Featured Articles
The Ultra Even-Keeled Canelo: “I Still Think Floyd’s At His Peak”

Mexican sensation Canelo Alvarez hopped on a conference call on Tuesday afternoon, to hype his Sept. 14 showdown against Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas.
Oscar De La Hoya started out the call, after being handed the reins by PR ace Kelly Swanson.
Oscar said it’s trending like that the PPV for the bout will break records, and “these are exciting times for boxing.”
Oscar introed Alvarez, who has been a pro since age 15, a topic which is discussed in an ESPN The Magazine feature which hits newsstands this week. Oscar said that Canelo is the most popular man in the sport and that he hasn’t yet reached his true potential.
The fighter spoke Spanish, and Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez translated for him. Canelo said he’s in Vegas, ready to rock n roll.
Canelo was asked why, he thinks, that this superfight has caught on, arguably, more than other recent superfights, such as ones involving De La Hoya, or Pacquiao “I believe it’s because of the fans..it’s the one that they wanted to see..there’s a euphoria,” he said. “They know it’s a fight that’s not going to be easy for either of us,” he said.
De La Hoya was asked why he thinks this fight has caught on so bigtime. He said it’s because many are thinking Mayweather will get beaten by Canelo ( pictured above in Tom Casino-Showtime picture).
Alvarez was asked if he thinks Floyd can hurt him at all. “I think that any fighter at any given point can land and hurt anybody,” he answered.
He said Floyd is a different breed and he can’t be thinking that any other foe he’s met is of a similar nature.
The Mexican said that his weight, and making 152 pounds, won’t be a problem. “It’s not going to bother me at all,” he said. “My most recent fights, I’ve been under.” He said he thinks that weighing 152 will make him faster, in fact.
And what will be his top asset come fight night? His counterpunching ability? His physicality? Counterpunching will help, he said, but he’ll need to do it all. After the first round, he will see what he will be able to do. “Smart pressure” is his aim.
Canelo was asked about Oscar predicting that Alvarez will KO Mayweather, within eight rounds. “It’s actually an honor to hear those comments from Oscar, that I’m going to win,” he said. He will not press for a KO, though. He did predict that he will win. Oscar said he thinks Canelo can handle the pressure. “I can see it, I can envision it, because I know what he’s capable of, I understand his potential,” Oscar said. Canelo hasn’t shown “one bit of what he’s capable of,” he said. “He’s the whole package, he hasn’t put it all together because he hasn’t fought Floyd Mayweather, the best pound for pound fighter in the world.”
Won’t he be overwhelmed by the expectations of his countrymen and women? No, he said, he’s grateful for the opportunity, and isn’t weighed down by the hopes of his nation. He’s also happy, he said, to get love from red-heads, and all other hair colors too.
Sparring with partners who gave him Floyd-like looks helped him immensely, Canelo mentioned. (Of course, someone can try to imitate Floyd, but the real deal is another level or two higher, right?)
Canelo said that when they fought, Ricky Hatton made mistakes by coming in “wide open” against Floyd. We can surmise he thinks he will be wiser when he exerts pressure.
Is he the No. 1 fighter in Mexico now, he was asked. The humble boxer said that question has to be asked of the fans and media, he can’t answer it.
Floyd should be ready for everything from him, because “one punch is all it takes.” And how will he win? Any way will do, he said. And could Floyd get dropped and stopped, as Abner Mares did two weeks ago, versus Jhonny Gonzo? “I’m working hard for this fight, one punch can change everything, anything can happen, you really don’t know,” he said, reiterating that we will have to see how things play out, and predicting is basically useless.
Would a win make you a pound for pound giant? Of course, he said, “it would be a great win. It can change history.”
And does he think Floyd might be underestimating him, saying he thinks he’s faced better men than him? “Yes”, he said, he believes he might be, but he may also be worried about him.
Canelo noted that Floyd does use his elbows and forearms but he doesn’t think Floyd is dirty.
Ten days out, how is he feeling? “I feel very, very well, physically and mentally,” he said. It is the best he’s ever felt.
