Tag Archives: mayweather

Posted on 01/20/2020

By: Hans Themistode

When it comes to money, you won’t have to look hard to find Floyd Mayweather. 

The former all-time great boxer, retired back in 2017 after pocketing over a hundred million dollars for his tenth round knockout of UFC star Conor McGregor. Since that loss, McGregor had spent a significant amount of time away from the fight game but he officially got back in the win column this past Saturday nightin the octagon with a 40 second knockout of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. 

McGregor had been calling for a rematch with Mayweather over two years. Now that he is officially back on the winning side and is garnering a ton of buzz, now it’s Mayweather who seems to be chasing McGregor for them to do it again. 

Following the quick win for McGregor, ESPN reporter Brett Okamoto shared some news about just how badly Mayweather wants this rematch with McGregor to take place. 

“Just spoke to Dana White,” said Okamoto on his Twitter account. “We finished our interview than he showed me an Instagram from Floyd Mayweather. Said Floyd has been blowing him up all night … no more details than that.”

With a nine figure payday awaiting Mayweather in a rematch with McGregor, it really is no surprise to see just ansy he is about the possibility of another matchup with his crossover rival. 

Although it would be easy on Mayweather’s end to take a fight with McGregor right away. The UFC star on the other hand has his eyes on a number of other fighters in his own sport. Most notably, Khabib Nurmagomedov. 

Still, even if McGregor is taken off the table, Mayweather could of course bank another ridiculous payday if he rematched Manny Pacquiao. Their first bout did after all, break every pay-per-view record. If Mayweather does in fact decide to go down the route of a bout with Pacquiao, then White believes his budding boxing company Zuffa boxing could bring something valuable to the table.

“I think that the Mayweather Pacquiao fight will probably happen again and it makes sense,” said Dana White. “Especially the way Manny Pacquiao has looked in his last couple of fights. That’s something that could happen. I truly believe we would add a ton of value to that fight. So anything is possible.”

Pacquiao, McGregor or even Nurmagomedov are all on the table as possible options for Mayweather. As far who Mayweather will actually choose to take on is an easy decision to make. Whoever brings in the biggest paycheck is who Mayweather will make his 2020 return against.

Posted on 01/18/2020

By: Sean Crose

Even though he hasn’t fought in over a year – Conor McGregor is still the biggest star in the UFC, as is evidenced by the enormous press coverage leading up to his Saturday nightthrowdown with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in Las Vegas. Still, it’s seems McGregor really wants to box. At least that’s the impression the man’s been giving leading up to Saturday. Even though McGregor was bested by Floyd Mayweather in the tenth round of their 2017 novelty boxing match, McGregor seems to want more of the sweet science. 

According to the Los Angeles Times, McGregor and UFC honcho Dana White recently “fielded almost as many questions about boxing as they did about the UFC 246 pay-per-view taking place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.” White reportedly wants McGregor to stay put in the UFC – though it’s clear White himself wants in on the boxing game, in a managerial or promotional level. McGregor, on the other hand, wants a second shot at the almost 43 year old Mayweather. He’s also expressed interest in fighting Mayweather’s arch rival, Manny Pacquiao. McGregor has even responded positively to the idea of facing Pacquiao in the yet to be completed Allegiant Stadium, soon to be home to the NFL’s Raider’s. 

“I would be honored to be a part of that,” the Times quotes McGregor as saying. “I would love to be the first combatant to fight in that arena. What a fight that would be against Manny — a small powerful southpaw. We would have to figure out the weight and those types of things, but it’s something that interests me, no doubt.” Weight would certainly be an issue. McGregor is facing Cerrone at 170 pounds. Pacquiao fights at around 147 pounds – and has to eat copious amounts of food to even reach that weight. Add in McGregor’s height advantage and the two would make an odd pairing. It would also be a terrible look for McGregor if the much smaller Pacquiao beat him – which is something most analysts would likely predict anyway.

Not that McGregor can be blamed for wanting to box again. He’s making a reported three million dollars to face Cerrone this weekend. That’s a whole lot of money, but not nearly the kind of payday a top name boxer makes. The simple truth is that, even if he loses, McGregor can make a lot more fighting Pacquiao than he can fighting a top level opponent in his own sport. Then there’s the matter of ambition, something McGregor has never had in short supply. To conquer both boxing and MMA would be a bright feather in any fighter’s cap. It seems only Holly Holm, who will be fighting on the McGregor-Cerrone undercard, has been able to pull off such a feat to date. 

Posted on 12/26/2019

By: Hans Themistode

We’re just a few days away from the end of this decade. In terms of sports, it’s been a memorable one. 

We’ve seen one of the greatest basketball players of all-time in Kobe Bryant start the decade with an NBA championship, while Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors end it with their own. 

The New Orleans Saints kicked off the beginning of this decade with an NFL title and the seemingly never ending dynasty of the New England Patriots end this decade capturing yet another championship. 

For years, boxing has been given the cold shoulder. “Boxing is dead” has been a constant theme for years. Outside of maybe one big fight a year, boxing has always been shoved inside of the closet. How many times does this sentiment need to be proven wrong for the storyline on boxing be changed for good? 

Every year we read about the huge money that is being passed around other sports like candy. Now that the year 2020 is right around the corner, the top ten athletes of this decade were ranked in terms of who raked in the most money. 

If boxing is dead like they say, then how come multiple names from the sport appear on this list?  Figuring out who leads the group is an easy one. Floyd Mayweather may have retired back in 2017, but he did more than enough to come out on top of this list. 

