Tag Archives: golden boy

Posted on 10/15/2021

“I don’t think I get the respect, but it is what it is. These boxing people are never going to be happy. You know, I’m the type of fighter that’s always going to express myself. I want to fight the best the top guys win or lose. And people don’t see that. They just see a loss and it’s over, but, they don’t see who I fought. They just think I’m a bum, but it is what it is. I’m here to fight the best, win, lose, or draw. ” – Joet Gonzalez

Joet Gonzalez aims to put the best of his abilities together as he challenges Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO featherweight title. A showdown with the potential to be all action will further excite an already talent-filled weight class.

His last outing resulted in an exciting victory over Miguel Marriaga by unanimous decision in 2020. A win he is proud of following the loss against Shakur Stevenson in 2019. But of the two, it was the loss that taught the greater lessons.

The loss against Stevenson, especially how it was promoted [taught me the most]. I got a lot of backlash and it is what it is. People, can think what they want or say what they want about me. I know who I am as a person. A lot of people, if they were in my shoes, would take the loss and quit. And especially with that promotion that I had, that backstory, [other] fighters would lose their minds. But I’ve shown the public that I’m here to fight the best and I’m strong-minded. I took on Marriaga and I came on with the victory there. Now again, I’m going to a backyard, you know, territory, three straight fights in a row, and I’m taking on another world champion. I’m just showing the people who I am. 

Ahead of Friday night’s clash at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, Gonzalez spoke to BoxingInsider.com. Speaking candidly, Gonzalez discussed the challenge at hand, what the loss against Stevenson taught him, and unappreciative fight fans.

Navarrete vs Gonzalez takes place Friday, Oct 15 at the Pechanga Arena San Diego. The bout will be broadcast on ESPN+ at 5:30 PDT

Posted on 09/13/2020

By: Hans Themistode

Canelo Alvarez has never met a judge that he hasn’t seen eye to eye with. With questionable scorecards in bouts against Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara, back to back Gennadiy Golovkin fights and even Floyd Mayweather, Alvarez can seemingly do no wrong in the eyes of the judges. 

Yet this past Friday afternoon, one judge in particular, didn’t score a victory in his favor. 

Just a few days after filing a lawsuit against DAZN and his own promoter in Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy, Alvarez’s suit was dismissed by the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California. 

With multiple parties named in the suit of Alvarez, it is now up to the pound for pound star and his legal team, The Maloney Firm, to provide more information on the accused. 

“Because the Complaint alleges the citizenship of the LLC defendants as if they were corporations, rather than as limited liability companies, the Complaint has not properly alleged the citizenship of those parties,” said district judge Percy Anderson. “Absent unusual circumstances, a party seeking to invoke diversity jurisdiction should be able to allege affirmatively the actual citizenship of the relevant parties. As a result, Plaintiffs’ allegations are not sufficient to invoke this Court’s diversity jurisdiction.”

Issues between Alvarez and both DAZN along with Golden Boy, stem from one long standing matter. Although Alvarez signed a contract in 2018 worth $365 million dollars with the streaming company, a record setting amount at the time, he has yet to actually see his contract. The aforementioned contract is between DAZN and Golden Boy and when Alvarez is set to enter the ring, Golden Boy issues him his payment. 

This setup has long bothered Alvarez, and despite multiple attempts at viewing his own contract, he has been denied. 

The attorney of the Mexican native however, was able to gain a copy of his agreement and found something eye catching.

DAZN has been heavily against most of the opponents Alvarez has chosen to face. Matchups against WBO super middleweight titlist Billy Joe Saunders and WBA belt holder Callum Smith were turned down by the streaming company. The reasoning behind their refusal to back those contests is because they would rather Alvarez face a “premier” opponent. The company eyed matchups with UFC stars Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jorge Masvidal as well as the promoter of Alvarez in Oscar De La Hoya as individuals who fit that criteria. 

In addition to opponent selection, DAZN has decided to massively reduce the roughly $35 million per fight he is owed as well. A condition that Alvarez was willing to acquiesce to. His lawyers however, believe that Alvarez doesn’t have to follow any of those terms as none of it is found in his contract.

“Alvarez’ opponents would be mutually selected by [Alvarez] and [Golden Boy Promotions], subject to [Alvarez’s] final approval, not to be unreasonably withheld,” according to language in his contract.

While Alvarez may seem to have all of the firepower that he needs to move forward, a judge has ruled that both he and his legal team still have more work to do before they can ultimately move forward and have until September 28th to do so. 

“Accordingly, the Court dismisses Plaintiffs’ Complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction,” judge Anderson stated in the dismissal. “A district court may, and should, grant leave to amend when it appears that subject matter jurisdiction may exist, even though the complaint inadequately alleges jurisdiction. See 28 U.S.C. § 1653; Trentacosta v. Frontier Pacific Aircraft Industries, Inc., 813 F.2d 1553, 1555 (9th Cir. 1987). Therefore, the Court grants Plaintiffs leave to amend the Complaint to establish federal subject matter jurisdiction.”

Posted on 09/09/2020

By: Sean Crose

And so now things have gotten ugly. Canelo Alvarez has gone ahead and sued his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, and the streaming outlet that’s contracted to run his fights, DAZN. Those of us who follow the sport of boxing closely knew there were issues in the air, but a lawsuit has a way of tacking an exclamation point onto matters. Things are bad, no matter how one looks at it. For Canelo is arguably the biggest attraction in boxing. The truth is that most of us weighing in on the situation don’t know all the details to make informed decisions about what’s going on. There are, however, things to be gleaned from what we know and read.

For starters, it looks as if DAZN may take its approach to boxing from the Mayweather-McGregor model rather than a model which argues the best fight the best. This isn’t to say the service sees boxing as entertainment more than sport…though this isn’t to say that isn’t the case, either. The service essentially slapped Canelo and boxing fans in the face last fall when it delayed the start of Canelo’s fight with Sergey Kovalev until a UFC pay per view card ended. When I asked DAZN about this, I essentially got a solidly unrepentant response.

Then there’s the reports that DAZN wants Canelo to fight UFC stars or a dangerously over the hill Oscar De La Hoya. These aren’t high level boxing matches. These are pop culture events. And Canelo has made it clear he’s not interested in being a pop culture figure. He’s not a publicity hound, plus – whether people want to believe it or not – the man regularly challenges himself in the ring. Names like Kovalev, Erislandy Lara, Gennady Golovkin, Miguel Cotto and, of course, Floyd Mayweather abound in his resume. In other words, Canelo’s legacy is important to him. Fights with UFC stars and boxers close to fifty year of age do nothing for a legacy.

