Tag Archives: saul

Posted on 02/22/2017

Boxing Insider Notebook: Canelo, Chavez, Lubin, Lara, Beterbiev, Bute, Braekhus, Svennsson, and more…
Compiled By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of February 14th to February 21st, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Photo Credit:Etzel Espinosa- Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions

Canelo Alvarez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Mexico City Press Conference Quotes

Two-division world champion Canelo Álvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) and former WBC World Middleweight Champion Julio César Chávez, Jr. (50-2-1, 32 KOs) today kicked off their four-city international press tour in Mexico City. The event drew thousands of fans and hundreds of media to watch Canelo and Chavez, Jr. in their first face off ahead of their anticipated clash on Cinco De Mayo weekend, Saturday, May 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Below are what the fighters and their teams had to say at today’s press conference:

CANELO ÁLVAREZ, Former Two-Division World Champion:

“It’s a new weight, so I have started to spar with heavier partners, which everyone will notice come fight night. Fights between Mexicans are usually the biggest, and I want this fight to be a mark on the legacy that many fights like this have left behind in Mexico’s fight history.

“I think that a rivalry does exist, and we are both polemic fighters. There have been a lot of comments directed towards me and my character, and I fight for pride to represent my country.

“We are of course are training at 100 percent. I think what makes this fight interesting is that we are both heavy punchers. I’ve been in my fair share of mega-fights, and the boxing ring is my home. I have had the same people in my corner since the very beginning, and I trust Chepo and Eddy to fully support me in my corner.”

JULIO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ, JR., Former WBC World Middleweight Champion:

“I’ve been making my way to this fight. My last fight was at 168 pounds. This fight isn’t going to be any different from any other fight that I have had in the past. I want to thank all the people who have come to support me over the years.

“This is going to be a tough fight. Every fight is important, and this one especially because it is between two Mexicans fighting each other for the glory. The fight could not have come at a more perfect timing – both my and Canelo’s names are known throughout the world as some of the best fighters. My two losses against Martinez and Fonfara taught me more than all 50 of my wins. This fight has the potential to open many doors to my future that might have been closed before. I fight for pride – everyone says that Canelo is the best.

“With Nacho Beristain in my corner, I have a lot of knowledge on my side. It’s symbolic because he has his name etched as one of the greats, and this is a tribute to him and is a contribution to Mexican boxing. Canelo isn’t Oscar De La Hoya’s son. I’ve got a great corner. I am going to win this fight.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions:

“Saul was the one who wanted this fight, and my duty as a promoter is to put together the best fights. Mexican boxing is the best, and when you have these two hot boxers who want to give the best to the fans, and we couldn’t pass it up.

JULIO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ, SR., Six-Time World Champion Boxerz:

“I foresee a real tough fight. We have seen the best of Canelo, but we have not seen the best of my son. I firmly believe that with a disciplined training camp, Jr. is able to knock out not just Canelo but anyone in his way. I want to thank everyone who has come out to support my son. I can honestly say that this is a dream come true, and we are looking forward to the fight.”

Artur Beterbiev vs. Sullivan Barrera Announced for April 21st

It’s official: Montreal’s Artur Beterbiev (IBF #2 – 11-0-0, 11 KOs) will be in the most important fight of his career, against Cuban-born Sullivan Barrera (IBF #7 – 18-1-0, 13 KOs), for the mandatory challenger position for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heayvweight world title, held by American Andre Ward (31-0-0, 15 KOs). The Beterbiev vs. Barrera clash will take place April 21 in Miami, Florida.

“It is with great pride and confidence that we go into this fight in Miami,” Beterbiev’s promoter Yvon Michel (Groupe Yvon Michel). “In order for Beterbiev to receive maximum credibility, he needs to demonstrate that he can perform anywhere in the world. Because Sullivan Barrera, the only top-rated contender to accept the challenge to face Artur, could not cross the Canadian border, we agreed to have this fight take place in the United States.

“We are convinced that the many Quebecers who still live in Florida, at this time, will come to support Artur, who has made Quebec the adopted home for him and his young family.”

The Beterbiev-Barrera winner will become the mandatory challenger for the IBF light heavyweight champion, who will have until September, at the latest, to face the winner.]GYM won the IBF-ordered purse bid Feb. 2 (2017), winning with a $201,000 (USD) bid to $181,000 for Barrera’s promoter, Main Events. Due to the 75-25 percentage advantage going to the highest ranked fighter, Beterview will earn $188,250 to $62,750 for Barrera.

Ward won the IBF, WBA and WBO light heavyweight titles with a 12-round unanimous decision win over Sergey Kovalev, November 19, 2017, in Las Vegas.

Beterbiev was impressive in his most recent outing, last December 23 at the Lac Leamy Casino in Gatineau, stopping Paraguayan slugger Isidro Ranoni Prieto (26-1-3) in opening round (2:44).

Barrera also displayed tremendous skills during his most recent performance, this poast Dec. 16 in California, shattering the previously undefeated Vyacheslav Shabrankyy (17-0-0), of Ukraine, with a spectacular TKO victory in the seventh round.

More details about Beterbiev vs. Barrera will be announced in the coming days.

Erislandy Lara Gains US Citizenship

WBA and IBO super-welterweight champion, Erislady “The American Dream” Lara, is truly living the American dream since he has now completed all the eligibility requirements to become a U.S citizen. Erislandy, along with his wife Yudi, took an oath of allegiance to the United States today, solidifying their citizenship.

Lara, who made his U.S. boxing debut in Primm, Nevada, in January of 2009, is elated about gaining his U.S. citizenship. He reflects on the long journey it took to become a U.S citizen.

“When I arrived in the United States in 2008, my main goal was to become a citizen of this great nation.” said Erislandy Lara. “It brings me great joy to know that I am now a legal citizen of the United States of America. It’s been a long journey to get where I’m at today, and I couldn’t have done it without my beautiful wife Yudi. Together, we fulfilled all the legal requirements that were mandated to become a U.S citizen.”

“Living in here in the States has been a tremendous blessing to me and my family.” Lara continued. “With hard work, and the help of many good people around me, I’ve been able to provide for my loved ones. My goal is to continue my boxing career with my core team, and someday, God willing, become a Boxing Hall of Famer.”

Internationally-Flavored Full Card Announced for Bute vs. Alvarez

A full card with an international flavor, from top to bottom, has been announced for this Friday (Feb. 24) night’s “BUTE VS ALVAREZ” major event at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada.

World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight champion Eleider “Storm” Alvarez (21-0, 10 KOs), defends his title against former world super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (32-3-1, 25 KOs) in the 12-round main event that also serves as the final WBC eliminator to determine the mandatory challenger for WBC and lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (28-1-0, 23 KOs). Alvarez, who lives in Montreal, was a Colombian Olympian and Laval, Canada resident Bute is a native of Romania. Stevenson, Alvarez and Bute are all promoted by GYM.

“This is an excellent overall boxing event and the result will have a significant impact on the career of all participants,” said the President of GYM, Yvon Michel.

“The Martel-Braidwood WBU heavyweight title fight has all the ingredients to be a barnburner, while the NABO middleweight fight may prove that Lafreniere deserve to be named, ‘The people champ’ because of his relentless attack style. Bute and Alvarez in the main event are putting their future on the line with this the most significant light heavyweight fight so far in 2017. The real winners are going to be the boxing fans, who appreciate the evenly matched fights and fighters ready to leave it all in the ring!”

Promoted by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) and Gestev, “BUTE VS ALVAREZ” is a presentation of Videotron and Mise-O-Jeu, at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada.

Integrated Sports Media will distribute “BUTE VS. ALVAREZ” live in the United States, starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, on cable, satellite and internet pay-per-view via iN Demand, Vubiquity, DIRECTV, DISH and the FITE app for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.

