Tag Archives: reyes

Posted on 07/10/2020

By: Sean Crose

Last Valentines Day, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, Ryan Garcia impressed his five million Instagram followers by decimating Francisco Fonseca in the opening round. Yet there was another fighter plying his trade on the DAZN that evening that brought a bit of attention of his own. No, Alejandro Reyes didn’t have untold thousands of fans in the stands earlier that night when he stepped into the ring to face Nelson Colon in a scheduled four rounder…but he had a considerable, and vocal, group of individuals present to cheer him on. Not bad for a fighter entering the night with a record of 2-0.

“Basically everybody’s family,” the lightweight prospect, now 3-0, tells me. “We consider them family.” Family is an important concept to the 21 year old Reyes. For instance, after his daily morning run – he trains six days a week – Reyes generally takes his sister to school. What’s more, boxing is essentially a family affair for the Reyes clan. “I had just turned eight,” he says of his beginnings in the fight game.“My pops is the one who took me. My sisters all fought.” Having engaged in “about 84,85 fights” as an amateur, Reyes was able to earn some valuable experience. “You go to the fights,” he says of the amateurs, “go to the tournaments.”

One of the notable things about the February card at the Honda Center was the determination visible in Reyes’ eyes before the opening bell. Simply put, some fighters appear focused and menacing before a bout, and some don’t. Count Reyes among the former. “I felt confident,” he says of that night, “because I did my work at the gym.” Fair enough. “It just developed across my boxing career,” he says of his pre fight expression. “I don’t think I try to intentionally do that. It’s time for business.” I ask him if nerves were an issue before the Colon bout. This was Reyes first time on a major streaming event, after all. “It didn’t click til after the fight,” he states, “where I was fighting and the magnitude of the event.”

Now that boxing is emerging, albeit slowly, from it’s deep pandemic freeze, there will be plenty of time for the undefeated young fighter to grow. With at least one major promotional outlet having Reyes on it’s radar, it’s clear people are taking note of his ring skills already. Having referred to the Colon fight as one of the biggest nights of his life, it’s obvious Reyes intends to have many more big nights in the future.  

Posted on 10/19/2019

By: Jesse Donathan

The surging light heavyweight prospect Dominick “The Devastator” Reyes (12-0, 7 KOs) knocked out former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman (14-5, 6 KOs) in the first round of their UFC on ESPN 6 main event fight in Boston, Massachusetts Friday night on ESPN 2 and in the process cemented himself as among the top light heavyweight contenders in the division.
The tale of the tape for Friday night’s main event had the 29-year old Reyes listed at 6-foot-4-inches tall, 203.5 pounds with a 77-inch reach. Conversely, his 35-year old opponent Weidman came into the fight listed at 6-foot-2, 204-pounds with a 78-inch reach; the “two-inch” height advantage for Reyes was readily apparent when the two fighters met in the center of the Octagon with referee Herb Dean to receive their final instructions.

Touching gloves as the combatants got to work, Reyes immediately opened up with a leg kick that found its mark early on, another kick from Reyes missed and Weidman immediately shot in under a Reyes punch, pressing the undefeated prospect against the cage and eventually securing the body lock takedown. Reyes would rather comfortably make his way back to his feet, the cage no doubt aiding in his ability to fight off the continued pressure from a Chris Weidman who was all over “The Devastator” like white on rice, looking to take the fight back down to the mat. After some body shots from Weidman, one of which forced Reyes to look at the referee momentarily, perhaps protesting its curiously low nature, the two would separate.

After some brief pawing at one another, Weidman went on the offensive and walked right into a Reyes counter left hook that sent the former middleweight champion crashing down to the canvas in serious trouble. Patiently, with Weidman badly hurt on his back, Reyes would control Weidman’s left leg as he repeatedly hammer fisted the stunned Weidman who was unable to intelligently defend himself, forcing referee Herb Dean call a halt to the contest at just 1-minute, 43-seconds into the first round, securing perhaps the biggest win of Reyes career to date.
During the post-fight interview, the well-spoken Reyes was all class in showing respect for his opponent Chris Weidman and specifically called out light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones, putting the champion on notice that he fully intends to come for his 205-pound championship title belt.