If you’re curious as to which other boxer joined him and the full list of names that occupy every other spot, just keep reading and you’ll find out just how much money all of these athletes brought in for the decade.  

10. Lewis Hamilton: $400 Million 

Occupation: Race car driver

Speeding might lead to a few tickets and several issues with the law, but race car driver Lewis Hamilton has learned how to turn into a lucrative way of life.

9. Kevin Durant: $425 Million

Occupation: Basketball player 

With two NBA championships, an MVP award, 10 All-Star game selections and a slew of other awards, Kevin Durant has seen his brand skyrocket to the top with a 400 percent endorsement increase during this decade.

8. Manny Pacquiao: $435 Million

Occupation: Boxer

2020 will be the 25th year for Manny Pacquiao as a professional fighter. Ridiculous. He’s fought on pay-per-view 25 times in his career and has always drawn big numbers. The scary part about Pacquiao is that he doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

7. Phil Mickelson: $480 Million

Occupation: Golf player

With nearly half a billion dollars made during the decade, no one should question why at the age of 49, Phil Mickelson has continued his golf career.

6. Tiger Woods: $615 Million

Occupation: Golf player

Not only has golfer Tiger Woods generated $615 million dollars during the decade, but he is also just three majors behind the all-time leader Jack Nicklaus. Don’t expect Tiger to hang em up anytime soon.

5. Roger Federer: $640 Million

Occupation: Tennis Player 

Roger Federer might be 38 years old but if you believe he is slowing down, then you might want to double check. He currently holds the record for the most majors won with 20. He also signed a lucrative deal with Uniqlo for $300 million back in 2018. Expect the money to keep piling up for him even in a new decade. 

4. LeBron James: $680 Million

Occupation: Basketball player

There is no doubt that LeBron James is one of the best basketball players to ever play the game, but his business mind separates him from the rest. He once was on record saying that he wants to be a billionaire. At his rate, there is no doubt that he will be.

3. Lionel Messi: $750 Million

Occupation: Soccer player

This page isn’t long enough to list every achievement of Lionel Messi. One thing that should be highlighted, however, is that he earned more money than any other athlete regardless of the sport in 2019.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo: $800 Million

Occupation: Soccer player 

Cristiano Ronaldo may rank second on this list bringing in $800 million during the decade but he ranks number one in terms of Instagram followers with 194 million. That has to count for something right?

1. Floyd Mayweather: $915 Million

Occupation: Boxer

No one can compare to Floyd Mayweather. It almost seems unreal to see that he has made almost one billion dollars in one decade. With Mayweather set to come out of retirement in 2020, it wouldn’t shock anyone to see him on the top of this list again for the next decade.

Posted on 11/24/2019

By: Hans Themistode

When Floyd Mayweather Jr decided to flip the boxing world on its head by announcing that he would be returning to the ring in 2020, it was met with a mixed bag of emotions.

On one end, boxing fans were elated with the news. Floyd is one of the greatest boxers of all-time and an even better showman. On the other side of the spectrum, it seemed like a complete contradiction.

Just one day prior to making his announcement, Floyd went on record stating that he was officially done with the sport of boxing. At least, from a participant standpoint.

Floyd cited his health as the main reason why he was hanging up the gloves for good. The five division world champion has always kept himself in great shape, and has done an excellent job in avoiding taking heavy punishment in a career that has spanned more than two decades. But with so many ring tragedies as of late, Floyd decided that at the age of 42, it was just too much of a risk at this point in his life.

“Boxing is a very, very brutal sport. In the last few years a lot of fighters have died inside that squared circle,” Said Mayweather. “My health is my wealth”

Floyd has retired from the ring on numerous occasions, but has always given the impression that he would be back at some point. This time however, things seemed more real.

With that being said, within just a few short hours later, Floyd would go on to announce that he would be ending his retirement in 2
Talk about a quick change of heart.

The focus has now quickly shifted to who exactly does Floyd have in mind for his ring return. The excitement surrounding the greatest boxer of his generation making his return in palpable.

One person however, who isn’t amongst those who are happy with the decision is his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr.

“There ain’t nothing to prove,” said Mayweather Sr. “He done proved everything.”

With 50 wins to his name with no defeats to go along with countless titles across five weight divisions, Mayweather Sr is right. Floyd doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone.

Many are expecting Floyd’s return to be a one off. A huge fight against quite possibly another UFC opponent where he could bank at minimum 100 million dollars for his services. But Mayweather Sr doesn’t quite view it that way. Instead, he believes this could become a pattern.

“If he fights this time then I figure then he’s going to fight again, and if you fight then, you’ll fight again and again and again. It’s like as long as I keep winning I’ll keep fighting and that ain’t no good.”

The concerns that Mayweather Sr has for his son has nothing to do with fighting ability. He believes that Floyd is still highly skilled but at this point why take the risk? Who knows if anyone around Floyd has advised him to stay away from a return, but Mayweather Sr has made it clear that if he can stop him, he will.

“He can do it, trust me but hopefully I can stop him from fighting. I don’t know if I can or not but if I can, I will be glad. I just don’t want him to get hurt in any kind of way.”

With Mayweather Sr expressing genuine concern for his son, maybe he can put an end to his 2020 ring return. Yet, with Floyd’s obsession with money, it is hard to see anyone changing his mind.

Posted on 11/23/2019

By: Hans Themistode

Now that we have gotten past our hysteria over Floyd Mayweather Jr making his return to the ring in 2020. We can now focus on who “Money May” plans on making his return against.

