mesa, CA, on ESPN2. Colombia’s Oscar “Jaguar” Negrete, 18-1 (7), living in Rosemead, CAL, will do battle with San Antonio’s Joshua “El Professor” Franco, 14-1 (7), over 10 rounds in the Bantamweight Main Event.

Negrete will be looking for his second victory of 2018 after stepping up in weight in December when he suffered his only loss by losing to WBC champion Mexico’s Rey Vargas, who was 32-0 at the time. He lost over 12 rounds by decision. He will be dropping back to bantamweight. The last twelve opponents Negrete has fought all had winning records. He’s made the bantamweight limit of 118 in eight of his nineteen fights.

Photo Credit: Golden Boy Promotions Twitter Account

Franco’s last eleven opponents had winning records and his only loss was out of the country in Puerto Rico losing to Argentina’s Lucas Emmanuel Fernandez Leone, 11-1-1, in March of 2018. He bounced back in June knocking out Mexico’s Isao Gonzalo “Kato” Carranza, 15-11, in five rounds. Prior to the one loss he defeated Carlos “Mighty” Maldonado, 11-1.

In the co-feature unbeaten Puerto Rico’s Welterweight Danielito “El Zorro” Zorrilla, 8-0 (7), of Rio Piedras, PR, faces unbeaten Dakota Linger, 10-0-2 (6), of Buckhannon, W.V., over 8 rounds.

Unbeaten Super Featherweight Jousce “Tito” Gonzalez, 8-0 (8), of Glendora, CA, looks to keep his knockout streak going taking on Ivan “Striker” Delgado, 12-1-1 (5), of L.A., CA, over 6 rounds.

Another unbeaten knockout artists is Super Bantamweight Carlos “Purin” Caraballo, 8-0 (8), of Ponce, PR, who meets Mexico’s Felipe “Panterita” Rivas, 17-21-4 (11), of El Paso, TX, over 6 rounds.

Posted on 09/30/2018

By: Michael Kane

Former three weight world champion, Jorge Linares, made his debut at super lightweight on Saturday 9/29 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

It was also the first time we had seen Linares since his stoppage to Vasiliy Lomachenko in May.

Photo Credit: Golden Boy Boxing Twitter Account

Facing Linares was Abner Cotto, hoping to continue his five fight win streak.

Ultimately, there was no continuation for Cotto’s win streak as Linares made quick work of the night.

The first round was a feeling out round, with Linares just shading it.

The action stepped up a gear in round two. Both fighters started exchanging however Linares landed a big right hand that sent Cotto to the canvas. Cotto, although unsteady on his legs, made it to the bell.

The third round continued where the second left off. Linares sensing blood, he caught Cotto with a quick combination, which sent Cotto down for the second time. Cotto again made it up and again was unsteady on his legs.

Linares was now unleashing some big punches, Cotto made a mistake by looking to the referee suggesting a low blow, which Linares pounced on. Cotto was trying desperately to stay on his feet and tried to grab Linares, sending both fighters down.

Upon rising, Cotto could barely stand, thankfully the local Commisionners jumped up to the ring to have the fight stopped, saving Cotto from more damage.

Linares, the former featherweight, super featherweight and lightweight world champion, got off to the perfect start in his new division and with the prospect of some exciting fights on the horizon he will be hoping to add another title in a fourth weight class.

“I feel good, and I’m ready to fight the best at 140 pounds.” Said Linares via Golden Boy Promotions press release.

“I’ve been hearing Mikey Garcia’s name, and he’s been hearing my name. Maybe we can have that fight next year.

“I came in very well prepared to fight the best in the division. I would also drop back down to 135 pounds to fight Vasiliy Lomachenko, if we can make the rematch.

“At this point in my career, I want the big fights.”

“Thank you to Golden Boy for the opportunity.” Said Cotto.

“I came well prepared but he had a hard right hand we weren’t expecting. I’m going and I didn’t fight with just anyone. He’s a 3 division world champion. I will sit with my team and see what’s next.”

