Andre Ward Wants Chavez If Chavez Beats Martinez

Published

12 years ago

September 14, 2012

WardDawson TJHogan18 If you believe in magic and you are a sports fan then you should watch last Saturday’s fight between Andre Ward and Chad Dawson with a close eye. Because, for thirty minutes, Andre Ward tricked us in to believing he was in a fight. He didn’t just dominate a lethal boxing world champion; he did it coming away without a scratch on his face.

Punch stats show Chad Dawson hit Ward twenty-nine times in 10 rounds, averaging less than a punch a minute, but Ward says he felt two clean shots. Ward entertained the boxing world escaping punches and puzzling his opponent in to submission. Now, some boxing experts consider Ward as the best fighter in the world.

Andre Ward knows how to move in the ring, and captivate a crowd, but he didn’t evade the questions we threw at him last night.

Fresh off of the biggest win of his career, Andre Ward reflected on his performance against Chad Dawson, explained why he isn’t a complete fighter, and called out the winner of Saturday’s big fight between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Sergio Martinez.

RM: Hey Andre, It’s been a couple of days after the Dawson fight. How do you feel?

AW: I feel good. My body is a little sore you know, fighting another man in a boxing ring, other than just the small bumps and bruises, I feel good. It was the kind of performance I wanted to put on, my return to HBO, winning in front of my home crowd, and beating a fighter of Chad’s caliber, this is the kind of win I was looking for.

RM: Was it everything you expected?
AW: It absolutely was. I am not the type of guy to predict a knockout. A lot of people had things to say about my knockouts. But my response has always been that it is a lot harder to get a stoppage or a knockout at this level, at the world-class level.

RM: Right.
AW: And I am still a young fighter. I am still learning my craft. Actually, the result was better than expected.

RM: I’m sure you saw the punch stats after the fight. Chad Dawson hit you twenty-nine times in ten rounds. What are your thoughts?
AW: Well, a fighter knows what is going on in the ring. I don’t know how many times I get hit or how many times I hit my opponent, but I have a pretty good idea. A lot of the shots he landed I got under, I buried, or I blocked. I can probably remember maybe two or three clean punches he landed. So I was not surprised by the punch stats but it is gratifying because I had to take risks to get the knockout. When you beat a guy of Chad’s caliber without taking punishment in return, it makes you happy.

RM: After the fight, John Scully said Chad Dawson’s weight loss and strength coach might have affected Chad’s performance. What do you think?
AW: I’m not saying the weight did or did not have an effect on his performance. I just know that it is not my fault if it did. For the last few years, Chad Dawson and his team said they were willing to move down to 168. He even called out the winner of the Super Six. I’ve never called Chad out. I’ve never bothered Chad. I’ve always praised Chad when I was asked about him. But they came looking for me in my weight class. And throughout training camp, even at the press conference, Scully said, the weight is the last thing they are worrying about. I think the best thing to do is give credit where credit is due just like Chad did. It is not a good look for Scully to point blame on the conditioning coach or for the conditioning coach to point blame at Scully. I mean, I was always taught that the head coach is commander-in-chief, no matter who else is a part of the team. The commander-in-chief is the overseer of everything. Whether the weight was an issue or not, the respectful thing to do is what Chad Dawson did. He said, hey, I’m moving back up to 175 and I am going to continue my career. But it is not a good look for Scully to make excuses.

RM: Do you think those excuses are taking away from your victory?
AW: No, I don’t think so. Based on how verbal Chad and his team were shows that I earned the victory. I mean I had to cut weight too. I think he said that he weighed about 182 to start camp and I weighed 182. I made a sacrifice like he did. And Chad pushed for the fight at that weight. I think everybody understands that. You might have a few negative comments. But I think I am getting my just due.

RM: I think you are getting the proper respect for the win. There are always some people making excuses in every fight. But as long as Dawson is not saying anything then you are getting the full credit right?
AW: Yeah, I think Chad was still strong in there. He threw strong punches. I think there was more than weight bothering him. I think it had more to do with what I brought to the table.