In breaking with the relatively recent protocol in avoiding interviewing fighters immediately after a TKO or KO loss, an obviously disappointed Weidman was interviewed by UFC reporter Jon Anik and was able to effectively articulate to the Boston crowd his appreciation for their support in coming out to see him fight and declared “God is good” before leaving the cage to head to the locker room, the former middleweight champion all class in defeat.

Posted on 10/17/2019

By: Jesse Donathan

UFC on ESPN 6 is scheduled to take place Friday, October 19, 2019 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts live on ESPN 2 starting at 9:00 PM EST with a main event showcase between Dominick “The Devastator” Reyes (11-0, 6 KOs) and Chris “The All-American” Weidman (14-4, 6 KOs). The evenings co-main event will feature a rematch between Jeremy Stephens (28-16, 19 KOs) and Yair Rodriguez (12-2, 4 KOs), whose first bout ended in a wild no contest last month at UFC Fight Night 159 in Mexico City, Mexico after an accidental Rodriguez eye gouge rendered Stephens unable to continue.

In an October 15, 2019 The Schmo YouTube video titled, “Chris Weidman Feels a Striking Advantage over Dominick Reyes,” the former UFC middleweight champion was interviewed about his upcoming fight against the undefeated light heavyweight prospect Reyes. According to Weidman, when asked about how his body feels coming into his inaugural light heavyweight debut, “I honestly feel healthier than I’ve ever felt, not killing myself making weight anymore, that’s the reason that I moved up, to just keep my body healthy and not deplete myself,” said Weidman.

Photo Credit: UFC Twitter Account

The Schmo, who is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stagnant mixed martial arts media pool would go on to ask Weidman how the weight cutting was coming along for Friday night’s fight. According to the New York native, “There’s pretty much no weight cut at all, It’s been a joke compared to everything I’ve been used to throughout my whole career, so I’m just kind of like chilling, just kind of enjoying fight week, my little vacation, then I get to go in there and make a statement on Friday night,” the Serra-Longo Fight Team representative said.

“You’re fighting a guy who also wants to make a statement, he’s undefeated, he thinks he’s got a striking advantage against you, a lot of people are criticizing your chin man, what do you make of that,” The Schmo asked Weidman.

“I think if it was a striking match, I have the advantage to be honest. But unlucky for him, I also bring wrestling and Jiu-jitsu to the table to a level he’s never seen, he’s never even gone against a wrestler before and striking changes a lot when you have to worry about the takedown, and he’s going to have to worry about it, because the fact is, if I get on top, he hasn’t dealt with anything like that before, and it’s going to be … that’s a problem,“ Weidman said.

Speaking with Reyes in his October 15, 2019 YouTube video titled, “Dominick Reyes Comes Dressed To SCHMO,” The Schmo asked Reyes how he planned to get the win Friday night knowing Weidman wants to wrestle him. According to Reyes, “It’s simple man, stop the takedown, don’t let him try to wrestle me and knock him out man, put these hands on him, make him pay.”

“You moved back to California, working with “Hendo” Dan Henderson man with the wrestling, what have you been doing with him this fight camp,” The Schmo asked Reyes. “I’ve been wrestling with the man, man and he’s … catching a couple H-Bombs, so I know I got a chin on me, that’s for sure,” Reyes said of training with the legendary UFC and PRIDE champion.

Whether or not Weidman’s championship caliber skills translate over into the light heavyweight division is the big question coming into Friday night’s fight against a dangerous up and coming talent like Reyes, who is no walk in the park for a division where Weidman’s former middleweight nemesis Luke Rockhold was knocked out cold against Jan Blachowicz earlier this year at UFC 239 in July in his own light heavyweight debut. A matchup with UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones is potentially on the line for either fighter, upping the bounty for whoever emerges victorious Friday night. It’s going to be a fight you do not want to miss starting at 9:00 PM EST live on ESPN 2 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, tune in to catch all the action.

