Tag Archives: chocolatito

Posted on 08/27/2016

Fights You Should Get Hyped About: Gonzalez-Cuadras (Sept. 10th)
By: Sean Crose

Okay it’s no surprise that a lot of boxing fans are disappointed with the general state of the sport at the moment. With all due respect to the more patient among the fan and analyst base, there’s much for fans to be displeased with. Still, those pesky patient types are one hundred percent right to claim there’s still much to like about the sweet science – even here in good ‘ol 2016. Sure enough, there’s some fighters out there well worth watching. What’s more, these pugs are – wait for it – willing to challenge themselves. Let’s begin, then, with a new series here at Boxing Insider called “Fights You Should Get Hyped About.”

First and foremost, a bout that’s not getting a ton of attention, but that should be high on everyone’s list is the upcoming battle between the 35-0 -1Carlos Cuadras and the 45-0 pound for pound kingpin Gabriel Gonzalez. The fight, which will be for the WBC super flyweight championship, will be held September 10th at the Forum in Inglewood, California. It will also air live on HBO the same day Gennady Golovkin engages in a major bout against Kell Brook across the pond in England. While the Golovkin-Brook bout, which HBO will run that evening along with the Cuadras-Gonzalez card, is getting some well-deserved attention, the super flyweight title scrap deserves to generate a lot of heat, as well.

Why? Because Cuadras and Gonzalez are good. Really good. Most fight fans are familiar with Gonzalez, but Cuadras is a fighter who comes to do battle. He’s the standing champion with 27 knockouts on his resume and a healthy amount of confidence walking into the fight of his life. Needless to say, this is not some dude off the street who has been brought in to make Gonzalez look good. He’s a serious opponent who may not surprise a whole lot of people if he pulls off the upset in Inglewood.

Still, this is Gonzalez that Cuadras is facing, Chocolatito himself, perhaps the most highly regarded Nicaraguan fighter since the great Alexis Arguello. Cudras may fire shots like pistons – and that he most certainly does – but Gonzalez has immense speed to match his immense power with. He’s a hard man to pick against, to be sure. Mexico’s Cuadras, however, has never tasted defeat himself. And, as much as he respects Gonzalez, Cuadras will be bringing his own impressive skill set into the ring on the 10th.

A fight truly worth looking forward to.

Posted on 07/26/2016

Boxing Insider Notebook: Smith, Canelo, Chocolatito, Cornflake, Guerrero, Frampton, and more…
By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of July 19th to July 26th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Photo Credit: Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

Canelo vs. Smith Press Conference Quotes

Canelo Alvarez and Liam Smith recently held a press conference in London to promote their upcoming bout in Dallas, Texas. Below are a few select quotes from the press conference.

Canelo Alvarez, Former Two-Division World Champion

•I want to thank everyone for the great welcome, I am happy to be back here in England.
•Liam is a great fighter, who is hungry to win. We know what’s in front of us, and we know he is dangerous. We will train like never before to give everyone a great fight, and give the fans what they want to see.

Liam “Beefy” Smith, WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion

•I want to thank Frank Warren, Box Nation, and Golden Boy Promotions. I have been wanting a big fight with one of the biggest names and I jumped at the chance to fight Canelo. This is a chance to make a big name for myself in America because the biggest name in boxing with the biggest draw is Canelo.
•A lot of people will be surprised that size will not be a factor in this fight.

