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Give These Underdogs A Chance, Says Oscar in Brooklyn
He looked clear-eyed and fully engaged, doing his due dillgence in taking questions from media after reading prepared text at a Wednesday press conference to hype his fight card to unfold at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on August 9. Yes, Golden Boy Promotions boss Oscar De La Hoya is back, in charge, all in, it looks like, regarding the promotional company which bears his name, and his likeness on its logo, but for the last several years at least, more input from his CEO, Richard Schaefer, than him.
I wouldnāt call Oscar feisty, but he was quite clear with his thematic POV at Barclays, in a presser set up in the Brooklyn Nets practice facility, rather than in the arena label, and overlooking center court, as every other pre-fight presser has been held. That move gave the gathering a sort of B-grade feel, I guess, and that tied in with the fan reaction to the slate of fights for Aug. 9. Boxing fans, when that cards’ specifics were released, took to Twitter immediately, and made it known that they didnāt have anything against the A listers topping the card, Danny Garcia, Lamont Peterson, and Danny Jacobsā¦but they had no love for the men chosen as foes for that threesome.
(Check out this Boxing Channel video report from the presser, edited by Jess Vogt, with Michael Woods reporting.)
Having Garcia (28-0; age 26) and Peterson (32-2-1; age 30) on the same card, but not fighting each other makes next to no sense, they railed, and who the heck is Jarrod Fletcher anyway? (Here is Boxing Channel video of Woods querying Garcia, and asking about the Al Haymon influence.)
Oscar, sober and operating in the social media sphere which makes living in a boxing bubble impossible, has heard and read the diatribes, it looks like, because he hammered home the point that the sport has always given the heavy underdog a chance and manys a time those underdogs have risen up, with sharpened teeth and claws, and shocked all but themselves.
Give these guys, the 18-1 Aussie Fletcher (who fights Jacobs for a WBA 160 crown), and Edgar Santana (who gets a chance to unseat 140 pound titlist Peterson) and āLighntingā Rod Salka (19-3 with just 3 KOs; age 31), who gets a shot at Garcia, a chance to show you that they are more than their resumes state, to rise to the occasion and shut down the naysayers. The Golden Boy reminded people that Felix Sturm came to the US as a no name, and nearly upset him back in 2004. (I had Sturm winning on points, for the record.)
Middleweight Danny Jacobs (27-1) shifted the topic away from the underdog uprising to his own arc; he recalled being on his death bed, cancer eating his body from the inside, and hearing that Barclays was being built. Will I ever fight there? Will I ever fight, period, he wondered, and told us during his time at the mic. Indeed he will, and isā¦and the Canarsie, Brooklyn resident showed how far past he is from that period when he called out to his missus, and asked her if his cancer scare came in 2011 or 2012, while doing an interview with a print reporter.
The 35-year-old Santana (29-4) made me believe a bit more in his chances with the serious look on his face, and his tone, and when he finished his speech with the words, āLet there be war.ā We chatted after, for a video to appear on Boxing Channel, and he referenced his low point, a drugs bust which had him in jail briefly, and he left me thinking his fight could well be a better scrap than many are predicting. The Lou DiBella boxer can crack a bit with both hands, and is on a winning streak, and declares that he has learned his lesson, is done with the street lures, and wants to win a career definer on Aug. 9.
But of course, Angel Garcia put his stamp on the proceedings. He insulted Mauricio Herrera, calling him a pitty-pat puncher, and said he gave Herrera just three rounds in his fight against son Danny, in a bout many thought Herrera won, though the judges said otherwise. Garcia did some flag waving, telling us that American fighters donāt get the love they deserve and that outsiders get too much love and too many freebies. His relatives fought in wars for the US, but do they get full credit? No, he said, and went on the promise that Danny will be on Aug. 9, and in search and destroy mode.
De La Hoya wrapped it up by saying that you can never look past or down on the champion in boxingā¦but that is is unwise to dismiss the chances of the underdog. Aug. 9 is setting up as a night when the underdogs, guys who many say donāt deserve a chance at a title, can either make Oscar look like the Golden Boy of promotion, or make him wish heād pushed harder for Jacobs, Garcia and Peterson to go in tougher.