Posted on 09/13/2018

By: Sean Crose

“It makes me wonder,” the LA Times on Wednesday quoted Oscar De La Hoya as saying, “if HBO even wants to be in boxing.” The Hall of Fame fighter turned top promoter was expressing a sentiment shared by many over the past several years. Is HBO really interested in the boxing business anymore? The recent activity (or lack thereof) of the pay cable network might suggest the answer is no, that it’s merely easing itself out a way relationship with fight fans slowly, rather than making a clean break. Either that or limiting boxing to such a degree that the few fight broadcasts the network decides to show might no longer warrant a subscription fee from fans.

Yet, with boxing broadcasts suddenly popping up all over television and the internet, breaking up with HBO might not be that hard for those fans to do. Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions, for instance, has moved on to ESPN from HBO and has brought down some nice ratings for itself, thanks very much. If HBOs seeming disinterest in boxing is hurting Top Rank or its fighters, there’s little indication of it. In fact, Top Rank just signed a lucrative contract extension with ESPN not that long ago.

All of this, of course, leads to the question of whether nor not HBO’s star boxing attraction, Canelo Alvarez, will remain with the network after his highly anticipated rematch with Gennady Golovkin this weekend, or if HBO is even all that keen on keeping Canelo aboard. After Saturday, Canelo’s current contract with the network will have expired. Win, lose, or draw, there obviously will be plenty of companies and/or outlets ready, eager, and willing to play host to the Mexican superstar, should the relationship with HBO end. “It’s going to be very interesting for us and Canelo to see what HBO can do to keep him,” De La Hoya said.

Along with ESPN, Showtime, Fox and other outlets broadcasting live boxing, streaming services are marking their mark on the fight game in a big way. ESPN+, British Promoter Eddie Hearn’s DAZN, and even Facebook are now involved in the fight game. Still, De La Hoya feels a sense of loyalty to the network that helped make him a legitimate superstar back in his ring heyday. “I’ve always given HBO the first and last opportunity,” he said, making it clear that he plans to continue to do so after Canelo’s contract runs out on Saturday.

Still, De La Hoya let it be known that he’s not in the business of wasting time. “I do want to fight him in December,” he said of Canelo. Speaking of which, there’s another party who will most likely want to fight again in the near future after Saturday’s superbout.

Gennady Golovkin’s contract with HBO is up this weekend, as well.

Posted on 09/05/2018

By: Kirk Jackson

Rising star Ryan Garcia (16-0, 13 KO’s) improved his record last weekend earning a very tough ten-round majority decision victory against contender Carlos Morales (17-3-3, 6 KO’s) at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

The fight headlined Golden Boy Promotions’ latest offering of Golden Boy Fight Night on Facebook Watch.

The success of the event regarding viewership exemplifies “King Ry’s” rising stock and popularity as a fighter, while displaying the potential and traits necessary to becoming a transcendent star.

As far as the actual fight, Garcia struggled albeit in a winning effort.

The hand speed was there, showcasing the ability to fight from the outside, while clinching when necessary on the inside and Garcia again showed he can go the long distance of 10 rounds.
When Garcia places his punches together, he looks exceptional and also displayed his ability to counter-punch effectively.

However there are glaring holes defensively and often times Garcia looks stiff; often squaring up with his chin high in air, leaving himself open, often leaving his left hand down and creating greater opportunities for his opponent.

Garcia has not displayed the ability to fight effectively on the inside as evidenced by his excessive holding. As the headliner, he is fortunate to not be penalized for that at this stage of his development.

As he progresses and faces tougher opposition across grander stages, some of these advantages as the headliner may dissipate along with some of the advantages he has against lower level opposition.

Observers may notice the quick, flashy hand speed, be dazzled by his charm and way with words, but hand speed can’t mask every weakness.

Speed can be negated by effective timing and as former young phenom and youngest heavyweight champion of all-time famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

The most important factor to becoming that star is the component of winning. The scorecards read as a majority decision, the overall experience served as a valuable lesson because Garcia added rounds against a tough, experienced opponent, but based on the past few appearances from Garcia, what is his ceiling?

Due to his growing popularity – maximizing the benefits of social media, overall star potential and penchant for headline grabbing quotables, Garcia’s will be psycho-analyzed from here on out.
And with this analysis and at times over-analysis comes additional pressure. Pressure can make or break a person; there’s an old saying mentioned by many an athlete, “Pressure busts pipes. But pressure can also make a diamond.”