Oscar De La Hoya, CEO & Chairman of Golden Boy Promotions

•It’s a pleasure to be here once again, I love coming to the UK, and can see that this country takes boxing serious. The UK is turning out some serious boxers and more current world champions than Mexico.
•This fight is for pride and honor – both fighters are fighting for their countries and putting the fight together with the best promoters to be an A-class event.
•We are extremely proud to be televising on HBO, our partners in the U.S. I also want to thank Frank and Box Nation for making Canelo vs. Smith the event of the year.
•Canelo is the biggest star in the sport today, he is a huge PPV attraction and a fighter who sells out arenas filled with 40,000 people. He is fighting a world champion who is dangerous.
•Liam is not going all the way to the U.S. to fold. He is an undefeated world champ, and knows how important this fight is.
•We will have various activities staged for Mexican independence weekend in the U.S. It will be big, taking place the whole weekend and will have millions of fans tuning in to witness a historical event with Team Canelo and Team Smith.
•The event will occur at AT&T Stadium, a state-of-the-art arena, home the iconic NFL team the Dallas Cowboys owned by Jerry Jones. This stadium holds about 100,000 people, and we expect a ton of Liam Smith fans. There will many of Canelo fans coming out in Texas, and we expect a sell-out.
•This will be a fun weekend, and we are serious that the real winners will be the fans. These are two fighters with tremendous records and great pride putting it all on the line to fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Title.

Frank Warren, Chairman of BoxNation

•Liam Smith will be making his third defense against the biggest name of boxing. We appreciate the big Texas welcome from Jerry Jones, as Cowboys Stadium hosts their third ever boxing match.
•When we were first offered this fight, we jumped at this opportunity. Liam can fight, he is one the best young fighters that has come out of Liverpool. Our guys have gone in on paper and had no chance, and came out defeating Hopkins.
•Then you have Ricky Hatton, and no one gave him a chance. He went in there and finished up his business. Liam has more chance than most–he can fight.
•Liam fights like a Mexican, and what he brings to the table will create fireworks. He will shock everyone in Dallas. The fans can be prepared for a really big shock.
•I would like thank everyone at Golden Boy Promotions for coming over and helping making this fight happen so we can show our man, Liam Smith and what he can do. Buy the tickets, because you won’t want to miss out on this fight in person!

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez’s Next Fight Announced

Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito Gonzalez”, (L) (45-0-0, 38 KOs) will move up one weight class and challenge undefeated WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras, (R)(35-0-1, 27 KO’s) on Saturday, September 10 from the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles.

Following their epic 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate this past April 15 at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles, Yoshihiro Kamegai, (26-3-2, 23KO’s) and Jesus “Renuente” Soto-Karass, (28-10-4, 18KO’s), will battle once again on Saturday September 10 from the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles. The ten round super welterweight clash will serve as the chief support to the main event. Both fights will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Eleider Alvarez to Face Robert Berridge on PBC on Spike from Quebec, Chad Dawson Withdraws

Unbeaten contender Eleider Alvarez (19-0) will face Robert Berridge (27-4-1) in a ten round bout on Friday, July 29th on Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Spike from the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Canada.

Berridge replaces Chad Dawson, who had to withdraw due to a shoulder injury.
This card is headlined by light heavyweight world champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson battling brawling contender Thomas “Top Dog” Williams Jr. in a world title clash.

Moises Flores Receives IBO Belt, Eyes Rigondeaux Showdown

Moises “Chucky” Flores (25-0) received his IBO Super Bantamweight World Title from Henry Rivalta of Pro Box Management. Flores scored an impressive unanimous decision over Paulus Ambunda (24-2) in his hometown of Windhoek, Namibia (Africa) to earn the world title strap.
Flores, who is also the WBA Interim Champion, is now the mandatory challenger to face WBA Super Champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (17-0). Both camps are in negotiations to have the fight happen in the next few months. If the fight comes to fuition, both the WBA and IBO World Title Belts will be on the line. After receiving his IBO World Title Belt, and a big fight looming with Rigondeaux, Flores speaks on his current situation.

“Winning the IBO World Championship is a testament to my hard work and the great team around me,” said Mexico’s Moises “Chucky” Flores. “Together we worked really hard to get this world title. I’m now the mandatory to challenge Guillermo Rigondeaux, a fight I’m looking forward to. He’s very skilled but I fell I have all the tools to defeat him. My management team is working hard to get this fight finalized. It’s time to see who the best super bantamweight is. I’m going to bring that world title home to Mexico.”