Julio Cesar Chavez said yesterday that Canelo might lose some stamina coming to Vegas now, after training in Big Bear. “Everybody thinks differently,” he said, saying he wanted to get acclimated to the heat in Vegas.
And regarding Floyd saying that the Cotto fight was and would be tougher than this fight? “That’s good he’s thinking this way,” he said, noting Floyd will see up close how hard it will be, soon enough.
And if Mayweather pressures him, brings the attack to him? “I will make my fight, and not allow Floyd to dictate the tone and pace”, he said.
Would he like to dedicate this fight to anyone? My supporters, family and teammates, he said.
I wondered if Floyd has gotten under his skin, as he’s so even keeled. “No,” he said, “he never got under my skin, I’ve always been very, very strong mentally, I like to be very, very strong. He likes to do his talking in the ring, he said”.
He admitted that the right punch can hurt anyone, even him, when asked if Floyd could possibly KO him.
At 23, is there only upside, since he’s so young, and could come back from a loss? No, he said, “I have a lot to lose,” he asserted.
Oscar was asked if he senses this could be the next great trilogy. There would be a rematch if Canelo wins, and he thinks both would want a sequel.
How could Canelo get that KO he’s talked about, Oscar was asked. The promoter said Canelo has what it takes to “land that perfect punch.”
Oscar was asked if there are any stipulations if Canelo comes in overweight. “There would be a penalty”, Oscar said, but “Saul is going to have no problem whatsoever.”
Canelo was asked to compare his popularity to that of Juan Manuel Marquez. “I don’t like to talk about that stuff,” he said.
“A Canelo win would be the top two or three all-time wins for Mexican fighters”, Oscar said. Canelo said that a win would be massive for Mexico, and he will let the people decide if that win would be bigger than Julio Cesar Chavez’ biggest wins.
What edges does he hold, and why is he so confident he will get the W over Floyd? “I can’t say that I have that many advantages,” he admitted, but he likes his game plan, and knows he’s going to win. Has he seen any decline in Floyd? No, he said, not al all. “He maintains himself very well, I still think he’s at his peak. He’s still Mayweather.”
Featured Articles
A Paean to the Great Sportswriter Jimmy Cannon Who Passed Away 50 Years Ago This Week

âOf all his assignments,â said the renowned sportswriter Dave Anderson, â[Jimmy] Cannon appeared to enjoy boxing the most.â
Cannon would have sheepishly concurred. He dated his infatuation with boxing to 1919 when he stood outside a saloon listening to a man with a megaphone relay bulletins from the Dempsey-Willard fight in faraway Toledo. His father followed boxing as did all the Irishmen in his neighborhood. For him, an interest in the sport of boxing, he once wrote, was like a family heirloom. But it became a love-hate relationship. It was Jimmy Cannon, after all, who coined the phrase âboxing is the red light district of sports.â
This week marks the 50th anniversary of Jimmy Cannonâs death. He passed away at age 63 on Dec. 5, 1973, in his room at the residential hotel in mid-Manhattan where he made his home. In the realm of American sportswriters, there has never been a voice quite like him. He was âthe hardest-boiled of the hard-drinking, hard-boiled school of sports writing,â wrote Darrell Simmons of the Atlanta Journal. One finds a glint of this in his summary of Sonny Listonâs first-round demolition of Albert Westphal in 1961: âSonny Liston hit Albert Westphal like he was a cop.â
In his best columns, Jimmy Cannon was less a sportswriter than an urban poet. Hereâs what he wrote about Archie Moore in 1955 after Moore trounced Bobo Olson to set up a match with Rocky Marciano: âSomeone should write a song about Archie Moore who in the Polo Grounds knocked out Bobo Olson in three roundsâŠIt should be a song that comes out of the backrooms of sloughed saloons on night-drowned streets in morning-worried parts of bad towns. The guy who writes this one must be a piano player who can be dignified when he picks a quarter out of the marsh of a sawdust floor.â
Prior to fighting in Madison Square Garden the previous year â his first appearance in that iconic boxing arena â Moore had roamed the globe in search of fights in a career that began in the Great Depression. Cannon was partial to boxers like Archie Moore, great ring artisans who toiled in obscurity, fighting for small purses ââmoving-around moneyâ in Cannonâs words — Â until the establishment could no longer ignore them.
