Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Deontay Wilder sees his star power eclipsing Mayweather in future
date June 5th, 2015 | Post FB Comment - 47 Comments

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wilder45765By Scott Gilfoid: WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (33-0, 32 KOs) sees his own popularity eventually eclipsing that of unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the future as he keeps piling up the knockouts one after another, and unifies all the world titles.

The 6’7” Deontay sees himself becoming even bigger than Floyd. While it may be hard for some boxing fans to stomach right now because Deontay is just now made it to the big time in recently capturing the WBC heavyweight title with an impressive win over Bermane Stiverne last January.
But Deontay’s popularity can only increase with each big victory, and it’s quite possible that he could become a bigger star in the future as long as he stays undefeated and cleans out the heavyweight division.

When asked if he could become a bigger star in boxing than Mayweather, Deontay said ”Oh, definitely. Most definitely, and I say that with high confidence because the heavyweight division is the cream of the crop in the first place, and the things that I bring, the excitement, the personality that I have, everything about me is all me, is totally me.”

I think it’s possible that Wilder could become a bigger star than Mayweather someday. Of course, Mayweather won’t be around in the near future so it’s going to be easy for Deontay to become a bigger star than him. But I think it’s quite reasonable to assume that Deontay can become more popular than Mayweather is now once he picks up another 15 wins or so. Once his record hits 50-0, I think Deontay will have a huge fan base by that time, and will be a huge PPV attraction.

If Deontay can win his next 17 fights, he’ll have beaten the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Alexander Povetkin, Kubrat Pulev, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte, Bryant Jennings, David Price, Lucas Browne, Vyacheslav Glazkov, Chris Arreola and Shannon Briggs.

I think it’ll get to the point where Wilder will be going through retread opponents at some point after he runs out of guys to fight. It’s kind of like how it is with Wladimir fighting Tony Thompson over and over.

”Some people, some guys when they have cameras in their face, they pursue to be a certain type of person,” Wilder said. ”Their persona about them changes or whatever, and then when the camera is off, they’re a whole totally different person. I don’t have flip personalities. I’m not a fake person.”

Wilder will be defending his WBC title this month on June 13th against Eric Molina (23-2, 17 KOs) at the Bartow Arena, in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. It should be a good fight. Showtime Championship Boxing will be televising the fight.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Golovkin would murder De La Hoya, says Mares
date June 6th, 2015 | Post FB Comment - 53 Comments

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delahoya789By Dan Ambrose: Former three division world champion Abner Mares doesn’t think it’s a good idea at all for 41-year-old Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) to get in the ring against unbeaten IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (33-0, 30 KOs) for a fight.

Mares laughed at the suggestion that De La Hoya should fight the hard hitting Golovkin. Mares thinks that De La Hoya would wind up getting murdered by Golovkin if he were to face him in his comeback. For that reason, Mares suggests that De La Hoya should fight the 52-year-old Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. Mares thinks that would be a good fight. Chavez Sr. hasn’t fought in 10 years since losing a fight to Grover Wiley in September of 2005.

“No, it can’t be Triple G,” Mares said to esnewsreporting in discussing who De La Hoya should fight next. “Triple G would murder him. No disrespect to De La Hoya, but De La Hoya is past his prime. A good fight for De La Hoya is Chavez [Sr.]. I’d like to see him against Chavez again. Have you seen Chavez lately? He looks great.”

The problem with Mares’ advice for De La Hoya to fight an old timer like Chavez Sr. is that De La Hoya says that he only wants to fight the best when/if he comes back. He doesn’t want to come back and fight a bunch of old timers in fights that people won’t have any interest in seeing. De La Hoya specifically says he wants to fight Golovkin and only him if he comes back. Golovkin hasn’t said whether he would be willing to take on De La Hoya or not. He might have too much respect for De La Hoya for him to get in the ring and start head-hunting for a knockout.

It might be difficult for boxing fans to take a Golovkin vs. De La Hoya fight seriously unless De La Hoya fights a series of tune-up bouts and looks good against decent opposition. De La Hoya didn’t mention being open to fighting tune-up bouts, which means that he only wants the Golovkin bout and nothing else.

