Tag Archives: middleweight

Posted on 10/17/2018

By: Sean Crose

“I take every fight very seriously,” says 25-0 middleweight contender Demetrius Andrade. “I have since day one.” Andrade’s fight this weekend, against the undefeated knockout artist Walter Kautondokwa at the TD Center in Boston for the WBO middleweight title, caps off a journey filled with down periods and frustration. Since having teamed up with promoter Eddie Hearn, however, Andrade is happy with how things are working out. “My situation,” he says, “is great right now…had I not made the move with Eddie, I would have been fighting in England, having tune-ups or waiting around still.”

Photo Credit: DAZN Twitter Account

After fighting only three times in a three year period, Andrade won two fights in 2018 against notable opponents Jack Culcay and Alantez Fox, and is now preparing for his shot at the head of what he says might become boxing’s latest “glamour division,” the middleweight realm. “I think Middleweight can be the new glamour division in boxing,” he says. “We have big names at 160lbs and if you look at 154lbs, those guys are going to grow and they’ll have to come up – look at Jarrett Hurd, he’s a big dude. The division is hot and it’s going to get hotter.”

With names like Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin sitting atop the middleweight heap, Andrade, who has always been highly regarded, will be breathing rarefied air should be get a belt of his own this weekend. “If everyone involved with the elite does their jobs,” the outspoken Rhode Islander claims, “we can make these big fights. The window is starting to close on those fights though, people get old, people move on, and people look to run around and fight lesser guys like the Charlos do.”

“I want to fight the best,” he adds, “only and often.” Andrade was supposed to face the highly regarded Billy Joe Saunders on Saturday. Unfortunately, Saunders was popped for having a banned substance in his system and was subsequently out of the picture. In stepped Kautondokwa, a largely unknown fighter with a terrific record of 16 knockouts in 17 fights. “When you are fighting lower level opponents,” says Andrade, “you can afford to get in there four or five times a year, but at the level I want to operate at, you can’t do that.” Here is a man who clearly wants to place himself at the top of the mountain.

“I’m going to take it one step at a time, do my job against Walter, come home with the belt and we will look to get out early in 2019,” says Andrade. “I know Eddie and DAZN want to keep me active and that’s great, and if it’s going to be the rest of the elite guys, then let’s go.” DAZN, the online streaming service, will be airing the fight live this weekend. In fact, it will be airing the entire card starting at 4:30 PM eastern standard time on Saturday.

Posted on 02/12/2018

By: Niki Ross

Last week saw the Matchroom card “British Beef” take place at the London O2 Arena, the main event pitted Olympian Lawrence Okolie against the skilled prospect Issac Chamberlain.

This was promoted as a grudge match between two hungry prospects at the start of their career looking to chalk up the first significant win over a local rival. Unfortunately, despite one of the fighters being nicknamed “Sauce”, the main event of British Beef turned out to be pretty tough to swallow.

All eyes will now be turning to Feb 17th. This fight should be close and action is nothing short of certain. Both fighters look to secure a place in the final of the World Boxing Super Series tournament against Callum Smith and both fighters have had wars in sparring previously. History and bad blood makes this an intriguing fixture.

Chris Eubank Jr is pencilled as the bookmaker’s favourite. His recent wins have been a display of eye watering hand speed and versatile punch selection. He is comfortable lashing in five and six punch combinations which often pass in the blink of an eye. As with most young athletes these days he has also taken to YouTube to help raise his stock with footage of sparring and tearing apart punch bags. Regularly putting the hurt on unwitting sparring partners in a grandiose display of poor sportsman which smells like it has Eubank Snr’s influence all over it.

To the casual fan, Eubank Jr will be an attractive fighter to invest time and money in. Loosely following the Mayweather blueprint, he likes to showboat and entertain with gym clips and cute training montages. Take a look at his boxing record however and you’ll see that its built on soft ground. He’s yet to face an elite level fighter. On his day Billy Joe Saunders is world class and that’s where Eubank Jr came unstuck previously. Since that loss he has failed to up the standard of competition to a level where he really tests himself and learns the crucial lessons about swimming in deep waters. Of his 20 KO’s only one has been a straight knockout, the rest were all TKO’s. Chris Eubank Jr, for all his gusto, lacks knockout power.

George Groves has previously walked the walk and he’s consistently fought tougher opposition. A new partnership with trainer Shane McGuigan has sparked a renaissance in George Groves winning a world title in the process. Unlike Eubank Jr, Groves has punching power which can stop a man dead. Carl Froch went down for the second time in his colourful career when Groves delivered a solid right hand, the Cobra was not a man who was easily hurt.

The physical attributes of both fighters will probably be where this fight is won or lost. Eubank Jr is not a big 168lb’er and his lack of knockout power highlights this. If he maintains a high punch output he should see out a victory, a stoppage is possible, George Groves is not a hard man to hit. Groves on the other hand is the natural super middleweight, he has power, he hits hard. He’s seen off a number of quality opponents and the experience will give him an extra advantage in this fight. If he can withstand Eubank Jr’s ferocious onslaughts his power and experience could prevail in the later rounds. Eubank has a very slim torso, some early body work could take the wind out of his sails if Groves can find his way in.

This is a good match up which will answer more questions than it creates. If Eubank Jr scores an impressive victory he has to be taken serious as a top contender at super middleweight. If Groves picks up the win it cements his status in the divison as a dangerous title holder. His CV is rich with credible opponents and career defining fights. He seldom made it easy for himself, his victories have not always been convincing but he’s come through them and in the process learned more about himself and the sport than his opponent. It is refreshing that with this tournament, boxing has produced such an organic means of crowning the best fighter in a division. For these two fighters however, this fight already brings the gravity of a final, in terms of significance, this fight is the one which neither fighter can afford to lose.

Posted on 12/03/2017

By: William Holmes

A champion in four divisions and a lock for the boxing hall of fame, the legendary Miguel Cotto fought the last fight of his career in the building that helped make him famous, Madison Square Garden.

