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NY’s best Amateurs Continue Fighting in 2019 Ring Masters
New York’s amateurs fought on this week in the Ring Masters Championships, vying for a spot in the April 19 finals in Madison Square Garden and bragging rights as Metro’s best.
On Friday, March 1, the tournament returned to Main Street Boxing in Mount Vernon, where Mike Stellate mixes hardcore training with a family atmosphere. A packed house cheered the fourteen-fight card, enjoyed the DJ, and sipped sangria from Zhañay Winery.
“Coach Mike is amazing,” said Devon of sportswear sponsor Samuk. “All the kids he’s training are humble. He gets them in off the streets, and they don’t want to fight in the street anymore because now they have more confidence.”
A stylish showdown in the men’s 165-pound open quarterfinals won Dana Ford Fight of the Night. Heavy-handed Mike Passade of John’s Gym, a 28-year-old Marine veteran, took the split decision over classy Alexis “Chop Chop” Chaparro of NYC Cops and Kids, who divides his time between boxing and walking the runways of the world.
Passade had lost to Chop Chop before and was familiar with his style: “I knew if I sat there on the outside, I was going to get outboxed. I wanted to keep the pressure, not give him his space, turn it into more of a brawl.” He advances to the semifinals to face Freeport PAL’s Famous Wilson.
The King of Sting Power Punch went to light heavyweight Joel Telles of Sweatbox for his dominating first-round stoppage.
On Saturday, Metro woke up to a snowstorm but finished with a firestorm at Heavy Hitters Boxing in Ronkonkoma, a USA Boxing member gym offering training for all levels from pee wee to adult in a colorful space adorned with graffiti art.
“We always look forward to hosting Metro shows because they’re so much fun,” said Christine Morales, owner of Heavy Hitters with her husband Jason, a Suffolk County police officer.
The fireworks started in the opening bout, when Ashley Longchamp of Elmont BC sent his opponent tumbling with a hook, right combo that won the King of Sting Power Punch. Longchamp advances to the 152-pound semis to face Kalief Lindo of Church Street.
The 90-pound bantams closed the show with the Dana Ford Tough Fight of the Night, a unanimous decision for Anthony Pearson of Rockaway Ropes over Ruben Martinez of Champs.
“It was Ruben’s first fight, and he looked really sharp. He just needs to throw more punches,” said Coach Ryan O’Leary, who leads one of the largest squads in this tournament. Champs Gym sent 22 fighters to the Ring Masters, 17 of whom are still undefeated on the Road to the Garden.
Join the party this Saturday 3/19 at a special early matinee show hosted by the Freeport Recreation Center, featuring the 114, 141, and 152-pound men’s novice divisions and the women’s 152-pound open class. Show starts at 1 pm. This show is a benefit for kids living with cancer. Come join us for a day of music, boxing, fun and games!
UPDATED BRACKETS CAN BE FOUND ON: www.citylimits.org/boxing19
Tickets are going fast for the finals in MSG on Friday, April 19! Get yours here:
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Media Workout Notes & Quotes: Lomachenko and Linares Hit the Streets of NYC
Vasiliy Lomachenko and Jorge Linares took their talents to the streets of Manhattan on Wednesday, as they participated in an open workout on the corner of 33rd Street and 8th Avenue, just outside Madison Square Garden.
Lomachenko, a two-weight world champion, is looking to conquer a third weight class when he challenges WBA/Ring Magazine lightweight champion Jorge Linares on Saturday at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”
Linares vs. Lomachenko headlines an evening of world-class action, as welterweight contender Carlos Adames will take on savvy veteran Alejandro Barrera in the 10-round co-feature.
Appearing on the undercard will be Irish sensation Michael Conlan in an eight-round featherweight bout against once-beaten Ibon Larrinaga, 2016 U.S. Olympian Mikaela Mayer in a six-round lightweight contest against Baby Nansen, and Brooklyn native Teofimo Lopez against Vitor Freitas in an eight-round lightweight bout.
This is what the fighters had to say.
Photo Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
Jorge Linares
“I am hungry to win and to continue with my reign as world champion. This is a high-level fight and a very important one for my career because I am going to prove that Lomachenko is not an invincible fighter. We will see what he is really made of when he faces me this Saturday. I believe in myself and I know that I will come out with the victory. I am here to win. I did not come here to quit.”
(Photo Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)
Vasiliy Lomachenko
“I want to put my name in the history of boxing, and this is one of the steps I have to take, to fight in different weight classes, different titles. That’s what will put my name in the history of boxing.”
“I don’t know what Linares will bring. After the fight, I can compare him with Rigondeaux.”
“I already proved where I am, and I plan on being at the top of the sport for a very long time. I do not plan on slowing down.”
“Linares is one of the best fighters in his weight class. I don’t think it’s going to be easy work.”
Carlos Adames
“This Saturday, the fans will all talk about ‘Caballo Bronco’. This will be the first step towards a world championship opportunity and also the first step on my way to becoming the new face of boxing in the Dominican Republic. I have the talent, the mentality and the dedication to represent my country with dignity. That’s why I’m going to give my best and leave everything in the ring to give the fans a good show”
Mikaela Mayer
“I love that Top Rank is putting me on big cards and exposing women’s boxing a bigger audience. There’s definitely an increased interest in women’s boxing, and I am proud to be part of that.”
“Do I want a knockout? Of course. I want the fans to see that women can be in exciting fights and score knockouts.”
“If Nansen wants to come at me, I’m going to be ready for it. I’m ready for anything.”
Michael Conlan
“Madison Square Garden is my home away from home, and I can’t wait to put on a great show for the New York fans. This is going to be a great night of boxing.”
Teofimo Lopez
“This is my third time fighting at Madison Square Garden, and we know what happened last time I fought here. I knocked out the guy {Ronald Rivas} with one shot. One left hook, and he was out.”
“I believe in my God-given talent. Shout out to New York City. I’m from Brooklyn, and I look forward to showing up and feeling the love from my hometown fans.”
“Big things are coming. I love big cards like this. The more people I see out there, the more pumped up I get. Look out for the knockout because it’s coming.
###
Linares vs. Lomachenko and Adames vs. Barrera will be televised live and exclusively at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and undercard bouts will stream live on ESPN+, available through the ESPN App, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Golden Boy Promotions, Teiken Promotions, and Madison Square Garden, tickets for the Linares vs. Lomachenko world championship card are ON SALE NOW. Priced at $506, $406, $306, $206, $106, and $56, including facility fees, tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online at MSG.com.
Use the hashtag #LinaresLoma to join the conversation on social media.
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Gennady Golovkin and the Scramble to Find an Opponent
By: Kirk Jackson
Middleweight champion Gennady ‘Triple G’ Golovkin 37-0-1 (33 KO’s) is stuck between a rock and a hard place; with the recent dilemma stemming from ‘PED fallout’ with his original proposed opponent for Cinco de Mayo weekend, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 49-1-2 (34 KO’s).
With Alvarez dropping out of the original scheduled rematch – due to two failed drug tests (Clenbuterol), Golovkin is left without a dance partner.
There are discussions of the proposed rematch to occur at a later date; September later this year or at some point next year, depending on the results from Alvarez’s hearing and length of suspension handed out from Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Amid the Alvarez scandal, Team Golovkin’s stance remains firm in regards to still fighting Cinco de Mayo Weekend.
In spite of multiple attempts from Team Golovkin, his promoter Tom Loeffler, the HBO network and those responsible for the opponent selection of Triple G, securing a fight is hard to come by.
The date is still intact although the location of venue changed from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to the Stub Hub Center in Carson, CA.
“All the venues have told us that they are going to keep the date as long as we feel it’s still possible to promote a show,” explained Loeffler. “HBO to their credit, they originally had a pay-per-view scheduled on May 5th, they’ve adjusted their schedule to accommodate ‘Triple G’ which is not easy to do with less than 30 days.”
One would think, if the original opponent is not available, surely Golovkin can satisfy one of the mandatories for one of the championship titles he covets – as he has done ever so often in the past right? Golovkin is the current WBA, WBC and IBF middleweight champion.