Although Garcia wants the bigger names around his weight class – Gervonta Davis, Mikey Garcia and Devin Haney, Garcia like Haney, is still considered a rising prospect and rightfully so.
Just turning 20-years old last month, under the traditional sense, Garcia has ample time to develop.

But nothing about Garcia appears to follow the traditional trajectory of the development of a fighter. Garcia is still in the learning stage and his opponent selection will exemplify just as such.
The question is will his learning leash be lessened as he continues to build his profile. Detractors may grow in number and will want to see him tested.

As Garcia continues to build his buzz, more fighters will want to test him. All publicity, attention, whether it’s negative or positive is good publicity.

And speaking of drawing attention, two former fighters Garcia speaks highly of, emulates style/persona wise and wants to surpass from an overall career standpoint is that of his promoter Oscar De La Hoya and his promoter former in ring rival –turned promotional rival Floyd Mayweather.

While the aforementioned legends relied on their amateur accomplishments which included (Olympic medals), strong promotional push from Bob Arum and Top Rank Promotions, King Ry is more reliant on social media to emphasis his point and add to his profile.

March 22 Espn 10 rounds Main Event at fantasy springs casino Indio ca pic.twitter.com/O6eMcaaj4u

— Ryan Garcia (@Ryankingry) January 23, 2018

Times are different in this era and Garcia has huge footsteps to follow.

At age 21, De La Hoya and Mayweather became world champions. Mentioning Mike Tyson earlier, he was the heavyweight world champion at 20-years old.

By next year it’s possible Garcia can match the same feat of attaining a world title like the fighters he admires. He has the connections to make that dream a reality.

Based on the eye test however, Mayweather, De La Hoya and Tyson obviously look more polished at the respective marks in their careers.

Are the comparisons fair? Perhaps not, but when you talk big you’re going to be compared to the great ghosts of the past.

How does Garcia compare to his contemporaries? As talented as Garcia is, there is a fresh group of extraordinary young talent – some of which may cross paths with the man claiming to be king.
Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson, Teofimo Lopez, Money Powell IV, Joey Spencer, Karlos Balderas, Ruben Villas are all young talented fighters with potential to win world titles.

Regarding Garcia’s ceiling, it’s cliché but the sky is the limit. The talent is there and the technical aspects can be worked on.

The mental aspect is the most important thing and Garcia appears to take ownership for his performances. If he can take the positives from his criticisms and constructively apply adjustments in the gym, he’ll continue to excel.

Question is will the uncrowned king claim his crown?

Posted on 09/03/2018

By: Ted Sares

It ain’t over till it’s over-Yogi Berra
Luis Ramon “Yori Boy” Campas (who is 47) is still fighting and stopped Joel Jurarez (32-28) on March 16, 2018. His remarkable record is 107-17-3 and he has gone undefeated in his last nine bouts. Over the years he has fought just about every solid fighter out there and, among other accomplishments, stopped come backing and undefeated Tony Ayala Jr. His first fight was in 1987 and he won by KO; he would win his next 12 the same way and was an astounding 56-0 when he met and lost to Tito Trinidad (23-0 at the time) in an action-filled fight for the IBF World Welterweight Title in 1994.

Some of the names that dot Yuri Boy’s resume include Cassius Clay Horne, Roger Turner, Jorge Vaca, Heath Todd, Anthony Jones, Jose Louis Lopez, undefeated Raul Marquez whom he stopped to win the IBF World Super Welterweight Title in Atlantic City in 1997, Anthony Stephens, Larry Barnes, undefeated Fernando Vargas, Oba Carr, Daniel Santos, Oscar De La Hoya—and then in later years—Eric Regan, Matt Vanda (twice), undefeated John Duddy by a controversial decision, Eromosele Albert, Norberto Bravo, Matthew Macklin in a fight that many thought he had won, Saul Roman, Hector Camacho against whom he went 0-1-1, Rogelio Medina, Les Sherrington, and Anthony Bonsante. The heavy-handed Campas from Sonora, Mexico has scored 82 KOs along the way and has been a global road warrior in the process.

In March 2012, Campas reached a milestone when he won for the 100th time by way of a second round KO of Mauro Lucero. The win gave Yori Boy his 79th win inside the distance and improved his overall record to 100-16.

