The Raskin Running Diary Returns! The Brooklyn Quadrupleheader (Part II)

Published

12 years ago

October 23, 2012

MalignaggiCano Hogan78 The Saturday Showtime card kept Raskin awake almost the whole time, which is a compliment to that network. (Hogan)

If you missed Part I of the dramatic return of the Raskin running diary yesterday, click here, laugh a little, cry a little, and then come right back to this page. Now without further delay, let’s get to Part II, live from my living room by way of Brooklyn’s Barclays Center:

10:30 p.m. ET: No one will ever accuse Paulie Malignaggi of possessing impressive pop, but he sure gets an impressive pop from the local crowd as he appears on the big screen and begins his ring walk. Unfortunately, he’s being led to the ring by some rapper I don’t recognize (new Twitter friend @BarberOvDaYear tells me it’s a Brooklyn rapper named Maino) and the sound system is terrible and it’s killing the buzz of Paulie’s grand entrance. I’m trying to process the fact that The House That Jay-Z Built lacks quality rap acoustics.

10:33: Pablo Cesar Cano wins the battle of ring entrances just by having that guy with the mariachi outfit and the skeleton mask waving the Mexican flag for him.

10:35: Your referee for Malignaggi-Cano: Steve Smoger. Watch and learn, Mercante.

10:42: Cano is cut on the left eyelid during the second round (ruled the result of a punch), and a closeup in the corner reveals that it is a wide, nasty one. Cano, who weighed in 1.2 pounds over the welterweight limit and thus is ineligible to win Malignaggi’s alphabet belt, could have used that cut the day before to bleed his way down to 147. Oh well, hindsight’s always 20/20, right?

10:47: Nice shot at ringside of Zab Judah, a.k.a. “the guy Garcia should be fighting in tonight’s main event in Brooklyn instead of a Mexican opponent he defeated comfortably seven months ago.” Seated next to Judah is publicist Kelly Swanson, getting herself some quality screen time. Eat your heart out, Fred Sternburg.

10:58: This fight is quite good and seems about even here in the sixth round, but I’m starting to nod off anyway because, well, we’re getting into past-my-bedtime territory. And if I want to power nap for two minutes, then dammit, that’s just what I’m going to do. Yet another perk of being at home and not on press row.

11:00: At the midway point, Farhood and Bernstein both have Cano ahead 58-57, while Trout shockingly has it 60-55 for Malignaggi! Trout then proceeds to defend his card with some weak BS about Cano having to take the title from the champion. I’m enjoying the broadcast stylings of Trout less and less as this card wears on. (For the record, of the boxers Showtime has tried out since suspending Tarver, Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson was easily my favorite.)

11:03: We get another closeup of Cano’s cut in the corner heading into the eighth round, and, yikes, it’s gotta be about three-quarters of an inch wide. This prompts me to tweet something that can not be repeated in a family-friendly column such as this one. But you can go ahead and scroll through my Twitter feed if you want. You’ll know it when you see it.

11:14: Cano lands a couple of excellent left hooks in the 10th, but Tompkins declares it a good round for Malignaggi as the bell clangs. In all honesty, I’m not paying close enough attention to score the fight accurately. I’m too busy fighting off sleep, taking notes for this running diary, tweeting, and congratulating myself on my popular off-color tweet from 11 minutes earlier. (One guy even declared it “tweet of the year.” I was thinking more along the lines of “tweet of the century,” but I suppose I’ll settle for the understated compliment.)

11:19: With 20 seconds to go in round 11, a perfect right hand over the top from Cano lands on Paulie’s chin and drops him! Malignaggi gets up and says he’s fine, but that one punch turned this into a situation where it’s now going to feel like a hometown robbery if Paulie gets the decision. (Although, again, I should make clear that I’m not scoring carefully. I’m just saying it feels like Cano is ahead.)

11:23: At the final bell, the fighters share an authentic embrace and then both get carried around the ring on their cornermen’s shoulders. I check the scoring of people I follow on Twitter, and not a single person has Malignaggi winning.

