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Hunter OK With Froch Rematch, Likes A Ward-Bute Fight More
Last December,Andre Ward capped a stellar year of 2011 by beating Carl Froch and capturing the Super Six World Boxing Classic championship trophy. It became even more remarkable after the Froch fight when Ward revealed a broken left hand that he used to blister the Englishman at will. The injury sidelined the undefeated Oakland native and he has since recovered.
Meanwhile Carl Froch is facing the undefeated Lucian Bute on Saturday and stated through the media that he was gaining momentum against Ward in the later rounds of the one-sided fight.
Ward’s trainer Virgil Hunter took time to respond to Froch’s assertion.Hunter says Ward fought through injury to outclass Froch, and feels Froch is diminishing Ward’s accomplishment.
The 2011 BWAA Trainer of the Year tells TSS no one has been the same after fighting the undefeated Ward. And, after winning the Super Six World, Ward cleaned out the 168-pound division.
Now all signs point to a Ward/Dawson clash on September 8. Dawson is moving down from to 175 to 168 for the challenge. Hunter claims that Dawson is not the only one cutting weight to get to the 168 pound super middleweight limit because Ward considered a move to light heavyweight before Dawson called his name after the Hopkins fight in April.
I asked Hunter on Thursday morning to give us his take on the Dawson fight. The trainer also discusses the apparent delusion of Carl Froch,and tells us about why Dawson's flaws don't matter.
RM: Carl Froch has talked a lot about his loss to Andre Ward during the build up to his bout with Lucian Bute this Saturday.Froch gives credit to Andre for the victory but says he can do better the second time. Do you think that Carl Froch is dismissing his loss against Andre Ward?
VH: Look, he is in total denial. He is having a hard time dealing with what happened to him. I don’t know if he will ever get over that loss. He tries to downplay it, saying he had a bad night. Actually, if anybody had a bad night, we did. We went into the fight with a broken hand in two places.The left hand, our lead hand,was handicapped so I think we had a bad night. And I think he knows that.
RM:Froch said he came on strong in the later rounds.
VH: Well, as far as him coming on strong, he was never in that fight. I told him what was going to happen on Fight Camp 360. I told him he was going to get hit a lot and he was going to miss a lot. And he was going to get hurt. So I think this fight with Bute is going to be tough. I don’t know if he has full confidence.
RM: Why?
VH: Because he never expected to get handled so easily. He just never imagined that could happen to him, particularly with a guy that had a broken hand doing it to him. So he has his work cut out for him with Lucian Bute. I think he has a confidence problem. He is constantly parroting what he is going to do to Bute. Constantly parroting that fact. So we will see how it turns out.
RM: I know that you always tell fighters not to give any excuses. You told Froch to do that too right?
VH: Yeah, well, I mean, we made a pact that there will be no excuses from either side win or lose. But when you tell that to Carl Froch, you might as well be talking to a brick wall. He is trying to find a way to justify what happened to him. But when he is alone he will have to deal with the truth.
RM: Yeah, do you think that he is proud of his performance because he did come on towards the end of the fight?
VH: Well here is the deal. When you say come on—it means come forward. We allowed him to come forward because we were fighting with a broken hand.Andre felt excruciating pain with every punch because the pain is shooting up the arm. And it compromises the other hand because you are bracing yourself for a wince. When you lead with the broken hand, you are bracing yourself for a sharp pain to come up. So the plan over the last couple rounds was to let him walk into pot shots, which is what he did the rest of the way. So,Froch perceives it as coming on. We just changed up the tactics in order to protect the hand.
RM: Yeah.
VH: If you look at the last couple of rounds Froch was getting hit with clean shots. And as you can see, when we took the hand wraps off, Andre’s broken hand was twice as big as the other one. So you can imagine the pain. If you want to talk about toughness, there is toughness for you right there.
RM: How long did it take for Andre to recover from the hand injury?
VH: Well, he is just now recovering. You are talking about a hand that was broken in two places. And it is not like it was broken in the fight and he only had to deal with it for 45 minutes. It was broken three weeks before the fight. So, we took a little more time to make sure it healed properly.
RM: How do you see the Froch and Bute fight playing out?
VH: Well, I’d like to see Bute win so we can get that fight. I think the public wants to see a Ward/Bute fight. And I am not embarrassed to say that I am pulling for Bute. But I think Carl Froch will give him a tough fight. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins. Hopefully, if Froch wins, he will be a standup guy and try to get revenge for a loss he says was a “bad night.” He says he had a bad night against us. And we would like to give him the opportunity to straighten it out.