De La Hoya has been out of the ring for seven years now, and he looks like an old 41 rather than a young 41. He’s put on weight, and looks kind of fleshy around the jowls. To take off all the weight that he’s put on would take several months, but even then he’s not a legitimate middleweight. De La Hoya’s best weight late in his career was at 154. If he can drag Golovkin down to 154, then he might stand a better chance if Golovkin winds up weight drained and not as strong as he usually is.

Chavez Sr is in better shape than his son

Golovkin is the son Sr. wish he had

 

[heyzel]

shit one the real they kinda favor ^^^^

 

[heyzel]

Michael Woods
‏@Woodsy1069

What u think of this one? My man Mr. Hex tells me A @andre Berto vs. T @Thereal DevonA in the works.

 

[heyzel]

Shane Mosley
✔ S @shane Mosley_

Wondering if the rumors I'm hearing are true...if so...the boxing world is about to get turned on its head and a few power players upset ������
11:08 PM - 7 Jun 2015



Shane Mosley
✔ S @shane Mosley_

I could tell you but that would ruin the fun. Plus the friend who broke Non disclosure 2tell me would be in trouble. It will come out soon����
11:32 PM - 7 Jun 2015

12 12 Retweets
23

 

[heyzel]

Shane Mosley
✔ S @shane Mosley_

Will give you a clue tho. A new player strategizing with the #1 biggest against the #1 biggest 4 the biggest/last & playing the colorboy��GO��
11:39 PM - 7 Jun 2015

12 12 Retweets
22


Shane Mosley
✔ S @shane Mosley_

The rabbit hole goes deep, but I have 2 say I'm impressed. I don't think #1 saw this coming.
12:46 AM - 8 Jun 2015

5 5 Retweets
14

 

[heyzel]

Canelo will be too big, too young and too strong for Cotto
date June 8th, 2015 | Post FB Comment - 7 Comments

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canelo788By Allan Fox: You’ve got to hand it to trainer Freddie Roach and adviser Gaby Penagaricano in doing a great job of match-making and rebuilding the shattered image of Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) in the last two years.

With the careful selection of beatable opponents that have been largely over-the-hill, Cotto has convinced boxing fans that he’s found the fountain of youth and has improved as a fighter over the last couple of years. That’s not likely the case. You don’t get better in your mid-30s. You get worse. in this case, what has improved for Cotto is the match-making Roach and Penagaricano have done for him by putting him in with guys that he can beat.

Cotto hasn’t had to face anyone young enough to give him problems in this last three fights with his wins over Sergio Martinez, Delvin Rodriguez and Daniel Geale. But in Cotto’s next fight, he’s going to be facing someone who is young, and who is very powerful and big in Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) of Mexico. Putting the smallish 5’7” Cotto in with a 175 pound monster like Canelo is a really bad idea, because it’s such a huge leap up in competition for the 34-year-old Cotto.

Not only will Cotto be the shorter guy by two inches compared to the 5’9” Canelo, but he’s going to be giving up at least 15 pounds in weight as well to Canelo. Now it didn’t matter that Cotto was out-weighed by the 182 pound Geale last Saturday night because Geale looked weight-drained from getting down to the strict 157 pound catch-weight that Cotto had for the fight. Besides that, Geale was never a puncher to begin with during his career, and he didn’t have the power, hand speed or the energy to give Cotto problems. But Canelo is a different story because he won’t be weight-drained, and he’s got a lot of punching power and size.

Cotto has already said that he’ll fight Canelo at 155. This appears to be designed to get an edge against Canelo, because he rehydrates to the mid-170s, and he probably be a lot more comfortable if he simply officially moved up to the middleweight division and weighed in at the full 160 for all his fights. But Canelo is still young enough to put his body through the rigors of draining down 20 pounds to weigh-in at 155 without it hurting him. I don’t believe that Cotto is going to hurt Canelo by having him weigh-in at 155. It’s obviously going to hurt Canelo in the future if he keeps draining down to 155 for his fights, but for now he can still get away with it.