RM: Yeah.
AW: From the game plan to the strength, to the pressure, to the conditioning. I think it was a combination of what I did that caused Chad to not want to continue.

RM: Now, do you think the fight would have been different if it took place at 175 pounds?
AW: I don’t think so. Maybe there would less room for excuses afterwards.
But I would be a lot stronger at 175 too.

RM: I heard rumors before and after the fight about Edison Miranda apparently knocking down Chad Dawson during sparring. Did you hear anything about that?
AW: Yeah, I saw the article man, just like everybody else. You hear rumors about stuff, but I wasn’t in that gym. I don’t know what’s true. My job is not to focus on rumors. My job is to prepare for the best Chad Dawson. I don’t know what they were doing. From what I saw on 24/7, it looked like they were doing great work. As a fighter, I have to go off the visual. I can’t listen to that. We heard whispers. But we just stayed focused.

RM: Do you feel more gratification from this victory than any other in your career?
AW: I do. It is not just that we won. It is the way we won. I think that is why I feel vindicated. Some people thought Chad was going to beat me. Some others thought I was going to win by decision. But nobody picked Chad to be stopped. For us to stop Chad Dawson is a major statement in the boxing world.

RM: So do you think all of this talk about Andre’s lack of punching power should be stopped now?
AW: Well, I still got a lot of work to do. But I’m not going to come out of myself. And I didn’t come out of myself against Chad. I’m telling you, at this level, if you go out looking for a knockout, you are going to find yourself looking at the lights. Because guys that are smart and sharp in this sport will set you up. So, if the knockout comes it comes. If it doesn’t it doesn’t. The game is about getting your hands raised. You can still be entertaining if you don’t get a knockout. So that is what I am going to continue to do. Be entertaining.

RM: Do you feel like you are a complete fighter?
AW: No, I don’t think so. You know it was a great fight. I still feel I am 80 or 85 percent. I just have to keep doing what I am doing, just stay dedicated to the sport. I need to keep working on my craft, and continue fighting top-flight competition. I don’t think I am at my best yet.

RM: Well, you say you want to keep on working, but what’s missing?
AW: I don’t think there is anything missing; I just think it takes time.

RM: Yeah.
AW: I feel like I am approaching my prime. I’m approaching that maturity level in the ring that you can’t teach. It just comes with time. You come in to a zone around age 29, 30, 31, when everything starts to slow down. You really start to understand how to fight. I am approaching that. With Chad, things were a lot slower than I anticipated. I’ve watched Chad for years. He has a couple of inches of reach and height, and I know he has speed, but I saw everything coming.

RM: Some people are calling you the best pound for pound fighter in the world after this fight.
AW: I appreciate it. It is exciting to hear, and it continues to motivate me. It really motivates me. That kind of attention will either cause you to slow down, or pick it up and stay motivated. But I’m not there yet. I’m not the best fighter in the world. I take my hat off to Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Those guys have done it a lot longer than me. They have been at the highest level for a very long time. I respect those guys. I think I am getting close. All I can do is continue doing what I am doing.

RM: How does it feel to come out of a fight without a scratch on your face?
AW: I love it man. It is a beautiful feeling. To be able to win a championship fight against another champion looking close to clean, feels good.

RM: That means you are getting close to being perfect right?
AW: I wish man. But there is always something. And there should be always something. Every time I look at the tape I say, “I have to go back and work on this.” I have seen guys have flawless performances in the ring. Bernard Hopkins against Tito Trinidad, Floyd Mayweather against Diego Corrales, Floyd Mayweather against Arturo Gatti, Roy Jones against James Toney. Those are the fights that jump out to you. I don’t think the fight with Chad was flawless. But it was a good performance.

RM: Do you think the Carl Froch win and the Super Six was bigger than the win over Chad Dawson?
AW: No, no, no, the Chad Dawson fight was much bigger. I think the Froch fight was 1B and this one was 1A, just based on Chad’s credentials, and the event being on HBO.

