Tag Archives: gonzalez

Posted on 04/07/2017

Who is the pound-for-pound ruler: April 2017 Edition: Who’s Number One?
By: Kirk Jackson

Who is the best fighter pound-for-pound as we close the chapter on the first quarter of the calendar year?
With Roman Gonzalez 46-1 (38 KO’s) recently falling albeit in controversial fashion, this leaves an opportunity for another fighter to seize the no.1 position. Gonzalez was cited by most media outlets at the top pound-for-pound guy prior to his defeat.

Who are the most qualified fighters to occupy the position as the no. 1 guy?

It’s important to know what to look for, so we’ll use criterion from Ring magazine as a set of guidelines.

RATINGS POLICY
1. Results. This is the most objective criterion and takes precedence over all others.
2. Performance. How a fighter performs in a victory or defeat can be a factor to determine his place in the ratings.
3. Track record: A fighter’s accomplishments in the recent past can be a factor to determine his place in the ratings. That includes quality of opposition.

This isn’t law, but it provides a rough estimate on what we can use to establish who is fit as the no.1 fighter pound-for-pound.

Here are the candidates.

Gennady Golovkin 36-0-0 (33 KO’s). Super WBA, WBC and IBF middleweight champion.

The Good:

Golovkin is one of the more dominant fighters in recent memory and the most dominant champion in the middleweight division since Bernard Hopkins. ESPN’s Dan Rafael has Golovkin as the best fighter pound-for-pound.

Golovkin has a well decorated amateur background capturing an Olympic silver medal at the 2004 games in Athens. His skills transcended into the professional ranks as he currently holds three middleweight world titles, possessed a 23 fight knock-out streak and is 18-0 (17 KO’s) in world title fights.

Golovkin possesses a piercing, accurate jab, displays great ring generalship with his ability to cut off the ring, has a solid chin (never been knocked down) and has tremendous punching power sporting an 89% knock-out ratio.

The Bad:

The biggest markagainst Golovkin is his lack of quality opposition and the debatable narrative of his boogeyman status within the world of boxing.

As a skilled fighter with punching prowess it’s easy to see how Golovkin may be avoided by some fighters but there are willing participants wanting to face Golovkin and these match-ups have not come into fruition. Erislandy Lara, James DeGale, Andre Ward come to mind.

Politics are a part of boxing and it’s unfair to blame a particular side especially if we do not know the details of hypothetical match-ups.

As Golovkin approaches the age of 35, time may be potentially running short for ‘GGG’ to attract some of bigger names of the sport and to add names to further cement his legacy.

Vasyl Lomachenko 7-1-0 (5 KO’s). WBO Super featherweight champion.

The Good:

Lomachenko is regarded by many boxing analysts as one of the greatest amateur fighters of all time. He won a silver medal at the 2007 World Championships, consecutive gold medals at the 2009 and 2011 World Championships, and consecutive gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

Lomachenko won the WBO featherweight title in his third fight and has a record of 6-1-0 (4 KO) in world title fights. He became a two division world champion in just seven professional fights breaking the record set by Naoya Inoue of two divisional world titles in eight fights set in 2014.

The Ukrainian star also known as ‘Hi-Tech’ possesses excellent hand speed, superb reflexes, offensive versatility and tremendous lateral movement.

The Bad:

From a skill standpoint, Lomachenko is there. He has arguably the best footwork in boxing. But he has less than ten fights on his resume and is it possible for a fighter lacking the professional experience to be regarded as the best pound-for-pound?

Although there is a lack of experience, Lomachenko is facing top opposition.Nicolas Walters and Gary Russell Jr. are elite fighters. Orlando Salido – the only man to defeat Lomachenko, may not be considered elite, but he’s as rugged as they come and a tough match-up for anyone.

Lomachenko’s next opponent Jason Sosa is solid fighter – if not considered elite opposition.

Lomachenko is a few fights away from potentially securing top status as the pound-for-pound king. Perhaps a fight against undefeated three division champion Mikey Garcia 36-0 (30 KO’s) awaits Lomachenko in the near future and may propel him to the top.

Terence Crawford 30-0-0 (21 KO’s).WBC, WBO, The Ring and lineal junior welterweight champion.

The Good:

Crawford is a two division world champion, currently holding the unified WBC, WBO, Ring magazine, and lineal light welterweight titles since 2016.

Crawford previously held the WBO, Ring, and lineal lightweight titles from 2014 to 2015 and was voted Fighter of the Year for 2014 by the Boxing Writers Association of America and ESPN.

Crawford is an extremely gifted fighter equipped with high boxing I.Q., technical prowess, good hand speed, punching power and mental tenacity.

All of these qualities describe a nightmarish match-up for opponents.

Oh yeah, Crawford is also a switch-hitter; likes to switch from the orthodox (right-handed) stance to southpaw (left-handed) ala Marvin Hagler and appears to be more effective from the southpaw stance.

The Bad:

From a technical standpoint the only slight criticism of Crawford is he occasionally has lulls on the defensive end and gets hit with unnecessary punches.

Crawford has the skills and a solid resume.

He effectively cleared out the lightweight division. The switch-hitter defeated the likes of Ricky Burns, Raymond Beltran and YuriorkisGamboa. He even moved up in weight to junior welterweight and defeated Viktor Postol – a fighter regarded as the best in the division.

As great as Crawford is, the career defining super-fight is an ever elusive target. As talks of facing Manny Pacquiao continue to fade, it’s difficult to imagine Crawford getting the super-fight against the high quality pound-for-pound opponent (Pacquiao) he desires.

Andre Ward: 31-0-0 (15 KO’s). Undisputed WBA, IBF and WBO light heavyweight champion.

The Good:

One of the most gifted fighters of his generation, second arguably to Floyd Mayweather, War d is a complete fighter. Defensively oriented, Ward has the ability to fight at any distance and excels at fighting in close proximity.

America’s last male Olympic gold medalist, Ward once ruled the super middleweight division as the winner of the Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament and was the unified WBC, WBA and lineal champion defeating notable fighters such as Mikkel Kessler, Carl Froch, Arthur Abraham and Chad Dawson.

Last November, Ward moved up to the light heavyweight division and battled pound-for-pound contemporary Sergey Kovalev in the most significant fight of 2016. Because of the magnitude of the fight, it was believed by many boxing critics the winner would ascend as the pound-for-pound king.

The Bad:

A criticism in the past about Ward has been his stretches of inactivity. These stretches of inactivity were either due to injury or due to promotional issues – both of which have been resolved for the time being.

Another knock on Ward is with his most recent and significant victory. Many spectators believe Kovalev won the fight and unfortunately for Ward, he is not given the credit for defeating Kovalev.

Perhaps the rematch in June will give both the fighters and observers the resolution and clarity they seek.
Final Take:

How we measure skills is subjective. Each fighter mentioned has a unique skill set, different from each other.
As an observer, it’s okay to have a preference for one style over another. But it’s important to understand the effectiveness of other styles and to have an appreciation for various skill sets as well.

What separates Ward from Crawford, Golovkin and Lomachenko is the level of opposition. The others have good resumes as far as opposition goes but Ward actually faced and defeated a pound-for-pound contemporary (Kovalev). If Kovalev defeats Ward in the rematch later this year, he obviously has a case for the no.1 position pound-for-pound.

Wins over Chad Dawson and Carl Froch – fighters who both had stints on the top ten pound-for-pound list also gives Ward the edge regarding resume.

