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Postfight Quotes From Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather; Eight-Time and Five-Division World Champion
“Tonight we gave the fans what they wanted to see. We matched the best with the best. Cotto was a very tough competitor and he won some rounds. He pushed me to the limits and this is what it's all about.
“Miguel Cotto fought his ass off tonight and I want to congratulate him and his team.
“You've seen me in flashy cars, but I want you to know that I do give back to the community. This is what it's all about. It's not about making a lot of money. It's about giving back.
“I don't want be on TV and not give you guys [the fans and media] what you deserve.
“Cotto is a good puncher. He didn't win more than 30 fights for nothing. I was the first fighter to fight him at a weight that he was comfortable with. I actually came into the fight weighing 147.
“Things happened tonight and we both had to fight. But the main thing is that we got the victory.
“I think tonight was a cool fight. The fans were happy. It's about impressing fans and giving them what they want to see.
“I sensed that sometimes Miguel was breaking down and then he would come back sharp. Miguel Cotto is in shape. The right hook and the uppercut were working for me tonight. I had watched tapes of Shane Mosley [when he fought Cotto] and I saw that the right hook was working. And I also watched Zab Judah use the uppercut against him too. So I knew I was going to use those shots tonight.
“I knew the right hook was going to be my money shot. A lot of times and these days you don't see fighters using the right hook, only the left. But tonight I wanted to use the right hook and that is what I did.
“Tonight I got a few bumps and bruises, but that is part of the sports.
“I could have made it a very easy fight, but I was going for the knockout. Cotto was in tremendous shape. He was tough.
“Our game plan is always to win. Cotto surprised me and his record reflects where he is today.
“It's about winning and that's what I did. I'm not going to fold to pressure. Cotto can keep his head high as we are both winners tonight in our own way.”
Canelo Alvarez, WBC Super Welterweight Champion
“I want to thank my great team for all the great work and Mosley for giving me the experience. I learned a lot from tonight's fight. It's is the first time that I got cut and learned a lot from it. I told myself not to worry about it and that is also what I told my team.
“Yes I'm definitely ready to fight on a higher level. I'm ready for the best. I've gained a lot of experience tonight and I am ready to fight bigger fighters.
“I felt I had a great performance. Mosley is an experienced fighter. I know him very well and I followed his career.
“That was the game plan. I had to be calm and take my time and that is exactly what I did.
“I would like to fight one of the two main fighters, Mayweather or Cotto. This is what I deserve the most.
“I wasn't surprised that Shane was able to take my punches.
“The next fight, you will see a better Canelo and a more experience Canelo. I am ready.”
Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions
“Floyd fought a fight that you guys hadn't seen in some time. We knew coming into the fight that preparation was the key. He was pushed and he had to come out and fight hard.
“Cotto never gave up. The fans were going really wild.
“Miguel Cotto is probably one of the classiest guys in the sport of boxing. I would like to give him, his team and Gaby a lot of credit.
“What can I say but another one down.”
Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions
“Everyone gave a wonderful show tonight. Canelo is a young man who showed a lot of heart and desire, especially when he got cut over the eye, he kept his cool and remained collective. That's a good sign of a champion. Obviously, Canelo fought a good fight and he was too much for Mosley. For a 21 year old, he showed a lot tonight and I believe he is ready for a guys like Cotto or Mayweather.
“Cotto fought a great fight and Mayweather fought a great fight as well.
“It didn't surprise what did Mayweather in the fight. Mayweather is a great fighter and we have to give a lot of credit to Cotto for giving such a fight to Mayweather.
“Mayweather is a strong fighter. He got Cotto with great shots. He's confident in his abilities and he believes in himself. This is a beautiful thing for boxing.”
Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions
“Canelo is ready and so is the MGM Grand as he will be headlining his first pay-per-view on September 15.
“I've never seen as many people in the arena for the co-main event. A lot of Mexicans came for the fight.
“What I noticed with Floyd is that people are more appreciative of him and realize that he comes to fight. To see him come in tonight with Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne and 50 Cent is really great for the sport of boxing.
“Beside his amazing skills, Floyd brings amazing numbers to the pay-per-view sales.
“Floyd Mayweather is a rock star. He really is.”
Articles
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.
Articles
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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