Canelo clearly isn’t on the same level as Gennady Golovkin in punching power and overall talent, but he’s close enough to make a mess out of Cotto. Golovkin is definitely the No.1 fighter at 160, and Canelo is a clear No.2, even though he’s not officially fighting at middleweight yet. His last three fights have been at middleweight, and this fight against Cotto will be staged at middleweight as well.

Canelo is a step too far for the likes Cotto, and I think we could see a fairly quick knockout when the two sluggers get inside the ring with each other. If Cotto is able to weather the early storm from Canelo, he’ll have a chance of winning the middle rounds, but I believe that once Canelo catches his second wind late in the fight, he’s going to bust up Cotto’s face and score a knockout by the 11th round.

Canelo has too much youth and power for Cotto. Trainer Freddie Roach will do a good job trying to convince fans during the build up to the fight that he’s improved Cotto and made him a better fighter with his training techniques, but Canelo is going to expose Cotto and Roach as not being the real thing.

 

[HERESY]

The fuck Shane talking about? Floyd? Who is color boy? Golden boy?

 

[2-0-Sixx]

The fuck Shane talking about? Floyd? Who is color boy? Golden boy?

Shane's riddle was fucking retarded. The biggest #1 biggest/#1 player biggest#1 color biggest lol wtf

 

[battle619]

Is Floyd fighting DLH?

 

[heyzel]

Shane Mosley &#8207 S @shane Mosley_ Jun 7

Will give you a clue tho. A new player strategizing with the #1 biggest against the #1 biggest 4 the biggest/last & playing the colorboy😉GO😃
15 retweets 24 favorites

Anthony The Great!
‏@BraveAlexMCYT
S @shane Mosley_ ROC Nation working with Mayweather against against golden boy promotion. For the biggest/last fight May weather Vs Cotto 2?

 

[heyzel]

Sports More: Canelo Alvarez Boxing
The biggest fight since Mayweather-Pacquiao is close to happening

Ari Gilberg

Jun. 8, 2015, 4:05 PM 23,667 2

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Miguel CottoEd Mulholland/Getty Images
See Also
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The 2nd-best boxer in the world can’t get the big-money fight that would make him a star
Manny Pacquiao: 'I thought I won the fight. He didn't do nothing'

In a thrilling bout at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Miguel Cotto knocked out Danny Geale to set the stage for a presumed upcoming fight against former junior middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.

Cotto, who hadn't fought in 364 days, showed no signs of rust — recording two knockdowns in an utter drumming of Geale. After knocking him down early in the fourth round, Cotto continued with a flurry of punches to floor Geale once more. Upon being asked by referee Harvey Dock if he wished to continue, Geale shook his head, and Dock stopped the fight giving Cotto the win by technical knockout.

Following the fight, Michael Yormack, the president of Roc Nation Sports, which promotes Cotto, all but guaranteed a fight against Alvarez was next for his champion fighter.

"It's a fight everyone wants to see," Yormack said. "It's the fight we're going to make. We have the framework of a deal done. Obviously, we had to wait until tonight was over, but now we can focus on Canelo and Miguel's next fight, and we're looking forward to it."

The potential bout between the two would be the biggest fight since Mayweather-Pacquiao. Many have called it "the biggest fight that can be made today." However, unlike the historic bout between the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the world, which fans and reporters called "a boring con job" and "a complete waste of time and money," many believe a fight between Cotto and Alvarez will bring the excitement that Mayweather-Pacquiao did not.

One such person is Alvarez's promoter, and president of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya. Following Cotto's knockout win, De La Hoya was already starting to hype the potential bout to Ring TV:

"The fight between Cotto and Canelo is huge. It's the biggest fight in boxing after Mayweather-Pacquiao. But the difference is that with Cotto-Canelo, you are guaranteed action. ...There's no other way around it. You're guaranteed action, and that's what people want to see."