In Canada, “BUTE VS. ALVAREZ” will be available to watch, in English or French, on Canal Indigo, Shaw TV and Bell TV; English-only on Rodgers PPV, as well as in many of the top Canadian sports bars.
Outside of North America, “BUTE VS ALVAREZ” is being distributed by leading boxing television rights distribution firm, Protocol Sports Marketing Ltd.

In the 12-round co-feature, Canadian heavyweights Eric “The Hammer” Martel-Bahoeli (14-5-2, 8 KOs) and Adam “The Bogeyman” Braidwood (6-1, 5 KOs) will battle for the vacant World Boxing Union (WBU) title. A former Commonwealth & Canadian title challenger, Martel-Bahieli will be fighting at home in Quebec City. Braidwood, fighting out of British Colombian, is a former football player for Washington State University and in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Popular Quebec super welterweight Sebastian Bouchard, a 2007 Canadian Championships silver medalist, takes on Mexican super welterweight champion Gustavo “Vitaminas” Garibay (13-7-2, 5 KOs) in an eight-round non-title fight.
International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight champion Francis Lafreniere (14-5-2, 8 KOs), also fighting out of Quebec, defends his 10-round bout against Mexican knockout artist Uriel “Big Bang” Gonzalez (15-1-1, 11 KOs). The vacant North American Boxing Organization (NABO) championship will also be the line for the Lefreniere vs. Willis confrontation.

In a pair of off-PPV fights, undefeated Montreal super middleweight Dario Bredidean (11-0, 3 KOs) faces Mexican invader Alejandro Torres (9-1-2, 4 KOs) in an eight-round match, while 2016 France Olympian Christian “Le Solide” M’Billi (1-0, 1 KO) is showcased in a four-round fight against Mexican super middleweight Jesus Olivares (5-3, 3 KOs).

Tickets for “BUTE VS. ALVAREZ” are on sale and available to purchase by going on line to www.Videotron.centrequebeccity.cpm/tickets and www.Ticketmaster.ca

Svensson Believes Time Is Right to Dethrone Pound for Pound Queen Braekhus

Klara Svensson (17-1, 5 KOs) believes the time is right for her to dethrone the reigning pound-for-pound number one Cecilia Brækhus (29-0, 8 KOs) when the Scandinavian stars meet for the Unified World Welterweight titles on Friday night at the Oslo Spektrum.

Svensson will enter the lion’s den to face Brækhus in front of her home fans in the Norwegian capital, where despite being the away fighter, ‘The Swedish Princess’ is confident she can upset the odds and secure a historic victory.
‘’This is something I’ve always wanted to do,’’ says Svensson. ‘’It’s not every day you get the chance to fight away from home on a massive show like this. So for me, it’s definitely not a negative to be fighting Cecilia on her home turf.

‘’I know she’s extremely popular in Norway, so I’m not expecting much of the attention to be on me, but I’m just here to do the business, and I’m going to take all of that energy and use it my advantage.

‘’I feel like a lot of people don’t really think that I have much of a chance, which is more motivating than anything for me, and I can’t wait to prove everyone wrong. I don’t think she’s faced anyone with my experience or background, so it’s going to be really different fight for her this time.

‘’There is definitely a sense of freedom for me. All the pressure is on Cecilia. The feeling of being the underdog is not something I have experienced for a long time and it’s a nice feeling actually.

‘‘In Oslo, we are going to see an upset. I’m going to upset the whole Norwegian population. I know everybody is really proud of Cecilia and her accomplishments, and so should they be, but she’s not going to stay undefeated on the 24th.

‘’I feel like there couldn’t possibly be a better timing for me. Three years ago I would have been too inexperienced, but now I’m ready. I’m not here just to here to challenge her, I’m here to hurt her and to take her titles.”

Svensson has been known to get fired up before fights. A bad-blooded build up to her Swedish showdown with Mikaela Laurén saw the Malmo boxer spank her opponent at the weigh-in.

Asked whether we can expect any altercations with Brækhus during next week’s media events, she said: ‘’I think that’s something you just take in the heat of the moment. You cannot plan these things, but we’ll see!’’

The Unified Female World Welterweight Championship contest between Cecilia Brækhus and Klara Svensson is available live and exclusive on Viaplay PPV. For more information please visit: http://www.viaplay.se/ppv

Junior Middleweight Prospect Daquan Arnett Partners with AC Sports Management

Daquan Arnett (15-1, 9 KO’s) has hired Adrian Clark, owner of AC Sports Management, LLC as his primary
representative. Arnett has been out of the ring for 15 month (and counting). He is counting on Clark to get the ball rolling and get his promising career on track.

“I know I am going to be world champion, its just a matter of when. Once an opportunity presents itself, I am going to take full advantage. Bringing on AC is a plus because of how young and ambitious he is. He works in the best interest of the fighters,” said Arnett

Clark, 30 of Dallas, Texas is known for his work with Jerry Belmontes, James de la Rosa, Will Tomlinson (Australia) and most recently, Willie Monroe Jr. He is also the author of the book, Protect Yourself at All Times: A Guide for Professional Boxers.

“Daquan is a world class fighter and a guy who understands the business of boxing. He will be in contention for something big by early next year. I am honored that he thought to hire me.”

Despite the lay-off, Daquan is still young (24 years old) and has stayed in the gym. He is now training in Dallas, TX with friend, Errol Spence Jr.

The fighting pride of Orlando (FL), Arnett was a decorated amateur and since turning pro in 2011, he has put together a solid resumè. In his last 8 fights, four of Arnett’s opponents were undefeated. The only loss of his career came in 2014 against Eddie Gomez.

Arnett is looking to make his return to the ring in April or May.

Erickson Lubin Media Workout Quotes

Undefeated rising star Erickson “Hammer” Lubin hosted media at his gym in his hometown of Orlando Thursday as he prepares to face once-beaten contender Jorge Cota Saturday, March 4 in a 12-round super welterweight world title eliminator on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Broadcast coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and is headlined by the welterweight world title unification showdown between unbeaten fighters Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $50 (not including applicable fees) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Here is what Lubin had to say Thursday:

ERICKSON LUBIN

“I haven’t stopped training since my last fight on December 10. We have been full throttle since.

“This is a big fight. It is a title eliminator. It is at Barclays Center. It is on CBS. You’ve got Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman in the main event. It is 12-rounds. This is definitely what I’ve dreamed of. This is the kind of opportunity that I’ve wanted. Getting to seize the moment. Going out there, dominating the fight and going on to become the mandatory challenger for the title.

“We always say that we aren’t training for the fight coming up, we’ve training for the title. I’ve prepared for this. To be the youngest world champion, we just saw Gervonta Davis do that and make history like that is a blessing. I can’t wait to go for that.

“The fans can expect straight fireworks. I am going to go out there and dominate the fight. A lot of fighters say they’re going to do something, but I am the type of guy that says it and lives up to it. March 4 fans definitely want to tune in.

[On the “Hammer” ring name] “There are hammers in my hands. They punish and do damage. A hammer with fireworks is dangerous isn’t it?

“It is my first time fighting in Brooklyn. I expect a lot of stars to be there. A lot of people having their eyes on me. I am expecting to become the mandatory for the belt and for everyone to know my name.

“2017 is a big year. To be in this position right now is a great start for the year and to become a mandatory challenger is bigger and becoming a world champion is the biggest. I want to be undisputed.”