Surprisingly, despite campaigning in the middleweight division, Miguel Cotto weighted in at 151.6lbs while Sadam Ali, who has fought in the welterweight division and is bumping up a weight class to face Cotto, weighed in at 153lbs. Many, including this writer, expected Cotto to weigh in at a heavier weight than Ali

Photo Credit: HBO Boxing Twitter

The opening bout of the night was between Rey Vargas (30-0) and Oscar Negrete (17-0) for the WBC Junior Featherweight Title.

Vargas, the taller fighter, was able to use his height to his advantage in the opening round and landed a high volume of punches to the body and head of Negrete. He was able to get a full extension on his shots in the second round and had Negrete taking some hard shots.

Vargas connected with three straight uppercuts followed by a right hook in the opening seconds of the third round. At one point in the third Negrete stepped on the foot of Vargas and knocked him over, but the referee correctly ruled it a push. Vargas’ sharp shots continued into the fourth round and fifth rounds but Negrete, to his credit, never stopped coming forward.

Negrete snuck in a few good shots of his own, especially when he was in tight, but Vargas’ combinations were numerous.

Negrete took some heavy body shots by Vargas in the sixth round, but did land his best punch of the night, a left hook, in the ninth round.

The eighth round was also tight as Negrete surprisingly landed some combinations, and Vargas had a cuts over both of his eyes. The referee checked it in the eighth and before the ninth rounds but let Vargas continue.

Negrete was out matched and out gunned, but continued to press the pace in the final rounds but took a barrage of punches in the process.

Vargas’ cut over his left eye looked pretty bad, but he was never in danger of being hurt.

The judges scored it 119-109, 119-109, and 120-108 for Rey Vargas.

Miguel Cotto (41-5) and Sadam Ali (25-1) met in the main event of the night for the WBO Junior Middleweight Title.
Cotto walked out to no walk out music so that he could hear the crowd.

The crowd loudly chanted for Cotto in the opening round, but Ali established he had the superior hand speed early on and connected with some surprising punches. Cotto was able to land his patented left hook to the body, but Ali looked like he was landing at a higher connect rate.

Cotto was badly hurt in the second round from a right cross by Ali. Cotto’s legs were wobbly, but Ali did not press the action to try and finish the fight. Ali slipped in the second round, but he definitely had Cotto hurt.

Ali’s length gave Cotto trouble in the third round but Cotto was pressing the action. Cotto was hurt once again in the fourth round by Ali, but was able to recover and come forward behind his jab.

Cotto’s attack to the body appeared to be effective in the fifth and sixth rounds, especially when he had Ali backed into a corner. Ali’s right eye began to swell in the seventh round but he was landing good shots to the head of Cotto.

Cotto had Ali backed into the ropes several times in the eighth and did his best work there, but Ali retook control in the ninth round as Cotto looked like he was tiring.

Ali landed a vicious left hook on Cotto in the tenth round that had Cotto on wobbly legs again and his mouth wide open. Cotto was on full retreat in the tenth and appeared to be close to going down.

Ali came out aggressively in the eleventh round and looked like he was going for the knockout. His corner had previously urged him to be more aggressive. Cotto survived and circled away from the attacking Ali.

Cotto came out aggressive in the final round but looked tired and slow. Ali was the fresher fighter and closed out the fight well.

The final scores were 115-113, 116-112, 115-113 for Sadam Ali.

In the post fight interview Cotto confirmed it was his last fight, and revealed he hurt his left bicep in the seventh round.

Cotto stated, “Feeling good. Feeling good with the performance. Something happened to my left bicep, seventh round. I don’t want to make excuses, Sadam won the fight. It is my last fight. I am good, and I want to be happy in my home with my family.

“Thank you for all the fans, I am proud to call MSG my second home. I had the opportunity to provide the best for my family because of the sport.”

I worked hard for it.” Said Sadam Ali. “I took advantage of this fight, and I made sure to make it count. I want to Thank God, and also thank team Cotto, They could have taken an easier fight if they wanted too. ”

“I had him hurt here or there in the first couple of rounds. I knew I had to do something, or he would have dug in. By the 11th, I thought the fight was close. Whatever GBP has next, I’ll take it. Good things happen to good people. I have been training since I was 8 years old, and I am glad I got this win at MSG, in my hometown.”

Posted on 09/14/2017

By: Sean Crose

Iconic boxer turned heavyweight promoter Oscar De La Hoya predicted on ESPNs First Take that this weekend’s Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin superbout will be “bombs away right from the start.” He then went on to compare Saturday’s match to the legendary 1985 middleweight battle between Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns. It’s been rightfully said that particular classic (this author’s personal all-time favorite sporting event, much less boxing match) will be hard to match, and indeed such an assertion seems to be true. Yet there appears to be more to De La Hoya’s words than just standard promotional hype.

Photo Credit: Tom Hogan/Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

Make no mistake about it, Canelo-GGG is the single biggest fight in combat sports. Last month’s Mayweather-McGregor shindig may well have been the hottest pop culture event of 2017, but Canelo-GGG is most certainly the year’s most significant fight. What’s more, the style of each combatant means there’s a real potential for fireworks. Both these guys can turn off the lights. Sure enough, between the two combatants – who will meet at the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night – there have been a total of at least fifteen knockouts in the past five years alone. And now they’re going to face each other.

In truth, De La Hoya has taken heat from fans and the media for not making Canelo-GGG sooner. The common argument went that, since Canelo was De La Hoya’s star fighter, a fight with the feared Golovkin could potentially damage De La Hoya’s cash cow. With the fight now just days away, however, and the mainstream media reporting on the match regularly during the final leadup, such criticism has largely evaporated. And, after openly bashing the Mayweather-McGregor fight for what some fight watchers felt like was forever, De La Hoya has once again returned his focus to this weekend’s big event.

Naturally, the promoter, who himself was the biggest name in boxing during his prime, picked his man, Canelo to win. Being a good promoter, however, De La Hoya also predicted “nine or ten rounds of hell.” That may not end up being the case, as both Canelo and Golovkin know how to play chess as well as they know how to fire howitzers, but again, the potential for fireworks is definitely there and De La Hoya wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t hype that potentiality to the media and fans.

