Tag Archives: cesar

Posted on 12/21/2019

By Robert Aaron Contreras

The main event of DAZN’s latest broadcast was full of garbage. Literally, as crushed beer cans cluttered the ring after Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (51-4-1, 33 KO) seemed to have blatantly quit following the end of the fifth round against former world champion Daniel Jacobs (36-3, 30 KO). The peanut gallery who helped fill the Talking Stick Arena in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday night were not hesitant to show Chavez their disappointment when referee Wes Melton waved off the contest.

The bout was supposed to represent the super middleweight debut of Jacobs, 32, who weathered a vigorous opening couple rounds from Chavez, 33, before the Mexican star customarily imploded.

“It necessarily wasn’t my debut at super middleweight cause—this is so disrespectful,” Jacobs said, standing in the ring as more incoming trash interrupted his post-fight interview. “This is the biggest opponent of my career. I wanted to make sure I could take the punches. To me he was a cruiserweight. Even his jab was heavy. Physically, he was the bigger man and it showed.”

Through the first two rounds, Chavez’s punches were forceful, matching his intimidating appearance: towering over Jacobs, filling out his overweight frame (weighing in well over the contracted 168-pound limit at 172 pounds). Stalking, Chavez pitched looping shots at his opponent. The power punches strayed downstairs in the second period, carrying an extra trace of lethal injection. Forceful right hands toward Jacobs’ head masked pendulum left hands slapping the American’s midsection. 

The third frame saw Chavez lose steam. Jacobs remained in orthodox stance. He fired straight right and lefts, chipping away at his man’s dome. Chavez occasionally walked Jacobs down but was met with a flurry of body blows. The blitz from Jacobs forced Chavez to wrap up.

A doubling jab opened the fourth round for Jacobs. Chavez prodded with his off-hand but his offense severely slowed. The crowd took notice and was audibly frustrated. As if on command, Chavez plowed forward and drove Jacobs to the corner. The smaller boxer quickly switched stances and countered with southpaw jabs before side-stepping out of danger, delivering a left hook as he swung his body clockwise. Jacobs also did well fighting out of more tie-ups. Though Chavez found time to complain about elbows out of the break.

In Round 5, Chavez waded in. But no punches followed. Jacobs remained active, especially his jab and long strikes to the body. But at the 1:15 mark of the round, Jacobs circled to the outside, jabbing, wherein Chavez ducked a punch and leaned over into an overhand right. It was the biggest blow of the fight. But Chavez made no effort to capitalize on the score. More spearing right and left crosses secured the inning for Jacobs.

With a small nice under his left eye, Chavez went back to his corner in distraught. The DAZN broadcast claimed to have heard him cite a broken right hand. He told his corner he was done for the night and it was over. Heckling rolled in. Deservedly so. 

Marking the second time in his privileged career Chavez has quit on a phantom injury, he is not to be trusted. Not to make weight, not go out on his shield. He’s a murderous puncher. A son of a fistic immortal. But no real boxer.

It was Jacobs’ first win since 2018, bouncing back from a clear points loss to Canelo Alvarez in May. Unable to master the top of the middleweight class, a successful foray into the super middleweight ranks is what Jacobs had in mind this weekend. Instead he got Chavez, and because of that forced to wade through the junk and debris that typically follows him. 

Julio Cesar Martinez wins flyweight title

Julio Cesar Martinez (15-1, 12 KO won the WBC flyweight title over Cristofer Rosales (29-5, 20 KO) in the ninth round of a violent outing.

Martinez would have already had the belt if not for a late punch in his dominant effort over Charlie Edwards in August. He secured the gold for good with another menacing body assault. This one over another notable fighter in Rosales, who held that same belt years ago.

It was a highly entertaining battle. The first two rounds appeared to be even, as both fighters poured it on. Rosales was aggressive early on, even stunning Martinez in the second period. Down the stretch however he would feel the brunt of the division’s newest stud, a switch-hitting pocket monster. 

Martinez, 24, of Mexico City, fought through a cut near his eye to hack away at the 25-year-old Rosales. He doled out a real lashing in the seventh round and it looked like he might be able to keep alive his perfect streak of never seeing past the eighth round.

But Rosales broke that streak, conceivably doing his best work in Round 8. Martinez’s attack though didn’t let up and everything came to a wrap in the ninth stanza. In the final moments of that fateful round, Martinez stepped in with wide left hook to the body and a subsequent shoveling right hand that froze Rosales, leaving him open for an unanswered follow-up pelting upstairs before the referee stepped in the middle of the two. 

Martinez has now won 15 straight. The only loss on his record came in his pro debut back in 2015. He was dealt a split-decision loss and has yet to taste defeat again. Rosales has dropped two of his last three. 

Posted on 01/17/2019

By: Sean Crose

“I’ve been training hard,” says Pablo Cesar Cano. “I’m motivated by this opportunity against Jorge Linares.” Cano will indeed be engaging in the opportunity of a lifetime when he faces the esteemed Linares in New York Friday night on the Demtrius Andrade – Artur Akavov fight card at the Theater in Madison Square Garden. At stake is the World Boxing Council International Silver Super Lightweight Title. By pulling off the upset this weekend, Cano would surely make himself the toast of the fight game. “I’m going to leave everything in the ring,” he says, to show everyone what Mexican fighters are made of.”

Boasting a record of 31-7-1, Mexico’s Cano is arguably familiar with being the underdog. After all, he attained his hard earned WBC strap by besting 12-0 Ruslan Madiev in December of last year in Las Vegas. He’s also beaten well known and well regarded Mauricio Herrera in a 2016 matchup. Even some of the losses on Cano’s resume are notable. There’s no shame, after all, in dropping a fight to the likes of Shane Mosley, Paulie Malignaggi, or Erik Morales. Now, though, he’s aiming to face a big name and come out on top. For he will be battling the same Linares who bested the likes of Anthony Crolla, and Like Campbell, the same Linares who gave Vasyl Lomachenko a legitimate run back in May of last year.

“He has a lot of good qualities,” Cano says of the 45-4 Linares. “He has quick hands. He moves well around the ring. This will be an even fight. He has his advantages, and I have my advantages.” To Cano, it’s all about strength, which is where he feels he holds an advantage. “Though he may have quicker hands,” he says, “I will be the stronger fighter because he is coming to my weight.” Sure enough, Linares has been known as a lightweight, rather than a super lightweight, the division he will be fighting at on Friday.

“I’m focused,” Cano says. “I’m going to go there and do my job. I think Linares will go out there and try to box me. He’s going to try to hit and move, but I will go out there and make the fight like I always do. I’m going to work the body to decrease his hand speed.” Provided he wins, Cano sees the future looking bright. “Good things will come if I beat him,” he says. “I’m looking forward to delivering the fight of my life.”

Cano-Linares, will be aired live on the DAZN streaming service.

Posted on 01/15/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Since the 1940’s we’ve heard how heavyweight champion Joe “The Brown Bomber” Louis, 66-3 (52), held the most title defenses at 25. What you may have not read is there are two other boxers who have passed that record and are both at 27 defenses.

Louis still holds the record for the most defenses in the same division. The first boxer to pass 25 defenses was none other than Mexico’s Julio Cesar “J.C.” Chavez, 107-6-2 (86).

In September of 1984 Chavez won the vacant WBC World Super Featherweight title in his 44th fight improving his record to 43-0. He defeated Mexico’s Mario Martinez, 33-1-2, in the eighth round in L.A.