Posted on 12/27/2016

Playing Favorites – The WBO Shows Its Love For Canelo Alvarez
By: Sean Crose

The World Boxing Organization’s middleweight champ, Billy Joe Saunders, may not be happy about it, but the sanctioning body has named one Canelo Alvarez as his mandatory opponent. That means Saunders is going to have to face Canelo if Saunders wants to hold on to the WBO title – provided, of course, that Canelo is himself is interested in the fight. Since Golden Boy, Canelo’s promoter, asked the WBO for the mandatory ranking, however, it appears that Canelo may indeed be zeroing in on a potential throwdown with Saunders. Or at least zeroing in on the WBO title.

Let’s face it, Saunders has done nothing concrete since winning his belt off Andy Lee late last year to show that he wishes to challenge himself. By seeming to have shied away from matches with middleweight terror Gennady Golovkin and/or Canelo himself, Saunders has placed himself in a position where he is simply not well regarded. Worse still for the Englishman, he appeared far from stellar when he faced off against an opponent no one had ever heard of, one Artur Akavov, earlier this month. Such things do not make for good public relations.

Frankly, it appears as if the WBO might well prefer having red haired star Canelo holding on to its middleweight strap. After all, the sanctioning body let Canelo jump in front of the deserving but unknown Avtandil Khurtsidze, it’s number one contender, in order for Canelo to be next in line for Saunders. And while it’s true Khurtsidze can appeal to the organization regarding its ruling, the WBO has been brazenly open in admitting it’s played favorites here. Indeed, the organization has come right out and essentially said it chose Canelo as Saunders’ top mandatory simply because of the Mexican’s popularity. Make no mistake about it, the WBO wants big names.

The question now, of course, may well be how Saunders reacts to all this. While it’s true no one person can be defined by sound bites or Twitter rants, Saunders has at times presented himself as the most modern of modern fighters, the epitome of the low-risk athlete that has arguably made the sport even more marginalized than its previously been. So then, will Saunders drag things out as long as possible? Will be plead for postponement of the inevitable? Will he simply give up his hard earned crown? Or will he show the world that a fight with Canelo is actually all right by him?

Of course, there are those who are claiming Canelo wants a middleweight title to use as leverage against Golovkin. That’s a bit confusing, since Canelo is already clearly the A-side in any potential promotion between the two. Perhaps team Canelo feels that it can put GGG in a corner by holding all the cards – in other words, a big money fight AND one of the belts Golovkin craves. That seems rather silly, but like most fans, I don’t deal in untold millions of dollars, so, by and large, potential game playing (in this case, at least) comes off like a moot point at best to me. I just want to see fights that make the most competitive sense.

And, in this case, believe it or not, one of those fights is Saunders-Khurtsidze. While Saunders-Canelo is certainly intriguing and clarifying, Khurtsidze should get first crack (whether the WBO or its rules agree or not). Boxing, after all, is not a popularity contest. Scratch that – boxing IS a popularity contest. That doesn’t mean it should be, though.

Posted on 11/10/2016

Is Canelo Too Much Of A Fighter At Heart To Not Face Golovkin?
By: Sean Crose

Okay, not to get overtly political here, but if a reality television star can win the White House (for better or for worse), then most certainly Canelo Alvarez can meet Gennady Golovkin in the ring in the not too distant future. Right?

Right??????????

Photo Credit: Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

Truth be told, it wasn’t long ago that I seriously wondered if the red haired Mexican superstar would ever face the Kazakh terror in the ring for middleweight supremacy. This is an era of “I’m happy with what I have,” after all. Adonis Stevenson, for instance, certainly doesn’t seem interested in light heavyweight supremacy. Even worse, Billy Joe Saunders has yet to show any real interest in fighting anyone who might be a conceivable threat. Perhaps, I thought, Canelo would be happy to star in relatively small scale pay per view cards, count his money and eventually retire content in his lack of legacy and true stardom.

There was always something that bugged me about that scenario, however, something that never seemed quite right. Canelo, you see, has always struck me as a fighter. Not just an athlete. Not just a man with a popular fan base. A fighter. Someone who doesn’t walk away from a challenge. And indeed, I still feel that’s who he is.

And that’s why I feel Canelo-GGG will probably happen in 2017.

Yet there’s something else in play here – and that’s the potential of Floyd-Manny, Part Two. Were that fight to be made before Canelo were to sign to fight GGG, the Mexican star’s stock would drop even more than it has recently. And that’ something I seriously don’t think Canelo wants to have happen.

Let’s get something straight, however:

Canelo has never shown enormous interest in facing Golovkin. He fought for the middleweight title because he wanted to face then current champ Miguel Cotto, plain and simple. When Canelo embraced the middleweight championship, however, he also embraced the “GGG problem.” Had Canelo said a year ago, before the Cotto bout even went down, that he was really just interested in a dream fight wight Cotto, and that a showdown with Golovkin would certainly happen at one point in the future, he’d have saved himself some PR damage.

The man didn’t do that, though, and now he’s in the unfortunate position to have to fight an absolute ring assassin in order to save his dignity. It’s hard not to feel a sense of empathy for the guy. Still, he’s a professional fighter…and a popular, wealthy one at that.

He’s also someone I suspect will only avoid the likes of one Gennady Golovkin for just so long.

Posted on 10/30/2016

Oscar’s Right: Boxing This Year Sucked
Brandon Bernice

Oscar De La Hoya recently came under fire for stating that 2016 has been awful for boxing, with boxing’s top dogs sitting idly on the sidelines. It certainly is a controversial opinion, especially for someone from boxing’s upper echelons like Oscar.

But here’s the thing: He’s absolutely right.

Boxing’s suffered an abysmal lack of momentum this year. Take the last two big cards of the year, for example, which featured Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin in back-to-back weeks. While all these televised matches were entertaining scraps, they weren’t followed by any substantial cards in the weeks following. And boxing’s ratings are suffering as a result. Average viewership numbers are dropping, a byproduct of boxing’s erratic scheduling. If the fans enjoy fights, in on other promoters to capitalize off that positivity and continue to deliver a great product.

While I believe that every case varies, it stands that most fighters haven’t taken too many positive steps forward this year. Canelo fought a fighter much smaller than himself and another who was a contender at best. Golovkin, for all the accolades he deserves, fought Kell Brook, who was talented but undersized, and Dominick Wade, a largely unknown Al Haymon project. Even Manny Pacquiao has been hurt by a lack of innovative matchmaking, facing huge underdog Jessie Vargas next week and beating Timothy Bradley for the second (arguably third) time.

Speaking of Haymon, his fighters have been the worst perpetrators of this trend. A lengthy list of his boxers have less than two fights for the entire year. Without much exposure, fighters can’t earn fans because the fans won’t remember them, gravitating towards more active fighters instead. Even Keith Thurman, who defeated Shawn Porter in one of this year’s signature matchups, fell out of public adulation despite winning the biggest fight of his career. Why? Because he hasn’t fought since then, and isn’t scheduled for another match until next year.

Which brings us to the promoters, who Oscar chides for failing to provide enough marketing muscle behind their fighters. And he’s right. Take the PBC, for example. Because of Haymon’s superfluous stable, each fighter doesn’t receive the recognition he deserves or needs to grow a true brand. Also, consistently putting on shows of low quality curbs the value of the PBC in general. In other words, to a casual fan, it might be hard to distinguish between a club fighter competing on a Tuesday night and a top fighter because of a lack of distinct promotion.

Because boxing is a niche sport, it constantly runs into scheduling lapses, and that issue was much more outstanding this year. In the summer, boxing often takes a reprieve. Why? Perhaps it’s due to the lack of promotional-friendly holidays during that span. But not having boxing on consistently from June until September hurts the sport’s popularity immensely. In addition, Showtime doesn’t do many fights in the fall because it directly competes with college football games. But there’s a difference between being strategic and starving the appetite of the fans. There will always be conflicting events on fight night – that’s life. You have to be bold in matchmaking and scheduling if you want to broaden your fanbase.