Following an instagram post marking his decision to fight once again in 2020, Mayweather subsequently posted a picture with UFC President Dana White. The last time these two were seen together, the pair put on one of the biggest events in 2017. That was of course, when Mayweather took on UFC star Conor McGregor in a boxing match. One that Mayweather won via tenth round stoppage.

A rematch with McGregor had long been discussed, but now, two years later, one has to believe that it wouldn’t be quite the draw that it was the first time around. With McGregor failing to win a contest in the octagon since 2016, he still remains a major draw but not what he once was.

McGregor was last seen in 2018 as he lost via submission to UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. The aforementioned Nurmagomedov, has now been linked to a contest with Mayweather. There has been a bit of resistance for the contest to take place, but as of late, it has been embraced more than ever.

Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap, welcomes the idea of his son facing Mayweather, who carries an undefeated record of 28-0 in his MMA career. First things first however, and that is a matchup between Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, a fighter who is currently on a 12 fight winning streak in the UFC. The contest between the two is expected to be one of the biggest in the history of the UFC.

“Floyd, I respect your wish to fight Khabib,” said Abdulmanap via Instagram. “At the moment we have our most crucial moment, when he have to hold the best fight in the history of the UFC.”

Unlike in 2017, Mayweather does not intend on returning to the ring for just one fight. Instead, it seems as though his first bout back will be something of a warm up as he gets himself prepared for a rematch with Manny Pacquiao.

According to reports, Mayweather believes that “the time is right” for a rematch to take place in 2020 with Pacquiao.

For over five years in the career of Mayweather, he has fought on two of the biggest Mexican holidays which are in May and September. Those dates have since been taken by current boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez. Mayweather could be angling to get them back.

Outside of his last contest which took place at the T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, Mayweather has always made his home just down the block at the MGM Grand Arena. Mayweather could change that narrative as he eyes the Allegiant Stadium, which would be the home of the NFL team Las Vegas Raiders when the team officially moves from Oakland in 2020.

Nothing has been set in stone yet, but Mayweather is certainly making his return to the ring. Sit back, relax and prepare for one wild 2020. Courtesy of Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Posted on 11/22/2019

By: Sean Crose

Floyd Mayweather is now all but saying that he will be fighting again in 2020. Although the fighter known as Money has made a second career teasing and occasionally delving into comebacks, the former pound for pound great has presented two typically enigmatic posts on Instagram which suggest he’s about to get back in the fight business in one form or other. “@danawhite and I working together again,” Mayweather wrote alongside a picture of he and UFC honcho Dana White sitting together court-side at a basketball game, “to bring the world another spectacular event in 2020”

Photo Credit: Floyd Mayweather Jr. Instagram Account

The first and – up until now – only “spectacular” event Mayweather and White put on was 2017’s novelty superfight between Mayweather and the UFCs biggest star at the time, Conor McGregor. Mayweather predictably won, but the fight brought in a ton of money and publicity and was arguably the defining pop culture event of that summer. Since then Mayweather has fought a single one sided exhibition fight in Japan while McGregor has faced and lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov in the UFC octagon. Although McGregor is expected to return to the world of mixed martial arts, it’s hard to imagine a rematch between he and Mayweather capturing the public’s imagination the way their first fight did.

Still, there the post is, with both Mayweather and White smiling at the camera. The second post, released a short time later Thursday evening, showed Mayweather in fighting physique with the single line attached: “Coming out of retirement in 2020.” At press time, no comments have been left under the second post. The first post, however, featured a comment from White in the form of a three fist emoji, indicating that there may be more to all this than Mayweather simply leading on the public, as he’s known to do. What’s more, White went ahead and placed Mayweather’s second Instagram post up on his own Twitter account.

With all that in mind, it’s a bit hard to imagine what Mayweather and White have up their sleeve. Mayweather is now well into his forties. For a man who prizes an undefeated record the way Mayweather does, it’s hard to imagine the man really getting back into the ring. It’s frankly even harder to imagine the man learning a whole new skill set in order to enter the octagon. Then again, this is Mayweather – a man known to be full of surprises (Did anyone, for instance, really think he was interested in fighting Conor McGregor before serious negotiations got under way?).

As for Dana White, the man has wanted in on the boxing business for a while now. And there’s probably no better way for him to get in the door than through Mayweather and Mayweather’s adviser, PBC boss Al Haymon. As of late Thursday night, Twitter reaction was predictably mixed, with some expressing excitement, and some expressing exasperation. No one can deny, however, that both Mayweather and White know how to attract eyeballs and copious amounts of dollars.

Boxing Insider will keep readers posted on this developing story.

Posted on 11/16/2019

By: Hans Themistode

Deontay Wilder (41-0-1, 40 KOs) is currently putting the finishing touches on his training camp for his rematch with Luis Ortiz (31-1, 26 KOs) which will take place at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 23rd. 

Wilder seemingly is in no way looking past Ortiz, as he will attempt to defend his WBC Heavyweight title for the tenth time, but he does see the light at the end of his career tunnel. Wilder has been a pro for over a decade and a world champion for nearly five years. At the age of 34, he isn’t slowing down, but his career is certainly towards the end rather than the beginning or even the halfway point. 

With a record that has seen him unblemished in the loss column through 42 career fights, there is reason to believe that Wilder could join a very small group of boxers who have retired undefeated. The most recent of course, was Floyd Mayweather Jr, who wrapped up his career in 2017 with a 50-0 record. 