RM: So,Andre will fight Froch again?
VH: Well, this is just me speaking. Anytime someone says they had a bad night and the outcome would be different if we fought again, I am the type of person that would oblige you. And Andre is type that will oblige you also. I think if Carl Froch is adamant about a rematch it can definitely be made.
RM: What did you think of the Mikkel Kessler vs. Allan Green fight last Saturday?
VH: I didn’t see the fight but I am not surprised of the outcome. Allan Green was not the same after he fought Andre. That fight crushed his confidence. I think that Glen Johnson and Mikkel Kessler benefitted from the fact that we took the veil off of Allan Green’s bravado so to speak and left him pretty much naked. But at the same time, I don’t want to take anything away from him as a fighter. Green had a great opportunity to win. But he let Kessler hang around and Kessler caught up to him.
RM: What are your thoughts on the Andre Ward/Chad Dawson fight that is coming up on September 8th?
VH: It is going to be an interesting fight. I think we match up extremely well with Chad Dawson,much better than people realize. It is going to be a good fight. We have a lot of respect for Chad Dawson and his brain trust. And we are glad the fight was made.
RM: Do you see any flaws in Dawson’s game that Ward can capitalize on?
VH: Well, I don’t look at the flaws in a fighter. I look at their strengths. Because the flaws can be corrected, the strengths usually stick around. I don’t pay attention to what somebody would perceive to be a flaw in a fighter. We can sit and analyze a guy, and find a flaw a minute. But it really doesn’t mean anything. I don’t look at the weaknesses in a fighter. I look at their strengths. Their strength will be on display in the fight. Only the true weakness will show after you handcuff the strength. So, that is what I pay attention to. Not the so-called weaknesses that I conjure up in my own mind.
RM: So the idea is to stop their strengths, not capitalize on their weaknesses.
VH: Well, what are your strengths? I don’t know. If you have a strong right hand, I don’t know what your weaknesses are until I handcuff your right hand.
RM: Right.
VH: One of the benefits I learned in amateur coaching is that you are fighting guys with little preparation. You don’t have time to prepare a fighter by watching tape, or an eight-week training camp, you have to fight the best in the country on a fly. You have to be able to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses on the fly. So there are weaknesses, they will show during the fight. The weakness for one guy will be strength for another.
RM: OK Virgil, I will let you go. The BWAA Awards Dinner is on June 6thin New York. You will be recognized as the 2011 Trainer of the Year. Do you want to give your thoughts?
VH: First and foremost, I plan to be there. I have an opportunity to thank everyone who considered me for this award. I am humbled and flattered more than anything. I will try to uphold it with dignity and shoot for another one. Why not?
RM: OK, thanks Virgil. Catch you next time.
You can follow Ray on Twitter @RayMarkarian
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Canelo vs Berlanga Battles the UFC: Hopefully No Repeat of the 2019 Fiasco
If one happens to be fan of both traditional boxing and MMA, then one has a choice to make this Saturday. Canelo Alvarez will be in action at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas defending his lineal 168-pound world title against Edgar Berlanga and two miles away in a competing Pay-Per-View card, the first-ever sporting event will be staged inside The Sphere, a UFC card bearing the title Riyadh Season Noche 306.
This won’t be the first time that a boxing card featuring the red-headed Mexican superstar went head-to-head with a UFC event. On Nov. 2, 2019, Canelo Alvarez fought Sergey Kovalev at the T-Mobile and 2,500 miles away, MMA stars Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal locked horns at Madison Square Garden. Both cards were PPV. Alvarez vs Kovalev was live-streamed on DAZN; Diaz vs Masvidal on ESPN+.
We don’t know which event generated the most profit, but the way things played out, this was a symbolic win for the UFC. On this night, the venerable sport of boxing and its adherents were reduced to a second-class citizen.
The fault lay with the nitwits at DAZN. They thought it prudent to postpone the start of Alvarez-Kovalev until the Diaz-Masdival fight was finished. What resulted was an interlude that dragged on for a good 90 minutes after Ryan Garcia knocked out Romero Duno in 98 seconds in the semi-wind-up. Then came the ring walks, the National Anthems (there were three), and the long-winded introduction of the combatants. When the bell finally sounded to signify the start of the bout, it was 10:18 inside the arena and 1:18 am for the bleary-eyed folks tuning in back in the Eastern Time Zone. The backlash was fierce.