Yet that may well be what DAZN wants. Which, of course, leads us to boxing’s fans, those who pay monthly or yearly fees for DAZN in order to watch quality matches. There might be clear evidence out there that DAZN doesn’t care much about those who pay to mainly watch boxing. Those who long to see fights featuring UFC, YouTube and Instagram stars look like they may be more enticing to DAZN brass. And that may be perfectly understandable in a business sense…but it’s not good news for boxing fans. Nor, if it’s true, is it good news for Canelo.

Posted on 09/09/2020

By: Hans Themistode

Canelo Alvarez has watched from the sidelines as most of his contemporaries have either entered the ring, or have big fights lined up for the near future. The four division world champion however, has been forced to wait. 

The current pound for pound star drew headlines and massive praise for securing a $350 million deal with streaming company DAZN in 2018. The relationship between both parties seemed to be going as well as it could be. Alvarez had a rather easy time in the first contest of his deal, knocking out the unheralded Rocky Fielding in the third round in late 2018. From there, Alvarez fought two more times, defeating former middleweight titlist Daniel Jacobs via unanimous decision before ultimately moving up two weight classes to dethrone WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev in the 11th round. 

Despite their good start, Alvarez has now grown acrimonious towards the streaming company and his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy, and is seeking $280 million in damages. 

“This lawsuit arises from the breach of the single largest contract in the history of boxing, and one of the largest in all of sport,” stated the complaint. After extended discussions between the parties, DAZN offered to pay Alvarez and Golden Boy Promotions a fraction of the contracted $40 million license fee in cash and some DAZN stock in advance of a potential IPO. However, the entire value of the package — for a bout against another World Champion — was substantially less than Alvarez’ contractual guarantee.”

DAZN’s refusal to pay Alvarez what was promised to him may have led to this suit, but his promoter in Oscar De La Hoya also shoulders a heavy load in the blame as well. 

“Given that DAZN had made it clear that it would not honor its contract, throughout the spring and summer of 2020, Alvarez repeatedly asked Golden Boy Promotions to explore alternative broadcast options for a fall 2020 bout. Although Golden Boy Promotions reported that it was talking to various broadcasters, it failed to put forth a single alternative plan by which it would pay Alvarez the $35 million it had promised him for each of his fights.”

For now, Alvarez will seemingly sit on the sidelines for an even longer period of time. The Mexican native has routinely made two appearances in the ring per year with both centered around Cinco De Mayo in May and Mexico’s Independence Day in September. Regardless of his yearly tradition, Alvarez watched as both Mexican holidays came and went. 

Although fans of Alvarez will now be forced to twiddle their thumbs as he sits in boxing purgatory, the Mexican star has assured his supporters that he will return soon.

“I’m the pound for pound number one in the world,” said Alvarez in a statement. “I’m not scared of any opponent in the ring, and I’m not going to let failures of my broadcaster or promoters keep me out of the ring,” he said in a statement on Tuesday. “I filed the lawsuit so I can get back to boxing and give my fans the show they deserve.”

Golden Boy fully understands where Alvarez is coming from in terms of filing his suit against DAZN. However, they can’t seem to process why they have been dragged into this legal mess as well. As far they are concerned, they’ve held up to their side of the bargain.

“They’re the ones refusing to honor the contract by not approving the outstanding opponents we have presented to them and by refusing to pay the contractually required amount,” said Golden Boy spokesmen Stefan Friedman.. “Even though our contract specifically gives Golden Boy the right to wait until the pandemic is over and fans can return; in the best interest of boxing, Golden Boy is doing everything it can to make great fights happen. We remain ready, willing and able to make a fight for Canelo as soon as possible.”

Posted on 02/14/2020

“There will be blood,” the LA Times quotes 19-0 Ryan Garcia as saying in the leadup to Friday’s fight against the 25-2-2 Francisco Fonseca. Garcia is clearly a fighter on the rise, one Golden Boy Promotions hopes to showcase for maximum benefit. Just 21 years old, the youthful looking Garcia takes extremely well to media attention and is gunning to be one of the next big names in boxing. His match against Fonseca will be aired live on the DAZN streaming service and will go down at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. A huge Instagram star with 5 million followers, Garcia is a fighter who can potentially bring a lot of eyeballs to the sport.

Before being coronated as the next big thing, however, the Los Angeles native will have to get past the 25 year old Fonseca, of Managua, Nicaragua.  Although he doesn’t have Garcia’s high knockout ratio, Fonseca has only lost to two of the more notable names in the business – Gervonta Davis, and Tevin Farmer, respectively. Stopping Garcia dead in his tracks on the road to stardom would definitely do wonders for Fonseca’s own career, something the close to thirty fight veteran is clearly aware of.

The Garcia-Fonseca match will be for Garcia’s WBC silver world lightweight title.

Former world lightweight titlist Jorge Linares will also be featured on the card. The 46-5 Venezuelan will be facing the 19-4-4 Carlos Morales. At 34 years of age, Linares – who once dropped Vasyl Lomachneko in a match Lomachenko eventually won – clearly wants to show that he’s still a top player in the game. Should he win, a fight with Garcia might be in Linares’ future. Morales, on the other hand, is looking at the chance of a lifetime. Should he beat the well regarded Linares, the 30 year old known as “The Solution” might find himself on a career upswing after fighting Mercito Gesta to a draw last November.

Rising welterweight Alexis Rocha will appear on Friday’s card, as well. The 15-0 Irvine, California native will be facing 28-2 veteran Brad Solomon. At 36 years of age, Solomon has a  chance to turn some heads if he beats the 22 year old climber Rocha. The fact that Solomon’s last fight saw him losing to Vergil Ortiz by knockout would make an upset win on Friday even more impressive. With that in mind, it’s Rocha who is currently being guided through the ranks in the hopes of the southpaw eventually reaching the pinnacle of the game.

Rocha-Solomon is scheduled for 10 rounds. Garcia-Fonseca, and Linares-Morales are scheduled for 12. 

Posted on 07/07/2017

Canelo-GGG Sell Out T-Mobile Arena
By: Sean Crose

In what should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, the much anticipated fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin has sold out the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Still, the fact that the host location sold out in what was essentially a matter of days is impressive. As Lance Pugmire of the LA Times states: “The sellout comes even before promoters have announced their co-main event and undercard, with lightweight champion Jorge Linares a possible participant.” Such details are telling. One could only imagine the size of the live crowd had the fight taken place at AT@T Stadium near Dallas, as many had hoped it would.

No matter. The September 16th twelve round middleweight bout between the 37-0 Kazakh and the 49-1-1 Mexican superstar is set to go down in the “Mecca of Boxing” and nothing can change that now. Vegas is where the money is, and Canelo-GGG has already proven itself to be a big money affair, with ticket prices ranging into the thousands and many willing to pay into the better half of one hundred dollars to watch the festivities live on pay per view. “The boxing public fully understands that this is the biggest fight in many years,” gushed Oscar De La Hoya, who clearly had reason to be happy.