While we can rag on boxing’s inept model all day long, there have been a few bright spots hidden in the shambles. Orlando Salido and Francisco Vargas engaged in an all-out war a few months ago, while Jesus Soto Karass and Yoshihiro Kamegai battled twice in two entertaining bouts. And last month, Roman Gonzalez and Carlos Cuadras combined high-level execution with offensive frivolity to make a classic. In the coming months, Kovalev-Ward promises to be the most pivotal, legacy-defining fight of the year. And that’s really all the sport needs: great fights at the right time. Hopefully, boxing can learn from its perilous path in 2016, ushering back in the action-packed paradigm that has defined every great era in the sport’s history.

Posted on 09/23/2016

About Those Canelo-Smith PPV Numbers
By: Sean Crose

The trustworthy L.A. Times reporter Lance Pugmire came out yesterday and announced to the world that last weekend’s WBO super welterweight title fight between Canelo Alvarez and Liam Smith did roughly 250-300 thousand pay per view buys. Needless to say, fan reaction was fierce online. Some decried the end of boxing altogether while new breeds – those fans whose interests lie in fighter salaries rather than in the fights themselves – battled furiously over things like the difference between foreign pay per views buys and American ones. Ultimately, though, it was hard for any rational person not to arrive at a pretty obvious conclusion:

Less than 300k pay per view buys is not a good thing when the supposed “new face of boxing” is involved. Sure, Canelo packed over 50 thousand fans into a stadium. Sure, he got hundreds of thousands of people to pay to see him fight a virtual unknown, both in persona and on television. No matter. The fact remains boxing’s biggest star (and Canelo is most certainly that) is bringing in far, far less pay per view business than the sport’s previous stars did not all that long ago.

Sure enough, the point that Canelo fought an opponent unfamiliar to North American fans is essentially a moot one – for it was the decision of Canelo and promoter Oscar De La Hoya to arrange a fight with an unknown commodity in the gutsy and likable Smith, rather than with someone who could have generated real interest. Just under 300 thousand pay per view buys against a virtual unknown isn’t a testament to Canelo’s drawing power so much as it’s a testament to fan’s unwillingness to be mistreated. For, in the end, Canelo-Smith wasn’t a bad matchup. It really wasn’t. The fight simply wasn’t meant for pay per view.

Moving forward, it seems Golden Boy, De La Hoya’s promotional outfit, has to face the fact that Canelo’s pay per view star will continue to dim so long as he avoids Golovkin. Fair or not, that’s simply the reality of the situation. De La Hoya may try to pull another rabbit out of his hat by having Canelo face the likes of Kell Brook or Manny Pacquiao before Golovkin, but pay per view numbers for those fights will not, in this author’s opinion, amount to blockbuster business. In other words, there’s only one way for Canelo to be the dominant pay per view star De La Hoya wants him to be – and that’s through GGG.

Of course, more time on HBO wouldn’t harm team Canelo. Just imagine the numbers if last week’s fight had been on pay cable rather than on pay per view. Fans feel like they’re being screwed at the moment because…they are. Fights like Canelo-Smith simply don’t belong on pay per view. The best way for team Canelo to earn some much needed good will at this point is to do the right thing. And it can start by not asking fans to pay for a product that isn’t worth the price.

Posted on 09/19/2016

A Fractured Thumb Will Keep Canelo From Fighting Until 2017
By: Sean Crose

Accusations of ducking and cherry picking aside, it’s hard to argue that Saul Canelo Alvarez didn’t look magnificent on Saturday night as he took apart true warrior Liam Smith on his way to winning Smith’s WBO super welterweight title. Employing a sustained body attack that would make Mike McCallum nod his head in approval, the Mexican star completely dismantled his British opponent.

Impressive, to be sure, but not without cost. Canelo stated after the fight that he had hurt his hand. And, sure enough, on Monday it was announced that Canelo had indeed fractured his thumb and will be out of commission for six weeks.

That means a bout in December is no longer a viable option for Alvarez. Six weeks of healing certainly doesn’t mean the man will be able to fight again in a few short months, after all. What this means for HBO, which has already had a light boxing year to put it mildly, remains to be seen. Word was that Canelo would appear on the network for his next bout. With a PPV match pretty much certain for May, it’s difficult now to say if and when he Canelo be featured on pay cable – as opposed to pay per view – again.

To be sure, Canelo’s overall future was uncertain to begin with. While he has an enormous fan base, he also now has many detractors due to the fact that he gave up his WBC middleweight title rather than face middleweight terror Gennady Golovkin. A bout with Golovkin is supposed to go down next fall, of course, but in truth, there’s no guarantees when it comes to Canelo and his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya. With all this in mind, news of Canelo’s broken thumb only adds to the overall air of uncertainty that surrounds the man.

The good news in all this, of course, is that neither Canelo nor his opponent suffered serious injury on Saturday – boxing can be an exceedingly dangerous sport, after all. The timing of Canelo’s injury could have been worse, as well. Had his thumb been injured in training for the assumed December bout, for instance, time, money and fan disappointment could have been a major factor. As it stands, however, both Canelo and fight fans will just have to wait for his injury to heal. What will happen after that, of course, remains to be seen.

Posted on 09/18/2016

HBO PPV Round by Round Results: Canelo Wipes Out Liam Smith
By: William Holmes

Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1) faced off against Liam Smith (23-0-1) in the main event of the night in the latest Pay Per View offering by Golden Boy Promotions and HBO.

AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas was the host site for tonight’s bout and was filled with mainly pro Canelo fans. Even though Canelo held a middleweight title, this bout was for Liam Smith’s WBO Junior Middleweight Title.

HBO hyped up their next Pay Per View offering by interviewing both Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward before the singing of the national anthems.

The national anthem of the United Kingdom was sung first by Danny Walten. The national anthem of Mexico was sung second and was performed by Leonardo Aguilar. The national anthem of the United States was performed by Paula Deanda.

Liam Smith entered the ring to a mainly muted reaction from the crowd, and Canelo entered second to a loud ovation.

The announced attendance for tonight’s fight was 51,240.

The following is a round by round recap of tonight’s bout.

Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1) vs. Liam Smith (23-0-1); WBO Junior Middleweight Title

Round 1:
Canelo and Smith come out to the center of the ring and Smith immediately throws a jab to the body of Canelo. Canelo throws a jab to the body and head of Smith. Canelo with a jab and follows it with a left hook. Canelo with a good right to the body and follows it with a jab. Canelo lands a double jab. Both boxers land a jab at the same time. Canelo lands a good counter right uppercut and follows it with a left hook. Canelo with a jab to the body and head again. Canelo lands a jab to the nose of Smith. Canelo lands another jab to the face of Smith. Smith lands a short jab of his own. Canelo lands three jabs in a row. Smith misses with a wild right hook, and Canelo answers with a two punch combination that forces Smith to stumble backwards. Canelo digs a good body shot into the ribs of Smith. Canelo connects with two more hard hooks to the body. Canelo is throwing a high volume of punches already.

10-9 Canelo

Round 2:
Canelo goes right back to his jab, and then lands several hard combinations to the body and head. Smith not really throwing much at Canelo. Canelo lands another hook to the ribs of Smith. Smith lands a right hook upstairs but misses with his follow up punches. Canelo lands a double jab, and Smith sticks a jab in the face of Canelo. Canelo blocks a hook from Smith, but Smith lands a right hand over the top afterwards. The crowd is loudly chanting for Canelo. Canelo is really putting his combinations together well off of his jab. Canelo with another hard right hand to the body of Smith. Smith connects with two hooks to the body when Canelo’s back was to the ropes, but Canelo quickly backs out. Canelo has a small cut near his left eye. Smith lands a right hand to the cut of Canelo. Smith barely misses with a three punch combination.

