Tag Archives: herrera

Posted on 05/04/2019

By: William Holmes

The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada was the host site for tonight’s middleweight showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs on the DAZN Streaming network.

The main card started at 9pm, and the undercard before the main card featured a shocking 13-1 underdog upset by Anthony “Juice” Young of Pleasantville, New Jersey over former junior middleweight champion Sadam Ali by a third round stoppage.

The first fight of the main card was in the super featherweight division Jonathan Oquendo (30-5) and Lamont Roach Jr. (18-0-1).

Both boxers fought out of an orthodox stance and Oquendo was pressing forward early and able to land some shots that forced blood to come from Roach’s nose.

Roach was landing some solid hooks on Oquendo in the second round, but Oquendo was banging to the body and applying heavy pressure. Oquendo was warned in the third round for holding Roach and to keep his head up.

Oquendo had Roach hurt badly in the fourth round with some body shots that forced Roach to hold on for most of the round. However, Roach turned the tide back in his favor in the fifth round by landing some heavy shots, though he landed one at a time instead of throwing combinations.

Oquendo’s activity likely won him the sixth round, and he was the more active fighter in the seventh also though Roach did land some hard counters.

Oquendo lost a point in the eight round for an headbutt which was a little bit questionable. The final two rounds played out like most of the fight, with Oquendo pressing the pace but Roach landing the cleaner shots.

The judges scored it 97-92, 97-92, and 96-93 for Lamont Roach Jr.

The next bout of the night was Freddy Fonseca (26-2-1) and Joseph Diaz (28-1) in the super featherweight division.

Fonseca and Diaz both fought out of a southpaw stance, and this was Fonseca’s first fight in the United States.

Diaz looked strong and healthy at 130 pounds, and landed heavy body and head shots early on. By the third round it was clear that Diaz was clearly the superior fighter, and had landed 50% of his power shots by the fourth round.

Fonseca had a decent fifth round, though was still out struck and out landed by Diaz. Diaz brutalized Fonseca in the sixth round and out landed him 30-4 in punches and scored a late round knockdown when Fonseca was forced to take a knee.

Diaz continued to land power shots at will in the sixth round and forced Fonseca’s corner to step up and stop the fight.

Joseph Diaz wins by TKO at 2:07 of the seventh round.

The co-main event of the night was between Vergil Ortiz (12-0) and Mauricio Herrera (24-8) in the welterweight division.

Herrera looked a little soft going into the ring, but he was a rugged veteran who’s been in the ring with some tough fighters.

Ortiz showed off his power early by being patient and solving the jab of Herrera and hurting him with a left hook at the end of the round. Ortiz remained patient in the second round and badly hurt Herrera at the end of the round and forced a knockdown as the round came to an end. Herrera got back to his feet, but was badly hurt as he returned to his corner.

Ortiz came out blazing in the third round and landed a crushing straight right hand that sent Herrera to the mat and forced the referee to stop the bout.

Vergil Ortiz wins by TKO at 0:29 of the third round.

Posted on 05/03/2019

By: William Holmes

On Saturday night Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions will match their best welterweights against each other to unify the WBC, WBA, and IBF Middleweight Titles.

This bout will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The co-main event of the night will be between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Mauricio Herrera in the welterweight division. Other undercard fights will feature boxers such as Pablo Cesar Cano, Michael Perez, Joseph Diaz Jr., Sadam Ali, Lamont Roach, and Jonathan Oquendo.

Photo Credit: Tom Hogan-Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions

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

Vergil Ortiz Jr. (12-0) vs. Mauricio Herrera (24-8); Welterweight Division

Vergil Ortiz is a young up and coming prospect that has twelve wins on his record, as well as twelve stoppage victories. He’s only twenty one years old, and will be facing someone that is seventeen years his elder who only has seven stoppage victories.

Ortiz will have about a two and half inch height advantage over Herrera, but will be giving up about an inch and a half in reach. Ortiz has been very active and fought once in 2019, three times in 2018, and five times in 2017. Herrera has not been as active. He fought once in 2018 and twice in 2017.

Ortiz also has a significant edge in amateur experience. He’s a former National Silver and Golden Gloves Champion, while Herrera has no notable amateur achievements.

Ortiz hasn’t faced any top level competition yet, but has defeated the likes of Jesus A. Valdez Barrayan, Roberto Ortiz, Juan Carlos Salgado, and Jesus Alvarez Rodriguez.