What makes today’s news positive for die hard fight fans is it shows the September 16th event is not going to be overwhelmed entirely by the Mayweather-McGregor circus a few weeks earlier – though that might well be something Mayweather himself wishes would happen. While the circus may indeed take a lot of air out of the room, it’s not going to take all of it. In fact, right now it’s looking like there’s two major happenings on the horizon: The Most Interesting Fight In Boxing and the Pop Culture Event Of The Summer.

The Pop Culture extravaganza will come first, absorbing tons of mainstream media, fan boy and general societal attention before the Interesting Fight arrives. This may mean the Interesting Fight won’t get the attention and energy it might have had two possible narcissists not decided to perform a surreal duet in the public spotlight. Yet things are looking good for Canelo-GGG, regardless. Those who prefer good boxing to oversize personalities – and the numbers of such people are legion – are clearly looking forward to a top level event after the headache of August 26th subsides.

Posted on 06/22/2017

Golovkin v Canelo: An Early Look
By: Ben Sutherland

With the controversial Ward v Kovalev rematch slowly fading from memory and the beginning of their press tour, thoughts now turn to September’s much anticipated mega fight between Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Early odds have Golovkin as a slight favorite at -160 while Canelo currently sits at +140.

The clash of these two men, who are both known for their punching power, certainly has the potential to be explosive.

The two men are seasoned veterans, having accrued large fan bases, high profile and fearsome reputations over their long careers. Golovkin had a very extensive amateur career where he won a world championship in 2003 and an Olympic silver medal in 2004, both at middleweight. Since turning professional, GGG has accumulated 37 wins with an incredible 33 of those wins coming by way of knockout. This amateur pedigree combined with his destructive power and until recently, his relative ambiguit, has meant he has been very much avoided for a large portion of his career with his toughest fights coming in the form of Canadian David Lemiuex and Brooklynite Danny Jacobs..

On the other hand, Canelo turned pro at the age of 15 and after a few formative years fighting on the domestic scene in Mexico, he began to gain notoriety. He made is pay per view debut in 2010 on an HBO card headlined by Floyd Mayweather v Shane Moseley. Since then, a string of high profile fights have made him a household name and a superstar in his native Mexico. His resume is incredibly impressive featuring wins over Miguel Cotto, Alfredo Angulo and James Kirkland with his only loss coming via a majority decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr, the best pound for pound fighter of his generation. Even his recent fights for which he has been criticized have been against three current of former world champions, all of whom me made look very average. Amir Khan has some of fastest hands in boxing, Liam Smith was an undefeated world champion and Chavez Jr was a former WBC middleweight world champion.

Part of the reason so many have begun calling Golovkin’s name in recent months is because he has slowly begun to look more and more human. Cynics will point to the tightening of drug protocols as a possible reason for this. Golovkin won his fight against Brook, ultimately in convincing fashion, however at points he was outboxed by the lighter Brook and at least once, looked like he was hurt. The Brook fight raised questions about what would happen if he was confronted by an elite fighter who was a natural middleweight. Daniel Jacobs was that fighter and ended his knockout streak that had lasted since 2009. In what was an incredibly close fight, Golovkin looked spent in the late rounds as Jacobs came back at him hard after an early knockdown.

It is against this backdrop that Golovkin takes on what is by far the toughest test of his career. The two men are both big punchers and Golovkin, courtesy of his trainer Abel Sanchez, fights like a Mexican too. The prospect of these two men standing and trading in the middle of the ring is a thrilling one and is a big reason why this fight transcends into the casual market. Both men’s chins remain relatively untested however, there is no doubt they can take a punch and the possibility of the fight going to the judges is very real.

Canelo cedes about an inch in height to Golovkin but has a longer reach, measuring in at 179cm compared to Golovkin’s 178cm. As a result, there isn’t much to differentiate between the two there. Canelo boasts 34 KO’s on his record but definitely doesn’t pack the same power at Golovkin does. However, Golovkin is now 35 years old and for many, is quickly moving past his prime. In contrast, Canelo is 26 and coming into his peak years. Age brings with it stamina issues and decreasing power which seem to be sleeping into Golovkin. As a result the longer the fight goes, the better the chance Canelo has.

Canelo has traditionally struggled with the quicker and more technical, fighters such as Lara, Mayweather and briefly Khan. Canelo faces an entirely different prospect here. Golovkin, is yet to fight a genuinely elite fighter: Brook was good but far too light and Lemieux and Jacobs were very much B class world champions.

Canelo is pretty experienced at the highest level but has never fought a man of comparable size and power, whilst Golovkin is more untested in a broader sense. This raises the questions which makes this fight so intriguing. For me, Canelo’s stamina, experience and recent track record make him a slight favorite. However, it truly is a pick em fight and there really is nothing between these two men.

Posted on 03/24/2017

Golden Boy on ESPN Results: Quigley and Caballero Emerge Victorious
By: William Holmes

Boxing made its return to ESPN last night as Golden Boy Promotions put on a card from the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

Many boxing aficionados’ are hoping the deal between Golden Boy and ESPN turns out to be successful for both parties as boxing has greatly missed the legendary Friday Night Fights series on ESPN.

The opening bout of the night was between Randy Caballero (24-0) and Jesus Ruiz (36-8-5) in the junior featherweight division.

Despite Caballero’s undefeated record and the eight losses of Ruiz this fight was much closer than expected. Caballero was clearly the better technical boxer, but Ruiz was willing to get in tight and rough up Caballero on the inside. Ruiz had success to the body, but Caballero was landing the cleaner combinations.

Caballero suffered a cut over his right eye in the ninth round from an accidental head butt but it didn’t cause him any serious problems for the remainder of the fight.

The quick and crisp combinations of Caballero were too much for Ruiz to overcome; though no knockdowns were scored in the fight.

Caballero won the decision with scores of 97-93, 96-94, and 96-94.

The main event of the night was between Glen Tapia (23-4) and the undefeated Jason Quigley (13-0) in the middleweight division.

Tapia is known for giving his fans action packed bouts and this one was no different. However, Tapia started off slow and it cost him this bout.

Quigley looked like he may end the fight early and his right hand was finding its target on Tapia’s chin in the opening round and had him wobbled as the round came to an end.

Quigley’s assault continued into the second and third round and he was very effective to the body. But Tapia was able to stay on his feet and fight back and slowly wear down Quigley.

Quigley was taking some hard shots of his own from Tapia and his face was showing the effects of Tapia’s punches. By the eighth round Quigley looked exhausted and Tapia had blood on his face, but Quigley was still out boxing Tapia who at times appeared to be flat footed.

Tapia needed a knockout in the final two rounds to win and he made an honest effort to get it, but it was too little too late as Quigley won the decision.

The final scores were 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92 for Quigley.