De La Hoya's claim is not without merit. Cotto and Alvarez, who recently recorded a third-round knockout win over James Kirkland, are two of the most powerful fighters in the sport — both have recorded more than 30 knockouts a piec

Read more: Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez fight seems inevitable - Business Insider

 

[HERESY]

Canelo vs Cotto would be the fight many people want to see. However, Cotto needs to vacate the belt and GGG shouldn't take any step aside money. Step aside money will prolong the wait and put things out at least a year maybe a year and a half.

 

[heyzel]

Dubai to host huge boxing show in November, confirms Bob Arum


Dubai is set to host to a huge night of championship boxing after Top Rank Promotions chief Bob Arum revealed plans are in motion for a show to take place in November.

The influential American promoter plans to stage three world title fights on a card that would feature a total of seven bouts.
“We want to hold a spectacular show in Dubai as it is a city that so far has been untapped when it comes to boxing,” Arum told 7DAYS.

“Ideally we will look to stage an event every three months but to start with we are looking at a date in November.

“The show will feature at least three world title fights and we should be able to reveal the full card very soon. But the winner of Tim Bradley and Jessie Vargas [which takes place on June 27] will definitely feature.

“We are also in talks to stage a fight for the WBO super middleweight title which Arthur Abraham will defend in July against Robert Stieglitz.”
The vastly experienced promoter also hopes to stage a huge bout between former amateur great, and Top Rank fighter, Vasyl Lomachenko and the hugely entertaining Jamaican Nicholas Walters.

Walter has emerged of one of the hottest talents in the sport since crushing Nonito Donaire in six rounds, while Lomachenko made history by winning a world title in just his second professional bout.

Arum had originally hoped that Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao could also feature on the first Dubai card. But after damaging his shoulder in preparation for his clash with Floyd Mayweather, and subsequently undergoing surgery, the eight-weight world champion is unlikely to fight until 2016.

“Manny has already agreed to fight in Dubai,” said Arum. “His advisors have visited the region and were overwhelmed to hear of the support he has from the Filipino community.

“We heard how every restaurant, cinema and hotel was packed with Pacquiao supporters when he fought Mayweather so we know a show with Manny in Dubai would be huge.

“It will take a lot of rehab but his team are very optimistic that he will be able to return from the injury. I will be going to the Philippines soon to check on his progress but we hope he will be ready to go next year.”

While Pacquiao’s injury rules him out of the Dubai show, another Filipino great could have the chance to regain a world title in the emirate. Arum hopes to match five-division world champion Donaire against WBA super bantamweight champion Scott Quigg.

Donaire will be in action on July 18 against Anthony Settoul in Macau, a region of China that staged several world title clashes, thanks in large to Arum.

“We have already done eight shows in Macau and it really has become a great destination for big fights,” explained the promoter, who first began working in boxing back in 1965.

“I always look to explore new regions and feel we can do something similar in Dubai to what we have achieved in Macau. I know there is a lot of interest in the Middle East and I’ve been intrigued with Dubai ever since visiting the city when my good friend Sol Kerzner opened the Atlantis hotel.

“That’s why I am confident that we will be able to host shows every three months and that the biggest names in boxing will feature on the fight cards.”

Arum has tasked long-time friend and former Top Rank vice president M.Akbar Muhammad with bringing big-time boxing to Dubai and confirmed that the November show is likely to take place at the Hamdan Sports Complex.

Potential Fight Card

WBA international welterweight title
Sadam Ali vs Tim Bradley/Jessie Vargas

WBA and WBO world featherweight titles
Vasyl Lomachenko vs Nicholas Walters

WBA super bantamweight title
Scott Quigg vs Nonito Donaire

WBO super-middleweight title
Gilberto Rodriguez vs Arthur Abraham/Robert Stieglitz

WBO world light flyweight title
Donnie Nietes vs TBC

 

[naner12]

"STOP IT FRANK, YOU CAN STOP IT ANYTIME! ARTURO GATTI'S OUT ON HIS FEET! FRANK CAPPUCCINO'S GONNA LET HIM KEEP GOING"

Great fight, great call, great referee. RIP Frank Cappuccino.

