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| LUIS ORTIZ MISSES PRESSER DUE TO BAD WEATHER
| Press Release: At a press conference on Wednesday, WBC heavyweight champion Deontay "The Bronze Bomber'' Wilder announced his title defense against Cuban southpaw Luis "The Real King Kong'' Ortiz scheduled for Nov. 4th at Brooklyn, New York's Barclay Center. The press conference was at the Dream Hotel in Downtown Manhattan, but due to inclement weather near his home in Miami, Ortiz (pictured) was unable to travel to New York. He did offer his thoughts about the upcoming fight via telephone. Here is what the participants had to say Wednesday:
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| CRESPO RESPONDS TO GREEN IN CONNECTICUT RIVALRY
| Press Release: In the heated lead-up to their October 5th rematch at Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Casino, New Haven junior featherweight Josh Crespo (7-5, 3 KOs) has had some harsh words for crosstown rival Nate Green (9-0, 2 KOs). Crespo suffered a decision loss to Green back in 2011 at the start of their respective careers. But three years later, Green worked Crespo's corner when he defeated Sammy Rodriquez in Rodriguez' hometown of Rochester, NY. For this reason, Green believes that he has gained a special insight into what makes Crespo tick in the ring. Crespo, however, sees things a bit differently.
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| RUBEN VILLA BOOKED FOR ACTION ON FRIDAY
| Press Release: Featherweight hopeful Ruben Villa (7-0, 4 KOs) takes on Ernesto Guerrero (26-19, 18 KOs) on Friday (Sept. 22nd) in a six-round bout at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif. Also, junior lightweight Michael Dutchover (5-0, 4 KOs), a close friend and occasional sparring partner to Villa, fights Carlos Flores (4-5-1, 3 KOs) in bout set for six rounds. The five-fight show will be livestreamed on Thompson Boxing's Facebook page and ThompsonBoxing.com.
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| | | | | | | LEGENDARY JAKE LAMOTTA PASSES AWAY AT 95
| Press Release: Legendary world middleweight champion and boxing Hall of Famer Jake LaMotta, who later became the central character in the Martin Scorsese-directed Academy Award-winning film Raging Bull (1980) starring Robert De Niro, passed away in Miami, Florida today (September 20) at the age of 95.
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| EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: LEO SANTA CRUZ
By G. Leon
"I'm looking to hurt him, I'm coming for the knockout!"
| GL: How is everything going in preparation and what can we expect to see from you on October 14 vs Chris Avalos? Camp is going great. We're working hard. We're doing ten rounds of sparring already and then after the ten rounds we're doing some conditioning work. Right now we're taking it little by little, but by next week I'll be doing twelve rounds. I'm feeling fast and I'm feeling strong. I'm working different things because I'm always looking to learn more. What will you see? As always when I fight I'm going to go in there and give it 100%. I always try to please the fans and give them great fights and that's what I'm hoping to do again on October 14."
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| KARLOS BALDERAS TO RETURN ON SANTA CRUZ-MARES DOUBLE HEADER
By G. Leon
| GL: Congrats on your recent victory. Can you give us some thoughts on your performance? I'm starting to feel much better, like in my first fight I was a little uncomfortable for whatever reason. In my second fight I felt like I'm starting to get more comfortable. I'm kind of starting to work my shots a little bit more, I'm still feeling out the pro game because it's been such a long time since I fought at such a slow pace. Everything in preparing for the Olympics was just three minutes, three rounds so I felt so much better working out for my next fight and I'm ready to get back in there and I'm supposed to be coming back in mid to late October.