Posted on 01/24/2017

Boxing Insider Notebook: Gamboa, Golden Boy, Peterson, Linares, Lara, Foreman, and more…
Compiled By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of January 17th to January 24th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Yuriorkis Gamboa Joins Golden Boy Promotions

Former Olympic Gold Medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa has signed with Golden Boy Promotions to a multi fight deal. He was previously signed with 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions.

Gamboa is currently thirty five years old and has been very inactive since he left Top Rank Promotions. He is scheduled to fight Rene Alvarado on the undercard of the March 11th bout between David Lemieux and Curtis Stevens.

This card will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark.

WBA Champion David Avanesyan to Battle Lamont Peterson in Welterweight Title Defense

WBA Welterweight Champion David Avanesyan (22-1-1, 11 KOs) will defend his title against former two-time world champion Lamont Peterson (34-3-1, 17 KOs) in a 12-round matchup that serves as the co-main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Saturday, February 18 from the Cintas Center at Xavier University in Cincinnati.

Televised coverage on SHOWTIME begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with unbeaten light heavyweight contender “Sir” Marcus Browne (18-0, 13 KOs) meeting hard-hitting former title challenger Thomas “Top Dog” Williams Jr. (20-2, 14 KOs) in a 10-round showdown. The event is headlined by former four-division world champion Adrien Broner taking on hard-hitting contender Adrian Granados.

“It is a great pleasure for me to be defending my world title in the U.S. against a very good opponent in Lamont Peterson,” said Avanesyan. “I am the champion and come February 18 I will remain champion. This fight gives me a great opportunity to let the U.S. know what I’m about and put me in a position to fight the top fighters in the division. This will be a difficult defense but I am ready to show everyone how good I am.”

“I’m extremely excited about getting back in the ring and fighting on SHOWTIME again,” said Peterson. “I’ve been working hard in the gym and I’m ready to give my fans the kind of show they deserve. I know this guy is coming in with a lot of confidence from that belt, but I believe I’m the better fighter and I’ll prove it on February 18.”

“I’m ready to go to work and fight,” said Browne. “It doesn’t matter if I am the underdog; so be it. Let me be the underdog. I just want to beat this guy up. This is who I wanted to fight. I am fired up about this one and I can’t wait until February 18.”

“On February 18, I’m not leaving anything up to the judges,” said Williams Jr. “I think Marcus has gotten some gifts in the past, so I’m not leaving this up to anyone but myself. I wanted to stay in the mix. I don’t need a tune-up. I’ve been fighting since I was five-years-old. I just need to get in there and fight. I think this is going to be a really good battle.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by About Billions Promotions and Mayweather Promotions in association with TGB Promotions and K1 Boxing, are priced at $250, $100, $75, $50 and $30, not including applicable fees, and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Linares vs. Crolla to Televise on Showtime

Showtime has televised a large number of fights in recent years, and they just announced that they will be televising a lightweight title rematch between Anthoyn Crolla and Jorge Linares on March 25th.
This is a rematch from their September 24th bout that Linares won by a close decision in a fan friendly fight. This bout will be televised in the United States on Showtime and live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.

Lara vs. Foreman Generates Impressive Ratings on Spike TV
Erislandy Lara, the WBA/IBO 154-pound champion, scored two knockouts in his match against Yuri Foreman in Miami on Premier Championship Boxing on Spike TV last Friday night. One in the ring to retain his world titles and another in the ratings. An average of 547,000 viewers, with a peak audience of 707,000, tuned in to watch Lara land a devastating uppercut that knocked out former world champion Foreman in the fourth round.

Spike TV’s viewership ratings for Lara vs. Foreman scored 11% higher than their last Friday night telecast, which showcased Danny Jacobs vs Sergio Mora. Look for Erislandy Lara to return to the ring sometime before summer.

“I want to thank Spike TV and everyone involved with the promotion for giving me the opportunity to fight in Miami, in front of all my fans.” said Erislandy Lara. “The last time I fought in Miami I got the knockout and that’s exactly what I wanted to do in this fight. I accomplished that goal and the fans got to see someone go down. Everyone loves the knockout. I’m happy to have delivered a positive rating for Spike TV. I can’t wait to return to the ring.”

Gerry Cooney to Appear in Spring Lake, NJ on March 12th

The Irish Centre, along with Peter Grandich Company and Trinity Financial, Sports & Entertainment Management Company, will proudly welcome former world heavyweight title challenger Gerry Cooney to the town of Spring Lake, N.J. on Sunday, March 12. Appearing as part of an Irish Celebration, Cooney will be present from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Irish Centre, which is located at 1120 Third Avenue in Spring Lake.

“Gerry Cooney is a dear friend of mine who wholeheartedly lives up to his nickname, Gentleman Gerry,” said Peter Grandich, owner of Peter Grandich Company and Trinity Financial, Sports & Entertainment Management Company. “For good reason, Gerry became a beloved figure when he was a professional boxer, and the affection that still surrounds him today becomes even greater when an individual is blessed enough to meet him in person. We welcome everybody to come experience my sentiments for themselves when he visits us on March 12 in the Heart of the Irish Riviera in Spring Lake, New Jersey.”

The first 100 visitors on March 12 will receive a free autographed photo of Gerry Cooney. Additionally, all are welcome to bring items to get autographed that afternoon, as well as take photos with him.

Before turning professional, Cooney was a decorated amateur fighter who won tournaments in England, Wales and Scotland, in addition to being a two-time New York Golden Gloves champion. He then won his first 25 bouts as a professional prizefighter, with none more impressive than his 54-second destruction of former world champion Ken Norton at Madison Square Garden in 1981. The crushing victory earned Cooney a date the following year with WBC Heavyweight Champion Larry Holmes, where he gave a valiant 13-round performance against the unbeaten Holmes. After the fight, Cooney continued to box until his 1990 professional finale against George Foreman.

Despite his imposing 6-foot-6 posture, Cooney still remains one of the most beloved figures associated with the sport of boxing, regularly appearing at major fights in the region with Randy Gordon, former New York State Athletic Commissioner and his co-host on SiriusXM’s At The Fights.

Located at 219 Morris Avenue in Spring Lake, Peter Grandich Company and Trinity Financial, Sports & Entertainment Management Company provides business, retirement and estate planning services to individuals, business owners and professional athletes. Through a strategic alliance with York-Jersey Underwriters, the company offers professional advice and risk management services to business and personal insurance clients.

Burgin vs. Sparrow on March 10th in All Philly Rumble

The Burgin-Sparrow fight tops a nine-bout card at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia. First fight is 7.30 pm. Tickets are priced at $40, $50 and $75 and they are on sale at the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922) and at www.peltzboxing.com or www.2300Arena.com. The card is being promoted by Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., BAM Boxing and Joe Hand Promotions. It will be streamed live by www.glf.com and televised on delay by Comcast Sports Net.