When asked if he believed he could surpass Mayweather’s spotless record, the confident Alabama native did not mince words.

“I think I can. I’m halfway there,” said Wilder. “With the way I’m fighting and with the things I’ve got planned for my career, I’ll definitely get there. 52-0 with 51 knockouts, that would be a sick record to have.” 

Assuming Wilder wins his November 23rd contest against Ortiz, which is no guarantee, he would need to win his traditional two fights a year for the next six years in order to achieve the 52 win mark without a defeat. 

The long reigning WBC titlist doesn’t want to fight just anyone either. Whomever considers themselves the best at the division is who Wilder would like to be matched up with. 

“I only have six more years left in the business. Six more years and I’m out of here. Within these six years, I just want to give everyone the fights they want to see. If you want me to fight your favorite fighters, then get your favorite fighters to come. A lot of these guys say they want me to fight, but then they come up with PEDs, or they find themselves not really wanting to fight.”

If this is truly the beginning of the curtain call for Wilder, he should be appreciated for everything that he has been able to accomplish in his career. When it’s all said and done he will be missed.

“When people think about boxing, I want them to think about Deontay Wilder. I only have six more years left and then I’m out of the sport. So love me now. Give me my roses now. When I’m gone, you’re going to miss me, because nobody is going to knock anybody out like Deontay Wilder.”

Even with Wilder declaring that he only has six years left in the sport, shouldn’t alarm any fans. There is still plenty that he has left to give and even more that he wants to accomplish. 

As for whether or not he will be able to successfully exceed Mayweather’s 50-0 mark, that will certainly be a difficult ask. With great fighters such as Andy Ruiz, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and a host of others currently in the Heavyweight division, if Wilder does in fact finish out his career undefeated by getting through such a murderous of contenders along the way, then we should book his ticket now for the hall of fame.

Posted on 11/08/2019

By: Hans Themistode

It’s been quite some time since sure fire first ballot hall of famer Floyd Mayweather Jr has been seen in the ring. However, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been behind the scenes trying to make things happen.

This is apparently the case according to Abdulmanap, the father of UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

It was long thought that Mayweather would ride off into the sunset following his tenth round stoppage win over another UFC star in Conor McGregor, in 2017. That aforementioned contest reportedly netted Mayweather close to 300 million.

Discussions of the two polarizing figures running back the contest never materialized. Instead, Mayweather seemed content with living the retired life. However, as of late, Mayweather has seemingly been in discussions with his former rival, Manny Pacquiao.

The two settled their long standing feud in the ring back in 2015. Mayweather would win via unanimous decision, although Pacquiao has said on numerous occasions that he was not 100 percent for their contest, citing a torn rotator cuff for his shortcomings in the contest.

A rematch between the two has been in discussions for quite some time now, but Mayweather has seemingly switched his focus to Nurmagomedov.

Thoughts of these two sharing the ring with one another has been teased for several years now. Yet, there was never any real traction. Fast forward to today, and it looks as though the possibility has become as real as ever.

“Floyd, I respect your wish to fight Khabib,” said Abdulmanap via Instagram. “At the moment we have our most crucial moment, when he have to hold the best fight in the history of the UFC.”

The contest in which Abdulmanap is speaking of, is his son’s next opponent Tony Ferguson. It will undoubtedly be one of the biggest contests in the history of the UFC.

“Twelve against 12 in a series of victories (in the UFC) and all the fans are waiting for this fight.”

When Abdulmanap says the number twelve, he is speaking of victories in the UFC octagon. Khabib is undefeated in twelve contests for the UFC, while Ferguson is currently on a twelve fight win streak which stretches back to 2013.

“We’ve been preparing for this fight for more than a year. Five months and the fight with Ferguson should take place.”

Abdulmanap’s wish for his son to first fight Tony Ferguson is understandable. They are both arguably the best Lightweights in the UFC, and a contest between the two would end the debate on who is the best in the world.

Although Abdulmanap wants his son to focus on Ferguson, he would like for Khabib to shift his focus following victory over Ferguson.

Abdulmanap however, has made it clear that he will need some time for his son to get fully prepared, which will include calling upon the help of a respected boxing trainer.

“First of all we will need to do some boxing training and we need a camp – with Lomachenko Sr for half a year. Why not!!!”

A match between Khabib and Floyd would take place in a boxing ring, which leads to the belief that Khabib will suffer the same fate of Conor McGregor. It is truly mind boggling that any UFC fighter truly believes that they can defeat one of the best boxers in the world. Even at the age of 42, Floyd Mayweather possesses the sort of skill, you simply can’t teach in a short amount of time.

With Floyd officially receiving the blessing of Khabibs father to make the contest happen, it looks as though the showdown will take place in 2020.

Posted on 11/02/2019

By: Ken Hissner

On Friday night Mayweather Promotions put on a card at Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall in Las Vegas, Nevada. This card was broadcast on Showtime and featured Xavier Martinez scoring a sensational knockout over Jessie Cris Rosales.

Super Featherweight Xavier Martinez improved his record to 15-0 (11) when he scored the knockout over Filipino boxer Jessie Rosales, 22-4-1(10) when he scorched him at 0:21 of the first round.
Martinez stung Rosales about ten seconds from the start and immediately followed it with a left hook and right on the chin of Rosales and down he went. Referee Vic Drakulich immediately waved it off.

