Articles

Crystal Morales and Celine Roman Clash Today in LA

Published

7 years ago

December 21, 2013

LOS ANGELES-A massive fight card erupts but smack in the middle of a testosterone storm Crystal Morales and Celine Roman battle in a lightweight clash today.

Morales, the current IFBA female lightweight world champion, finally meets Roman in the ring at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel after a prior bout more than a year ago evaporated. All Star Boxing and Arqangel Promotions are staging the event.

It’s a non-title fight but that doesn’t matter to either female combatant, who are the co-main event of an 11-bout fight card.

“It’s unfinished business,” said Morales, 27, from Oxnard. “Anybody who steps in the ring can beat you.”

Roman (2-1-1), who lives in Ontario, is equally anxious to finally get this meeting over.

“I’m so glad this fight is finally going to happen,” says Roman, 24, who began as a junior featherweight but feels more comfortable at a heavier weight.

A year ago both female boxers were poised to enter the ring when the entire fight card was dumped for various reasons. Both girls had been weighed and overnight the boxing card drowned.

“Things happen for a reason,” Morales (8-9-1) says.

This past August Morales grabbed the IFBA lightweight title by majority decision over former world champion Rhonda Luna. She was the underdog but mostly because her record is deceiving. Many of her losses came against current world champion in close decisions.

Both Morales and Roman found boxing through strange circumstances.

Morales was given a taste of coffee as a youth and one day she took a few gulps at nighttime and was so hyper that her father decided to burn off some of her extra energy.

“I started teaching her how to punch and kick,” said Rafael Morales, a former boxer and Crystal’s father. “That’s how she began to box. She really likes it.”

Morales is still hyper but uses that overflowing energy to prepare for her fights and take care of her daughter.

“I’m still always hyper,” says Morales, who has a four-year-old daughter.

Roman’s story is equally odd. She played organized basketball for exercise and she tried other sports, but found herself bored one day during the offseason.

“I started hitting the bags and working out on my own and somebody noticed,” said Roman, who has been fighting professionally for two years. “Before that I had no interest at all in boxing. I had never even seen a boxing match.”

Roman soon found herself boxing amateurs for five years and never left the sport. She doesn’t plan to leave until she accomplishes what Morales accomplished – win a world title.

“I want to be a champion,” Roman says.

Morales understands that there can be only one winner. It’s the primary reason she trains ultra-hard and leaves nothing to chance.

“Every time I get ready for a fight I do all that I can in training,” said Morales, who recently signed with Arqangel Promotions to help her get exposure and more fights. “I don’t get nervous because I prepare the same way every time. It doesn’t matter who I’m fighting, I prepare as if she is the best boxer in the world.”

Katherine Rodriguez, a promoter with Arqangel, said, “Crystal always fights with a lot of heart. It’s why she is a world champion.”

Other bouts

A number of excellent fight cards are scheduled to take place, including a heavyweight match between Deon Elam (12-1, 6 Kos) and Geovanni Sarran (4-6). Elam is a former participant in The Contender television reality series. Other fighters set to step in the ring are Anthony Villarreal, Daniel Franco, Charles Martin and Humberto Zatarain.

First bout begins at 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

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David A. Avila

Articles

2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

5 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

5 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

5 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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