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Leo Santa Cruz, Miguel Vazquez and Alfredo Angulo on Floyd Undercard

Published

10 years ago

August 14, 2014

The Sweet Science

MEXICAN STARS AND WORLD TITLE FIGHTS ADDED TO

“MAYHEM: MAYWEATHER VS. MAIDANA 2”

SHOWTIME PPV^® EVENT SATURDAY, SEPT. 13

AT MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA

Leo Santa Cruz Defends his WBC Super Bantamweight World Championship Against Manuel Roman in the Co-Main Event

Miguel Vazquez Puts his IBF Lightweight World Title on the Line Against Mayweather Promotions’ Star Mickey Bey

Hard-Hitting Alfredo Angulo Takes on James De La Rosa

PLUS John Molina Jr. vs. Humberto Soto, 10-round Jr. Welterweight Bout

To Air Live On SHOWTIME^®During “COUNTDOWN LIVE”

LAS VEGAS (August 14, 2014) – In keeping with Mexican Independence Day tradition, Mayweather Promotions has assembled a stellar undercard featuring some of this era’s most exciting boxers to co-feature on “MAYHEM: Mayweather vs. Maidana 2” on Saturday,September 13 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena live on SHOWTIME PPV.

Featured on the four-fight pay-per-view telecast, fan favorite Leo “Terremoto”

Santa Cruz will put his WBC Super Bantamweight World Championship on the line in a 12-round championship bout against Mexican contender Manuel “Suavecito” Roman, plus Tijuana-Baja’s pride Miguel “Títere” Vazquez defends his IBF Lightweight World Championship against Mayweather Promotions’ rising star Mickey “The Spirit” Bey. In the opening bout on pay per view, Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo returns to the ring against James De La Rosa in a 10-round bout.

Rounding out a sensational night of televised fights, SHOWTIME will present a live 10-round Jr. welterweight bout between John Molina Jr. and Humberto “La Zorrita”

Soto on “COUNTDOWN LIVE” (SHO, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT) immediately preceding the SHOWTIME PPV telecast.

“This is my second time fighting on a Floyd Mayweather pay-per-view undercard and I know that there is no bigger stage than this,” said Santa Cruz. “Manuel Roman is a tough customer. I know he’s going to come prepared and try to take my title. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain, but I plan on leaving the ring with my hand raised.”

“Leo Santa Cruz is one of the top guys not only in the super bantamweight division, but in all of boxing,” said Roman. “I’ve never been intimidated in the ring before and I don’t plan on starting on September 13. Santa Cruz better be ready because I know I will be.”

“I’m looking forward to fighting at MGM Grand again and on this amazing Floyd Mayweather card,” said Vazquez. “It’s time to get to business and get in the best shape ever so I’m ready to put on a show. I respect Mickey Bey, but I plan on winning convincingly to show that I’m one of the best in the lightweight division.

“I want to thank God for helping me persevere through the tough times and helping me overcome obstacles in my life,” said Bey. “I also want to thank my team for believing in me and helping me get to this opportunity. I plan on seizing the moment and becoming a world champion on September 13.”

“I’ve been anxious to get back in the ring ever since the end of the Canelo fight,” said Angulo. “I’m ready to get back on the winning track and this is a great opportunity for me to do that in front of the world on Mexican Independence Day weekend. This fight could not be more critical for my future in this sport and I want to put on a great show for the fans.”

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me to make my name on a huge stage against a fellow Mexican-warrior in Alfredo Angulo,” said De La Rosa. “On September 13 I’m going to teach an old dog some new tricks.”

“Floyd always wants to ensure the paying fans get their monies worth by delivering a strong night of boxing action through compelling televised undercard bouts,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO Mayweather Promotions. “This fight night will be no different from the rest as Leo Santa Cruz and Miguel Vazquez will defend their world titles valiantly, electrifying Mickey Bey will seek to win that title from Vazquez and fan favorite Alfredo Angulo will look to revitalize his career in what will amount to a sensational night of boxing.”

