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Catching Up With Class of 2016 IBHOF Inductee Lupe Pintor
IBHOF Inductee Lupe Pintor – Legend has it that the coldest, most frightening stare in all of boxing belonged to Roberto Duran, the cold-eyed terror of the Panamanian slums who gave birth to the legend of the man with the hands of stone.
Those who support that theory have certainly not looked into the eyes of Lupe Pintor.
A world champion in two weight divisions, the raven-haired Mexican was something to behold as a physical specimen, with his dark complexion and his angular facial features conjuring to create a scary sight for anyone standing across the ring from him. But his eyes, buried in that already fearsome countenance and glowing a chilling, lifeless dark light, were even more terrifying.
But now, at 61 years of age, and getting ready to be inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame to join 13 of his Mexican compatriots already there, the man born Jose Guadalupe Pintor Guzman and usually referred to as the Indian from Cuajimalpa has lost the killer instinct that used to burst out of his eye sockets back when he terrorized two divisions for more than a decade in the 70s and 80s, and sees the world instead through the glassy eyes of his adulthood when he reflects on the career that has brought him all the praise he has earned in his life.
âIt is truly an honor, it is unimaginable to meâ, said Pintor in a telephone interview, ahead of his induction in the IBHOF this Sunday, June 12. âWhen someone signs up for a career such as this one, it is hard to imagine so many acknowledgments and accolades, and especially an honor given by so many special people who have taken my career into account to induct me into this Hall of Fame. It is something I am very proud of.â
Pintor (56-14-2, 42 KOs) held the WBC bantamweight belt for five years and later earned the super bantamweight belt from the same organization, holding it for a year in the mid-eighties. In his first title fight he defeated the legendary Carlos Zarate and defended his belt eight times. He later beat Juan âKidâ Meza to grab his second belt. He now joins Baby Arizmendi, Ruben Olivares, Salvador Sanchez, Carlos Zarate, Miguel Canto, Vicente Saldivar, Pipino Cuevas, Carlos Palomino, Daniel Zaragoza, Humberto Gonzalez, Ricardo Lopez, and of course his idol Julio Cesar Chavez, whom he considers the epitome of Mexican boxing.
âHe is the best Mexican fighter ever,â said Pintor, who has been equally vocal about his dislike for Chavezâs homonymous son, a feeling of reprobation split evenly between Junior and Canelo Alvarez. âBut (Junior) and Canelo are setting bad examples for Mexican boxing today, and some people are starting to imitate their style. I think this will not be good for Mexican boxing in the futureâ.
Pintorâs style in his heyday was much more aggressive, as it was typical of the 70s, one of the best decades in boxing history especially for Mexico. But that style led to punishing bouts that took their toll on him and on his opponents, and one of them stands out in his memory as well as in the memory of many followers of the fight game.
âThe good old Johnny, yes. That fight still hurts me,â says Pintor, talking about the most difficult time in his career: the aftermath of his bout with Wales Johnny Owen, who would die after his title fight with Pintor from the consequences of the punches received during that bout. âI am still deeply saddened by what happened. I didnât want to hurt him. I did my best against him just like he did against me, because he was a true warrior. And now I will live with this grief until the day I die.â
The Owen fight is an intrinsic part of Pintorâs legend, but so are his equally legendary meetings with Zarate, with Puerto Ricoâs Wilfredo Gomez and so many others, in fights in which he displayed the talent of his idols and became, in turn, an idol himself.
Today, Pintor teaches boxing at an academy that he set up with his ring earnings, and lately he has worked for an editorial company in Mexico City as well.
âI feel satisfied and grateful, because at the end of the day I gave my best in the ring against the best possible fightersâ, said Pintor. âI fought in Mexico and abroad, and I never turned down a challenge. And as a reward I got my reward, thank God. I am grateful and proud for being one of the many Mexicans that will continue populating this beautiful Hall of Fame.â
IBHOF Inductee Lupe Pintor
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Mielnicki, Ramos and Scull Victorious on Cinco de Mayo Weekend in Las Vegas
Two 10-round junior middleweight prelims aired as teasers for tonightâs four-fight pay-per-view at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In the opener; New Jerseyâs Vito Mielnicki Jr (pictured) scored his tenth straight win, advancing to 18-1 (12) with a wide decision over SoCalâs Ronald Cruz. Mielnicki, 21, put Cruz on the canvas in round three and again in round four, but So Calâs Cruz (19-4-1) stayed the course and maintained his distinction of never being stopped. The judges had it 99-89, 98-90, and 96-92 for âWhite Magicâ who had the noted trainer Ronnie Shields in his corner.