Sergiy Derevyanchenko 12-0 (10 KO’s) is an interesting contender and the mandatory challenger for the IBF title.
According to Derevyanchenko’s manager Keith Connolly, as reported via ESPN, Team Derevyanchenko is calling for the fight with Golovkin.
“Now that Canelo-Golovkin has been called off the IBF mandatory is due. Sergiy has worked his whole life to earn a mandatory position and I will be doing everything in my power from a legal standpoint to protect my client’s rights.”
“I feel very comfortable in our legal position that we are owed the title shot immediately. Sergiy is ready to fight Golovkin now. If he chooses not to fight us the IBF should strip him and we will fight whoever is next in the rankings for the title.”
It looks less likely we’ll see this match-up May 5th as Team Golovkin appears not as interested in booking that particular fight at this time.
It appears Derevyanchenko and former junior middleweight titlist Demetrius Andrade 25-0 (16 KO’s) may duel for the rights to the IBF title in near future.
Andrade is another fighter vying for position to face Golovkin and called out the Kazakhstani champion for many years now.
It would be an honor to be able to share the ring with @GGGBoxing. I made the move to Middleweight to test my skills and talents against the best! GGG is the unified champ at 160 and I want this fight, move out the way @Canelo, Time for Boo Boo to shock the world!!!
— Demetrius Andrade (@BooBooAndrade) March 29, 2018
Taking on someone with the talent of Andrade on short-notice is a tall order, but Andrade would be facing the same inconvenience. It can be argued Andrade is not fully acclimated to the middleweight division with only one fight under his belt at the weight class.
But if Golovkin is regarded by ESPN as the no.1 pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, shouldn’t we hold that fighter to the highest of standards?
Golovkin needs an opponent and Andrade is willing to fill the void.
They running from you, you been knowing that.
— Terence Crawford (@budcrawford402) April 8, 2018
Team Golovkin is smart with their match-making, so it’s understandable taking another route.
The other routes included Spike O’Sullivan, who wisely declined the fight, WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders 26-0 (12 KO’s) recovering from injury and Jaime Munguia, an inexperienced junior middleweight.
While Munguia 28-0 (24 KO’s) maintains an undefeated record, the 21-year-old prospect hasn’t fought anyone even close to the level of Golovkin and hasn’t even been in a scheduled 12-rounder to this point in his career.
He is a naturally smaller fighter in a lower division (154 lbs.) and this brand of match-making is the epitome of a cherry pick.
But what about facing Jermall Charlo 26-0 (20 KO’s)?
Golovkin’s trainer Abel Sanchez mentioned many times in the past, his disapproval of matching his prized pupil against the likes of former junior middleweight titlist and current no. 1 WBC middleweight contender Charlo.
“He (Charlo) knocked out a cripple, Sanchez said of Charlo stopping Heiland.
“I think he has to earn the right to fight Golovkin. Just like a guy like Keith Thurman is telling Spence he has to wait to fight because he’s not known. I think these guys have to earn a shot to fight someone like Golovkin or Canelo. Reason they want to fight Golovkin or Canelo is because they want to cash out.”
Sanchez continued, “They want a big purse. Golovkin was no. 1 rated for Felix Sturm for two years and then Martinez.”
“Then we were mandatory for Cotto and even for Canelo it took a while. You have to make sure the people want the fight. Can you imagine what Charlo would do in sales? He wouldn’t sell nothing. I think we like to make title fights but obviously you have to earn them and he hasn’t earned it.”
With that said, there are flaws with Sanchez’s argument points.
It can be argued Golovkin is essentially doing the same thing accused of other fighters as they were supposedly “ducking” him for all these years.
Using money as the sole justification to explain why Sanchez doesn’t want Golovkin sharing the ring with Charlo is precisely the same justification previously cited by the big name middleweights (Sergio Martinez, Miguel Cotto, Alvarez) and even welterweights (Floyd Mayweather) as their reasons for not agreeing to fight Golovkin, which led to them subsequently being accused of “ducking” by Team Golovkin, his fan-base and mass media outlets such as ESPN and HBO particularly.
If Team Golovkin’s actions are the same as those who were accused of “ducking” Golovkin, does that mean Golovkin is “ducking” Charlo?
And while we’re on the subject of ducking and fighting mandatories, something Team Golovkin is keen to doing in years past, why not face one of his mandatories now?
Is it that Team Golovkin is still trying to preserve the big money fight with Alvarez? And by preserving the lucrative fight with Alvarez, does this include taking the road involving the least amount of risk?
Another note on the Charlo situation and referring to lack of quality wins to earn a shot at Golovkin, it’s not like Golovkin ran through a murderer’s row of opposition prior to securing his big money fight against Alvarez last year.
No disrespect intended, but Dominic Wade, Willie Monroe Jr., Osumanu Adama, Nobuhiro Ishida, Gabriel Rosado, Makoto Fuchigami, Lajuan Simon, Kassim Ouma, Nilson Julio Tapia, Milton Nunez, Marco Antonio Rubio, David Lemieux are not exactly tier one opposition.
Lemieux eventually became world champion, fighting for a vacant WBC title – in which he eventually lost to Golovkin via his first title defense.
It may be disputed, Triple G’s first run at tier one opposition occurred when he faced the undefeated welterweight champion Kell Brook, followed by battles against WBA champion Daniel Jacobs and Alvarez.
Brook moved up two weight classes for their encounter – an encounter that transpired last minute due to the negotiation issues between Golovkin and Chris Eubanks and Brook and Jessie Vargas.
These battles against top opposition, transpiring with Golovkin approaching his mid-thirties. Point being, Charlo has a legitimate claim to call for and pursue a fight with Golovkin.
Time is running out and options are slim for the fight still scheduled for May 5th.
One of the last options appears to be Vanes Martirosyan 36-3-1 (21 KO’s) and by all accounts appears to be a good match-up according to Triple G’s promoter Loeffler.
Martirosyan turns 33 on May 1st, hasn’t fought in two years, his last fight was a loss to Erislandy Lara – another fighter having called Golovkin out for many years.
Martirosyan is not a top-ranked fighter in the middleweight division or in the division he last competed in – junior middleweight.
Golovkin can’t be blamed for the folly of Alvarez; failing two drug tests and jeopardizing not only the initial scheduled rematch for May 5th but any future potential fight between the two.
Golovkin should be applauded for conducting himself as a clean athlete and preparing himself for battle physically and mentally in spite of the ‘PED scandal’ with Alvarez.
However, lining up an easy fight when there are logical, suitable match-ups available, especially as Golovkin is marketed as ‘Boxing’s Boogeyman’ and is regarded by ESPN as the no.1 pound-for-pound fighter is inexcusable.
With less than four weeks to go, perhaps it’s a wise idea to call the fight off altogether because of the lack of securing a top opponent for Triple G.
At this point and it appeared as so last year, Golovkin was aiming to secure a large payday, along with his signature win before riding off into the sunset against Alvarez.
Golovkin secured a nice payday, but not the signature win he wanted.
These recent attempts with match-making expose that sentiment, as it appears Team Golovkin is not trying to travel the road with much resistance.
As a world class fighter, as a person risking his life every time he steps in the ring, he has the right to choose who he wants to fight, nothing wrong with that.
But with that said, he should held to the same standard other fighters are often criticized for.
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Can Joseph Parker Surpass David Tua?
By: Ste Rowen
When you’re a promising, heavyweight boxer from New Zealand with Samoan heritage, you’re bound to be compared to David Tua. When you’re a heavyweight boxer from New Zealand, Samoan heritage and trained by Kevin Barry, the comparisons double. When you’re a heavyweight boxer from New Zealand, Samoan heritage, trained by Kevin Barry, and the WBO heavyweight champion of the world, it’d be almost sacrilege to not mention the ‘Tuaman’.
This coming Saturday, Joseph Parker, 24-0 (18KOs) headlines a heavyweight unification clash at Cardiff’s, 74500 capacity stadium, two fights removed from his unanimous decision win over Andy Ruiz for the vacant WBO belt.