Chavez would make nine defenses of the WBC World Super Featherweight title before winning the WBA Lightweight title in November of 1987 stopping Puerto Rico’s Edwin Rosario, 31-2 in the eleventh round in Las Vegas. In a non-title bout in March of 1986 he improved his record to 50-0 knocking out Roberto Collins Lindo, of Costa Rica in Las Vegas. In his second defense he defeated WBC champion Jose Luis Ramirez, 101-6, of Mexico, by TD eleven rounds in a unification bout ahead 96-94, 95-93 and 98-91. He would give up the WBA title.

In Chavez’s next fight he won the WBC Super Lightweight title from Roger Mayweather, 34-5, by RTD 10, in Inglewood, CA. It was their second meeting with the first for Mayweathers Lightweight title. In his third defense he added the IBF title in a unification bout win over Philadelphia’s Meldrick Taylor, 24-0-1, at 2:58 of the 12th and final round. Taylor took his eyes off of referee Richard Steele when he saw his trainer Lou Duva coming up the steps. Steel prematurely waved the fight off with just two seconds to go. Taylor was ahead 107-102 and 108-101 but behind 105-104. It was Ring Magazine’s “Fight of the Year!” Chavez improved to 69-0. It would be four and a half years before Taylor got his rematch.

Chavez would defend both the WBC and IBF titles twice before giving up the IBF title. Five title fights later he would stop Greg Haugen, 32-4, in the fifth round in Mexico City before 132,247 in attendance in February of 1993.

After another defense Chavez tried moving up and taking the WBC Welterweight title from Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, 32-1, that ended in a majority draw in September of 1993 in San Antonio, TX.

Two fights later in January of 1994 Chavez lost his title to Frankie “The Surgeon” Randall, by split decision in Las Vegas. He was dropped for the first time in his career in the eleventh round and lost two points for low blows in rounds seven and eleven. Four months later in a rematch he re-won his title on a TD in eight. He was ahead 76-75 and 77-74 while behind 76-75.

The next fight would be the “re-match” with Taylor, 32-3-1, in September of 1994 some four and a half years later in Las Vegas. Taylor then went onto win the WBA welterweight title two fights later. He would attempt to move up to super welterweight losing to WBC Champion Terry Norris. In his next fight he would lose his welterweight title to Venezuela’s Crisanto Espana fighting out of the UK. He would win his next three fights before meeting Chavez again losing in the eighth round behind on two cards and even on one. Chavez would improve to 91-1-1.

In December Chavez made what would be his final successful defense against the former WBA World Lightweight Champion Tony “The Tiger” Lopez, 45-4-1, of Sacramento, CA, stopping him in the tenth in Monterrey, MEX. It was his twenty-seventh overall. He had nine at Super Featherweight, two at lightweight and sixteen at Super Welterweight.

Four fights later, Chavez would lose his title to Oscar “Golden Boy” De La Hoya, 21-0, being stopped in the fourth round. After two defenses De La Hoya would move up to welterweight and defeat Whitaker. Three fights later Chavez would fight to a draw for his former WBC Super Lightweight title that ended in a draw against Miguel Angel Gonzalez, 42-1, in a vacant title bout. Chavez would try to win another title but lost in fights in De La Hoya and world champion Kostya Tszyu.

The other boxer who also has made twenty-seven successful defenses is Omar Andres Narvez, 47-2-2 (25), from Chubat, Argentina. This southpaw is still active at age forty-two. His upcoming fight with southpaw South African Zolani Tete, 26-3 (21), of the UK, will be for his WBO World Bantamweight title on February 10th in the UK.

Except for being held to a draw in his fifth and seventeenth fights Narvaez his record was spotless winning the WBO World Flyweight title when he was just 10-0-1. It was in July of 2002 winning a lopsided decision over Adonis “Caballo” Rivas, 17-2-1, of Nicaragua.

In the fourth defense for Narvaez he was held to his second draw by Italy’s Andrea Sarritzu, 17-1-1, in Italy in a rematch. He was the WBO Inter-Continental Champion. This bout took place in December of 2002. In their previous battle Narvaez took a split decision win also in Italy. Sarritzu would eventually win the European title and lose in another world title fight effort.

In March of 2007 Narvaez would defeat 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist Frenchman Brahim Asloum, 21-1, over twelve rounds. In February of 2009 he would stop American Rayonta “Stingray” Whitfield, 22-0, in the tenth round in Argentina. In May of 2010 he would win the vacant WBO World Super Flyweight title defeating Everth Briceno, 32-5-1, of Nicaragua. He had sixteen title defenses at Flyweight.

After having three defenses Narvaez tried jumping up a division for Nonito Donaire’s, 26-1, WBC World Bantamweight title losing a lopsided decision in October of 2011 at Madison Square Garden’s WaMu Theater. He would return to his natural weight division and score eight more defenses reaching twenty-seven defenses.

Narvaez was 43-1-2 when he lost in Japan to their Nayoya “Monster” Inoue, 7-0, being stopped in the second round in December of 2014. He would go onto win his last four bouts and is now getting ready for his bout with Tete.

Posted on 11/01/2017

By: B.A. Cass

After suffering a first-round KO from Henry Lebron in July, Oscar Eduardo Quezada (6-4) went on to beat Ernesto Gutierrez (0-7-1) in September. Now Quezada is being used as an opponent for the Hector Tanajara (10-0), the San Antonio super featherweight who hopes to be Golden Boy Promotions newest star. Tanajara still needs some development, but he’s young and fast. And he is unbeaten for a reason. Tanajara is a boxer, not a brawler. He has a three-inch height advantage over Quezada, and we can expect him to use his jab to keep Quezada at a safe distance, as he has effectively done with opponents in the past.

Photo Credit: Golden Boy Promotions

The fight between Jesus Serrano (17-4-2) and Genaro Gamez (6-0) should be much more exciting. At first glance, Serrano may seem like the more experienced fighter on a downward slide, a journeyman sent in to fight a younger, up-and-coming fighter who needs some credible wins on his resume. However, the four losses and two draws on Serrano’s record happened earlier in his career and is on a nine-fight winning streak. He has also knocked out over half of his opponents. As for Gamez, he may have less professional experience, but he’s a dangerous fighter: of the six fights he has fought, four have ended in first round KOs. Both fighters like to keep their hands down. Expect a brawl.

Ryan Garcia (11-0) vs. Cesar Valenzuela (14-5) is the fight on the undercard that you won’t want to miss. Valenzuela is a strong, more experienced opponent, but Garcia, who looks about twelve years old, has a knockout record that rivals Deontay Wilder’s. He’s sharp too, and when his punches connect (as they often do), the result is devastating. He was last seen in the ring in September when he knocked out Miguel Carrizoza with a powerful shot to the head that was so fast it was almost invisible.

Jesus Soto Karass (28-12-4) wants to show the boxing world that he isn’t just another aging gatekeeper. He’ll get his chance this Thursday, Nov. 2 when he encounters Juan Carlos Abreu (19-3-1), the aggressive Dominican fighter who likes to taunt his opponents as he stalks them around the ring. Karass has beaten some decent talent, including Andre Berto. Recently, however, he’s lost more than he’s won. This fight may be his last chance to prove himself, and he’s sure to give everything he’s got.