In the second bout â the main go of the prelims, so to speak â 23-year-old Arizona southpaw Jesus Ramos rebounded from his first loss (a narrow defeat to Erickson Lubin in this same ring) with a ninth-round stoppage of Johan Gonzalez who was making his third start in the U.S., having fought mostly in Venezuela and Panama.
Gonzalez was rugged, but his record heading in (34-2 with 33 KOs) was deceptive as he was out-classed by Ramos (21-1, 17 KOs) who was credited with landing roughly twice as many punches before he brought the bout to a conclusion. A counter left hook put Gonzalez down hard. He beat the count, but Ramos swarmed after him, rocking him with punches. There were only 5 seconds remining in the ninth frame when referee Harvey Dock waived it off. Gonzalez protested, but it was the right call.
Also
Super middleweight William Scull made his U.S. debut in an 8-round fight. A native of Cuba who had been living in Germany and now hangs his hat in Argentina, Scull, 31, scored a knockdown in the fifth round en route to winning a unanimous decision over New Orleansâ Sean Hemphill (16-2).
Scull is ranked #1 by the IBF, but you wonât find his name in the Top 15 of the other three major sanctioning bodies. Does the obscure William Scull have Canelo Alvarez in his future?
In another undercard bout of note, Mexico City super bantamweight Alan Picasso improved to 28-0-1 (16 KOs) with a fifth-round stoppage of Coloradoâs Damien Vazquez (17-4-1). Picasso, 23, is ranked #2 at 122 by the WBC.
Check back later as TSS West Coast bureau chief David Avila weighs in with a recap of the Canelo-Munguia fight and the three fights preceding it. The bouts are available for purchase on multiple pay-per-view platforms: e.g. Prime, DAZN, and PPV.com.
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Boxing Odds and Ends: The Ryan Garcia PED Rumple and More
Canelo Alvarez returns to the ring on Saturday. His fight with Jaime Munguia marks his seventeenth appearance in a Las Vegas ring and his twelfth Las Vegas engagement on a Mexican holiday weekend. But the pre-fight pub has been beclouded by a more arresting news story involving Caneloâs stablemate Ryan Garcia.
Dan Rafael and his successor at ESPN, Mike Coppinger, were the first to report that the banned substance Ostarine showed up in two urine specimens collected from Garcia by agents of the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA). The specimens were collected on April 19 and April 20, the day prior and day of his conquest of heavily favored Devin Haney. The April 19 sample also showed traces of the banned drug 19-nonandrosterone, but apparently not a sufficient trace to express confidence in the finding.
A PED popular among bodybuilders, Ostarine helps build muscle mass and improve stamina. The substance, which has been found in dietary supplements, is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, an arm of the International Olympic Committee, and by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Upon leaning of this finding, âKingRyâ took to social media to proclaim his innocence.
âFake f***ing newsâŠI never f***ing took a steroid in my f***ing life. I beat Devin Haney fair and square,â Garcia said in one of his many tweets. âI donât even know where to get steroids at the end of the dayâŠI barely take supplements,â he said in another. âIâm (going to) find out who paid to create this lie,â he said in a third.
Garciaâs promoter Golden Boy Promotions released a formal statement: âRyan has put out multiple statements denying knowingly using any banned substances â and we believe him. We are working with his team to determine how this finding came to be and will address this further once we conclude the process.
Any sanctions imposed on Ryan Garcia will have to await the findings of his âBâ samples. Reversals are extremely rare so the best guess is that the VADA finding will stand. The big question then becomes whether the New York State Athletic Commission will take away Garciaâs âWâ and declare the match a no-contest. According to a bulletin published by the NYSAC in 2016 and updated in 2017, a boxer found to have used an unapproved drug, medication, or supplement is subject to various disciplinary actions including âmodification of the official bout result.â
If the NYSAC changes the result to a no-contest, boxrec, the sportâs official record-keeper, would follow suit and Devin Haney would remain undefeated. Haney was 31-0 heading into his date with Garcia and considering his tender age â he doesnât turn 26 until November â was accorded a reasonable shot of breaking Floyd Mayweather Jrâs 50-0 mark.
R.I.P. â Dingaan Thobela
Boxing fans in South Africa are mourning loss of Dingaan Thobela who passed away of an undisclosed illness on Monday, April 29, at his flat in Johannesburg at age 57.
Thobela won world titles at 135 and 168 pounds. He captured the WBO world lightweight belt at age 25, out-pointing Mexicoâs Mauricio Aceves in Brownsville, Texas, and, 10 years later, in the twilight of his career, won the WBC super middleweight title with a 10th-round stoppage of Englandâs Glen Catley in Johannesburg.