11:26: So, of course, the judges have Malignaggi winning. One judge scores it 118-109 for Cano, which seems fairly ludicrous, while the other two both give it to Paulie, 114-113. The crowd boos passionately. Yes, the Brooklyn crowd boos the decision going to the Brooklyn fighter.

11:28: Malignaggi scores some points after the fight when Gray, as he tends to do, leans on the crutch of building his questions around the punch stats, and Malignaggi responds, “CompuBox, a lot of times, they gotta get their LensCrafters on.” The punch stats are an interesting point of discussion and analysis, nothing more. They do not tell you who won the fight. (Although I’m sure if the stats had come out in Malignaggi’s favor, he would have offered them up as proof that the decision was correct.)

11:39: As the main event fighters make their way to the ring, the Showtime crew tip-toes around the Morales/USADA controversy. They’re acknowledging the facts, but nobody seems to want to offer an opinion on it. Personal aside: Morales and I are just about the same age and he won his first title less than a week after I began my career in boxing journalism. Over the ensuing 15 years, my hair has changed color considerably more than his, but his nose has changed shape considerably more than mine.

11:45: The main event is underway! Phew. I was certain Garcia was going to pull out at the last minute rather than face a weight-drained old man for a million dollars.

11:47: To the soundtrack of “Dan-ny! Dan-ny!” chants, Garcia gets the better of a well paced opening round, though “El Terrible” does land one particularly crackling counter left hook.

11:56: Garcia buckles Morales’ knees with a right hand at the bell to end round three, and Erik stumbles back to the wrong corner. My opinion that this rematch would be a waste of everyone’s time is on its way to being validated.

11:58: As round four begins, Cortez weighs in with his analysis. Thank goodness he’s here to let us know that the ref will be watching Morales closely.

11:59: A perfect left hook from Garcia causes Morales to do a 180-degree pirouette, then coil back 180 degrees in the opposite direction and crash to the canvas with his body hurtling halfway through the ropes. Before ref Benji Esteves can begin to count, one of Morales’ cornermen runs into the ring, then runs back out, but Esteves waves off the fight. It could be ruled a disqualification, but instead it goes into the books as a knockout. Whatever it is, it’s a sad scene. GBP is going to have a hard time moving forward with plans for Garcia-Morales III.

12:04 a.m.: As Gray interviews him, Garcia asks him in which round the knockout came, and Gray says it was the fifth. Actually, it was the fourth. I guess that information wasn’t conveniently listed anywhere in the punch stats. Meanwhile, Garcia comes off as a tremendously likeable guy. Some folks might find his dad abrasive, but I wouldn’t hold that against Danny. And we should get used to seeing Garcia’s face and hearing him interviewed because with two months to go in the year, he’s the leading candidate for Fighter of the Year honors.

12:08: Morales more or less announces his retirement (again) in his interview with Gray, saying something about an easy farewell fight in Tijuana and then that will be the end. BK thanks Morales moments later for “years and years of warrior-ship.” Every boxing fan on the planet co-signs that one.

12:14: Kenny wraps up the telecast, and I get to go to bed. This long night of fights offered a representative sample of the best and worst that boxing has to offer. We got two very good fights, one of which ended in a mildly controversial hometown decision; we got one painfully boring fight; and we got one brief, depressing mismatch. And ultimately, we got a reasonable argument in favor of the Showtime quadrupleheader: You give ’em enough quantity, and odds are you’ll also give ’em some quality.

Hope you enjoyed the running diary. Let’s do it again when Garcia vs. Judah makes “history” at the Barclays Center in February.

Eric Raskin can be contacted at RaskinBoxing@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter @EricRaskin and listen to new episodes of his podcast, Ring Theory, at http://ringtheory.podbean.com.

