Tag Archives: Marcos

Posted on 02/14/2019

By: Sean Crose

After close to a half decade out of the ring, former WBA Welterweight, and (regular) Junior Welterweight Champion Marcos Maidana has announced that he’s returning to the fight game. The 35 year old Argentine brawler, who had accumulated a record of 35-5 after his last fight in 2014, hasn’t boxed professionally in well over four years. The announcement for his return was reportedly delivered to numerous Spanish language outlets and showed Maidana chilling out in a tub while letting the fight world know he was coming back. An exact opponent, location or date has not been set for his return. What is clear, however, is that Maidana has now signed a lucrative deal with Al Haymon’s Premiere Boxing Champion’s organization (PBC).

According to Forbes, Maidana’s return fight will net him a million and a half dollars and may either occur in the junior middleweight or middleweight divisions. The idea is reportedly for Maidana, who let himself go in retirement, to get back into premium shape and then meet a major challenge later this year after an initial comeback bout. Maidana is said to have been inspired by Manny Pacquiao’s and Keith Thurman’s latest PBC matches. An exciting, rugged, sometimes dirty fighter, Maidana has previously faced a who’s who of big names.

The last time Maidana was active in the sport, he faced pound for pound great Floyd Mayweather in two 2014 pay per view bouts. The first match, in the spring of that year, was a high octane, highly competitive affair. Mayweather was more dominant in the second go-round the following autumn, but Maidana clearly emerged as one of Mayweather’s toughest opponents. After losing both Mayweather fights by decision, Maidana gave the impression of being happily retired with his pay per view money. Like many retired fighters, however, Maidana has gotten the comeback bug.

Aside from battling Mayweather, Maidana fought and bested Adrien Broner, then a rising star, in a thrilling 2013 affair, handing the Cincinnati native his first loss. Maidana also faced Amir Khan, who he lost to in a seesaw 2010 bout. Among the popular fighter’s best wins are matches against Victor Ortiz, DeMarcus Corley, Erik Morales, Jesus Soto Karass, and Josesito Lopez. Maidana is reportedly interested in rematching Broner, the loser of what was arguably his most famous bout. It’s unclear whether or not Maidana will reteam with Robert Garcia, the trainer he has enjoyed the most success with.

Posted on 05/06/2017

Canelo vs. Chavez Undercard Results: Diaz, Matthysse, and Lemieux Win Convincingly
By: William Holmes

The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas has quickly become the new hotspot to for big fights time pay per view fights and was the host site for tonight Golden Boy Promoter pay per view card headlined by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Canelo Alvarez.

The first bout of the under card was between Joseph Diaz Jr. (23-0) and Manuel Avila (22-0) in the featherweight division.

Avila pressed forward in the opening moments of the first round but was a little short with his punches while Diaz was sharp with his straight left right hook combination. Diaz’s jab controlled the distance in the first and second rounds.

Diaz stayed disciplined in the second and selectively slipped through his counters. Avila slipped at the end of the second round and looked slightly off balance.

Avila had a good third round with some good shots to the body, but Diaz ended strong with a straight left followed by a short left hook Avila forced his combinations in the fourth and fifth round and may have landed more punches, but Diaz landed the harder counters but wasn’t as active as Avila.

A cut above Avila’s left eye was bothering him in the sixth round and Diaz took advantage by pressing his attacks and landing hard straight left hands. The sixth was Diaz’s most dominant round of the night at this point of the fight.

Diaz’s seventh round was just as good as the sixth. His right hook to the head and body was especially on point, and the highlight of this round was a Diaz combination on Avila by the corner.

Diaz was in clear control in the eighth round and landed some good shots to the body of Avila. Diaz staggered Avila twice in the ninth round and nearly scored a knockdown.

Avila needed a knockout in the final round to win, but he didn’t come close to achieving it.

The final scores were 100-90, 99-91, and 99-91 for Joseph Diaz.

The next bout of the night was between Lucas Matthysse (37-4) and Emmanuel Taylor (20-4) in the welterweight division.

This was Matthysse’s first fight since his knockout loss to Postol, but he came out strong behind his double jab and landed good shots to the body and head. Matthysse landed a straight right at the end of the first round that hurt Taylor, but Taylor was able to survive the round.

Taylor was pensive of Matthysse’s power in the second round and was taking several hard combination. Matthysse had Taylor covering up by the ropes on more than one occasion in the second.

Taylor came out aggressively in the third round but head butted Matthysse early on and forced the referee to momentarily stop the bout. Taylor came right at Matthysse when the fight resumed, but was tagged with a straight right hand that send him down to the mat. He was able to get back up and shake off the punch, but the power of Matthysse was being felt.