It’s a height his fellow countryman, and New Zealand’s favourite boxing son, David Tua never reached. Always the bridesmaid and never the bride, David is remembered as one of the best heavyweights, never to win a championship belt.
Despite this, the question still remains over how Parker stands up when compared to the ‘Tuaman’.
In Tua’s one world title fight, he was soundly beaten by ‘THE’ man at the time, Lennox Lewis, but under the tutelage of Kevin Barry, David’s standing in boxing folklore is backed up by his victories over the men who would become champion and of course, a legendary chin.
As an amateur, Tua Campaigned at heavyweight (91kg) and achieved a very accomplished career which included winning a bronze medal in the 1991 World Championships and then bronze again in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Parker was just as much an accomplished ‘Youth’ Olympian. Campaigning at super heavyweight (+91kg), he won silver in the 2010 Youth Olympics and a bronze in the Youth World Championships of the same year, but the step up to the adult tournament proved too much as he failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London, which sealed his decision to turn pro in the same year.
Parker’s most impressive professional performance to date came in a 12-round slugger with Carlos Takam, Anthony Joshua’s most recent opponent. Throwing 534 punches, landing 102/261 power shots, Joe came through his first big test a better fighter than he entered. It was also the first-time fans were able to see his chin really tested against a higher calibre of opposition.
I was lucky enough to be in Auckland to see Parker fight five months later at the 3000 strong Vodafone Events Centre. That night he came up against the limited, but well-respected Alexander Dimitrenko. 20-0 (17KOs) at the time, Parker lived up to the ever-growing hype. There was an efficient nastiness to him as he didn’t rush in unnecessarily, found range well behind a composed jab, and fired off deft right hands that seemed to shake his opposition every time they landed. It all combined for three knockdowns in the first two rounds, and an unusual 3rd round body shot finish, when the Russian already looked downed.
It was the last KO Parker scored. In his three performances since, the New Zealander has gone 36 rounds, great experience you might say, but the quality of performance hasn’t matched up with the Parker we saw clash with Takam or Dimitrenko.
To win the WBO strap (his next fight after Dimitrenko) Parker took on the surprisingly quick hitting Mexican-American, Andy Ruiz. Also unbeaten, at 29-0 (19KOs) Ruiz had built up a solid record against relatively poor opposition but trained by Abel Sanchez and entering the ring with very little expectation, the ‘Destroyer’ made a bright start and the expectation on Parker’s shoulders suddenly seemed to weigh him down.
The New Zealander won a very contentious hometown decision, lacked power in his punching but more worryingly, the accuracy that had been so evident in his previous 20 bouts. Those types of performances can occur, but after failing to impress in 12 rounds against regular sparring partner and late stand-in, Razvan Cojanu and then most recently another contentious decision victory and lacklustre display to move to 24-0, this time over Hughie Fury in Manchester, we seem to be left with more questions than answers about what Joseph Parker is capable of.
At 24-0, Tua hadn’t fought for a recognised belt yet but he had laid waste to a future world champion in John Ruiz. He also left the crowd wanting more, scoring 20 KO’s in that time, fifteen of those coming within the first two rounds. And even in defeat further on his career against Ike Ibeabuchi and Lewis, Tua threw 755 and 413 punches respectively. He was a man who always came to win, and who the people wanted to watch.
For the upcoming clash with Joshua, Parker would do well to take notes from the Tua textbook. His chin has shown durability in past bouts, but there’s nothing wrong with incorporating head movement, especially when you’re coming up against someone as heavy handed as AJ. Tua’s bob and weave technique, plus nearly constant throwing gave the likes of Hasim Rahman and Chris Byrd fits, and static fighters like Oleg Maskaev were punished when they couldn’t land the jab. Tua took out Michael Moorer and John Ruiz early through sheer ferociousness and serious cojones to come out firing from the first bell.
‘Static’ is something that’s been labelled at Joshua a few times and if you’re not afraid to put it on the WBA & IBF champion, we’ve seen already that he’s not invincible, even if he is unbeaten.
Ultimately, when comparing the two New Zealanders, the fact may be that in this era, unless Parker achieves complete supremacy; from being a contender, to unifying the division, he may just be judged as a heavyweight in a lesser generation, especially when compared to the late 90’s/early 2000’s.
Sometimes the phrase ‘you can only beat what’s in front of you’ is legit, the problem for the WBO champion is that arguments can be made for him losing 2 of his last 3 fights, and he’s about to step in with a fighter widely regarded as ‘THE’ man of the current heavyweight division.
Defeat this weekend wouldn’t be the end of the world for Joe, it never held Tua back, but the performance on Saturday night could be just as important as the result for Parker’s future at the top of heavyweight boxing.
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Horn To Possibly Face Crawford in New York; Pacquiao Rumored to be on Card
By: Sean Crose
Although nothing has been made official yet, indications point to WBO world welterweight champion Jeff Horn facing his mandatory challenger, Terence Crawford, at the historic Madison Square Garden in the spring. What’s more, Manny Pacquiao may be making his ring return (it will be his first fight since losing to Horn via controversial decision last summer) on the same card. Fox Sports Australia reports that “Horn’s welterweight world title defense against unbeaten American Crawford is likely to be officially confirmed soon, but it won’t happen in Las Vegas as first planned.” What’s more, Fox claims “Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has revealed he’s looking to book Pacquiao’s much-anticipated return to the ring on the same card.”
Horn (18-0-1) stunned the world when judges awarded him a surprise decision win against Pacquiao in July. Although many – perhaps even most – felt Pacquiao won the fight, the judges’ decision, rendered in Horn’s hometown of Brisbane, made the now 29 year old Australian a world champion. Pacquiao afterwards returned to Filipino politics, where the iconic fighter works as a sitting senator. Meanwhile, Nebraska’s Crawford (32-0) unified the junior welterweight division by destroying the 22-0 Julian Indongo in August before announcing that he’d be moving a division up, to welterweight.
There had been word that Horn would face fellow Australian 48-8 Anthony Mundine in a homeland superbout, but a match with the more challenging Crawford clearly took precedent. Having won a single defense against 17-1 Gary Cochoran since besting Pacquiao, Horn will be fighting in the United States for the first time, if and when the bout with Crawford (and it’s New York City location) becomes official. Should the planned MSG fight become a reality, it will be Crawford’s third match in the Big Apple. As for Pacquiao, it’s unknown who his opponent would be.
There have been rumors that the fighter known as PacMan was willing to go down in weight to fight wunderkind Vasyl Lomachenko, or even cash in on a novelty bout with UFC star Conor McGregor. Neither of those possibilities (if they even were true possibilities) appear to have led anywhere, however, so it’s a bit up in the air as to who the legendary 59-7-2 multi-titlist will face next. With Crawford favored to best Horn, however, there is a belief that Arum, who promotes both Pacquiao and Crawford, might arrange for the two men to eventually clash.
The Madison Square Garden Horn-Crawford-Pacquiao card is expected to go down on April 14th.
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Dear All New Boxing Fans:
By: Greg Houghton
This post is a message to all new boxing fans that found themselves interested in the Mayweather McGregor fight. You are no doubt here and reading this post due to your newfound interest in the sport of boxing through the recent McGregor spectacle. I would just like to say welcome to this wonderful sport that so many of us live and breathe on a daily and nightly basis. May boxing give you as many moments of total exuberance and utter despair as it’s served all of us boxing fans over the years.
I am not going to speculate on the ‘Money fight’ that came and went on Saturday as the fight itself didn’t do much for me. What did interest me hugely however was the marketing of this fight. If your brain works anything like mine then you too would have found yourself seeing tens of thousands of Irish fans taking over Las Vegas, thinking to yourself “how on earth did one man and one event cause this?”
The answer is that, fight aside, we had two marketing geniuses in one ring at the same time, who’s ability to sell a fight is beyond anything we have seen on this planet in recent times. Mayweather’s PPV history tells us everything we could ever know about his business and marketing skills, as he has repeatedly taken on the most powerful promotion companies in the business and won. McGregors marketing must be applauded also as he stands at the top of the MMA game. His performances in interviews and press conferences aside… the working class kid from Ireland who through hard work and the ‘law of attraction’, has embedded the practice of modern day spiritual teachers into his formula for success as a megastar in mixed martial arts. The guy, in every single way, is a promoters dream come true.
