BORGES: Canelo Isn’t As Risky For Floyd As Pacquiao Was

Published

7 years ago

June 3, 2013

Ron Borges

Generally Floyd Mayweather, Jr. insists he doesn’t watch video of future opponents. He must have made an exception in the case of Saul “Canelo’’ Alvarez.

That seems the most logical explanation for Mayweather’s decision to face the unified junior middleweight champion at 152 pounds after first insisting Alvarez come all the way down to 147 if he wanted to make the biggest fight in boxing.

Ultimately Mayweather moved off that demand as Alvarez’s people did when they initially insisted their fighter could not come in an ounce below the division’s 154-pound limit because he hadn’t made welterweight in 3 ½ years. That Alvarez would waver from that with a looming multi-million dollar payday that will be the largest of his career went without saying. What did not was what Mayweather would do.

Faced with a threat from Golden Boy Promotions that it would move on to someone else if the fight could not be settled by Wednesday night after weeks of haggling, both sides relented. Alvarez took the money and Mayweather took home a video of Alvarez’s closely fought decision over Austin Trout and probably concluded: “This guy couldn’t hit me in the ass with a banjo.’’

In the end, such conclusions are how big fights get made these days.

When you are guaranteed $32.5 million to fight air, the lure of filthy lucre loses some of its appeal, even to a guy nicknamed “MONEY.’’ These days too many boxers and far too many of the people around them operate as if they work for Metropolitan Life. They don’t consult BoxRec before making a match. They consult actuarial tables, calculating the risk-reward ratio and most often choosing to avoid the risk because there are rewards elsewhere far easier to procure.

Mayweather once regularly insulted Manny Pacquiao for making opponents come in either below their most comfortable weight or above it. Now he’s in Pacquiao’s boxing shoes and doing much the same thing. That is not a criticism of him because it’s good business and prize fighting remains, after all, a business; it just points out that they all operate the same way once they’re in position to dictate terms.

That is how Mayweather has long looked at his profession and rightfully so and it is now how he looks at Alvarez, an opponent who should allow him to maximize his income without the risk Pacquiao once carried with him.

Frankly, if Mayweather didn’t feel that way he would not have agreed to a deal that will not include a rehydration clause that could have prevented Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KO) from ballooning back up to a likely 170 pounds by the time the two enter the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sept. 14. That Mayweather did not insist on such a clause tells me he feels the heavier – and hence slower – Alvarez is the easier it will be to avoid him while also thinking that forcing him to come in below his optimum weight may weigh on young Alvarez psychologically as well as physically just enough to round off some of his sharper edges.

Mayweather remains one of the best fighters in the world at both movement and counterpunching even at the advanced age of 36 but he is more than that. He is extremely clever, crafty and well versed in what an opponent can and cannot do to him. His 44-0 record is as much a result of his knowledge of the geometry and psychology of boxing as the physical skills he’s been blessed with.

So when he tweeted out Wednesday night “I chose my opponent for September 14^th and it’s Canelo Alvarez,’’ the emphasis should have been on the world “chosen. Mayweather did not pick the money, even though he so often claims that is what he is about.

He chose the man. The bigger man to be sure but not as big as Oscar De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto were when he fought them at the 154-pound limit. Both were older and slower, damaged in the way boxing damages even its greatest practitioners over time so Mayweather did not insist they come in below that weight, in part because he understood that sloth on their part would benefit him.

Alvarez, on the other hand, is a 22-year-old kid for whom losing two pounds may be more mind-numbing than strength sapping, a point Mayweather knows is often the most important one in a fight.

In addition, Alvarez was often troubled trying to locate Trout before ultimately wearing him down enough to drop him once and escape with a victory that was far closer than the ringside judges indicated. Surely Mayweather looked at what Trout did for much of the fight and nodded his head, thinking he can do it for all of the fight and then some.

“I’m giving the fans what they want,’’ Mayweather tweeted but more to the point he’s giving himself what he wants: a high profile opponent who he doubts yet has the experience and skill to threaten him in the way Pacquiao in his prime would have.