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| BOXERS TALK ABOUT FRIDAY'S ESPN SHOW
| Press Release: This Friday (September 22nd), ESPN will air a boxing show from Tucson, Arizona featuring Oscar Valdez (22-0, 19 KOs), a two-time Mexican Olympian with strong roots in Tucson, will be defending his WBO featherweight title against the Genesis Servania (29-0, 12 KOs), of The Philippines and Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez (35-0, 24 KOs) risking his WBO super middleweight title against Jesse Hart (22-0, 18 KOs) of Philadelphia. Both Valdez and Ramirez are from Mexico. Here is what they had to say at this week's media workout:
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| MICK CONLAN ADDED TO ESPN TELECAST
| Top Rank's show this Friday (September 22nd) in Tucson Arizona, has been enhanced with the addition of 2016 Irish Olympian Mick Conlan (pictured). Also on the show will be 2016 U.S. Olympian Mikaela Mayer and a welterweight battle between Lithuania's Egis Kavaliauskas (17-0) and Mexico's Mahonry Montes (33-6). Conlan (3-0) will rumble in a six-round featherweight bout against Montana's Kenny Guzman (3-0). The Conlan fight will be part of the ESPN telecast. Mayer (1-0) will take on Texas' Allison Martinez (1-2) in a four-round lightweight bout. source: top rank press release
| | | | | | | DAVID BEY 1957-2017
| Former heavyweight contender David Bey died in a work-related accident at a construction site in Camden, New Jersey. He was 60 years old and compiled a record of 18-11-1. In his 1981 pro debut, he faced future world heavyweight champion James "Buster" Douglas, who was 5-0 at the time and stopped Douglas. Bey's signature win came in 1984 when he defeated a prime Greg Page. At the time, Page was coming off a majority decision loss to Tim Witherspoon for the WBC title, and in the next fight after losing to Bey, Page defeated Gerrie Coetzee for the WBA belt. Bey's win over Page was rewarded with a 1985 title shot at Larry Holmes, the true champion who held the IBF title. Bey lost to the legendary Holmes, certainly no disgrace there. Boxingtalk sends its condolences to the friends and family of David Bey. --Scott Shaffer
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| EX-FRIENDS TO FIGHT AT MOHEGAN SUN
| Press Release: In an eight-round featherweight showdown for New Haven, Connecticut, bragging rights, Nate Green (9-0, 2 KOs) takes on long-time cross town rival Josh Crespo (7-5-3, 3 KOs). The bout will be presented as the co-feature on the Thursday, October 5th show at the Mohegan Sun Casino. The bad blood between Green and Crespo goes back to Green's professional debut in 2011 when he handed Crespo his first loss. When Crespo defeated Sammy Rodriguez in 2014, Green worked Crespo's corner.
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| JUSSI KOIVULA COMING TO CANADA FOR NOVEMBER FIGHT
| Press Release: On November 11th, welterweights Samuel Vargas and Jussi Koivula will fight in honor of those who have given their lives to ensure our freedom. Vargas and Koivula headline “For The Fallen,” a Remembrance Day championship boxing event at the Powerade Centre in Brampton, Ontario, presented by Lee Baxter Promotions. Vargas (28-3-1, 14 knockouts) is coming off the biggest victory of his career, a unanimous decision over Ali Funeka in August. From Finalnd, Koivula (23-4-1, 9 KOs) has had a documentary made about his difficult life.
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| BARRIOS STOPS NELSON IN SEVENTH
By G. Leon
| Mario Barrios TKO7 Naim Nelson: Undefeated junior welterweight Mario Barrios improved to 20-0 (12) with a dominant performance over a wounded, by game Naim Nelson. Barrios was in control from the outset and fought behind a stiff jab, before putting any combinations together. Nelson appeared to dislocate his should in round three and fought on for nearly four more rounds before aggravating the injury in while trying to throw a hook in round seven. The fight was stopped by doctor when it was ruled that Nelson could no longer continue. Source: PBC on FS1
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| NEWMAN AND PARKER FIGHT TO DRAW
By G. Leon
| Earl Newman D8 Paul Parker: Light heavyweight Earl Newman (10-0-1 with 7 KOs) and battle-tested Paul Parker (8-2-1 with 4 KOs) opened up Tuesday's PBC telecast on Fox Sports 1 with a solid scrap. There were no knockdowns but both fighters had their moments during several heated exchanges. It was a difficult fight to judge as evidenced the scorecards, which were all over the place. Boxingtalk had it 77-75 for Newman, but the official scores were 79-73 Newman, 77-75 Parker and 76-76. Source: PBC on FS1
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| VELASQUEZ AND JONES ALSO FIGHT TO DRAW ON FS1
By G. Leon
| Thomas Velasquez D6 Tyrome Jones: Undefeated up and comer Thomas Velasquez, 9-0-1 (5), faced the toughest fight of his young career in the form of Tyrome Jones, 4-2-1 (1), in the co-main of PBC on FS1. The early rounds belonged to Velasquez, who was winning rounds but sloppy leaving himself wide open for counter shots. The second half of the fight was all Jones who couldn't miss with his left hand. Boxingtalk scored it a 57-57. Official scores were 59-55 Jones, 59-55 Velasquez and 57-57. Source: PBC on FS1
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| LONG ISLAND UNDERCARD ANNOUNCED FOR SEPT. 28TH
| Press Release: Star Boxing announced its undercard September 28th at the Paramount in Huntington, NY. The main event features the return of Cletus "The Hebrew Hammer" Seldin (19-0) against Renald "Le Lion" Garrido (19-15-2). The supporting bouts will be led by Danny "El Gallo" Gonzalez (14-0-1 5 KOs) against Milwaukee's Deonte "Bomaye" Wilson (7-2 3 KOs) in a junior welterweight eight rounder.