10-9 Canelo; 20-18 Canelo.

Round 3:
Canelo opens up the third round with a good left hook to the body, but Smith is starting to open up more and threw several punches in response. Smith lands a good jab on Canelo. Canelo briefly had Smith with his back to the ropes but didn’t land anything of note. Canelo connects with a good left uppercut to the chin and follows it with a right to the body. Good right hook to the body right uppercut to the chin combination by Canelo. Canelo lands a jab, and follows it with a hard right hook to the head. Canelo opening up with some good combinations. A left uppercut may have stunned Smith. Smith lands a hard left hook right hook combination. Canelo does not seem to be concerned about the power of Smith. Smith lands two good jabs on Canelo. Smith lands a good counter uppercut on Canelo after Canelo misses with a wild shot. Closer round for Smith.

10-9 Canelo; 30-27 Canelo.

Round 4:
Canelo is showing good head movement at the start of the fourth round. Canelo digs in a hard body shot to the body of Smith. Good crisp jab by Canelo. Smith lands a good body shot, but Canelo answers with four hard punches. Smith lands a right cross. Canelo is warned to keep his punches up. Canelo with a quick two punch combination. Canelo jabs to the body and head of Smith. Canelo again with a good right hook to the body. Smith has a small cut above his left eye. Canelo lands a jab in the middle of Smith’s face. Smith lands a hard right hook when in tight. Canelo’s back is against the ropes and he backs into a corner. Smith with a body head combination, and Canelo answers with a combination of his own. Smith lands two hard hooks on Canelo.

10-9 Canelo; 40-36 Canelo.

Round 5:
Canelo with a quick double jab. Canelo takes a jab to the body. Smith showing his jab more often. Canelo lands a good right hook upstairs and follows it with a hard right uppercut. Canelo with a three punch combination to the body and head of Smith. Smith lands a right to the body and head of Canelo. Smith with a right hook to the body and right to the head of Canelo. Canelo lands a lead left hook and then a lead right uppercut. Smith looks like he has a little more pep in his step than Canelo. Canelo lands a right cross to the chin of Smith. Good body shot by Canelo. Two jabs in a row for Canelo. Smith backs Canelo up to the ropes and digs in several hooks to the body and several shots to the head of Canelo. Close round.

10-9 Smith; 49-46 Canelo

Round 6:
Canelo is in a more aggressive stance. Smith lands two quick jabs. Canelo misses with a wild right uppercut. Smith lands a good left hook to the head of Canelo. Smith lands a four punch combination on Canelo. Smith lands a hard left hook on Canelo. Canelo answers with a right uppercut and right hook. Smith is covering up though on those punches. Smith lands two jabs to the head of Canelo. Smith takes a right hook from Canelo. Smith lands a right uppercut and Canelo answers with one of his own. Smith sticks a jab in the face of Canelo. Smith has Canelo’s back against the ropes and lands some soft short jabs. Smith sticks another jab in the face of Canelo. Canelo is short with his jab. Smith has blood coming from his eye and gets warned for landing a punch during an attempted break. Canelo lands a good body shot. This round could have been scored for either boxer.

10-9 Canelo; 59-55 Canelo

Round 7:
Canelo is pressing the pace and lands a hard right hook to the side of Smith’s head. Smith sneaks in a right uppercut that partially connects. Canelo whizzes a right hook past the head of Smith. Smith has Canelo’s back against the ropes, but Canelo lands several short uppercuts. Canelo lands a four punch combination and sends Smith to the mat. Smith gets back before the count of ten. Canelo lands a right uppercut on Smith. Canelo lands a jumping left hook and is stalking Smith around the ring. Smith ties up with Canelo briefly. Canelo backs Smith up to the ropes and Smith holds on again. Smith eats a hard left hook from Canelo. Smith lands a good right cross. Canelo with two hard right hooks and a right uppercut to the chin of Smith. Smith was firing off combinations in Canelo’s direction at the end of the round.

10-8 Canelo; 69-63 Canelo

Round 8:
Canelo lands an early jab on Smith. Canelo connects with another jab and follows it with a lead left hook. Canelo lands a clean right cross on Smith. Canelo stabs two jabs in the body of Smith. Canelo barely misses with an uppercut, but lands two consecutive hooks to the head. Jab to the body by Canelo. Smith backs Canelo up to the ropes and throws some uppercuts and body shots in tight. Canelo jabs to the body and lands a right uppercut. Canelo is very effective with the jab to the body. Smith lands a short right hook and uppercut. Canelo lands two straight jabs to the head and two uppercuts. Canelo rips a hook to the body of Smith and Smith goes to the canvas grimacing in pain. Canelo lands another shot to the body and Smith is on his bike for the remainder of the round.

10-8 Canelo; 79-71 Canelo

Round 9:
Canelo starts of the ninth round as the more aggressive boxer. Smith lands two quick jabs. Canelo digs another hard right hook to the body and later a left hook. Smith barely misses with a right hook. Smith lands a body shot on Canelo and a left hook. Smith lands a quick jab on Canelo’s head, and Canelo answers with a hook to the body. Canelo traps Smith by the ropes and unleashes a combination on him. Smith misses with several shots when Canelo’s back is against the ropes. Canelo lands another vicious hook to the body of Smith and he goes down grimacing in pain.
The referee doesn’t bother to count and waives off the fight.

Canelo Alvarez wins by TKO at 2:28 of the ninth round.

Canelo was asked about Gennady Golovkin afterwards and he stated, ” I fear no one. I was born for this. And even though many people may not like it, I am the best fighter right now. About a month ago, we offered him twice or three times as much to make the fight, I didn’t want to say anything, because I respect all my rivals, but about a month ago we offered him twice or three times and he didn’t want to accept.”

Posted on 09/16/2016

Liam Smith Aims To Be “Elite Fighter,” Like Canelo
By: Sean Crose

The final press conference for Liam Smith’s defense of his WBO super welterweight title against Saul Canelo Alvarez on Saturday night in Texas didn’t deliver controversy. Indeed, there were no insults thrown, no slaps, no grandstanding. Sure enough, it was a professional affair, replete with the expected grandiosity and hyperbole. Still, there were some telling things that were mentioned, statements which may offer insight into the minds of the participants involved with this weekend’s pay per view event. “He fights in the style of a Mexican,” British promoter Frank Warren said of Smith. “I believe you’re going to become great fans of him.”

Here was an old boxing hand looking to expand his fighter’s fan base to a vast new market. “Mexican style,” has become code of sorts for an exciting and honorable fighter. Warren then went on to laud AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, where the match will be held. “Without a doubt,” he said, “this is the best stadium I’ve ever been to.” Some people know just the right things to say. Canelo’s trainer, Chepo Reynoso, joined football bigwig Jerry Jones in hyping the possibility that a record crowd would gather for Saturday’s matchup.

Smith’s trainer, Joe Gallagher, expressed excitement at the likeliness that the fight would indeed be something to remember. “The underlying currents for the fight are really good,” he claimed. As for Smith, he made it clear that he understands where he is in the minds of most fight fans – at least for the moment. “Now,” he claimed, “there’s world champions and there’s elite fighters.” Sure enough, the undefeated Englishman indicated he has ambition. “This,” he stated, “is a chance to see if I can step on that ladder.” He certainly will be well regarded should he pull off the upset this weekend.