Photo Credit: Showtime Boxing Twitter Account

In the co-feature Welterweight 2016 Olympian Richardson Hitchins, 10-0 (5), #144, of Brooklyn, NY, defeated Kevin “Thunder Storm” Johnson, 7-2 (4), #143 1/4, Las Vegas, NV, over 10 rounds.

In the first round Hitchins was much stronger outlanding Johnson. In the second round it was another close one with Hitchins countering well. In the third round after a minute of action Johnson landed a solid right to the chin of Hitchins. It was a close round with Johnson getting the edge.

In the fourth round the closeness of the rounds continued. Hitchins seemed the stronger of the two landing more than a jab at a time like Johnson. In the fifth round Johnson landed a looping right to the chin halfway through the first minute. Hitchins continued to outwork Johnson the rest of the way.

In the sixth round halfway through the round Hitchins landed several combinations while Johnson depended on his jab. In the seventh round Johnson kept his distance instead of getting closer inside. Halfway through the round Johnson finally got inside landing four consecutive body shots. Hitchins showed his power in his right whether countering or leading with it.

In the eighth round Johnson had his mouth opened yet made it close by the end of the round which could have gone either way. In the ninth round Johnson sencing he was behind became more aggressive. In a close round Johnson may have won it.

In the tenth and final round at the halfway mark Johnson landed several rights on the chin of Hitchins. Sensing he may need a knockout to win Johnson outlanded Hitchins.

Scores were 96-94, 97-93 twice.

In a rematch Super Middleweight Mark “Madman” Anthony Hernandez, 14-3-1 (3), #165, of Fresno, CA, lost to Kevin “The Second Coming” Newman II, 11-1-1 (6), #165, of Las Vegas, NV, getting his revenge over 8 rounds.

In the first two rounds Newman seemed to win with his hand speed and footwork.

In the third round Hernandez pinned Newman against the ropes but Newman returned as many body punches as Hernandez. Newman’s jab seemed to be the difference of the two. In the fourth round Hernandez fought better but Newman’s hand speed kept him ahead.

In the fifth round there was too much holding on both parts. Hernandez continued to be the aggressor for the most part. In the sixth round Newman rocked Hernandez in the first minute with a right uppercut to the chin. Newman finished strong possibly enough to win the round. The action slowed down in that round.

In the seventh round Newman seemed to get his “second wind” being more accurate. A Newman right uppercut to the chin of Hernandez rocked him. Newman had a right blocked in the final minute but followed with a left to the chin of Hernandez. In the eighth and final round in the first minute Hernandez landed a solid left hook to the chin of Newman. Seconds later Newman came back with a flurry of punches. Halfway through the round Newman landed a double left hook to the body and head. It looked like Newman got his revenge.

Scores were 80-72 and 79-73 twice.

Flyweight Ava Knight, 19-2-5 (5), of Las Vegas, NV, defeated Colombian Luna del Mar Torroba, 12-10-3 (2), of LaPampa, ARG, over 8 rounds.

Super Flyweight prospect Dylan Price, 10-0 (7), of Sicklerville, NJ, stopped Elias Joaquino, 12-5-2 (6), of Cebu, PH, at 1:48 of the 6th of an 8 rounder.

Lightweight Cris Reyes, 9-0 (8), of Renton, WA, stopped Recky “The Terror” Dulay, 11-7 (8), of Makati City, PH, at 1:55 of the 4th of an 8.

Lightweight Rolando “Rolly” Romero, 10-0 (9), #138, of Las Vegas, NV, knocked out Juan Carlos Cordones, 14-2 (9), #141 1/2, of La Romana, DR, at 2:14 of the first round in a 6 rounder.

In the first round a left hook from Romero dropped Cordones getting up quickly receiving an 8-count from Referee Robert Byrd. Half a minute later a right on the chin dropped Cordones a second time. He showed little effort to beat the count.

Super Featherweight Malik Warren, 2-0 (2), of Baltimore, MD, stopped Shauncy Perry, 0-1 (0), of Jonesboro, AR, at 1:09 of the second in a 4 rounder.

Posted on 10/29/2019

By: Hans Themistode

What were you doing at 22 years old?

Most likely you were in school or working at some job that made you feel like your life was in purgatory as you tried to figure things out.

For Shakur Stevenson, at the age of 22 he just won his first world title when he easily outpointed Joet Gonzalez this past Saturday night.

The talent of the former Olympic silver medalist has always been apparent, but now, he has put everything together.

Comparisons in boxing, or any sport for that matter, is a common occurrence. Both the fans and media alike aren’t content with just watching an outstanding athlete dominate. They must place a comparison on them.

Kobe Bryant was always compared to Michael Jordan. Lebron James has continued to hear about the Magic Johnson comparisons. Tom Brady and Joe Montana are seemingly joined at the hip as well.

Comparisons aren’t a bad thing. To the contrary, it can lead to a ton of pressure. Well, that is only if the person allows it. Comparing one former great player to a current one is one of the biggest forms of flattery that can be shown.

Shakur Stevenson is a newly minted world champion in just his 13th professional fight. It really doesn’t make any sense just how phenomenal he is at such a young age. The way in which he dominated Joet Gonzalez, who is by all means a solid fighter in his own right, was downright impressive.

One person who has been around longer than seemingly everyone is Stevenson’s manager, Bob Arum. The one of kind promoter has seen his fair share of great fighters. Comparing them to their past counterparts is something that Arum has done on countless occasions. It comes as no surprise to see Arum compare his young star to another fighter he once had under his stable. Yet, the one he was referring to, did raise a few eyebrows.