Hosted by Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Arizona, this 10-round main event will be aired at 11 PM (EST) on ESPN2.

ESPN3 will stream the undercard fights starting at 9:30 PM (EST). Make sure to tune in early so that you don’t miss the fight between US Olympian Marlen Esparza (3-0) and Karla Valenzuela (3-16-3). It should be a one-sided affair, but Esparza is supremely talent and it will be fun to watch.

Follow B.A. Cass on Twitter @WiththePunch

Posted on 07/09/2017

From Worcester to the World: The Kendrick Ball Story
By: Ben Sutherland

It’s the February 4th, 2017. Kendrick Ball Jr swaggers to the ring. Awaiting him is Massachusetts prospect, Patrick Leal. The opening bell goes and Ball advances straight towards him, immediately catching him with a jab. Leal starts backing up, desperately swerving Ball’s bombardment of punches. It isn’t long before Ball catches him with a body shot. Leal drops to the canvas, clearly in some discomfort. After just 27 seconds of round 1, the referee stops the fight.

The demolition that just occurred makes it clear to everyone in the room that Kendrick Ball Jr can go all the way.
Ball turned pro last year, signing with promoter Jimmy Burchfield and Classic Entertainment Sports. Ever since he watched his friend and fellow pro boxer, Khiary Gray, sign with CES and have great success, he knew that it was the promotional company for him. Despite signing with Burchfield and CES, he is still desperate to prove he is worth the investment, “I want to work harder and show CES that I have more to bring to the table than they have seen in my 3 fights so far” says Ball.

Since turning pro, he has moved quickly through his first 9 fights and remains undefeated with 7 wins, 5 of which came by way of knockout. Most recently, Ball won a unanimous decision against Godson Noel on the 9th of June at the Twin River Events Center. “That was my biggest accomplishment so far as a pro” said the 24 year old. “My other tough fights I had against undefeated guys were draws” he says, “beating a guy who was 6-0 was a great feeling”.

Kendrick Ball Sr was always wanted his son, Kendrick Ball Jr, to get into boxing and so started him early. He began by working him out on the mitts around their house. Soon enough a young Kendrick Ball Jr was sparring at the local Worcester boys and girls club.

Ball’s amateur career got off to a slow start, losing his first nine fights. It was perhaps hard to see the unbeaten professional fighter that would eventually be sculpted out. Clearly, Ball needed to significantly increase how much he was training. Some additional conditioning was all that was required to reveal Ball’s underlying talent and he went from strength to strength during the last two years of his amateur career. He quickly became one of the most promising amateurs in New England, winning the Rocky Marciano tournament as well as New England’s and Western Mass Golden Gloves. A narrow defeat to the Olympic alternate was evidence enough that Ball had strong prospects in the professional ranks.

Kendrick Ball Jr is newly emerged onto the pro scene, but he’s here to stay. For now, he is just focused on improving “I’m a hard working fighter that just wants to get better” he says modestly. But sooner or later, if you carry on improving and improving, you find yourself at the top. Ball is very open about his goals, “my ultimate goal is to work my way up and grab a world title while I’m there” he says.

A graduate of Worcester Technical High School, Ball knows how much the next generation matters. The allure of the money and fame that comes with the fight game is appealing but, Ball recognizes the importance of giving back saying “I just want to be a role model for the upcoming fighters and kids”.

Kendrick Ball Jr hasn’t been pro for very long, but he has already made a significant impact. He’s has a great training set up and is being managed by one of the best promotional teams in the United States. He’s fast, he’s flashy, he’s powerful, he’s marketable, he oozes potential and he is just getting started.
Ball’s next fight is penciled in for September 16th this year with the opponent currently being unknown.

The boxing fans of Worcester surely can’t help but ponder the potential stardom of Ball. He is has world champion written all over him and undoubtedly one day he can bring a world championship strap back to his hometown.

Posted on 05/10/2017

Canelo and Julio’s Choreographed Debacle
By: Ronald Neal Goldman

If you’ve attentively followed the sweet science as long as I, you would know something just wasn’t right in Canelo Alverez’s ridiculously easy shut out of Julio Cesar Chavez in their 12 round non-title bout. In what should have been an intriguing battle between the middleweight superstar, Canelo, and Chavez Jr, (a mere shadow of one of boxing’s authentic Hall of Fame legends, Julio Cesar Chavez) resulted not only in a monumentally disappointing fight, but served as a catalyst in questioning the why and how Alvarez achieved his victory.

Say what you will about Junior’s less than stellar record as middle or super middleweight, he had been indigenous of Mexican pride when it came to his heritage and legacy: fight to the very end, whatever it takes. In his fight with Sergio Martinez that’s precisely what happened; approaching a lopsided decision in favor of Martinez, Junior cornered Sergio in the ropes and dropped him with a vicious left hook which nearly rewrote boxing history. The Martinez fight, more than anything, was a reflection of Chavez’s credo-never throw in the towel-pun clearly intended. It was Junior’s performance, or more accurately, lack of, that was so out of character in his fight with Canelo.

How was it possible that Chavez was virtually shut out and not being awarded, deservedly so I might add, even one round, unless he was following a script blueprinted by Golden Boy. The showdown between Canelo and GGG had been years in the making and a Canelo loss would have virtually torpedoed a possible billion dollar mega fight. It wasn’t a question of Junior losing, but what is more important was that he would not be winning. This was clearly illustrated by the inordinately few times Chavez had Canelo on the ropes, banging away and then inexorably would stop, not to mention how often when Chavez was cornered by the shorter Canelo and just did nothing. The few times Chavez elected to engage was enough for the suits to placate viewers that there was still some reminisce of what Chavez was capable. Whether Canelo was privy to this ring orchestration is moot. It just it seems somewhat convenient that Golovkin and Canelo was already a done deal with a signed agreement, a specific date emblazoned across the PPV screen, and all that signed, sealed and delivered prior to the Canelo/Chavez show. Were Oscar Dela Hoya and Golden Boy so sure their boy would be victorious? More likely, to save a billion dollar PPV, there’s nothing like contributing couple of million dollars to the Chavez retirement fund.

Ronald Neal Goldman
Professor of English
Touro College and University System

Posted on 05/09/2017

Canelo-Chavez: Why We Thought Junior Had a Chance
By: Sean Crose

What was it that led so many of us – myself certainly included – to believe Julio Caesar Chavez Junior would make a good showing last Saturday evening against Saul Canelo Alvarez in Vegas? Junior had proven himself to be less than serious about the sport of boxing over the years, after all. Furthermore, he was up against a foe in Alvarez who had a long track record of professionalism and dedication to craft. Again, what were so many of us thinking? Before the self-flagellation begins, let’s step back and look at things objectively. For starters, Canelo had, fairly or not, been looking like less and less the sportsman of late.

Sure, the red haired star had been a take on all comers sort for a while, but a steady diet of Liam Smiths and Amir Khans appeared to indicate the fighter may have chosen to take a decidedly less ambitious approach in more recent days. Fans are right to wonder when a popular fighter like Canelo pushes off a chance to fight a popular fighter like Gennady Golovkin over and over again. And so, ironically enough, it made sense for some to question whether or not Canelo was taking the craft of boxing as seriously as he once did.