Vyacheslav “Lion Heart-Chigonsky” Shabranskyy vs. Oscar Riojas Added as New Main Event for LA Fight Club

The lion will roar loudly on August 19 at the historic Belasco Theater in downtown Los Angeles when Vyacheslav “Lion Heart-Chigonsky” Shabranskyy (16-0, 13 KOs) makes his return to the ring to take on Laredo, Texas fighter Oscar “El Monstruo” Riojas (10-5-1, 3 KOs) for an eight-round light heavyweight bout as the new main event for LA FIGHT CLUB, airing live nationally on Estrella TV’s Boxeo Estelar and live streamed by the Ring TV.

“Vyacheslav Shabranskyy’s alias is ‘Lion Heart-Chigonsky’ for good reason – he is a fearless warrior whose inner strength matches his physical strength and skill,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Slava, as we call him, is a future star of the sport headed toward a world championship, and I’ve been pleased with his continued ascent as he rises to the challenge every time he steps in that ring. I’m proud to call him a Golden Boy fighter.”

Also just added to the Aug. 19 card, San Diego, Calif.’s Genaro “El Conde” Gamez (2-0, 2 KOs) will make the third appearance of his professional career in a four-round lightweight bout against local fighter Tyshawn Sherman (0-2) of Adelanto, Calif. while stable mate Oscar Duarte (6-0-1, 3 KOs) of Parral, Mexico will engage in an six-round lightweight fight against Omar Garcia (5-3, 1 KO) of Monterrey, Mexico. Additionally, Golden Boy Promotions fighter David Mijares (2-0, 1 KO) of Santa Monica, Calif. who will take on Jorrell Sparenberg (0-1) from Houston, Texas in a four-round super lightweight bout.

Anthony “Juice” Young Defeats Flores, LaManna Victorious in Atlantic City

Welterweight Anthony “Juice” Young won a six round unanimous decision over veteran Eduardo Flores in the featured bout of a nine bout card at the Claridge in Atlantic City. Rising Promotions promoted the card and it was the fourth consecutive sold out event in the last eight months that Rising Promotions had staged.

Anthony Young systematically took apart Flores and won on the score cards with scores of 60-54, 59-55, and 59-55.

Tomas “Cornflake” LaManna took apart his opponent, Engleberto Valenzuela, in a super welterweight bout with a first round knockout at 2:17. A body shot by LaManna sent his opponent to the mat. LaManna is rumored to face a big name opponent next.

PBC and Bellator to Host Back to Back Events Featuring Benson Henderson and Robert Guerrero

Spike Sports presents two world-class events on back-to-back nights on August 26 and 27 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA.

After a three-fight stint in the welterweight division, former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Benson returns to the division where he reigned supreme to take on Patricio “Pitbull” (25-3) in the main event of “Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull” on Friday, August 26 at 10:00pm ET/PT LIVE on SPIKE.

A.J. McKee and Joey Davis have been best friends as long as they can remember, and on August 26 they will get to live out their childhood dreams when they compete at the same Bellator event in their native Southern California. McKee, the son of former MMA fighter Antonio McKee, has been on an absolute tear since beginning his career with Bellator MMA, never allowing a fight to reach the second round (3 KO, 1 SUB). Davis, on the other hand, compiled a college wrestling career for the history books, having amassed four National Championships and an unblemished 131-0 record, making him one of the hottest prospects the sport has ever seen.

Former multi-divisional world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero looks to deliver another exciting battle to the Southern California fight fans as he takes on Argentine slugger David Emanuel “El Pirata” Peralta in 10-rounds of welterweight action on Saturday, August 27 at 9:00pm ET/PT LIVE ON SPIKE. Guerrero owns victories over Andre Berto, Selcuk Aydin and defeated Yoshihiro Kamegai in a 2014 Fight of the Year candidate.

Also, hard-hitting all-action brawler Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo faces battle-tested veteran Freddy Hernandez in a 10-round middleweight matchup of Mexican power punchers looking to put on a show and make a mark in the middleweight division. Highly regarded U.S. Olympian and two-time U.S. National Amateur Champion Terrell Gausha puts his undefeated record on the line in possibly the toughest test of his pro career against the Bronx’s Steve Martinez in 10-rounds of super welterweight action

Team Shumenov petitions WBA to Declare Purse Bid for Mandatory Title Fight vs. Lebedev or Strip Lebedev of his World Cruiserweight Title Belt

It has been more than a month since World Boxing Association (WBA) world cruiserweight champion Beibut Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs), based on the much publicized WBA Cruiserweight Tournament rules and regulations, petitioned the WBA to either declare a purse bid for a title fight between WBA Super cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev, or strip Lebedev of his title belt for being non-compliant.