Posted on 08/09/2017

By: Sean Crose

Canelo Alvarez’ camp took part in a media conference call on Tuesday to promote the upcoming battle for middleweight supremacy between the Mexican superstar and Gennady Golovkin this September. Naturally, that other big fight – if you want to call it a fight – was brought up. You know, the boxing match for people who don’t like boxing? A journalist asked Canelo if he would be willing to take on Conor McGregor should McGregor somehow defeat Floyd Mayweather when they meet later this month. Canelo’s answer was priceless.

“If that miracle was to happen,” he said through a translator, “then it’s a different conversation…but I doubt it (a McGregor victory) very much.” In a summer of wanton immaturity, it was nice for a top fighter to talk like an intelligent adult. Of course Canelo would be open to fighting McGregor should the Irishman prove to be a special case by legitimately besting Mayweather. Yet, like most most true observers whose maturity has risen beyond that of a fifteen year old, Canelo has a hard time seeing that happening. Mayweather-McGregor is a novelty boxing match. Canelo-GGG is what promoter Oscar De La Hoya said on the call was “a real fight,” a “serious fight,” a “serious event.” The difference, frankly, should be noted as often as possible.

“We’re concentrating on our own fight,” De La Hoya claimed, adding that “we sold out in ten days.” It’s true. While tickets for Mayweather-McGregor are having difficulty moving, tickets for Canelo-Golovkin, which will be going down in the same T-Mobile arena Mayweather-McGregor is, promptly sold out in just over a week. It was clear during the call, however, that Canelo believed his focus had best stay on Golovkin, his formidable adversary this coming fall. “It’s going to be a difficult fight,” he stated. “It’s going to be a very hard fight.”

Canelo insisted he’s no longer the young man who Mayweather easily bested in their 2013 megabout. “I’ve definitely learned a lot (since that time),” Canelo said. “I’m more of a mature fighter now.” Even De La Hoya made it clear that Mayweather was too much, too soon for the Canelo of four years past. “Yes,” the legendary fighter/promoter stated, “he did take that fight too soon.” Still, De La Hoya added that Canelo is man on the rise. “I strongly feel he’s only getting better,” De La Hoya said. As for Canelo himself, the man exuded certainty. Referring to Mayweather, he claimed: “I think the only reason he beat me was because of the experience.”

Now, though, Canelo has enormous experience under his belt when it comes to performing under the bright lights of a major fight in Vegas. Not that he feels that alone will give him the upper hand against the feared Golovkin. “Having more fights in Las Vegas is not an advantage,” he said plainly. And least someone is levelheaded out there at the moment.

Posted on 08/05/2017

By: Ken Hissner

At the MGM Grand in Detroit, MI, Friday night Salita Promotions, MGM Grand and ShoBox headlined with 2-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields winning both the WBC World Female and IBF Female Super middleweight titles!

Photo Credit: Showtime Boxing

In the Main Event the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, 4-0 (2), of Flint, MI, stopped the WBC World Female Super Middleweight champion Nikki Adler, 16-1 (9), of Augusburg, Bayem, Germany taking her title and the vacant IBF title at 1:34 of the fifth round of a lopsided fight.

In the opening round Shields landed the first punch a left uppercut to the chin of Adler. Halfway through the round a Shields right hand to the chin buckled the knees of Adler. A miss from a right hand by Adler was countered by a right to the chin from Shields. Already there were marks on the face of Adler. It was a big round for Shields. In the second round Shields went head hunting pounding the head of Adler who had no answer for this. A left hook from Shields to the head of Adler drove her into the ropes and could have been called a knockdown from referee Michael Griffin. It could have been a 10-8 round for Shields. That is how lopsided it was in favor of Shields. In the third round Shields came out on the attack once again as Adler stayed in the pocket with hands held high. Shields got through the defense of Adler with a pair of rights to the head making Adler hold on. As the bell sounded Shields was all over Adler.

In the fourth round Shields finally went to the body with lead rights followed by left hooks to the head of Adler who seems overwhelmed. A right hand lead miss by Adler was countered by a right from Shields to the head of Adler. Shields landed three body shots just prior to the bell. In the fifth round a 3-punch combination from Shields to the head of Adler had her stunned. With a minute left Shields started showboating with hands to her side. A left hook from Shields rocked Adler and Shields followed up with a combination to the head of Adler forcing referee Griffin to step in and stop the mismatch.

“Oh man that was crazy. It’s clear I am happy and blessed having trained for a hard fight and not a war. (Asked to compare this win to her Olympic Gold Medals) I’m more happier now than winning in the Olympics here among my friends,” said Shields. Also in the ring was WBO and WBC World Female middleweight champion Christina Hammer, 21-0 (9), born in KAZ now living in Germany with both talking about a meeting in 2018.

In the co-feature making his US debut southpaw Super bantamweight Vladimir Tikhonov, 16-1 (9), of St. Petersburg, Russia, lost for the first time in his career to southpaw Jesse Angel “The One” Hernandez, 9-1 (7), of Ft. Worth, TX, at 2:25 of the fifth round.

In the opening round Hernandez switched from southpaw to orthodox and back to southpaw as he pressured southpaw Tikhonov who boxed well in a close round. In the second round Tikhonov was landing more punches but Hernandez the stronger punches. Hernandez landed lead rights to the chin of Tikhonov on several occasions out of the orthodox style. It was a good round for Hernandez. In the third round Hernandez made Tikhonov mix it up by pressuring him. Halfway through the round Hernandez landed a right to the chin that knocked Tikhonov off balance as he was going backwards. Tikhonov came in and clashed heads with Hernandez and pushed him back. Hernandez ended the round with a right hand on the side of Tikhonov’s head knocking him halfway through the ropes as the bell sounded.

In the fourth round Tikhonov landed a hard right hook to the head of Hernandez but Hernandez came back strong rocking Tikhonov with combinations. Tikhonov pushed Hernandez off when he was inside.
In the fifth round Tikhonov butted Hernandez purposely and brought a warning from referee Ansel Stewart. Hernandez came back with much pressure driving Tikonov back again and again. When a left hook from Hernandez knocked the head of Stewart back referee Stewart waved it off to prevent Tikonov from suffering anymore punishment.