“I thought it was a really magnificent performance,” said Arum. “In a lot of ways, it reminded me of a left-handed Floyd Mayweather.”

That’s quite a mouthful, isn’t it? To juxtapose Stevenson and Mayweather this early in his career says a lot about the talent of Stevenson already. Let’s not forget that Mayweather did win multiple titles in five different weight classes to go along with ending his career with a perfect record through 50 fights. If Stevenson can even come close to that than he is destined for the hall of fame.

Arum wasn’t the only notable name who was impressed with Stevenson. Multiple division champion and current pound for pound stalwart Terence Crawford emphasized the growth he has seen in Stevenson from when he first started to where he is now.

“He’s grew tremendously,” Crawford said. “He’s getting stronger. He’s getting wiser. He’s getting more sharper. He’s getting more comfortable in the ring. When I first sparred Shakur, he was just a little kid. You know? And now, we sparring, he’s learning so much in the ring by just sparring me, you know, he’s trying things on me that I do on him on me now. And I look at it and I say, ‘OK, well, he’s not just sparring me now. He’s picking up little bits and pieces of things that I do inside the ring.”

From the moment Stevenson came onto the scene there was no doubting his greatness, but he has made his mark far quicker than anyone could have imagined. If he continues his rapid rise to the top he might, again might, live up to the lofty expectations placed upon him.

Posted on 10/15/2019

By: Hans Themistode

Former five division world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr had a long and lucrative career.

A spotless 50 and 0 record coupled with multiple championships provides credence to that statement. In his last official ring appearance, he was seen stopping UFC star Conor McGregor in the tenth round at the T-Mobile arena, in Las Vegas Nevada. It was a bout in which it was reported to have made him over 100 million dollars.

Still, with all of the money in the world to go along with the title of one of the very best to ever step inside of a ring, it has proven to not be enough for Mayweather.

Late last year in 2018, Mayweather returned to the ring in an exhibition contest against Tenshin Nasukawa in Japan. Mayweather easily won via first round stoppage. There was a belief that Mayweather would once again return to the ring in Japan for another exhibition matchup. Who could blame him? Mayweather revealed that he was paid 9 million dollars for his easy victory over Nasukawa.

With the possibility of another big pay day, this time in China, Mayweather began talks with promoters in order to secure the event.

Although Mayweather could be paid handsomely once again for what would seem like an easy matchup, he has instead opted to go in another direction. One that could prove to be much more lucrative. A rematch with Manny Pacquiao.

“Mayweather came two times to Hong Kong,” said Honk Kong’s DEF promotions director Jay Lau. “He spoke with my son Jayson and we had communications but now he is focusing on the Pacquiao rematch. We were talking about an exhibition in China, a big event but not a recorded professional boxing fight. Something like Mayweather vs Tenshin in Japan.”

Talks of Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 shouldn’t come as a surprise. When the two met in 2015, they broke pay per view records with 4.6 million. Mayweather also reportedly made roughly 300 million for the contest.

Pacquiao, who is an eight division world champion and future hall of famer in his own right, claimed that he was not 100 percent for the contest, suffering from a torn labrum. Mayweather was never buying his excuses and seemed to be done with Pacquiao. Fast forward several years later, and it seems as though the two will tangle once again, or at least according to Lau.

“I’ll let him do his thing with Manny, the rematch is the biggest thing that can happen, so why bother with the exhibition bout first? If that happens we will stop everything and let him do his thing first. I hope it does happen, it could be a big possibility that fight is the grand opening for the Japan casinos. The only thing I will say is he’s expensive, so we have to work really hard to get him back over to Asia – the offer is not easy.”

It is difficult to say whether a rematch with Pacquiao will actually take place, but Mayweather has always been fascinated with money. If he is offered another large some of cash, a Mayweather vs Pacquiao rematch could become a reality.

Posted on 09/21/2019

By: Robert Aaron Contreras

With splotches of bright crimson across his opponent’s face, Lionell Thompson (21-5, 11 KO) continued to touch up Scott Sigmon (34-14-1, 17 KO) with jabs and curling uppercuts until the end of the seventh round. The lacing was enough to convince Sigmon’s corner to throw in the towel, awarding Thompson the victory on Friday night from the Cannery Casino in Las Vegas.

Sigmon was an easy target from the beginning, tucked behind his stiff guard, constantly moving forward, even if ineffectively. Thompson prodded the crouching opponent: chipping away at the rolling white boulder of a man in front of him.

Photo Credit: Mayweather Promotions Twitter Account

Thompson was comfortable being crowded. He navigated the canvas, focused on putting jabs on the top of Sigmon’s head. He built up an early lead and never looked back.

At the end of a doubling jab, Sigmon attempted hurling back left hands after absorbing punishment, but Thompson by then would circle out of danger. The bull to Thompson’s matador, he began simply ramming into the winning boxer. It did not stop his face from opening up in the third round. Nor could it stop his nose from leaking later on.

Sigmon resorted to try talking Thompson out of his element in the sixth period. But he was simply met with more jabs. These by Thompson now being followed up with javelin right hands.

In the fateful seventh stanza, Thompson completely took away Sigmon’s only advantage: his forward moving momentum. Sigmon was simply being brushed in a zigzagging fashion from careening uppercuts, hooks, and other bludgeoning blows.

It was no surprise Sigmon’s corner did not throw him back out for another go.