Again, how we view fighters and measure them against another is all subjective. Each fighter has a valid case for the top spot.

Posted on 04/07/2017

HBO World Championship Boxing Preview: Lomachenko vs. Sosa, Gvozdyk vs. Gonzalez, Usyk vs. Hunter
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night in Oxon Hill, Maryland the Theater at the MGM National Harbor will be the host site for the next installment of HBO World Championships Boxing.

Three bouts will be televised, including a junior lightweight title fight between Vasyl Lomachenko and Jason Sosa in the main event of the night, a light heavyweight fight between Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Yuniesky Gonzalez, and a cruiserweight title fight between Aleksandr Usyk and Mike Hunter.

The non-televised undercard will feature boxers such as Mike Reed, Patrick Harris, and Jesse Hart.

The following is a preview of the three televised bouts.

Oleksandr Gvozdyk (12-0) vs. Yunieski Gonzalez (18-2); Light Heavyweight

The opening bout of the night will be between Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Yunieski Gonzalez in the light heavyweight division.

Both boxers have deep amateur backgrounds. Gonzalez was a member of the Cuban Amateur Team and had a record of 345-27. Gvozdyk represented the Ukraine in the 2012 Summer Olympics and won the bronze medal.

Gvozdyk has never tasted defeat and will be about three inches taller than Gonzalez. Gvozdyk has also been incredibly active the past two years and four times in 2016 and four times in 2015. Gonzalez fought twice in 2016 and three times in 2015.

Gvozdyk has never tasted defeat and stopped ten of his opponents and currently has six straight stoppage wins. Gonzalez lost twice and went 2-2 in his past four fights.

Gvozdyk has already beaten the likes of Isaac Chilemba, Tommy Karpency, and Nadjib Mohammedi. Gonzalez doesn’t have the resume of Gvozdyk and has beaten the likes of Maxwell Amponsah and Jackson Junior. His losses were to jean pascal and Vyacheslav Shabranskyy.

Gonzalez is a good test for Gvozdyk and this is a rare fight where we see two notable international amateur stars face off in the ring early before their twentieth professional fight. But Gvozdyk is the better skilled boxer and has the bigger wins, he should emerge victorious.

Oleksandr Usyk (11-0) vs. Michael Hunter (12-0); WBO Cruiserweight Title

Oleksandr Usyk is one of the Ukraine’s most prized prospects and he will be stepping into the ring with a former United States Olympian.

Both boxers are undefeated in their professional careers. Usyk has stopped ten of his opponents and Hunter has stopped eight. Usyk will have a slight one inch height advantage but Hunter will have an inch and a half reach advantage.

Both boxers have deep amateur backgrounds, but Usyk experienced a lot of success on the international stage while Hunter experienced success on the national stage. Hunter is a former US National Amateur Champion and represented the United States in the 2012 Summer Olympics but failed to medal. Usyk was a gold medalist in the 2012 Olympic games.

Usyk has defeated the likes of Thabiso Mchunu, Krzystzof Glowacki, and Pedro Rodriguez. Surprisingly, all of his wins thus far in his career have come against opponents with winning records.

Hunter has yet to face any significant opposition and has defeated the likes of Isiah Thomas and Phil Williams.

This should be an easy win for Usyk, despite the fact his opponent has a good amateur background.

Vasyl Lomachenko (7-1) vs. Jason Sosa (20-1-4); WBO Junior Lightweight Title

Vasyl “Hi-Tech” Lomachenko is considered by many to be one of the best, if not the best, pound for pound boxer in the world. He fought for a world title in only his second professional fight and is a two time Olympic Gold Medalist and a two time World Amateur Champion.

His opponent, Jason Sosa, has more of a Rocky upbringing in the sport of boxing than Lomachenko. Sosa has no notable amateur achievements on the international stage and was born and raised in poverty stricken Camden, New Jersey. He won a world title with an upset stoppage victory over then WBA Super Featherweight World Champion Javier Fortuna and is now in the biggest fight of his life.

Lomachenko will have about a one inch height advantage on Sosa but will be giving up about an inch and a half in reach. Lomachenko’s lone loss was a disputed split decision loss to an overweight Orlando Salido early on in his career. He has since destroyed every other opponent he has faced.

He has already defeated the likes of Nicholas Walters, Roman Martinez, Suriya Tatakhun, Gary Russell Jr., and Jose Ramirez before he even competed in his tenth professional fight. Lomachenko has stopped five of his opponents.

Sosa has fifteen knockouts to his credit and one stoppage loss. His lone loss was to Tre’Sean Wiggins in 2010, early on in Sosa’s career. He has defeated the likes of Javier Fortuna, Stephen Smith, Jerry Belmontes, Michael Brooks, and Angel Ocasio. Sosa did have a disputed draw with Nicholas Walters, but many felt he lost that fight.

Jason Sosa is a good gritty boxer that consistently puts on entertaining bouts. He has the heart of a champion, but Lomachenko is on a different level than Sosa and that should be immediately apparent.

It’s hard to envision a scenario where Sosa gives Lomachenko problems and this should be a relatively easy bout for Lomachenko.

Posted on 04/06/2017

How Many Wars Does Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez Have Left In Him?
By: Sean Crose

Chocolatito looks to be returning. The WBC has ordered former junior bantamweight champ Roman Gonzalez to face Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, the man who beat him this past March, in a rematch for the title strap. Gonzalez-Sor Rungvisai was a fight of the year candidate that showed both men going for broke before a thrilled Madison Square Garden crowd. Many, if not most, felt that Gonzalez did enough to win the fight, but the judges gave the nod to the challenger. Up until that time, the Nicaraguan icon was regarded as the pound for pound best fighter in the world. Controversial or not, the decision loss to Sor Rungvisai dented Gonzalez’ reputation.

The WBC unquestionably made fans happy by ordering this rematch, though. Even if Gonzalez had pulled off the victory the first time, a rematch certainly wouldn’t be something to shake your head at. Yet it’s worth wondering at this point how many wars Gonzalez has left in him. The first bout with Rungvisai, who people inexplicably under-rated walking in, was nothing if not a grueling affair. Furthermore, Gonzalez’ previous bout, against the undefeated Carlos Cuadras, was no walk in the park, either. Boxing is a tough sport. After a point, it starts taking its toll.

Still, this has the potential to be the crowning moment in Gonzalez’ spectacular career. Being the first Nicaraguan to win major titles in four, that’s four, weight classes may have been a big deal – the great Alexis Arguello was unable to pull off such a feat, after all – but overcoming his only loss against a truly game opponent might act as the cherry on the sundae. Not that Rungvisai would have any intention of simply giving his belt back to the man he won it from. The Thai slugger is tough as nails, has an incredible heart and, yes, was able to drop Gonzalez the first time around.

Rungvisai was originally supposed to face Cuadras – the man he lost the junior bantamweight title to before winning it back by besting Gonzalez (who had won it himself by besting Cuadras). The WBC has also arranged, however, for Cuadras to face Juan Francisco Estrada, with the intention of the having the winner of that bout face the winner of Gonzalez-Rungvisai II. Give the WBC this – it has a plan for itself. And it’s one the fans, and certainly Gonzalez, can approve of.