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| BOXINGTALK'S MINI MAILBAG
By G. Leon
| What's up, Greg -How funny is it that Oscar suggested that the Floyd/McGregor fight was a money grab and yet somehow Golden Boy Promotions was able to creatively finagle the 3G/Canelo fight into their own money grab. I completely understand that sometimes rubberband matches are part of boxing, e.g. Gatti vs Ward, but in this day and age, it seems like some rubberband matches are planned and orchestrated instead of just happening naturally, e.g. Pac vs Bradley, 3G vs Canelo. This was a solid fight, and again, I understand that draws happen, but in my humble opinion, the final outcome of this fight was a money grab...3G wouldn't have won without a KO. Part 2 will happen some time in the immediate or distant future, and depending on the outcome, Part 3 will then follow. Congrats to Oscar, but what about the fans...Thanks for listening, Jay from Jersey.
Leon's Response: You can't compare GGG-Canelo to Gatti-Ward. One fight featured two A+ talents fighting for all the marbles, the other was a can't miss fight because we all knew both guys would bring it, but both Gatti and Ward are B level fighters at best. Golden Boy did right by Canelo to wait years to make the fight. He couldn't beat Golovkin now, what do you think would have happened two years ago? I think it would have been ugly. The fight being ruled a draw wouldn't have raised many eyebrows, especially considering how Canelo finished stronger. The problem is the 118-110 scorecard of a judge who was either corrupt or incompetent and has no business judging another fight. Scorecards that egregious should be death sentences for judges. If I were Oscar, I'd make GGG-Cotto asap, let Cotto put some more miles on him before a rematch with Canelo in May. Cotto's only fighting "once" more, so if he loses to GGG he rides off into the sunset as a first ballot hall of famer, and if he managed to pull the upset something tells me Cotto would decide to fight one more time against Canelo.
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| TONIGHT ON FOX SPORTS 1: BARRIOS VS. NELSON
| Mario Barrios (19-0, 11 KO) is out to keep his run going against Naim Nelson (13-3, 1 KO) in the ten-round main event of Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes from the Sands Bethlehem Events Center in Bethlehem, Pa. Both boxers were a shade over the junior welterweight limit: Barrios came in at 140.9 pounds and Nelson at 140.8. The announced co-feature, Stephen Fulton (11-0, 5 KOs) vs. Adam Lopez (8-0, 3 KOs) was not listed on the bout sheet but Earl Newman (10-0, 7 KOs) will battle Paul Parker (8-2, 4 KOs) in an eight-round light heavyweight attraction. Newman weighed in at 178 compared to 177.5 for Parker.