The WBO, founded in 1988, was a new organization with little cachet. Thobela abandoned the belt after two successful defenses to compete for the more prestigious WBA diadem. That led to two lightweight title fights with Tony Lopez, the first in Lopezâs hometown of Sacramento and the rematch four months later in South Africa at the Sun City resort in Bopthuthatswana.
Both fights went the distance. Lopez won the first meeting. Although all three judges (they were from Panama, Puerto Rico, and California) had the hometown fighter winning by 2 points, the verdict was highly controversial. At the finish, Tony the Tiger was all marked-up. âIt looked, for all the world, that Lopez got his head handed to him,â wrote Sacramento Bee ringside reporter Mark Kreidler.
Thobela was nicknamed âThe Rose of Soweto,â the reference to the ramshackle, all-black township in Johannesburg where he was born and raised. Although apartheid hadnât yet been officially abolished, Soweto was well-represented in the inter-racial audience at the rematch in June of 1993 and there was dancing in the aisles when Thobela avenged his loss to Lopez with a well-earned unanimous decision.
Back in those days, flamboyant ring entrances were virtually unheard-of. Thobela may have started a trend with his outlandish procession. A tumbling acrobat led the way, followed by eight ring girls in colorful costumes and an African chief in full regalia. Thobela threw roses to the crowd as he made his way to the squared circle.
Thobela lost his last seven fights, finishing 40-14-2 (26 KOs) in a career in which he answered the bell for 418 rounds. At the time of his death, he was separated from his wife and living alone. Heavyweight contender Kevin Lerena was among those paying tribute. âRest in peace to South African boxing legend Dingaan Thobela,â he wrote on Instagram. âYour talent and determination in the ring will never be forgotten. You always supported me and believed in my abilities, pushing me to reach my fullest potential. Thank you for your inspiration and motivation, Champ.â
Bazinyan
In case you missed it, Erik Bazinyan (32-0-1, 23 KOs) kept his unbeaten record intact last night (Thursday, May 2) when his match with former sparring partner Shakeel Phinn (26-3-2, 17 KOs) at the Montreal Casino was ruled a draw.
Although both reside in Quebec, the Armenia-born Bazinyan was the house fighter. This was his sixth straight appearance at the Casino and his 11th appearance at this venue overall. And as the house fighter, he got a little help from the judges against his Jamaican-Canadian adversary.
Veteran judge Pasquale Procopio had it 97-93 for Phinn who was the aggressor, constantly backing Bazinyan into the ropes. That tally jibed with those in attendance and those looking on at home on ESPN+, but both fighters got their hand raised at the finish.
Bazinyan is ranked #3 by the WBC and the WBA, a notch behind his French-Cameroonian stablemate Christian Mbilli. The WBO ranks Bazinyan a notch above Mbilli (26-0, 22 KOs), which on the face of it is absurd considering their respective abilities.
Mbilli returns to the ring on May 25 in Shawinigan, Quebec with Englandâs Mark Heffron in the opposite corner. Mbilli is currently a 25/1 favorite. That sounds about right. His promoter Camille Estephan is notorious for matching his fighters soft.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 283: Canelo and Munguia Battle for Mexico and More Fight News
Avila Perspective, Chap. 283: Canelo and Munguia Battle for Mexico and More Fight News
Prepare for Mexican war.
Guadalajaraâs Saul âCaneloâ Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) fights Tijuanaâs Jaime Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) in another Mexican war on Saturday, May 4, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. PPV.COM and Prime pay-per-view will stream the card.
âIâm going to win, Iâm going to prevail and itâs going to be decisive,â said Alvarez, a four-division world titlist. âIâm different. Iâm Canelo.â
Munguia reveres Canelo.
âOutside the ring he has all my respect,â Munguia said. âInside the ring, respect goes out the window. And thatâs what is going to happen on Saturday night.â
If you know Mexican history, wars between different regions of that country took place even before Hernando Cortes arrived with his Spanish Conquistadores.
During the Mexican Revolution that began in 1910 you had Porfirio Diaz, Francisco Madero, Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata and then came Victoriano Huerta, Venustiano Carranza, Pascual Orozco, and Alvaro Obregon as players.
Fighting between regions in Mexico is not a new thing.
In boxing the 1960s brought those Mexican wars to California with guys like Vicente Saldivar, Cuban exile Sugar Ramos, Chango Carmona, and in the 70s Chucho Castillo, Jesus Pimentel, and the great Ruben Olivares.
Perhaps the two greatest battles between Mexican warriors saw Carlos Zarate and Alfonso Zamora battle in the Inglewood Forum. Both Mexican bantamweights held world titles and each were undefeated with all knockouts.