Posted on 03/17/2017

Already A Legend, Roman Gonzalez Still Wants To Challenge Himself
By: Sean Crose

“I have already accomplished a lot,” undefeated multi-division champion Roman Gonzalez said on a recent conference call. Without doubt, the Nicaraguan slugger known as Chocolatito has earned some well deserved accolades. Last November the man won a world title in his fourth weight class by grinding out a grueling win against Carlos Cuadras for the WBC world super flyweight title. His legacy assured, Gonzalez is turning his attention towards other matters. “Now,” he claimed on the call, “my goal is to hold onto my fourth world title in order to gain higher purses and more money.” Fighting at 115 pounds isn’t exactly easy for Gonzalez, however.

“Never did I think it was going to be easy campaigning in this division at 115,” Gonzalez said. “It takes time to get used to and I think that’s what is happening at the moment but I think I will be fine.” His battle against Cuadras certainly was no walk in the park. Defending champ Cuadras wasn’t in it to lose. Indeed, the undefeated Mexican made it clear that he saw Gonzalez was his ticket to the big time. And even though Cuadras lost the fight, he gained an enormous amount of respect from the fight world.

And now people, including, it seems, Gonzalez, are looking forward to a rematch. “As I look at a fight coming up against Carlos Cuadras again,” Gonzalez claimed, “I realize I have to train harder. Every opponent presents different challenges. I do believe that the second fight, the rematch, will be better.” First, however, Gonzalez has business to attend to in Madison Square Garden this Saturday. For, Gonzalez will be featured in the co main event of the Gennady Golovkin-Daniel Jacobs card. His opponent? The hard hitting former champ Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, the man who Cuadras won the super flyweight title from.

In other words, it’s not necessarily easy going for Chocolatito this weekend. Sor Rungvisai may not have faced a murderer’s row throughout his career, but he goes to the body like it’s no one’s business. What’s more, Sun Rungvisai, like Cuadras, undoubtedly sees a great future ahead of him should he beat the Nicaraguan legend. Then there’s the matter that Gonzalez’ last fight was an absolutely brutal affair. Such things can have an impact. Add all this to the fact that the man has already reached Olympian heights and it’s worth wondering if an upset might be in the air.

Still, this is Gonzalez fighting here, the fighter widely regarded as the best pound for pound boxer on earth. Whether that’s really true or not, Gonzalez is a force to be reckoned with. What’s more, he knows what it’s like to be on a big stage. “On any other show,” promoter Tom Loeffler said of Gonzalez-Sor Rungvisai, “it would clearly be the main event.”

Posted on 03/17/2017

The Cuban Heavyweights Professional and Amateur!
By: Ken Hissner

TEOFILO STEVENSON was 6:03 andin 1972, 1976 and 1980 won Olympic Gold Medals.He won World Gold Medals in 1974, 76 and 1980. He won Pan Am Gold in 1975 beat future WBA championMichael Dokes, 79 and a Bronze in 1971. He stopped Duane Bobickin 1972 after losing to him in 1971. He won the Val Barker Trophy in 1972. In 1976 he KO1 John Tate, future WBA champion andin 1981 defeated Jimmy Clark 1978 twice and in 1980 once and in 1982 he lost tofuture WBO champion Francesco Damiani. In 1984 he defeated future 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Tyrell Biggs and in 1986 beat Alex Garcia. He also defeated future WBA champion Tony Tubbs, Marvin Stinson and Phillip Brown. Stevenson was awarded the Merited Master of Sport of the USSR in 1972, 1976 and 1980. He is the only boxer to have received this. He died in June of 2012 at age 60 from heart failure.

FELIX SAVON was 6:00 and in 1992, 96 and 2000 won Olympic Gold Medals as a heavyweight. In Pan Am Games in 1987, 1991 and 1995he won Gold Medals. He won4 Central American& Caribbean Games and 4 World Cups. He was 362-21 with all losses avenged. He defeated RuslanChagaev twice. He KO’d DaVarryl Williamson. In 2000 Olympics he defeated Michael Bennett and retired at age 33. He won 6 world championships and aSilver Medal. He defeated Danell Nicholson and David Izon in 1992 Olympics. In 1996 he defeated Georgi Kandelak, Luan Krasniqi and David Defiagbon. In 2000 he defeated Michael Bennett, Sebastian Kober and Sultan Ibragimov. He defeated in Pan Am Games Michael Bentt, Shannon Briggs and Lamon Brewster. He is 67.

ALEXIS RUBALCABA was 6:08 and in 1999 he wonthe Pan Am Gold Medal. He representedCuba in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics at Super heavyweight. In 1997 World Games he won a Silver Medal. He is 44.

JORGE LUIS GONZALEZ at 6:07 was 31-8 as a professional. In 1983 won Pam Am Gold. He defeated Tyrell Bigss. In 1987 he won Pan Am Gold defeating Riddick Bowe and Lennox Lewis. In 1987 North American Championships he lost to Lewis.
ROBERT BALADO was 6:00 and was the 1992 Olympics super heavyweight Gold Medalist defeating Larry Donald and Brian Nielsen. He was World Championship Gold Medalist in 1989, 1991 and 1993. He was Pan Am Games Gold Medalist in 1991. He died in 1994 at age 25 in car accident.

JULIO CARLOS “BLACK PANTHER” GOMEZ was 6:03 1/2 and was the WBC cruiserweight champion and finishing at 55-4-1nc (39). He had 10 successful title defenses and moved up to heavyweight fighting twice with former heavyweight champion Oliver McCall winning the first which got reversed to NC but winning the second. He lost to VitaliKlitschko for the WBC heavyweight title and moved back to cruiser. He was 158-12 as an amateur and moved to Germany as a professional. He reversed 2 of his losses as a professional.

MIKE “THE REBEL” PEREZ at 6:01 won the World Junior championship in 2004. In 2007 he defeated Louis Ortiz in the Cuban National championships but lost to Osmay Acosta in the final. In 2007 he defected to Cork, IRE. He was 21-2-1 (13) as a professional finishing up in 2015 losing to Alexander Povetkin for the WBC Silver title at age 30.
ODLANIER SOLIS FONTEat 6:01 ½ was 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist defeating Sultan Ibragimov and David Haye. He won 3 consecutive World Championships in 2001, 03 and 05. In 1999 he defeated Felix Savon for the Cuban title and took 2 of 3 from him. He won the 1999 and 2003 Pan Am Games Gold Medals. His amateur record was 227-14. He is 22-3 (14) as a professional losing to WBC champion VitaliKlitschko in 2011. He won the WBC International, IBF Inter-Continental and the WBA Fedelatin titles. He is 36 and lives in North Miami, FL.

YANQUI DIAZ at 6:04 in 2002 came to Mexico and then Las Vegas, NV, and won 13 of his first 14 fights stopping Juan Carlos Gomez and defeating Vaughn Bean while losing to Tony Thompson. Then in 2005 and 2006 losses to Samuel Peter and Kirk Johnson followed by a pair of nc’s before losing to Damian Wills and Oliver McCall retiring at 30 the end of 2006 with a 13-5 (8) record.

ERISLANDY SAVON the nephew of Felix Salon in 2016 was Olympian Bronze Medalist. He won the Pan Am Games in 2015 and a Silver in the World championships. He won the World Junior championships in 2008. At the National Championships he lost in semi-final by DQ to Osmay Acosta. He is 26.

OSMAY ACOSTA DUARTE won the 2007 Pan Am Games Gold Medal and was the 2008 Olympic heavyweight Bronze Medalist. In 2009 he was the Silver Medalist in the World Amateur championships. At the 2006 National Senior championships he lost to Odlanier Solis at super heavyweight and dropped back to heavyweight winning the Central American Games. He qualified for Beijing in an Olympic qualifier defeating current WBC champion Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder. He retired in 2009 after finishing with a Silver Medal in the World Amateur championships at age 24.