Posted on 07/21/2017

Gritty Brooklyn Fighter Frank Galarza seeks to reset Career by Signing with Main Events

by: Eric Lunger

Frank “Notorious” Galarza signed with Main Events promotions, it was announced yesterday. The Brooklyn native, 31, was on track as a super welterweight contender, posting an undefeated record (17-0-2, 11 KOs) until he ran into Jarrett “Swift” Hurd in November of 2015. Galarza was stopped in the sixth round by a brutal Hurd uppercut, a punch that has become something of a trademark for the Accokeek, Maryland fighter.

[Photo courtesy of Frank Galarza and Main Events]

In September of last year, Galarza’s career went sideways again as he dropped a ten round majority decision to crafty veteran Ishe Smith. Trying to start fast, Galarza walked into a trap in the second round and was unable to close the deficit, at least on two judges’ cards.

Now the “Brooklyn Rocky,” as Galarza is known, is seeking to reset his career by signing with Kathy Duva’s Main Events. “I am just one of those fighters who will never turn down anyone,” Galarza said via press release.“I will fight anyone. I wanted to work with Main Events because I have seen what they have done in the past. I like the way they move their fighters.”

The thirty-one year old boxer knows it is time to make the leap from contender to champion. Away from the ring, Galarza is a new father, as well as a man who believes in giving back to his community. In 2014 he founded Youth Fighting Forward, helping young people reach their goals through boxing, education, and job training. A serious person as well as serious contender, Galarza hopes to make his mark in an already loaded division, against the likes of Erislandy Lara, the Charlo Brothers, Jarrett Hurd, and Demetrius Andrade.

For more information on Youth Fighting Forward, visit frankgalarza.com/youthfightingforward.

Posted on 07/07/2017

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on 06/29/2017

Just How Big Will Canelo-GGG Be?
By: Sean Crose

People were all kinds of excited when news was announced that Canelo Alvarez would finally be facing middleweight terror Gennady Golovkin in the ring. Not only was it THE fight serious boxing fans wanted to see, but the bout had the potential to cross the margins and make its way into the mainstream consciousness, where boxing rarely sees the light of day. There was a lot to look forward to that night in a Las Vegas ring, when Canelo, after easily beating Julio Caesar Chavez Jr, made it clear he and GGG would finally be getting it on. Boxing, much on the upswing in 2017, would have a bright shining object to show the world when middleweight supremacy was battled for in September.

Unfortunately, another bright, shining object, nothing more than a trinket, really, seems to have taken all the mainstream potential Canelo-GGG may have promised. That particular object, which is honestly not worth mentioning, is said to be an affront to what is essentially the best bout in boxing. It may well be. But boxing fans shouldn’t care. For the truth is that Canelo and Golovkin were never going to break records when they met in Vegas. This was a one-to-two million buy pay per view event, at most. Enormous to be sure, but nowhere near groundbreaking.

So don’t get too upset. Sure, the circus has pushed Canelo-GGG back to the margins. Yet it’s a pretty well-known fact that Canelo has an enormous Mexican fan base behind him that’s VERY interested in his bout with Golovkin. Let’s also not forget about the serious fight fans who won’t be wasting money on a circus but, rather, will be gladly coughing up money for Canelo-GGG. Here’s something else worth considering – boxing, with our without the circus everyone is talking about – is in a VERY good place. Canelo got good PPV numbers for beating a guy few expected to win last time out. Anthony Joshua beat Wladimir Klitschko in front of close to one hundred thousand people in London. The Keith Thurman-Danny Garcia battle owned the night when it appears on network television. Things are going strong.

And as long as fights like Canelo-GGG are made, the sport will continue to prosper. A pop culture event can’t beat steady growth when it comes to the health of boxing. Circuses come and go. Great fights are timeless. Canelo-GGG will do excellent business in September. And if the fight is good, things will continue looking up for the sport.

Posted on 06/22/2017

Golovkin v Canelo: An Early Look
By: Ben Sutherland

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on 06/05/2017

Canelo-GGG Will Go Down At T-Mobile Arena In Vegas
By: Sean Crose

Many people wanted the September 16th Canelo-Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin superfight to happen in Texas, at the AT&T arena, home of the famed Dallas Cowboys. Of course, fight fans had a right to want to see the fight there. AT&T is a location that might actually be able to fit a record setting crowd. And, after this past spring’s Anthony Joshua-Wladimir Klitscko war in front of 90,000 people in England, fans could only be expected to hope for the same kind of explosive atmosphere back here in the states. Canelo-GGG is the biggest legitimate fight in boxing, after all. What’s more, the sport has been on the uptick in a big way. Why not continue to ride the wave by letting the world see just how big boxing can be in America in 2017?

Unfortunately, for those hoping for a thrilling Texas night, Oscar De La Hoya announced on ESPN today that Canelo-GGG will, in fact, be happening at the T Mobile Arena in Vegas. Once again, Sin City will host the sport’s biggest match. So much for reasonably priced tickets. So much for an event exclusively of and for the fans. Still, it would be unfair to bash De La Hoya or Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler for this. Boxing, as we’re forever reminded, is a business, after all. As long as the big fights are being made, fans can only complain so much. None of that is to say that the AT@T arena’s Jerry Jones didn’t work hard to make the fight go down in the same building where his Cowboy’s play. Ultimately, though, the allure of Vegas proved to be too strong.

“The city’s ability to attract high-rolling gamblers helped it bankroll the unrevealed site fee,” wrote the LA Times’ Lance Pugmire. What’s more, De La Hoya made it clear that Vegas is a party town and that there’s a lot more to a big fight than the big fight itself. Surprisingly enough, Vegas has, until now, not hosted Golovkin, perhaps the most feared individual in all of combat sports today, in a high level match. Canelo, on the other hand, can be seen as a Vegas regular, as he’s fought in major bouts in the city on numerous occasions – most famously against Floyd Mayweather in 2013.