RM: OK. Do you have any idea what comes next?
AW: Well, my team and I will get together next week. Obviously we have our eyes on the winner of this fight between Chavez Jr. and Martinez. But other than that, we haven’t talked any names.

RM: You are keeping a close eye on the Chavez/Martinez fight?
AW: Absolutely, my son has a game on Saturday. But if I have enough time, I might hop on a plane and try to get there that night.

RM: Who do you think is going to win?
AW:Well, it is a pick em’ fight. You have the obvious contrast of size and speed with Chavez being the bigger man and Martinez being faster. If Martinez wins, he says I have to come down to 160. There is no way. I’d have to chop off an arm and a leg to get to 160. But Chavez is seemingly outgrowing the middleweight division. And with the name that he has –and the credentials that I have– I think it would be a blockbuster mega event.

RM: So, if Chavez wins you would want to fight him next?
AW: Oh, I would definitely fight Chavez next. I just think it would be a natural fit. I mean, why not?

RM: Well, what about a move to 175?
AW: I don’t think I’d move to 175 for my next fight. I really don’t know. In this business all doors are open until they are closed. I think 175 is a few fights down the road. I have to be careful about that because when I go up I am not coming back down. So I don’t want to prematurely go up and have to scale back down to 168 for some reason. I definitely want to be a multi-divisional champion in the future.

RM: But, ideally it would be a fight with Chavez around April or May 2013 correct?
AW: That would be ideal. That would give him time to rest. That would give me time to rest. And May 5th, Cinco de Mayo is a great date. I’d love to fight Chavez on Cinco de Mayo. We’ll see, I mean, I’m willing to do it. I’d love to fight Martinez too. But I think the weight difference is a problem.

RM: Man, I hear people calling out names and I just want you to clear the air. People on Twitter are calling for you to fight Floyd Mayweather at a catch weight, or Canelo Alvarez. Are either of those fights on your radar?
AW: Absolutely not from the standpoint of weight. Those guys, in my opinion, are too small. They have great names and they would be great matchups in terms of the namesake, but I just don’t see how it could happen.

RM: I hear you. Hey, you were talking about fighting Chavez; it’s funny, I’ve never heard you call anyone’s name out.
AW: Well, I just think that a fight with Chavez is the natural fit for both of us. His name has been brought to me many times. And I feel– if Chavez has issues with weight, and he gets by Sergio Martinez on a big stage, he should move up and make the fight. There is no disrespect. Why not?

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Raymond Markarian

Friday Boxing Recaps: Observations on Conlan, Eubank, Bahdi, and David Jimenez

Published

7 hours ago

March 8, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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March 7 was an unusually heavy Friday for professional boxing. The show that warranted the most ink was the all-female card in London, a tour-de-force for the super-talented Lauren Price, but there were important fights on other continents.

Brighton

Michael Conlan, who sat out all of 2024 on the heels of being stopped in three of his previous five, returned to the ring in the British seaside resort city of Brighton in a shake-off-the-rust, 8-rounder against Asad Asif Khan, a 31-year-old Indian from Calcutta making his first appearance in a British ring.

Conlan, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist who famously signed with Top Rank coming out of the amateur ranks, is now 33 years old. Against Khan, he was far from impressive, but did enough to win by a 78-74 score and lock in a match with Spain’s Cristobal Lorente, the European featherweight champion.

Conlan, who improved to 19-3 (9), absorbed a lot of punishment in those three matches that he lost. With his deep amateur background, Michael has a lot of mileage on him and he would have been smart to call it quits after his embarrassingly one-sided defeat to Luis Alberto Lopez. His frayed reflexes speak to something more than ring rust. Heading in, Khan brought a 19-5-1 record but had scored only five wins inside the distance.

Conlan vs Khan was the co-feature. In the main event, Brighton welterweight Harlem Eubank, the cousin of Chris Eubank Jr, improved to 21-0 (9 KOs) with a dominant performance over Conlan’s Belfast homie Tyrone McKenna. Eubank was credited with three knockdowns, all the result of body punches, before referee John Latham had seen enough and pulled the plug at the 2:09 mark of round 10. It was the fourth loss in his last six outings for the 35-year-old McKenna (24-6-1).

