Espinoza Talks HBO-GB Divorce, Floyd on CBS; Ghost Says He’s The Chosen One

Published

12 years ago

March 27, 2013

I confess I enjoy talking to Showtime boxing boss Stephen Espinoza when I see him. He’s a lawyer, yes. But I don’t hold that against him. He’s not from the Judd Burstein school of lawyers-in-boxing, in-your-face, confrontational.

While he sometimes can’t or won’t give me the total truth, because he doesn’t want to jeopardize a negotiation or throw someone who arguably deserves it under a bus. He’ll tell me, or maybe wrinkle his nose, if he thinks a fight stinks, occasionally, and that’s refreshing. Also, he doesn’t run for a corner and huddle with other execs, giving off the vibe that he’d rather be emptying a cat litter bin than be talking to the press.

I chatted with Espinoza on Tuesday afternoon in NYC, during a media gathering to spread the word on Robert Guerrero (pictured above, with wife Casey in background, in Tom Casino-Showtime photo), the Christian warrior who’s promising to go all David on Goliath Mayweather May 4 in Las Vegas, on Showtime PPV. He didn’t want to get into a pissing match with HBO, or with Bob Arum, while HBO was divorcing Golden Boy a few weeks ago, but some time has passed, and plus, I had him cornered in the Vanderbilt Suite at the MetLife Building at 200 Park Ave.

I asked him how he thinks the sport will be affected by the drawing of the line in the sand, with HBO and Top Rank over here, Golden Boy and Showtime over there.

“I’m not sure how it affects things,” he said. He admitted that he found HBO’s announcement “strange,” using the same term that Richard Schaefer did. “If you say you’re looking for the most competitive fights, but categorically won’t do business with the largest supplier of fights….”

I replied that maybe it’s just best that the terms of the divorce are on the table. Maybe it’s best to be transparent, and because relationships are clarified, people can proceed with a new level of comprehension. He nodded that that take might have some merit.

So, was it tit for tat, did HBO make the move in response to the Mayweather ship jumping to Showtime?

“I’m not sure of the rationale,” Espinoza said. “You get the sense it was maybe them closing the barn door.” He quickly realized he didn’t want to compare boxers to cattle, but the implication was clear. “Let’s substitute a better metaphor.”

As for Mr. Arum’s charge that he hadn’t heard from Espinoza since November, the Showtime exec said that last fall, they wanted to make a Mikey Garcia-Orlando Salido fight. “We haven’t spoken since then, but it’s been pretty clear what his intention was,” he said. “If Arum calls me, I’d be happy to take the call. I’ve been on this job for 16 months, and Bob hasn’t called me once.”

Me, I’d like to see all these guys get along well enough to put together a few of those fights that it would be a shame to never see because they hate each other, and can’t swallow the bile long enough to put the fans first. Would Espinoza try to act as a mediator, bring warring parties together so we could see a Donaire-Mares fight, for example? (And there actually aren’t that many must see fights that aren’t being made, today, because Top Rank and Golden Boy are Israel and Palestine). “Somewhat,” he said. “We’d like to make Donaire-Mares. But when a large offer was made (to Donaire), and it was turned down, it became clear other things were in play. Three million dollars for the fight would have been a record. I think there is a perception that the networks can force the promoters to make fights, we can’t. But, we have an open door, it’s open to everybody.”

He also tossed me an interesting tidbit when I asked if he’d maybe do more business with Euro promoters, to widen the talent base available what with Top Rank being exclusive to HBO, basically. Not really, Espinoza said. In so many words, he said that’s because he is purposefully looking to rebrand, re-position Showtime, and he wants to steer clear of fights and relationships that remind people of the “old” Showtime.

I touched on my desire, as a fan of the sport, to get more and better fights on “free” TV, to grow the hardcore fanbase from its present 1.2 million Americans. He agreed that is important, and also said he’s put into effect more local radio ads, and street team ads and marketing to a younger set, in nightclubs and such, to try and draw more fresh eyeballs to the sport. I get the sense we could see a couple more cards on CBS this year, and he said that Floyd fighting on CBS isn’t a mere pipe dream. That would have to be “alternative business model,” Espinoza noted, agreeing that ads alone don’t equal the revenue generated from PPV.

After that talk, Guerrero appeared. He was presented by Golden Boy’s Dave Itskowitch with a birthday cake–he turned 30 on Wednesday–and then had me convinced that he was more of a threat to Mayweather than he was before I saw him in person. “I look at this fight as a modern day David and Goliath,” he said. He said Floyd used to act respectably, but since the fight against Oscar De La Hoya, he “spun out of control.” The Gilroy, CA boxer said when someone like a Mayweather gets too big for their britches, “the Lord will humble you.” He made it quite clear that he believed he’d been tasked by that Lord to hasten the process. “I know the Lord is using me to do that,” he said.

Guerrero said during their first face to face promo event, Floyd whispered to him that they say prayers to the same God. He implied that God would pick no favorite, that it would be up to each man to get it done on May 4. “But God has favors over people,” Guerrero said. “God uses people.” Mayweather’s problem is he worships money over everything else, Guerrero said he told the fighter, and Floyd “froze up.”

Reader, could Guerrero’s faith in fact elevate him to a level of proficiency on fight night that could propel him past Mayweather? Or do you believe he is using the best method he can decipher to psych himself up, the “chosen one” angle? Weigh in, in our Forum!

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Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

Published

10 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his least three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, delivered the coup-de-gras, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

Published

20 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11^th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is the winner of the Feb. 2 match between Brandon Figueroa and Stephen Fulton. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa/Fulton have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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Eric Priest Wins Handily on Thursday’s Golden Boy card at the Commerce Casino

Published

1 day ago

January 24, 2025

David A. Avila

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Model turned fighter Eric Priest jabbed and jolted his way into the super middleweight rankings with a shutout decision win over veteran Tyler Howard on Thursday.

In his first main event Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) proved ready for contender status by defusing every attack Tennessee’s Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) could muster at Commerce Casino, the second fight in six days at the LA County venue.

All ticket monies collected on the Folden Boy Promotions card were contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation as they battle wildfires sprouting all over Los Angeles County due to high winds.

Priest, 26, had never fought anyone near Howard’s caliber but used a ramrod jab to keep the veteran off-balance and unable to muster a forceful counter-attack. Round after round the Korean-American fighter pumped left jabs while circling his opposition.

Though hit with power shots, none seemed to faze Howard but his own blows were unable to put a dent in Priest. After 10 rounds of the same repetitive action all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Priest who now wins a regional super middleweight title.

Priest also joins the top 15 rankings of the WBA organization.

In a fight between evenly matched middleweights, Jordan Panthen (11-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated after 10 rounds versus DeAundre Pettus (12-4, 7 KOs). Though equally skilled, Panthen simply out-worked the South Caroliina fighter to win by unanimous decision. No knockdowns were scored.

Other Bouts

Grant Flores (8-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Costa Rica’s David Lobo Ramirez (17-4, 12 KOs) with two successive right uppercuts at 2:59 of the second round of the super welterweight fight.

Cayden Griffith (3-0, 3 KOs) used a left hook to the body to stop Mark Misiura at 1:43 of the second round in a super welterweight bout.

Jordan Fuentes (3-0) floored Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) in the third round and proceeded to win by decision after four rounds in a super bantamweight fight.

A super featherweight match saw Leonardo Sanchez (8-0) win by decision over Joseph Cruz Brown (10-12) after six rounds.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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