Speaking of Mayweather, it’s been mentioned that perhaps Floyd’s interest in fighting MMA star Conor McGregor in a boxing match may have had some impact on the decided location for Canelo-GGG. De La Hoya and Loeffler, after all, wouldn’t want Floyd fighting in Vegas around the same time their own major event was going down.

Posted on 05/10/2017

Canelo and Julio’s Choreographed Debacle
By: Ronald Neal Goldman

If you’ve attentively followed the sweet science as long as I, you would know something just wasn’t right in Canelo Alverez’s ridiculously easy shut out of Julio Cesar Chavez in their 12 round non-title bout. In what should have been an intriguing battle between the middleweight superstar, Canelo, and Chavez Jr, (a mere shadow of one of boxing’s authentic Hall of Fame legends, Julio Cesar Chavez) resulted not only in a monumentally disappointing fight, but served as a catalyst in questioning the why and how Alvarez achieved his victory.

Say what you will about Junior’s less than stellar record as middle or super middleweight, he had been indigenous of Mexican pride when it came to his heritage and legacy: fight to the very end, whatever it takes. In his fight with Sergio Martinez that’s precisely what happened; approaching a lopsided decision in favor of Martinez, Junior cornered Sergio in the ropes and dropped him with a vicious left hook which nearly rewrote boxing history. The Martinez fight, more than anything, was a reflection of Chavez’s credo-never throw in the towel-pun clearly intended. It was Junior’s performance, or more accurately, lack of, that was so out of character in his fight with Canelo.

How was it possible that Chavez was virtually shut out and not being awarded, deservedly so I might add, even one round, unless he was following a script blueprinted by Golden Boy. The showdown between Canelo and GGG had been years in the making and a Canelo loss would have virtually torpedoed a possible billion dollar mega fight. It wasn’t a question of Junior losing, but what is more important was that he would not be winning. This was clearly illustrated by the inordinately few times Chavez had Canelo on the ropes, banging away and then inexorably would stop, not to mention how often when Chavez was cornered by the shorter Canelo and just did nothing. The few times Chavez elected to engage was enough for the suits to placate viewers that there was still some reminisce of what Chavez was capable. Whether Canelo was privy to this ring orchestration is moot. It just it seems somewhat convenient that Golovkin and Canelo was already a done deal with a signed agreement, a specific date emblazoned across the PPV screen, and all that signed, sealed and delivered prior to the Canelo/Chavez show. Were Oscar Dela Hoya and Golden Boy so sure their boy would be victorious? More likely, to save a billion dollar PPV, there’s nothing like contributing couple of million dollars to the Chavez retirement fund.

Ronald Neal Goldman
Professor of English
Touro College and University System

Posted on 05/10/2017

The Financial Factor: Canelo vs. Triple G
By: Kirk Jackson

Now that we finally have the fight boxing fans have craved over the last year or so, there’s much to discuss leading up to the event featuring Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin 37-0 (33 KO’s) and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez 49-1-1(34 KO’s).

An interesting element is the financial factor behind the scenes in build up to this fight.

Alvarez is regarded and marketed as the biggest star in boxing; the heir apparent to Floyd Mayweather in what Alvarez himself states as the “Canelo era.”

Golovkin is certainly advertised as boxing’s “Boogeyman” and resident “A-side,” having sold out arenas such as Madison Square Garden in New York and the O2 Arena in London.

Unfortunately, his pay-per-view numbers do not reflect that.

Nonetheless, you would think two stars garnering this much celebrity would warrant higher fight purses right?

Taking a look at recent purses for each fighter:

Alvarez vs. Cotto = minimum purse $5 million
Alvarez vs. Khan = minimum purse $3.5 million
Alvarez vs. Mayweather = minimum purse $5 million
Alvarez vs. Chavez Jr. = minimum purse $5 million

Golovkin vs. Jacobs = minimum purse $2.5 million
Golovkin vs. Brook = minimum purse $5 million
Golovkin vs. Lemieux = minimum purse $2 million

The purses do not reflect additional income earned from each fight. For example, with Alvarez’s fight against Cotto, he received 25% of the $20 million split. Most of the money Alvarez earned for that fight came with the pay-per-view percentages and with his TV deal with the Azteca network.

Alvarez is also sponsored by Tecate, Under Armour and a few other companies. In addition to his television deals, he earns money each fight with his sponsors.

The same can be said for Golovkin. In the two pay-per-view fights he participated in, it’s presumed he was the A-side and gained a favorable split of the purse and pay-per-view percentages.

Albeit, he lacks the same quality dance partners as Alvarez, we can assume he earned a decent chunk of change aside from his guaranteed purse just to show up.

Golovkin is also sponsored by the Jordan brand, among other sponsors and reels in additional funds per fight.

All of these factors into the determination of the purse split, the question is of how much will each fighter earn for this mega fight?

Because based on the WWE-themed entrance from Golovkin – post Alvarez’s sparring session with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. this past weekend, it’s obvious the fight between Golovkin and Alvarez was agreed to sometime prior.

Based on each fighter’s purse history, the popularity of Alvarez, his history of pay-per-view success and the demand to see him against Golovkin’s punching power; each fighter should be compensated quite well.

The venue and site for this blockbuster fight is yet to be determined, but this event will probably take place in boxing’s fight capital Las Vegas.

Although something to consider as Golden Boy Promotions, K2 Promotions and HBO figures out is which site can harvest the most money?

Regarding purses, remember when Golden Boy offered Golovkin a purse of $15 million to fight Alvarez?

“I made an eight-figure offer,” said Golden Boy Promoter Oscar De La Hoya. “ I believe it’s an offer that was two, three, four times what he’s ever made and haven’t heard back. And that’s the bottom line.”
Golden Boy’s offer is speculative, but there was no denial from the Golovkin camp regarding the offer. It’d be farfetched to believe that initial offer was still on the table.

Regarding purse split/fighter compensation, Alvarez is the A-side. He has the greater profile, the aforementioned bigger fights and generated larger gates and pay-per-view numbers.