Yuri Boy defined what “teak tough” means
Singwancha

But now comes Sirimongkhon Iamthuam alias Sirimongkol Singwancha (96-4), a 41-year-old Thai welterweight who waxed winless Muhammad Nsubuga on September 1, 2018.
Back in 1995, he beat Juanito Boy Cuma (15—4) for the vacant WBU Super Flyweight Crown and then, in 1996, beat Joes Louis Bueno (8-7-1) for the interim WBC World Bantamweight Title which he successfully defended three times before losing it to Joichiro Tatsuyoshi in Osaka, Japan in 1997.

After the defeat in Osaka, the Thai ran off 50 straight wins but against dreadful opposition before losing to Uzbekistani Azizbek Addugofurov in Singapore in 2017. He lost again to Aussie Tommy Brown—also in Singapore—in October 2017. He has fought outside of Thailand on a number of occasions—something that’s rare for Thai boxer. His last decent win came against Dan Nazareno, Jr. (20-11) in 2014. He fought Jesus Chavez (39-2) in 2003 in Austin, Texas and lost the WBC World Super Featherweight title that he won from South Korean Yong Soo Choi (29-3-1) in Japan in January 2003, but that was then and this is now.

Between 2009 and 2015, he fought seventeen opponents who were making their pro debut. Others had records like 0-2,0-4, 01, 0-1 (thrice), 2-1, and 10-11.
Unless the Thai continues to feast on debuting opponents, Luis Ramon “Yori Boy” Campas quite likely will become the Last Centurion. Jorge Fernando “Locomotora” Castro was the last and he retired in 2007 after a remarkable career in which he won 130, lost 11 and drew 3 times. Roberto Duran, Jose Louis Ramirez, Julio Caesar Chavez, and Harold Brazier were others.

But what distinguishes Yori Boy from Singwancha, is that he is a beloved Mexican legend who has done it the hard way; he is earning it the hard way. He may well be the the last of a breed.

Oh yes, this little tidbit about his nickname:

“I started boxing I was 12 years old, and I remember being a guerito, almost blond,” Luis Ramon Campas told RingTV.com in a telephone interview from his training headquarters somewhere in the state of Montana, a deer-hunting ground in its own right. “My hair has this light coffee color even today, but back then I was blond, and my hair was yellow! And my first trainer, Salvador Mendoza, told me ‘you’ll be a champion one day, and I will give you a nickname that no one will forget. It is short but catchy. Do you know what ‘yori’ means in the language of the Navojoa natives?’ I don’t know, I replied. ‘Yori means that you are not of their same race, that you are a stranger.’ And that’s how I became a ‘yori boy’, a ‘white kid’ among the natives.” (From Diego Morilla, the RING)

One other thing, If Yori says he is retiring, don’t bet on it. He has a hunger that doesn’t seem sated just yet.

Ted Sares is one of the oldest active full power lifters and Strongman competitors and recently won the Maine State Champions in his class. He is a member of Ring 10, and Ring 4’s Boxing Hall of Fame. He is an Auxiliary Member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA).

Posted on 09/02/2018

By: William Holmes

Golden Boy Promotion seven fights on facebook live from the Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino in Indio, California. This is a newer venture for Golden Boy as promotional outfits worldwide are increasingly turning to streaming to deliver their product.

Ryan Garcia was able to sell out the Fantasty Springs Resort and Casino for the second time.

Several undercard fights were shown, but the main event of the evening was between Ryan Garcia and Carlos Morales in the lightweight division and the co-main event of the night was between Marvin Cabrera and Neeco Macias.

Marvin Cabrera (8-0) and Neeco Macias (16-0) met in the junior middleweight division. Both boxers are undefeated, but Cabrera has been the more active fighter the past two years and had former world champion Daniel Ponce DeLeon in his corner.

Macias had a good contingent of fans in attendance, and he made it known immediately why. They both came out swinging in the opening round but Macias took the best shots of Cabrera well and continued to come forward, while smiling. Macias didn’t appear to have a whole lot of power and was taking some good left hands from Cabrera, but he threw over twice the number of punches than Cabrera. Macias threw 147 punches in the opening round while Cabrera threw 72, and it was a sign of things to come.

Macias stayed in tight during the second round and didn’t appear to land many hard punches, but he applied an incredible amount of pressure and appeared to overwhelm Cabrera. He continued that output into the third round when he threw 196 punches and appeared to be visibly wilting Cabrera.