Posted on 11/22/2017

By: Ken Hissner

King’s promotions returned to the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA, Tuesday night before the largest crowd seen here in years with plenty of Allentown boxers on the undercard.

The main event featuring Frank DeAlba fell out due to his opponent Ivan Najera coming in 15 pounds over weight per PR man Marc Abrams!

In the Main Event welterweight southpaw Mykal “The Professor” Fox, 15-0 (4), of Forestville, MD, easily defeated southpaw Manuel “Chino” Reyes, 11-4-1 (5), of Los Angeles, CA, for the UBF All America title over 8 rounds.

In the opening round the much taller Fox works the ring well countering a chasing Reyes with jabs and left hands to the chin. Fox outworked Reyes for the most part. The second round Reyes tries to make Fox turn it into a brawl but Fox is to smart for this countering Reyes well. Fox landed half a dozen unanswered punches to the head of Reyes who is walking into punches trying to land a big shot. Reyes lands a solid right hook to the chin of Fox. Both fighters ended the round going to each others body.

In the third round both fighters are working inside mostly to the body with plenty of holding for referee Gary Rosato to break up. Reyes continues to chase down Fox running into jabs and left uppercuts. In the fourth round Fox landed several chopping left hands to the head of Reyes. The light punching Fox is just to fast a hand for Reyes. In the fifth round Reyes finally got Fox in a neutral corner with a flurry of punches. Fox counters with a 3-punch combination to the head of Reyes. Reyes works hard trying to catch up with Fox but only to run into combinations to the head while landing a punch or two.

In the sixth round Reyes runs into a straight left to the chin by Fox. Reyes landed several good shots to the body and head of a retreating Fox when he stopped moving. In the seventh round Reyes works the body only to b countered by Fox going to the head. Reyes kept trying to swarm all over Fox but continues to run into counter chopping left hands to the head. In the eighth and final round Fox lands a hard straight left to the head of Reyes. Reyes drove Fox into a neutral corner with body shots. Fox spun out and continues to counter Reyes until they continue to clinch making referee Rosato’s job tough at times.

Judge Dave Braswell had it 78-74, Ron McNair 79-73 and Bernard Bruni 80-72 same as this writer had it.

Lightweight Victor “Skinny” Vazquez, 9-3 (3), of Yonkers, NY, scored 3 knockdowns defeating Ricardo “La Ley” Garcia, 14-1 (9), of Santo Domingo, DR, now out of Reading, PA, by majority decision over 8 rounds.

In the opening round Garcia landed the first punch a left hook to the head of the taller Vazquez. Vazquez was the aggressor while Garcia was backing up with his hands down to his side. Vazquez turned southpaw and Garcia hit him with half a dozen punches bringing blood from his nose. Vazquez drove Garcia into the ropes with a lwft hook to the head as the round came to an end. In the second round Vazquez was using a good jab as Garcia was moving backwards before landing a counter right to the chin of Vazquez. Vazquez was chasing Garcia with little success as Garcia would land an occasional right to the head. Vazquez landed a double left hook to the head of Garcia just prior to the bell. Referee Clark had to separate the two at the bell of a close round.

In the third round Vazquez landed a good left hook to the chin of Garcia dropping him to the canvas. Garcia got up and both were slugging it out in the corner of Vazquez as Garcia came out of it with a cut along his left eyebrow. In the fourth round Vazquez opened up with a lead right to the head of a retreating Garcia. Garcia landed a right to the head but was countered by a right to the head from Vazquez. Garcia countered with a solid right to the chin of Vazquez who continues to run after Garcia who stops on occasion to throw punches. Garcia landed a 3-punch combination to the head of Vazquez just prior to the bell.

In the fifth round Garcia landed a right to the head of Vazquez but was countered with a left hook to the head. Vazquez landed a right hand and fell to the canvas. He got up and continued to chase Garcia who ended the round with a combination to the head of Vazquez. In the sixth round Vazquez came out southpaw and switching back and forth still chasing Garcia who stops long enough to counter the taller Vazquez. It looked like Vazquez knocked Garcia down but referee Shawn Clark ruled a no knockdown. Vazquez drove Garcia into a corner with a flurry of punches. Both fighters exchanged left hooks at the same time to the head.