In the meantime, Canelo’s less talented opponent looked to actually – wait for it – be working hard in camp. He was dropping weight, he wasn’t reportedly out partying and he looked to finally be heeding the words of an esteemed trainer (this time around, the man in his corner was the legendary Nacho Beristain). With Canelo possibly playing the role of boxing diva and Junior possibly growing up (albeit belatedly), why wouldn’t people give the son of the great Julio Caesar Chavez a chance of winning? Junior was bigger than Canelo, was handling things like an adult and looked to have something to prove.

Or so we thought. Ultimately, Saturday evening ended up presenting one of the most disappointing fights in recent memory. The only thing that saved the evening, or nearly saved it, was the announcement afterwards that Canelo would finally be facing Golovkin in September. Pondering the whole thing endlessly these past few days, I can’t even assure myself that Junior didn’t try against Canelo, as so many have asserted. It seemed like he simply might have been so badly outclassed that he wasn’t even sure if and when he should throw a punch.

Junior was the underdog, though, and people love underdogs. Even more than that, people love redemption stories, and even a close loss would have redeemed Junior in the eyes of many. It was simply not meant to be, though. Junior embarrassed himself in the ring – whether he meant to or not – then threw the respected Beristain under the bus afterward for the elder gentleman’s fight strategy. Truth be told, the only strategy that would have worked on Saturday would have been Junior entering the ring with an aluminum bat in his hands.

Anything less may well have produced the same result.

Posted on 05/09/2017

The Big Drama Show: Starring Triple G and Canelo
By: Kirk Jackson

Gennady Golovkin 37-0 (33 KO’s) is the unified middleweight champion. He is undefeated, a power puncher, possessing an action-packed, crowd-pleasing style; typically creating a dramatic show inside the ring.

His last fight against cancer survivor Danny Jacobs 32-2 (29 KO’s) was no exception.

But instead of the typical dominant fashion Golovkin generally displays, the man from Kazakhstan struggled against the ‘Miracle Man’ from Brooklyn.

Jacobs not only ended Golovkin’s knockout streak, but took Golovkin to deep waters going the full 12 rounds in their championship clash.

Some spectators believe Jacobs won the fight. That is subjective, but the three judges scored the fight for Golovkin.

But in victory, doubts were created by some and beliefs were confirmed with others.

Enter Saul “Canelo” Alvarez 49-1-1 (34 KO’s). The torch bearer of boxing, the “Golden Boy” – post the original “Golden Boy” (Oscar De La Hoya) and post the Floyd Mayweather era.

Alvarez, Mayweather, Miguel Cotto are some of the SMALLER fighters Golovkin is in pursuit of amidst his middleweight reign.

Alvarez, who prior to this Cinco de Mayo weekend never fought above 155lbs., destroyed long-time rival Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at a 164.5lb.catch-weightmarketed as a Mexican Civil-War.

This appeared to be a strategic move planned by Team Alvarez and Golden Boy Promotions in preparation for Golovkin; acclimating Alvarez to the higher weight class, destroying a long-time rival while reeling in a ton of cash.

This is chess, not checkers.

As an observer, I always assumed the highly discussed bout between Alvarez and Golovkin would take place September of 2017.

Rather corny WWE-themed entrance and announcement of the fight, but alas we finally have our fight.

Leading up to the fight with Chavez Jr., Alvarez mentioned staying in the middleweight division, suggesting a fight with Golovkin was in the making.

“Look, I’m not a current world champion at middleweight. I have been in the past, but I’m not now,” said Alvarez.
“And as far as the weight, after this fight, I’m not looking past this fight. I’m focused 100 percent on this fight, but I’m now staying at middleweight. I’ll stay at 160 pounds.”

But with boxing or any sport, business is always involved and there is a process to creating the biggest events.
Negotiations have to take place, the element of doubt is important, creating a greater demand of want or desire for the bout. In essence there is a cinematic element in and out the ring.

Apparently Alvarez’s teampitched an offer to Golovkinin September of last year,after his ninth-round demolition of WBO super welterweight champion Liam Smith.

Golden Boy made a number of proposals to Tom Loeffler (Triple G’s promoter) for a fight the following fall and he “didn’t accept.”

There were rumored discussions of a $15 million dollar purse for Golovkin and Golden Boy promoter De La Hoya portrayed Golovkin’s camp as reluctant to take a lucrative deal to face Canelo in 2017.

“I didn’t want to talk about any other offers that we had made to anyone else,” De La Hoya said. “I know you know what I’m talking about.”

“So 30 days ago I made an offer to Triple G and his people. I made an eight-figure offer. I believe it’s an offer that was two, three, four times what he’s ever made and haven’t heard back. And that’s the bottom line.”

In response, Loeffler told RingTV.com after the fight that Golden Boy’s offer wasn’t substantial enough, but remains committed to make a fight with Canelo.

“There were some preliminary discussions with Golden Boy,” Loeffler said. “But nothing of substance that was turned down.Golovkin would have fought Canelo [Alvarez] last May if that would have been possible (before Canelo vacated the title to his mandatory Golovkin).”

If the offer from Golden Boy was indeed valid, may regret refusing the offer, overestimating their worth – considering the fight purses earned in the past.

Golovkin vs. Jacobs = $2.5 million
Golovkin vs. Brook = $5 million
Golovkin vs. Lemieux = $2 million

These are Golovkin’s biggest fights to date and the prize money earned pales in comparison to the $15 million dollar offer.

The question now is what changed from a negotiation standpoint from last year to this year? Or perhaps nothing changed; this was just a ploy all along.

Even with recent news regarding Golovkin cancelling a proposed match with WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders 24-0 (12 KO’s) due to injury.

Golovkin mentioned unifying the middleweight division and capturing all the belts numerous times in the past; perhaps the proposed match-up with Saunders was a negotiation chip in attempt to seize some form of leverage.

On every other level Team Golovkin lacks leverage; views, pay-per-view buys, popularity, money earned, opposition faced.

But, Golovkin has leverage in the form of public perception. In the eyes of many, “Triple G” is one of the most avoided fighters in recent memory.

Public perception paints Golovkin as a “Boogeyman” due to his punching power and the reluctance of a few fighters willing fight him.

Although public perception alone can’t force a fight, each party involved can play to the demand of the fight and work the desire to their favor.

We’ve occasionally witnessed from Team Alvarez teasing the audience, or flat-out downplaying the fight with Golovkin.

Part of the drama associated with Alvarez and Golovkin falling through was the issue revolving around the WBC belt.

Alvarez earned the lineal middleweight title along with the WBC middleweight title, defeating Miguel Cotto in December of 2015. Over the last year or so, Alvarez publically discussed his disgust with the WBC.

Golovkin was the No. 1 contender for the WBC middleweight title and when Alvarez’s handlers attempted to extend the 15 day time period (to process a selection for title defense), in which WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman refused.

Alvarez responded by vacating the WBC title – the sanctioning body in responseawarded to Golovkin, who at the time held the interim-belt as the mandatory challenger for the title.

“Sulaiman was pressuring me on a 15 day basis to make a decision on this fight with Golovkin, when I had some problems in Miami,” said Alvarez.

“You guys know about that. I can’t attend one thing and another at the same time. He made it seem like I was afraid of Golovkin, so I gave up the belt. So that’s why they are not involved, not now.”

Alvarez didn’t even want to fight for the customized Mexican-WBC belt against Chavez Jr.

“From the very beginning, the WBC wanted to get involved with this fight (vs. Chavez) and when we as a team said ‘no, it’s not going to happen, there is no WBC, it’s not for a world title’ – we knew that at some point something was going to come up,” said Alvarez.