 

[heyzel]

shots are being fired

Cotto is great but I’m ready to fight him, says GGG
Victor Salazar
By Victor Salazar June 9, 2015 19:50
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Miguel Cotto - Gennady GolovkinWhen Gennady Golovkin arrived at the Barclays Center in New York, it was almost as if a rock star walked into the arena. He was mobbed by fans, pictures flashing, it nearly took him 20 minutes to get to his seat.

As he got to his seat, he saw Miguel Cotto destroy one of his former opponents in Daniel Geale.

Cotto stopped Geale in four rounds while it took Gennady three. Golovkin says Cotto looked amazing doing what he did to Daniel Geale.

“His performance was very nice, very good,” Golovkin told ThaBoxingVoice.com. “First of all congratulations to Miguel and his team Freddie and his family. He looked amazing today.”

While Golovkin is the mandatory to Cotto’s WBC Middleweight title, it seems like what’s next on the tilt is Cotto-Alvarez.

While Cotto stood firm on facing Canelo and called it “just another fight” when HBO’s Max Kellerman asked Cotto about Triple G, it seemed like the tone in Cotto’s voice changed.

Cotto stood his ground and told Kellerman that after Canelo if Triple G is available then why not?

In the same interview, Cotto told Kellerman that he wasn’t a true Middleweight. Golovkin feels the pounds mean little because he is holding the belt and looking good in the ring.

“Right now he’s champion WBC in the Middleweight division,” Golovkin said. “Right now it doesn’t matter how many pounds he weighs; he’s a great champion. My goal is to get all the belts in the Middleweight division. I want to fight with him.”

Golovkin was asked if he would make Miguel Cotto a ‘good boy’ and his response was, “I respect Miguel, and I respect everybody. Miguel is a great champion. Everybody’s a good boy.”

In terms of a fight between Cotto and Canelo, Golovkin says, “This is boxing. Miguel and Canelo, two great champions, I don’t know who’d win.

 

[heyzel]

cotto vs floyd II September 12, 2015 I'm calling it

Cotto will take time to evaluate options
Victor Salazar
By Victor Salazar June 9, 2015 18:32
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Miguel CottoIn the triangle that is Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez, and Gennady Golovkin, all three fighters have taken care of business in spectacular fashion.

Canelo destroyed James Kirkland first, Triple G beat down a game Willie Monroe Jr., and finally this past weekend, Miguel Cotto stopped Daniel Geale in impressive fashion.

All three guys have proven to be draws in the scenario as well.

Canelo garnered a rating over 2.2 million viewers while drawing over 33,000 fans in Texas. Gennady garnered a 1.3 rating while selling over 12,000 tickets in Los Angeles. Cotto did 1.62 million viewers while drawing more than 12,000 in Brooklyn, New York.

Cotto is the man both Canelo and Golovkin want next. HBO’s Peter Nelson says Cotto will make that decision as to what’s best for his career between the two.

“Miguel Cotto has been calling his own shots for a while so as he said tonight, he’s going to take some time with his family and evaluate what’s next for him and fight the biggest fight to him,” Nelson told ThaBoxingVoice.com.

Cotto-Canelo is likely next and Nelson wants whatever fight Miguel chooses between Canelo and Golovkin needs to be next, no need for margination says the HBO executive.

“We at HBO like the fans are more for cooking then marinating,” stated Nelson. “We’ll see what’s available with fighters’ schedules and how they want to proceed with their career but obviously, the goal is to make biggest best fights available, that’s what we want, and that’s what the fans want.”

If Cotto-Canelo is next, Nelson has no favorite as to where it happens. He just wants to make it happen.

“I’m not selling any tickets. That’s up to the promoters and what’s best for their revenue and their business. For us, it’s just about the business of it coming together on the HBO side whether it’s a network fight or pay-per-view. From there the promoters decide on the venue, we don’t get involved with that.”

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Canelo vs Cotto would be the fight many people want to see. However, Cotto needs to vacate the belt and GGG shouldn't take any step aside money. Step aside money will prolong the wait and put things out at least a year maybe a year and a half.