Mayweather took Cotto’s heavier punches and never buckled on a night when Mayweather was clearly off his feed, perhaps as a result of his looming incarceration in the county lockup in Las Vegas. He was all but unhittable against Robert Guerrero in his return and while Guerrero is not Alvarez, Mayweather believes Alvarez is not Cotto, at least when it comes to power, nor is he De La Hoya, who might well have beaten him had he had the will and the stamina to keep sticking Mayweather with his jab.

What Alvarez is to Mayweather is a younger, fresher and unbeaten Cotto who believes completely in both his ability and his destiny but lacks Cotto’s punching power, De La Hoya’s boxing skills or Pacquiao’s relentless ferociousness.

Canelo Alvarez will of course have to be convinced of that. He will also have to be convinced that he cannot hit Floyd Mayweather, Jr. He won’t simply enter the ring already fearing that is so, as so many of Mayweather’s opponents have done.

His problem will be that Floyd Mayweather, Jr., one of the smartest minds in boxing, is already convinced of it. Otherwise he wouldn’t be in there in the first place.

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Ron Borges

Emerging Heavyweights: Three to Watch

Published

8 hours ago

September 28, 2020

Ted Sares

Victor Faust (Viktor Vykhryst), a 6’6” 232-pound Ukrainian heavyweight (and long-time amateur) is a product of the great amateur program in the Ukraine–one that has produced the likes of the Klitschko brothers, Oleksandr Usyk, Vasily Lomachenko, and more recently Sergiy Derevyanchenko.

At first glance, his amateur record does not appear stellar, but a closer review indicates several SD’s or MD’s.

Earlier this month, on Sept. 20, he scored a frightening one punch KO when he fought the more experienced Gabriel Enguema (10-9) in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. It was his third KO victory in three professional fights—all in 2020. The end came as a result of a Doctor Steelhammer-like perfect straight right to knock the Spaniard out cold. It brought back memories of Wladimir’s KO of Calvin Brock in 2006. Faust displayed skills, size, a solid chin, and power in dispatching his opponent.

“…Soon everyone will …see how skillful he is. He’s the complete package and will compete in massive fights sooner rather than later.” Erol Ceylan (Faust’s German promoter)

Oh yes, Faust beat Romanian Mihai Nistor in the amateurs and the talented Nistor in turn halted Anthony Joshua in the amateurs back in 2011. (Nistor also went 1-2 with Filip Hrgovic and lost to Tony Yoka in 2012.) Of course, one must be circumspect when using logic in boxing. Now that Nistor has turned pro, he will be worth following as his style is very much Tysonesque.

There are others who have—at a minimum– the same potential as Faust.

Tony Yoka

tony

Hard-hitting Frenchman 6’7” Tony Yoka (8-0) has beaten far better opposition than Faust and has a far better amateur record. In fact, he beat Filip Hrgovic and Joe Joyce in the 2016 Rio Games on the way to a Gold Medal. Recently, he dismantled veteran and fellow Frenchman Johan Duhaupas, a fringe contender with some notable notches on his belt. The end came in the first round by virtue of a crunching right uppercut.

Yoka perhaps could be slotted above Faust at this point.; he just might be the best of the new guys on the block. However, there are some dicey anti-doping issues that have tainted his reputation, though they do seem to be mostly resolved at this point.

Arslanbek Makhmudov

Arslanbek

This Russian “Lion,” 6’5 ½”, 260 pounds with an imposing muscular frame, is still another hungry prospect ready to break into the next tier. Nicknamed the “Lion,” — he also has been called “Predator” and “Beast — he is 10-0 (10 KOs).

He now lives and fights out of Montreal. The holder of two regional titles, he stopped a shot Samuel Peter in one round this past December.

“I’m confident that with my team, Eye of the Tiger Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions, I will reach my goal of becoming heavyweight champion of the world,” —Makhmudov.

This all said, The Lion needs some work on his technical skills as size can only go so far.

Makhmudov’s next opponent is Canadian heavyweight Dillon “Big Country” Carman (14-5) whose claim to fame is that he KOd comebacking Donovan Ruddock in 2015 in Toronto. This one will end differently for “Big Country.”

Others

Arguably, classy Americans Stephan Shaw (13-0), and Jared Anderson (6-0 with four KOs in the first round) could be added to the above. Filip Hrgovic and Efe Ajagba, both 6’6”, have already moved up.

