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Mayweather Weigh-In Goes Smoothly, Then Gloves Debate Erupts

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SATURDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: I asked Showtime boxing boss Stephen Espinoza if GloveGate had been resolved, if a resolution had been reached between the Mayweather and Maidana teams on the exact pair of gloves the Argentine would be lacing on in a few hours. “The fight is going on,” he answered, summing up the mood and message of many involved in the promotion.

But, have they decided on the gloves, and shook on it? Not that he’d been told, Espinoza said.

So, as of 2:10 PM PT, it looks like GloveGate is still a thing. For the record.

Just know…all this material will be immaterial at any minute, and the fight will go on, and quite likely, from my perspective, the type of gloves Maidana is wearing won’t make a whit of difference.

SATURDAY AM UPDATE: Marcos Maidanas’ trainer Robert Garcia told me that he was headed to Chino’s hotel room, to discuss the gloves issue, and he thought the decision would be made shortly, perhaps before noontime, Vegas-time.

FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Promoter Richard Schaefer interrupted some quality family time, and addressed lingering media in the media center at the MGM on the subject of Glove Gate.

His message: Relax.

The fight will go on.

Schaefer said the Nevada Commission put the kibosh on the original gloves produced by the Maidana camp, Everlast MX. Different Everlast gloves, with a different formulation of padding, were offered to Maidana, and Schaefer is confident he will set on one, and the show will go on.

It must.

Too much money is at stake.

Mayweather, though, was heated during the high point of the glove kerfuffle, as you can see hear, in this Fighthype video.

 

________________________________________________

The weigh-in was drama free, with all the boxers, including the top dogs on the Saturday night card at the MGM, Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana, making their weight limit.

Floyd, TBE, he’s going by now, was 146 pounds, and soaked in the mix of cheers and boos at the arena, where the weigh-in was held, at 3 PM PT. He stepped on the scale, and it registered 146 pounds for the clash, during which the WBC and WBA welter belts will be up for grabs.

His six pack was as impeccable as ever, and he told interrogator Jim Gray that he wasn’t at all put off by any dramas that have popped up this week, involving ex gal pals, or basketball teams for sale. “As long as God loves me, it’s all good,” he said.

Some drama erupted a bit after the weigh in was completed. Downstairs at the MGM, the Nevada Commission went over the rules and regulations that all participants should adhere to. Be ready for PED tests, they hammered home, for example.

Then a little kerfuffle erupted. Floyd is set to use Grant gloves, and Maidana Everlast. The Everlast gloves set out for Maidana to use were flagged by Team Mayweather, for being “back loaded,” for having not enough padding in the knuckle area. John Hornewer, a Chicago based attorney with 25 years in the boxing business, was there to be part of the Mayweather squad watching over the glove-picking ceremony. He told me that he objected to those Everlast MX gloves, based on the way the padding is distributed–there is less padding ont he knuckles than typical goves, he said– and also objected to the fact that they didn’t come shrink-wrapped, in a manner he is accustomed to when receiving virgin gloves.

As of 4:30 PM PT, the matter was still swirling in the basement of the building, with Mayweather making it clear that he objected heated vehemently to Maidana using the gloves he wanted to use. Stay tuned, friends…

Maidana conjured no drama when he stepped on the scale, and it read 146.5. The Argentine has a respectable rooting section in town, and they started some chants, “Hit him, Maidana,” and the like.

The crowd did their share of hooting when Adrien Broner popped up. The Cinci kid is looking to bounce back after being dealt the indignity of his first loss, compliments of Maidana (UD12) last December. He weighed 140 on the dot, and grinned widely when hearing the boos. “Keep booing me, I’m going to keep doing my thing,” he said. And they did….His foe is Carlos Molina, who nobody figures to have much of a chance. He was 138.5, and promised a strong effort.

Amir Khan drew a great deal of positive hollering; the Brit weighed 147 pounds, and told Jim Gray after that he expects bigger things post Luis Collazo, but isn’t looking past the Brooklyner. Collazo, coming off a superb stunner of a win (KO2 over Victor Ortiz on Jan. 30) weighed 147, and a rumor kicked around after that maybe he looked like he’d had a hard time making weight. His trainer, Nirmal Lorick, told me that was not the case, in any way, shape or form. He ate and drank yesterday and today, so that’s not an issue.

Note: I wanted to ask Nevada State Athletic Commission chairman Francisco Aguilar how he views beards, especially the one being sported by Broner of late. Would AB have to shave it? Or trim it? I didn’t get a chance to talk to Aguilar, being that the gloves issue was playing out. So, being that indefatigable journo, I asked Sam Watson. Al Haymon’s right-hand man told me that Broner, no matter if the commission demanded it or not, was going to trim that growth down so it could be no issue. So there ya go. There should be no Beard Gate.

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

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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 last 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, applied the exclamation point, 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

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11th 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 Brandon Figueroa should he defeat former Inoue foe Stephen Fulton next weekend. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa 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

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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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