LOUIS “KING KONG” ORTIZ at 6:04 was 343-19 as an amateur. In 2005 he won the PAN AM championships. In 2010 he came to Miami, FL, and won 5 minor titles as a professional in 2010 the FECARBOX, 2011 the Fedelatin, in 2012 the Inter-American, WBC and WBO Latino titles. In 2015 he won the interim WBA World title. He is currently 27-0-2 nc’s (23). He is the current No. 1 WBA, No. 2 WBC and No. 6 IBF contender at 37 turning 38 this month.

NANCIO CARRILLO represented Cuba in the 1968 Olympics losing in the first round to East German Bernd Anders.
Other Cuban heavyweight professionals: Nino Valdez, 48-18-3 (36), OmelioAgramonte, 50-21 (32), Federico Malibran, 34-22-1 (25), Antolin Fierro, 8-8 (8), Santiago Esparraguera, 46-21-4 (42), RoleauxSaguero, 25-21-1 (23), Goyito Rico, 28-12-1 (25), Young John Herrera, 42-22-3 (28) and trained Stevenson, Elieser Castillo, 30-7-2 (17), Julio Mederos, 21-19-3 (14) who was managed by Jake LaMottaand Jose Ribalta, 38-1-1 (27), 55-8 (26) as an amateur in Cuba.

Posted on 03/16/2017

HBO PPV Preview: Golovkin vs. Jacobs, Chocolatito vs. Rungvisai
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night one of HBO’s biggest stars, Gennady Golovkin, will face off against one of the PBC’s biggest stars, Daniel Jacobs, in a WBA/WBC/IBF Middleweight Title Unification bout live on HBO Pay Per View.

This bout will take place at the legendary Madison Square Garden and will also feature a WBC Junior Bantamweight Title fight between Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

Photo Credit: Tom Hogan-Hoganphotos/K2 Promotions

The Golovkin vs. Jacobs fight is one of the biggest fights that could be made in the middleweight division and is pay per view worthy. The winner will put himself in good position to possibly face Golden Boy Promotions’ cash cow Canelo Alvarez in the fall.

The following is a preview of both world title bouts on the HBO PPV telecast on Saturday.

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (46-0) vs. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (41-4-1); WBC Junior Bantamweight Title

Roman Gonzalez fought a close match with Carlos Cuadras the last time he stepped inside the ring and Cuadras fights on the undercard of Saturday’s PPV card. However, Gonzales has to get past Rungvisai before he can rematch Cuadras.

The undefeated Gonzalez has stopped thirty eight of his opponents and has never tasted defeated. Rungvisai has four losses but has stopped thirty eight of his opponents, including winning his past thirteen fights by stoppage.

Both boxers are roughly the same size at 5’3” and Gonzlaez has a very slight half an inch reach advantage. Rungvisai has been more active than Gonzalez and fought four times in 2016 and six times in 2015, while Gonzalez only fought twice in 2016 and three times in 2015.

Gonzalez won the light flyweight gold medal in the 2004 Central American Championships and turned pro at the age of 18. Rungvisai has no notable amateur background and a lot of his wins came against opponents with losing records.

Gonzalez is considered by many to be on e of the top pound for pound boxers in the world. He holds victories over Carlos Cuadras, Brian Viloria, Edgar Sosa, Akira Yaegashi, Juan Francisco Estrada, Omar Salado, and Rocky Fuentes.

Rungvisai has spent most of his career fighting in Asia, and three of his losses came in the first five fights in his career. His last loss was in 2014 to Carlos Cuadras. His other notable loss was to Akira Yaegashi. His notable victories pale in comparison to Gonzalez, but he has defeated the likes of Jose Salgado, Yota Sato, and Alvin Bais.

This isn’t a hard fight to pick the winner, and unless Rungvisai is able to use his power to stun Gonzalez in the early rounds it will be nearly impossible for him to win. If Gonzalez can survive the power shots of Brian Viloria, he can survive the power shots of Rungvisai.

Gennady Golovkin (36-0) vs. Daniel Jacobs (32-1); WBA/WBC/IBF Middleweight Title

This is the best fight that Golovkin could have made outside of Canelo Alvarez. Daniel Jacobs also represents the biggest challenge to Golovkin’s titles ever.

Both boxers are known to be knockout artists. Golovkin has stopped thirty three of his opponents and his past twenty three opponents failed to make it to the final round. Jacobs has stopped twenty nine of his opponents and has twelve straight stoppage wins.

Both boxers also have good amateur backgrounds. Golovkin won the Silver Medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics and Jacobs is a former Golden Gloves Champion, a US National Amateur Champion, and a US Olympic Trials Runner Up.

Jacobs lone loss was by TKO to Dmitry Pirog in a major upset at the time. He has defeated the likes of Sergio Mora, Peter Quillin, Caleb Truax, and Ishe Smith.

Golovkin has never been defeated and nobody has ever come close. He has defeated the likes of Kell Brook, Dominic Wade, David Lemieux, Willie Monroe Jr., Martin Murray, Marco Antonio Rubio, Daniel Geale, Curtis Stevens, Matthew Macklin, and Gabriel Rosado.

Two things should be pointed out about both boxers. Jacobs has only fought once since the beginning of 2016 and may be rusty. The other is that Golovkin is thirty four years old and will be turning thirty five in less than a month. Age may be catching up with him and he didn’t look like his usual dominant self when he last fought Kell Brook.

However, Jacobs lone loss was by stoppage to a boxer who isn’t known for his power like Golovkin is. Also, Jacobs is a good boxer, but his competition has been suspect at best. His best victory came against Peter Quillin, his other wins were against pedestrian and above average at best opponents.

This should be an exciting bout and is one of the best bouts to be put on pay per view in awhile, but it’s a fight that Golovkin should win.

Posted on 03/14/2017

None of the Four P4P Best Were Born in the USA!
By: Ken Hissner

The European invasion has been going on for the past ten years in the USA. They are hungry like the Americans were in the 40’s and 50’s. They are action packed fighters from such places as Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Russia and Nicaragua.

No. 4 is from Managua, Nicaragua and is currently 46-0 with 38 knockouts though only 5:03 and goes by the name Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. The former WBA Minimumweight, WBC Flyweight and now the WBC Super flyweight champion has just come off his toughest fight since becoming champion against Carlos “Principe” Cuadras, now 35-1-1 (27), of Mexico City, MEX. Both Gonzalez and Cuadras will be on the undercard Saturday night of the Golovkin-Jacobs main event at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. If both come boxers come out victorious as expected look for a return rematch.

The 29 year-old Gonzalez will be defending against the former WBC World super flyweight champion Wisaksil Wangek, 41-4-1 (38), from Thailand March 18th. He was 1-3-1 in his first five fights has only lost to Cuadras in the last seven years like most Thai’s has a lot of 13 debut opponents and 15 losing record opponents bringing a grand total of 28 of his 46 bouts. Gonzalez was 88-0 as an amateur it’s been claimed. He is 29 years-old. His trainers are Professor Arnulfo Obano and Luis Gonzalez. He is promoted by K2 Promotions.