Harlem Eubank wants to fight Conor Benn next and says he is willing to wait until after his cousin “wipes Benn out.” Chris Eubank Jr vs Benn is slated for April 26 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The North London facility, which has a retractable roof, is the third-largest soccer stadium in England.

Toronto

Local fan favorite Lucas Bahdi and his stablemate Sara Bailey were the headliners on last night’s card at the Great Canadian Casino Resort in Toronto. The event marked the first incursion of Jake Paul’s MVP Promotions into Canada.

Bahdi, who is from Niagara Falls but trains in Toronto, burst out of obscurity in July of last year in Tampa, Florida, with a spectacular one-punch knockout of heavily-hyped Ashton “H2O” Sylva. His next fight, on the undercard of Jake Paul’s match with Mike Tyson, was less “noisy” and the same could be said of his homecoming fight with Ryan James Racaza, an undefeated (15-0) but obscure southpaw from the Philippines who was making his North American debut.

Bahdi vs Racaza was a technical fight that didn’t warm up until Bahdi produced a knockdown in round seven with a sweeping left hook, a glancing blow that appeared to land behind Racaza’s ear. The Filipino was up in a jiff, looking at the referee as if to say, “this dude just hit me with a rabbit punch.”

The judges had it 99-90, 97-92, and 96-93 for the victorious Bahdi (19-0) who was the subject of a recent profile on these pages.

Sara Bailey, a decorated amateur who competed around the world under her maiden name Sara Haghighat Joo and now holds the WBA light flyweight title, successfully defended that trinket with a lopsided decision over Cristina Navarro (6-3), a 35-year-old Spaniard who “earned” this assignment by winning a 6-round decision over an opponent with a 1-4-3 record. The judges scored the monotonous fight 99-91 across the board for Bailey who improved to 6-0 and then returned to the ring to assist her husband in Lucas Bahdi’s corner.

Also

Twenty-two-year-old super bantamweight Angel Barrientes, a Las Vegas-based Hawaii native, delivered the best performance of the night with a one-sided beatdown of Alexander Castellano whose corner mercifully stopped the contest after the seventh round as the ring doctor stood in a neutral corner chatting with the referee.

The gritty Castellano, who hails from Tonawanda, New York, brought an 11-1-2 record and hadn’t previously been stopped. A glutton for punishment, he appeared to suffer a broken orbital bone. Barrientes improved to 13-1 (8 KOs).

The show was marred by an excessive amount of fluffy gobbledygook by the TV talking heads which slowed down the action and made the promotion almost unwatchable.

Cartago, Costa Rica

Fighting in his hometown, super flyweight David Jimenez scored a lopsided 12-round decision over Nicaragua’s Keyvin Lara. The judges had it 120-108, 119-109, and 116-112.

Jimenez, now 17-1, came to the fore in July of 2022 when he upset Ricardo Sandoval in Los Angeles, winning a well-earned majority decision over a 20/1 favorite riding a 16-fight winning streak. That boosted him into a title fight with the formidable Artem Dalakian who saddled him with his lone defeat.

Jimenez’s victory over Lara was his fifth since that setback. It sets up the Costa Rican for another title fight, this time against Argentina’s Fernando Martinez who acquired the WBA 115-pound title in July with an upset of Kazuto Ioka in Japan. Lara, who unsuccessfully challenged Ioka for a belt in 2016, falls to 32-7-1.

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Price Conquers Jonas on an All-Female Card at Royal Albert Hall

Published

1 day ago

March 7, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Ben Shalom’s BOXXER Promotions was at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall tonight with an all-female card topped by a welterweight unification fight between WBC/IBF belt-holder Natasha Jonas and WBA champion Lauren Price.

Liverpool’s Jonas, who turns 41 in June, has had a sterling career, but Father Time has caught up with her. The 30-year-old Price, an Olympic gold medalist, had faster hands, faster feet, and hit harder. The classy Jonas (16-3-1) acknowledged as much in her post-fight interview: “She beat me to the punch every time.”