Posted on 09/20/2016

Boxing Insider Notebook: Top Rank, Golden Boy, Conlan, Vasquez Jr., Farmer, Eubank, and more…
By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of September 13th to September 20th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Top Rank Promotions Signs Michael Conlan

Irish amateur star Michael Conlan, best known for his upset loss at the Rio Olympics that many felt he won, has signed with Bob Arum and Top Rank Promotions.

Most boxing fans will remember Conlan for giving the middle fingers to the judges and other Olympic officials after his upset loss to Russia’s Vladimir Nikitin. Top Rank will likely capitalize on the ability of Irish fighters to draw fans in droves to boxing venues.

PPV Rights Secured for Vasquez Jr. vs Lopez

Integrated Sports Media, North America’s undisputed leader of pay-per-view distribution of major boxing events, has secured the rights to for the much anticipated showdown between former world champions Wilfredo”Papito” Vazquez, Jr. and Juan Manuel “JuanMa” Lopez, headlining “Guerra En El Clemente,” Saturday night, October 8, live from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Guerra En El Clemente: Vasquez Jr. Lopez, presented by Black Tiger Media, will be distributed by Integrated Sports Media live, starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, in the United States and Puerto Rico on both cable and satellite pay per view on iN Demand, DISH, DIRECTV and Vubiquity. The event will also be available to watch across Canada on Fight Network, as well as via Fite TV app for iOS and Androide devises or watch on the www.Fite.TV website. Suggested retail price is $29.95.

“We’re excited to bring North American boxing fans a true grudge match between former world champions Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr. and Juan Manuel Lopez,” Integrated Sports Media president Doug Jacobs said. “It’s also a crossroads fight with the winner most likely back as a legitimate world title contender and the loser possibly facing retirement. They really don’t like each other and sparks will be flying from the opening bell. Additional pay-per-view fights will be announced soon and with the passion of Puerto Rican fighters, we anticipate a can’t-miss show for real boxing fans.”

“I am thrilled and happy to be able to present this highly anticipated event to boxing fans in Puerto Rico and the United States,” said Carlos Maldonado, President of Black Tiger Promotions. “The response from all cable and satellite providers has been phenomenal. This fight promises to be an all-out war in the ring, non-stop action from the opening bell until the end, which could happen at any moment. No hype; these guys really don’t like each other. ”

The 12-round Vasquez, Jr. vs. Lopez main event is presented in association with Matias Entertainment and sponsored by Best Alarms and Municipio de San Juan.

Tevin Farmer Ready for All Comers

Hot junior lightweight Tevin Farmer is ready for the biggest fights between the featherweight and lightweight divisions.

Farmer of Philadelphia has won 15 fights in a row and is now ranked number-five by the WBC at 130-pounds.
In his last bout, Farmer put on a masterful performance in a virtual shutout over highly regarded Ivan Redkach on July 30 in Brooklyn, New York.

“First I want to thank Ivan Redkach for taking the fight. I really do. Because he gave me an opportunity to showcase my skills. No one else was biting. Ivan is a warrior. The fight itself was just me being me. Showing I’m one of the best fighters in the world. I took the fight at 135 because I literally can’t get a fight in my weight class. I don’t want to come off as thirsty but no one wants this work. So I had to take on a bigger and taller guy but I’m used to that. Skills are what wins fights so I was good with it.”
One fighter that Farmer is thinking about is contender Gervontae Davis. Davis has been rumored to be facing Farmer’s stablemate Jason Sosa for the WBA title.

“I would love that fight but honestly he would be a step backwards for me at this point. He’s in a good position with Floyd Mayweather and he should appreciate it. They are quietly slowing him down because they know he’s not ready. We have had our share of back and forth on social media but the ball is in his court. Sometimes the fans get fooled. A fight between us is simple to make all he has to do is tell Floyd he wants it. Floyd is the most powerful man in the sport. He could get the fight done easy. Davis came to Philly and asked to spar me. That showed me all I needed to know about Gervontae Davis. Why would we spar for free when we can get paid to fight? He doesn’t want to fight me and it’s time to move on.”

Farmer is coming home to on October 14 to fight Orlando Rizo at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Farmer is not looking past Rizo, but the 26 year-old native of Philadelphia is looking for the fighters between 126 and 135 pounds.

“Ivan Redkach is being handled by Leo Santa Cruz’s people. I’m glad they took the fight but they don’t seem to think much of me. So how about this…. They should let Leo use me as a tune up and comeback fight. He keeps saying he wants to fight Gary Russell. Well use me as a tune up to get ready for Russell. I will take the fight at 126, look how easy I am to negotiate with. Now let’s see if they bite on that. If not Leo my goal is win a world title at 130. So anyone ranked at 130 I’m willing to fight, it doesn’t matter who it is. But I am willing to go up or down for the right opportunities.”

Farmer is promoted by DiBella Entertainment.

Chris Eubank Jr. Vacates British Middleweight Title

Chris Eubank Jr. suffered a severe injury sparring against a 14 stone opponent two days ago. The injury was assessed and confirmed by a Doctor on Friday 16th September, who works with the British Boxing Board of Control. The unforeseeable future puts us in a position where we have to allow the remaining contenders the ability to earn a living and, more importantly, prevent the promoter incurring any further costs before a press conference takes place as they had reminded the Eubank Management team that this was the highest purse bid they had secured.

Eubank Jnr’s management team have advised that, in their opinion, there has not been a fighter in the history of British Boxing who has had such a vast chasm of fighting prowess between him and the contenders for the British Championship in ability, speed, strength, accuracy and skill since its inauguration by the Marquess of Queensbury in the 1800’s.

So vast, in fact, that when winning the challenge for British Championship, Chris Eubank Snr had to advise him to leave his opponent’s head alone as he was taking far too much punishment and the referee didn’t see what was clear to the former world champion.

Chris Eubank Jnr was advised to go to the body because of his father’s past participation in the great game. If you can disrupt your opponent’s breathing, you can effectively stop him quicker than to the head. There is strategic and tactical knowledge in the advice as well as compassion because the body can recover where the head does not always recover.

The opponent was subsequently put into an induced coma as a result of the punishment he was made to sustain.

It is now with relief, as it has become clear to Chris Eubank Jnr’s management over these past few months how much danger the health and lives of these contenders are in, therefore the relinquishing of the British Championship due to injury sustained in a sparring session is perhaps a blessing in disguise.
The severe injury to Chris Jnr’s elbow follows an ongoing injury which has been a recurring issue for the last 18 months. This allows Chris Eubank Jnr, and his management, the opportunity to relinquish the title which provides all contenders the right to earn a living and fight amongst their equal calibre of competitors.

As much as we love the tradition of the British Championship we will be forward thinking and be protective of our competition as the risk to them is real. This is seen as a positive move forward in Chris Eubank Jnr’s career.