Hey, Iāve been doing this awhile. I think we are all allowed to opine and pre-judge, vent out feelings. But fights arenāt fought on paper. I say that at least one of these ādogs will have their day on Aug. 9, and Oscar will be able to offer an āI told ya soā if he so desires.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 278: Clashes of Spring in Phoenix, Las Vegas, and LA
PHOENIX-It happens every Spring.
Promoters worldwide gather their forces and produce their best fight cards from Europe to the Americas and in Asia.
Beginning Friday, it starts with Top Rank staging a heavy-duty fight card featuring Arizonaās Oscar Valdez and Australiaās Liam Wilson along with a female battle for the undisputed minimumweight championship. ESPN+ will stream the card.
Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) meets Wilson (13-2, 7 KOs) at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona on Friday, March 29. Both have a common foe and lost to champion Emanuel Navarrete. Both want a rematch or world title fight.
āI know Liam Wilson. Heās a tough fighter,ā said Valdez. I was there when he fought Emanuel Navarrete and he sent him to the canvas.ā
Wilson almost defeated the champion and now must face two-division world titlist Valdez in his Arizona backyard.
āThe whole world saw what happened. I should have already become world champion,ā said Wilson of his fight with Navarrete. āI won the belt that night.ā
Itās not to be missed.
In the co-main WBA and WBC titlist Seniesa Estrada (25-0, 9 KOs) and WBO and IBF titlist Yokasta Valle (30-2, 9 KOs) battle for the undisputed minimumweight world championship.
Costa Ricaās Valle has super speed and the ability to change tactics if things donāt go her way as she showed against Argentinaās Evelin Bermudez. She is also one of the most athletically gifted fighters in female boxing with incredible stamina.
āThis isnāt personal. I respect her as the champion that she is,ā Valle said. āAnd in the ring, we will see who is the real champion.ā
East L.Aās Estrada is perhaps one of the most skilled fighters in the world. She also packs power in her small frame. So far, no one has been able to figure out her fighting style or overcome her quickness. The left hook is her best weapon but she has floored opponents with her right cross as well.
āThe talk is over. Its time for us to get in there,ā said Estrada. āItās about showing the world that womenās boxing is here, itās on the rise, and we are great.ā
Las Vegas
Aussie slugger Tim Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs) can add the WBC to his WBO super welterweight title but must pass through giant Sebastian Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KOs) to accomplish unification. Tszyu was supposed to fight Keith Thurman but injury forced him out of Saturdayās TGB Promotions fight card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Last-minute replacements can be a problem.
Fundora is already a problem with his six-inch height advantage. Plus, heās a southpaw with pop. Itās like pouring sugar into a gas tank for Tszyu.
But heās a very confident fellow.
āHeās got height but we all bleed the same blood,ā Tszyu said at the press conference.
Another world title fight pits WBA super lightweight titlist Rolly Romero (15-1) versus Isaac Cruz (25-2-1) in the semi-main event.
A third world title matches WBA middleweight titlist Erislandy Lara (29-3-3) against Michael Zerafa (31-4).
A fourth world title fight consists of WBC flyweight titlist Julio Cesar Martinez (20-3) fighting Angelino Cordova (18-0-1).
In an eliminator for the WBC super welterweight belt, Serhii Bohachuk (23-1) is now matched against Brian Mendoza (22-3) who replaces Fundora.
Itās a solid fight card that will be shown onĀ PPV.COMĀ with Jim Lampley broadcasting and assisted by Lance Pugmire. They will also be texting the results and interacting with fans. Itās their third boxing show.
Inglewood
Former super middleweight world titlist Gilberto āZurdoā Ramirez (45-1) is moving up two weight divisions to challenge WBA cruiserweight champion Arsen Goulamirian (27-0, 19 Kos) on Saturday March 30, at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card.
Goulamirian will be making the fifth defense of his title and recently added famed trainer Abel Sanchez to his corner. The former trainer of Gennady Golovkin and Serhii Bohachuk had retired for a few years but returned for the champ.
Itās an interesting match.
Even more interesting was the announcement that Hollywood Park and Golden Boy Promotions signed an agreement beginning this Saturday to work together in bringing boxing events.