Still, the skilled and popular Canelo will be quite a test. Not that Canelo is taking the fight lightly. “Many of you might not know Liam Smith,” Canelo told the crowd, “but the important thing is we know Liam Smith.” It was a keen distinction that made it clear team Canelo isn’t taking this widely unknown opponent lightly. For Smith is an aggressive fighter who isn’t lacking in talent. Those who argue Smith has a real, though perhaps limited, chance to win on Saturday are, in the opinion of this author at least, offering more than empty words. Perhaps Smith will indeed stun a lot of people this weekend.

Then again….

Posted on 09/12/2016

An Objective Look At Saul “Canelo” Alvarez
By: Sean Crose

Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is something of a fighter without a home. Indeed, it’s hard to know how to identify the 47-1-1 boxer. He is considered the lineal middleweight champion of the world, though he has yet to engage in a major bout at or near the 160 lb. middleweight limit. He’s fighting Liam Smith for a junior middleweight title this weekend, but may then jump up to middleweight afterwards (“may” being the operative word here). Indeed, the man has even proven to be comfortable fighting at his own 155 lb weight limit. Needless to say, fans can’t be blamed for being confused.

Kell Brook, for instance, was a welterweight who moved up to middleweight. Since he was defeated by Gennady Golovkin this past weekend, it appears he’s now going to fight at junior middleweight (while presumably ditching his IBF world welterweight title). Such clarity can’t be found when it comes to Canelo, a fact which has led to more than a fair bit of resentment among boxing’s fan base. Again, fans can’t be blamed for being unhappy. Still, it’s a shame to see Canelo’s reputation taking such a hit, especially when one considers the fact that most of this public relations mess could have been avoided.

Canelo may have largely been an unknown commodity among casual fans before facing Floyd Mayweather in a 2013 superfight, but his career trajectory, as well as his demeanor, after that one sided loss to the pound for pound king earned the red haired fighter many accolades. What’s more, those accolades were well deserved. For, after besting Alfredo Angulo, Alvarez went on to face the very talented and slick Erislandy Lara –supposedly against his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya’s, wishes. Make no mistake about it, Lara was a dangerous fight. Yet Canelo took it and won it by close, albeit controversial, decision.

The man then went on to battle enormous star Miguel Cotto after destroying hard fighting James Kirkland in epic fashion in Texas. To be sure, it took what seemed like forever for the Cotto fight to come together. One could even venture to say if Cotto-Canelo hadn’t occurred the same year as Mayweather-Pacquiao, the negotiations between the Cotto and Canelo camps would now be remembered as one of the sport’s great recent frustrations. The bout eventually went down, however, and Canelo won a close, lucrative and well watched contest. Something, however, had happened.

In the buildup to the bout, Cotto had given up his WBC middleweight title, claiming he didn’t want to pay the World Boxing Council an expensive fee. Upon winning the fight with Cotto, Canelo became WBC middleweight champ, which meant he was now required to face middleweight terror Gennady Golovkin, who had been receiving step aside money. Looking at it all in hindsight, it’s tempting to argue that Canelo should have given up the WBC belt immediately after winning it…or even refused it beforehand. Sure, he would have taken heat, but perhaps it wouldn’t be as hot for the man as it is now.

For the once widely lauded Canelo is now far less popular than he used to be. He may still have a huge fan base, but it’s a simple matter of clear eyed comprehension to understand the man’s reputation is now damaged goods. Make no mistake about it, Canelo is nowhere near as highly regarded as he was a year ago. And the fact that he is facing a widely unknown Liam Smith this weekend on a pay per view card isn’t helping matters. What, one may ask, would things be like now if Canelo – after having defeated Cotto – had politely given back the WBC belt while making it clear Cotto was his only goal, not the middleweight championship? What if Canelo had declared outright before he even fought Cotto that he wouldn’t accept the title should he win?

No doubt, his reputation might not be where it is at the moment. Canelo wasn’t known as a middleweight before facing Cotto, after all. Sure, he was known to bulk up in between weigh in and fight time, but could he not have somewhat successfully argued that the Cotto match ultimately wasn’t about middleweight dominance, that being middleweight king had never truly appealed to him? Couldn’t he have argued that, after he got his dream match with Cotto, he was simply going to go about his business without being accused of being a pretend titlist? Indeed, he could have.

Sure enough, he probably should have.

There was no escaping the Catch-22 that came with fighting Cotto, not with Golovkin waiting in the shadows, but the damage could have been far less if Canelo and the gang at Golden Boy had simply played their cards right. They didn’t play their cards right, however. What they did was feign interest in a Golovkin bout when the interest simply wasn’t there. They led the fans on with vague indications that a GGG bout would happen sooner rather than later when that was never to be the case. And then it all caught up with them.

After the WBC, somewhat surprisingly, told Canelo it was time to put up or shut up regarding a Golovkin bout, he did something that might have been unthinkable just a year earlier: He gave up his title belt rather than face Golovkin. And so here we are. In truth, it’s all a bit unfair for Canelo. It seems all he wanted to do was engage in an epic bout with Cotto. But like a seemingly great bill that works its way through congress, that particular fight came with a whole lot of attachments and amendments, so many that more harm may have ultimately come than good.

The operative word here, of course, is “may.” No one knows what the future holds. Perhaps Canelo will face Golovkin in September of 2017, as some think. Perhaps he will try to age GGG out and fight the Kazakh when Golovkin is well past his prime. Perhaps he’ll simply refuse to fight Golovkin at all and let huge paydays cushion the public fallout, as contemporary businessmen-boxers do in similar situations. Or perhaps Canelo, Golovkin, or both, will lose before either meets in the ring (if they ever are to meet in the ring).

All that’s certain at the moment is that Canelo is no longer generally viewed in the light he once was. And the window of time through which he can regain his reputation in all its former glory closes inch by inch with each passing day.

Posted on 08/30/2016

Can Canelo Repair His Reputation?
By: Sean Crose

Things are good yet not so good for Canelo Alvarez. The middleweight/junior middleweight/155 lb weight superstar and (to some, at least) lineal middleweight champ is rich, famous and about to fight yet another world titlist, Liam Smith, in front of an enormous crowd at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium in September. On the other hand, Canelo now has been labeled by many as being a duck…and being labeled a duck is never, not under any circumstances, a good thing for a fighter’s reputation. What’s more, some of Canelo’s comments to the press – and let’s be fair here, his English isn’t great when he speaks to the English speaking media – have only served to alienate him further from some fans.

Still, are things meant to terminally be this rough for the Mexican icon? Or will he someday redeem himself in the eyes of his detractors (let’s face it, the man was until very recently one of the few fighters in the modern era who didn’t seem afraid to face a real challenge)? That may actually all depend on two things: whether or not Canelo faces middleweight terror Gennady Golovkin before the Kazakh warrior begins to age significantly and whether or not Canelo will somehow manage to avoid being beaten before such a fight actually materializes.

To be sure, there are some who feel Canelo just isn’t talented or skilled enough to pick up the mantle left by Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, respectively. And make no mistake about it, Floyd and Manny are no longer kings of the ring. Even if they were to fight again, it would be more of a novelty than a snapshot of an era. Is Canelo near either man’s caliber, though? While only someone clouded by bias would claim the red headed star isn’t very, VERY good at what he does, there are some legitimate questions regarding the true quality of Canelo’s ring performances.

For instance, in his two biggest twins, Canelo bested an aged Miguel Cotto, and destroyed a known welterweight in Amir Khan. Impressive feats, sure, but how impressive when one looks at the whole picture? What’s more, few will give a win over the game, but widely unknown Smith a whole lot of props. Not when guys like GGG and any number of quality junior middleweights are – figuratively speaking – just a phone call away.

The truth is that Canelo can only completely and thoroughly re-establish his reputation by facing GGG in a timely manner. Even if he were to move on to best top level competition other than Golovkin, the letters GGG would hang over his reputation for as long as Canelo walked the earth. Which would be something no popular fighter would want to have happen.