A good yardstick is 6’5” American Jonathan Rice who lost a 10-round bout to Ajagba, was TKO’d in the seventh round Makhmudov, lost a 6-round decision to Tony Yoka, and a lost 6-round decision to Shaw.

Have I missed any?

Ted Sares can be reached at tedsares@roadrunner.com of on Facebook.

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Jermell Charlo Unifies Super Welterweights Via Solar Plexus Punch

Published

2 days ago

September 26, 2020

David A. Avila

Jermell-Charlo-Unifies-Super-Welterweights-Via-Solar-Plexus-Punch

WBC super welterweight titlist Jermell Charlo knocked out IBF and WBA titlist Jeison Rosario with a knockout punch delivered to the solar plexus on Saturday to add two more belts to his collection.

“I’m definitely bringing home the straps,” said Charlo.

Shades of Bob Fitzsimmons.

Back in 1897, Fitzsimmons used the same solar plexus punch to dethrone Gentleman James Corbett for the heavyweight title in Carson City, Nevada.

In another casino city Charlo (34-1, 18 KOs) floored Dominican Republic’s Rosario (20-2-1, 14 KOs) three times at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. He and his brother co-headlined a heavy duty pay-per-view card with no fans in attendance on the Premier Boxing Champions card.

Charlo jumped on Rosario quickly in the first round when he charged and clipped him with a left hook to the temple. Down went the two-belt champion for the count. But he got up seemingly unfazed.

For the next several rounds Rosario was the aggressor and put the pressure on Charlo who was content to allow the Dominican to fire away. Occasionally the Houston fighter jabbed but allowed Rosario to pound up and down with both fists.

After allowing Rosario to get comfortable with his attack, suddenly Charlo stopped moving and connected with a short crisp counter left hook and right cross in the sixth round. Down went Rosario again and he got up before the count of 10.

Charlo said it was part of the game plan.

“I’m growing and I realize that the knockout will just come,” he said.

Charlo was in control with a patient style and allowed Rosario to come forward. But the Dominican was more cautious in the seventh.

In the eighth round Charlo jabbed to the head and then jabbed hard to Rosario’s stomach. The Dominican fighter dropped down on his seat as if felled by a gun shot. He could not get up and convulsed while on the floor. The referee Harvey Dock counted him out at 21 seconds of round eight.

“That jab that got to him must have landed in a vital point,” said Charlo after the fight. “I hope he recovers and bounces back.”

Charlo now has three of the four major super welterweight world titles.

WBC Super Bantamweight Title

Luis Nery (31-0, 24 KOs) captured the WBC super bantamweight title by unanimous decision over fellow Mexican Aaron Alameda (25-1, 13 KOs) in a battle between southpaws. The war between border town fighters was intense.

Nery, a former bantamweight world titlist, moved up a weight division and found Alameda to be a slick southpaw with an outstanding jab. At first the Tijuana fighter was a little puzzled how to attack but found his groove in the fourth round.

But Alameda, who fights out of Nogales, Mexico, began using combinations and finding success. A crafty counter left uppercut caught Nery charging in a few times, but he managed to walk through them.

In the final two rounds Nery picked up the action and increased the pressure against the slick fighting Alameda, He forced the Nogales fighter to fight defensively and that proved enough to give the last two rounds for Nery and the victory by unanimous decision. The scores were 115-113, 116-112 and 118-110 for Nery who now holds the WBC super bantamweight world title. He formerly held the WBC bantamweight title.

Roman Wins

Danny “Baby-Faced Assassin” Roman (28-3-1, 10 KOs) managed to rally from behind and defeat Juan Carlos Payano (21-4, 9 KOs) in a battle between former world champions in a nontitle super bantamweight clash. It wasn’t easy.

Once again Roman fought a talented southpaw and in this fight Payano, a former bantamweight titlist, moved up in weight and kept Roman off balance for the first half of the fight. The jab and movement by the Dominican fighter seemed to keep Roman out of sync.

Roman, who fights out of Los Angeles, used a constant body attack to wear down the 35-year-old Payano and it paid off in the second half. Then the former unified world champion Roman began to pinpoint more blows to the body and head. With seconds left in the 12^th and final round, a left hook delivered Payano down and through the ropes. Sadly, the referee missed the knockdown. It didn’t matter as all three judges scored it identical at 116-112 for Roman after 12 rounds.