Prior to the fight officially being announced, De La Hoya has been adamant his fighter is the A-side in this matchup and indicated to the LA Times’ Lance Pugmire, that he holds leverage regarding the fight with Golovkin based off of his lack of pay-per-view success.

“Because when Triple G [Golovkin] and Jacobs does between 100,000 and 200,000 homes, it’s a big risk for me to put up a lot of money up front,” De La Hoya said. “So if we want to make this fight happen, we have to work with each other. It all depends on the pay-per-view and that’s the risk we all have to take.”

“People talk about Golovkin being this big superstar. Why is he selling only between 100,000 and 200,000 homes?” De La Hoya asked. “He’s no Canelo [Alvarez], that’s for sure.”

Golovkin is not Alvarez in regards to drawing power, but he is the long time reigning middleweight champion. All he really needs is the golden opportunity he’s been seeking his entire professional career.

In that sense, the financial split doesn’t matter as much. If Golovkin plans on fighting after the Alvarez match-up and wants to become boxing’s No. 1 draw, it may be proposed that he must defeat the A-side to truly become the A-side.

The greatest thing regarding this fight and the financial effect is the positive spotlight it puts on boxing.

Barring a potential Floyd Mayweather vs. ConorMcGregor match-up, this will be the biggest bout in boxing and will generate the most money this year.

For all the numbers and records amassed with Anthony Joshua vs. WladimirKlitschko; pay-per-view record inthe United Kingdom, while breaking the attendance record at Wembley Stadium with approximately 90,000 people.

659,000 viewers on Showtime; Nielsen reported that the fight peaked between rounds five and six with 687,000 viewers, beating a record for Showtime afternoon fight ratings,along with the successful broadcast across HBO, watched by an average of 738,000 viewers and peaked at 890,000.

The Alvarez vs. Golovkin fight can surpass viewership and pay-per-view numbers of the Joshua/Klitschko fight, if not the attendance numbers.

Cotto vs. Alvarez generated 900,000 buys, approximately $58 million in domestic pay-per-view revenue and HBO is hoping it can top that in September.
We’ll see if the Mexican-style “Drama show” produces the big bucks.

Posted on 05/09/2017

The Big Drama Show: Starring Triple G and Canelo
By: Kirk Jackson

Gennady Golovkin 37-0 (33 KO’s) is the unified middleweight champion. He is undefeated, a power puncher, possessing an action-packed, crowd-pleasing style; typically creating a dramatic show inside the ring.

His last fight against cancer survivor Danny Jacobs 32-2 (29 KO’s) was no exception.

But instead of the typical dominant fashion Golovkin generally displays, the man from Kazakhstan struggled against the ‘Miracle Man’ from Brooklyn.

Jacobs not only ended Golovkin’s knockout streak, but took Golovkin to deep waters going the full 12 rounds in their championship clash.

Some spectators believe Jacobs won the fight. That is subjective, but the three judges scored the fight for Golovkin.

But in victory, doubts were created by some and beliefs were confirmed with others.

Enter Saul “Canelo” Alvarez 49-1-1 (34 KO’s). The torch bearer of boxing, the “Golden Boy” – post the original “Golden Boy” (Oscar De La Hoya) and post the Floyd Mayweather era.

Alvarez, Mayweather, Miguel Cotto are some of the SMALLER fighters Golovkin is in pursuit of amidst his middleweight reign.

Alvarez, who prior to this Cinco de Mayo weekend never fought above 155lbs., destroyed long-time rival Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at a 164.5lb.catch-weightmarketed as a Mexican Civil-War.

This appeared to be a strategic move planned by Team Alvarez and Golden Boy Promotions in preparation for Golovkin; acclimating Alvarez to the higher weight class, destroying a long-time rival while reeling in a ton of cash.

This is chess, not checkers.

As an observer, I always assumed the highly discussed bout between Alvarez and Golovkin would take place September of 2017.

Rather corny WWE-themed entrance and announcement of the fight, but alas we finally have our fight.

Leading up to the fight with Chavez Jr., Alvarez mentioned staying in the middleweight division, suggesting a fight with Golovkin was in the making.

“Look, I’m not a current world champion at middleweight. I have been in the past, but I’m not now,” said Alvarez.
“And as far as the weight, after this fight, I’m not looking past this fight. I’m focused 100 percent on this fight, but I’m now staying at middleweight. I’ll stay at 160 pounds.”

But with boxing or any sport, business is always involved and there is a process to creating the biggest events.
Negotiations have to take place, the element of doubt is important, creating a greater demand of want or desire for the bout. In essence there is a cinematic element in and out the ring.

Apparently Alvarez’s teampitched an offer to Golovkinin September of last year,after his ninth-round demolition of WBO super welterweight champion Liam Smith.

Golden Boy made a number of proposals to Tom Loeffler (Triple G’s promoter) for a fight the following fall and he “didn’t accept.”

There were rumored discussions of a $15 million dollar purse for Golovkin and Golden Boy promoter De La Hoya portrayed Golovkin’s camp as reluctant to take a lucrative deal to face Canelo in 2017.

“I didn’t want to talk about any other offers that we had made to anyone else,” De La Hoya said. “I know you know what I’m talking about.”

“So 30 days ago I made an offer to Triple G and his people. I made an eight-figure offer. I believe it’s an offer that was two, three, four times what he’s ever made and haven’t heard back. And that’s the bottom line.”

In response, Loeffler told RingTV.com after the fight that Golden Boy’s offer wasn’t substantial enough, but remains committed to make a fight with Canelo.

“There were some preliminary discussions with Golden Boy,” Loeffler said. “But nothing of substance that was turned down.Golovkin would have fought Canelo [Alvarez] last May if that would have been possible (before Canelo vacated the title to his mandatory Golovkin).”

If the offer from Golden Boy was indeed valid, may regret refusing the offer, overestimating their worth – considering the fight purses earned in the past.