A boxer who was on the wrong side of a one sided fight he should have been given that he deservingly was the victor but didn’t thanks to a bias referee named Robert Byrd who ignored 46 forced clinches by Andre “S.O.G.” Ward (see it on www.youtube.com) against my No. 3 pick Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev’s, 30-1-1, 26 knockouts, without taking one point away which would have made the scores even and Kovalev would have kept his three titles. This writer had it 116-112 for Kovalev who lost on “all” judge’s scores by 114-113 from Burt A. Clements, Glenn Trowbridge and John McKaie other words known as the “3 blind mice!” Ward is trying to avoid a rematch and may end up going back to super middleweight to do just that. Per Kovalev’s manager Egis Klimas Ward has nine months to give his fighter a rematch and no one else is to fight Ward prior to Kovalev. As an amateur Kovalev was 193-22 and the Russian Military champion and is 33 years-old. John David Jackson is his trainer and Main Events his promoter.

Klimas the “2016 manager of the year” from Lithuania has two of the four P4P top fighters of which one is Kovalev and the other from Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky, Ukraine, who won three Olympic Gold Medals equaling Laszlo Papp from Hungary and Teofilio Stevenson from Cuba named Vasyl “High-Tech” Lomancheko, 7-1 with five knockouts. He claims to have been 396-1 in the amateurs and is 29 years-old. He was fighting for a world title in his second fight and winning the same title which was vacant after he lost to Orlando Salido by split decision who then vacated that WBO World featherweight title to move up in weight and avoid a rematch with Lomancheko. He is trained by his father Anatoly Lomancheko and promoted by Top Rank.

Salido would go onto win the interim WBO World super featherweight title and then be defeated by Roman Martinez when he challenged him for the WBO super featherweight title. In the return match they battled to a draw. Lomancheko was to fight the winner who due to the draw was still Martinez. Lomancheko would defeat Martinez for the title and is this writer’s No. 2 P4P pick. He is scheduled April 8th to meet WBA World champion Jason Sosa.

There is a boxer from Karagandu, Kazakhstan, who in the amateurs defeated such boxers like Andre Dirrell (future 2-time super middleweight world challenger) in the 2004 Olympics, Daniel Geale (IBF Middleweight and WBA Super World middleweight champion) in 2001 East Asian Games, and in the 2003 World Championships defeated Russian Matvey Korobov (2005 and 2007 world amateur champion and 2008 Olympian who challenged Andy Lee for the vacant WBO 160 title), Ireland’s Andy Lee (future WBO 160 champion), Romania’s Lucian Bute (future IBF super middleweight champion), Cuban Yordani Despaigne (who in the 2004 Olympics defeated Jean Pascal future WBC 175 champion and Hungary’s Karoly Balzsay future WBA 168 champion, then losing to Dirrell who lost to Golovkin) and Golovkin defeated Russian Oleg Mashkin (who represented Russia in the 2004 Olympics) for the 2003 World championship.

He claims to have been 345-5 in the amateurs and is 34 years-old. Abel Sanchez is his trainer and Tom Loeffler of K2 his promoter. He is scheduled March 18th to meet WBA World champion Danny Jacobs.

Today Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, 36-0 with 33 knockouts holds the WBA, WBC and IBF world middleweight titles and is this writers No. 1 P4P pick. Golovkin has won his last 23 bouts by stoppage and will meet WBA World middleweight champion Danny “Miracle Man” Jacobs this Saturday in defense of his three titles and for the title Jacobs has.

Today No. 1 Golovkin lives in L.A., No. 2 Lomachenko in Oxnard, CA, No. 3 Kovalev in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, while Gonzalez still lives in Nicaragua with his last four fights in the USA and this Saturday his fifth in the USA.

Posted on 02/22/2017

The Prince of Mexico: Carlos Cuadras
By: Francisco Martinez

Coming off a controversial unanimous decision loss to Nicaraguan Roman Gonzalez, Carlos Cuadras is looking to avenge that loss most in attendance would say was much more closer than that of the official judges scorecards would indicate. Some would argue Cuadras was indeed the winner on that night in Los Angeles at the fabulous Forum in Inglewood, CA, where a pro Gonzalez crowd blew the roof off the venue. Carlos Cuadras is set to fight March 18th in New York at the MSG on the Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Jacobs card. Also making his PPV debut via HBO.

“I’m happy about that. I plan to take advantage of the opportunity and put up a great spectacle that’ll leave a lasting impression like the last time so that the people want to watch me again” Carlos Cuadras is familiar with countryman and opponent David Carmona who’s coming in with a record of 20 victories and 8 knockouts. Cuadras remembers him from when both were 6-8 round fighters. Sums him up to be a durable fighter not offensive but can create and wait for openings.

Maybe something that helped him go 12 rounds in a unanimous decision loss to the Japanese “Monster” Naoya Inoue “Just imagine this, he went 12 rounds with Inoue and if I can knock him out that means the possibilities of me defeating Inoue are good. It would be great if we fought. I feel I have the power to knockout Carmona. He’ll go down” Naoya Inoue is perceived by boxing enthusiasts as the kryptonite to Cuadras last opponent 4 division champion Chocolatito, Roman Gonzalez whom Carlos Cuadras has unfinished business with but first is first both have matters to attend on March 18th and if successful on that night a lucrative rematch is possible.

A loss not taken as defeat by Carlos Cuadras as he truly believes he was the victor and wrongfully detached from his WBC 115lbs title. Cuadras looks to remove this thorn from his side as he likes to say at some point this year. Having been in the ring with Chocolatito, Cuadras had this to say about his rival “It surprised me he didn’t hit as hard as he claimed (smiles) I had a certain strategy because he said he had iron in each hand and who knows what else he was claiming. After I felt he didn’t hit as hard as he was saying I was able to stand (and trade) so he better brace himself for the next fight because I’m knocking him out. You better not back out cause I got your medicine right here”

Carlos Cuadras used his energetic charisma in taunting Chocolatito through out the process of promoting the fight once at the inaugural press conference by drinking a Nesquik chocolate drink in what he called a “chocolate break” bringing laughter from the press, media in attendance. In return the Nicaraguan crowd fired back at the weigh in by mocking Cuadras. Chanting “Princess” Cuadras going by the nickname of “Prince” Cuadras replied by warning them he would defeat Chocolatito and then they would have no choice but to show him respect.

The rematch hit somewhat of a roadblock due to money demands but not exclusively to the pay purse demanded from both. Roman Gonzalez promised Carlos Cuadras a rematch in front of the cameras convincing Cuadras and his trainer Rudy Hernandez that he would do just that. Rudy Hernandez simply said Gonzalez not living up to his word “sucked” as he went on to say “It’s hard when a person says they’re going to do something and they go on interviews and they talk about it and than they change their minds but it’s a business. At the end of the day we are fighting March 18th and if we’re to win and he’s to win his next option is he fights Carlos Cuadras or he vacates the title”

A mandatory rematch ordered by the World Boxing Council to try and put together one of the most anticipated fights this year. Carlos Cuadras expresses that the WBC title is being held hostage by Chocolatito claiming he is squeezing out another term from his title reign by taking on the Thailand rival Srisaket Sor Rungvisai whom Cuadras defeated soundly in 12 rounds about 3 years ago in Mexico. Cuadras goes on to says this about Chocolatito’s rival “He hits hard. Chocolatito is gonna have to have a good strategy. I want Chocolatito to win. I don’t want to fight the Thailand guy again I already beat him. I hope he wins and he better have a good training camp because the Thailand fighter is tough. He’s a danger to Chocolatito”

He goes on to say this about Chocolatito “He felt he wasn’t as big of a puncher as he thought he was and that’s why he didn’t want the 2nd fight. He looked to keep his title for one more fight because he knows it belongs over here. That belt is Mexico’s and you’re just borrowing it on behalf of Nicaragua” March 18th is the objective for both fighters then talks of a lucrative rematch can be explored by both teams who are under the same promoter Teiken promotions based in Japan. Teiken historically known for promoting the best smaller weight fighters in boxing.