“I made some adjustments and picked up the pace and got the win,” said Roman who formerly held the WBA and IBF super bantamweight world titles.

Photo credit: Amanda Westcott / SHOWTIME

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Jermall Charlo UD 12 Derevyanchenko; Figueroa and Casimero Also Triumphant

Published

2 days ago

September 26, 2020

Arne K. Lang

Jermall Charlo UD 12 Derevyanchenko; Figueroa and Casimero Also Triumphant

The Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, was the site of the first pay-per-view boxing event in the United States since the Fury-Wilder rematch on Feb. 22. There were six fights in all, five of which were title fights and the other a title-eliminator. They were divided into two tiers but bundled into a package that cost approximately a dollar a round with a facile intermission tossed in at no extra charge.

The headline attraction of the first “three-pack” – and the most anticipated fight of the evening – found WBC world middleweight champion Jermall Charlo defending his title against Sergiy Derevyanchenko. The Ukrainian gave Gennady Golovkin a hard tussle when they fought in November of last year at Madison Square Garden – GGG won a unanimous decision but the scores were tight and many thought Derevyanchenko deserved the decision – and the expectation was that tonight’s match would also be very competitive. But it really wasn’t although the rugged Derevyanchenko rarely took a backward step.

The fight went the distance and there were no knockdowns, but Charlo buckled his knees at the end of round three and Derevyanchenko ended the fight with cuts above both eyes. The judges had it 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

With Canelo Alvarez apparently headed to 168 and GGG showing his age at 38, one can make a strong case that the undefeated 30-year-old Jermall Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) is now the top middleweight in the world. Derevyanchenko, who was 23-1 in the semi-pro World Series of Boxing before turning pro, saw his pro record decline to 13-3 with all three losses in middleweight title fights.

—

The middle fight of the first tier was a lusty encounter between Mexican-American super bantamweights Brandon Figueroa and Damien Vazquez. Figueroa, one of two fighting brothers from the Mexican border town of Weslaco, Texas, was a huge favorite over Vazquez, a Colorado native who moved to Las Vegas as a freshman in high school and had fought extensively in Mexico where he made his pro debut at age 16. But Vazquez, the nephew of former three-time world super bantamweight title-holder Israel Vazquez, came to fight and gave a good effort until the fight turned lopsidedly against him.

In the middle rounds, Figueroa’s high-pressure attack began to wear Vazquez down. Vazquez had a few good moments in rounds six and eight, but when his right eye began swelling from the cut above it, he was fighting an uphill battle. He took a lot of punishment before referee Gary Rosato halted it at the 1:18 mark of round 10.

Figueroa, 23, successfully defended his WBA 122-pound title while improving his record to 21-0-1 with his 16^th KO. Vazquez declined to 15-2-1.

—

The lid-lifter was a WBO bantamweight title defense by John Riel Casimero with Duke Micah in the opposite corner. Micah, from Accra, Ghana, came in undefeated at 24-0, but Casimero had faced a far stronger schedule and was a substantial favorite.

A Filipino who was been training in Las Vegas under Bones Adams, Casimero took Micah out in the third round. The Brooklyn-based Micah was somewhat busier in the opening frame, but the tide turned quickly in favor of the Filipino. Casimero hurt Micah with a left hook in round two and went for the kill. He wasn’t able to finish him, but Micah was on a short leash and referee Steve Willis was quick to step in when Casimero resumed his attack after the break. The official time was 0:54.

Casimero (30-4, 21 KOs) was defending the title he won last November with a third-round knockout of favored Zolani Tete in Birmingham, England. He was slated to fight this past April in Las Vegas against Naoya Inoue, but that fight evaporated as a result of the coronavirus. After the bout, Casimero called out Inoue (and others): “I’m the real monster,” he said. “Naoya Inoue is scared of me. You’re next. I would have knocked out anyone today. If Inoue doesn’t fight me, then I’ll fight Guillermo Rigondeaux, Luis Nery, or any of the top fighters.”

Check back shortly for David Avila’s summaries of the remaining fights.

Photo credit: Amanda Westcott / SHOWTIME

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