However, marketing is marketing and spirituality is spirituality. As we saw on Saturday, neither of these things can quite swing it for you when you’re fighting Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match. And, on another ‘however’, as a new boxing fan whose interest in the sport has come from Saturday’s event, there are some upcoming events in the boxing world that you must know about.
I must confess, during the Mayweather McGregor fight, I too found myself with an elevated heart rate, legs twitching and a feeling of overwhelming excitement and anticipation that I could not seem to control. This came not from the event, but from the realization that Canelo vs GGG will be on our screens in exactly three weeks from that moment.
Photo Credit: Sapir Caduri
I asked Golovkin this very question at the NYC presser on June 26th, and he was quick to shut it down by replying “Sparring is sparring, this is fight, is not the same”.
This fight is one that boxing fans have been waiting on for years, one with a very different marketing strategy to that which we’ve just seen, for nothing needs to be said from either party in order to sell this upcoming war. No soap opera press conferences, no playground styled trash talk and little to no correlation to the annual promotion of ‘Wrestlemania’. The only form of promotion required for this event is the occasional piece of leaked footage of either man in camp, which in turn, sends shivers through the body of the boxing fan.
You have no doubt heard the rumors spread by those who have contracted the virus commonly known as ‘boxing expert syndrome’, as to why “Canelo destroys Golovkin” or why “GGG is going to smash Canelo”. The reality is, as any boxing fan who has followed the professional careers of these two will tell you, there is absolutely no way of knowing who wins this fight.
Golovkin. The knockout artist and one of the most feared fighters of his generation, who on closer inspection won a points decision by a single round earlier this year against Danny Jacobs and did not hurt him in the process. You can’t help but wonder, at 35, has age finally caught up with GGG? Does he still posses the devastating power and pinpoint accuracy that demolished the likes of David Lemieux?
Photo Credit: Sapir Caduri
Canelo has looked nothing short of lethal in camp for this fight in sharpening his power punches. But remember, in May this year he threw all of this and the kitchen sink for all 12 rounds at Chavez Jr, who barely waved a finger back at him and took everything that Canelo could throw.
So we must wonder, does Canelo’s power really carry at 160 and above? And second to this, can he be quick enough on his feet to deal with the continual pressure and cutting off of the ring that GGG will no doubt bring?
Will the previous events in sparring between the two play any precedence in their phycology on fight night? It has been rumored for some time that GGG got the better of Canelo when they sparred a few years back. I asked Golovkin this very question at the NYC presser on June 26th, and he was quick to shut it down by replying, “Sparring is sparring, this is fight, is not the same”. As always, the Kazakh was humble in his broken English and reluctant to give anything away.
If you’ve only recently become interested in boxing, you are lucky to have gotten into it at this moment right now. What happens on Mexican independence day, September 16th will unlikely be anything other than an all out war, with the winner in contention as the pound for pound number 1 in the world. In fact, with Lomachenko vs Rigondeoux rumored to have been booked, Anthony Joshua on a mission to unify the heavyweight division and the super middleweight and Cruiserweight ‘Super Series’ immanent, there have been fewer better times to get in to boxing than right now. With almost every weight division within the sport having its own stars worthy of selling pay-per-view fights, boxing is currently on fire compared to the state of it in recent times.
Welcome aboard, new boxing fans. Please take your seat, buckle up and prepare for the inevitable turbulence that we’ll encounter on September 16th and beyond.
P.S. If you’re an MMA fan with a newly found passion for boxing, try not to take Oscar De-La-Hoya’s spiteful words to heart. He didn’t mean it; he’s just trying to sell his fight, that’s all.
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Showtime World Championship Boxing Preview: Adrien Broner vs. Mikey Garcia, Jermall Charlo vs. Jorge Heiland
By: William Holmes
On Saturday night Showtime and Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) will present one of the best boxing matches during the month of August as Adrien Broner takes on Mikey Garcia in the junior welterweight division. Jermall Charlo will also be making his debut in the middleweight division as he bumps a weight class to take on Jorge Sebastian Heiland.
The undercard is also stacked and featured several entertaining fights and high level prospects. Jarrell Miller will face Gerald Washington in a matchup featuring two top ranked heavyweights. Katie Taylor and Rau’shee Warren are two former Olympians that will also be competing on the undercard.
The following is a preview of the televised portion of the bouts that Showtime will be televising live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Jermall Charlo (25-0) vs. Jorge Sebastian Heiland (29-4-2); Middleweights
Jermall Charlo is dropping his junior middleweight title to bump up to his brother’s division and chase a world title there. He’s younger than his brother by one minute but they hope to hold titles in the same division as the same time.
Charlo is twenty seven years old and younger than his Argentinean opponent by three years. He’s from Houston, Texas and has been relatively active in the past two years. He fought twice in 2016 and three times in 2017. He stands at 6’0”, but has a pretty good reach of 73 ½”. Heiland has fought once in 2017, twice in 2016, and once in 2015.
Heiland is a southpaw and has four losses on his record. He doesn’t have the power of Charlo and has stopped sixteen of his opponents. Charlo has stopped nineteen boxers.
Despite his four losses Heiland has been boxing well recently. He is currently riding an 8 win fight streak. Neither boxer has any notable amateur titles.
Charlo’s most impressive victory was in his last bout when he defeated Philadelphia native Julian Williams by knockout. His other notable victories include Austin Trout, Winky Campfort, and Cornelius Bundrage.
Heiland’s only notable victory was a knockout over Matthew Macklin before Macklin retired. He has losses to Mateo Damian Veron, Billi Godoy, Nilson Tapia, and Sebastian Zbik.
Even though Charlo is bumping up a weight division, he’s facing an opponent that is not on his skill level. It’s a good first fight to feel out the middleweight division for Charlo.
Adrien Broner (33-2) vs. Mikey Garcia (36-0); Junior Welterweights
Adrien Broner has been in the news a lot recently, but not for boxing. He’s had a few run ins with the law, including an arrest in April of 2017 when the SUV he was driving was found to have bullet holes in it. Broner claimed at the time that his vehicle was shot at.
Broner is a boxer with amazing talents, but the outside issues could be a distraction and he’s facing an elite level talent.
Broner and Garcia are similar in age, with Broner being 28 years old and Garcia being 29. They are also similar in size and height. They are the same height and stand in at 5’6”. Garcia will have a slight reach advantage of one inch.
Neither boxer has been very active in the past two years fighting under the PBC banner. Broner only fought once in 2017 and 2016, but did fight three times in 2015. Garcia only fought once in 2017 and 2016, and did not fight in 2015 and most of 2014 due to contract issues with Top Rank Promotions.
Broner has defeated the likes of Adrian Granados, Ashley Theophane, Khabib Allakhverdiev, John Molina Jr., Emmanuel Taylor, Carlos Molina, Paulie Malignaggi, Antonio Demarco, Daniel Ponce De Leon, and Eloy Perez. His losses were to Shawn Porter and Marcos Maidana.
Garcia’s inactivity has cost him some possible big name matchups, but he still has a good list of defeated opponents. He has defeated the likes of Dejan Zlaticanin, Elio Rojas, Juan Carlos Burgos, Roman Martinez, Juan Manuel Lopez, Orlando Salido, and Jonathan Victor Barros.
Both boxers experienced some success on the national level as an amateur. Broner as a National Silver Gloves Champion and Garcia was a US Pal Gold Medalist and a US Junior Golden Gloves Gold Medalist.
Garcia’s inactivity and recent wins against subpar competition would normally big a cause of concern when facing a highly skilled opponent like Adrien Broner, but Broner’s recent run ins with the law and his two losses against top level opponents is a bigger concern.
This writer wouldn’t be shocked if Broner emerges victorious, but the edge has to go to Garcia.