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| CUNNINGHAM VS. BELLOTTI TO HEADLINE ON OCT. 13TH
| Jason Cunningham (2303 with 6 KOs) defends the Commonwealth featherweight title against Reece Bellotti challenges at York Hall in London's Bethnal Green on Friday October 13th, live on Sky Sports’ Facebook and Sky Sports. Bellotti scored an eighth-round stoppage of Jamie Speight in London in July, moving to 10-0 with 9 KOs. Cunningham puts the title on the line for the first time after edging out Ben Jones for the vacant crown in the east London venue in April and is hunting a second British title shot having lost to now-WBA champ Kal Yafai over the distance in 2015. Bellotti said, “I know Jason has come up through the weights. He’s boxed a good level of opposition, better than what I have so far. He’s tough, a southpaw and I’m expecting my hardest night so far. I haven’t fought a Southpaw as a professional yet. It doesn’t faze me, you’ve got to get in there and experience all different things in your development and this ticks another box, and it puts me in the frame for the British belt."
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| FINNISH BOXER ADDED TO BIG LATVIAN SHOW
| Press Release: Finnish cruiserweight Tomi Honka (1-0) will face his second pro test on the undercard of the World Boxing Super Series quarter-final fight between WBC champion Mairis Briedis and Mike Perez on September 30th at the Riga Arena in Latvia. Honka will take on hometown fighter Reinis Porozovs (8-12-1, 5 KOs) in a six-round contest. Honka is coming off a unanimous decision win over Mateusz Gatek (5-9) in his pro debut back in March. Porozovs is current enjoying on a three-fight win streak which has included upset road wins over Britain’s Lee Nutland and Sweden's then-undefeated Marcus Alberts.
CONTINUE READING >>
| | | | | | | SAMPSON BOXING PROMOTES NORTH LAS VEGAS SHOW NEXT WEEK
| Press Release: A "Buy One Get One Free" fight ticket special for firefighters, police and military personnel is in effect for the North Las Vegas boxing show scheduled for Tuesday, September 26th. The main event will match a pair of undefeated featherweights, Cuba's Leduan Barthelemy (13-0, 7 KOs) and Mexico's Eduardo Ramirez (20-0-2, 7 KOs). The event also features Alejandro Salinas (8-1, 8 KOs) against unbeaten Duarn Vue (12-0, 4 KOs) in an eight-round super featherweight attraction plus a six-round showdown between lightweights Bryan Figueroa (12-0, 5 KOs) and Ivan Jimenez (7-0-1, 4 KOs). "I am proud to offer this ticket special to the bravest ones in our society," said Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing.
| | | | | | | BOXING UPDATE FROM SPAIN
| Spain's 130-pound champion Jon Fernandez (13-0, 11 KOs) takes an important step in his career, just a few days after having turned 22, when he will face Russia's Alexander Podolsky (9-0, 3 KO) on September 29th at the Pavilion La Casilla de Bilbao. Fernandez last fought in June a win over Juan Reyes (14-4-3) The unbeaten Russian is a very strong and technical boxer who will turn 26 in July. He has already fought in Bilbao, Spain last March, having defeated Panama's Manuel Largacha (8-6-4)... Junior middleweight Sergio García (24-0 with 12 KOs) will lock horns with Italy's Felice Moncelli (17-4-1 with 5 KOs) this Friday, September 22nd at the Vicente Trueba Sports Center in Torrelavega, Spain. Garcia is riding high off a win over former European champ Isaac Real in June. source: WBC
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| WILDER VS. ORTIZ BOOKED FOR NOV. 4TH IN BROOKLYN
| Dogged by claims that he does not fight top competition, Deontay Wilder (pictured) will defend his WBC heavyweight championship against one of the world's top contender, Luis Ortiz of Cuba. The bout has now been confirmed for Saturday, November 4th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Showtime will televise the bout. Wilder is 38-0 with wins in title fights against Bermane Stiverne, Eric Molina, Johann Duhaupas, Artur Szpilka, Chris Arreola and Gerald Washington. Ortiz is 27-0, list as 38 years old, and his best win came against Bryant Jennings in 2015. In the past he has tested positive for a banned performance enhancer. -Scott Shaffer
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| EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: ELENA SAVELEVA
By G. Leon
| GL: What made you decide to turn pro after your long amateur career? I wanted to turn professional for a long time but unfortunately woman's boxing didn't have the competition and opportunities I was looking for. As soon as I saw the sport and opportunities for women boxers growing around the world and in Russia I made the switch to pro boxing.