Last July, Shumenov defeated B.J. Flores by way of a 12-round unanimous decision to become the WBA mandatory challenger for Lebedev, who hasn’t fought a mandatory defense since April 10, 2015.
The WBA issued a resolution this past April that Lebedev, who defeated Victor Emelio Ramirez in May to also become International Boxing Federation cruiserweight champion, must fight Shumenov within 120 days of the latter’s May 21, 2016 knockout victory over Junior Wright.

On record for making changes to insure only one world champion in each division, incredibly, the WBA presently has 38 different world title belt holders in only 17 different weight classes. Only three WBA divisions have one world champion – super lightweight, lightweight and light flyweight – and eight have three world titlists, including its cruiserweight division, which presently has world champions in Lebedev, Shumenov and Interim champion Yunier Dorticos, who is the WBA second mandatory challenger.
In an apparent public relations move, the WBA has suddenly declared this month a rash of mandatory defenses, however, declaring and actually making these title fights are two different things, as Shumenov has unfortunately learned. The WBA should have ordered a Lebedev vs. Shumenov purse bid on June 21, 2016, when the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement, but the WBA failed to do so.

When Shumenov repeated his request for a purse bid in June, the WBA failed once again to act.

MSC Nutrition Signs Carl Frampton

High performance sports nutrition company, MSC Nutrition has signed World boxing champion, Carl Frampton as its latest brand ambassador this month.
The 29 year old from Northern Ireland will be joining a catalogue of ambassadors represented by the global nutrition brand, including world-renowned rugby star, Sam Warburton.

Carl is widely regarded as one of the most exciting boxers to watch in the ring. His entertaining style has garnered an intensely loyal following amongst boxing fans, and his status as a mainstream star continues to strengthen outside of the sport. After recently unifying the Super-Bantamweight division Carl is stepping up to the Featherweight division where he will fight for the world title against Leo Santa Cruz in a much-anticipated fight in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on July 30.

Carl said, “As an athlete it’s crucial that I choose the right supplement provider to ensure that I am performing at my best possible levels and reaching all the goals that I’m setting for myself. This is particularly important to me as I move into the featherweight division to compete and take another step up in my career.

“It’s vital that I work with a brand that I can trust and will provide me with top quality, tested supplements to keep me at peak performance and MSC Nutrition meets all my needs perfectly. I appreciate the support that MSC has given me so far- they go above and beyond with personal touches and all of my supplements are tailored to my exact needs. I am looking forward to representing the brand and working closely with its team and athletes.”

Posted on 05/03/2016

Introducing Inoue: Can He Melt “Chocolatito”?
By: Brandon Bernica

As soon as perennial talent Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez finished unlacing his gloves after a dominant performance over McJoe Arroyo a few weeks ago, the boxing universe began to chatter. See, Gonzalez has hit the point in his accomplished career where his promoters are scraping the bottom of the bucket of potential foes at 112 pounds. Consensus is that, other than a rematch with Juan Francisco Estrada – who Gonzalez already edged out in a classic little-man’s scrap, no one in the division seems to pose any semblance of a threat to the Nicaraguan champ.

Paired with middleweight monster Gennady “GGG” Golovkin on April 23rd for the 3rd time, the dynamic was crystal clear. Golovkin billed as the heavy-handed ticket magnet that galvanized Southern California’s Mexican fanbase, whereas “Chocolatito” showcased as the slightly lesser-known flyweight maestro, conducting an orchestra of scathing hooks to the solar plex and overhand rights that thudded like strikes to a bass drum. Golovkin appears headed towards assuming the top space in boxing’s pound-for-pound hierarchy. In doing so, he will have to replace the man firmly ensconced in that position by most of the boxing press – his cohort, Roman Gonzalez. And in the prime of his career at 45-0 and with Hall-of-Fame credentials, who could argue that?