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Eric Raskin

A Closer Look at Weslaco ‘Heartbreaker’ Brandon Figueroa and an Early Peek at Inoue vs Nery

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2024

Arne K. Lang

A Closer Look at Weslaco ‘Heartbreaker’ Brandon Figueroa and an Early Peek at Inoue vs Nery

Brandon Figueroa returns to the ring on Saturday after a 14-month absence. He meets Jessie Magdaleno in a 12-round featherweight affair at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with the winner potentially headed to a match with Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue. Figueroa vs. Magdaleno will be part of the four-fight pay-per-view telecast topped by Canelo Alvarez’s super middleweight title defense against Jaime Munguia.

Akin to Magdaleno, Figueroa (24-1-1, 18 KOs) is a former super bantamweight (122-pound) champion. He won the WBA version of the world title with a 10^th-round stoppage of Damien Vazquez and added the WBC belt with a seventh-round KO of previously undefeated Luis Nery who fights Inoue this coming Monday at the “Big Egg” in Tokyo.

Throughout history, many prominent boxers have been identified with the place that hewed them. Students of boxing history can identify the Saginaw Kid, the Terror Haute Terror, the Cincinnati Cobra – the list is long – and even casual fans can name the Brockton Blockbuster, the immortal Rocky Marciano.

Brandon Figueroa hails from Weslaco, a small city in the southern tip of Texas. It is part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, commonly abbreviated RGV, and the locals feel an emotional tie to the entire valley, a place where the unofficial language among the adult population is Spanglish, a melding of Spanish and English.

Brandon’s older brother Omar Figueroa Jr, who retired in 2022 with a record of 28-3-1 after losing his last three fights, became a local hero after becoming the first boxer from the Valley to win a world title, in his case the WBC lightweight diadem. Brandon, 27, has the opportunity to out-do him by becoming the first boxer from the Valley to win titles in two weight divisions.

The brothers were introduced to boxing by their father, Omar Figueroa Sr. A mailman now in his twenty-seventh year working for the U.S. Postal Service, the elder Figueroa never boxed but followed the sport closely and hoped that one of his sons would follow in the footsteps of his sporting heroes Julio Cesar Chavez and the late Salvador Sanchez. Brandon borrowed a page from the Chavez playbook when he scored his signature win over Luis Nery. A left to the solar plexus ended the match. Nery replied with a sweeping left hook, but it was all instinct. In a delayed reaction, he crumpled to the canvas after launching the errant punch and was counted out.

Although Omar Sr has a picture in his cell phone of Brandon in fighting togs when Brandon was two years old, he insists that he discouraged his younger son from pursuing a career in boxing. “He was too skinny and didn’t have Omar’s natural talent,” the elder Figueroa told this reporter when we chatted at Las Vegas’ Pound4Pound Boxing Gym. “Then, when Brandon was about 12 or 13, he started hurting bigger boys with punches to the body in sparring and I thought, hold on, maybe I have something here.”

Omar Sr. opened a gym, Pantera Boxing, to give his sons a leg up and eventually enough kids from the neighborhood started coming by to field an amateur boxing team.

Omar Figueroa Sr was born in Northern Mexico and came to the United States at age nine. Many of his siblings – he was one of nine children — reside in Mexico but close enough for family get-togethers. The Figueroa family has crossed the international bridge that connects the two countries on many occasions. Returning to Weslaco, they share the span with border-crossers seeking refuge in the United States.

“One of the things I’ve noticed,” says Brandon, “is that there are a lot more Europeans crossing over that bridge into the U.S. than we used to see, especially people from countries like Russia and Ukraine.”

About that nickname: Brandon acquired it while visiting relatives in Rio Bravo, Mexico, situated roughly 18 miles from Weslaco. He was just a boy, perhaps 11 or 12, and it was teenage or pre-teen girls who affixed the “Heartbreaker” label to him. Indeed, in the looks department, he could give Ryan Garcia a run for his money. (Back off, ladies, Brandon has a steady girlfriend.)

Brandon Figueroa doesn’t want boxing to define him. “I’m also a businessman,” he says, noting that he owns several parcels of Weslaco real estate and owns stock in one of his sponsors, LOCK’DIN, a start-up, high-performance beverage company whose Board of Directors includes Manny Pacquiao.