Jimmy Cannon was born in Lower Manhattan. He left high school after one year to become a copy boy for the New York Daily News. In 1936, at age 26, the News sent him to cover the biggest news story of the day, the Lindbergh Baby kidnapping trial. While there he met Damon Runyon who would become a lifelong friend. At Runyonâs suggestion, he applied for a job as a sportswriter at the New York American, a Hearst paper, and was hired.
During World War II, he was a war correspondent in Europe embedded in Gen. George S. Pattonâs Third Army. When he returned from the war, he joined the New York Post and then, in 1959, the Journal-American which made him Americaâs highest-paid sportswriter at a purported salary of $1000 a week. His articles were syndicated and appeared in dozens of papers.
Cannon was very close to Joe Louis. He was the only reporter that Louis allowed in his hotel room on the morning of the Brown Bomberâs rematch with Max Schmeling. Louis, he wrote, âwas a credit to his race, the human race.â It was his most-frequently-quoted line.
In an early story, Cannon named Sam Langford the best pound-for-pound fighter of all time. Later he joined with his colleagues on Press Row in naming Sugar Ray Robinson the greatest of the greats. As for the fellow who anointed himself âThe Greatest,â Muhammad Ali, Cannon profoundly disliked him. He persisted in calling him Cassius Clay long after Ali had adopted his Muslim name.
It troubled Cannon that Ali was afforded an opportunity to fight for the title after only 19 pro fights. Aliâs poetry, he thought, was infantile. He abhorred Aliâs political views. And, truth be told, he didnât like Ali because certain segments of society adored him. Cannon didnât like non-conformists â hippies and anti-war protesters and such. When queried about his boyhood in Greenwich Village, he was quick to note that he lived there âwhen it was a decent neighborhood, before it became freaky.â
Cannonâs animus toward Ali spilled over into his opinion of Aliâs foil, the bombastic sportscaster Howard Cosell. âIf Howard Cosell were a sport,â he wrote,â it would be roller derby.â
Cannon frequently filled his column with a series of one-liners published under the heading âNobody Asked Me, ButâŠâ His wonderfully acerbic put-down of Cosell appeared in one of these columns. But one canât read these columns today without cringing at some of his ruminations. He once wrote, âAny man is in trouble if he falls in love with a woman he canât knock down with one punch.â If a newspaperman wrote those words today, he would be out of a job so fast it would make his head spin.
Similarly, his famous line about Joe Louis being a credit to the human race no longer resonates in the way that it once did. There is in its benevolence an air of racial prejudice.
Jimmy Cannon was a lifelong bachelor but in his younger days before he quit drinking cold turkey in 1948, he was quite the ladies man, often seen promenading showgirls around town. Like his pal Damon Runyon, he was a night owl. As the years passed, however, he became somewhat reclusive. The world passed him by when rock nâ roll came in, pushing aside the Tin Pan Alley crooners and torch singers that had kept him company at his favorite late-night haunts.
Cannonâs end days were tough. He suffered a stroke in 1971 as he was packing to go to the Kentucky Derby and spent most of his waking hours in his last two-plus years in a wheelchair. Fortunately, he could afford to hire a full-time attendant. In 2002, he was posthumously elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the Observer category.
Jimmy Cannon once said that he resented it when someone told him that his stuff was too good to be in a newspaper. It was demeaning to newspapers and he never wanted to be anything but a newspaperman. He didnât always bring his âAâ game and some of his stuff wouldnât hold up well, but the man could write like blazes and the sportswriting profession lost a giant when he drew his last breath.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
—
Arne K. Lang is a recognized authority on the history of prizefighting and the history of American sports gambling. His latest book, titled Clash of the Little Giants: George Dixon, Terry McGovern, and the Culture of Boxing in America, 1890-1910, was released by McFarland in September, 2022.