Every race has its dark horse. As frontrunners fade and contenders jockey to escape mediocrity, one horse usually thrusts forward to lead the pack. With our eyes trained on the one runner exercising his dominance over the field, an underdog missiles his way out of obscurity until he grabs our attention. Once our peripherals finally recognize this challenger’s determination, the real race begins.

Across the Pacific Ocean, an anomaly is slowly building a dangerous reputation in the sport. Naoya Inoue – hailing from Yokohama, Japan – is not your average fighter. For starters, he reigns as a two-time super flyweight world champion already, winning his first title in his 6th pro fight. Even more bizarre is that he still has less than 10 fights total and barely broke the age of 23 a couple weeks ago. In an era when promoters are looking to season their fighters with 15-20 comically soft tuneups before even considering decent opposition, this feat is remarkable.

If you’re old-school and prefer your cup of analysis with heavy doses of the eye test, Inoue is tough to knock in any perceivable category. Even small highlight reel sample sizes reveal gifts many veterans in the sport spend their lives seeking with no fruition. For an orthodox fighter, Inoue uncorks his lead left hook with a quick, rebuking snap. If that punch doesn’t punish his oft-poorly distanced foes, a slicing right hand – never thrown off balance – cleans up his combinations. Perhaps the most noticeable aspect of Inoue’s quick yet explosive career is his propensity to down fighters with body shots. Today’s culture of quick-fix consumption in the form of Vine clips and Instagram videos has diluted the sport’s craft, with boxers head-hunting for their shot to be seen on Sportscenter’s nightly top plays. Body snatching is a lost art, so the fact that the Japanese prodigy often pulverizes his foes’ guts with blows to the midsection is as impressive as it is unnoticed. What better way for an under-the-radar talent to finish fights than with punches that are also rarely appreciated by fans? To top it off, his defensive reflexes and footwork stay steps ahead of the men attempting to punch him, keeping him scotch clean and favorable in the judges’ eyes.

With all that being said, it begs the question: how could boxing’s best kept secret remain so anonymous for so long?

For one, Japanese fighters have long been reluctant to cross stateside into our collective consciences. And who could blame them? Boxing is celebrated in a Japanese culture where bravery is amongst its most notable precepts. Japanese fans shower adulation on their homebred fighters. One would surmise that financial incentives are strong for these fighters to remain on the island. 130-pound titan Takashi Uchiyama – considered the best in that division by many – has never ventured outside his home country to fight. Uchiyama’s rival Takashi Miura also held 32 of his 34 matches in Japan. One of the two foreign-turf opportunities he seized was the chance to appear on the massive Canelo vs Cotto undercard last year against Francisco Vargas, which proved to be a classic war between two rugged fighters. Japan’s boxing independence even attracts fighters from other countries to live and train inside its borders, including current lightweight champion Jorge Linares, who lives in Tokyo.

Another theory behind Inoue’s lack of public prominence deals with boxing’s long-standing, passive discrimination of the “little guy”. One common myth is that smaller fighters lack the one-punch pop to make for entertaining fights. Yet Gonzalez’s fights against Estrada and Brian Viloria validate that weight shouldn’t be a determining factor for fan enjoyment. Still, pundits such as BJ Flores will fail to acknowledge anything that transpires in the sport below 122 pounds (10 pounds above Gonzalez and 7 above Inoue). In fact, it took HBO up until last year to finally “gamble” and slate Gonzalez onto a GGG undercard. Mind you, Gonzalez is the best to offer south of 122 pounds; if he could barely find significant TV time, how does that bode for lesser warriors around that weight? And how likely does that make a network to fund a foreign fighter who, on paper, lacks the paid dues that landed “Chocolatito” air time?