The charismatic Carlos Cuadras a great talker who applies a mental stratagem for his opponent to overcome before even stepping into the ring and having to find a way of overcoming another obstacle in his pure boxing ability assures things are still professional between stablemate Roman Gonzalez by wishing him good luck believing he’ll need it and hopes all turns out right for Gonzalez as he relishes the opportunity to step back into the ring with what many consider the pound for pound #1 fighter in the world today.

March 18th Gennady Golovkin vs Daniel Jacobs on HBO PPV a stacked card accompanied by Roman Gonzalez vs Srisaket Sor Rungvisai for the WBC 115lbs title and Carlos Cuadras vs David Carmona at the Mecca Of Boxing, Madison Square Garden in New York. Don’t miss it.

Follow all coverage leading up to the fight by using #GGGJACOBS

Posted on 09/08/2016

HBO World Championship Boxing Preview: Chocolatito vs. Cuadras, Golovkin vs. Brook
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night HBO will broadcast two world championship fights from two different venues. Pound for pound king Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez will be bumping up to the junior bantamweight division to chase after another world title when he faces off against Carlos Cuadras. If he is successful he will have won titles in four different weight classes. Earlier in the day knockout artist Gennady Golovkin will be defending his middleweight titles when he faces welterweight world champion Kell Brook.

The Gonzalez vs. Cuadras bout will take place at the Forum in Inglewood, California and the Golovkin vs. Brook bout will take place at the O2 Arena in London, England on Brook’s home turf. HBO will also be televising a rematch between Yoshihiro Kamegai and Jesus Soto-Karass in the junior middleweight division. Their previous fight was considered by many to be a fight of the year candidate.

The following is a preview of both world title fights.

Carlos Cuadras (35-0-1) vs. Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (45-0); WBC Junior Bantamweight Title

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez is a three division world champion and considered by many to be the best pound for pound boxer in the world today. However, there are limits to how many weight classes an individual can be a champion in and he’s facing a legitimate junior bantamweight world champion.

Gonzalez will be giving up five inches in height and two inches in reach to Cuadras. Cuadras is also one year younger than Gonzalez, but both are in their physical primes.

They both have been fairly active in the past two years. Cuadras fought three times in 2014 and in 2015, and already fought once in 2016. Gonzalez fought four times in 2014, three times in 2015, and once so far in 2016.

They both had experienced success as an amateur. Cuadras is a Pan American gold medalist and a gold medalist in the International Junior Olympics. Chocolatito has an alleged record of 88-0 as an amateur, but does not have any notable international amateur tournament victories.

Chocolatito has beaten the likes of Yutaka Niida, Juan Francisco Estrada, Rocky Fuentes, Akiri Yaegashi, Edgar Sosa, Brian Viloria, and McWilliams Arroyo. Cuadras has defeated the likes of Marvin Mabait, Luis Concepcion, Dixon Flores, Koki Eto, and Richie Mepranum.

Gonzalez has more world title fight experience and has a record of 14-0 in world title fights. Cuadras has a record of 6-0 in world title fights.

Both boxers have considerable power. Cuadras has twenty seven stoppage victories, and three of his past five fights were by stoppage victory. Gonzalez has thirty eight stoppage victories.

It will be interesting to see how Gonzalez handles the length and reach of Cuadras. Gonzalez, who was a world champion in the minimumweight division, will likely be unable to jump additional weight classes if he’s victorious on Saturday and he has a very tough test ahead of him. This should be an entertaining and technical bout, but Gonzalez should be able to pull off the decision victory, but may have his chin tested in the process.

Gennady Golovkin (35-0) vs. Kell Brook (36-0); WBA/WBC/IBF Middleweight Titles

Don’t let the fact that Kell Brook is jumping up two weight classes to fight Gennady Golovkin fool you. Brook is a large welterweight and Golovkin is a smaller middleweight. In fact, Brook has been weighing in heavier than Golovkin in the weeks leading up to the fight.

One of the biggest question marks about Golovkin is his age. He’s thirty four years old and doesn’t have many years left in his prime. His opponent is four years younger than him. Golovkin, however, will have a slight one and a half inch height advantage and a one inch reach advantage.

Despite the fact he’s a major star in boxing, Golovkin has kept a fairly active schedule. He has fought once in 2016, three times in 2015, and three times in 2014. Brook has been having trouble finding a big fight in the welterweight division and fought twice in 2014 and in 2015, and once in 2016.

Golovkin’s power is well known and can be considered legendary. He has thirty two knockouts on his resume and is in the midst of an incredible streak that consists of twenty two wins by knockout in a row. Brook’s power can’t be overlooked, he has stopped twenty five opponents and has one four of his past five fights by stoppage.

Brook will be fighting in front of his home crowd at the O2 arena and that will be a big advantage for him. He has defeated the likes of Kevin Bizier, Frankie Gavin, Ionut Dan Ion, Shawn Porter, Vyacheslav Senchenko, Matthew Hatton, and Luis Galarza.

The last person to go the distance against Golovkin was Amar Amari in 2008. He has steamrolled every boxer he’s faced since then. He has defead the likes of Dominic Wade, David Lemieux, Willie Monroe Jr., Martin Murray, Marco Antonio Rubio, Daniel Geale, Curtis Stevens, Matthew Macklin, Nobuhiro Ishida, Gabriel Rosado, Kassim Ouma, and Grzegorz Proksa.

Golovkin has to be very careful to not overlook Kell Brook. Brook is a very good, technical boxer and is considered by many to be a top 10 pound for pound fighter. Golovkin’s power should be able to lead him to victory, but don’t be surprised if he knockout streak ends on Saturday night.

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 08/07/2016

Gonzalez Triumphs in Aftermath of the Storm
By: Ron Scarfone

A&T Events and Promotions in conjunction with Mundo Boxing presented an event titled “Miami Boxing Storm” on August 6 at the Miami Airport Convention Center in Miami, Florida. In addition to the boxing storm, there was a storm in the sky with thunder, lightning, and rain. There was so much rain that some of the streets were flooded and looked like rivers. There were many people who arrived late to the event. Boxing events usually start late in South Florida, but not this event. After 45 minutes, 3 four-round bouts had already been completed. The main event featured light heavyweight Yuniesky “The Monster” Gonzalez who is originally from Cuba and now lives in Miami. Gonzalez was previously undefeated at 16-0 and a rising star when he faced former WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal in a ten-round bout. Despite pummeling Pascal throughout the fight, Gonzalez lost by unanimous decision due to three identically biased judges’ scores of 96-94. After that heartbreaking loss, Gonzalez faced legitimate contender Vyacheslav “Lion Heart” Shabranskyy in another ten-round bout. The fight was close and arguably could have been scored as a draw, but only one of the three judges felt that way. This judge scored it 95-95, but the other two judges who were both in favor of Shabranskyy scored it 98-92 and 97-93. As a result, Gonzalez lost by majority decision. Orlando Cuellar was the trainer of Gonzalez. Cuellar is best known for being the trainer of former light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson when he was at an elite level. Nevertheless, Gonzalez’s handlers felt a change needed to be made and decided to hire Pedro Diaz to be Gonzalez’s new trainer.