Brandon Pacquiao

In high school, Brandon took classes in theater. He has a role in a forthcoming Amazon Prime movie, “Find Me,” and a starring role in the first episode of the reconstituted “Tales from the Crypt” which will air on HBO Max.

When Brandon quits boxing, will Hollywood beckon? “I can’t imagine settling down anywhere but in the Valley,” he says. “The Valley will always be a part of me.”

In his last outing, Figueroa won an interim WBC featherweight title with a lopsided decision over Mark Magsayo. In theory, that boosted him into a fight with Rey Vargas who was allowed to keep his WBC featherweight title after moving up to 130 where he suffered his first defeat at the hands of O’Shaquie Foster. But in boxing, “money” trumps “mandatory” and Vargas jumped at the chance to fight in Saudi Arabia where he was fortunate to retain his title when he received a draw in his match with Liverpool’s Nick Ball.

The most lucrative fight out there would be a match with four-belt super bantamweight champion and pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue who has expressed an interest in moving up to featherweight after disposing of Luis Nery. Yes, that’s putting the cart before the horse, but Brandon Figueroa thinks the challenger from Tijuana, despite his impressive record (35-1-1, 27 KOs) has scant chance of winning. “I found a hole in Nery’s style,” he said, “and knew that once fatigue set in for him, he would be mine.”

Inoue vs. Nery is a very big deal in Japan in part because there’s a hero and a villain. Luis Nery is the only man to defeat the popular Shinsuke Yamanaka, a long-reigning title-holder who quit the sport after Nery knocked him out twice. After their first meeting, Nery’s “A” and “B” samples tested positive for a banned substance and he came in three pounds overweight for the rematch (a substantial edge in a small weight class), for which he was suspended and dropped from the WBC rankings. Nery, wrote TSS correspondent Tamas Pradarics, “repeatedly cheated on the Japanese in ugly and disgusting ways,” and the Japanese haven’t forgotten.

If Brandon Figueroa goes off to Japan some day to oppose Naoya Inoue, it will take some doing to contort him into a villain. “I love the Japanese people and the Japanese culture,” he says, “the whole Samurai thing which is so in tune with the warrior spirit of Mexicans.”

—

The pay-per-view portion of Saturday’s show is available for purchase on various cable and satellite platforms including Prime Video, DAZN.com, and PPV.com. First bell is slated for 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.

Brandon Figueroa vs. Jessie Magdaleno will be the second bout on the four-fight PPV program. It will follow the WBA world welterweight title fight between Eimantas Stanionis and Gabriel Maestre and will precede the WBC interim world welterweight title fight between Mario Barrios and Fabian Maidana.

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Ramirez Outpoints Barthelemy and Vergil Ortiz Scores Another Fast KO in Fresno

Published

5 days ago

April 27, 2024

David A. Avila

Ramirez-Outpoints-Barthelemy-and-Vergil-Ortiz-Scores-Another-Fast-KO-in-Fresno

Northern California favorite Jose Ramirez avoided an upset and knockout artist Vergil Ortiz destroyed his opponent on Saturday to set up a showdown with Australia’s power-punching Tim Tszyu.

After a 13-month layoff Ramirez (29-1, 18 KOs) shook off ring rust and avoided an upset by Cuba’s Rances Barthelemy (30-3-1, 15 KOs) in a battle between former world champions at Save Mart Center in Fresno.

It was Ramirez’s first bout under Golden Boy Promotions and he was nearly derailed by the slick counter-punching southpaw in the third and six rounds with laser left counters that connected every time. Though he was floored in the third round it was ruled a push down by referee Jack Reiss.

Fans gasped.

“He throws that left hand and I got hit with it in one round,” Ramirez said. “It motivated him.”

Once Ramirez figured out the remedy, he kept the fight inside and attacked the body and head. Barthelemy was unable to uncork one of his long lefts at close distance.

From the seventh round on the former super lightweight champion took control and kept the Cuban fighter against the ropes and unloaded shots to the body and head. He nearly forced a stoppage in the 11^th round.