Inoue’s slim amount of pro experience also might discourage fans from looking beyond the surface into what the Japanese star is all about. Guillermo Rigondeaux won his first title in his 9th fight, and Vasyl Lomachenko challenged for his first in only his 2nd official battle of his pro career. Granted, both those guys were amateur stars, yet their rapid ascensions didn’t scare away networks from getting them big time fights. Both men are of foreign descent as well and don’t speak much English. By default, you would believe that everyone would be clamoring to bring Inoue to America to be groomed into a marketable television fighter, yet that hasn’t been the case.

What’s clear is that there remain a number of factors obstructing Inoue’s inevitable birth into superstardom in the US. What isn’t clear is whether Gonzalez would be able to handle a slick, youthful talent in Inoue a few years down the line.

Yeah, yeah, Gonzalez would be favored against the Japanese slugger now. But let’s say Inoue continues down the path of success he’s towing closely right now. Perhaps he gets to hang a few more belts from his living room mantle and learns more inside of the ring in doing so, all while hitting his stride at 25 or 26. By that time, Gonzalez will only be in his early 30’s, meaning each man will presumably still command top-notch skills. Hopefully, boxing will realize the value in lower division fights, allowing this to be an event hardcore fans would anticipate with fervor.

Within the ropes, both fighters carry strong claims that they possess the qualities necessary to outlast the other guy. Gonzalez punches in bunches, is a master at gauging timing and distance, and punctuates combinations with torso turning power. Yet – out of anyone Gonzalez could face in the interim – Inoue is much more defensively sensible. Plus, his power, punch variety and intelligent offensive restraint pose monstrous quandaries that Nicaragua’s own will have to overcome. Remember also that Inoue is naturally the bigger man (3 pounds heavier), so taking and giving shots will be much easier on his end than for Gonzalez.

Two conclusions can be drawn from all of this. One is that Inoue is a diamond blaring from the rough, reflecting off the sun and daring us to notice its greatness. Two is that Gonzalez is a cut above, and to uplift respect for the smaller combatants of the sport to new heights, he might just need a true rival to test him, one who also has never glimpsed defeat in the eye. A match made in heaven just may require some divine intervention to fulfill these expectations. But like the dark horse, expectations are meant to be shattered. That’s when the fun really starts.

Posted on 04/27/2016

Roman Gonzalez – Hot Chocolatito
By: Sean Crose

“Who is Chocolatito?”

This question, which was asked to me by the head of my department at the small college where I teach and tutor, took me by surprise. Why? Because my supervisor is no big fight fan. Indeed, she’s not even a casual fight fan. She doesn’t like boxing at all, truth be told. Yet she thought to ask me who this Chocolatito guy was.

That, fight fans, is what’s known as good news. At least it’s good news if you’re Roman Gonzalez, the 45-0 flyweight sensation whose nickname is, of course, Chocolatito. For boxers don’t cross over into the mainstream much these days. And that’s particularly true of smaller fighters, who even many legitimate fight fans ignore. For a contemporary academic to be curious about a smallish pugilist is very telling indeed. In short, it tells us that people are talking about Roman Gonzalez, so much so that the larger world outside of that occupied by fight nuts is starting to hear the man’s name.

And while it’s true Gonzalez will most likely never reach the popularity of a Mayweather or a Pacquiao, he may most certainly become a legitimate star regardless. How? Through generating interest and excitement. Needless to say, the man has been doing a wonderful job bringing the heat so far. Sure, he wasn’t able to knock out his foe last weekend, but McWilliams Arroyo was nothing if not a talented, determined and courageous foe.

Like Mike Tyson, Gonzalez will be forgiven for not knocking out everyone in his path. So long as he continues to excite, to thrill and to dominate, his popularity will likely continue to grow into the future. Why? Because Gonzalez never, ever sleeps on the job. He’s also becoming a bit synonymous with excitement when it comes to boxing’s core fan base. That has a lot to do with Gennady Golovkin.

And it has even more to do with Home Box Office.

For someone came up with the brilliant idea (that’s not sarcasm, by the way) to pair up Gonzalez’ matches with the ferocious and feared GGG’s. And as the Kazakh’s popularity has grown, so has Gonzalez’. Granted, neither is at the level of say, a Canelo Alvarez, but both men are doing an excellent job getting their names out there. While the bigger GGG is getting more of the spotlight, Gonzalez is earning the notice of fans who may have otherwise ignored a flyweight fighter, no matter how good that flyweight’s record might have been.

