Articles

Don King Says To Put Your Money On Mayorga

Published

13 years ago

March 8, 2011

The Sweet Science

Is there anyone in TSS U who is picking Mayorga to spring a MASSIVE upset? (Chris Farina)

MIGUEL COTTO, RICARDO MAYORGA,

BOB ARUM AND DON KING

QUOTES AND PHOTOS

LOS ANGELES PRESS CONFERENCE

“RELENTLESS” – This Saturday, March 12,

at MGM Grand Garden Arena, LIVE on SHOWTIME PPV®

LOS ANGELES (March 7, 2011) – The always colorful and electric Don King — joined by fellow Hall of Fame Promoter Bob Arum for their first co-promotion in more than five years — entertained the Los Angeles press corps on Monday as “Relentless: Cotto Vs. Mayorga” Fight Week kicked off with a press conference at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel.

“My fighter Ricardo Mayorga is a crazy man, he’s absolutely insane,” King said. “But when he steps in the ring Miguel Cotto will be saying his Hail Mary’s. Someone has to be sacrificed on Saturday night and it has to be Cotto and I feel so bad about this. But Miguel is young and he will come back. He’s a great Puerto Rican and a great combatant and a great fighter. But on March of the 12^th, beware the Ides of March.

“This is a vintage Don King performance,” said Arum.

Cotto, the Pride of Puerto Rico, will defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight title against two-division world champion Mayorga in the main event this Saturday, March 12, at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev., produced and distributed LIVE on SHOWTIME PPV®, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Cotto, of Caguas, Puerto Rico, has held a world title every year since 2004 and has won 15 of the 17 world championship bouts he has fought. Mayorga, of Managua, Nicaragua, is known for his reckless abandon and fearlessness inside the ring – a style of fighting that has produced 23 knockouts out of his 29 victories and legions of fans.

Here’s what the principals had to say on Monday:

MIGUEL COTTO:

“We just have to take care of business. We can’t think about anything specific regarding Mayorga. We just have to think about ourselves. I think Mayorga is past his peak. He was at his best maybe five or six years ago.”

How has Emanuel Steward helped you?

“Just the confidence in myself. We are trying to find the Miguel Cotto of 10 years ago. To get me back to the way it was when I started. After 10 years to change things about my style is very hard.”

Mayorga’s antics: Is it real? Or an act?

“Before the press came in he came over to my table and said hello. I think it’s an act just to sell the show.”

RICARDO MAYORGA:

“I train from the heart and I’ve given 110 percent. I’m coming here to not only beat Cotto but to knock him out. People around the world know the two greatest promoters in the world are Don King and Bob Arum. On Saturday night after I beat and knock Cotto out I will have put my stamp on this fight and Don will stand as the No. 1 promoter in the world and Bob as No. 2.

“All the Puerto Ricans coming to the fight will leave as Ricardo Mayorga fans. The best time of his career was when he fought at 140 (pounds). When he came up to 47 and 54, that’s when he made the mistake.

“Jimmy Lennon, when you introduce me to the world as the new world champion, do it with all your heart: Four time world champion.

“The concept is: Go for the knockout; not just the win. (To Cotto): Don’t take a knee on me like you did with Margarito. Let me finish punishing you. I come from a country where women give birth to men.

“Take your shirt off just like me and show me your weight.

“Look at these fists. You will see these Saturday night up close.”

BOB ARUM:

“With the exception of Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto is the greatest attraction in boxing. Last year his fight with Yuri Foreman was the highest rated boxing show on television. There’s a reason for that: When Miguel Cotto is in the ring the fans know they are going to see an all-action fight no matter who the opponent is. Miguel Cotto will be there firing away and people know he’s going to give 100 percent. And isn’t that what boxing is all about? When someone pays for a pay-per-view, they want to be entertained. Cotto-Mayorga is perfect for this.”

DON KING:

“From Marilyn Monore to Burt Lancaster and all the great Hollywood legends … their spirit is here with us today at the Millennium Biltmore. Cotto has about as good a chance as slim and none and slim is out of town.

“I heard some reporters say today that Mayorga has lost his last three fights. The only opponent that Mayorga has is himself. If we can take that opponent of himself and make him an ally of himself then he would be undeniably unbeatable.

“For all you who have little, just a little bit of money, put it all on Mayorga because the odds are in his favor. You will have the chance to be wealthy. Don’t wait till Saturday night. Do it now. Mayorga will win by a knockout. Check it all out on SHOWTIME pay-per-view.”

EMANUEL STEWARD, Cotto’s Trainer:

“One thing you know about Mayorga is he’s a very unpredictable fighter. I don’t think the fight is going four rounds. I think Cotto will knock him out.

AL BONANNI, Mayorga’s Trainer:

“I have never seen or trained someone as focused as Ricardo Mayorga is right now. He will dominate on Saturday night. He will knock Cotto out because he is stronger, he is fitter and he’s the better fighter.”

JIMMY LENNON JR., Ring Announcer:

“On behalf of everyone at SHOWTIME we are just so proud to be a part of this great night of boxing. You’ve got two of the world’s greatest promoters, the greatest boxing venue and two fabulous fighters; we’re just so charged to be a part of it. I can’t wait to get done with my job announcing the fighters so I can take my seat and see both of these fighters in the ring.”

“RELENTLESS” will be produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV®, beginning at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT, at a suggested retail price of $49.95. The fight will be called by Steve Albert with Al Bernstein and Antonio Tarver serving as expert analysts and Jim Gray reporting from ringside. On the Spanish simulcast, Bernardo Osuna will call the blow-by-blow with Raul Marquez providing color commentary. David Dinkins Jr. is the executive producer for SHOWTIME Sports® with Ray Smaltz producing and Bob Dunphy directing.