The Mayweather-promoted card was not short on talent, but green as they are, Thompson was stuck at the top of the bill. At 34, and the winner of five of his last six, it would still take some of that matchmaking magic Floyd Mayweather was known for to push Thompson into the title picture. Beating a former sparring partner, who was decisioned by a 49-year-old Roy Jones Jr. would not cut it for most boxers.

Gabriel Duluc (15-3, 4 KO) def. Cameron Krael (16-15, 3 KO)

Gabriel Duluc, thanks to timely combinations, and lapses of inactivity from his opponent, shocked the house fighter Cameron Krael by way of a majority decision.

Krael, who has been represented by Mayweather Promotions since 2017, commanded the center of the ring for the entire 10 rounds. Though his punch output was not nearly as consistent.

Duluc’s winging punches were not pretty but they were enough to steal the opening round. And plenty more looping overhand rights kept Krael at bay over the next three rounds. By Round 3, the underdog’s punches grew sloppier—his arms dangling at his hips when not punching—but he maneuvered the canvas enough to avoid any significant damage.

Krael finally woke up in the fourth stanza. Pressuring his man to the ropes, he sent blinding straight right hands to the Duluc’s face.

The action was more tense in the fifth and sixth rounds: both men trading winging punches.

Krael still commanding the center of the ring in Round 7. But his punches had lost steam. And the three minutes consisted of instances of Robert Byrd prying the fighters off one another.

The two were merely fighting in spurts through the eighth period. The ninth frame provided Krael some hope when he brutalized Duluc’s midsection. The attack had him reeling for a moment but soon collected himself. Krael suddenly disregarding the body did not hurt.

And the rest of the way, included Round 10, Duluc fought well going backwards: short, quick, double jabs and successive chippy shots upstairs. Not exactly buzzing Krael, but a high enough output to to keep Krael’s gloves glues to his face and restrict returning fire.

Duluc has now won four straight while Krael creeps closer to a .500 record in his career.

Posted on 09/19/2019

By: Robert Aaron Contreras

Two years on, Floyd Mayweather’s name is still on the marquee following his retirement.

On Friday, Sept. 20, Mayweather Promotions is in Las Vegas, streaming live on Facebook, where a pair of light heavyweights front a nine-bout card featuring some of the promotional outfit’s most talented farmhands.

Headlining the show is veteran Lionell Thompson (20-5, 11 KO), as he meets Scott Sigmon (34-13-1, 17 KO) for a scheduled 10 rounds.

It is hard to tell what a win does for either man. Neither is world-ranked: Thompson is not a blip on the radar of any major sanctioning body and Sigmon has for years been used as a bottom feeder by the sport’s mega promoters.

Thompson, the A-side if you could call him as much, joined “The Money Team” in 2015. Prior to inking that deal, he found success in the New York amateur scene, winning a handful of Golden Gloves tournaments, before turning professional in 2009.

Surveying his resume, one name sticks out. At the end of 2012, he met one Sergey Kovalev, stepping in for Gabriel Campillo on short notice. Thompson was taken apart just as quickly, succumbing to the Russian’s attack in three rounds.

Thompson was floored in the second round: collapsing like controlled demolition from a right cross. Referee Gabe Rosato preceded to steal the show by letting the fight fall out of his control, allowing Kovalev following the knockdown to run across the ring and whop Thompson again, blatantly after the bell. Then Rosato gave Thompson another standing eight-count, despite the fighter’s cornermen already spilling into the ring—typically grounds for disqualification.

In short, it was a mess. Another two-punch combo from Kovalev ended the future Mayweather product’s night in the third period. Kovalev went on to unify the division and is today pegged to face boxing’s cash cow in Canelo Alvarez.

Thompson was not so successful. Still another three victories, and a competitive outing with the lethal-punching contender Radivoje Kalajdzic, caught “Big Brother” Floyd’s eye, earning Thompson a contract to joint TMT.

What followed was a mixed bag: a record of 5-2: competing across huge platforms like FOX Sports 1 (losing to Paul Parker), Bounce TV (defeating Earl Newman), and Showtime (losing to Edwin Rodriguez).

Thompson’s biggest criticism has been his penchant to disengage from conflict. Doing so when he felt the brunt of Kovalev’s fists. He even ran out the clock against the previously-undefeated Newman, in a fight Thompson was clearly winning.

Sigmon, a 32-year-old native of Virginia, was clearly behind on the cards in 2018 when he pressured Roy Jones Jr. to the ropes in what was the legend’s final fight ever.

Pushing 50, Jones decisioned Sigmon in the end—fully in control despite being on the ropes, rocking the younger man in the latter stages of the fight. Sigmon throughout pattered Jones’ body. The problem was Jones seemed to enjoy it, talking and gesturing to the crown, basking in the glory of his farewell fight, before returning fire at twice the speed of Sigmon’s punches—patented no-look shots included.

Sigmon dropped nearly every round. Just like he’s dropped every fight to anybody worth their weight in salt, losing to recognizable men like Matt Korobov, J’Leon Love, Caleb Truax, and Kelly Pavlik.

Cameron Krael (16-14-3, 4 KO) vs. Gabriel Duluc (14-3, 4 KO)

Mayweather may claim the contrary, but numbers do lie because his man “Suave” Krael is better than his poor record would suggest. The Hawaiian-born banger has been a TMT favorite since signing with the promotion in 2017.

A year later, his warmongering ways finally caught on after brawling with welterweight gatekeeper Ericl Bone in one of the most violent outings of 2018. Krael ultimately settled for a split-decision loss.