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| ONE ON ONE WITH JESSE HERNANDEZ
By G. Leon
| GL: What made you decide to sign with Salita Promotions following your stoppage over Tikhonov? Well, it was truly the initial opportunity they gave me to appear on Showtime. I believe Salita Promotions is in a place where talent can be discovered and properly grown. My boxing style is TV friendly and know Salita Promotions will open the doors needed for my next step. Entertainment comes naturally with my come forward style. It feels like a blessing. I feel like we are very good fit. A company with great potential to make hardworking fighters into championship level athletes.
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| ANDRE WARD'S NEXT FIGHT TO BE FINALIZED THIS WEEK
By G. Leon
| GL: Congrats on your recent victory with Peter Quillin. Can you give us some thoughts on hid performance against Dashon Johnson? I think he did very well considering the opponent. When you look at Dashon's record, he's a battle hardened vetertan who can give anybody a bad night. Pete kept his composure, stuck with the plan and considering how long he's been off he showed some new dimensions to his game and he left me with a real nice blueprint to build on.
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| TOP RANK GIVING AWAY 500 TICKETS TO ARIZONA SHOW
| Press Release: In support of the thousands of young immigrants that could be [deported if United States president Donald Trump follows through on his promise to] terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, boxing promotional company, Top Rank, led by Hall-of-Fame promoter Bob Arum, will donate 500 tickets to “Dreamers” in Arizona to attend the September 22nd championship event in Tucson, Arizona headlined by unbeaten Mexican champions Oscar Valdez and Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez in separate bouts. Valdez and Ramirez will defend their respective featherweight and super middleweight titles on the show. “Top Rank wants to make it clear that we stand in solidarity with the Dreamers. We are ashamed of the way they are being treated by the Administration in Washington. Americans are way better than this," said Arum.
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| EGO TRIP: PROMOTER THINKS HE'S A RAMBO CHARACTER
| Press Release: Coach/ promoter Ahmet Öner is ready to send his boxer Avni Yildirim (16-0, 10 KOs) into war against Chris Eubank Jr. (25-1, 19 KOs) on October 7th at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart, Germany. “Our relationship is like a colonel and a soldier,” said Öner. “Sometimes I call him John Rambo, and I am Colonel Trautman. He is my Rambo, I made him and I am very happy with what I’ve made.”
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| | | | | | | A FEW WORDS WITH MARIO BARRIOS
| Press Release: Mario Barrios shared his thoughts on training camp and more as he nears his showdown against Naim Nelson that headlines Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes Tuesday, September 19th from Sands Bethlehem Events Center in Bethlehem, Pa. Televised coverage will also feature an eight-round matchup between unbeaten featherweights Stephen Fulton (11-0, 5 KOs) and Adam Lopez (8-0, 3 KOs) plus Earl Newman (10-0, 7 KOs) taking on Paul Parker (8-2, 4 KOs) in an eight-round light heavyweight attraction. Here is what Barrios had to say heading into his September 19th showdown:
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| LATE RESULTS FROM RHODE ISLAND
Williams wins for second time in three weeks
| Jimmy Williams W10 Juan Rodriguez Jr.... Jimmy Williams won for the second time in less than three weeks at Twin River Casino in Rhode Island. After knocking out Issouf Kinda in August, Williams (15-0-1) returned Saturday on his birthday to defeat New Jersey's Juan Rodriguez Jr. (13-5) by unanimous decision, 98-91, 97-92 and 96-93. A second-round knockdown established the pace for Williams, whose wife gave birth to twin boys less than two weeks before fight night. Rodriguez enjoyed a brief surge in the third and fourth rounds, apparently getting his second wind after the knockdown, but Williams dominated the latter half of the fight, taking rounds five through nine on two of three scorecards to build a comfortable lead. source: CES press release
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| PHILIPPINE OLYMPIAN BOOKS STEP-UP FIGHT
| Philippine minimumweight hopeful Mark Anthony Barriga, who represented his country in the 2012 Olympics, will get a big opportunity in Beijing on September 29th. Barriga (6-0) will face Thailand’s Samartlek Kokietgym a/k/a Wittawas Basapean (33-6). The Thai fighter is best known for dropping a 2016 108-pound title bid to Akira Yaegashi. Barriga is co-managed by IBF 115-pound champ Jerwin Ancajas. source: philippine star
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| GOLOVKIN-ALVAREZ POST-FIGHT REPORT
By Rick Evans @ ringside
“I think one of the judges had her card filled out before the fight.”