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PBC on Fox Preview: Omar Figueroa vs. Robert Guerrero, Marcus Browne vs. Seanie Monaghan
PBC on Fox Preview: Omar Figueroa vs. Robert Guerrero, Marcus Browne vs. Seanie Monaghan
By: William Holmes
On Saturday night Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) will return to the Fox network to broadcast a double header live from Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island in Uniondale, New York.
Other bouts fighting on the undercard include boxers such as Artur Szpilka, Jamal James, Jo Jo Dan, Eliezer Aquino, and Brandon Figueroa.
Photo Credit: Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment
The following is a preview of the two main bouts on the card.
Marcus Browne (19-0) vs. Seanie Monaghan (28-0); Light Heavyweights
This is an intriguing fight between two undefeated New York Light Heavyweights, and it’s a great fight to open up the televised portion of the card from Long Island, New York.
Monaghan, who was born in Long Beach, and Browne, who was born in Staten Island are familiar with each other and bring a local flair to this event.
Monaghan is undefeated, but aging, and is currently thirty five years old. A win against Browne could catapult him to a future title fight, but a loss will likely end any hopes he has of becoming a world champ. Browne is twenty six and nine years younger than Monaghan. He also has about a two and a half inch height advantage and a three inch reach advantage on Monaghan.
Monaghan has some success on the local amateur circuit and lost in the finals of the 2009 New York Golden Gloves. Marcus Browne experienced success on the national level and represented the United States in the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was also the 2010 Amateur PAL Champion.
Monaghan fought twice in 2016 and three times in 2015. Brown fought once in 2017 and once in 2016, and four times in 2015.
Monaghan is signed to Top Rank Promotions, but has yet to face and defeat a big name opponent. His biggest wins to date have come against Donovan George, Elvir Muriqi, and Anthony Caputo Smith.
Browne has been facing an increasing level of opposition as he’s advanced as a professional. He has defeated the likes of Thomas Williams Jr., Radivoje Kalajddzic, Gabriel Campillo, Cornelius White, Aaron Pryor Jr., and George Blades.
Browne and Monaghan are about equal in power. Browne has stopped fourteen of his opponents while Monaghan has stopped seventeen.
There should be a large number of fans in attendance to watch this bout between two native New Yorkers, but Browne’s physical advantages, age advantage, and amateur pedigree indicates that he should walk away the victor on Saturday night.
Omar Figueroa (26-0-1) vs. Robert Guerrero (33-5-1); Welterweights
Robert Guerrero’s career has taking a sharp downturn since he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. He’s 2-4 in his last six fights and seems far removed from sniffing another world title shot.
He’s facing Omar Figueroa, an undefeated boxer seven years his junior. But Figueroa has been relatively inactive, he hasn’t fought since 2015 and has experienced issues with his hands recently.
Guerrero will have about an inch and a half height advantage but Figueroa will have a two inch reach advantage. Both boxers have eighteen stoppages to their record.
Guerrero has the better amateur accomplishments; he won a gold medal in the National Junior Olympics. Figueroa competed briefly as an amateur but turned pro at a young age.
Guerrero has defeated some good opponents, and they include Yoshihiro Kamegai, Andre Berto, Selcuk Aydin, Michael Katsidis, Joel Casamayor, and Jason Litzau. However, Guerrero has had a rough stretch recently and has lost to many of the top welterweights in the world. His losses were to Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and a loss he later avenged to Gamaliel Diaz.
Most concerning for Guerrero is the fact he lost his last bout to an Argentinean cab driver by the name of David Peralta and he escaped with a lucky decision over Aaron Martinez.
Figueroa has spent most of his career fighting in the lightweight division but holds victories over notable boxers such as Michael Perez, Abner Cotto, Nihito Arakawa, Jerry Belmontes, Ricky Burns, and Antonio DeMarco.
This is a bout between a boxer who’s career has been on a steady decline and a boxer with a bright future. Guerrero’s recent performances have been disappointing and it’s hard to imagine him turning his career around against a young hungry fighter at the age of thirty four.
If Figueroa’s hands aren’t injured he should be able to defeat Guerrero.
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“New” Ray Robinson Wins at Tropicana in Atlantic City Friday
“New” Ray Robinson Wins at Tropicana in Atlantic City Friday
By: Ken Hissner
Hard Hitting Promotions with Manny Rivera and Will Ruiz brought their Philadelphia promotion to Atlantic City’s Tropicana Hotel & Casino Friday night featuring Philadelphia’s “New” Ray Robinson and a cast of young talent who will be the future of Philadelphia boxing!
Welterweight southpaw “New” Ray Robinson, 24-2 (12), of Philadelphia, defeated by technical decision Columbian Breidis “Braidys” Prescott, 30-11 (22), of Miami, FL, into the seventh round.
In the first two rounds Prescott was the aggressor while Robinson showed pin point counter punching. In the third round it was Robinson backing up Prescott with a solid jab and hurting him with a right hook to the chin near the end of the round.
In the fourth round both rocked one another at the same time. Robinson was out punching Prescott. In the fifth and sixth rounds Robinson became much more aggressive in trying to take Prescott out. In what referee Harvey Dock ruled a clash of heads in the seventh round Prescott went down and didn’t make any effort to get up. The EMT’s had to remove Prescott from the ring. The judges went to the scorecards. Robinson hasn’t lost since 2010. His trainer “Bozy” Ennis seemed quite pleased as was his manager David McWater.
All 3 judges and this writer had it 70-63.
Luis “Popeye” Lebron, 9-0-1 (4), of San Juan, PR, defeated in a real battle Manuel “El Zombie” Botti, 22-1-1 (18), of DR, for the WBA Fedelatin featherweight title, over 10 rounds.
In the opening round it was all Botti. In the second round Lebron came back to control while both gave a good account of themselves. In the third round it went back and forth with Lebron pulling it out. In the fourth and fifth rounds both were rocked. Botti kept coming forward getting the better of the two inside.
In the sixth and seventh rounds they continue to take turns getting the better of the action. It turned into a war as uppercuts from both boxers were flying. Neither would give an inch in a real slugfest. In the eighth round Lebron landed three left hooks to the head of Botti. As Botti came back he was stunned by a Lebron left hook to the head.
In the ninth round it continued to be a savage fight. In the tenth and final round Lebron seemed to have pulled it out.
Judge Carter had it 98-92, Constatino 99-91 and Cheeks 100-90. This writer had it much much closer at 96-94.
Super lightweight Liberian Samuel “Tsunami” Teah, 11-1-1 (5), of Philadelphia, knocked out Dominican Ken Alvarez, 8-6-2 (3), of PR, at 1:48 of the third round.
In the first two rounds both boxers mixed it up well especially to the body. In the third round Teah landed a hard right to the head of Alvarez. Seconds later Teah landed a chopping right to the head of Alvarez and out he went.
Bantamweight Christian Carto, 10-0 (10), of Philadelphia, continued his knockout streak and now up to 10 as he stopped Juan Guzman, 22-8 (12), of DR, 2:30 of the first round.
In the first round Carto dropped Guzman twice to a knee while referee Lee never acknowledged them. In between those Carto scored a knockdown. The unofficial fourth knockdown referee Lee couldn’t miss as Guzman went down and referee Lee finally called a halt.
17 year old lightweight Branden Pizarro, 6-0 (3), of Philadelphia, in a brilliant performance stopped Angel Hernandez, 2-4 (1), of PR, at 0:26 of the sixth.
In the opening round Pizarro controlled with good body work but Hernandez got in several of his own but was completely outclassed. In the second round it was all Pizarro landing pin point punches breaking Hernandez down. In the third round though Hernandez got several good body shots in Pizarro completely controlled the round working both body and head with punches.
In the fourth round Pizarro showed his skills while on the ropes landing uppercuts. A pair of uppercuts by Pizarro hurt Hernandez backing him up several steps. In the fifth round Hernandez tried pushing Pizarro over the ropes getting a warning from referee Lee. Pizarro landed 3 left hooks to the body of Hernandez on several occasions. A left hook from Pizarro to the chin of Hernandez dropped him. He got up and held on as the bell sounded. In the sixth and final round a vicious body shot made Hernandez step back and drop to a knee taking the full count from referee Lee. It was a brilliant performance from Pizarro.