Macias opened up the fourth round with a looping left hand went right back to work. He was swarming Cabrera and was really snapping the head of his opponent.

Cabrera’s back was stuck next to the ropes and corner often in the fourth and fifth rounds and wasn’t really able to throw much in response to the aggression of Macias. Whenever Cabrera backed away in an attempt to escape and breathe Macias would quickly close the distance and pound away at the body and head.

Cabrera looked exhausted in the sixth round and took a hard left hand in the opening seconds of the sixth. Cabrera was stuck in the corner often and was getting beat from corner to corner.

Cabrera’s corner wisely stopped the fight before the start of the seventh round. Macias wins by knockout at 3:00 of the sixth round.

The main event of the night was between Ryan Garcia (15-0) and Carlos Morales (17-2-3) in the lightweight division.

Garcia held the NABF and NABO Super Featherweight Championships while Morales held the NABA Super Featherweight Championship.

Garcia is one of Golden Boy Promotions’ high ceiling prospects and is only twenty years old. Garcia looked like the bigger fighter and was able to establish himself as the boxer with the quicker hands early on. Garcia was able to land some good left hooks in the first two rounds and had a good jab working.

Garcia did trip and fall backwards in the second round but Morales was warned by the referee for pushing his opponent.

Garcia was shifty in the third round and was able to land his counter right hands. One of his punches opened up a cut on the bridge of the nose of Morales.

Morales was able to land some right hands to the body of Garcia in the fourth round, but Garcia appeared to land the better shots and even had Morales shaking his head no after landing a combination.

Garcia’s timing was on point in the fifth and sixth rounds and was able to touch Morales whenever he got into range. Both boxers were warned by the referee for wrestling during these rounds.

Morales’ corner think he hurt Garcia in the seventh round and even wobbled the legs of Garcia after landing a jab. Morales pressed the pace afterwards, but Garcia recovered quickly and lasted the round.

Morales continued to attempt apply the pressure in the eighth and ninth rounds but with the exception of a few body shots wasn’t able to hurt Garcia again. Garcia however appeared to be tiring and looked at the clock continuously.

Morales probably needed a knockout in the final round to win, but Garcia had caught his second wind by then and threw enough punches in the final round to win it.

The judges scored it 98-92, 95-95, 98-92 for Ryan Garcia by majority decision.

Posted on 08/30/2018

By: William Holmes

On Saturday night Golden Boy Promotions will continue their partnership with Facebook Live to broadcast what appears to be seven fights live from Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino in Indio, California.

The undercard will feature fighters such as Sergey Lubkovich, George Rincon, Daniel Perales, Alex Rincon, Patrick Teixeira, and Nathaniel Gallimore.

The main event of the evening will be a lightweight fight between Ryan Garcia and Carlos Morales in the lightweight division. The co-main event of the night will be between Marvin Cabrera and NEeco Macias in the junior middleweight division.

Photo Credit: Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

The following is a preview of the co-main event and main event of the night.

Marvin Cabrera (8-0) vs. Neeco Macias (16-0); Junior Middleweights

This is a rare bout between two southpaw boxers, so expect some awkwardness at first and tangled up feet.

Cabrera is a young prospect who has been fairly active recently. He fought twice in 2018 and four times in 2017 and started competing as a professional in 2016. He has moderate power and has stopped six of his opponents.

His opponent, Neeco Macias, is two years older than him and has twice the number of professional fights. But he has not been as active as Cabrera in the past two years. He only fought once in 2018 and once in 2017. He has stopped seven of his opponents, including stopping three of his past four opponents. However, his three past opponents had losing records.

Cabrera has the better amateur career of the two. Macias has no notable amateur accomplishments and Cabrera has competed in the Pan American Games as an amateur with moderate success.

Cabrera will have about three inches in height on Macias, but both boxers will have about the same reach.

Cabrera has defeated the likes of Wilfrido Buelvas, Hector Velazquez, and Esau Herrera. Macias’ record is filled with guys with sub .500 records, but he does have notable wins over Rolando Garza and Limberth Ponce.

Macias has a good record, but he hasn’t faced any significant opposition and his lack of activity the last two years is telling. Macias appears to have the power to stop Cabrera, but Cabrera’s amateur background should lead him to a decision victory.