“We spoke to Mr. Sulaiman and told him that he was not going to be involved. He then came up with this Huichol belt and I knew that he was going to use that against me in a negative way, to make me look like the bad guy – that I want nothing to do with the Huichols.”

WBC drama aside, the fight between Golovkin and Alvarez is signed, but this added an element to their “Drama show.”
Not caving in to public perception added to what we have as the “Drama show.”

The fight between the two is two years in the making and both fighters have similar paths in the same time period.

They both entered the ring as bigger men against welterweights; Alvarez against Amir Khan in May of 2016 and Golovkin following suit against Kell Brook October of the same year.

Golovkin and Alvarez triumphed over a tough opponent; Golovkin over Jacobs and Alvarez over Cotto.

They both had their share of tune-up/showcase fights; Alvarez against James Kirkland, Smith and Chavez Jr., Golovkin against Willie Monroe Jr., Dominic Wade and Lemieux.

Plenty of drama leading up to this fight, both fighters have the propensity to create drama inside the ring, all we can do is wait until they step in the ring and watch the drama unfold.

Posted on 05/08/2017

What did we just watch? Saul Alvarez vs. Julio Chavez Jr. Aftermath
By: Kirk Jackson

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez 49-1-1 (34 KO’s) destroyed Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. 50-3-1 (32 KO’s) in a bout marketed as a Mexican Civil-War over Cinco de Mayo weekend.

In what resembled an obvious mismatch from the opening bell, Alvarez pummeled Chavez Jr. over the course of 12 rounds.

But why?

How was Alvarez able to seamlessly destroy Chavez Jr. at will after all the hype behind the fight? Where was the retaliation from Chavez Jr.?

What happened to the narrative and stereotype of all Mexicans fighting to the death, leaving it all in the ring?
What we witnessed was a combination of five factors:

Difference in skill/experience –

Alvarez is the more experienced of the two in spite of having relatively the same amount of fights. The difference is world titlists faced; 13 compared to six for Chavez Jr.

Alvarez gained an education fighting the likes of Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather, Amir Khan, Erislandy Lara, Austin Trout, etc., which is a step up compared to guys like Andy Lee, Carlos Molina and Sergio Martinez for Chavez Jr.

Regarding skill, Alvarez has superior upper body movement, foot work, punch-variation, punch accuracy, counter-punching ability and great overall awareness.

In short, Alvarez made the fight look like a sparring match – he even stood up in his corner between rounds.

Difference in weight –

How much did Chavez Jr. sacrifice while cutting weight? His punches lacked snap and his timing was off. It’s unfair to say this is primarily due to weight loss, however it is fair to speculate.

Chavez Jr. attributed his performance to inactivity.

“Canelo is a great fighter, he did his job tonight and the inactivity, it hurt me here tonight,” Chavez Jr. said.

“I always thought he was a good fighter. He just had better timing, a better fighter tonight. The activity helped him and inactivity hindered me.”

The addition of weight for this fight clearly affected Alvarez in a positive way. He looked more energetic and his body responded well to the higher weight.
By most observers, Alvarez was considered huge at 154 lbs. and the last few years Alvarez may have done his body a disservice fighting at that weight.

Alvarez may have also fooled the public for years, killing himself to squeeze down to 154 lbs.

Leading up to the fight against Chavez Jr., Alvarez suggested the preparation during his camp and the sparring in particular helped acclimate to bigger foes.

“I’ve been feeling very good. I’ve been training with sparring partners who are much bigger, who are light heavyweights that are much bigger than me,” he said.
“I’m feeling very comfortable, and very strong. I’m not having to dehydrate as much. I’m still having to go down in weight because I’m above the weight that the fight is scheduled at, but I don’t have to dehydrate totally.”

He looked fresh, like a brand new rejuvenated fighter. Although beating up a punching bag in human form (Chavez Jr.) doesn’t hurt.

Which leads to the next factor…
Speed –

“It was really negative, everything, totally, we did not win a round. It is not possible to cover the sun with a finger, Canelo Alvarez is simply better technically speaking,” Nacho Berstain said to ESPN Deportes.

“I asked him to throw punches, simply to throw punches but he was afraid to throw a jab or a certain combination because he knew that three or four punches would come back in return, and those doubts were born in his head real early and they stayed with him for the entire fight.”

Berstain, the trainer of Chavez Jr. for the fight against Alvarez specified the main problem; speed and technical ability.

We knew entering the fight Alvarez held the advantage of hand speed and foot speed, but the speed and reflexes of Alvarez kept Chavez Jr. passive throughout the fight.

There’s an old adage in boxing, “Speed kills,” and this was not an exception.

Retaliation, the counter-action to an action and then the threat of retaliation is what keeps aggressive fighters at distance.

Speed, timing and the threat of attack is the greatest asset for any counter-puncher.

History/consistency –
There’s another proverb, “A tiger never changes its stripes,” this was another example with Chavez Jr. Not to beat up on the guy (no pun intended), but there is a history of poor training habits and not performing well in big fights.

The fight against Martinez is a prime example, as he lost every round with the exception of the 12th round when he scored a knock down.

History repeated itself this past weekend, with the exception of Chavez Jr. scoring a knock down or landing anything significant.

“I don’t blame the fans for being frustrated with is performance, they are quite right in feeling that way, and I feel the same way too, and he must also be frustrated, his father too, everyone,” said Berstain regarding the fight against Alvarez.

“He should apply himself and he should behave like a boxing pro and success will come to him.”

Professionalism is something Chavez Jr. should continue to practice going forward. An example on a lack of professionalism is his series of failed drug tests in the past.

On February 28th, 2013, Chavez Jr. was suspended for nine months and fined $900,000 (30 percent of his purse) by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for testing positive for marijuana following his loss to Martinez.

It was the second failed test for Chavez Jr., who in 2009 tested positive for a banned diuretic following his bout with Troy Rowland.

Chavez Jr. may be past the failed test issues but there is still a lack of consistency.

Which transitions to the last factor…
Gift and curse of the name –

Chavez Jr. is named after Mexican great Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. No matter how hard he tries, it’s damn near impossible to live up to or exceed his father’s accomplishments.

Escaping his father’s shadow is a difficult task and something Chavez Jr. struggled with his entire career in spite of the success achieved as a professional and the accomplishments achieved outside the ring as a man.

This comparison is a struggle the children of other famous celebrities deal with as well.

Basketball icon Michael Jordan (Jeffrey and Marcus Jordan) can relate, the children of LeBron James may endure similar comparisons and obstacles well.

Chavez Jr. has lived in his father’s shadow ever since he was a child and it’s an unfair situation to be placed in.
There was often a question of heart and desire regarding Chavez Jr. A question of why is he fighting?

Some suggest he is fighting for the acceptance of his father. Fighting for his father’s approval, his father’s respect and love – which he already appears to have.

Chavez Sr. always appears unconditionally supportive of his son.

But when your motives are in question, when there is a question of identity and what your heart truly wants, in many cases the fighter will not perform to expectations.

Only Chavez Jr. can answer these questions, but this may explain the performances throughout his career and what some critics deem as underachieving.

Because of the name, Chavez Jr. was afforded special opportunities. But because of the name, it was impossible to meet expectations.