That’s saying something.

There truly is no such thing as an overnight sensation when it comes to boxing. James Douglas, arguably the biggest “overnight sensation” in history, had been kicking around the heavyweight division for what seemed like ages before he finally stunned the world by knocking out Mike Tyson. In other words, it generally takes time for careers to develop. Even though Gonzalez is now on the fast track, it will take a bit for him to reach his full potential as far as viewership numbers and paychecks are concerned.

Word is Gonzalez may soon headline his own card on HBO, however. If that’s not a big development, it’s frankly hard to say what is.

Posted on 04/23/2016

HBO World Championship Boxing Results: Golovkin Wipes Out Wade, Chocolatito Defeats Arroyo
By: William Holmes

The Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, California was the host site for tonight’s broadcast of HBO’s World Championship Boxing.

Two titles were on the line tonight as Gennady “GGG” Golovkin defended his middleweight titles against the young American Dominic Wade. Top pound for pound boxer Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez defended his flyweight title against former Olympian McWilliams Arroyo.

Tonight was the third time that Roman Gonzalez and Gennady Golovkin fought on the same card.

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (44-0) opened up as a huge favorite over McWiliams Arroyo (16-2), but took his time in the opening round and both boxers spent the round feeling each other out while keeping a high guard.

Arroyo came out strong in the second round by landing multiple lead left hooks. Arroyo and Gonzalez exchanged several hard body shots, and at times Arroyo had Gonzalez moving backward. Gonzalez, hwoeve, slowed the momentum of Arroyo with a heavy body shot and closed the round strong.

Gonzalez’s dominance began to show in the third round as his body shots and uppercuts were landing with regularity and he was able to walk through some of the best punches of Arroyo. One left hook in particular rocked the jaw of Arroyo and Arroyo continued to take punishment to the body and head as the round came to an end.

The sole of Arroyo’s shoe came off in the fourth round, but Gonzalez showed no mercy and kept up the blistering pace. Arroyo fought back when he could, and was able to fire off some semi effective counters in the fifth and sixth rounds, but Gonzalez was still landing nearly double the punches of Arroyo.

Arroyo could do little but fight while moving backwards in the seventh round and his chin was tested often. A big left hook from Gonzalez hurt Arroyo in the opening minute of the eighth round and Gonzalez’s barrage of power shots continued into the ninth round.

By the tenth round the only chance of Arroyo pulling off the victory would have been by come from behind knockout, but Gonzalez never stepped off the gas pedal and battered Arroyo from corner to corner.
Arroyo showed incredible heart and gave Gonzalez a tougher fight than expected, but he was still outclassed and could not keep up with the pace of Gonzalez.

The judges scored the bout 119-109, 119-109, and 120-108 for Gonzalez.

The main event of the evening was between Gennady Golovkin (34-0) and Dominic Wade (18-0) in the middleweight division.

Wade was the taller fighter inside the ring, but Golovkin started the bout off strong and was landing hard shots to the body and head of Wade. Golovkin scored a knockdown in the first round with a right behind the ear of Wade. Wade was able to get up and survive the round, but Golovkin had landed three times the number of punches that Wade landed in the opening salvo.

Golovkin started off the second round aggressively and was looking for the kill. Golovkin appeared to let Wade land a five punch combination in the middle of the ring as if to say you can’t hurt me, and then followed it up with a right hand to the temple that sent Wade to the mat. Wade got up before the count of ten, but looked wobbly. Golovkin immediately jumped on Wade and took some shots in the process, but landed another right hook that sent Wade crashing to the mat by the corner.

Wade was unable to get back to his feet and remained on his knees at the count of ten.

Golovkin won by knockout, for the twenty second time in a row, at 2:37 of the second round.

Posted on 04/21/2016

HBO World Championship Boxing Preview: Golovkin vs. Wade, Chocolatito vs. Arroyo
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night two of boxing’s best pound for pound fighters in the world, Gennady Golovkin and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, will defend their titles at the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood California. These bouts will be televised live on HBO.