GGG is in a tough spot. The WBC has flip flopped on Cotto and his mandatory. First they said Cotto must fight Golovkin next (after Geale) but then after Canelo and Cotto talk started again then they started saying Golovkin gets winner of that.

So if the WBC isn't going to enforce their own rules, Cotto isn't going to vacate. The belt he owns is very attractive and is a bargaining tool. Cotto has an upper hand now. If Cotto isn't going to vacate and the WBC isn't going to enforce the fight, Golovkin is shit out of luck. Not much he can do besides try to make some sort of agreement that he gets winner, which means fuck all if it isn't in writing and I seriously doubt Cotto or Canelo would sign any document saying they must fight Golovkin immediately after.

 

[heyzel]

Ring Ratings Update: Froch, Beltran, Taylor exit rankings

Carl Froch, Raymundo Beltran and Jermain Taylor have been removed from the rankings of their respective divisions for different reasons. To find out why and who will replace them read this week’s Ring Ratings Update.

Pound For Pound: No. 7-rated Carl Froch (33-2, 24 knockouts), who has been inactive for a year and has yet to decide if he will continue with his career, will exit the Pound For Pound rankings. A discussion on who should replace the accomplished super middleweight was had by the panel and it was decided that unbeaten junior lightweight titleholder Takashi Uchiyama (23-0-1, 19 KOs) will enter at No. 10. All those who were rated behind Froch (Sergey Kovalev, Terence Crawford and Shinsuke Yamanaka) will move up one spot.

Light heavyweight: No. 10-rated Tommy Oosthuizen (25-0-2, 19 KOs) outpointed unrated Robert Berridge. No change.

Super middleweight: No. 1-rated Froch, the three-time titleholder who had been in the 168-pound rankings for 469 weeks, has to exit due to lack of activity. At press time, Froch was still mulling retirement and big fights with Gennady Golovkin and James DeGale. Calum Smith (18-0, 12 KOs) will enter at No. 10 with all others moving up one spot each to replace Froch.

Middleweight: Champion Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) looked very fresh and sharp in his impressive stoppage of No. 4-rated Daniel Geale (31-4, 16 KOs). Geale will tumble to No. 8 with everyone else in between moving up one spot. No. 7-rated Jermain Taylor, who is currently in court-ordered substance-abuse rehab after a string of disturbing gun-related incidents and aggravated assault, has been removed from the ratings as it has become abundantly clear that he is no longer mentally fit to box professionally. Montreal power-puncher David Lemieux (33-2, 31 KOs) will enter the 160-pound rankings at No. 10.

Welterweight: No. 8-rated Robert Guerrero (33-3-1, 18 KOs) eked out a split decision over unrated Aaron Martinez. Guerrero, who is
coming off a loss to Keith Thurman and clearly no longer in his prime, touched canvas against a California club fighter who isn’t known as a puncher. Guerrero will exit the rankings. Nos. 9 and 10 will move up one spot each and Brad Solomon (25-0, 9 KOs) will enter at No. 10. Last weekend, No. 3-rated Amir Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) had a tougher than expected time with unrated Chris Algieri, outpointing the former 140-pound beltholder by unanimous decision. Algieri gained more here than he may have done in any of his previous fights. No. 1-rated Kell Brook (35-0, 24 KOs) easily took care of business stopping unrated Frankie Gavin in six rounds.

Lightweight: No. 1-rated Raymundo Beltran (30-7-1, 18 KOs) is being removed from the rankings after testing positive for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid and banned substance, after his second-round stoppage of Takahiro Ao on May 1 in Las Vegas. Everyone rated below Beltran will move up one spot, making room for unbeaten Ghanaian puncher Richard Commey (22-0, 20 KOs) to debut at No. 10. Last weekend, WBC beltholder Jorge Linares (39-3, 26 KOs) recovered from a knockdown to put it on No. 7-rated Kevin Mitchell (39-3, 29 KOs) forcing the stoppage in the 10th. Big credit to both fighters. Linares moves from No. 5 to No. 2.
Junior lightweight: Bryan Vasquez (35-1, 18 KOs) and Javier Fortuna (28-0-1, 20 KOs) fought an exciting fight. Fortuna had the better of the action late to win the decision. Revised ratings are: No. 1- Takashi Uchiyama; No. 2- Takashi Miura; No. 3- Roman Martinez; No. 4- Francisco Vargas; No. 5- Javier Fortuna; No. 6- Bryan Vasquez. Numbers 7 thru 10 remain the same.