Posted on 05/08/2017

Canelo and Chavez Jr. Another Hype Job That Flopped Big Time!
By: Ken Hissner

After Kovalev and Ward one had to wonder why anyone called Ward a “boxer”. It was jab and grab 46 or 47 times by Ward. Only a bias referee allowed him to do it for 12 rounds. Kovlev hopefully learned a lesson that he should have learned allowing Bernard Hopkins to go 12 rounds losing all of them and Kovalev not going in for the knockout.

In the next one we have Russian born Kovalev knocking Ward’s Christian beliefs giving Ward food for fuel to really box his ears off. On the other hand will Kovalev’s people have any say on who the referee will be this time like that should have had the first time? This writer felt Kovalev was a five point winner but now time will tell.

Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., was possibly the greatest Mexican fighter of all time while names like Ruben Olivares, LupePintor, Salvatore Sanchez, Ricardo Lopez and Carlos Zarate are right up there. Jr. didn’t bring in his “A” game like he did with Sergio Martinez.

Chavez, Jr. in that “bath robe” carrying his precious daughter into the facility made one wonder “this is a boxer?” His antics being viewed while other bouts were going on made you ask it again. Canelo on the other hand took many photos with others but had that “game face” on. The fact he looked horrible with Mayweather hopefully may have gotten erased but look who he beat?

GGG? Does Canelo think he’s going to go toe to toe with him? GGG is coming off his toughest fight as champion. Not preparing for a southpaw a “light heavy” at 185(?)Jacobs was allowed to miss a second weigh-in as GGG came in at 170 meaning Jacobs couldn’t go over 180 was to Jacob’s advantage?

GGG is all business. Out of the ring he’s like another great fighter in Alexis Arguello giving his opponent compliment after compliment until the bell rings. GGG is by-passing a fourth title with Saunders WBO crown in June in KAZ to finally get Canelo into the ring after a year of postponement by the Canelo camp.

Fool me once, fool me twice…….but when a Mayweather-McGregor farce is getting attention boxing needs a Ward-Gatti fight or two to get the fans and attract some new fans to the sport of boxing. To call Joshua and Klitschko a “great” fight due to a pair of knockdowns tells you it’s not the same as “back in the day!”

Posted on 05/07/2017

Canelo-GGG Superfight Announced Among Wreckage Of Canelo-Chavez Disaster
By: Sean Crose

There probably isn’t a fight fan in the world who would have thought the announcement of a Canelo Alvarez – Gennady Golovkin match would come during one of the worst nights the sport of boxing has endured in years. Yes, Canelo Alvarez and GGG have agreed to fight on September 16th. That’s nothing but enormous and wonderful news.

Unfortunately, the announcement came immediately after what had to be one of the sport’s bleaker performances. For the notorious Julio Caesar Chavez Jr made a classically bad showing of himself against Canelo Saturday night in Vegas. Just how bad was Junior’s performance? Think Buster Douglas…against Evander Holyfield. Even the fact the match everyone wants to see was announced immediately afterward couldn’t take the bad taste out of the fight world’s mouth.

What a shame. It was kind of like receiving the greatest birthday present ever in the parking lot of a funeral home after a wake. Still, it’s nice to see boxing making the matches fans want. Yes, it took too long for Canelo-GGG to be made, but at least Canelo and promoter Oscar De La Hoya didn’t drag their heels for as long as many thought they would. This bout is a big risk for Canelo, after all. Most will probably assume he’s going to lose. Then again, most thought his battle against Chavez Junior would at least be entertaining, so there’s that to chew on.

The reality is that team Canelo was fortunate to announce the fight in the ring immediately after Junior phoned it in against it’s man. Saturday provided a very, VERY bad night of boxing. If Canelo-GGG wasn’t made a reality, if GGG hadn’t stepped into the ring in grand fashion to help kick things off, the situation would have been that much worse. And the irony that a terrible weekend directly followed the great weekend of the Anthony Joshua–Wladimir Klitschko bout would have been completely disheartening to fans. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.

And so now the biggest fight in boxing is a reality. That’s something to get excited about. Again, Golovkin will probably – and rightly – be the favorite, but it would be unwise to sleep on Canelo. The man has proven to be an exceedingly skilled fighter, a menace to anyone he steps in the ring against. It’s hard to dispute the guy puts his punches together better than most anyone else in the sport. In short, this will be a bout looking forward to, even in light of Saturday’s colossal disappointment.

Posted on 05/07/2017

Canelo vs. Chavez Round by Round Results: Canelo Outclasses Chavez In Route
By: William Holmes

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Canelo Alvarez met in the main event of the night on tonight’s HBO Pay Per View (PPV) card from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The mood in the arena was festive and HBO spent some time hyping the upcoming pay per view bout between Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev.

The Mexican National Anthem was sung by Pepe Aguilar and performed first. Paula Deanda performed the national anthem of the United States.

Julio Cesar Chavez entered the ring first and Canelo Alvarez entered second. The crowd was largely supporting Canelo over Chavez.

The following is a round by round recap of tonight’s main event between two of Mexico’s best boxers.

Canelo Alvarez (48-1-1) vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50-3-2); Super Middleweights

Round 1:

Chavez looked significantly bigger than Canelo in the ring. Canelo connects with an early right hand to the body, followed by a jab. Canelo lands a left hook followed by a jab. Chavez barely bocks a right hand and follows it with a right hook to the body. Canelo jabs to the body and misses with a left hook. Canelo lands a left hook to the body. Chavez slips a jab but then eats a right hand to the temple. Canelo lands two straight jabs. Canelo lands another jab. Another jab lands for Canelo. Chavez is short with a jab. Canelo lands a jab. Canelo lands a straight right at the temple of Chavez. Chavez misses with two punches. Both boxers seem tenative to throw combinations.

10-9 Canelo

Round 2:

Neither boxer sat on the stool after the first round. Canelo lands two jabs. Chavez is short with a right hook to the body. Canelo lands an uppercut followed by a good blow to the body. Chavez is short with a right cross but then lands two hooks to the body. Canelo snaps out a shapr jab. Another jab to the body followed by a two punch combination. Chavez lands a left hook to the body followed by a combination with Canelo’s back to the ropes. Canelo lands a three punch combination followed by an uppercut. Canleo lands a lead right uppercut and misses a bomb of a straight right hand. Canelo lands two more right uppercuts followed by a right cross. Chavez connects with a quick jab but then eats one in return. Canelo tags him with another jab. Canelo lands another jab on Chavez. Canelo digs in a hook to the body of Chavez. Canelo lands a reaching jab.

10-9 Canelo; 20-18 Canelo

Round 3:

Canelo presses forward to start the third round and he lands a quick jab. Canelo lands another jab. Tags Chavez with a jab again. Chavez lands a jab. Canelo throws a two punch combination to the head of Chavez. Chavez lands a jab to the body. Canelo lands a jab followed by a right uppercut. Chavez lands a short hook but Canelo follows up with a jab upstairs. Canelo lands a right cross left uppercut combination. Chavez lands a two punch combination but Canelo answers with a combo of his own. Canelo lands another jab. Jab lands for Canelo. Chavez has a welt over his right eye and blood coming from his nose. Canelo lands another jab on Chavez. Chavez lands a two punch combo on Canelo and Canelo fights his way off the ropes with hooks to the body. Canelo lands a left hook to the head of Chavez. Canelo lands another jab. Canelo lands a right cross.