Golovkin vs. Jacobs = $2.5 million
Golovkin vs. Brook = $5 million
Golovkin vs. Lemieux = $2 million

These are Golovkin’s biggest fights to date and the prize money earned pales in comparison to the $15 million dollar offer.

The question now is what changed from a negotiation standpoint from last year to this year? Or perhaps nothing changed; this was just a ploy all along.

Even with recent news regarding Golovkin cancelling a proposed match with WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders 24-0 (12 KO’s) due to injury.

Golovkin mentioned unifying the middleweight division and capturing all the belts numerous times in the past; perhaps the proposed match-up with Saunders was a negotiation chip in attempt to seize some form of leverage.

On every other level Team Golovkin lacks leverage; views, pay-per-view buys, popularity, money earned, opposition faced.

But, Golovkin has leverage in the form of public perception. In the eyes of many, “Triple G” is one of the most avoided fighters in recent memory.

Public perception paints Golovkin as a “Boogeyman” due to his punching power and the reluctance of a few fighters willing fight him.

Although public perception alone can’t force a fight, each party involved can play to the demand of the fight and work the desire to their favor.

We’ve occasionally witnessed from Team Alvarez teasing the audience, or flat-out downplaying the fight with Golovkin.

Part of the drama associated with Alvarez and Golovkin falling through was the issue revolving around the WBC belt.

Alvarez earned the lineal middleweight title along with the WBC middleweight title, defeating Miguel Cotto in December of 2015. Over the last year or so, Alvarez publically discussed his disgust with the WBC.

Golovkin was the No. 1 contender for the WBC middleweight title and when Alvarez’s handlers attempted to extend the 15 day time period (to process a selection for title defense), in which WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman refused.

Alvarez responded by vacating the WBC title – the sanctioning body in responseawarded to Golovkin, who at the time held the interim-belt as the mandatory challenger for the title.

“Sulaiman was pressuring me on a 15 day basis to make a decision on this fight with Golovkin, when I had some problems in Miami,” said Alvarez.

“You guys know about that. I can’t attend one thing and another at the same time. He made it seem like I was afraid of Golovkin, so I gave up the belt. So that’s why they are not involved, not now.”

Alvarez didn’t even want to fight for the customized Mexican-WBC belt against Chavez Jr.

“From the very beginning, the WBC wanted to get involved with this fight (vs. Chavez) and when we as a team said ‘no, it’s not going to happen, there is no WBC, it’s not for a world title’ – we knew that at some point something was going to come up,” said Alvarez.

“We spoke to Mr. Sulaiman and told him that he was not going to be involved. He then came up with this Huichol belt and I knew that he was going to use that against me in a negative way, to make me look like the bad guy – that I want nothing to do with the Huichols.”

WBC drama aside, the fight between Golovkin and Alvarez is signed, but this added an element to their “Drama show.”
Not caving in to public perception added to what we have as the “Drama show.”

The fight between the two is two years in the making and both fighters have similar paths in the same time period.

They both entered the ring as bigger men against welterweights; Alvarez against Amir Khan in May of 2016 and Golovkin following suit against Kell Brook October of the same year.

Golovkin and Alvarez triumphed over a tough opponent; Golovkin over Jacobs and Alvarez over Cotto.

They both had their share of tune-up/showcase fights; Alvarez against James Kirkland, Smith and Chavez Jr., Golovkin against Willie Monroe Jr., Dominic Wade and Lemieux.

Plenty of drama leading up to this fight, both fighters have the propensity to create drama inside the ring, all we can do is wait until they step in the ring and watch the drama unfold.

Posted on 05/07/2017

Canelo vs. Chavez Round by Round Results: Canelo Outclasses Chavez In Route
By: William Holmes

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Canelo Alvarez met in the main event of the night on tonight’s HBO Pay Per View (PPV) card from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The mood in the arena was festive and HBO spent some time hyping the upcoming pay per view bout between Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev.

The Mexican National Anthem was sung by Pepe Aguilar and performed first. Paula Deanda performed the national anthem of the United States.

Julio Cesar Chavez entered the ring first and Canelo Alvarez entered second. The crowd was largely supporting Canelo over Chavez.

The following is a round by round recap of tonight’s main event between two of Mexico’s best boxers.

Canelo Alvarez (48-1-1) vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50-3-2); Super Middleweights

Round 1:

Chavez looked significantly bigger than Canelo in the ring. Canelo connects with an early right hand to the body, followed by a jab. Canelo lands a left hook followed by a jab. Chavez barely bocks a right hand and follows it with a right hook to the body. Canelo jabs to the body and misses with a left hook. Canelo lands a left hook to the body. Chavez slips a jab but then eats a right hand to the temple. Canelo lands two straight jabs. Canelo lands another jab. Another jab lands for Canelo. Chavez is short with a jab. Canelo lands a jab. Canelo lands a straight right at the temple of Chavez. Chavez misses with two punches. Both boxers seem tenative to throw combinations.

10-9 Canelo

Round 2:

Neither boxer sat on the stool after the first round. Canelo lands two jabs. Chavez is short with a right hook to the body. Canelo lands an uppercut followed by a good blow to the body. Chavez is short with a right cross but then lands two hooks to the body. Canelo snaps out a shapr jab. Another jab to the body followed by a two punch combination. Chavez lands a left hook to the body followed by a combination with Canelo’s back to the ropes. Canelo lands a three punch combination followed by an uppercut. Canleo lands a lead right uppercut and misses a bomb of a straight right hand. Canelo lands two more right uppercuts followed by a right cross. Chavez connects with a quick jab but then eats one in return. Canelo tags him with another jab. Canelo lands another jab on Chavez. Canelo digs in a hook to the body of Chavez. Canelo lands a reaching jab.