The scores were 100-90, 98-92, and 98-93.

In advancing her record to 9-0 (2), Price built a strong case that she is the best fighter to come down the pike from Wales since Joe Calzaghe. As for her next bout, she hopes to fight the winner of the March 29 rematch in Las Vegas between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan. That match, with all of the meaningful welterweight hardware at stake, would be a hot ticket item if potted in Cardiff.

Semi-wind-up

Caroline Dubois staved off a late rally to successfully defend her WBC lightweight title with a majority decision over South Korea’s spunky Bo Mi Re Shin. The judges had it 98-92, 98-93, and 95-95. Although the 95-95 tally by the Korean judge was quite a stretch, Shin performed far better than the odds – Dubois was a consensus 35/1 favorite — portended.

Dubois, a 24-year-old Londoner trained by Shane McGuigan, is the sister of IBF heavyweight title-holder Daniel Dubois. Reportedly 36-3 as an amateur, she advanced her pro record to 11-0-1 (5). Heading in, Shin (18-3-3) had won nine of her previous 10 with the lone setback coming via split decision in a robust fight with Belgium’s Delfine Persoon in Belgium.

Other Bouts of Note

Kariss Artingstall returned to the ring after a 14-month absence and scored a unanimous decision over former amateur rival Raven Chapman. The scores were 98-91, 97-92, 96-93.

The prize for Artingstall, who happens to be Lauren Price’s partner, was the inaugural British female featherweight title and a potential rematch with Skye Nicolson who would relish the chance to avenge her last defeat, a loss by split decision to Attingstall in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics. Nicolson, who was part of tonight’s broadcast team, defends her title later this month in Sydney against Florida’s Tiara Brown.

It was the first 10-rounder for Artingstall (7-0). Chapman (9-2) had an uphill battle after Artingstall decked her in the second round with a straight left hand.

In a mild upset, Jasmina Zopotoczna, a UK-based Pole, won a split decision over Chloe Watson, adding Watson’s European flyweight title to her own regional trinket. One of the judges favored Watson 97-93, but each of his colleagues had it 96-95 for the Pole. Although there was no great furor, the verdict was unpopular.

Zapotoczna, who fought off her back foot, improved to 9-1. It was the first pro loss for Watson who is trained by Ricky Hatton.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 316: Art of the Deal in Boxing and More

Published

2 days ago

March 6, 2025

David A. Avila

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So, they want to save boxing?

A group of guys with recent ties to the sport of boxing and bags of money suddenly believe they can save a sport that is older than any other sport since the dawn of mankind.

Boxing is the oldest sport.

When cavemen roamed the planet, you can believe one tribe bet another tribe their guy could whip the other guy. Thus began the sport of boxing. There was no baseball, soccer or horse racing.

Even the invention of the wheel was still a few generations away when men were duking it out with other men for sport.

Throughout history mentions of one man fighting another man without arms are written in the Tales of Ulysses and other literary references.

Boxing will never die. Period.

Here is the reason why.

Boxing requires only two men in their underwear with no weapons and no requirement of classes in jujitsu, kickboxing, wrestling or advance training facilities. You can prepare in your backyard with one heavy bag and a pair of boxing gloves. It’s simple.

MMA, on the other hand, requires money.

Boxing is for the poor. Any kid can walk into a gym and begin training. When they become adults, then they start paying to use the gym.

Don’t let people fool you and tell you “boxing is dying.”

People have been saying those same words since John L. Sullivan in the late 1800s. You can look it up.

The phrase “boxing is dying,” is said by people who want you to pay them money to save it. Kind of sounds like the guy currently sitting in the White House who is going to save America by firing Americans from their jobs and allowing Russia to take over Ukraine.

Don’t believe these people.

Boxing does not need saving.

Why would Dana White, who has stated for decades that MMA is bigger than boxing, though no MMA fighter can equal the purses of a Saul “Canelo” Alvarez or Tyson Fury, why is he involved in boxing?

