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24/7 Heats Up: Roach Says He Might Recommend Manny Fire Ariza
photo by Chris Farina-Top Rank
In the second installment of HBO’s Pacquiao-Bradley 24/7, viewers are presented with the possibility that Timothy Bradley is a man at peace, not in recent flux, as Manny Pacquiao is, or was. Bradley is grounded, and has been for some time, in family, while Pacquiao has recently comes to grips with an emptiness inside which plagued him, and has now apparently been filled with a fuller embrace of religion.
In the opening scene, we saw Timothy Bradley at the gym he uses in Indio, CA, the Boys and Girls Club. Bradley said he doesn’t need a posse; the unspoken comparison is to Manny Pacquaio, who surrounds himself with a bunch of folks who have no clear job description. Bradley says trainer Joel Diaz is like a big brother to him, and he says he believes when the trainer tells him he will beat Manny.
Diaz recounts an occasion when Bradley ran 23 miles a week before a bout. It was just an eight rounder, the boxer says. Sometimes he works too hard for his own good, Diaz says.
Then, we see Manny’s Ferrari, which has been sitting idle in LA for six months. Pacman heads to the Wild Card, where he does mitts with Freddie. He says LA is like his second home. We hear that as before he trained in Baguio, for three weeks, first conditioning, then sparring, before coming to LA. We hear that Roach and Ariza have been feeling tension, because Ariza left Baguiao to work with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Ariza said he spoke to Pacman, and he was OK with it. Michael Koncz says he feels the tension, but doesn’t care if Ariza works with Manny or not. Khan fired Ariza for leaving, but Pacman says the media makes a big deal of it. “I gave him permission to leave,” Pacquiao said. (With Ariza’s continued Twitter slaps at Bob Arum, regularly calling him “senile,” one wonders if this exodus will continue. I just can’t picture Ariza winning that battle…but the guy has to get points for being brave-crazy, one could argue. Note: I texted Ariza, asked for a reaction. He called me, asked if, “This was my first 24/7?” I was perplexed, asked him what he was getting at. He asked if it was the first 24/7 I “produced.” I was mystified, and told him, as I’m sure he knows, I’m a writer, that I have nothing to do with producing 24/7. He said something about confusing me with someone else, and hung up on me, and didn’t answer texts asking him to clarify. In his defense, I can imagine that might be upsetting, to hear your friend and mentor say that he’s going to try and convince your top client to fire you. I believe he might have been insinuating that material is played up for effect for 24/7, which is something that Team Mayweather has stated before, when flaps bubble up. But I can’t be sure, because he didn’t clarify to me. This is, for sure, a strange subplot, and has the feel of someone going off the rails a bit. I hope my instinct is wrong. Sunday AM update: Sometime after I went to bed, still perplexed, Ariza texted me, saying that he hadn't seen the show. No response to the provocative Roach critique, for the record. My guess…Moving forward, unless Ariza's self-immolative side is pathological, you have to think Freddie's message will rein him in from his path towards professional self-destruction.)
Bradley, then, is seen running. He runs hills, and says that his foe tries to take food off his table. We see the boxer at a surprise anniversary party for he and his lady. He admits he used to party, but when he was 23, he met Monica, and he knew she was the one. She had two kids, though, and was hesitant to go all in. He said he asked her boy about marrying his mom, and he gave the OK.
Manny then says he is beyond happy, because he has “eternal life. If I die, I know where I’m going,” he says, while the Doobie Brothers’ “Jesus Is Just Alright” plays. We hear that Pacman felt empty, which he told pastor Jeric Soriano. “I’m empty,” he told the pastor, though he had fame and wealth. We see Manny at Bible study. The pastor says this is the real deal, and it’s not for show. The same-sex marriage flap is referred to. One of the posse says a lot of the team is now along for the spiritual ride. “I hate the old Manny,” Pacquiao says, who says he is a “new creation.”
At the Bradley home in Indio, we see Timothy driving stepson Robert to school. Good stuff; I like to see athletes giving up things for family. Bradley then spends quality time with his baby. He says she has a “Bradley head,” a hard head. Then, it’s time to hit the gym. He trains for more than three hours. Later, he does an eight mile jog. “I’m the best,” he roars as he runs. “You gotta prove to me you’re better than me!” His intensity stands out, as we regularly see fighters in this mode; Bradley’s zest seems above and beyond.
Pacman’s pastor has no problem with him doing damage in the ring, he says. Roach said he’s got three next sparring partners, shorter guys, like Bradley. Roach says he thinks that Manny knows people are saying Manny is on the downside. He now has something more to prove to the masses, the doubting hordes. This is the most focused Manny has been, Roach said, in some times.
Roach says that Ariza’s head has gotten too big, and it is mentioned that JCC might have fired Ariza. “One thing about Alex, he's very good at what he does,” says Freddie, in the gym, while the Wild Card hums. “But he just overdid it. He's a great strength coach, but he wants to be trainer, cut man, everything else, his head's gotten too big, and we need to calm him down a little bit…. I think he's bullshitting a little bit, and I don't appreciate that and uh..uh..I'm going to suggest to Manny that we maybe get rid of him or I get a new strength coach.”
All in all, this was a rich episode, with the Ariza-Roach material, and Manny’s confession that he hates his former self. Take that, folks who have said that they think the franchise is stale…
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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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