In the seventh round Vazquez raced out of the corner making Garcia fight. Garcia landed a solid lead right to the head of Vazquez. A double left hook from Vazquez to the head of Garcia drove him into a corner. Vazquez ended the round with a left hook re-opening the cut along Garcia’s left eyebrow. In the eighth and final round a Vazquez right hand dropped Garcia. Vazquez landed a combination dropping Garcia into the ropes and down for a second time.

Judge Bruni scored it 75-75 while judges Braswell and McNair had it 77-72. This writer had it 76-73. Philadelphia’s Angel Pizarro Sr. worked the corner of Vazquez. Shawn Clark was the referee.

Super featherweight top area prospect Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno, 5-0 (5), of Allentown, PA, scored his fifth straight stoppage at 2:58 of the second round over Corben “The Ram” Page, 5-16-1 (0), of Springfield, OR.

In the opening round after half a minute Adorno landed a left hook to the chin of Page. Page landed several jabs to the body of Adorno. Adorno landed a left hook to the body that had Page shaking his head “no.” In the second round Adorno landed a left uppercut to the body. He followed up with a left hook to the chin of Page dropping him. Page got up but ran into a couple of left hooks from Adorno who started show boating. Page ran into an Adorno right hand to the chin rocking him. He followed up with a flurry of punches to the head dropping Page in the corner of Adorno forcing referee Rosato to wave off the fight immediately.

Featherweight Juan “Ciclon Jr.” Sanchez, 4-0 (1), of Allentown PA, won a decision over James “Too Slick” Early, 2-2 (0), of Seat Pleasant, MD, over 4 rounds.

In the first round Sanchez opened up with a right hand to the chin of Early who keeps switching back and forth to southpaw. Sanchez continued to be the aggressor against the taller Early. Sanchez showed better hand speed. In the second round Early continued to switch stances but not working with Sanchez now the counter puncher. Early drove Sanchez on the ropes for a short flurry of punches to the head. Sanchez came back well and is complaining of Early’s dirty tactics.

In the third round Early moved Sanchez into the neutral corner only to get hit with a pair of combinations to the head. In this round Sanchez was back as the aggressor. Sanchez landed a combination to the body of Early just prior to the end of the round. In the fourth and final round Early moved Sanchez into a corner only to get countered to the head. Sanchez was against the ropes with Early landed several head punches before being warned by referee Clark for a low blow. This was probably the closest round of the fight.

All 3 judge’s McNair, Braswell and Bruni had it 39-37 as did this writer.

Light flyweight Harold Lopez, Allentown, PA, 2-0-1 (1), of Allentown, PA, defeated Jerrod Miner, 1-1 (0), of Philadelphia, PA, over 4 rounds.

In the first round they were feeling each other out for the first minute before Lopez landed a right hand to the chin of Miner. Lopez landed a right to the chin of Miner but was countered with a combination to the head. Lopez landed a right just prior to the end of the round to the chin of Miner. In the second round Lopez continued to hold his hands high when he and Miner both landed right hands to the head. Miner landed a right to the chin of Lopez in the neutral corner. Both fighters are doing their share of missing wild punches with too much posing but the Lopez fans are still screaming for their fighter. Referee Rosato warned Lopez for using his head. Miner landed a left hook to the head of Lopez who countered with a right to the head of his own.

In the third round Lopez landed a hard right to the chin of Miner who came right back with a right of his own to the chin of Lopez. Things finally started to heat up until Lopez was warned for a low blow by referee Rosato. Miner was chasing Lopez for the most part. Lopez was using an effective jab until he was hit by a Miner left hook to the chin. Lopez keeps looking to his corner for direction. Lopez went to the body just prior to the round ending. Miner was complaining of a head butt. In the fourth and final round it was Miner landed a left hook to the head of Lopez who came right back with an overhand right to the head of Miner. Lopez landed a right to the head of Miner who came back with a left hook to the head of Lopez. Both fighters are going to the body while inside with uppercuts. Lopez landed a right uppercut to the chin of Miner. Both fighters looked exhausted at the end.