Featherweight: No. 9-rated Jesus Cuellar (27-1, 21 KOs) stopped shopworn former champion Vic Darchinyan in eight rounds. Up until the stoppage, Darchinyan was doing well. No. 10-rated Janson Velez (23-0-1, 16 KOs) won a 10-round unanimous decision over unrated Daniel Ramirez. Last weekend, Lee Selby (21-1-1, 8 KOs) won an eight-round technical decision over Evgeny Gradovich (19-1-1, 9 KOs) to earn the IBF title. Selby was winning at the time before the accidental head clash. Selby and Gradovich to swap places with Selby to No. 5 and Gradovich down to No. 8.
Junior bantamweight: Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (34-4-1, 31 KOs) won a WBC title eliminator stopping unrated Jose Salgado in four rounds. No movement.

Junior flyweight: Javier Mendoza (24-2-1, 19 KOs) won a six-round technical decision over Milan Melindo (32-2, 12 KOs). Adrian Hernandez took a fight at 115 pounds and got stopped by Saul Juarez. Hernandez is removed from the ratings. Francisco Rodriguez Jr. (17-2-1, 11 KOs) will enter at No. 10.

Strawweight: Kosei Tanaka (5-0, 2 KOs) won the WBO title with a unanimous decision over unrated Julian Yedras. Wanheng Menayothin (38-0, 13 KOs) retained his WBC title stopping unrated Jerry Tomogdan in nine rounds. Ryuji Hara (20-1, 12 KOs) stayed active with a second-round knockout over unrated Patchnamchai Sor Sakulwong. No movement

 

[heyzel]

Cotto vs. Canelo: The best fight in boxing
date June 9th, 2015 | Post FB Comment - 26 Comments

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canelo44By Bob Smith: Due to the two recent victories of Miguel Cotto and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, they will face each other in the fall. I dismiss as speculation reports that Cotto will fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. for Cotto’s WBC middleweight title, for many reasons, but the most basic one is that there has already been an agreement for Canelo and Cotto to fight.

For me, this is the best fight because it has two peak performers at the top of their weight class who are very competitive with each other and also elite in their own right.
I think that both of their weight classes are somewhere between 154 and 160 pounds, and perhaps they could fight for the “155.8 pound championship belt.” But joking aside, Canelo usually fights at a catch weight above 154 and Cotto has insisted on a catch weight below 160. Canelo is a big junior middleweight, Cotto is a small middleweight, and so forth.

Contrary to many opinions on this site, including my own, Cotto is a legitimate middleweight champion and performed very well against Daniel Geale, who is or at least was a top ten middleweight. It is tough not to argue that Geale is fading at this point in his career, and while perhaps his defeat at the hands of Golovkin removed some confidence, still the victory of Cotto was impressive, especially against a bigger fighter with a longer reach, who entered the fight about 175 pounds, and who has contested and won middleweight titles in the past.

For me, what was most impressive about the victory of Cotto was how his power has followed him up the weight classes. Additionally, his boxing skill and world championship experience is far more significant than Canelo. So, with this as a segway, we can discuss significant issues in the fight that will help to shape its outcome.

Championship Experience

This category is a significant one and obviously strongly favors Cotto. Cotto has been in the ring with DeMarcus Corley, Paulie Malignaggi, Zab Judah, Antonio Margarito, Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather, and Sergio Martinez, among others. While it is true that these were at different weight classes, he has also been exposed to far different, better, and more unusual styles than has Canelo. Also, Cotto had an extensive if not very accomplished amateur career. By contrast, Canelo has fought only a few real world class level fights – against Mayweather, Trout and Lara. He was completely schooled by Mayweather, and arguably should have either lost or received a draw against one or both of Lara and Trout – both of his fights with these boxers were very even. And all of these fights are within the past two years.