The competing shows this coming Saturday coincide with Mexican Independence Day Weekend. One might assume that this will give the PBC promotion at the T-Mobile a leg up as Canelo Alvarez is a must-see attraction within the Mexican and Mexican-American communities. However, the UFC card has something going for it that T-Mobile lacks. The venue is itself an allurement. The newest addition to the Las Vegas skyline, The Sphere has the WOW factor. Even long-time Las Vegas locals, supposedly jaded by a surfeit of architectural wonders, are mesmerized by the constantly changing light show on the exterior of the big globe. Inside, visitors will find the world’s highest resolution LED display.
Customizing the interior for UFC 306 was an expensive proposition. UFC honcho Dana White has pegged the cost at $20 million and concedes that without Saudi money it would not have been feasible. He says that Saturday’s show will be “one-off,” not merely the first combat sports event at The Sphere, but also the last because it would be too expensive to replicate. If that be true, attendees are advised to keep their ticket stubs. Years from now, they might command a nice price in the sports memorabilia marketplace.
The T-Mobile has Canelo, but The Sphere has Alexa Grasso who, akin to Canelo, hails from Guadalajara. Ms. Grasso, 31, just may be the second-most-well-known fighter in Mexico. In addition to holding the UFC flyweight title, she is an analyst for the UFC’s Spanish-language broadcasts.
Grasso will be defending her belts against Russia’s Valentina Shevshenko in the co-main. In the featured bout, bantamweight belt-holder Sean O’Malley will defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili.
The T-Mobile card on Prime Video comes with a suggested list price of $89.99 for U.S. buyers without a Prime Video account. That tab has been widely assailed as a rip-off. “It’s gouging fight fans, plain and simple,” says Kevin Iole who covered both boxing and MMA for Yahoo. (For the record, the UFC show on ESPN+ comes with a list price of $79.99, $10 cheaper if bundled with an ESPN+ subscription. The UFC folks are holding their breath that the event can be translated to the small screen without compromising the clarity of the picture. The logistics are daunting.)
The main bouts on the UFC card will be far more competitive based on the prevailing odds, but when it comes to combat sports, this reporter is a traditionalist. Agreed, that can be interpreted as an old fuddy-duddy stuck in his ways, but in my eyes boxing, a sport that rests on a far more arresting historic foundation, trumps the Johnny-come-lately that is the UFC.
Check back later this week as TSS West Coast Bureau Chief David A. Avila offers up a closer look at Alvarez vs Berlanga and some of the supporting bouts.
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Niyomtrong Proves a Bridge Too Far for Alex Winwood in Australia
Today in Perth, Australia, Alex Winwood stepped up in class in his fifth pro fight with the aim of becoming the fastest world title-holder in Australian boxing history. But Winwood (4-0, 2 KOs heading in) wasn’t ready for WBA strawweight champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong, aka Knockout CP Freshmart, who by some accounts is the longest reigning champion in the sport.
Niyomtrong (25-0, 9 KOs) prevailed by a slim margin to retain his title. “At least the right guy won,” said prominent Australian boxing writer Anthony Cocks who thought the scores (114-112, 114-112, 113-113) gave the hometown fighter all the best of it.
Winwood, who represented Australia in the Tokyo Olympics, trained for the match in Thailand (as do many foreign boxers in his weight class). He is trained by Angelo Hyder who also worked with Danny Green and the Moloney twins. Had he prevailed, he would have broken the record of Australian boxing icon Jeff Fenech who won a world title in his seventh pro fight. A member of the Noongar tribe, Winwood, 27, also hoped to etch on his name on the list of notable Australian aboriginal boxers alongside Dave Sands, Lionel Rose and the Mundines, Tony and Anthony, father and son.
What Winwood, 27, hoped to capitalize on was Niyomtrong’s theoretical ring rust. The Thai was making his first start since July 20 of 2022 when he won a comfortable decision over Wanheng Menayothin in one of the most ballyhooed domestic showdowns in Thai boxing history. But the Noongar needed more edges than that to overcome the Thai who won his first major title in his ninth pro fight with a hard-fought decision over Nicaragua’s Carlos Buitrago who was 27-0-1 heading in.
A former Muai Thai champion, Niyomtrong/Freshmart turns 34 later this month, an advanced age for a boxer in the sport’s smallest weight class. Although he remains undefeated, he may have passed his prime. How good was he in his heyday? Prominent boxing historian Matt McGrain has written that he was the most accomplished strawweight in the world in the decade 2010-2019: “It is not close, it is not debatable, there is no argument.”