Bantamweight Ariel Lopez, 7-0 (5), of Pueblo, MEX, won a split decision over Charles Clark, 1-3-1 (1), of Dallas, TX, in a 6.
In the opening round after a minute of no punching Lopez landed a double right hook to the head of Clark. In the second round things started heating up with Lopez using his combinations and Clark landing a solid lead right to the head. In the third round Clark drove Lopez into a neutral corner landing well until a punch went south of the border. Lopez landed a 3-punch combination with Clark coming back with a solid left hook to the head of Lopez.
In the fourth round Lopez landed a solid double left hook to the body of Clark who countered with a solid left hook to the head of Lopez. In the fifth round a Clark left hook to the head rocked Lopez. Clark had a point taken away for a low blow after several previous warnings from referee Eddie Claudio. In the sixth and final round both looked tired.
Judge Barnes had it 58-55 and George Hill 57-56 for Lopez while Rubenstein 57-56 for Clark. This writer had it 58-55 Lopez.
Featherweight Jose “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, 8-0-1 (2), of New York City, in a hard fought fight won a split decision over Mexico’s Guadalupe “Lupe” Arroyo, 2-5 (0), of Huntington Beach, CA, in a 6.
In the first two rounds Arroyo came in low throwing wild punches as Gonzalez the southpaw picked him off with uppercuts. In the third and fourth rounds Gonzalez was warned several times for infractions. He hurt Arroyo several times with body shots. In the fifth round Arroyo did much better while Gonzalez continued to get away with pushing off without warning from referee Claudio. In the sixth and final round Arroyo landed a solid uppercut to the chin of Gonzalez knocking his head back. It got sloppy in the final round with both boxers tiring.
Judge Barnes had it 58-56, Rubenstein 59-55 for Gonzalez and Hill 58-56 for Arroyo. This writer had it 59-55 for Gonzalez.
Jeremy Cuevas, 4-0 (3), of Philly knocked out Jonathan Valarezo, 0-2 (0), of Ecuador at 2:08 of the first round.
In the first round both mixed it up well until an overhand left from Cuevas to the head of Valarez and down he went and out.
Welterweight Mark Dawson, 4-0-1 (3), of Philadelphia won over William Hill, 2-4 (0), of Detroit, MI, in a bloody 4.
In the opening round it was too much holding. In the second round Dawson landed a right hook causing a cut on the upper eye lid of Hill. Dawson was using a good uppercut when Hill came in low. In the third round the blood is covering the face of Hill on the left side. Dawson due to a head butt had a cut over his left eye. In the fourth the ring physician took a long look at Dawson who was obviously ahead before she allowed the fight to continue. In the final round Hill was chasing Dawson knowing he was behind and ran into a straight left to the chin from Dawson. Hill’s left eye was closed by the end of the round.
Judges Barnes, Hill and Rubenstein and this writer had it 40-36.
It was a good and competitive show for Hard Hitting’s first NJ event.
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Boxing with First State Pro Boxing Series Friday in New Castle, DE!
Boxing with First State Pro Boxing Series Friday in New Castle, DE!
By: Ken Hissner
Dee Lee Promotions, LLC & Night Night Promotions, Inc. continues to keep boxing in the limelight with the second show in the state in 3 years this Friday at the Nur Shrine Temple at 198 S. Dupont Hwy in New Castle, DE.
Diane Lee Fischer Cristiano of Dee Lee Promotions has promoted over 75 shows and is joining first time promoters “Joltin” Joey Tiberi, Jr. and Todd Mulvena of Night Night Promotions. Tiberi will be in the main event with Lamont “The Problem Solver” Singletary in the co-feature. There will be 7 additional bouts scheduled for a total of 40 rounds.
At a press conference Monday at Hooters in Glen Mills, PA, Nino Del Buono was the MC with the 3 promoters in attendance. Tiberi has always had a large following as an undercard boxer and will finally get to be the main boxer for this event.
Tiberi is 14-2 (7), from Newark, DE, and will be featured in a 6 round lightweight bout. Singletary, 8-2 (5), will be in the other 6 round bout at cruiserweight.
In 4 round bouts will be Jamaican southpaw middleweight Anthony Miller, 3-2 (3), of Wilmington, cruiserweight ReuelWiliams, 7-1 (2), of Wilmington, Felix “The Dangerous Dominican”Manzuesta, Michael “The Hammer” Crain, Maurice Horne all DE boxers making their debut, Josue Rivera of Philadelphia and Edgar Cortes of Vineland, NJ.
Del Buono introduced Diane “as the most honest promoter in the business!”
“I’ve done 75 shows around the world and will be joining Joey Tiberi, Jr., and Todd Mulvena and feel it’s important to help keep the kids off the streets. It was my daddy’s dream who is now 95 and with the help of my husband Leo I can continue,” said Fischer. She is an inductee in the NJ BHOF.
Tiberi won by first round kayo in February on the Roy Jones, Jr.-Bobby Gunn undercard. Singletary did the same on the same card. Miller is returning for the first time in a year, Williams returns after almost 5 years, Maurice Horne, son of well-known DE trainerRon Horne will be making his debut after having 30 fights in the amateurs, Crain has had 13, Rivera has 11 fights all ending in kayo but one.
Doors open at 6pm and first bout at 7pm. Tickets are priced at a modest $45 advance / $50 at the door Ringside $60 advance $65 at the door, VIP seats $75.00.
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Jarrett “Swift” Hurd’s First Title Defense is a Serious Challenge
Jarrett “Swift” Hurd’s First Title Defense is a Serious Challenge
By Eric Lunger
There is a perception in boxing today that too many fighters, when they finally reach that goal of grabbing their first belt, spend too much time resting on their laurels, maybe trying to maximize their earning power by dusting a few weak challengers. And who can blame them, really? Success in boxing requires years of sacrifice and rigorous training, so once a fighter reaches the top, there is no hurry to risk that coveted position.
So big respect to Jarrett “Swift” Hurd (20-0, 14 KOs), who has set his first title defense against Austin Trout (30-3, 17 KOs). Hurd, who proudly hails from Accokeek, Maryland, won the IBF super welterweight belt last February in a tactical and very professional stoppage of well-regarded veteran Tony Harrison (24-2, 20 KOs). Although it was Hurd’s first title fight, he approached the bout methodically and patiently, doing some serious bodywork with his left hook and waiting for an opening. Hurd was also surprisingly versatile in this bout, working behind the jab from range but also comfortable and effective on the inside. Hurd is classically trained, so to speak, and takes pride in being able to display all aspects of the craft.
Austin Trout, from Las Cruces, New Mexico, is a serious threat. He has a long professional resume — he fought Miguel Cotto, Erislandy Lara, and Canelo Alvarez back to back — and he brings a tricky, southpaw style into the ring. Trout has a full professional tool kit and enough experience to make adjustments during the fight. His last bout, against rising star Jermall Charlo, was a close unanimous decision loss (116-112, 115-113, 116-112). While making no excuses, Trout was bitterly disappointed with his loss to Charlo, and the Hurd fight might be his last chance to regain a top spot in the division.
As I see it, Hurd still has some defensive issues that Trout may be able to exploit, while Trout is vulnerable to a short right counter when he fights on his front foot. This bout may hinge on ring IQ and ring adjustment — which fighter will be able to solve his opponent first?
This will be an exciting card, also featuringMikey Garcia vs. Adrian Broner. Garcia, a multiple division champ, is moving up to 140 lbs. Having put his legal issues behind him, Garcia destroyed an overmatched Dejan Zlaticanin in a scary knockout in January, and he is looking to make up lost time. Technically proficient, Garcia sits down on his punches, generates real power, and has a mean streak when he steps between the ropes. No disrespect to Broner, who is a warrior in the ring whatever problems he may have away from boxing, but I think Garcia will clean out most of the division, setting up a potential super-fight showdown with Terence Crawford.
Showtime is broadcasting the fight on July 29th and it looks like the card will land at Barkley’s Center in Brooklyn, a fantastic venue for boxing.
