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Camp Notes For Mayweather, Cotto, Canelo
“RING KINGS: MAYWEATHER VS. COTTO” CAMP NOTES
Las Vegas, NV (April 11) – Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez and Sugar Shane Mosley are deep in training for their respective May 5 bouts taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas which will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®. For Mayweather, being back in the gym feels just right as he trains at the Mayweather Boxing Club surrounded by familiar faces and teammates while Cotto is honing his skills at his camp in Orlando, Fl. for the second time.Meanwhile, at an altitude of 7,000 feet, California’s Big Bear Lake is playing host to both Canelo and Mosley who are readying themselves to face off in the co-main event. While each of their training camp experiences are different, there is one common theme – Mayweather, Cotto, Canelo and Mosley are intensely focused on their approaching May 5 bouts.
Floyd Mayweather – Hard Work, Dedication…No Matter What
With less than four weeks until fight night, Floyd Mayweather is feeling excellent. Mayweather’s training began immediately following the three-city fight announcement press tour, which ended in Los Angeles on March 1 and he hasn’t stopped since. It has been just seven months since he defeated Victor Ortiz and the short time between fights is better for the undefeated star, although he never really takes time off from the gym. Mayweather believes that brief gaps between fights are beneficial as they help him to stay in true fighting shape while keeping his skills sharp.
“It feels good to be fighting again,” said Mayweather. “I am getting great work from my sparring partners and the energy in the gym is perfect for training hard every day. I am aware of Miguel Cotto’s record and success. I am not taking him lightly. I am working hard to get ready for the fight on May 5.”
During camp, Mayweather gets to the gym around four o’clock in the afternoon and works non-stop until he departs at seven o’clock in the evening. He likes to mix up his training sessions with the heavy bag, speed bag, body work and jumping rope to go along with is sparring sessions.The one aspect that never changes is his hard work and dedication during every workout. Along with his gym training, Mayweather loves to hit the pavement and go for distance runs whenever the mood strikes whether it is the middle of the day or the middle of the night.
Mayweather will be fighting Cotto at 154 pounds, a weight that some believe may pose a problem for the seven-time world champion. However, Mayweather is not worried stating, “My body feels great. I always fight around the weight I carry when I am not fighting. Now I can just work harder to feel stronger and more comfortable at 154 pounds. I haven’t had to adjust that much because my body has always just kind of found its comfort zone and that’s where I fight. I have been given a special gift with my weight.I have never had to worry about it other than to get in the best shape possible for all of my fights.”
To view Mayweather videos, see links below:
24/7 Mayweather/Cotto -First Look: Floyd Mayweather- http://youtu.be/V9y4tkoku7k
Floyd Mayweather’s Greatest Hits – http://youtu.be/r3CYgOK7n1k
Miguel Cotto – Shining in Orlando
Training in Florida is nothing new for Miguel Cotto. The Puerto Rican star has prepared for numerous fights in the sunshine state with this camp being his second in Orlando.
“Training is going great,” said Cotto. “I am having fun and enjoying it more than ever. I love it here and I feel at home. I have the same focus and mentality to obtain a victory as I did when camp started. [Trainer] Pedro [Diaz] is a magnificent strategist.”
Cotto has kept the same company in his camp over the last few years, including his mother, who cooks for Team Cotto.
“I have the same diet as always,” continued Cotto. “My mother is with me, so you can imagine how well I am eating.”
When he isn’t in the gym, Cotto spends his free time playing video? games, cooking and spending time with his team and family. There are also two new additions to Team Cotto, French Bulldogs named Tonka and Tika.
While Cotto’s team helps motivate him in and out of the gym, he credits his father, Miguel Cotto Sr., as his biggest inspiration to work hard and win on May 5.
“The memory of my father is the biggest motivation in my life,” said Cotto. “I feel more motivated at this point than any other in my career. I feel more motivated to beat Mayweather than I did when I was training for my first world title.”
To view Cotto videos, see links below:
24/7 Mayweather/Cotto – First Look: Miguel Cotto: http://youtu.be/C0cDnA7B6k8
Miguel Cotto’s Greatest Hits: http://youtu.be/3f_AMAzRPb4
Canelo Alvarez – Big Star in Big Bear
WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez is once again training in Big Bear Lake, Calif. While this is only his second time training on top of the mountain, he is comfortable there. He finds the surroundings to be a perfect place to get his mind and body prepared. Canelo admits that training at the increased altitude affected him when he began training a couple of weeks ago, but that now that his body has adjusted; he feels no negative effects.
Big Bear is a far cry from Canelo’s Guadalajara, Mexico home, but he is happy to be surrounded by his team including co-trainers Chepo and Eddie Reynoso. To pass their spare time in camp, they play billiards, watch movies, study film and rest as much as possible.
Canelo understands the importance of his match-up against Mosley and admits that without a doubt this will be the most dangerous opponent he has faced.
“Besides experience and knowledge of the sport, Mosley is a celebrated fighter and a future Hall of Famer,” said Canelo. “I admire Mosley, and it is a privilege to face him in the ring, however, on May 5, I will be ready.”
To view Canelo video, see link below:
Canelo Alvarez’s Greatest Hits: http://youtu.be/79dPlBzRcdI
Sugar Shane Mosley- Home Away From Home
Whereas Canelo has just recently discovered the benefits of training in Big Bear, Sugar Shane Mosley considers the mountain enclave his second home. The six-time world champion has not only trained atop the mountain for almost two decades, he has owned a house there since 1996.
“It’s the best place for me to find focus and peace of mind,” Mosley said of his training camp. “The mixture of clean mountain air combined with the benefits of high altitude training along with the support of the local community here, it just can’t be beat.”
During his down time, Mosley likes to go to the movies, spend time with his son, Shane Jr. and bowl. Mosley has been a fixture at the Bowling Barn in Big Bear for nearly three years. He said, “It is a release for me, a great place to relax and spend time with the local [community].”
Looking ahead to fight night, Mosley says that he feels great and is in tremendous shape.
“There is a lot to be said about being 100 percent healthy leading up to a fight,” said Mosley. “Come May 5, I will be ready. I am sticking to my game plan and using the doubters and naysayers that are out there as my motivation to work hard.”
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2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura
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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Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score
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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2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland
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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