Most recently, Krael also dropped a decision to the undefeated Keith Hunter, consistently a step behind his more athletic opponent. The 25-year-old Vegas transplant has still won three of his last four and can boast to having battled Egidijus Kavaliauskas, who is on the cusp of challenging Terence Crawford.

In 2016, Krael matched up well with a high-output fighter like Kavaliauskas. The two went the entire distance, ending in a decision verdict for Kavaliauskas, but not before Krael buzzed the Lithuanian brawler in the penultimate round.

Duluc, a proud 29-year-old from Boston, carries with him this weekend a better looking record than Krael’s, but against mostly lesser fighters—save for a points loss in 2016 to upstart Sonny Fredrickson. In all, he is on a three-fight win streak.

Friday will be his second appearance of 2019 after returning to his home state of Massachusetts for an easy unanimous over an unheralded southpaw by the name of Antonio Chaves Fernandez.

Posted on 09/14/2019

By: Sean Crose

“What I’m working on right now is the Mayweather-Pacquiao exhibition right here in Tokyo, Japan. Stay tuned.” These words, which come out of the mouth of one Floyd Mayweather Jr, can be seen and heard on an Instagram post Mayweather put up early Saturday. “Mayweather vs. Pacquiao exhibition Tokyo Japan coming soon,” reads the caption under the post. “Betrnk.com #TMT Japan.”

Photo Credit: @floydmayweather Twitter Account

This is the first the world – the vast majority of it, at least – has heard of such a bout. The last time Mayweather was in the ring was in Japan last New Years Eve, where he thoroughly dominated Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in a lopsided, ridiculous affair. In fact, the last time Mayweather battled a legitimately qualified boxer was back in 2015 when he bested Andre Berto in one sided fashion.

Since then, Mayweather has made easy work of Nasukawa and stopped UFC star Conor McGregor in an epic 2017 novelty bout. Pacquiao is essentially the last boxer Mayweather fought who anyone gave much of a chance to – and that was back in the spring of 2015. Throughout the following months and years, however, there’s been much talk of a rematch.

Pacquiao has stayed active since Mayweather bested him by decision in their first (and, up until now, only) fight. In fact, the last time the Filipino icon was in the ring, he dominated the younger Keith Thurman Jr in highly impressive fashion. That fight was just this past summer, and it showed the world jut how good the forty year old Pacquiao still is in the ring. Thurman, after all, was a top welterweight and WBA titlist.

Mayweather is a man who loves attention, though. He may be past forty and past his prime, but he keeps in the public eye with Instagram posts of his lavish lifestyle. Mayweather is also, without question, one of the most rightfully acclaimed individuals to ever slip on a pair of gloves, his ring performances a study in mastery. When Mayweather speaks of entering the ring in any scenario, people listen.

As of this writing, Pacquiao has yet to respond to or comment on Mayweather’s post. He’s always wanted a second shot at Mayweather, though it will be interesting to learn his thoughts on an exhibition bout rather than a rematch that would officially go down in the professional record books. Mayweather didn’t offer details of the exhibition bout, should it occur. As he indicates in his Instagram post, however, more news is forthcoming.

View this post on Instagram

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao exhibition Tokyo Japan coming soon Betrnk.com #TMT Japan

A post shared by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) on Sep 14, 2019 at 2:09am PDT

Posted on 08/19/2019

By: Sean Crose

“That’s an old video,” Floyd Mayweather tells FightHype in a video that was released Sunday. “At the end of the day, there’s no talk about me and Manny Pacquiao fighting a rematch.” Although Mayweather is never seen discussing the matter in the FightHype video, both the voice and subject matter appear to match up with the wild speculation that made its way across the fight world this past weekend when a video emerged of Mayweather discussing a rematch with Pacquiao in Saudi Arabia. “It’s an honor to come to Saudi Arabia to sit down and talk with your guys about the Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch,” Mayweather says in a clip making the rounds.

Mayweather fought Pacquiao, after much delay, in a 2015 superfight that broke financial records, but that left many fight fans wanting. Ultimately, the match didn’t prove to be much more than the standard, one sided affair most Mayweather fights looked like (though Pacquiao clearly had his moments). Since that time, there’s been intermittent talk of the two men fighting again, even though the first fight proved to be a very lucrative disappointment. What’s more, Mayweather is now essentially retired, while Pacquiao has gone on to a career resurgence sine surprising many by besting Keith Thurman earlier this summer.

Mayweather, who has made it clear on several occasions that he’s no fan of the Filipino icon, referred to Pcaquiao in a negative light again in Sunday’s FightHype video. According to Mayweather, a rematch is pretty much pointless. “All they (team Pacquiao) are going to do is have an excuse (should Mayweather win again). Excuse after excuse.” Mayweather further indicates that he takes offense to the fact that Pacquiao said he had a shoulder injury during their 2015 bout. “A real champion,” says Mayweather, “he takes his wins like a man, he takes his losses like a man.”

“As far as me and Manny Pacquiao,” Mayweather concludes, “as of right now, there will never be a rematch.” Should a second Mayweather-Pacquiao fight actually ever come to fruition, it would presumably have to happen soon, as both Mayweather and Pacquiao are now in their 40s, no small thing in the world of boxing. With Mayweather having gone without facing legitimate competition (unless you count Conor McGregor, who Mayweather stopped in a highly hyped and lucrative novelty bout two years ago) since 2015, it may be unlikely that a second throwdown between he and arch nemesis Pacquiao will come to pass.