The counter argument would be that Cotto also has lost when he faced A-level competition – on the other hand, everyone loses to Mayweather; Margarto possibly cheated; he fought Pacquiao at a catch weight. Really, his only legitimate loss is against Austin Trout, and to this day his loss is perplexing for Cotto fans. So, the similarity is that one from one point of view both are B+ fighters who through propaganda and media exposure and facing weak competition and through a strong fan base are considered A level fighters.

A B+ level fighter is still a very good fighter, but A level is reserved for those who dominate their generation, fight and defeat the best, and do this over time, like Mayweather or Pacquaio or Roy Jones Jr. in recent times. In my view, Gennady Golovkin, who would beat either of them in a fight at 160 cannot be considered an A level fighter until he beats one or both of them, and perhaps beats Ward, Chavez, and or Froch as well. But I bring all of this up because what is exciting about the match up is not that they are the “best” except perhaps in the mythical 155.8 pound division, but rather because they are very good fighters who are very evenly matched.

In sum, in championship experience, the advantage goes to Cotto.

Power

Both Cotto and Canelo have good power, and in particular Cotto has an excellent left hook that has been resurrected in his recent fights. But it is difficult to not go with Canelo on the issue of raw power alone – not only because of his recent fight with James Kirkland, but because Cotto appears to have more power than he actually does due to his boxing skill and experience. So, in power there is a slight advantage to Canelo, though to be fair each can and will hurt the other when they fight.

Boxing skill, movement, and footwork

Canelo does throw highly effective combinations with both precision and power. On the other hand, he does not move well and is often flat footed, particularly when loading up on big shots or when he attempts to walk an opponent down. At the same time, he has been incorporating head movement into his arsenal, and he has become effective on the inside and defensively in addition to his precision combinations. However, he does have difficulty controlling distance, is not very effective as a ring general and against an aggressive or superior opponent, can be somewhat passive in the ring. His power hides a lot of his weaknesses, and his basic aggressive orientation obscures his weakness as a counter puncher and his inability to fight off of his back foot.

Cotto by contrast is the better ring general, has far better footwork and is a more effective boxer-puncher. He appears to have more power than he does due to his successful timing and counter punching abilities. He can bang on the inside, but also effectively control distance. His age, his greater experience as a ring general, and his capacity to control distance will be key factors in his fight. As a result, Cotto, has the advantage in boxing skill and related factors as well.

Defense

Though neither Cotto nor Canelo are expert defenders, and though Canelo has improved markedly recently, Canelo does tend to gas out and take minutes off during rounds quite frequently. This habit will be very dangerous against Cotto. However, if and when Cotto does attack when Canelo is resting, we could see the emergence of Canelo as a successful counter puncher, and one who can hurt Cotto quite quickly. Because of the superior power, and perhaps speed also of Canelo, Cotto would be ill-advised to charge in and try to fight on the inside. So, though neither men are expert defenders, at this point this category is a wash and it is reasonable to think that they about even.

Summary and Prediction

No outcome in this fight would surprise me – it is just that even, and on any one night, anything can happen. Having said that, Cotto does have more championship experience, and superior boxing skill, footwork and movement. The key question is whether or not Canelo will be able to land significant punches or counter punches against Cotto early enough in the fight to stop his momentum, or even hurt or stop him. I argue that Cotto is too skilled a boxer to fall into this trap, and that as he wins rounds and Canelo tires, he will not be foolish enough to charge inside and try to fight Canelo on his terms on the ropes. For this reason, namely the ring generalship and capacity to control distance of Cotto, in combination with his sustained body attack, will prove to be too much for Canelo and Cotto will win a difficult but clear unanimous victory. While I could be wrong, this to me seems the most likely outcome at present.