There is big money to be made in boxing, especially with internet gambling sites being allowed all over the world. And boxing is popular worldwide. MMA is not.

More people know who Canelo is than UFC’s Alex Pereira.

I respect the UFC fighters. They put in hard work and battle injuries throughout their careers. But MMA is simply not as big as boxing. The purses of MMA fighters at the top level don’t come close to boxing’s top money earners.

Why did Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz and others quickly switch to boxing when called?

The money in boxing is much bigger.

Follow the money.

NYC

A rumble is planned for Times Square in New York City.

Vatos from Southern California are fighting dudes from Nevada and Brooklyn. Sounds like a script from the Gangs of New York.

Where is Leonardo DiCaprio when you need him?

Ryan “KingRy” Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) will meet Rollie Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) in a welterweight match set for May 2, on Times Square in mid-Manhattan. This is one of three marquee bouts planned to be streamed on DAZN.

Others matched will be Arnold Barboza (32-0, 11 KOs) versus super lightweight titlist Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs), and Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) against Jose Carlos Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) in a welterweight contest.

This is the proposed match by The Ring magazine backed by Turki Alalshikh who, along with Golden Boy Promotions and Matchroom Boxing, is sponsoring this fight card.

It was also announced that Alalshikh, TKO Group Holdings, and Sela are forming a promotion company.

TKO owns UFC and WWE.

SoCal Fights

Southern California will be busy with boxing cards this weekend.

This Thursday, March 6, is Golden Boy Promotions with a boxing card featuring Manny Flores (19-1, 15 KOs) versus Jorge Leyva (18-3, 13 KOs) in a super bantamweight match at Fantasy Springs Casino. DAZN will stream the boxing card from Indio, California.

On Saturday, March 8, the Fox Theater in Pomona, California hosts a boxing card featuring super middleweights Ruben Cazales (10-0) vs Adam Diu Abdulhamid (18-16). Also, super featherweights Michael Bracamontes (10-2-1) meets Eugene Lagos (16-9-3) at the historic venue promoted by House of Pain Boxing.

On Saturday March 8, Elite Boxing hosts a boxing card at Salesian High in East Los Angeles featuring East L.A. native Merari Vivar (8-0) against Sarah Click (2-8-1) and several other fights.

On Saturday, March 8, an event hosted by House of Champions features top contenders Joet Gonzalez (26-4) vs Arnold Khegai (22-1-1) in a featherweight main event at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, Calif.

A Big All-Female Card in London

On Friday, March 7, the historic Royal Albert Hall in the Kensington borough of London will host an all-female card with two world title fights including a unification fight in the welterweight division.

Natasha Jonas (16-2-1) and Lauren Price (8-0) meet 10 rounds for the IBF, WBC, and WBA belts.

Jonas, 40, the current WBC and IBF titlist, recently defeated Ivana Habazin and before that edged past Mikaela Mayer in a win that could have gone the other way very easily. She will be facing Price, an Olympic gold medalist and current WBA and IBO titlist.

Price, 30, hails from Wales and has an aggressive pressure style that saw her win a battle between punchers with a third-round knockout of Colombia’s Bexcy Mateus this past December in Liverpool. Before that she defeated the always tough Jessica McCaskill.

In the co-main event, lightweights Caroline Dubois (10-0-1) and Bo Mi Re Shin (18-2-3) meet for the WBC world title.

Me Re Shin, 30, fights out of South Korea and has knockout power. She was one of only two fighters to stop Venezuela’s Ana Maria Lozano who has 38 pro fights. That says something. She lost a split decision to Delfine Persoon in Belgium. That really says something.

Dubois had two competitive fights, first, against Jessica Camara that ended in a technical draw due to a clash of heads. Before that she defeated Maira Moneo. Dubois has very good talent and is still young at 24. Is she ready for Mi Re Shin?

Times Square photo credit: JP Yim

Fights to watch:

Thurs., March 6: DAZN, Manny Flores (19-1) vs. Jorge Leyva (18-3)

Fri., March 7: free on DAZN, Lucas Bahdi (18-0) vs. Ryan James Racaza (15-0)

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