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HBO World Championship Boxing Preview: Raymundo Beltran vs. Jonathan Maicelo, Terence Crawford vs. Felix Diaz
HBO World Championship Boxing Preview: Raymundo Beltran vs. Jonathan Maicelo, Terence Crawford vs. Felix Diaz
By: William Holmes
On Saturday night the under appreciated Terence Crawford will defend his WBO and WBC titles against former Olympic Gold Medalist Felix Diaz. This bout will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The co-main event of the night will be between Raymundo Beltran and Jonathan Maicelo in an IBF Lightweight eliminator. American prospect Shakur Stevenson will also be featured on the undercard.
Top Rank will be the lead promoter on Saturday night and HBO will be televising the fights. The following is a preview of Saturday’s card.
Raymundo Beltran (32-7-1) vs. Jonathan Maicelo (25-2); IBF Lightweight Eliminator
The opening bout of the night will be between the rugged and entertaining Raymundo Beltran and contender Jonathan Maicelo.
Beltran is always a tough fight, but at thirty five years old his best days physically are likely behind him. He’s two years older than Maicelo and will be about one inch taller than him but will also be given up one inch in reach.
Beltran has the edge in power over Maicelo. He has twenty victories by stoppage and his last three wins have been by KO or TKO. Maicelo has twelve wins by stoppage but his last four fights were decision victories. Both boxers are able to be stopped, as Beltran has two stoppage losses and Maicelo has one.
Neither boxer has any notable international success as an amateur, though Maicelo did compete in several regional amateur tournaments in South America with a moderate amount of success.
Beltran’s last fight was a sensational knockout victory over Mason Menard. He has also defeated the likes of Arash Usmanee, Ji-Hoon Kim, Henry Lundy, and David Torres. His losses were to Terence Crawford, Luis Ramos Jr., Sharif Bogere, and Ammeth Diaz. He stopped Takahiro Ao in the second round, but that bout was overturned due to a positive test for steroids.
Maicelo has defeated the likes of Jose Felix Jr., Samual Amoako, and Art Hovannisyan. His losses were to Darleys Perez and Rustam Nugaev.
Beltran is that type of contender that will seemingly always be in the title hunt and has a pressure style that is difficult for some boxers to overcome. Maicelo has never defeated a high level opponent and doesn’t seem suited to handle the forward pressure that Beltran is known for.
This should be a good fight, but despite his age Beltran has enough gas in his tank to squeak out a decision victory.
Terence Crawford (30-0) vs. Felix Diaz (19-1); WBO/WBC Junior Welterweight Title
Terence “Bud” Crawford is considered to be a possible future opponent for Manny Pacquiao and is one of the top talents on the Top Rank roster.
He’s twenty nine years old and is in the middle of his athletic prime. His opponent, Felix Diaz, is thirty three years old. Crawford will also have a three inch height advantage and a three inch reach advantage.
Crawford has been fairly active the past two years. He has fought three times in 2016 and twice in 2015. Diaz fought twice in 2016 and twice in 2015.
Both boxers have strong amateur backgrounds. Crawford had success on the national level as an amateur and won the Police Athletic League Championship as well as the United States Pan American Games. Diaz won the gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics for the Dominican Republic.
Crawford has looked sensational throughout his career and nobody has come close to defeating him. He has defeated the likes of John Molina Jr., Viktor Postol, Henry Lundy, Dierry Jean, Thomas Dulorme, Raymundo Beltran, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Ricky Burns, and Andrey Klimov. Even though Crawford has fought many fights in his native Nebraska, he has shown a willingness to travel to fight as evident in his past fight with former champion Ricky Burns in Scotland.
Diaz is a technician but lacks power. He only has nine stoppage wins while Crawford has twenty one. The best opponents Diaz has defeated so far are Sammy Vasquez, Gabriel Bracero, Adrian Granados, and Emmanuel Lartei Lartey. His lone loss was a disputed loss to Lamont Peterson.
This writer thinks Diaz be one of the most difficult fights in Crawford’s career. He’s a technician and has a deep and successful amateur background. But Crawford has faced elite talent several times in his career and has defeated every opponent put in front of him. Diaz’s resume is void of any elite talent, and the one time he did face a legitimate title contender in Lamont Peterson he came up short.
Crawford should win the fight by decision.
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PBC on Showtime Preview: Andre Berto vs. Shawn Porter, Jermell Charlo vs. Charles Hatley
PBC on Showtime Preview: Andre Berto vs. Shawn Porter, Jermell Charlo vs. Charles Hatley
By: William Holmes
On Saturday night in Brooklyn, New York Showtime will televise at least two bouts in the welterweight and junior middleweight divisions live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The main event will be between two top contenders, Shawn “Showtime” Porter and Andre Berto in a WBC Welterweight Title eliminator. The co-main event will be for the WBC Junior Middleweight Title between Jermell Charlo and Charles Hatley.
Other boxers on the undercard include WBO Women’s Bantamweight champion Amanda Serrano, Jose Miguel Borrego, Julian Sosa, and Richardson Hitchins.
The following is a preview of the Porter vs. Berto and Charlo vs. Hatley bouts.
Jermell Charlo (28-0) vs. Charles Hatley (26-1-1); WBC Junior Middleweight Title
This bout is between two boxers who should be somewhat familiar with each other, Jermell Charlo and Charles Hatley. Charlo and Hatley are both Texas natives and Charlo hails from Houston while Hatley hails from Dallas.
Charlo, the younger twin brother of Jermall, will be five years younger than Hatley and will have about a one inch height and reach advantage. Hatley, however, appears to be the harder puncher of the two. Hatley has stopped eighteen of his opponents and four of his past five wins have come by TKO. Charlo has only stopped thirteen of his opponents and only two of his past five opponents were stopped.
Both boxers have not been very active recently. Charlo only fought once in 2016 and twice in 2015, while Hatley did not fight in all of 2016 and fought twice in 2015.
They both had decent amateur careers, but Hatley was the more accomplished amateur. Hatley was the 2007 US National Amateur Welterweight Champion and the 2008 Olympic alternate. Charlo won the bronze medal in the 2005 Junior Olympics.
Charlo has the better resume as a professional. He has beaten the likes of John Jackson, Joachim Alcine, Vanes Martirosyan, Mario Lozano, Charles Bellamy, Gabriel Rosado, Demetrius Hopkins, and Harry Joe Yorgey. Hatley has beaten the likes of Emmanuel Augustus, Anthony Mundine, Saul Roman, and Jose Flores. His lone loss was to Lanardo Tyner, and he failed to go the distance in that bout.
At the age of thirty one and not having fought in over a year, ring rust is a serious concern for Hatley. Charlo is coming off a very good win against Jackson and momentum and age is on his side.
This should be a close bout early, but Charlo should take over in the later rounds.
Shawn Porter (26-2-1) vs. Andre Berto (31-4); WBC Welterweight Eliminator
This is a bout between two of the top contenders in the welterweight division that are looking for another chance at a welterweight title shot. Another loss for either boxer could spell the end of any hope of fighting for a title in the near future.
Both Porter and Berto had successful amateur careers. Porter was a World Golden Gloves Champion and came up short in qualifying for the 2008 US Olympic Team. Berto was a National Golden Gloves Champion, a bronze medalist in the 2003 World Championships, and represented Haiti in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Both boxers have had some difficulties as of late. Berto has gone 3-3 in his last six bouts while Porter has gone 4-2. Porter has losses to the likes of Keith Thurman and Kell Brook by close decisions. Berto has lost to the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Robert Guerrero, Victor Ortiz, and Jesus Soto Karass.
Berto appears to have the harder punch of the two. He has stopped twenty four of his opponents while Porter has only stopped sixteen. However, Porter is five years younger than Berto and will have a half an inch height advantage and about an inch reach advantage.
Neither boxer has been very active the past two years. They both fought once in 2016 and twice in 2015.
Berto’s career started off strong but has since fizzled a little bit. He has wins over Victor Ortiz, Josesito Lopez, Jan Zaveck, Carlos Quintana, Juan Urango, Luis Collazo and Freddy Hernandez.