Judges Bruni had it 40-36 while Braswell and McNair had it 39-37 as did this writer. Rosato was the referee.

Heavyweight prospect NY Golden Gloves champion Michael “’P.A.N.” Coffie, 1-0 (1), of Brooklyn, PA, scored a big knockout at 1:01 of the first round over Ralph Alexander Lanham, 0-2 (0), of Lanham, MD, in a scheduled 4 rounds.

In the first round the much larger Coffie drive Alexander back with the first right to the chin several steps. Another Coffie right hand to the chin and Alexander was out cold before he hit the canvas. Referee Clark didn’t need to count.

Super bantamweight southpaw “Homocide” Hector Bayanilla, 2-0-1 (1), of Allentown, PA, won in a war over Jose Elizondo, 2-4-1 (0), of San Antonio, TX, over 4 rounds.

In the first round both fighters let it all hang out. No feeling out for these two. Bayanilla landed a combination to the head of Elizondo who came back with a combination of his own to the head of Bayanilla. Bayanilla landed half a dozen punches without return before Elizondo returned a right to the head of Bayanilla. It was Elizondo landing the final punches of the round as referee Rosato had to come between them at the bell. In the second round a left by Bayanilla to the chin dropped Elizondo. He got up laughing for the moment. Elizondo got back into the fight with both fighters letting it all hang out. Bayanilla rocked Elizondo with a right hook at the bell.

In the third round with his back to the ropes Bayanilloa fought back as Elizondo had forced him to the ropes. Both fighters took turns rocking each other with nothing but head shots. In the fourth and final round it was Elizondo who rocked Bayanilla only to have him come back in a total war! Neither fighter would let up in this one. The crowd is going wild! Elizondo put Bayanilla on the ropes only to get countered. Elizondo got in the final punch a right to the head of Bayanilla.

Judges Braswell and McNair scored it 39-36 while Bruni had it 40-35 as did this writer.
Referee was Rosato.

Opening bout Featherweight southpaw Martino Jules, 2-0 (0), of Allentown, PA, won by majority decision over Weusi “The Truth” Johnson, 2-7 (0), of Wilmington, DE, over 4 rounds.

In the first round both boxers mixed it up well with Jules taking the round. In the second round Johnson came back to take the round. In the third round Jules missed a right hand and almost went through the ropes. Jules landed a overhand left to the chin of Johnson just prior to the end of the round. In the fourth and final round Johnson was landing with the lead right against southpaw Jules just about every time he decided to throw it.

Judge Braswell scored 39-37, McNair 40-36 and Bruni 38-38 as did this writer. Referee was Clark.

Posted on 05/06/2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on 05/05/2017

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

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

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

Photo Credit: Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

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

The following is a preview of the three main fights.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lemieux will win.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on 04/26/2017

Tevin “American Idol” Farmer at Liacouras Center Saturday!
By: Ken Hissner

At Temple Universities Liacouras Center in Philadelphia Saturday Tevin “American Idol” Farmer, 24-4-1 (5), of Philly is in the main event against Arthur Santos Reyes, 19-7 (5), of Sonora, MEX, in a super featherweight 10 round match.

There will be a celebrity boxing event following the professional show of 5 bouts with some of the best prospects in the city.

On the undercard will be bantamweight Christian Carto, 8-0 (8), of Philly against Sammy Gutierrez, 14-18-5 (5), of Saltillo, MEX, in a 6 round match. Lightweight Branden Pizarro, 4-0 (2), of Philly will be against Chris Gutierrez, 0-2 (0), of Greenville, TX, in a 4.

Super lightweight Samuel “Sunami” Teah, 9-1-1 (3), of Philly is against Efrain Cruz, 4-3-1 (1), of Viegues, PR, in a 4. In a light heavyweight David “One-Two Punch” Murray, 5-1-1 (4), of Wilmington, DE, will be against Sam “The Russian Concussion” Horowitz, 6-2-1 (5), of Russia in a 4.