Barthelemy survived but all three judges scored it big for Ramirez after 12 rounds: 119-109 twice and 118-110.

Vergil KOs Number 21

Knowing a win sets up a massive showdown against Aussie slugger Tim Tszyu, the Texas slugger Vergil Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs) wasted no time in blasting out Puerto Rico’s Thomas Dulorme (26-7-1, 17 KOs) with a perfectly placed left hook to the body. Dulorme collapsed to the ground in agony.

Referee Tom Taylor stopped counting at 2:39 of the first round.

“It was a very calculated punch,” Ortiz said.

It was a commanding one round performance that sets up the showdown against the equally powerful Tszyu who despite losing a split decision to Sebastian Fundora last month by split decision, retains his reputation as a dangerous puncher.

Ortiz, who has 21 knockouts in 21 fights, will probably be fighting Tszyu in Los Angeles on June 1 if all negotiations go smoothly.

“Tim (Tszyu) I know you are watching the fight,” said Ortiz. “I’m ready. Let’s put on a great performance.”

Other Bouts

Oscar Duarte (27-2-1, 22 KOs) proved his knockout loss against Ryan Garcia would not stop him from improving as he defeated Jojo Diaz (33-6-1) by knockout at 2:32 of the ninth round in a super lightweight match. Referee Michael Margado wisely stopped the bludgeoning as a towel came flying in almost simultaneously.

It was the first time Diaz was ever defeated by knockout, though he never touched the canvas. It was also the first time Duarte trained with Robert Garcia and the difference was notable as he repeatedly walked through incoming fire and attacked the smaller fighter continuously.

“I want to fight the best in the world,” Duarte said.

Female Title Fight

A rematch battle for the flyweight championship saw Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz (15-1) defeat Marlen Esparza (14-2) this time with a two-fisted attack to win by split decision after 10 rounds.

Esparza failed to make weight and walked in three pounds overweight and Alaniz took advantage to win the WBA, WBC, and WBO flyweight titles in the rematch. Once again the scores were puzzling but this time in favor of Alaniz 97-93, 96-94, and 92-98.

Alaniz now holds the WBO, WBA, WBC flyweight world titles.

Welterweights

Mexico’s Raul Curiel (15-0, 13 KOs) busted body shots on Jorge Marron Jr. (20-5-2) and floored him twice in the first round. The second body blow left Marron paralyzed and unable to continue at 1:31 of the first round as referee Thomas Taylor counted him out.

Curiel, who is managed by Frank Espinoza and son, proved he’s ready for the upper levels of the welterweight division.

“I think I’m ready for the bigger names,” Curiel said. “You see the results.”

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 282: Ryan’s Song, Golden Boy in Fresno and More

Published

6 days ago

April 26, 2024

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 282: Ryan’s Song, Golden Boy in Fresno and More

Don’t call it an upset.

Days after Ryan Garcia proved the experts wrong, those same experts are re-tooling their evaluation processes.

It’s mind-boggling to me that 95 percent thought Garcia had no chance. Hear me out.

First, Garcia and Haney fought six times as amateurs with each winning three. But this time with no head gear and smaller gloves, Garcia had to have at least a 50/50 chance of winning. He is faster and a more powerful puncher.

Facts.

Haney is a wonderful boxer with smooth, almost artistic movements. But history has taught us power and speed like Garcia’s can’t be discounted. Think way back to legendary fighters like Willie Pep and Sandy Sadler. All that excellent defensive skill could not prevent Sadler from beating Pep in three of their four meetings.

Power has always been an equalizer against boxing skill.

Ben Lira, one of the wisest and most experienced trainers in Southern California, always professed knockout power was the greatest equalizer in a fight. “You can be behind for nine rounds and one punch can change the outcome,” he said.

Another weird theory spreading before the fight was that Garcia would quit in the fight. That was a puzzling one. Getting stopped by a perfect body shot is not quitting. And that punch came from Gervonta “Tank” Davis who can really crack.

So how did Garcia do it?

In the opening round Ryan Garcia timed Devin Haney’s jab and countered with a snapping left hook that rattled and wobbled the super lightweight champion. After that, Garcia forced Haney to find another game plan.