In order to get back into world title contention, Gonzalez needed to win again. The panacea proved to be Jackson “Demolidor” Junior of Brazil. Junior was previously undefeated at 15-0 and had won the Brazilian light heavyweight title and the WBO Latino light heavyweight title. However, he is no longer unbeaten as he has lost six of his last twelve fights prior to this fight against Gonzalez. Junior tried to regain the WBO Latino light heavyweight title, but lost by TKO. He had a couple more title shots for minor belts, but lost both by knockout. Junior’s nickname is in Portuguese and means “Daredevil.” As his nickname suggests, Junior is courageous. Gonzalez was definitely a step up in competition for Junior. Their fight was in the cruiserweight division because they were about three pounds above the light heavyweight limit of 175 pounds. Gonzalez looked bigger and stronger than Junior and Gonzalez’s punching power was apparent in the first round. Gonzalez knocked down Junior three times and the fight was stopped by referee Frank Santore because the three knockdown rule was in effect. The time of stoppage was 2:35 of the first round. Gonzalez improves his record to 17-2, 13 KOs. Junior’s record is now 21-7, 19 KOs. Gonzalez said that he wants to fight again on HBO which is the television network that broadcasted his two losses against Pascal and Shabranskyy.

The best fight of the event was between Courtney Jackson of Miami, FL and Ramesis Gil of the Dominican Republic. Jackson weighed about a pound under the junior welterweight limit of 140 pounds whereas Gil weighed 140.8 pounds. Jackson was the hometown favorite from Miami and had never lost in his pro career. Although Jackson was undefeated, the vast majority of his previous opponents had losing records. Gil had a losing record himself, but he has mostly fought opponents with winning or undefeated records. Gil did not always lose to those boxers and was able to beat a few of them which included two wins over two previously undefeated boxers. In this fight against Jackson, Gil was landing punches often in the first half of the six-round bout and Gil seemed to have the advantage. In the fourth round, Gil knocked Jackson down with a punch to the head. Jackson survived the round and came back in round five with a left hook to the head that staggered Gil, but Gil remained standing. There were furious exchanges in the sixth and final round. The three judges each identically scored the fight 57-56, 57-56, and 57-56. There was a consensus among the judges, but journalists and fans in attendance may have had a difference of opinion as to who they believe deserved to win. Gil was hurt in the fifth round, but he did knock down Jackson in the fourth round and did well in most of the rounds. Jackson was fortunate to get the win here and remains undefeated at 12-0, 6 KOs. Gil’s record falls to 10-16-5, 7 KOs.

Tyrone “King of the Ring” Spong of Miami, Florida is a former kickboxing champion whose goal is to have similar success in the boxing ring. Spong is a heavyweight with punching power reminiscent of Mike Tyson in his prime. In his previous four fights, Spong won by knockout or technical knockout. His devastating power was in full effect for his fifth fight which was against Tracey Johnson of Boston, Massachusetts. In the second round, Spong hurt Johnson with a smashing punch to the head which sent Johnson reeling. Spong pursued him and unleashed more punches. Johnson was eventually just trying to protect himself and not attacking, so referee Frank Santore stopped the fight. Spong won by TKO in the second round and improves his record to 5-0, 5 KOs. Johnson’s record is now 4-3-4, 0 KO.

The co-main event was a short skirmish that lasted for about one minute between legitimate super middleweight contender Roamer Alexis Angulo of Colombia and Zoltan Papp of Hungary. Papp has a winning record, but lost whenever he stepped up in competition. Not surprisingly, Papp got smeared by Angulo. In the first round, Angulo knocked out Papp in a corner of the ring. Papp slumped down while sitting on the canvas. Angulo won by KO and remains unbeaten at 19-0, 16 KOs whereas Papp falls to 11-3-1, 7 KOs.

Two junior middleweights from Miami, Florida boxed for four rounds. John David Martinez made his professional debut against Jon Clifford Gray. Martinez had the height advantage over Gray and that probably made the difference in this even matchup. Two judges each scored it 39-37 in favor of Martinez while the third judge scored it 40-37 in favor of Gray. Therefore, Martinez won by split decision. Martinez won his debut and is now 1-0, 0 KO whereas Gray falls to 1-3, 0 KO.

Leider Pena of Miami, Florida won his pro debut as a super middleweight and defeated Ryan Soft of Minnesota. Soft was a soft opponent for Pena. Soft took a beating and was bleeding on his face which could have been from his nose, mouth, or both. Pena landed several punches as Soft fought valiantly, but referee Sam Burgos stopped the fight at 2:21 of the second round to save Soft from further punishment. Pena won by TKO and is 1-0, 1 KO after winning his debut and Soft is 3-6-1, 1 KO.

Antonio “Bang” Williams of Fort Lauderdale, FL is also undefeated at 4-0, 3 KOs after winning by unanimous decision against Brian Santos of Puerto Rico in a four-round bout which was in the super featherweight division. The three judges all scored the fight 40-36 in favor of Williams. Santos’ record is now 0-2-1, 0 KO.

Lightweight Ivan Jimenez of Ecuador is still undefeated at 5-0-1, 3 KOs after winning by unanimous decision in a four-round bout. Jimenez’s opponent was Ryan Picou of Las Vegas, Nevada. Picou’s record is now 2-11-1, 0 KO.

Junior middleweight Henrique Oliveira of Brazil stays unbeaten at 3-0, 2 KOs after defeating Miguel Queliz of the Dominican Republic by unanimous decision. Queliz’s record is now 6-2-1, 3 KOs.

Posted on 07/12/2016

Boxing Insider Notebook: Monroe, Top Rank, Gonzalez, Barrios, Benavidez, Gomez, Saunders, and more
By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of July 5th to July 12th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Banner Promotions Re-signs Willie Monroe Jr.

Banner Promotions is pleased to announce the re-signing of former world title challenger and Boxcino 2014 Middleweight champion, Willie Monroe Jr. to an exclusive promotional agreement.

Monroe of Rochester, New York has a record of 20-2 with 6 knockouts and is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision over fellow former world title challenger and Boxcino champion, John Thompson on June 11th in Verona, New York.

The 29 year-old Monroe turned professional in 2008 and won his first 10 bouts. Monroe won the 2014 Boxcino Middleweight tournament with wins over Donatas Bondorovas, Vitally Kopylenko, and Brandon Adams.
Those wins catapulted him into a bout with WBA/Interim WBC Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin.

Monroe performed admirably in the bout, which took place on May 16, 2015 at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

“I’m excited to re-sign with Banner Promotions. Artie has been nothing but great to me, and he’ll put me in position to fight against the Danny Jacobs and Canelos of the boxing world,” said Willie Monroe Jr.
“It feels good to have a fresh start over. I am coming off of a huge win on Showtime vs. John Thompson, and I now have a great team watching my back with my brother, Trent Monroe, TJ Nolan and Adrian Clark as my Strategic Partner.”

“Doing what was best for Willie was the focal point in negotiations. We put our heads together and structured a great deal for Willie with Banner Promotions. I am looking forward to working with Artie to map out things for Willie,” said Adrian Clark, Monroe’s Strategic Partner.

“We are excited to have Willie back in the fold,” said Banner Promotions President, Arthur Pelullo.

“Willie has showed not only in the Boxcino tournament, but in his fight against Golovkin, that he is one of the top middleweights in the world. He had a great performance against John Thompson, and now he is ready for any challenge in the division. We will be actively pursuing all of those opportunities for Willie.”