Ryan Garcia (15-0) vs. Carlos Morales (17-2-3); Lightweights

Ryan Garcia holds the NABF and NABO Super Featherweight Championship while Carlos Morales holds the NABA Super Featherweight Championship.

Garcia however, is the prospect with a much higher ceiling and has the promotional muscle of Golden Boy Promotions supporting him.

Garcia is only twenty years old, but has already fought fifteen times and fought twice in 2018 and six times in 2017.

Morales is twenty eight years old and didn’t fight at all in 2018, but fought three times in 2017. Morales isn’t known for his power, he has only stopped six of his opponents.

Garcia will have a sleight one inch height advantage on Morales. They both have a 70” reach and box orthodox.

Garcia has been stepping up his competition recently. He has beaten the likes of Jayson Velez, Fernando Parra, and Cesar Valenzuela.

Morales has beaten the likes of Dardan Zenunaj, Cesar Valenzuela, Charles Huerta ,and Luis Franco. He has losses to Alberto Macahdo and Allan Benitez.

Morales has two losses on his record, but has never been stopped. He’s a good opponent for Garcia in that he should give him some good rounds and good work, but Garcia should be a large favorite on Saturday.

Posted on 08/18/2018

By: Dylan Smith

Golden Boy Promotions put on a live event from the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. ESPN televised their card and it featured two entertaining bouts, including a bloody main event.

The following is a recap of their event.

Photo Credit: Tom Hogan-Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

The co-main Event of the evening.

A 10 round war! It was a brutal display of heavy shots and relentless pressure by both boxers. Japanese Yoshihiro Kamega stayed true to his form by constantly coming forward and not giving young Vendetti a moment to breath. Greg being the younger guy by 7 years, he held his composure and kept pushing back the Japanese Warrior.

From the first round Kamegai pushed Greg Vendetti backwards to the ropes were he let loose heavy hooks to the body and head.
The first time for The Villain to go past 8 rounds is a testament the Kamegai’s toughness. Yoshihiro gained Vendetti’s respect form the start of the fight as Greg kept a nice tight guard. Until the 7th round where he seemed to lower his guard and become more relaxed into the fight. Vendetti’s corner was pumping him up in between each round to keep him motivated which was a stronghold to aid his performance.

The Villain managed to swell up Kamegai’s left cheek from continued right hands beating him down. Although a lot of heavy shots were thrown and landed, neither man was put down in the fight and it lasted the whole 10 rounds.

In Kamegai’s last 5 fights he has landed 24.6 punches per round 39% of them being power punches. But allowing 26 punches 43.8% of them power punches to land from his opponent. This fight was a lot closer in terms of what landed however as Vendetti landed 37% of power punches and Kamegai landed 36% of his. The total punches thrown was 629 for Yoshihiro and 826 for the Villain Vendetti so he was the busier man. A lot of punches were thrown by each man, only 1% difference in what was actually landed, which is closer than the judges had it scored however.

Both judges had Greg Vendetti winning by a unanimous points decision, one by 98-92 and the other by 97-93. Vendetti did seem to land the better shots but it was a competitive fight as both fighters didn’t stop throwing the whole fight.

Greg ‘The Villain’ Vendetti is at the early stage of his career and will go on to advance to the next stage, performing very well tonight against a seasoned vet in Yoshihiro Kamegai. With it being an entertaining fight, as it was, both boxers can come again I’m sure.

The main even of the Evening

An action packed fight with an aggressive fighter being charged by a juggernaut. Andrew Cancio has been working his day job up until the last week of his fight. Having managed to put in the hours in the gym as well. The hungry fighter had a great opening and towards the end of the 1st round he seemed to hurt Dardan Zenunaj with a big right hand. Cancio threw double the amount of punches as Dardan and landed 48%. Round 1,2 and 3 Cancio continued to throw double the amount of Zenunaj.

El Chango looked strong and composed even in moments where Dardan put pressure on him. Andrew was landing clean crisp counter punches on the inside and outside. Zenunaj absorbing a lot of punches he was relentless in charging forward. Both men utilised the jab well, Andrew however seemed to find his range better and, in some rounds was landing double the amount of punches than Dardan.

The key in this fight was the uppercuts thrown by Cancio. He seemed to be able to land at will to the centre gap in the guard of Zenunaj. El Chango utilised good footwork, evading punches and fighting on the back foot. Zenunaj did land shots of his own however and kept on working throughout the fight.