Garcia and trainer Derrick James must have worked hours on that move.

I must confess that I first saw Garcia’s ability many years ago when he was around 11 or 12. So I do have an advantage regarding his talent. A few things I noticed even back then were his speed and power. Also, that others resented his talent but respected him. He was the guy with everything: talent and looks.

And that brings resentment.

Recently I saw him and his crew rapping a song on social media. Now he’s got a song. Next thing you know Hollywood will be calling and he’ll be in the movies. It’s happened before with fighters such as Art Aragon, the first Golden Boy in the 50s. He was dating movie stars and getting involved with starlets all over Hollywood.

Is history repeating itself or is Garcia creating a new era for boxing?

Since 2016 people claimed he was just a social media creation. Now, after his win over Devin Haney a former undisputed lightweight champion and the WBC super lightweight titleholder, the boxer from the high desert area of Victorville has become one of the highest paid fighters in the world.

Ryan Garcia has entered a new dimension.

Golden Boy Season

After several down years the Los Angeles-based company Golden Boy Promotions suddenly is cracking the whip in 2024.

Avila

Vergil Ortiz Jr. (20-0, 20 KOs) returns to the ring and faces Puerto Rico’s Thomas Dulorme (26-6-1, 17 KOs) a welterweight gatekeeper who lost to Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Eimantas Stanionis. They meet as super welterweights in the co-main event at Save Mart Arena in Fresno, Calif. on Saturday, April 27. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card live.

It’s a quick return to action for Ortiz who is still adjusting to the new weight division. His last fight three months ago ended in less than one round in Las Vegas. It was cut short by an antsy referee and left Ortiz wanting more after more than a year of inactivity in the prize ring.

Ortiz has all the weapons.

Also, Northern California’s Jose Carlos Ramirez (28-1, 18 KOs) meets Cuba’s Rances Barthelemy (30-2-1, 15 KOs) in a welterweight affair set for 12 rounds.

It’s difficult to believe that former super lightweight titlist Ramirez has been written off by fans after only one loss. That was several years ago against Scotland’s Josh Taylor. One loss does not mean the end of a career.

“My goal is to get back on top and to get all those belts back. I still feel like I am one of the best 140-pounders in the division,” said Ramirez who lives in nearby Avenal, Calif.

An added major attraction features Marlen Esparza in a unification rematch against Gabriela “La Chucky” Alaniz for the WBA, WBC, WBO flyweight titles. Their first fight was

a controversial win by Esparza that saw one judge give her nine of 10 rounds in a very close fight. Those Texas judges.

In a match that could steal the show, Oscar Duarte (26-2-1, 21 KOs) faces former world champion Jojo Diaz (33-5-1, 15 KOs) in a lightweight match.

Munguia and Canelo

Don’t sleep on this match.

Its current Golden Boy fighter Jaime Munguia facing former Golden Boy fighter Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in a battle between Mexico’s greatest sluggers next week at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on May 4.

“I think Jaime Munguia is going to do something special in the ring,” said Oscar De La Hoya, the CEO for Golden Boy.

Tijuana’s Munguia showed up at the Wild Card Boxing gym in Hollywood where a throng of media from Mexico and the US met him.

Munguia looked confident and happy about his opportunity to fight great Canelo.

“It’s a hard fight,” said Munguia. “Truth is, its big for Mexico and not only for Mexicans but for boxing.”

Fights to Watch

Fri. DAZN 6 p.m. Yoeniz Tellez (7-0) vs Joseph Jackson (19-0).

Sat. DAZN 9:30 a.m. Peter McGrail (8-1) vs Marc Leach (18-3-1); Beatriz Ferreira (4-0) vs Yanina Del Carmen 14-3).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Vergil Ortiz (20-0) vs Thomas Dulorme (26-6-1); Jose Carlos Ramirez (28-1) vs Rances Barthelemy (30-2-1); Marlen Esparza (14-1) vs Gabriela Alaniz (14-1).

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy Promotions

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