It was a madhouse that April night in 1977. During the action a wannabe wrestler jumped into the boxing ring during the action and was tossed out like a rag doll by a security gang. When Zarate eventually knocked out Zamora in the fourth, Zamoraâs father chased after Zarateâs trainer Cuyo Hernandez right there. Explosions from cherry bombs rocked the arena and a mini riot took place.
Later, in the 80s and 90s, we saw Julio Cesar Chavez batter fellow Mexican sluggers like Jose Luis Ramirez, Rafael âBazookaâ Limon and then Miguel Angel Gonzalez who fought the great Julio Cesar Chavez to a draw in Mexico City.
These battles between Mexicans are never easy.
Canelo has been the top Mexicano for the past 10 years and among the best pound-for-pound fighters for just as long. In his career that began when he was a mere 15 years old, heâs reached heights never before attained by any other Mexican fighter.
His three wars with Gennady âGGGâ Golovkin will be etched in history as among the best. His last fight eight months ago saw the redhead dominate Jermell Charlo for a win by unanimous decision.
Alvarez has one of the best chins in boxing history.
Munguia arrived like a burglar in the night. He was unceremoniously packed off to fight New Yorker Sadam Ali for the WBO super welterweight title in a New York card. Ali had just beaten the great Miguel Cotto for the title and was expected to have a long run. His first defense was against little-known Munguia and he was bludgeoned by the tall Mexican in four rounds.
The surprise win by Tijuanaâs Munguia made him the toast of the country. He was barely 20 and many liked his easy-going manner and will to destroy once the bell rang. After his fifth title defense it was apparent he could not make 154 pounds anymore and moved up. Five fights later he could not make 160 pounds. Now heâs at 168 pounds but one man holds all the belts and thatâs fellow countryman Canelo Alvarez.
Like Canelo, Munguia has one of the best chins in boxing.
âCanelo is a great fighter with experience against great fighters,â Munguia said. âBut what I have is youth on my side.â
Since working under Erik Morales and now Freddie Roach, his technique in defensive skills has improved dramatically from his days as a super welterweight. Back then Munguia would take a sledge-hammer blow or two and then return with a barrage of his own.
Last year Munguia fought the feared Sergiy Derevyanchenko through 12 of the most savage rounds ever seen. It was the Fight of the Year and established the Tijuana fighter as someone worthy of watching.
âYou can expect a full-out Mexican war,â said Munguia during the press conference on Wednesday.
âIâm very proud to be here and to make history with both Mexican fighters fighting for the four belts for the first time,â said Alvarez the undisputed super middleweight champion.
Although this is a battle between Mexicans the whole boxing world will be watching.
PPV.COM
Jim Lampley leads his crew again on the Canelo-Munguia fight card on Saturday May 4. The famed boxing analyst will be doing a play-by-play of the fights and also participating via text. Accompanying him will be Lance Pugmire, Chris Algieri and Dan Canobbio.
During the past nine months theyâve covered several of the best boxing cards. Lampley has a unique style and has covered the biggest fight events in the past five decades.
Riverside Fights
Undefeated middleweight prospect Raul Lizarraga leads a Red Boxing card on Friday May 3, at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium in downtown Riverside, Calif.
Lizarraga (12-0, 12 KOs) meets Puerto Ricoâs Marcos Osorio-Betancourt (11-1-1, 8 KOs) in the main event for a regional title. There are seven other bouts tentatively scheduled. Doors open at 5 p.m. For tickets go to Ticketmaster.com.
Monster Inoue
Japanâs Naoya âMonsterâ Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) defends the super bantamweight championship against Mexicoâs Luis âPanteraâ Nery (35-1, 27 KOs) on Monday. May 6, at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo. ESPN + will stream the Top Rank card that begins at 1 a.m.
Many rate Inoue the top fighter pound-for-pound. His destruction of titleholders Marlon Tapales and Stephen Fulton were clear samples of his overall superiority in his weight division. At 31, he faces two-division champion Nery who recently engaged in a riveting battle against Azat Hovhannisyan in Southern California.
The card also features three other world title bouts.
Fights to Watch
Sat. PPV.Com, Prime PPV 5 p.m. Saul Alvarez (60-2-2) vs Jaime Munguia (43-0). Brandon Figueroa (24-1-1) vs Jesse Magdaleno (29-2); Mario Barrios (28-2) vs Fabian Maidana (22-2); Eimantas Stanionis (14-0) vs Gabriel Maestre (6-0-1).
Mon. ESPN+ 1 a.m. Naoya Inoue (26-0) vs Luis Nery (35-1); Jason Moloney (27-2) vs Yoshiki Takei (8-0); Takuma Inoue (19-1) vs Sho Ishida (34-3); Seigo Yuri Akui (19-2-1) vs Taku Kuwahara (13-1).
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