With great conditioning and mind of a warrior Dardan kept pushing forward. He seemed to get stronger as the fight went on, even when hurt he shook his head to allude he wasn’t. He boxed well, cut off the ring and forced Andrew to work. His work rate wasn’t diminished through the rounds but seemed to improved. His pressure was consistent and although behind on points came out in the 8th with a bounce in his step. With only 2 rounds left he and his corner knew they needed to finish Cancio to win. Wanting to finish the fight he carried on showing his massive heart.

They went at it in the 9th with beautiful left hooks and straight rights from Cancio but Zenunaj kept coming forward. Andrew was spitting blood which covered the face of Dardan. In the 10th Zenunaj had a lot of success and man handled Andrew. As the crowd cheered ‘El Chango’ Andrew stayed in there, his nose bloodied he bit down on the gun shield and water out until the bell.

The two fighters embraced on the final bell and gave it their all. They had a lot of respect for each other and both put on a wonderful performance. The crowd gave them a standing ovation and although not a native of California, Zenunaj seemed to win over the home town crowd of the Monkey.

It lasted the duration of the 10 rounds and went to a points decision. All judges in favour of Andrew Cancio.

Punch stats were Cancio three 994 and landed 356 (36% pct landed) and for Zenunaj 1062 only 278 landed (26% pct landed).

Andrew Cancio has earnt a deserved win, his 19th victory. It makes you wonder What could he achieve if he dedicated his time solely on boxing?

Another great fight from 2 tough fighters who displayed pugilist skills and entertained the crowd who were on their feet.

Posted on 07/18/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions is featuring Lamont Roach who not only intends on extending his unbeaten streak to eighteen but to pick up the vacant WBO International Super Featherweight title Friday on ESPN.

Roach, 16-0-1 (6), of Upper Marlboro, MD, is coming off a draw with Orlando Cruz, 25-6-1, in April in Puerto Rico. He will be taking on southpaw Deivi Julio “El Cabo” Bassa, 20-4 (12), of Monteira, Colombia, for the title in a 10 rounder.

Photo Credit: Lamont Roach Jr. Twitter Account

The event will be held at the Grand Oasis Arena, Quintana Roo, Cancun, Mexico. Roach had quite an amateur career with over 100 fights. In 2013 he was the National Golden Gloves and the U.S. National champion. He was a 5-time Ringside World Champion. He is trained by his father, Lamont, Sr. and is attending the University of Maryland, pursing a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Bassa won his first seventeen fights with ten by knockout all in Colombia. Then a losing trip to Japan to Kenji Ogawa, 15-1, who in December fought for the IBF world title. In Bassa’s last fight he scored a knockout win in February in his country of Colombia.

Bassa’s biggest wins were over Franklin Varela, 21-9, in 2013 and Edison Valencia Diaz, 21-12, in 2015, both in Colombia. In 2017 against Neslan Machado, 11-0, it ended in a NC, in making his US debut in Miami, FL.

In the co-feature Junior Featherweight southpaw Alexis Bastar, 10-1-1 (8), of Qunitana Roo, Cancun, MEX, is coming off a win in April. He takes on Rigoberto Nava, 3-2-4 (0), of Mexico City, MEX, who has four draws in his last five fights. This is including a majority decision draw with Bastar in November of 2017.

2012 London Olympics Bronze Medalist and 2014 World Amateur Gold Medalist Flyweight Marlen Esparza, 5-0 (1), of Houston, TX, takes on Debora “La Pantera” Rengifo, 10-5-1 (5), of Caracas, VZ, a two-time world title challenger, over 8×2 rounds.

Middleweight Manuel “El Meno” Gallegos, 11-0 (10), of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, MEX, meets tba over 6 rounds. He is on a three fight knockout streak having last fought in March with all eleven of his fights being in Mexico.

Posted on 07/14/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Golden Boy Promotions over ESPN Friday night put on a boxing event at the Nova Theater in downtown L.A. showing two female matches prior to the main event with hometown favorite Joet Gonzalez and Mexico’s Rafael Rivera being quite unusual.