Herrera has lost three of his past five fights. He has defeated the likes of Jesus Soto karass, Hector Velazquez, Henry Lundy, Johan Perez, Ji Hoon Kim, and Mike Dallas Jr. His eight losses, many of them recently, were to Sadam Ali, Pablo Cesar Cano, Frankie Gomez, Jose Benavidez Jr., Danny Garcia, Karim Mayfield, Mike Alvarado, and Mike Anchondo.

Herrera is a good test for Ortiz in that he has eight losses but was never stopped, while Ortiz has yet to go to the judge’s scorecards. If Ortiz is able to stop Herrera you’ll know his power is for real, but Herrera doesn’t appear to be a real threat to give Ortiz his first loss.

Canelo Alvarez (51-1-2) vs. Daniel Jacobs (35-2); WBC/WBA/IBF Middleweight Titles

Canelo Alvarez is only twenty eight years old, but already has fifty four fights to his resume and has been a champion in the light middleweight, middleweight, and super middleweight divisions.

His opponent, Daniel Jacobs, is thirty two years old and considered by many to be the best opponent that Canelo could face in the middleweight division.

Jacobs will have about a three and a half inch height advantage and about a two and a half inch reach advantage over Canelo. Canelo has the edge in youth, but both boxers are still in their athletic prime.

Canelo and Jacobs both fought twice in 2017 and 2018, which is pretty standard for most champions and top contenders in boxing. Both boxers have pretty decent power, with Canelo stopping thirty five of his opponents and Jacobs stopping twenty nine. However, Canelo only has two stoppage victories in his past five fights and Jacobs only has one stoppage victory in his past five fights.

Canelo turned professional at the age of fifteen so he doesn’t have the amateur accomplishments of Jacobs, but he was a former Junior Mexican National Championship Gold Medalist. Jacobs had a successful career in the amateur circuit in the United States. He’s a former Junior Olympics National Champion and a former Golden Gloves National Champion.

Canelo’s only loss in his career was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. He has beaten the likes of Rocky Fielding, Gennady Golovkin, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Liam Smith, Amir Khan, Miguel Cotto, James Kirkland, Erislandy lara, Alfredo Angulo, Austin Trout, Shane Mosley, Josesito Lopez, and Alfonso Gomez.

Jacobs losses were to Gennady Golvokin in a close decision and a stunning upset knockout loss to Dmitry Pirog. He has defeated the likes of Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Maciej Sulecki, Luis Arias, Sergio Mora, Peter Quillin, Caleb Truax, Jarrod Fletcher.

This should be a close and intriguing fight. Canelo, rightly, is the betting favorite and he has the more impressive list of victories. However, Jacobs does have a rather significant height and reach advantage on Canelo and he has spent most of his career fighting in the middleweight division. If Jacobs can stay on the outside and use his reach and footwork to his advantage he can pull out the victory.

But the judges have been kind to Canelo in the scorecards before, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the same thing happens on Saturday.

Posted on 08/04/2017

by: Sean Crose

The Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California hosted Friday night’s Golden Boy ESPN card featuring veteran welterweights Jesus Soto Karass and Mauricio Herrera. First, though, light heavyweight Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, 18-1, faced Todd Unthank May, 10-0-1, in a ten rounder. Shabranskyy, who lost an important fight to Sullivan Barrera last December, employed a powerful, methodical game plan, one which was clearly taking its toll on the undefeated Unthank May in the fifth. By the end of the seventh, it was obvious Unthank May’s corner should stop the fight. He was simply taking too much damage. And indeed, the fight didn’t reach the eight round.

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

Next up was a six round super middleweight throwdown between Jaime Solorio, 10-1-2, and Niko Valdes, 5-0. Solorio was able to land a few good shots early on, but Valdes was clearly able to control the tempo with steady aggression and sound footwork. By the middle of the fight it was obvious that Valdes was stronger and more skilled, but that his patience made his style lack excitement. Not to be outdone, however, Solorio ended the fourth whaling away at Valdes, paying particular attention to his opponent’s body. Still, Valdes was able to reassert control as the fight progressed further and walked away with an easy UD win.

It was time for the main event. Both Soto Karass, 28-11-4, and Herrera, 23-7, had their notable moments throughout their careers. Soto Karass had fought a who’s who of opposition throughout the years while Herrera was still best known for his controversial loss to Danny Garcia in Puerto Rico back in 2014. Friday night was, in a sense, a last ditch effort for each fighter to attain late career glory. Both men remained somewhat patient early on, though Herrera was going effectively to the body. He was also finding a regular home for his jab by the middle of the second. Soto Karass, however, ended the round moving forward and using his reach to good effect.