Porter’s two losses could have gone either way, and he has defeated the likes of Adrien Broner, Paulie Malignaggi, Devon Alexander, Julio Diaz, Phil Lo Greco, and Alfonso Gomez.
This should be a good bout and as typical for most Shawn Porter fights, will likely be very rough and chippy. Porter should be given the edge based on his edge and recent performance, but Berto has the power to stop the fight early if he lands a punch cleanly.
This writer believes Porter will win a close, and at times ugly, decision.
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“The New” Ray Robinson Wins in Philly’s “Friday Night Boxing”!
“The New” Ray Robinson Wins in Philly’s “Friday Night Boxing”!
By: Ken Hissner
Hard Hitting Promotions continue filling up the seats at the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia with co-promoters Manny Rivera and Will Ruiz leading the way!
In the Main Event the WBC No. 9 welterweight contender “The New” Ray Robinson, 22-2 (11), Philly, knocked out Edwin Palacios, 12-5-1 (8), NIC, at 2:39 of the second round posting his eleventh straight win.
In the opening round the southpaw Robinson used an effective jab. Palacios landed a straight right to the chin of Robinson getting a reaction from the crowd. Just prior to the bell an overhand left by Robinson drove Palacios into the corner and down. He was up as the bell sounded.
In the second round Robinson became very aggressive landing a good body punch with a left hook. A straight left dropped Palacios who was holding his nose taking the count on one knee as referee Gary Rosato counted him out.
“I didn’t know until the weigh-in that Palacio was so tall. After a feeling out round my trainer (“Bozy” Ennis) and I figured it out to go to the body and it worked,” said Robinson. This win puts Robinson one step closer to moving up in the rankings and a title fight.
Bantamweight Christian Carto, 7-0 (7), of Philly, stopped Sergio Najera, 12-29-2 (6), of MEX, at 2:06 of the third round.
In the first round on two separate occasions a Carto jab put Najera back several steps. Near the end of the round Najera had Carto in a corner and landed several punches to the head of Carto who came back as the bell sounded. In the second round a roundhouse right by Najera landed on the neck of Carto. A lead right hand by Carto drove Najera into the ropes. With about ten seconds left in the round Carto rocked Najera with a right to the chin.
In the third round Najera continued to throw wild punches as Carto countered him well while avoiding those wild swings. Carto opened up with punches in bunches having Najera backing up taking a beating time and again when referee Talmadge saw enough and stepped in and waved it off saving Najera from any unnecessary punishment. Najera came in nine pounds over the contracted weight but was able to take three pounds off with Carto giving away five pounds. “I knew he was heavier than me but knew I would eventually catch up to him,” said Carto. That’s seven straight knockouts in as many fights.
Lightweight prospect Branden “The Gift” Pizarro, 3-0 (2), of Philly, knocked out Abdiel Padilla, 1-1 (1), of PR, at 2:52 of the first round.
In a mismatch Pizarro chased Padilla who mostly covered up but for some reason would end up in a corner and Pizarro would pummel him. When Padilla ended up in the opposite corner it was all over as Pizarro landed a flurry of body punches dropping Padilla to the canvas and not making an effort to get up as referee Bashir counted him out.
Super featherweight Cuban Hairon “El Maja” Socarras, 15-0-2 (10), of Miami, FL, outpointed German “Pan Teonero” Meraz, 55-41-1 (32), of Sonora, MEX, over six dull rounds.
About a minute into the round a combination from Socarras to the head and down went Meraz. Referee Rosato gave him the eight count and Meraz got up and managed to get to the end of the round. In the second and third rounds Socarras simply landed more punches then Meraz with some good left hooks to the body.
In the fourth and fifth rounds the pace continued with Meraz seemingly looking to coast to the distance. In the sixth and final round Socarras did enough to win the round and just before the bell sounded he landed his best punch since the first round a left hook to the chin of Meraz.
All three Steve Weisfeld, Alan Rubenstein and Anthony Lundy scored it 60-53 for Socarras.
Super featherweight Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno, 2-0 (2), out of Allentown, PA, knocked out Jonathan Hernandez, 0-4, PR, at 0:18 of the first round.
Adorno threw one punch a right hand to the head of Hernandez and down he went. The referee Blair Talmadge waved it off without a count knowing Hernandez was out before he hit the canvas. The ring physician immediately came into the ring. After close to ten minutes Hernandez was able to get up on his own and leave the ring.
Lightweight Victor Padilla, 2-0 (2), of Berlin, NJ, knocked out Tony Wilson, 0-2 (0), VA, at 0:30 of the first round.
Padilla went out fast looking for the knockout and it came that fast landing a combination to the chin of Wilson. Referee Bashir counted Wilson out on a knee.
Super flyweight Harold Lopez, 1-0 (1), of Allentown, PA, made his debut a good one when he knocked out Argenis Armando, 0-1 (0), at 0:57 of the first round in a mismatch.
In the opening round hit Armando about four times and down he went refusing to get up until the referee Talmadge said “ten”!
The opponent for Kali Reis, who is a former world champion never showed up. Kita Watkins who challenged for the world title three times made the weigh-in Thursday night but didn’t show up for the fight.
The fans seemed to enjoy all the early knockouts and continue to fill the arena at the SugarHouse Casino. A ten count was given for veteran trainer George James, the manager of Christian Carto Jimmy Binns, Jr., and the father of top cut-man Joey Eye after a long illness.
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Atlantic City and Trenton Shows in New Jersey Friday and Saturday!
Atlantic City and Trenton Shows in New Jersey Friday and Saturday!
By: Ken Hissner
New Jersey boxing is off to a fast start with two shows scheduled this week. Friday at Bally’s Event Center, in Atlantic City with 11 bouts scheduled over Sho Box. The main event features two topsuper bantamweights in Adam “Mantequillo” Lopez, 16-0-1 (8), of San Antonio, TX, against Daniel “Baby Face Assassin” Roman, 21-2-1 (7), of Garden Grove, CA.
The co-feature has Ronald Ellis, 13-0-1 (10), out of Lynn, MASS against Philly’s Christopher Brooker, 11-2 (5), in a cruiserweight bout. Two other Philly boxers on the card are Keenan Smith, 9-0 (3), returning after 14 months of inactivity. Also, top former amateur star super heavyweight Darmani “Tight” Rock, 6-0 (4) making his first fight near home.
Top New Jersey prospect Leroy “Lucious” Davila, 4-0 (2), of New Brunswick is againstAnthony Taylor, 4-0 (1), of Warren, OH. Stephon “Bossman” Young, 15-0-3 (6), of Chicago, IL, is against Elton Dharry, 20-5-1 (13), of Guyana living in Brooklyn, NY. FinallyKenneth “Showstopper” Sims, Jr., 10-0 (3), of St. Louis, MO, is against Emmanuel “Renegade”, 15-1-1 (5), of San Diego, CA.
In Trenton Saturday at the Sun National Bank Center, Rene Aiken of Boss Lady Promotions, and Honorable Mayor Eric Jackson returns for her second show at this facility“Bridge Wars” featuring her nephew the return of 3 division champion “Super” Zab Judah, 42-9 (29), headlines against Jorge Luis Munguia, 13-7 (5), of Hondoras. “I’m coming in at 143 and expect to go down to 140”. The co-feature has Derrick “Take it to the Bank” Webster, 21-1 (11), against Thomas Awimbono, 25-5-1 (21), of Accra, GH, for the vacant USBO super middleweight title. Trenton’s own cruiserweight Mike Hilton, 4-0 (4), returns back to this facility again. Camden’s Vidal Rivera, 4-0 (3), in the featherweight division meets James Early, 2-1 (0), of Seat Pleasant, MD. Also, on the undercard middleweight Jimmy Kelleher, 2-0 (2), of Scranton, PA, Philly’s Donald Smith, 3-0 (2), and Darin Holiday, of Philly making his debut against the grandson of “The Easton Assassin” Larry Holmes. In a female bout Carla Torres, 5-3 (0), of PR and Cleveland, OH, is featured. This will be a pro-am with boxers from NJ, NY and PA.