Featured Articles
Ryan “KingRy” Garcia Returns With a Bang; KOs Oscar Duarte

It was a different Ryan âKingRyâ Garcia the world saw in defeating Mexicoâs rugged Oscar Duarte, but it was that same deadly left hook counter that got the job done by knockout on Saturday.
Only the quick survive.
Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) used a variety of stances before luring knockout artist Duarte (26-1-1, 21 KOs) into his favorite punch before a sold-out crowd at Toyota Arena in Houston, Texas. That punch should be patented in gold.
It was somewhat advertised as knockout artist versus matinee idol, but those who know the sport knew that Garcia was a real puncher. But could he rebound from his loss earlier this year?
The answer was yes.
Garcia used a variety of styles beginning with a jab at a prescribed distance via his new trainer Derrick James. It allowed both Garcia and Duarte to gain footing and knock the cobwebs out of their reflexes. Garciaâs jab scored most of the early points during the first three rounds. He also snapped off some left hooks and rights.
âHe was a strong fighter, took a strong punch,â said Garcia. âI hit him with some hard punches and he kept coming.â
Duarte, an ultra-pale Mexican from Durango, was cautious, knowing full well how many Garcia foes had underestimated the power behind his blows.
Slowly the muscular Mexican fighter began closing in with body shots and soon both fighters were locked in an inside battle. Garcia used a tucked-in shoulder style while Duarte pounded the body, back of the head and in the back causing the referee to warn for the illegal punches twice.
Still, Duarte had finally managed to punch Garcia with multiple shots for several rounds.
Around the sixth round Garcia was advised by his new trainer to begin jabbing and moving. It forced Duarte out of his rhythm as he was unable to punch without planting his feet. Suddenly, the momentum had reversed again and Duarte looked less dangerous.
âI had to slow his momentum down. That softened him up,â said Garcia about using that change in style to change Duarteâs pressure attack. âShout out to Derrick James.â
Boos began cascading from the crowd but Garcia was on a roll and had definitely regained the advantage. A quick five-punch combination rocked Duarte though not all landed. The danger made the Mexican pause.
In the eighth round Duarte knew he had to take back the momentum and charged even harder. In one lickety-split second a near invisible counter left hook connected on Duarteâs temple and he stumbled like a drunken soldier on liberty in Honolulu. Garcia quickly followed up with rights and uppercuts as Duarte had a look of terror as his legs failed to maintain stability. Down he went for the count.
Duarte was counted out by referee James Green at 2:51 of the eighth round as Garcia watched from the other side of the ring.
âI started opening up my legs a little bit to open up the shot,â explained Garcia. âWhen I hurt somebody that hard, I just keep cracking them. I hurt him with a counter left hook.â
The weapon of champions.
Garciaâs victory returns him back to the forefront as one of boxingâs biggest gate attractions. A list of potential foes is his to dissect and choose.
âIâm just ready to continue to my ascent to be a champion at 140,â Garcia said.
It was a tranquil end after such a tumultuous last three days.
Other Bouts
Floyd Schofield (16-0, 12 KOs) blitzed Mexicoâs Ricardo âNot Finitoâ Lopez (17-8-3) with a four knockdown blowout that left fans mesmerized and pleased with the fighter from Austin, Texas.
Schofield immediately shot out quick jabs and then a lightning four-punch combination that delivered Lopez to the canvas wondering what had happened. He got up. Then Scholfield moved in with a jab and crisp left hook and down went Lopez like a dunked basketball bouncing.
At this point it seemed the fight might stop. But it proceeded and Schofield unleashed another quick combo that sent Lopez down though he did try to punch back. It was getting monotonous. Lopez got up and then was met with another rapid fire five- or six-punch combination. Lopez was down for the fourth time and the referee stopped the devastation.
âI appreciate him risking his life,â said Schofield of his victim.
In a middleweight clash Shane Mosley Jr. (21-4, 12 KOs) out-worked Joshua Conley (17-6-1, 11 KOs) for five rounds before stopping the San Bernardino fighter at 1:51 of the sixth round. It was Mosleyâs second consecutive knockout and fourth straight win.
Mosley continues to improve in every fight and again moves up the middleweight rankings.