10-9 Canelo; 30-27 Canelo

Round 4:

Canelo opens up the fourth round with a straight right hand. Canelo digs in two hard hooks to the body and follows it with a two punch combo upstairs. Canelo has Chavez fighting backwards and is landing shots at will. Chavez looks lost inside the ring. Canelo snaps another jab at the nose of Chavez. Canelo lands a beautiful two punch combination. Cahvez throws a two punch combo but lands at air. Canelo lands a jab. Chavez lands a short jab but Canelo answers with a right hook to the body. Canelo is landing shots at will. Canelo lands several hard right hands on Chavez. Canelo is just dominating. Canelo bounces two uppercuts off the face of Chavez. Canelo lands a jab on Chavez. Canelo lands another jab. Chavez connects with a two punch combo. Hard jab by Canelo. Another hard jab by Canelo.

10-9 Canelo; 40-36 Canelo

Round 5:

Canelo lands a jab, follows it with another jab. Canelo is showing good head movement as he stalks Chavez. Canelo is in total control. Canelo lands a right cross. Canelo connects with a jab. Chavez is just getting beat up. Canelo lands a vicious right cross. Canelo connects a three punch combination. Canelo lands a hard right uppercut. Chavez lands a jab and a hook to the body. Canelo tags a left hook off the temple of Chavez. Canelo lands a right hook to the body. Canelo lands a jab. Canelo lands another jab. Chavez surprises Canelo with a right cross. Sharp jab by Canelo.

10-9 Canelo; 50-45 Canelo

Round 6:

Canelo looks very confident. Canelo comes out firing and lands a two punch combination. Good right hook to the body by Canelo followed by a right cross upstairs. Two straight jabs by Canelo. Another jab by Canelo. Canelo lands a hard left hook. Canelo digs in another hook to the body. Canelo flicks out another jab. Chavez tryignt o paw at the defenses of Canelo. Canelo with a two punch combination. Chavez is just not letting go. Canelo lands a two punch combination. Chavez has Canelo’s back against the ropes and he throws out some combinations. But he still seems hesitant to exchange with Canelo. Chavez with a right hook to the body. Chavez look intimidated by Canelo.

10-9 Canelo; 60-54 Canelo

Round 7:

Canelo may not have sat down the entire fight. Canelo is imposing his will on Chavez. Canelo moving behind his jab and connects with a good combination. Canelo lands another combination followed by two jabs. Chavez’s left eye is swollen. Chavez lands a combo on Canelo by the ropes. Chavez lands a combo but Canelo fires back. Canelo lands a short right hook. A clean right cross lands for Canelo. Canelo digs in several hard hooks to the body. Chavez lands a right hook to the body of Canelo. Canelo lands a jab followed by a right cross. Canelo throws two wild right hooks. Canelo lands another right cross to the body.

10-9 Canelo; 70-63 Canelo

Round 8:

Chavez’s face is badly swollen. Chavez digs in a right uppercut to the body of Canelo. Canelo blisters a three punch combination off the face of Chavez. Chavez lands a hard combination to Canelo with his back to the ropes. Chavez lands a combo upstairs but Canelo fires back and backs Chavez up. Canelo lands a jab. Canelo with a one two combo. Canelo with a tight jab followed by a hook to the body. Chavez lands a right cross. Canelo lands two straight right crosses followed by a hard body head combo. Canelo with another jab.

10-9 Canelo; 80-72 Canelo

Round 9:

Canelo has clearly won every round so far. Canelo has a hard, hard jab. Chavez bangs a right uppercut off the guard of Canelo. Chavez with a combination to the body on Canelo by the ropes. Chavez throws two hard punches at the guard of Canelo. Chavez lands a short combo and gets warned for a low blow. Chavez digs in a hook and Canelo comes back firing. Canelo digs in a hook to the body followed by a right cross. Canelo digs in another hook to the body followed by a hook to the body. Chavez has Canelo by the ropes but seems hesitant to let his hands go. Canelo is looking to counter Chavez. Canelo lands another jab. He’s in clear control.

10-9 Canelo; 90-81 Canelo

Round 10:

Canelo is imposing his will to start the tenth round. Canelo throws a double jab and lands them both. Canelo lands a hard right hook to the body. Canelo lands a jab and a right cross. This does look like a sparring session for Canelo. Canelo with a double hook combination upstairs. Canelo with a right uppercut. Chavez has barely thrown any punches this round. Canelo lands two straight right uppercuts. Canelo lands a straight right hand. Chavez lands a short jab. Many fans in attendance are starting to boo.
10-9 Canelo; 100-90 Canelo

Round 11:

Chavez badly needs to go for a knockout but he’s not pressing forward or throwing any punches. Many in attendance are booing the action in the ring. Canelo is just continuing to press forward and press the action. Chavez finally throws a two punch combination. Canelo lands a jab to the nose of Chavez. The boos and whistles continue. Chavez is fighting very passively. Canelo lands a good body shot followed by a right cross upstairs.

10-9 Canelo; 110-99 Canelo

Round 12:

Canelo is able to land a punch whenever he wants. Canelo lands a good right uppercut followed by a jab. Many in the crowd are continuing to boo. Canelo lands a right cross followed by a three punch combination. Canelo vs. Chavez Round by Round Results: Canelo Outclasses Chavez In Route lands a short right cross. Canelo snaps out another jab. Chavez is just not throwing combinations. Canelo lands a right hook followed by a two punch combination. Chavez did not take any risks whatsoever in this fight. By the end it resembled a sparring session more than a boxing match.

10-9 Canelo; 120-108 Canelo.

The official scores were 120-108 on all three scorecards.

Posted on 05/06/2017

Canelo-Chavez Jr: Bad Blood
By: Sean Crose

If one thing has emerged in the months leading up to this weekend’s Canelo Alvarez-Julio Caesar Chavez Jr fight in Vegas it’s the irrefutable fact that both men seem to have a big problem with one another. In one of those strange turns of events that life throws peoples way, Junior has gone from being boxing’s spoiled brat to boxing’s gritty underdog…and not without reason. Canelo, on the other hand, has gone in the past year or two from boxing’s bright light to boxing’s latest diva – and least that’s the case in the eyes of many fans. Throw in the fact that both fighters are Mexican stars and the recipe is there for a grudge match.

HBOs Max Kellerman-hosted Face Off was indeed fascinating recently when Canelo and Junior sat across from one another. Junior wasn’t afraid to try to get inside Canelo’s head. And perhaps he succeeded. Making it clear he thought Canelo was downright afraid of middleweight terror Gennady Golovkin, Junior indicated Canelo chose him as his next opponent because, well, Canelo thought Junior was easy pickings. The look on Canelo’s face made it obvious to all that he didn’t like what he was hearing. Not a bit.

Canelo, though, did himself no favors, giving the impression – at least to this writer – that he felt being the “A Side” was something worth discussing in the lead up to a major fight. Junior put Canelo on the spot, true, but there were better ways Canelo could have handled it. Perhaps responding to Junior as if he were some glorified tuneup might have successfully put the ball in Canelo’s court. Canelo didn’t do that, though. Instead, he let Junior play the very legitimate role of underdog to the hilt, while making himself appear to be less the solid sportsman in the process. Point, Junior.