10-9 Canelo; 20-18 Canelo

Round 3:

Canelo presses forward to start the third round and he lands a quick jab. Canelo lands another jab. Tags Chavez with a jab again. Chavez lands a jab. Canelo throws a two punch combination to the head of Chavez. Chavez lands a jab to the body. Canelo lands a jab followed by a right uppercut. Chavez lands a short hook but Canelo follows up with a jab upstairs. Canelo lands a right cross left uppercut combination. Chavez lands a two punch combination but Canelo answers with a combo of his own. Canelo lands another jab. Jab lands for Canelo. Chavez has a welt over his right eye and blood coming from his nose. Canelo lands another jab on Chavez. Chavez lands a two punch combo on Canelo and Canelo fights his way off the ropes with hooks to the body. Canelo lands a left hook to the head of Chavez. Canelo lands another jab. Canelo lands a right cross.

10-9 Canelo; 30-27 Canelo

Round 4:

Canelo opens up the fourth round with a straight right hand. Canelo digs in two hard hooks to the body and follows it with a two punch combo upstairs. Canelo has Chavez fighting backwards and is landing shots at will. Chavez looks lost inside the ring. Canelo snaps another jab at the nose of Chavez. Canelo lands a beautiful two punch combination. Cahvez throws a two punch combo but lands at air. Canelo lands a jab. Chavez lands a short jab but Canelo answers with a right hook to the body. Canelo is landing shots at will. Canelo lands several hard right hands on Chavez. Canelo is just dominating. Canelo bounces two uppercuts off the face of Chavez. Canelo lands a jab on Chavez. Canelo lands another jab. Chavez connects with a two punch combo. Hard jab by Canelo. Another hard jab by Canelo.

10-9 Canelo; 40-36 Canelo

Round 5:

Canelo lands a jab, follows it with another jab. Canelo is showing good head movement as he stalks Chavez. Canelo is in total control. Canelo lands a right cross. Canelo connects with a jab. Chavez is just getting beat up. Canelo lands a vicious right cross. Canelo connects a three punch combination. Canelo lands a hard right uppercut. Chavez lands a jab and a hook to the body. Canelo tags a left hook off the temple of Chavez. Canelo lands a right hook to the body. Canelo lands a jab. Canelo lands another jab. Chavez surprises Canelo with a right cross. Sharp jab by Canelo.

10-9 Canelo; 50-45 Canelo

Round 6:

Canelo looks very confident. Canelo comes out firing and lands a two punch combination. Good right hook to the body by Canelo followed by a right cross upstairs. Two straight jabs by Canelo. Another jab by Canelo. Canelo lands a hard left hook. Canelo digs in another hook to the body. Canelo flicks out another jab. Chavez tryignt o paw at the defenses of Canelo. Canelo with a two punch combination. Chavez is just not letting go. Canelo lands a two punch combination. Chavez has Canelo’s back against the ropes and he throws out some combinations. But he still seems hesitant to exchange with Canelo. Chavez with a right hook to the body. Chavez look intimidated by Canelo.

10-9 Canelo; 60-54 Canelo

Round 7:

Canelo may not have sat down the entire fight. Canelo is imposing his will on Chavez. Canelo moving behind his jab and connects with a good combination. Canelo lands another combination followed by two jabs. Chavez’s left eye is swollen. Chavez lands a combo on Canelo by the ropes. Chavez lands a combo but Canelo fires back. Canelo lands a short right hook. A clean right cross lands for Canelo. Canelo digs in several hard hooks to the body. Chavez lands a right hook to the body of Canelo. Canelo lands a jab followed by a right cross. Canelo throws two wild right hooks. Canelo lands another right cross to the body.

10-9 Canelo; 70-63 Canelo

Round 8:

Chavez’s face is badly swollen. Chavez digs in a right uppercut to the body of Canelo. Canelo blisters a three punch combination off the face of Chavez. Chavez lands a hard combination to Canelo with his back to the ropes. Chavez lands a combo upstairs but Canelo fires back and backs Chavez up. Canelo lands a jab. Canelo with a one two combo. Canelo with a tight jab followed by a hook to the body. Chavez lands a right cross. Canelo lands two straight right crosses followed by a hard body head combo. Canelo with another jab.

10-9 Canelo; 80-72 Canelo

Round 9:

Canelo has clearly won every round so far. Canelo has a hard, hard jab. Chavez bangs a right uppercut off the guard of Canelo. Chavez with a combination to the body on Canelo by the ropes. Chavez throws two hard punches at the guard of Canelo. Chavez lands a short combo and gets warned for a low blow. Chavez digs in a hook and Canelo comes back firing. Canelo digs in a hook to the body followed by a right cross. Canelo digs in another hook to the body followed by a hook to the body. Chavez has Canelo by the ropes but seems hesitant to let his hands go. Canelo is looking to counter Chavez. Canelo lands another jab. He’s in clear control.

10-9 Canelo; 90-81 Canelo

Round 10:

Canelo is imposing his will to start the tenth round. Canelo throws a double jab and lands them both. Canelo lands a hard right hook to the body. Canelo lands a jab and a right cross. This does look like a sparring session for Canelo. Canelo with a double hook combination upstairs. Canelo with a right uppercut. Chavez has barely thrown any punches this round. Canelo lands two straight right uppercuts. Canelo lands a straight right hand. Chavez lands a short jab. Many fans in attendance are starting to boo.
10-9 Canelo; 100-90 Canelo

Round 11:

Chavez badly needs to go for a knockout but he’s not pressing forward or throwing any punches. Many in attendance are booing the action in the ring. Canelo is just continuing to press forward and press the action. Chavez finally throws a two punch combination. Canelo lands a jab to the nose of Chavez. The boos and whistles continue. Chavez is fighting very passively. Canelo lands a good body shot followed by a right cross upstairs.

10-9 Canelo; 110-99 Canelo

Round 12:

Canelo is able to land a punch whenever he wants. Canelo lands a good right uppercut followed by a jab. Many in the crowd are continuing to boo. Canelo lands a right cross followed by a three punch combination. Canelo vs. Chavez Round by Round Results: Canelo Outclasses Chavez In Route lands a short right cross. Canelo snaps out another jab. Chavez is just not throwing combinations. Canelo lands a right hook followed by a two punch combination. Chavez did not take any risks whatsoever in this fight. By the end it resembled a sparring session more than a boxing match.

10-9 Canelo; 120-108 Canelo.

The official scores were 120-108 on all three scorecards.