Indeed it was Soto Karass who began to look stronger in the third and then actually started taking control of the fight early in the fourth. Herrera, though, was there to win and the two men nailed each other repeatedly in the middle of that chapter. Still, it was Soto Karass who was walking his man down and looking to dominate as the fight entered the middle rounds. Yet, Herrera’s jab returned to him in the fifth and he was able to land hard and clean. Soto Karass, however, finished the round strong. It was a solid affair.

As the fight worked its way through the middle rounds, it became clear that these were indeed two aging fighters plying their trade. The action was in bursts and the tempo was rather slow at times. Slow but steady. In this, the bout seemed to actually resemble an MMA match, where the action is often punctuated by notable pauses. By round eight however, the action became somewhat explosive, with Soto Karass ripping into Herrera’s body and Herrera landing in kind. It was a see-saw affair, to be sure. Herrera was more accurate, but Sotto Karass seemed to perhaps have a bit more power.

By the end of the ninth, things had gotten bloody. Herrera’s face was an absolute mess as Soto Karass finished the round battering the man’s head around the the ring. It was now worth wondering how much more Herrera could take – and how much more Soto Karass could give. The tenth and final round was a doozy, with both men firing away and showing tremendous heart. That was no surprise, but it was impressive to watch nonetheless. These were two admirable adversaries.

In the end, I gave it to Soto Karass due to the power of his punches. The judges apparently saw it differently, giving the nod to Herrera. Huge credit goes to both men. What a fight.

Posted on 08/08/2016

Olympic Stunner: Ireland’s Barnes Falls To Spain’s Heredia
By: Sean Crose

During last week’s opening Olympic ceremony in Rio, Ireland’s Paddy Barnes carried his nation’s flag. On Monday the 29 year old was figuratively sent packing when he lost a split decision to Spain’s 20 year old Samuel Carmona Heredia. A close fight, it was ultimately settled in the third and final round by Heredia’s slippery skill. Needless to say, fans of Olympic boxing were treated to a major upset. For, popular and experienced, Barnes was looking for a third medal after earning the Bronze in both China and England. Sadly for the Irishman, however, it simply wasn’t mean to be this time around.

The media, which likes to use the same words and phrases in different outlets (so much for individuality) have taken hold of the word “shock” to describe Barnes’ fall to earth. Was Barnes’ himself shocked, however? Truly, it appears a dark truth occurred to the Belfast fighter during the bout. “To be honest, I felt good getting into the ring today,” the Independent quotes Barnes as saying after the loss. “But, to be honest with you, at the end of that first round, my energy was completely gone.” Still, the man made it clear he felt terrible after the loss.

“I’m absolutely devastated,” he admitted, claiming he had been “the favorite for gold.” Yet the light flyweight still had a final, devastating comment to add. “Just as well I got beaten,” he said, “because I would have been embarrassed next week.” A harsh assessment to be sure, but perhaps an honest one from a man who clearly claimed to have weight issues. That doesn’t take anything away from Spain’s Heredia, however. One doesn’t simply stun the world in a boxing match because one fighter has issues. It takes two, after all, to create an upset of such magnitude.

Needless to say, social media was ablaze after the fight.

“Anyway,” fellow Irish boxer Michael Conlon tweeted, “Paddy Barnes is a Legend of Irish sport and always will be! Done a lot more for Ireland than most ever will! #UpBarnes #Legend”

“Absolutely gutted for my mate @paddyb_ireland,” tweeted Irish star Carl Frampton.”I know how much he wanted that and how much he’s put in to these Olympics. Still a hero”

If there’s one fact that’s plainly obvious this week it’s that boxing will be more than a series of staid formalities at this year’s Olympics. Although Barnes’ loss is clearly hard on both he and his fans, some intrigue has now been injected into the ring in Rio. The unexpected, in short, has happened.

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.”

Posted on 05/05/2016

HBO PPV Preview: Herrera vs. Gomez, Tapia vs. Lemieux, Khan vs. Canelo
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night Golden Boy Promotions will partner up with HBO to broadcast at least three fights on pay per view.

The brand new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada will be the host site for this card in which Canelo Alvarez will defend his WBC Middleweight title against Amir Khan. Two other fights are on tap for the card as David Lemieux looks to bounce back from his loss to Gennady Golovkin when he takes on “Jersey Boy” Glen Tapia in the middleweight division. The opening bout on the card should be between Mauricio Herrera and Frankie Gomez in the welterweight division.