Posted on 08/25/2016

Canelo takes shots at GGG in Prefight Press Conference
By: Matthew N. Becher

Canelo Alvarez is preparing for his Jr. Middleweight title fight this September 24th against the WBO champion Liam “Beefy” Smith. Yesterday he answered questions about why he was actually taking this fight, instead of fighting who everyone wants to see him fight, Gennady Golovkin.

Alvarez stated in his last win, after a demolishing knockout against Amir Khan, that he was more than ready to take on the monster known as “GGG”, “Like we say in Mexico, ‘We don’t fuck around,’ ” Alvarez said. “I don’t fear anyone. Right now I will put on the gloves again and fight.” Alvarez was the lineal Middleweight champion, and the stage was set, in what would have been the biggest fight of the year. Instead, Canelo waited two weeks, vacated his belt to Golovkin and is now fighting a much lesser known opponent, on Pay Per view, which may not do very good numbers.

Yesterday, during a press conference for the fight, Alvarez was asked about the future fight with Golovkin, “There are always going to be critics, but at the end of the day, I have to do what’s best for my career.” “I’m preparing for the best Liam Smith there is, I am going with my game plan and he is going with his.” Alvarez then added, “I’m not going to have to prepare for GGG, he is going to have to prepare for me.”

Lance Pugmire of the L.A. Times even noted that “Canelo made it very clear in his interview, HE’LL dictate when the GGG fight is coming.” A statement that is very telling, but which most boxing fans could have guessed was happening at this point, since they aren’t fighting each other this fall.

Canelo not fighting Golovkin is a big knock right now on his young career. Fans are tired of the best fighters not taking on the best opponents available. The business side has its own answers, or excuses, but in the end, it is just hurting the sport as a whole.

Not sure how this will play out, but Canelo has villainized himself with his own fan base. The young fighters from Mexico who took on all comers, now has relegated himself to ducking another fighter, Something that does not look good to the people that are supposed to pay to see you fight. Will fans pay to see him fight in Arlington against a relatively unknown champion from the UK? Will he be protested for not taking on Golovkin? Will he straight away fight GGG next May? We’ll all just have to wait and see.

Posted on 06/27/2016

Does Liam Smith Have the Goods to Beat Canelo?
By: Brandon Bernica

This week, boxing groaned collectively when Golden Boy Promotions announced Canelo Alvarez’s intentions to fights Gennady Golovkin…in 15 months. In the eyes of most fans, this superfight needs about as much marinade as a perfectly cooked Thanksgiving turkey – forget the spices and rubs, you just want to eat it as soon as possible. Even a recent string of thrilling victories could not save Canelo from seething backlash and disappointment.

To make matters worse, Golden Boy revealed Canelo’s next opponent to the chagrin of boxing’s devoted: Liam Smith of Liverpool. Naturally, an uproar sparked due to Smith’s anonymity to casual fans. Overreaction typically ensues when top-tier opponents are neglected for stars like Canelo. My curiosity wonders whether Smith holds up as a quality-enough opponent, even after the hysteria dies down.

At first glance, his unscathed record speaks to consistency and capability. Of course, many of his past fights involved overmatched, homegrown foes, and his resume desperately lacks big names to cement his talent. Many consider him a “paper champion” – one who falls upon a title by the fortune of avoiding the division’s best fighters. Labeling someone a fraud for clearing out a novice queue of opponents is unfair; regardless, the jury remains out until England’s own passes more staunch tests. At a prime 27 years old, however, you still have to respect his potential.

So, why did Smith fly under the radar with the stealth of a notorious bank robber? That could be due in part to his lineage. He is the 2nd youngest of four brothers, all high-level fighters. His oldest brother, Paul, formerly starred on the boxing reality show “The Contender” and challenged for a world title on numerous occasions. Stephen, the second eldest, defends the WBC Silver Super Middleweight Championship. Perhaps the golden child of the clan, Callum, projects to stardom as an undefeated super middleweight prospect. With the “Fighting Smiths” as siblings, Liam easily finds himself lost in the shuffle. Being constantly contextualized with his brother’s accomplishments raises the bar for distinguishing himself among them.

If one saving grace remains in the cards for Liam, it’s the most obvious –he can fight. Smith acquits himself very well in the ring. He won’t overwhelm you with explosiveness –perhaps to a flawed degree – but he checks out as a well-rounded fighter. Each fight, he aims at pushing the tempo and initiating the action. Whether it’s short hooks or a favored uppercut-to-straight right hand, Smith stays on balance. This does leave him susceptible to sustained counterattacks in the pocket, and combined with an absence of head movement, he makes himself a target for anyone tough enough to survive his offensive assault.

Let’s take this full-circle and evaluate how he matches up against Canelo. Canelo will thrive on the counterpunching opportunities provided by the hungry Smith, just as he did against James Kirkland and Miguel Cotto. The threat of Smith’s wide-ranging arsenal will stick at the forefront of Canelo’s mind throughout the night, but that’s nothing smarts and timing couldn’t overcome. Punching power and experience also tip in the Mexican’s favor. What does Smith have that could riddle Canelo enough to capture victory. Intangibles. He’s from a boxing family, he’s bold, and he’s unfamiliar with the losing taste as a professional. With so much pressure on Alvarez to win every fight until the Golovkin showdown, Smith will enjoy the freedom of playing underdog. These intangibles in the hands of a world titlist can be dangerous enough to pull the stunning upset. And with over half of his wins earned by knockout, one punch might be enough to change both of their fates.

I hear you, boxing fans. This is not a PPV worthy fight. This isn’t the win that will change Canelo’s life. But it isn’t reason to fully dismiss Liam Smith. His resolve and skills can invoke some interesting exchanges with Canelo, making for an entertaining affair. As opposed to Canelo’s last fight – a spectacular knockout of natural welterweight Amir Khan – Smith will be a sturdy, game foe that is more acclimated to the weight. Just as fans at the NBA Draft jeer every foreign player they’ve never heard of, boxing fans on this side of the Atlantic have difficulty giving non-American fighters a chance to prove their merit. Yes, it’s not Golovkin (unfortunately), but without much to lose, he has a shot to carry the Smith name to new heights.

Posted on 06/23/2016

Canelo-GGG: The Art Of Marination
By: Sean Crose

The much anticipated super fight between Saul Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin has been pushed back to 2017 – if not longer. Reports of this development – which has infuriated boxing fans – arrived yesterday and the fight world has been abuzz since. Team Golovkin has made it clear that it’s not really happy with this latest calendar retreat by team Canelo, but nonetheless seems to be taking it in stride.

Give team Canelo this – it’s honest. Golden Boy, which promotes Canelo, apparently made it clear to team Golovkin that it wants this fight to marinate more – a lot more – in order to make it as popular and as financially successful as possible. Whatever Golden Boy honcho Oscar De La Hoya has said about pleasing the fans, it looks like he may literally have been referring to fans of other sports rather than boxing – the kind that nonetheless will cough up good money to watch a big fight on pay per view because it’s the thing to do that weekend.

F. Scott Fitzgerald once claimed that action is character. And he was right. It’s our actions that define us. And De La Hoya’s actions make it clear that, despite what he may indicate, he doesn’t care about pleasing boxing’s fan base. If he did, Canelo-GGG would go down in the fall, or next spring at the latest. At the moment people are asking aloud if the fight will go down at all. I suspect it will, when the deck is stacked as much in Canelo’s favor as possible. The fact that Golovkin, whose no kid, may start showing signs of wear and tear in the near future would, I assume, please team Canelo.