“From top to bottom, the September 13th fight card is going to get fans out of their seats whether they are among the thousands in attendance at MGM Grand or hundreds of thousands watching from home,” said Oscar De La Hoya, president and founder of Golden Boy Promotions. “Golden Boy is proud to promote the most crowd-pleasing fighters in the sport and with Marcos Maidana, Leo Santa Cruz and Alfredo Angulo, all in action under the same roof, it’s sure to be a night that no one will forget.”

One of the most successful and exciting fighters in the sport, Leo Santa Cruz (27-0-1, 15 KOs) is on the cusp of superstardom. Widely recognized as one of the highest volume punchers in the game, the 25-year-old, two-division world champion who fights out of Los Angeles by way of Huetamo, Michoacan de Ocampo, Mexico will be making his third defense of the WBC 122-pound title he won last August. His exciting work rate and significant power have made Santa Cruz a mainstay on SHOWTIME as he prepares for his second consecutive PPV bout after defeating Cristian Mijares in March on the “TOE TO TOE: Canelo Alvarez vs. Alfredo Angulo” PPV card.

Tijuana-Baja, Mexico native fighting out of Paramount, Calif., Manuel Roman (17-2, 6 KOs) is ready for the spotlight. The hard-hitting 26-year-old is coming off of a two-fight winning streak. An underdog ready to upset bantamweight favorite on the biggest stage of his career could pull off the upset of the year.

A respected veteran and the current IBF Lightweight World Champion, Miguel Vazquez (34-3, 13 KOs) looks to make himself a household name on September 13 when he puts his title on the line against Mickey Bey. The 27-year-old from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico is riding an impressive 13-fight win streak dating all the way back to a 2008 loss against Canelo Alvarez. Vazquez won his lightweight world title in 2010 against Ji-Hoon Kim and has gone on to defeat undefeated fighters Leonardo Zappavigna, Mercito Gesta and, most recently, Denis Shafikov this past Feb. 22.

His opponent, Mickey Bey (20-1-1, 10 KOs) is one of the top rising stars in the Mayweather Promotions’ stable. The 31-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio was an amateur standout who defeated Brandon Rios at the 2004 Olympic Trials but was forced to miss the Olympics because of a bout with pneumonia. Since then, Bey has put together an exceptional professional career, with only one loss at the hands of John Molina Jr. last July, and has risen to contender status in the lightweight division. The winner of his last two fights, including a dominating decision victory against Alan Herrera in his last fight, Bey is ready to fight on the biggest stage of his career.

Despite losing his last two fights, Alfredo Angulo (22-4, 18 KOs) remains a popular and extremely dangerous fighter, who is no doubt looking to take out his recent frustrations on his next opponent. The 31-year-old from Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico always produces exciting fights, as evidenced by knockouts of Gabriel Rosado, Joel Julio and Joachim Alcine, as well as his classic 2011 showdown with James Kirkland. Angulo’s last two defeats came at the hands of the top fighters in the 154-pound division in Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara. Both fighters controversially stopped Angulo in the 10^th round, but on Sept. 13 it is Angulo who plans on inflicting pain and walking out victorious.

Angulo’s opponent, James De La Rosa (22-2, 13 KOs) is looking to make his name in the sport with an explosive win on September 13. The 26-year-old Mexican fighting out of San Benito, Texas is fresh off of an August 2 technical knockout victory over Fabian Reyes. This win adds to a list of solid triumphs that includes Tyrone Brunson, Lenin Arroyo and Tim Coleman. Now he looks for his biggest victory and to be able to say he has arrived as one of the sport’s elite.

The two fighters kicking off the night on Mayweather vs. Maidana 2: COUNTDOWN LIVE are sure to make sparks fly in the ring as both look to rise in their divisional rankings. John Molina Jr. (27-4, 22 KOs) from Covina, Calif., is looking to bounce back from his loss to Lucas Matthysse in a fight that immediately jumped to the top of the Fight of the Year list. The 31-year-old owns an impressive knockout victory over Mickey Bey that proved you can never count the powerful puncher out of a fight.

Humberto Soto (64-8-2, 35 KOs) is riding a six-fight winning streak since a 2012 loss to Matthysse. A former titlist in three divisions, the 34-year-old from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico looks to stay hot and earn himself another shot at a world title with a big televised victory on Sept. 13

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2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

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

Published

9 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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2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

9 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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