The following is a preview of all three televised bouts on the pay per view.

Mauricio Herrera (22-5) vs. Frankie Gomez (20-0); Welterweights

The opening bout of the night should be a coming out party for Frankie Gomez.

Freddie Roach once called Frankie Gomez his most prized prospect in the Wild Card Gym, and he has the amateur pedigree to back up that claim. Gomez won the 2009 US National Championships as an amateur in 2009 and has yet to taste defeat.

Mauricio Herrera will be a major step up in competition for Gomez and he is a crafty and tough veteran. Herrera however, is thirty five years old and will be eleven years older than Gomez. Gomez will be about a half an inch taller but will be giving up about an inch and a half in reach. Herrera has spent most of his career fighting in the lightweight division and fought in the junior welterweight division in his last fight.

Gomez’s biggest concern should be his recent lack of activity. He only fought once in 2016 and in 2015, and twice in 2014. His only big victories have come against Vernon Paris and Jorge Silva.

Herrera has beaten the likes of Hank Lundy, Johan Perez, Ji Hoon Kim, and Mike Dallas Jr. His losses have come to Jose Benavidez, Danny Garcia, Karim Mayfield and Mike Alvarado.

Herrera is the perfect test for Gomez at this stage of his career and it’s a test that Gomez should pass. Gomez’s past three wins have come by decision and Saturday should be no different.

David Lemieux (34-3) vs. Glen Tapia (23-2); Middleweights

This is a crossroads fight for both Lemieux and Tapia and both are coming off of tough stoppage losses. However, both boxers are under the age of thirty and have plenty of time to make another title run.

Lemieux is known for his incredible power and has stopped thirty one of his opponents. Tapia only has fifteen stoppage victories. Tapie will have an edge in height and reach, as he is an inch and a half taller and will have a three inch reach.

Lemieux won several Canadian Amateur Championships but did not compete in the Olympics. Tapia placed in several golden gloves tournaments as an amateur, but did not enjoy success on the international level.

Lemieux has the better resume as a professional. He has defeated the likes of Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam, Gabriel Rosado, Fernando Guerrero, Hector Camacho Jr., and Elvin Ayala. His losses were to Gennady Golovkin, Joachim Alcine, and Marco Antonio Rubio.

Tapie has defeated the likes of Daniel Dawsom, Abraham Han, and Ayi Bruce. He has lost to Michel Soro in a mild upset and James Kirkland.

Tapia’s chin has been exposed as suspect in recent fights and he will have a difficult time avoiding the power of Lemieux. A victory for Lemieux in combination with his drawing power in Montreal will likely lead to another future title shot for him.

Canelo Alvarez (46-1-1) vs. Amir Khan (31-3); WBC Middleweight Title

Amir Khan has been chasing a mega fight with either Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao and has come up short. He surprised everyone by signing on the dotted line to fight the current WBC Middleweight Champion Canelo Alvarez.

Amir Khan will be jumping up two weight classes to take on the bigger Canelo. Khan is four years older than Canelo and has the faster hands. He will be giving up about a half an inch in height but will have about a half an inch reach advantage.

Canelo does have a clear advantage in power and has the stronger chin. Canelo’s lone loss was by decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and two of the three losses for Amir Khan were by knockout. Canelo has stopped thirty two of his opponents while Khan has only stopped nineteen.

Canelo has also been the more active boxer. He fought twice in 2015 and in 2014. Khan only fought once in 2015 and 2013, but did fight twice in 2014.

Khan does have the edge in amateur experience. Khan won the silver medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics and Canelo won the gold medal at the 2005 Junior Mexican National Championships and then turned pro at the age of fifteen.

Khan’s losses were to Danny Garcia, Breidis Prescott, and a disputed decision loss to Lamont Peterson. He has beaten Chris Algieri, Devon Alexander, Louis Collazo, Julio Diaz, Carlos Molina, Zab Judah, Marcos Maidana, and Paul Malignaggi.

Canelo has defeated the likes of Miguel Cotto, James Kirkland, Erisandy Lara, Alfredo Angulo, Austin Trout, Shane Mosley, and Miguel Vazquez.

Khan’s speed could give Canelo problems, but it will be essential for him to stay out of the range of Canelo’s punches. Canelo looked very good in his last bout against Miguel Cotto and he has more power in his hands than Garcia and Prescott, both boxers that were able to stop Khan.

The most likely scenario is that Canelo will use his size to his advantage and trap Khan by the ropes and stop him before the championship rounds.