Featherweight Joet Gonzalez, 20-0 (11), of Glendora, CA, won a split decision over Rafael “Big Bang” Rivera, 25-2-2 (16), of Tijuana, Baja, CA, Mexico, for the vacant WBO NABO Featherweight Title.

In the first round both fighters were taking turns being the aggressor. Halfway through the round Rivera landed half a dozen punches before getting knocked back by a Gonzalez left hook to the chin. In the second round Rivera used a good left hook doubling it up on Gonzalez. Gonzalez, the taller of the two can’t hold off Rivera who came forth with combinations to body and head.

In the third round it was the first clinch caused by Gonzalez. Gonzalez tried to hold off Rivera with a jab but it wasn’t enough. Gonzalez seemed to have to take punches in bunches before fighting back. In the fourth round Gonzalez finally put more than a single punch at a time also using an occasional elbow. Rivera continued to throw more in return after Gonzalez lands several punches and moves back.

In the fifth round Gonzalez opened up with a 3-punch combination before Rivera came back with a combination. Whenever Rivera got hit to the head he immediately came back with a flurry. Gonzalez landed a combination and again moved away allowing Rivera to come back at him with a flurry. Gonzalez kept his hands up using a good defense but his face was showing the marks of the battle.

In the sixth round Rivera drove Gonzalez against the ropes with a flurry of punches. Halfway through the round it became a real fight. Gonzalez near the end of the round had Rivera holding on. In the seventh round the fans start chanting “Joet, Joet” urging Gonzalez to be more offensive. Rivera rarely threw a jab living up to his nick name “Bang Bang” throwing punches. Gonzalez was using his strength inside landing a good right uppercut to the chin until a Rivera left hook stopped him from using his strength.

In the eighth round Rivera landed a double left hook to the liver. Rivera came forward low but not throwing punches until he got hit by Gonzalez. In the ninth round Gonzalez continued to come forward with hands held high allowing Rivera to get to his body. Gonzalez comes forward but not throwing the jab much looking for the big punch. Rivera countered a jab from Gonzalez with a right to the chin. Halfway through the round with Rivera inside he would hold Gonzalez’s glove with his arm until seperated.

In the tenth and final round Gonzalez used his jab as Rivera tried using his but falling short. Halfway through the round both fighters opened up knowing the fight may be on the line. Both opened up the last thirty seconds right to the bell.

Judges scores were 96-94 Gonzalez, 96-94 Rivera and 97-93 for Gonzalez. This writer had it 96-94 Rivera.

Gonzalez said “I’m calling out all featherweights including Gary Russell. I thought I won the fight easily.” He better watch what he is asking for. “He never hurt me. I knew coming from Tijuana it would be hard getting the win. I thought I won,” said Rivera. In the amateurs the jab scores points but in the pro’s Rivera throwing twice as many punches should have meant a victory.

In the co-main event flyweight Siessa “Super Bad” Estrada, 14-0 (4), of East L.A. easily stopped Jhosep “La Chica de Oro” Vizcaino, 7-7- (3) of Quito, ECU, at 0:20 of round 3.

In the first round it was all Estrada who was taking a flurry of punches and countered with a left hook dropping Vizdaino. In the second round Estrada turned southpaw up until near the end of the round switching back to orthodox. The referee Zachary Young gave Vizcaino a warning to start fighting back.

In the third round Estrada landed many punches to the head before landing a left hook to the liver of Vizdaino who after a slight delay went to the canvas causing referee Young to stop the lopsided fight. To her credit Vizdaino came without a trainer as a substitute replacing the scheduled Christian Gonzalez-German Meraz co-feature.

Super middleweight Maricela “La Diva” Cornejo, 12-2 (5), of Los Angelos, CA, stopped Samantha Pill, 3-1 (0), of Fairmont, WV, at 0:41 of the third round in a scheduled 6.

In the first round Cornejo pressed Pill who used a counter jab for the most part. It wasn’t until near the end of the round that a solid punch was landed by Cornejo a right to the chin of Pill.

In the second round Pill drove Cornejo back several steps with a right to the chin. The action picked up when Pill decided to mix it up but took a beating before she started moving as she did in the first round. You can tell Pill was an MMA boxer with little boxing experience.

In the third round Cornejo continued dishing out a beating on Pill. Referee Jack Reis wisely stopped the onslaught early in the round seeing that Pill didn’t know how to cover up taking too much punishment.