Both Golovkin and Wade are considered the heir apparent to the throne that Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao have abdicated since their retirement, and both are deserving of that title.

Big money matchups await both if they are successful on Saturday night. The following is a preview of both of these fights.

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (44-0) vs. McWilliams Arroyo (16-2); WBC Flyweight Title

HBO has recently shown more attention to the lighter weight classes in boxing, and nobody has benefited more from that exposure than Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.

Gonzalez has some of the best movement in boxing today and has the ability to attack from all angles and finish a fighter when the opportunity presents itself. He has stopped thirty eight of his opponents with a knockout ratio of 86%. That nmber is even more impressive when you consider he’s been a world champion since 2008.

His opponent, McWilliams Arroyo, is a Puerto Rican boxer that has stopped fourteen of his opponents. However, Arroyo has not been as active as Gonzalez and has not faced the level of opposition that Gonzalez has faced. Arroyo is thirty years old and two years older than Gonzalez. He’ll have a slight one inch height advantage.

Gonzalez has been very active as a champion and fought three times in 2015 and four times in 2014. Contrastingly, Arroyo has only fought once in 2015, twice in 2014, and once in 2013.

Both boxers have had successful amateur careers. Gonzalez had a record of 88-0 as an amateur and won the flyweight gold medal in the 2004 Central American Championships. Arroyo won the gold medal in the 2009 World Amateur Boxing Championships as a flyweight.

Gonzalez has defeated the likes of Brian Viloria, Edgar Sosa Medina, Akira Yaegashi, Rocky Fuentes, Omar Soto, and most impressively, Juan Francisco Estrada. Arroyo’s losses have come against Amnat Ruenroeng for the IBF Flyweight title and Takashi Okada. His notable victories include Victor Ruiz, Foilan Saludar, and Miguel Tamayo.

Even though Arroyo had an impressive amateur background, he will be overmatched in the ring when he faces Gonzalez. Arroyo does have the power to pull off an upset victory, but it appears highly unlikely to happen.

Gennady Golovkin (34-0) vs. Dominic Wade (18-0); WBA/IBF/Interim WBC Middleweight Title

The main event of the evening will be between Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and Dominic Wade in a middleweight title fight.
Golovkin has been begging for a big money fight ever since HBO started televising his bouts, and it appears Canelo Alvarez could be next for him if he is successful on Saturday.

Golovkin is currently riding an amazing twenty one fight stoppage streak. His last non stoppage victory was way back in 2008. Golovkin possesses power that no current middleweight can match. He has stopped thirty one of his opponents, and has kept an active schedule.

Golovkin has fought three times in 2015 and 2014. His opponent, Dominic Wade, fought four times in 2014 but only one time in 2015.

Golovkin had a very successful amateur career and was a 2004 Silver Medalist in the Olympics and a 2003 Gold Medalist in the Amateur World Championships. Wade does not have the amateur success on the international stage that Golovkin posseses.

However, Wade does have some advantages in the ring. He is eight years younger than the thirty four year old Golovkin and will possess a four and a half inch reach advantage.

Wade, however, has never faced an opponent that is on Golovkin’s level. His biggest wins to date were over Nick Brinson, Sam Soliman, and Marcus Upshaw. His last fight was against Sam Soliman, and it was only a split decision victory.

Golovkin on the other hand has soundly beaten every opponent that dared step in the ring with him, including several top rated opponents. He has defeated the likes of David Lexmieux, Willie Monroe Jr. Martin Murray, Marco Antonio Rubio, Daniel Geale, Curtis Stevens, Matthew Macklin, Gabriel Rosado, and Kassim Ouma.

This is one of the rare instances in which an Al Haymon fighter will participate in an HBO televised event. However, this is a case where Wade is a heavy underdog with little chance of victory. Golovkin is getting older and will be past his physical prime soon, so observers will be paying attention to see if he’s showing signs of slowing down, but his impressive knockout streak will likely continue on Saturday.