The former world champion, Chris Eubank Snr has hospitalised men and has himself been hospitalised, and is therefore cognisant of what those outside of the ring are not.

Chris Eubank Jnr’s management team will use the injury as an opportunity to step aside and fight high calibre world competition in the coming future. Details of a press conference will follow.

Jesus Rojas and Marvin Cabrera Signs with Golden Boy Promotions

Two of the most exciting fighters to emerge from Puerto Rico and Mexico, featherweight standout Jesus Rojas, of Caguas, Puerto Rico and former amateur boxing star Marvin Cabrera of Mexico City, will join Golden Boy Promotions, the Los Angeles-based promoter announced today.

Jesus Rojas (23-1-2, 16 KOs), is scheduled to fight this Saturday, September 17 for the vacant WBA Fedecaribe Featherweight title against the tough Jesus “Chuito” Valdez (16-1-1, 6 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round fight at the Coliseo Hector Sola Bezarez in Caguas, Puerto Rico. The 23-year-old Cabrera, who is scheduled to make his professional debut on the October 7 edition of LA FIGHT CLUB, will compete in the super lightweight division and is trained and managed by former two-division world champion Daniel Ponce De Leon.

“Jesus Rojas and Marvin Cabrera are a pair of young men we’ve been watching, and now that they are in a place to transition, we are honored to be able to work with them and help bring them to the top of the sport,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Rojas and Cabrera have all the tools to become a world champions, and in addition, they both have a rare star quality that will excite all Puerto Rican and Mexican fans in the United States and around the world.”

“I am excited to be representing Golden Boy Promotions and I am going to give it my all to get that world title,” said Jesus Rojas. “I promised my father I wouldn’t quit and although he is no longer with us, it is a promise that I will keep. I know that there will be challenges ahead, but at this point in my career, I can only think of the excitement and great things to come. I want to take care of my family and not only that, do what I’ve dreamed of doing since I was a ten year old boy fighting in the streets of my Puerto Rican neighborhood.”

“I’ve worked with Jesus Rojas since 2014, when I saw him demolish his opponent, Juan Jose Beltran via knockout,” said Javier Bustillo, Manager of Jesus Rojas. I had heard rumors of the great talent that was before me, and from the moment I started working together, I knew we struck gold. I haven’t worked with a fighter that demonstrates the amount of talent like Rojas does. Signing with Golden Boy Promotions is a dream, not just because the opportunities that will be open because of this partnership but because Rojas is going to be exposed to a whole new fan base and a whole new world of boxers who he can ravage through. He is like a gladiator in the ring, tough, a prowler, powerful, and unafraid to step up into the plate. With 23 wins, and more than half of those being knock outs – I couldn’t think of a better fighter at 126 pounds that deserves a chance to show the world what Caguas, Puerto Rico has to offer.”

“In Mexico, Golden Boy is a big company and everyone aspires to have an opportunity like this,” said Marvin Cabrera. “My dream is to become a world champion, and I think that with Golden Boy by my side, I will be able to achieve my goal. I want to thank all my fans in Mexico for all their support throughout my amateur career and I hope to keep making them proud as a professional boxer.”

Andre Ward Hosts Meet and Greet

This Friday September 16, 2016 Shoe Palace was proud to host Undefeated World Champion, SP and Jordan Brand Ambassador Andre Ward for a meet and greet at The Parks at Arlington Shoe Palace Store in Arlington, TX. Andre was autographing his top selling Jordan Brand collection which was featured throughout the store.

Robert Guerrero Hosts First Annual Amateur Fight Night
This Saturday, September 17, 2016, the first annual Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero Fight Night amateur boxing event will take place at the Galt Hight School Warrior Gym in Galt, Calif. Thirty separate bouts with fighters from California and Nevada will compete. A “Be The Match” bone marrow drive will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

“This will be a great event for amateur fighters of all ages,” said Robert Guerrero. “I remember when I was a kid competing in events like this, all I could think about was winning a trophy of some kind. So I’m happy to announce that first and second place participants will receive an award. In addition, I’m going to do my part to help save lives by registering people into the bone marrow registry. BeTheMatch.org will be there to support the cause.”

Tickets priced at $20 will be available at the door. All proceeds will go to help fund the Guerrero’s Boxing Gym program. Weigh-ins are from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. First fight starts 1:00 p.m

Posted on 05/08/2016

Canelo Surges On, But What’s Next For Amir Khan?
By: Oz Ozkaya

Miraculous From The Mexican

Coming into this hugely awaited Vegas showdown, Mexican man Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez held a very impressive record of 46-1-1 over Amir Khan’s 31-3-0. The odds were heavily staked against Khan for this fight with a lot of bookmakers offering a win price for Khan at 4-1 and an 18-1 outside price of beating Canelo by a knockout. Having said this, the likes of Lennox Lewis, Carl Froch and Bernard Hopkins all offered Khan some support prior to this fight, with all three former world champions stating that if he could stay out of Canelo’s range and box him for 12 rounds then he would almost certainly be the front runner to win on a points decision.

Just before the bell, as the referee gave his final instructions, Khan seemed to appear quite nervous, jumping and shaking as he gazed across at his opponent. Canelo however, refusing to give hardly any eye contact to his counterpart, looked completely stoic as they waited for the go ahead.

Photo Credit: Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

Both fighters were straight out of the traps and Khan struck first with a combined couple of quick left and rights, still Canelo didn’t look to have taken any damage.

Continuing his impressive start Khan kept the razor sharp combos coming, but Canelo still looked unfazed by his efforts. At this point you are thinking that Khan’s Jab looks strong, and that he may be more up for this than previously predicted.

The rounds ticked by after an uptight start, Khan returned to his corner each time to his trainer Virgil Hunter who would offer him praise and words of wisdom in an attempt to keep Englishman focused. The abundance of Mexicans in the arena didn’t seem too worried by Khan’s strong start, as they giddily continued to brew a lively atmosphere in the brand new 20,000 Las Vegas arena.

Coming into the 6th Khan was by far ahead 4-1 and 5-0 on some peoples score cards. Into the 6th and out of nowhere, a lightening quick Jab to khan would send a shock to the brain and BANG before you could even digest the previous punch Canelo landed a rapturous right hand that was probably felt all the way across the Atlantic in Khan’s home town of Bolton,U.K. Within a millisecond of the punch Khan crashed to the deck, immediately unconscious upon connection.

The crowd ware on their feet; their Mexican king delivered once again. And as a touch of class Canelo headed over to console his opponent as soon as the bell rung, just to see if Khan was okay. The referee was perched over Khan, trying to wake him up, and just as you thought the worst for that split second, you could see Khan’s eyes fall back into alignment and his lips start to move.

Khan’s performance was simply breathtaking, and for a little while everyone thought that it might have just not been Canelo’s night. But that should never have stopped the believers from believing, as Canelo’s record continued to speak for itself.