āWe were the first to host an inaugural combat sports event at YouTube Theater in January 2023, and we couldnāt be more pleased to make history again by being the first to solidify a partnership deal of this magnitude with Hollywood Park,ā said Oscar De La Hoya the CEO for Golden Boy Promotions.
Itās an interesting partnership.
One thing the promotion company needs is to add more female fighters to their company to break up the monotony of slow fight cards. It makes sense to add women to the boxing cards. They fight harder and Iāve never seen women fights fail to excite the crowd, whereas Iāve seen plenty of boring men fights on many a promotion.
Bring in female fighters.
When Zurdo fought at the Banc of California two years he brought very few fans compared to the two female fights that same night. The women draw a different crowd and surprise most fans with their energy.
Fights to Watch (all times Pacific Time)
Fri. ESPN+ 3:10 p.m. Oscar Valdez (31-2) vs Liam Wilson (13-2); Seniesa Estrada (25-0) vs Yokasta Valle (30-2).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Gilberto Ramirez (45-1) vs Arsen Goulamirian (27-0).
Sat.Ā PPV.COMĀ 5 p.m. Tim Tszyu (24-0) vs Sebastian Fundora (20-1-1); Rolly Romero (15-1) vs Isaac Cruz (25-2-1); Erislandy Lara (29-3-3) vs Michael Zerafa (31-4); Serhii Bohachuk (23-1) vs Brian Mendoza (22-3).
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank via Getty Images
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Results from Detroit where Carrillo, Ergashev and Shishkin Scored KOs
Results from Detroit where Carrillo, Ergashev and Shishkin Scored KOs
Dmitriy Salita, who began promoting small club fights In Brooklyn at the former U.S. Navy airfield where he had his final pro fight, has found a welcome home in Detroit where he is working hard to resurrect the Motor City as an important fight destination. Although his shows are still low-budget (save for the money he spends on marketing; he uses heavyweight PR firm Swanson Communications), his new arrangement with DAZN can only move him another step up the pecking order.
Tonight, two of the most valuable pieces in his stable ā junior lightweight Shohjahon Ergashev and super middleweight Vladimir Shishkin — were in action on Salitaās second show at Detroitās Watne State University Fieldhouse. However, Salita reserved the main event for one of his newest signees, Juan Carrillo, a light heavyweight who represented Colombia in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In a battle of southpaws, Carrillo (12-0, 9 KOs) had no difficulty putting away Quinton Randall (21-9-2), a 37-year-old North Carolinian who had scored only five of his 21 wins against opponents with winning records. In the third frame, a big left uppercut put Randall on the canvas. He managed to get to his feet at the count of nine, but was on queer street and the fight was waived off. The official time was 0.27 of round three.
Ergashev
Shohjahon Ergashev, a southpaw from Uzbekistan who purportedly has 2.7 million Instagram followers in his home country, was making his first start since a failed bid to win the IBF 140-pound world title. Ergashev was stopped in the fifth round by Subriel Matias, his first defeat as a pro after opening his career 23-0 with 20 KOs.
Tonight, he got back on the winning track without breaking a sweat. A left hook to the body ended the fight in the opening round. His victim, Juan Antonio Huertas, a 31-year-old Panamanian, entered the fight with a 17-4 record, but was 0-2 on American soil and had been stopped both times.
Shishkin
A 32-year-old Russian who trains at the new Kronk Gym where SugarHill Steward holds forth when he is in town, Vladimir Shishkin entered the contest undefeated (15-0, 9 KOs) and ranked #2 by the IBF. How odd that his fight opened the telecast. Perhaps promoter Salita thought that the fight would be too one-sided and wanted to get it out of the way in a hurry. His opponent Mike Guy, 12-7-1 (5) heading in, had been in with some rough customers but was 43 years old, was inactive in all of 2022 and 2023, and had fought most of his career as a super middleweight.
The fight was one-sided in favor of Shishkin and rather dull until the Russian cracked up the juice in round seven and forced the stoppage.
In the future, we would encourage Dmitriy Salita to take some of that money he has been spending on marketing to find a higher caliber of āB-Sideā opponents. The best thing about this show was that it was over in a hurry.