Super middleweight prospect Darius Fulghum (9-0, 9 KOs) of Houston remained undefeated and kept his knockout string intact with a second round pounding and stoppage over Pachino Hill (8-5-1) in 56 seconds of that round.
Photo credit: Golden Boy Promotions
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Jordan Gill TKOs Michael Conlan Who May Have Reached the End of the Road

Fighting on his home turf, two-time Olympian Michael Conlan was an 8/1 favorite over Jordan Gill tonight in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Had he won, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn was eyeing a rematch for Conlan with Leigh Wood. Their March 2022 rumble in Nottingham was a popular pick for the Fight of the Year. But the 29-year-old Gill, a Cambridgeshire man, rendered that discussion moot with a seventh-round stoppage. It was Conlanâs third loss inside the distance in the last 18 months and he would be wise to call it a day. His punch resistance is plainly not what it once was.
It was with considerable fanfare that Conlan cast his lot with Top Rank coming out of the amateur ranks. Tonight was his first assignment for Matchroom and his first fight at 130 pounds after coming up short in two world featherweight title fights. And he almost didnât make it past the second round. Gill had him on the canvas in the opening minute of round two compliments of a left hook and stunned him late in the round with a right hand that left him on unsteady legs.
He survived the round and for a fleeting moment in the sixth frame it appeared that he had reversed Gillâs momentum. But Gill took charge again in the next stanza, trapping Conlan in the corner and unloading a fusillade of punches that forced referee Howard Foster to waive it off, much to the great dismay of the crowd. The official time was 1:09 of round seven.
Released by Top Rank, Conlan trained for this fight in Miami, Florida, under Pedro Diaz, best known for rejuvenating the career of Miguel Cotto. But the switch in trainer and in promoter made no difference as Conlan, who won his first amateur title at age 11, was damaged goods before he entered the ring. It was a career-defining victory for Jordan Gill (28-2-1, 9 KOs) who was not known as a big puncher and was returning to the ring after being stopped by Kiko Martinez 13 months ago in his previous start.
Semi-wind-up
In the âBattle of Belfast,â undefeated welterweight Lewis Crocker seized control in the opening round and went on to win a lopsided decision over intra-city rival Tyrone McKenna (23-4-1). Two of the judges gave Crocker every round and the other had it 98-92, but yet this was entertaining fight in spurts. McKenna had more fans in the building, but Crocker, seven years younger at age 26, went to post a 7/2 favorite and youth was served.
Other Bouts of Note
Belfast super welterweight Caoimhin Agyarko, who overcame a near-fatal mugging at age 20, advanced to 14-0 (7) with a 10-round split decision over Troy Williamson (20-2-1). The judges had it 98-92 and 97-93 for Agyarko with a dissenter submitting a curious 96-94 score for the 31-year-old Williamson who wasnât able to exploit his advantages in height and reach.
Sean McComb, a 31-year-old Belfast southpaw, scored what was arguably the best win of his career with a 10-round beat-down of longtime sparring partner Sam Maxwell. Two of the judges gave McComb every round and the other had it 99-88. McComb, who has an interesting nickname, âThe Public Nuisance, successfully defended his WBO European super welterweight strap while elevating his record to 18-1 (6). The fading, 35-year-old Maxwell, a former BBBofC British title-holder, lost for third time in his last four starts after winning his first 16 pro fights.
Photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Harlem Eubank and Roman Fury Win With Panache in Brighton
-
Book Review2 weeks ago
Holiday Reading 2023: Best Books About Boxing
-
Featured Articles1 week ago
The Murder of Samuel Teah Calls to Mind Other Boxers Who Were Homicide Victims
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
Fernando Vargas Jr Improves to 13-0 and Irma Garcia Wins a World Title in Long Beach
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Talking Boxing with Renowned New York Sports Journalist Wally Matthews
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Jamel Herring (KO 1) and Shurretta Metcalf (UD 10) Victorious in NYC
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Jared Anderson Released on Bond Following His Arrest in a Toledo Suburb
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Avila Perspective, Chap. 259: MarvNation Boxing in SoCal and More