Against the intrepid Winwood, Niyomtrong started slowly. In round seven, he cranked up the juice, putting the local fighter down hard with a left hook. He added another knockdown in round nine. The game Winwood stayed the course, but was well-beaten at the finish, no matter that the scorecards suggested otherwise, creating the impression of a very close fight.
P.S. – Because boxrec refused to name this a title fight, it fell under the radar screen until the result was made known. In case you hadn’t noticed, boxrec is at loggerheads with the World Boxing Association and has decided to “de-certify” the oldest of the world sanctioning bodies. While this reporter would be happy to see the WBA disappear – it is clearly the most corrupt of the four major organizations – the view from here is that boxrec is being petty. Moreover, if this practice continues, it will be much harder for boxing historians of future generations to sort through the rubble.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 295: Callum Walsh, Pechanga Casino Fights and More
Super welterweight contender Callum Walsh worked out for reporters and videographers at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif. on Thursday,
The native of Ireland Walsh (11-0, 9 KOs) has a fight date against Poland’s Przemyslaw Runowski (22-2-1, 6 KOs) on Friday, Sept. 20 at the city of Dublin. It’s a homecoming for the undefeated southpaw from Cork. UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card.
Mark down the date.
Walsh is the latest prodigy of promoter Tom Loeffler who has a history of developing European boxers in America and propelling them forward on the global boxing scene. Think Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin and you know what I mean.
Golovkin was a middleweight monster for years.
From Kevin Kelley to Oba Carr to Vitaly Klitschko to Serhii Bohachuk and many more in-between, the trail of elite boxers promoted by Loeffler continues to grow. Will Walsh be the newest success?
Add to the mix Dana White, the maestro of UFC, who is also involved with Walsh and you get a clearer picture of what the Irish lad brings to the table.
Walsh has speed, power and a glint of meanness that champions need to navigate the prizefighting world. He also has one of the best trainers in the world in Freddie Roach who needs no further introduction.
Perhaps the final measure of Walsh will be when he’s been tested with the most important challenge of all:
Can he take a punch from a big hitter?
That’s the final challenge
It always comes down to the chin. It’s what separates the Golovkins from the rest of the pack. At the top of the food chain they all can hit, have incredible speed and skill, but the fighters with the rock hard chins are those that prevail.
So far, the chin test is the only examination remaining for Walsh.
“King’ Callum Walsh is ready for his Irish homecoming and promises some fireworks for the Irish fans. This will be an entertaining show for the fans and we are excited to bring world class boxing back to the 3Arena in Dublin,” said Loeffler.
Pechanga Fights
MarvNation Promotions presents a battle between welterweight contenders Jose “Chon” Zepeda (37-5, 28 KOs) and Ivan Redkach (24-7-1, 19 KOs) on Friday, Sept. 6, at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula. DAZN will stream the fight card.
Both have fought many of the best welterweights in the world and now face each other. It should be an interesting clash between the veterans.
Also on the card, featherweights Nathan Rodriguez (15-0) and Bryan Mercado (11-5-1) meet in an eight-round fight.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. First bout at 7 p.m.
Monster Inoue
Once again Japan’s Naoya Inoue dispatched another super bantamweight contender with ease as TJ Doheny was unable to continue in the seventh round after battered by a combination on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Inoue continues to brush away whoever is placed in front of him like a glint of dust.
Is the “Monster” the best fighter pound-for-pound on the planet or is it Terence Crawford? Both are dynamic punchers with skill, speed, power and great chins.
Munguia in Big Bear
Super middleweight contender Jaime Munguia is two weeks away from his match with Erik Bazinyan at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. ESPN will show the Top Rank card.
“Erik Bazinyan is a good fighter. He’s undefeated. He switches stances. We need to be careful with that. He’s taller and has a longer reach than me. He has a good jab. He can punch well on the inside. He’s a fighter who comes with all the desire to excel,” said Munguia.
Bazinyan has victories over Ronald Ellis and Alantez Fox.
In case you didn’t know, Munguia moved over to Top Rank but still has ties with Golden Boy Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. Bazinyan is promoted by Eye of the Tiger.
This is the Tijuana fighter’s first match with Top Rank since losing to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez last May in Las Vegas. He is back with trainer Erik Morales.
Callum Walsh photo credit: Lina Baker
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