Top Rank Signs Jose Gonzalez

Unbeaten featherweight prospect José ‘El Chocolatito’ González signed a multiannual promotional contract with Top Rank® the promotional company based in Las Vegas that is led by hall of fame promoter, Bob Arum.
As a professional fighter, Gonzalez, who was born and raised in Harlem, New York, marches undefeated with a record of 3-0-1 and 1 knockout. The fighter that is called ‘El Chocolatito’ amassed a 34-6 record as an amateur and won various amateur tournaments as: Junior Olympics in 2011 and Golden Gloves in 2014.
“I feel very blessed and thankful for my managers and Top Rank for giving me this opportunity to sign with the best promotional company,” said Gonzalez. This will motivate me to train harder every day and accomplish my goal of becoming a world champion,” guaranteed the 20-year old fighter.

‘El Chocolatito’, who describes himself as a classic boxer-puncher with knockout power, is trained by his father Martin Gonzalez, in the famous Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn.

Boxing runs through the Gonzalez’s veins. Martin represented Nicaragua in 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona and Jose is the cousin of world champion Roman ‘El Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, from whom he adopted his nickname.

“Jose is solid prospect who is always in entertaining fights and has a growing fan base. Along with his manager, Richard Anthony guiding him, his future is extremely bright,” said Carl Moretti, vice-president of Top Rank.

“It is a honor and privilege to work with the Top Rank family. Bob Arum and his team have been a delight to work with and we look forward to a long and happy relationship,” said Richard Anthony, manager of Gonzalez.

Details about Gonzalez debut under the Top Rank banner will be announced soon.

Barrios Defeats Boschiero on ESPN

Undefeated rising super featherweight contender Mario Barrios (16-0, 8 KOs) defeated former title challenger Devis Boschiero (39-5-1, 21 KOs) by unanimous decision (120-107 X 3) in the 12-round main event of Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN & ESPN Deportes from Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, New Jersey.

From the opening bell, Barrios asserted himself as the aggressor, landing his jab at will and finding his distance early.

Barrios said, “Initially my game plan was to work the jab and see what would open (Boschiero) up. But as the rounds went by he didn’t seem like he was going to come at me. He just didn’t seem to want any action.”

A very tall super featherweight at more than six feet, the 21-year-old Barrios proved difficult for the stocky Boschiero to reach. However, near the end of the second round, the experienced Italian found a rare opening and landed several punches that briefly put Barrios on his heels.

In round three, Barrios regained control and coasted throughout the middle rounds, largely due to Boschiero’s hesitation to engage.

“It was pretty frustrating. I came out to put on a show for the fans, and unfortunately it seemed like my opponent was just trying to survive,” said Barrios. “I can try to press the fight all I want, but if he doesn’t want to fight it’s not going to happen.”

Boschiero, who challenged for a world title in 2011, added, “I had trouble finding my range tonight. He was tougher to hit then I expected.”

In round 12, Barrios scored the only knockdown of the fight, but Boschiero was able to get back to his feet and used the final seconds of the fight to execute his best combination of the night.

“I got to him in the final round,” said Bosciero. “But the opportunities were there when they weren’t in previous rounds.”

A victorious Barrios said, “This was my first 12-round fight, and it felt good to get the experience, I just wanted more intense action. But an ESPN main event takes my career to the next level. I’m just hoping for my shot at the title.”

Televised coverage kicked off with undefeated prospect Eddie Ramirez (14-0, 9 KOs) handily defeating Californian contender Jessie Roman (20-3, 9 KOs) by unanimous decision (98-92, 99-91 X2) in a 10-round super lightweight showdown.

David Benavidez Gets Right Back in the Gym

Just two days after dominating previously undefeated Francy Ntetu (16-1, 3 KOs) on Premier Boxing Champions’ June 25th CBS card at New York’s Barclay’s Center, “El Bandera Roja,” David Benavidez, was back at his home gym in Long Beach, preparing for his next bout. The rising star had no intention of taking time off, and jumped right into an intense training regimen that included sparring with Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (34-0, 24KO), who was set to make his pay-per-view debut later in the month, but was sidelined this week with an injury.

“My last fight was hard, but I learned a lot,” stated Benavidez regarding his bout with previously unbeaten Canadian Ntetu. “It was great experience, getting rounds in.”

With only one exception, a six round fight that went the distance in 2014, Benavidez hadn’t fought beyond the second round, knocking out opponent after opponent.

“I feel better and more experienced,” Benavidez continued. “I have confidence knowing I can go into deep waters and finish a fight if I have to. I’m learning how to pace myself when I need to during a round, and I know that those later rounds made me a better fighter.”

As Benavidez prepares for his next fight, he’s focused completely on improving himself.

“I didn’t mind getting right back to the gym,” said Benavidez. “This is my lifestyle now. I just want to train. I want to look at what I did wrong in my last fight and fix it. I don’t want to get rusty in between fights. When I’m not physically training, I’m thinking about mistakes I made in fights, techniques that can be improved. I want to get better each fight, and I’m consumed by that.”

“It’s this commitment to success and improvement that sets David apart from other young men his age, and other fighters,” said Jose Benavidez, Sr., David’s father and head trainer. “This is what makes him different, and this is why he’s going to be the best.”

Gomez Suffers Injury, Velez vs. Alvarado New Main Event

The exciting 10-round super featherweight bout between Jayson “La Maravilla” Velez (23-2-1, 16 KOs) and Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado (23-7, 16 KOs) has been upgraded to the main event on the Estrella TV Boxeo Estelar, broadcast on July 15. The originally scheduled fight between Alfonso Gomez vs. Pablo Cesar Cano has been cancelled due to Gomez sustaining an elbow injury earlier this week.

Live from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, the event will feature a new televised co-main event between undefeated prospect Rashidi “Speedy” Ellis (15-0, 11 KOs) of Boston and Luis “La Roca” Hernandez (12-1, 7 KOs) of Rio Pierdas, Puerto Rico in a eight-round super welterweight fight. Decorated amateur, Cesar Diaz of Palmdale, Calif. will make his professional debut and open up the Estrella TV broadcast in a scheduled four-round super bantamweight fight.

The event will feature former five-division boxing world champion and International Boxing Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard hosting a meet and greet at the Fantasy Springs Special Events Center ahead of the televised bouts from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Rob Brandt Wants to Face Billy Joe Saunders

Undefeated Minnesota-based middleweight Rob “Bravo” Brant would like to be the contender chosen to face WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders on September 17.

Saunders (23-0, 12 KOs) announced last week he would be fighting on the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Liam Smith undercard on HBO pay-per-view in the United States, and WBO #9-rated Brant (20-0, 13 KOs) says he thinks he’s the right choice to face him.

“I have the utmost respect Billy Joe Saunders as an athlete,” said Brant. “I respect him so much that I would really enjoy giving him a grand welcome to the United States in the middle of the square circle.”
Brant has been on a tear for the last year, scoring important victories on national television, including a “KO of the Year” contending knockout over Decarlo Perez in January. During that time, he also won the NABA Middleweight and WBC Continental Americas Championships.

“Rob Brant is the perfect choice for Saunders in that fight,” said Brant’s promoter, Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions. “He’s red hot right now. He’s undefeated and makes for exciting fights and he’s got a fan following from his television appearances. Saunders vs. Brant makes great sense for boxing fans and from a business perspective.”

Cohen says he’s hoping to hear from Saunders’ representatives soon.

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 04/21/2016

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.