| When expectations are high for a boxing match, there is an anticipation in the air. You can feel it from home and it’s almost tangible in the arena. So, after twelve exciting rounds in Las Vegas, when the time came for a winner to be declared between world middleweight champion Gennady "GGG" Golovkin and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, that anticipation had risen to an unbelievably high level with nowhere to go until the announcement of a draw came out of the mouth of ring announcer Michael Buffer. With that, the crowd at the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas put forth a response that was nothing short of chaotic. With all of the pent up anticipation and emotion that had gone into the buildup of the weekend, to get a decision that didn’t bring a resolution was an utter disappointment to the sold out crowd of 22,358.
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| RINGSIDE REPORT ON THE GOLOVKIN VS. ALVAREZ DRAW
By Rick Evans @ ringside
| Gennady Golovkin D12 Saul "Canelo Alvarez... Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2) and Gennady Golovkin (37-0-1) put on a fight that lived up to all of the hype, that is until the decision was announced. After twelve hard-fought, nip-and-tuck rounds, the world middleweight championship was ruled a draw. Action packed with great boxing from Canelo matched up with the straight-ahead style of Golovkin's “Big Drama Show” in a fight that could have gone either way. I scored this fight 115-113 for Alvarez. The three official judges in Las Vegas had it 118-110 for Alvarez (Adelaide Byrd), 115-113 Golovkin by Dave Moretti, and 114-114 by Don Trella to complete a bitter ending to what was a very good fight. Punchstats favored Golovkin by 218-169, although it was virtually even in terms of power punches landed. Much more to follow from a pretty upset crowd at Las Vegas.
| | | | | | | POST-FIGHT REACTION TO THE GGG VS. CANELO DRAW
By Scott Shaffer
Adelaide Byrd turns in horrendous scorecard for Canelo
| Gennady Golovkin D12 Saul "Canelo" Alvarez... In Las Vegas on Saturday, the world middleweight championship fight between Gennady "GGG" Golovkin and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez was scored a draw. Most, but not all observers, felt Golovkin deserved a narrow decision, but many also agreed it was close enough that a draw was reasonable. Nearly everyone agrees that Judge Adelaide Byrd disgraced herself with her 118-110 card in favor of Alvarez. The other two cards were in line with reality: 115-113 Golovkin and 114-114. Punchstats had Golovkin landing 49 more punches over the course of the fight, 218-169. The Las Vegas fans booed Alvarez during the post-fight interview, an indication that the fans thought Golovkin deserved the win. Certainly, Golovkin was the aggressor, trying to create a "big drama show." The right to a rematch seems to lie with Alvarez and both men said afterwards they want one. Here is how somemainstream media outlets scored the fight...
ESPN:116-112 Golovkin
Sports Illustrated: 115-113 Golovkin
USA Today: 116-112 Golovkin
LA Times: 115-113 Alvarez
Kevin Kelley (international broadcast): 117-111 Golovkin
The Sporting News: 114-114 draw
Forbes: 115-113 Golovkin
| | | | | | | JOSEPH DIAZ JR. CLINCHES TITLE SHOT
Rick Evans @ ringside
| Joseph Diaz, Jr. W12 Rafael Rivera… In the final bout before the main event, featherweight Joseph Diaz, Jr. dominated Rafael Rivera, a quality opponent who accepted the fight early this week. In control from the opening bell, Diaz constantly pursued Rivera and landed big shots seemingly at will. The lead right hook from the southpaw Diaz was particularly effective in dissuading Rivera from making much of an effort to come forward with authority. In the last half of the fight, Diaz began finding a home for the left hand in addition to the right, and that secured him a lopsided win. The official scores were 119-109 (twice) and one shutout of 120-108. Diaz moves to 25-0 with the win and now becomes the mandatory challenger for WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. in what looks to be a fantastic match-up of former U.S. Olympians. Rivera falls to 25-1-2 with the loss but deserves credit for taking this tough fight on short notice.