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R.I.P. IBF founder Bob Lee who was Banished from Boxing by the FBI
āThe image some people have of me is disappointing,ā said Bob Lee in a 2006 interview, ābut I also feel I had a positive impact on the sportā¦ā
Lee, the founder of the International Boxing Federation who died yesterday (Sunday, March 24) at age 91, spoke those words to Philadelphia Daily News boxing writer Bernard Fernandez who was the first person to interview him when he emerged from a federal prison in 2006. Lee served 22 months on charges that included racketeering, money laundering, and tax evasion.
Born and raised in northern New Jersey and a lifelong resident of the Garden State, Lee, a former police detective, founded the International Boxing Federation (henceforth IBF) in 1983 after a failed bid to win the presidency of the World Boxing Association. At the time, there were only two relevant sanctioning bodies, the WBA, then headquartered in Venezuela, and the WBC, headquartered in Mexico. Both organizations were charged with favoring boxers from Spanish-speaking countries in their ratings at the expense of boxers from the United States.
Bob Leeās brainchild, whose stated mission was to rectify that injustice, achieved instant credibility when Marvin Hagler and Larry Holmes turned their back on the established organizations. Haglerās 1983 bout with Wilford Scypion and Holmesā 1984 match with Bonecrusher Smith were world title fights sanctioned exclusively by the IBF, the last of the three extant organizations to do away with 15-round title fights.
Leeās world was rocked in November of 1999 when a federal grand jury handed down an indictment that accused him and three IBF officials, including his son Robert W. āRobbyā Lee Jr., of taking bribes from promoters and managers in return for higher rankings. The FBI, after a two-year investigation, concluded that $338,000 was paid over a 13-year period by individuals representing 23 boxers.
The governmentās key witness was C. Douglas Beavers, the longtime chairman of the IBF ratings committee who wore a wire as a government informant in return for immunity and provided video-tape evidence of a $5000 payout in a seedy Virginia motel room. Promoters Bob Arum and Cedric Kushner both testified that they gave the IBF $100,000 to get the organizationās seal of approval for a match between heavyweight champion George Foreman and Axel Schulz (Arum asserted that he paid the money through a middleman, Stan Hoffman). In return, the IBF gave Schulz a āspecial exemptionā to its rules, allowing the German to bypass Michael Moorer who had a rematch clause that would never be honored. (In a sworn deposition, Big George testified that he had no knowledge of any kickback).
After a long-drawn-out trial that consumed four months including 15 days of jury deliberations, Bob Lee was acquitted on all but six of 32 counts. His son, charged with nine counts, was acquitted on all nine. The jury simply did not trust the veracity of many that testified for the prosecution. (No surprise there; after all, they were boxing people.) But neither did the jury buy into the argument that whatever money Lee received was in the form of gifts and gratuities, a common business practice.
The IBF was run by a court-appointed overseer from January of 2000 until the fall of 2003. Under its current head, Daryl Peoples, who came up from the ranks, assuming the presidency in 2010, the IBF has stayed out of the crosshairs of federal prosecutors.
As part of his sentence, Bob Lee was prohibited from having any further dealings with boxing and that would have included buying a ticket to sit in the cheap seats at a boxing card. This was adding insult to injury as Leeās passion for boxing ran deep. As a boy working as a caddy at a New Jersey golf course, he had met Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson, two of the proudest moments of his life.
As for his contributions to the sport, Lee had this to say in his post-prison talk with Bernard Fernandez: āWe instituted the 168-pound [super middleweight] weight class. We took measures to reduce the incidence of eye injuries in boxing. We changed the weigh-in from the day of the fight to the day before, which prevented fighters from entering the ring so dehydrated that they were putting themselves at risk. All these things, and more, were tremendously beneficial to boxing. Iām very proud of all that we accomplished.ā
Bob Lee was a tough old bird. Diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 1986, he was insulin-dependent for much of his adult life and yet he lived into his nineties. Although his coloration as a shakedown artist is a stain that will never go away, many people will tell you that, on balance, he was a good man whose lapses ought not define him.
Thatās not for us to judge. We send our condolences to his loved ones. May he rest in peace.
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