Canelo was announced victor by the ring announcer, the arena got louder as his name was bellowed through the arena speakers, and the Mexican audience continued to go wild knowing that they were about to embark on perfect public holiday weekend as Canelo’s victory stirred them into euphoria.

So, What Next For Amir Khan?

Prior to the epic showdown with Canelo, much of Khan’s past potential-fight speculation had been around whether he could arrange a big money fight with Floyd Mayweather, or if he would accept a challenge to do battle with Sheffield-Born long standing rival, and IBF Welterweight world champion, Kell Brook.

Having said this, there has also been a lot of talk into whether Khan may make a dramatic switch to the UFC in a bid to revitalize his sporting popularity in the octagon. However, may its because Khan knows the big money fights in boxing are rapidly drying up.

But for Kell Brook, whose promoter Eddie Hearn claimed that Khan tried to price himself out of a potential fight with Brook, will now be rubbing his hands with excitement, as its look ominous that the Khan fight will go ahead, and to Khan’s dismay probably with a 50/50 split too.

For British boxing fans it will be one of those fights that many will be eagerly awaiting, not just because of the grand occasion, but because a lot of those Khan haters in the U.K know that he is weary of Brook and they also know that Brook will most likely have a good chance of knocking the Lancashire man out.

Brook himself, who has been IBF welterweight champion for just under two years now, hasn’t really fought any reputable opponents since his remarkable victory over Shawn Porter. Opponents aside, this must surely be the next best thing for Khan. A huge return fight in the UK, against the undefeated Kell Brook will have the promoters of both camps, and the fans of both sides in a fit of tantalization.

One stone that cannot go unturned though is the physical and psychological health of Khan. This is now the third heavy KO defeat of his career, and questions will be raised as to weather he can continue to compete at this level. Contrary to scientific doubts, optimistic Promoter Oscar De La Hoya said: “Amir Khan is one of the bravest fighters on the planet. He didn’t lose anything today. He will come back.”

Maybe Khan will bite the bullet and take on Brook, and if profits are his main motive then a clash at Wembley Stadium against Brook will certainly tick that box. It’ll also be a good chance for Khan to give something back to his loyal British fans, having only fought once in England in the last five years.

All that we do know for now is that Kell Brook wants the fight badly. As soon as the fight had finished on the early hours of Sunday morning, Brook was quick to let his thoughts be known via twitter: Im here, all British showdown @amirkingkhan. As of yet Khan is yet to show any kind of response to his tweet.

Can We Rule Out Mayweather?

The answer to that is most likely, a big fat yes. For Mayweather it would be a pointless outing, and it wouldn’t prove anything to his critics. The real shame of the scenario is, that if Mayweather were to get in the ring with Khan, it would definitely be an interesting fight.

With Floyd never really being a brutish puncher like Canelo, but more a technically gifted and defensively equipped fighter, Khan probably would fare better against Mayweather than he did with the fight against Canelo.

However, all of our time would be wasted speculating about a Khan v Mayweather showdown. Mayweather at the moment seems to be embroiled in some kind of rumour mill with Irishman, and UFC fighter Connor McGregor.

If the undefeated Mayweather does decide to come out of retirement, and with recent reports suggesting that he will, it will only be for that one thing; “the money”. The fight with McGregor has the potential generate a lot of money, and the figures being thrown around recently in the media suggest it will be for an awful lot at that.

Posted on 05/07/2016

HBO PPV Round by Round Results
By: William Holmes

Canelo Alvarez (46-1-1) put up his WBC Middleweight Title on the line against British boxer Amir Khan (31-3) at the newly constructed T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The winner of this bout may face Gennady Golovkin next, and Golovkin was interviewed before the fight and indicated he was ready to face the winner, at 160 pounds.

Two stoppage victories on the undercard gave HBO some time to kill before the start of the main event.

Joel Martinez was the ring announcer for the night, and Danny Walten sung the national anthem of Great Britain first. The Mexican national anthem was performed by Roberto Tapia. The national anthem of the United States was sung last by Jencarlos Canela.

Amir Khan was the first man to enter the ring and Canelo Alvarez entered the ring second. Even though British fight fans have a reputation for traveling, most of the fans in attendance were clearly for Canelo. The attendance for tonight was 16,540.

The following is a round by round recap for tonight’s title fight.

Round 1:

Both boxers come out in an orthodox stance. Canelo does not look to be that much bigger than Khan. Khan throws out two jabs. Khan with a jab to the body followed by a straight right hand. Khan is showing a lot of circular movement. Canelo flicks out a jab. Canelo with a right to the body. Khan fires off a combination and lands some of his shots. Canelo is short with a lead left hook. Canelo with two shots to the body. Canleo is short with a straight right hand. Khan is constantly moving. Canelo lands a left hook on a forward moving Khan. Khan with another jab to the body. Canelo connects with a lead left hook. Khan misses with a four punch combination. Canlo lands two jabs. Khan comes forward with a three punch combination. Canelo misses with a lead left hook, but follows with a wide right hook to the body.

10-9 Khan

Round 2:

Canelo is coming forward with more urgency. Canelo misses with a lead left hook and Khan answers with a quick four punch combination. Canelo misses with a wild left hook and Khan connects with a two punch combination. Canelo misses with a jab and Khan misses with several jabs. Canelo barely misses with a straight right hand. Khan with two quick jabs and Canelo answers with a left hook. Khan throws a four punch combination and Canelo throws a hard straight right. Khan’s movement is slowing down a little bit. Canelo throws a short jab to the body. Canelo throws a right to the body. Khan lands a two punch combination. Canelo lands a jab to the body. Canelo misses with another left hook. Khan lands a two punch combination clean on Canelo.

10-9 Khan; 20-18 Khan

Round 3:

Canelo throws out two quick jabs. Canelo against misses with a lead left hook. Khan with three quick jabs to the head of Canelo. Khan ducks under a lead left hook from Canelo. Canelo lands a left hook to the head of Khan. Khan misses with a three punch combination and Canelo lands a right to the body on a retreating Khan. Khan lands a hard left hook in the middle of the ring and cirlces away. Khan with a quick jab. Canelo misses with a right cross but lands a hard jab afterwards. Canelo lands a right to the body. Khan lands a right hand upstairs. Khan misses with three jabs. Khan misses a two punch combination. Canelo is showing good head movement. Canelo lands a counter straight right hand. Khan lands a straight right hand. Best punch of the round.

10-9 Khan; 30-27 Khan

Round 4:

Khan lands a quick jab and circles away. Canelo tags Khan with a jab to the body. Khan misses a straight right hand. They tie up briefly. Canelo misses with a left jab and misses another jab. Canelo throws out a straight right hand to the body, and Khan answers with a quick jab. Canelo’s right hand gets blocked by Khan. Khan lands a quick two punch counter after a right to the body by Canelo. Canelo lands a left to the body, and Khan connects with a triple jab. Canelo lands a jab and Khan counters with a three punch combination. Canelo lands a sharp jab. Canelo throws out two more quick jabs. Khan barely misses with a hard straight right hand. Khan misses with a two punch combination. Canelo lands a good right to the body and Khan appears to grimace. Canelo lands a right to the body of Khan.