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The Sweet Science

Articles

2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

8 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

The WBC World Super Featherweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura came on one of the biggest boxing stages of 2015, as the bout served as the HBO pay-per-view’s co-main event on November 21st, in support of Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez.

Miura entered the fight with a (29-2-2) record and he was making the fifth defense of his world title, while Vargas entered the fight with an undefeated mark of (22-0-1) in what was his first world title fight. Both men had a reputation for all-out fighting, with Miura especially earning high praise for his title defense in Mexico where he defeated Sergio Thompson in a fiercely contested battle.

The fight started out hotly contested, and the intensity never let up. Vargas seemed to win the first two rounds, but by the fourth round, Miura seemed to pull ahead, scoring a knock-down and fighting with a lot of confidence. After brawling the first four rounds, Miura appeared to settle into a more technical approach. Rounds 5 and 6 saw the pendulum swing back towards Vargas, as he withstood Miura’s rush to open the fifth round and the sixth round saw both men exchanging hard punches.

The big swinging continued, and though Vargas likely edged Miura in rounds 5 and 6, Vargas’ face was cut in at least two spots and Miura started to assert himself again in rounds 7 and 8. Miura was beginning to grow in confidence while it appeared that Vargas was beginning to slow down, and Miura appeared to hurt Vargas at the end of the 8th round.

Vargas turned the tide again at the start of the ninth round, scoring a knock down with an uppercut and a straight right hand that took Miura’s legs and sent him to the canvas. Purely on instinct, Miura got back up and continued to fight, but Vargas was landing frequently and with force. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight at the halfway point of round 9 as Miura was sustaining a barrage of punches.

Miura still had a minute and a half to survive if he was going to get out of the round, and it was clear that he was not going to stop fighting.

A back and forth battle of wills between two world championship level fighters, Takashi Miura versus “El Bandido” Vargas wins the 2015 Fight of the Year.

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Articles

Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score

Published

8 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

This coming Saturday, January 9th, the stage is set at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany for a re-match between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis. The highly anticipated re-match is set to air on SAT.1 in Germany, and Feigenbutz will once again be defending his GBU and interim WBA World titles at Super Middleweight.

The first meeting between the two was less than three months ago, on October 17th and that meeting saw Feigenbutz controversially edge De Carolis on the judge’s cards by scores of (115-113, 114-113 and 115-113). De Carolis scored a flash knock down in the opening round, and he appeared to outbox Feigenbutz in the early going, but the 20 year old German champion came on in the later rounds.

The first bout is described as one of the most crowd-pleasing bouts of the year in Germany, and De Carolis and many observers felt that the Italian had done enough to win.

De Carolis told German language website RAN.DE that he was more prepared for the re-match, and that due to the arrogance Feigenbutz displayed in the aftermath of the first fight, he was confident that he had won over some of the audience. Though De Carolis fell short of predicting victory, he promised a re-vamped strategy tailored to what he has learned about Feigenbutz, whom he termed immature and inexperienced.

The stage is set for Feigenbutz vs De Carolis 2, this Saturday January 9th in Offenburg, Germany. If you can get to the live event do it, if not you have SAT.1 in Germany airing the fights, and The Boxing Channel right back here for full results.

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Articles

2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

8 years ago

December 29, 2015

The Sweet Science

On May 9th of 2015, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez delivered a resonant knock-out of James Kirkland on HBO that wins the 2015 KO of the Year.

The knock-out itself came in the third round, after slightly more than two minutes of action. The end came when Alvarez delivered a single, big right hand that caught Kirkland on the jaw and left him flat on his back after spinning to the canvas.Alvarez was clearly the big star heading into the fight. The fight was telecast by HBO for free just one week after the controversial and disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight, and Alvarez was under pressure to deliver the type of finish that people were going to talk about. Kirkland was happy to oblige Alvarez, taking it right to Alvarez from the start. Kirkland’s aggression saw him appear to land blows that troubled the young Mexican in the early going. Alvarez played good defense, and he floored Kirkland in the first round, displaying his power and his technique in knocking down an aggressive opponent.

However, Kirkland kept coming at Alvarez and the fight entered the third round with both men working hard and the feeling that the fight would not go the distance. Kirkland continued to move forward, keeping “Canelo” against the ropes and scoring points with a barrage of punches while looking for an opening.

At around the two minute mark, Alvarez landed an uppercut that sent Kirkland to the canvas again. Kirkland got up, but it was clear that he did not have his legs under him. Kirkland was going to try to survive the round, but Alvarez had an opportunity to close out the fight. The question was would he take it?

Alvarez closed in on Kirkland, putting his opponent’s back to the ropes. Kirkland was hurt, but he was still dangerous, pawing with punches and loading up for one big shot.

But it was the big shot “Canelo” threw that ended the night. Kirkland never saw it coming, as he was loading up with a huge right hand of his own. The right Alvarez threw cracked Kirkland in the jaw, and his eyes went blank. His big right hand whizzed harmlessly over the head of a ducking Alvarez, providing the momentum for the spin that left Kirkland prone on the canvas.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went on to defeat Miguel Cotto in his second fight of 2015 and he is clearly one of boxing’s biggest stars heading into 2016. On May 9th Alvarez added another reel to his highlight film when he knocked out James Kirkland with the 2015 “Knock Out of the Year”.

Photo by naoki fukuda

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