All of this, of course, means the one thing that really matters – the fight itself – might actually be quite exciting. Canelo has a ton to prove here – especially in the face of accusations of cherry picking. And Junior? Junior has everything to gain from a massive, and it will certainly be massive, upset victory over Canelo this weekend. Throw what seems to be the legitimate bad blood between the two combatants into the blender and the concoction might well be something thrilling. The only question now is: Will bad blood make for a great fight? After last week’s Joshua-Klitschko thriller, this major bout has a lot to live up to.

Posted on 05/05/2017

David Lemieux has found himself in line for a big money fight
By: Matthew N. Becher

David Lemieux is keeping himself active after his knockout of the year performance against Curtis Stevens earlier this year. The former IBF Middleweight champion of the world will be on this weekends, Canelo v. Chavez Jr. Pay per view undercard. Lemieux will be taking on Marcos Reyes, in a fight that could have many big fight implications attached.

Lemieux is ready to not only take on the winner of the main event between Canelo and Chavez, but possibly landing a title shot against Billy Joe Saunders is on the table and even a possible rematch with the king of the Middleweight Division, Gennady Golovkin.

As told to esnewsreporting.com, Lemieux spoke about possibly getting a shot at fighting Canelo this fall,

“When the time comes for me to fight Canelo, my arms are wide open. I’m not going to say no to nobody. I can see myself beating these guys, and they’re going to fear me, and not me fear them.”

If a Canelo fight doesn’t happen, Lemieux and his team could look to move up the WBO rankings and take on BJ Saunders, for his piece of the Middleweight crown. A victory over Saunders would put him directly in line, once again, in a unification match against GGG.

“I know the adjustments to be made to beat a guy like that. He’s a human being. He’s a good fighter, but he’s a human being. Everybody has weaknesses. Everybody has strengths. I know my strengths going into a fight against a guy like Triple G. I’m never underestimating or downgrading him. He’s a great fighter. He’ll never be an easy fight, but he’s beatable. I think the fans would love that in the near future. It’ll prove to me that I can beat the best. I can do great things. I was ready to beat him. It’s about adjustments that have to be made. Now I know which adjustments that have to be made against a guy like that,” said Lemieux.

Lemieux first has to get through Reyes this weekend, but at only 28 years old, with a good performance on such a largely watched stage, this could be the second coming of the former IBF champion. Stay tuned for some heavy hands from Lemieux come fight night.

Posted on 05/05/2017

HBO PPV Boxing Preview: Canelo vs. Chavez, Lemieux vs. Reyes, Matthysse vs. Taylor
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night HBO will televised another Canelo Alvarez Pay Per View as he takes on fellow Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

This bout will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada during Cinco De Mayo weekend. Hopefully, the winner of this bout, expected by many to be Canelo, will be next in line to take on the current middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin.

Photo Credit: Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

At least two bouts will be shown on the undercard, including Golden Boy mainstays David Lemieux and Lucas Matthysse. Super prospect Joseph Diaz will also likely be on the televised portion of the card.

The following is a preview of the three main fights.

Lucas Matthysse (37-4) vs. Emmanuel Taylor (20-4); Welterweights

The hard hitting Lucas Matthysse has long been a fan favorite, but has not competed since being knocked out by Viktor Postol in 2015.

Matthysse will be giving up one inch in height to Taylor but will have a significant four inch reach advantage. Age may be a factor for Matthysse as he is thirty four years old and eight years older than his opponent.

Inactivity will also be a factor for Matthysse; he fought zero times in 2016 and twice in 2015. Taylor fought twice in 2016 and once in 2015.

Matthysse was an amateur champion in Argentina but did not have a lot of success on the international circuit as an amateur. Taylor is a three time National PAL Champion and a five time junior golden gloves champion.

Matthysse has the more impressive list of defeated opponents. He has beaten the likes of Ruslan Provodnikov, Roberto Ortiz, John Molina Jr., Lamont Peterson, Mike Dallas Jr., AJose Olusegun, Humberto Soto, DeMarcus Corley, and Vivian Harris. He has closes losses to Zab Judah and Devon Alexander, and had more convincing losses to Danny Garcia and Viktor Postol.

Taylor has defeated the likes of Karim Mayfield, Victor Manuel Cayo, and Raymond Serrano. His losses were to Antonio Orozco, Adrien Broner, Chris Algieri, and Prenice Brewer.

Taylor has gone 3-3 in his last six fights and has difficulty beating opponents on the highest level. Matthysse has been inactive the past two years, but has faced and defeated opponents with a much better pedigree than Taylor.

Matthysse should win this bout and should possibly give Taylor his first knockout loss.

David Lemieux (37-3) vs. Marcos Reyes (35-4); Middleweights

Many consider Lemieux to be the third best middleweight behind Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez.

Unfortunately for fight fans, Lemieux has the easiest opponent on paper for the night.

Lemieux is one year younger than his opponent and will be giving up about four inches in height. Lemieux has thirty three stoppage victories on his record while Reyes only has twenty six. Both boxers have been stopped during their careers, as Lemieux has two stoppage defeats while Reyes has one.

Reyes has no notable amateur background and Lemieux is a three time Canadian National Amateur Champion.

Lemieux has defeated the likes of Curtis Stevens, Glen Tapia, Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam, Gabriel Rosado, Fernando Guerrero, Jose Miguel Torres, Hector Camacho Jr., and Elvin Ayala. He has losses to Marco Antonio Rubio, Joachim Alcine, and Gennady Golovkin.

Reyes only good win was to Rogelio Medina. His losses were to Elvin Ayala, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Abraham Han and Amilcar Edgardo Funes Melian.

Some fights are close calls and hard to pick. This isn’t one of them.

Lemieux will win.

Canelo Alvarez (48-1-1) vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50-2-1); Super Middleweights

This is one of the biggest bouts to be made between two Mexican boxers. One is considered by many to be the heir apparent to the throne of Floyd Mayweather Jr. when he retires. The other is the son of a legend and very successful in his own right.

Canelo was a former Junior Mexican National Boxing Champion and turned pro at the age of fifteen. Chavez only had two amateur fights and no notable amateur accomplishments.

Chavez is thirty one and is starting to near the end of his physical prime. Canelo is only twenty six and has a lot of years left in boxing during his physical prime. Chavez will have a noticeable size advantage. He will be four inches taller than his opponent and will have about a two and a half inch reach advantage.

Both boxers have some power in their hands, but Canelo appears to have the advantage. Canelo has thirty four stoppages on his resume and has stopped three of his past four opponents. Chavez has thirty two stoppages on his record, but only one of his last five opponents failed to go the distance with him.

Canelo has a very impressive list of defeated boxers and has averaged two fights a year since 2012. He has defeated the likes of Liam Smith, Amir Khan, Miguel Cotto, James Kirkland, Erislandy Lara, Alfredo Angulo, Austin Trout, Josesito Lopez, Shane Mosley, and Kermit Cintron. His lone loss was to Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Chavez has defeated the likes of Marcos Reyes, Brian Vera, Andy Lee, Marco Antonio Rubio, Peter Manfredo Jr., Sebastian Zbik, and John Duddy. He has lost to Andrzej Fonfara and Sergio Martinez.

Chavez has claimed that he is rededicated to the sport and training hard for this fight. However, his inability to stay focused for fights during training has been long documented and it’s hard to suddenly say I’m going to be in shape for this fight when you haven’t taken your training seriously in the past.

Canelo is too good and too technical for someone like Chavez to suddenly commit to the sport of boxing wholeheartedly to defeat. Chavez will have his moments, but Canelo will emerge victorious.