Matthysse’s aggression carried him through the fifth and sixth rounds as Taylor’s power paled in comparison to Matthysse. Matthysse landed a a hard combination on Taylor by the ropes in the fifth round that busted the nose of Taylor and sent him crashing to the mat.

Taylor as able to get up before the count of ten, but he was still on wobbly legs and the referee stopped the bout.

Lucas Matthysse wins by KO at 2:21 of the fifth round.

The final bout on the undercard was between David Lemieux (37-3) and Marcos Reyes (35-4) in the super middleweight division.

Lemieux comes out showing good head movement, but Reyes was able to land his jab in the first thirty seconds in the bout. Lemieux connected good shots to the body and was chasing Reyes around the ring and invested in the body. Reyes was able to land some good jabs, but Lemieux was clearly the aggressor.

Lemieux was able to open up a cut over the eye of Reyes in the second round and forced Reyes to grab on nearly every time he landed a shot. Lemieux hard a dominating third round and was landing some heavy, heavy, power shots. Reye’s right eye was bleeding badly and his chin was tested often this round, but somehow he stayed on his feet the entire round.

Lemieux’s power display continued in the fourth round with a straight right hand that knocked out the mouthpiece of Reyes. However, Reyes was able to land some surprising right hands near the end of the round that may have stunned Lemieux.

Reyes is a little more active in the fifth round and lands some good punches on Lemieux and even outboxes Lemieux. Reyes chin tested often, but it somehow stays strong and he may have landed more punches than Lemieux in the fifth.

Lemieux appeared to be fighting more cautiously in the sixth round as his activity slowed down, Reyes however picked up his activity and threw a high volume of punches.

Lemieux was able to regain control in the seventh round with a vicious left hook that forced Reyes to hold on and slowed him down significantly. That control continued into the eighth round as Reyes badly needed a knockdown to turn the tide of the fight around.

Reyes fought valiantly and displayed great heart and a sturdy chin in the final two rounds, but he was not match a boxer with the pedigree of Lemieux.

David Lemieux wins by decision with scores of 99-90, 99-90, and 98-91.

Posted on 05/05/2017

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

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

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

Photo Credit: Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

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

The following is a preview of the three main fights.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lemieux will win.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on 08/10/2016

Now Officially Retired, Marcos Maidana Will Be Missed
By: Sean Crose

Adrien Broner had pretty much gotten under everyone’s skin by that point. Okay, perhaps not everyone’s, but at least a great many people’s. Loud, uncouth and thoroughly arrogant, this master of mind games had the fight world eating out of his hand. If his goal was showmanship, then Broner was a certified A lister. Here, it was claimed, was the heir to Mayweather’s throne. For the 27-0 Ohio native had jumped from lightweight to welterweight and was, it seemed, on the verge of very big things. Now Broner was scheduled to fight the hardened Argentine Marcos Maidana smack dab in the middle of Christmas season in the main event of a stacked Showtime card. Needless to say, it was a very big occasion for the guy known as “The Problem.”

Things, however, didn’t go as planned that night in the Alamodome. For the 34-3 Maidana took it to the brash and showy Broner in a way only he could. By implementing a rough and grueling assault, Maidana was able to drop Broner twice and overcome a fierce challenge (fight fans tend to forget that Broner is actually very talented) to emerge victorious via a unanimous decision win. Merry Christmas, Marcos. Now, almost three years later, with Maidana having announced his retirement this week, it’s clear that the Broner win was a crowning achievement in a very colorful career.

Oh, Maidana would move on to face Floyd Mayweather for two fights, and those would be big moneymakers for him, but they weren’t the Broner matchup. While it’s true Maidana came close to besting Floyd the first time around (closer than Manny Pacquiao did, in fact), he ended up losing a decision this author felt could have gone either way before losing more soundly in the rematch. Needless to say, the guy hasn’t fought since then and it’s hard to find a reason to fault Maidana now for retiring.

For here’s an individual whose had quite a career for himself. No, he didn’t have an 0 to protect for a large part of it, but he didn’t have to. He simply brought the heat over and over again. Even when Maidana lost, like he did to Amir Khan in their terrific, back and forth 2010 showdown, he was always in the fight. Want to see a somewhat oldie but goodie? Check out Maidana’s dismantling of Ortiz back in 2009. Madiana may not have ever been as decorated as Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao were, but one thing is certain – he gave fans their time and money’s worth over and over again.

And for that, the man called El Chino should be honored.