Still, it’s good to keep in mind that boxing is a business. It’s should be more sport than business, but it’s still a business and team Canelo has mouths to feed, mortgages to pay, etc. Golden Boy Promotions undoubtedly employs more than a handful of people, after all. That line of thinking – and empathy – only goes so far, however, when you realize that Golden Boy is in the combat sport business, and it’s not giving combat sport fans the fight they want when they want it.

Pleasing the customer clearly has no place in the business of modern boxing.

With that in mind, it’s been suggested that boxing fans look to the bright side, and that honestly doesn’t seem like a bad suggestion. The bright side, of course, is the fact that there’s good fights being made out there. Interesting fights that are actually relevant. Thurman-Porter, Fury-Klitshcko II,Crawford-Postol, Kovalev-Ward…with matches like this around the corner it’s hard to say boxing is having a terrible year.

And while it’s true none of these fights may attract casual fans to the sport, people like The Sweet Science’s Frank Lotierzo make clear that Canelo-GGG might not be that competitive a fight anyway. By virtue of the eye test, it might simply be all GGG.

Perhaps fans should just let Oscar and Canelo do their thing – which might be to draw in casual fans without taking too much of a risk. Let team Canelo stick to its side of the street while fans stick to theirs. There’s good fights out there, after all. Besides, team Canelo may end up being too smart by half. Using the same tactics Floyd Mayweather was accused of can work if you’re the insanely talented Floyd Mayweather. When your talent level indicates high quality rather than greatness, however, chances are you may end up less like Floyd and more like Adonis Stevenson.

Remember him?

Posted on 05/07/2016

HBO PPV Round by Round Results
By: William Holmes

Canelo Alvarez (46-1-1) put up his WBC Middleweight Title on the line against British boxer Amir Khan (31-3) at the newly constructed T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The winner of this bout may face Gennady Golovkin next, and Golovkin was interviewed before the fight and indicated he was ready to face the winner, at 160 pounds.

Two stoppage victories on the undercard gave HBO some time to kill before the start of the main event.

Joel Martinez was the ring announcer for the night, and Danny Walten sung the national anthem of Great Britain first. The Mexican national anthem was performed by Roberto Tapia. The national anthem of the United States was sung last by Jencarlos Canela.

Amir Khan was the first man to enter the ring and Canelo Alvarez entered the ring second. Even though British fight fans have a reputation for traveling, most of the fans in attendance were clearly for Canelo. The attendance for tonight was 16,540.

The following is a round by round recap for tonight’s title fight.

Round 1:

Both boxers come out in an orthodox stance. Canelo does not look to be that much bigger than Khan. Khan throws out two jabs. Khan with a jab to the body followed by a straight right hand. Khan is showing a lot of circular movement. Canelo flicks out a jab. Canelo with a right to the body. Khan fires off a combination and lands some of his shots. Canelo is short with a lead left hook. Canelo with two shots to the body. Canleo is short with a straight right hand. Khan is constantly moving. Canelo lands a left hook on a forward moving Khan. Khan with another jab to the body. Canelo connects with a lead left hook. Khan misses with a four punch combination. Canlo lands two jabs. Khan comes forward with a three punch combination. Canelo misses with a lead left hook, but follows with a wide right hook to the body.

10-9 Khan

Round 2:

Canelo is coming forward with more urgency. Canelo misses with a lead left hook and Khan answers with a quick four punch combination. Canelo misses with a wild left hook and Khan connects with a two punch combination. Canelo misses with a jab and Khan misses with several jabs. Canelo barely misses with a straight right hand. Khan with two quick jabs and Canelo answers with a left hook. Khan throws a four punch combination and Canelo throws a hard straight right. Khan’s movement is slowing down a little bit. Canelo throws a short jab to the body. Canelo throws a right to the body. Khan lands a two punch combination. Canelo lands a jab to the body. Canelo misses with another left hook. Khan lands a two punch combination clean on Canelo.

10-9 Khan; 20-18 Khan

Round 3:

Canelo throws out two quick jabs. Canelo against misses with a lead left hook. Khan with three quick jabs to the head of Canelo. Khan ducks under a lead left hook from Canelo. Canelo lands a left hook to the head of Khan. Khan misses with a three punch combination and Canelo lands a right to the body on a retreating Khan. Khan lands a hard left hook in the middle of the ring and cirlces away. Khan with a quick jab. Canelo misses with a right cross but lands a hard jab afterwards. Canelo lands a right to the body. Khan lands a right hand upstairs. Khan misses with three jabs. Khan misses a two punch combination. Canelo is showing good head movement. Canelo lands a counter straight right hand. Khan lands a straight right hand. Best punch of the round.

10-9 Khan; 30-27 Khan

Round 4:

Khan lands a quick jab and circles away. Canelo tags Khan with a jab to the body. Khan misses a straight right hand. They tie up briefly. Canelo misses with a left jab and misses another jab. Canelo throws out a straight right hand to the body, and Khan answers with a quick jab. Canelo’s right hand gets blocked by Khan. Khan lands a quick two punch counter after a right to the body by Canelo. Canelo lands a left to the body, and Khan connects with a triple jab. Canelo lands a jab and Khan counters with a three punch combination. Canelo lands a sharp jab. Canelo throws out two more quick jabs. Khan barely misses with a hard straight right hand. Khan misses with a two punch combination. Canelo lands a good right to the body and Khan appears to grimace. Canelo lands a right to the body of Khan.

10-9 Canelo; 39-37 Khan

Round 5:

Canelo lands a jab. Canelo lands a hard left hook upstairs. Canelo connects with a good jab. Khan lands a quick two punch combination. Canelo misses with a wild left hook. Khan lands a straight right hand. Khan misses a two punch combination. Canelo’s straight right hand is blocked. Canelo connects with a straight right to the chin of Khan. Khan lands a straight right at the end of a combination. Canelo hits Khan with a left hook. Canelo misses with another wild left hook. Canelo lands a good left jab followed by a straight right to the body. Canelo misses with a right uppercut but later hits a right hook to the body. Canelo lands two good punches to the body. Canelo misses with a wild left hook and uppercut. Canelo is looking more confident, but a close round.

10-9 Canelo; 48-47 Khan

Round 6:

Canelo lands a reaching jab. Khan’s movement has slowed noticeably. Canelo is pressing forward. Khan throws out four consecutive jabs. Canelo with a right to the body and the referee warns Canelo to keep them up. Khan is short with his combination. Canelo lands a hard body shot followed by a hook upstairs. Canelo throws out two jabs in a row but misses. Khan lands a hard straight right hand. Khan lands a jab and Canelo connects with a jab and cross to the body. Canelo lands a jab to the head of Khan, and connects with another one. Khan’s combination hits air. Canelo misses with a left hook. Canelo connects with a jab and then connects with a brutal straight right hand and Khan crashes to the mat.

Khan is out cold and the referee waives off the fight.

Canelo Alvarez wins by KO at 2:37 of the sixth round.

AFterwards Khan stated, ““I didn’t make it to the end, but I tried my best,” said Amir “King” Khan. “I want to be the best, and I want to fight the best. That is why I took this fight.”

A victorious Canelo stated, “He is a fast fighter, and I knew things would be complicated in beginning, but I knew they would come to my favor as the fight went on. People have known me only for my power. I have many more qualities in the ring and I showed that. I think people saw more of me tonight. Someone that comes in to box gives you more trouble and someone that cones right in is a little easier to fight.”

Golovkin at this point had entered the ring, and Canelo acknowledged his presence by stating, “I invited him to come to the ring. Like we say in Mexico “we don’t fuck around.” I dont fear anyone; we don’t come to play in this sport. I fear no one in this sport. Right now I will put on the gloves again and fight him.”