10-9 Canelo; 39-37 Khan

Round 5:

Canelo lands a jab. Canelo lands a hard left hook upstairs. Canelo connects with a good jab. Khan lands a quick two punch combination. Canelo misses with a wild left hook. Khan lands a straight right hand. Khan misses a two punch combination. Canelo’s straight right hand is blocked. Canelo connects with a straight right to the chin of Khan. Khan lands a straight right at the end of a combination. Canelo hits Khan with a left hook. Canelo misses with another wild left hook. Canelo lands a good left jab followed by a straight right to the body. Canelo misses with a right uppercut but later hits a right hook to the body. Canelo lands two good punches to the body. Canelo misses with a wild left hook and uppercut. Canelo is looking more confident, but a close round.

10-9 Canelo; 48-47 Khan

Round 6:

Canelo lands a reaching jab. Khan’s movement has slowed noticeably. Canelo is pressing forward. Khan throws out four consecutive jabs. Canelo with a right to the body and the referee warns Canelo to keep them up. Khan is short with his combination. Canelo lands a hard body shot followed by a hook upstairs. Canelo throws out two jabs in a row but misses. Khan lands a hard straight right hand. Khan lands a jab and Canelo connects with a jab and cross to the body. Canelo lands a jab to the head of Khan, and connects with another one. Khan’s combination hits air. Canelo misses with a left hook. Canelo connects with a jab and then connects with a brutal straight right hand and Khan crashes to the mat.

Khan is out cold and the referee waives off the fight.

Canelo Alvarez wins by KO at 2:37 of the sixth round.

AFterwards Khan stated, ““I didn’t make it to the end, but I tried my best,” said Amir “King” Khan. “I want to be the best, and I want to fight the best. That is why I took this fight.”

A victorious Canelo stated, “He is a fast fighter, and I knew things would be complicated in beginning, but I knew they would come to my favor as the fight went on. People have known me only for my power. I have many more qualities in the ring and I showed that. I think people saw more of me tonight. Someone that comes in to box gives you more trouble and someone that cones right in is a little easier to fight.”

Golovkin at this point had entered the ring, and Canelo acknowledged his presence by stating, “I invited him to come to the ring. Like we say in Mexico “we don’t fuck around.” I dont fear anyone; we don’t come to play in this sport. I fear no one in this sport. Right now I will put on the gloves again and fight him.”

Posted on 05/07/2016

HBO PPV Undercard Results: Gomez Dominates Herrera, Lemieux and Stevens Win by Stoppage
By: William Holmes

The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada held its first ever boxing event as Golden Boy Promotions put on a WBC Middleweight Title bout between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Amir Khan.

Three bouts were on the televised portion of the undercard, and the first fight of the night was between Patrick Teixeira (26-0) and Curtis Stevens (27-5) in the middleweight division.

Teixeira bumped up to the middleweight division from the junior middleweight division for this bout. He intends on going back down to the junior middleweight division.

Teixeira’s height and reach advantage was evident immediately, but Stevens was able to work around that by showing a lot of head movement and being the more active puncher. He was able to hurt Teixeira with a quick jab, and was able to land his left hook several times. Teixeira had to hold on several times and was outworked by the older Stevens.

Teixeira was moved back by a straight right hand from Stevens in the opening seconds of the second round, and Stevens followed it up with a hard left hook. Stevens was able to block most of the punches of Teixeira, and then landed a right hook that sent Teixeira down. Teixeira got back to his feet but was still wobbly, and the referee waived off the bout.

Curtis Stevens wins by TKO at 1:04 of the second round.

After the fight Stevens stated, “The name of the game is to knock people out and that’s what I did tonight. I feel great to get back into the game after my one and a half year break. I really want Lemieux, but I will take whatever I can get. My head is right, and I’m ready to take on whoever.”

The next bout of the night was between Mauricio Herrera (22-5) and Frankie Gomez (20-0) in the welterweight division.

Gomez was the more aggressive boxer in the first round and found a home for his lead left hook several times. Herrera looked a little rusty in the opening round and tied up with Gomez whenever he got in close.

Gomez controlled the action in the second round and was able to land and connect with his punches before Herrera could fire off his. Herrera had a cut under his left eye by the end of the round and Gomez was able to punctuate a strong round with a quick combination.

Herrera looked visibly frustrated at the start of the third round, and he came out more aggressive than the previous rounds and was able to land a few body punches. But, Gomez was sharper with his counter punches and still remained in control.

Gomez’s power punches were landing with regularity in the fourth round, and he had Herrera backing into a corner and taking some hard power shots. Gomez’s aggression continued in the fifth round and he had caused a small mouse to swell up under the right eye of Herrera.

Gomez dominated the sixth and seventh rounds while Herrera was able to offer little offense in return. By the eighth round Herrera looked exhausted and looked defeated in the ring.
Herrera clearly needed a knockout in the final two rounds to win the bout, but that knockout never came.

Frankie Gomez wins a clear decision with scores of 100-90 on all three scorecards.

Afterwards Gomez stated, “It feels good to get this victory. I trained really hard and it paid off. I’m ready to take on my next challenge and take on the best at 140. I want to thank my fans, and I’m glad I was able to put on a good show for them.”

The final bout on the undercard was in the middleweight division between David Lemieux (34-3) and Glen Tapia (23-2).

Glen Tapia bumped up in weight to take on the toughest opponent of his career, and he may have regretted it immediately. Lemieux was banging hard shots to the body and head of Tapia in the opening round and was ripping hard punches into the body of Tapia.

Lemieux had a very strong second round and had Tapia hurt several times. Tapia’s punching power paled in comparison to Lemieux, and Lemieux looked like he was close to scoring a knockdown.

Tapia was able to land a few straight right hands in the third round, but Lemieux still landed the harder shots and his left hook was giving Tapia problems.

Lemieux finally scored a knockdown in the fourth round from a hard left hook followed by a right hand to the top of the head. He was able to beat the count, but Tapia’s corner stopped the fight and did not allow the fight to continue.

Lemieux protested the stoppage, but he was taking a lot of hard shots.

David Lemieux wins by TKO at 0:56 of the fourth round.

Afterwards Lemieux stated, “This victory means the world to me. It proves all the doubters that Lemieux is back. When I first got offered the fight, I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy. We made sure to have the best training camp possible and within the first round I knew I was dominating. I knew after the first round that I would knock him out. I’m ready to be among the best in the middleweight division and become a world champion again.”