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| DIEGO DE LA HOYA GRADUATES TO CONTENDER
By Rick Evans @ ringside
| Diego De La Hoya W10 Randy Caballero... Diego De La Hoya took another step forward in his budding career with a clear cut unanimous decision over former 118- pound title holder Randy Caballero in a 122-pound contest. De La Hoya was in control throughout the bout as he was able to catch a charging Caballero with solid right hands. The difference in hand speed was apparent throughout as well as De La Hoya seemed to consistently be the first to the punch. When Caballero was able to get in on the inside, he didn’t do nearly enough work or damage to balance the boxing skills of the emerging star from Mexicali, Mexico. The judges scored the bout 100-90 and 98-92 twice. De La Hoya moves to 20-0 while Caballero, who lost his title to injuries, falls to 24-1.
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| RYAN MARTIN WINS SPLIT DECISION
Rick Evans @ ringside
| Ryan Martin W10 Francisco Rojo... In the opening bout of the pay-per-view broadcast from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, lightweight hopeful Ryan Martin maintained his perfect professional record, moving to 20-0 with hard-fought split-decision victory over Francisco Rojo. The fight was tactical throughout with Martin playing the role of the boxer and Rojo in pursuit. There was good action in rounds six and seven with both fighters landing good shots. Neither fighter seemed to want to take full control of the fight. Multiple low blows throughout the fight from Martin caused him a point deduction in the ninth round, but that wasn’t enough to turn the decision to Rojo. The scores were a a bit varied as one judge had it 98-91 Rojo, favoring the Mexican's aggression while the other two judges favored Martin by scores 96-93 and 95-94. With the loss, Rojo falls to 19-3.
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| SAUNDERS RETAINS BELT AGAINST MONROE
By Scott Shaffer
| Billie Joe Saunders W12 Willie Monroe... In London, Billie Joe Saunders fought through a cut over his eye and retained his WBO middleweight title by unanimous decision over Willie Monroe of America. Official scores favored Saunders by scores of 115-114, 117-111 and 117-112. Saunders' cut was caused by an unintentional headbutt. Monroe fought competently, landing one punch at a time, but seemed to tire down the stretch before a slight rally in round twelve. Certainly Monroe did not show the aggression or hunger one would expect from a challenger trying to win in the champion's home nation. Lacking great punching power, Monroe should not allow an opponent to outwork him. Even Monroe's corner begged him to take more chances and do more work. At 21-3, with a prior loss to Gennady Golovkin on his record, Monroe likely won't get another chance at a world title. Now 25-0, Saunders was not particularly impressive but his paper WBO title will probable be able to get cashed in for millions against the winner of the real world middleweight championship fight Golovkin vs. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. source: banner promotions youtube
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| CALLUM SMITH DEFEATS ERIK SKOGLUND IN LIVERPOOL
| Callum Smith W12 Erik Skoglund... In Liverpool, England, Callum Smith won a battle of undefeated super middleweights, defeating Denmark's Erik Skoglund via unanimous decision. Smith scored a late-round knockdown and took the scorecards by tallies of 116-112, 117-111 and 117-110. The fight was Skoglund's debut at 168 pounds after 26 wins at light heavyweight. He indicated he would likely return to the heavier division. As the bout was part of the World Boxing Super Series, Smith (23-0) will fight the winner of the Juergen Braehmer vs. Rob Brant next. source: world boxing super series website
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| MELINDO TOPS BUDLER VIA DISPUTED SPLIT DECISION
| Milan Melindo W12 Hekkie BudlerFighting in his home nation, Milan Melindo of the Philippines barely retained his IBF 108-pound title, winning a split decision over South Africa’s Hekkie Budler. Official scores were 117—110 and 115-112 for Melindo and 115-113 for Budler. Melindo was credited with a twelfth-round knockdown that had Budler’s promoter screaming foul on Twitter: “The IBF should be ashamed. [It was] a blatant robbery- [the] referee [was] pathetic, [the] judging [was] a disgrace. Melindo (37-2) will be out of action for a while due to bad cuts on his eyes. Budler, who has held WBA and IBO titles at 105 pounds, falls to 31-3 . source: twitter / philboxing.com
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