Oscar and Canelo Announce Themselves As Present and Future Leaders in the Fight Game

Published

10 years ago

September 30, 2014

We fightwriters sometimes err in focusing too much on the business side of things, I think. While we are focusing on the power plays, and rifts and cold wars and thaws and suits and behind the scenes machinations, the majestic acts of the supremely talented and yes, courageous, athletes sometimes get under-reported.

But other times, as, I think, now, we get it right when we’re training our eyes, ears and keyboards on the business side of the red-light district of the sports world. Here in our favorite section of real-estate, we find such a delightful and sometimes infuriating and repugnant batch of characters as we would in any red light district. This melange of the motley and magnificent lends itself to be studied, dissected, discussed more so than is so in any other sporting realm.

That focus on the behind the scenes business, and the characters involved was on my mind during the intimate media luncheon held on the 14th floor of the HBO offices on 42nd St. in NYC, on Tuesday. Specifically, my thoughts were running to not as much the fighter who was there holding court, answering queries from the informed and aggressive media corps present, Canelo Alvarez, but the promoter who’d walked arm in arm with him from Showtime, where he’d been doing his thing for his last five fights, Oscar De La Hoya.

De La Hoya, I told you a few times since he’d exited rehab, and got back in the game which had long been his life, maybe too much so, maybe in a way that distracted him from other matters, of family, of emotional wellness, is not to be underestimated. Don’t assume, I wrote a few times, that because he’s admitted to various indiscretions, that some of the same attributes that served him well as a Hall of Fame fighter, a champion in six weight classes, a fighter who gravitated toward the sternest challenges, and not toward the most exploitable loopholes, that De La Hoya won’t be able to right his personal ship.

It looked to me like he was a proud captain of that vessel, as he sat next to Alvarez (44-1-1, with 31 KOs), the 24-year-old Mexican who is positioning himself as the present and future leader of the sport, after signing a new deal with HBO, terms not disclosed.

Right away, I put it to Oscar, before we got to Alvarez, who will glove up on HBO regular Dec. 6, likely against Joshua Clottey. What does this deal signify? Is it intended as an alert, a strong signal to Bob, to Floyd, to Richard, to Al, whoever…I’m a player, I’m THE player, I’m in the top slot as promoter as I was as a fighter?

The 42-in-February- year-old drew guffaws when he admitted that he decided to never fight again, just that very morning, after he ripped off a shirt, flexed in the mirror, and the mirror told him no mas. He said that the promotional sphere was to be his next chapter, and answered with savvy that people frankly haven’t been giving him credit for having.

“Just like the focus was always at hand when my job was fighting, if I was fighting Fernando Vargas, I wasn’t focusing on my next fight, who I lost or beat prior to that fight, I was focusing on the job at hand. With Canelo, I kept my eye on the ball, on the prize, the job at hand. What the fighter was asking me, what the best move would be for the future of Canelo Alvarez. I wasn’t listening to third parties, I wasn’t paying attention to anything that was going on outside of Canelo. Which made it easier for me to take care of business. I didn’t do it for no other reason but to look out for his best interest.”

Smart take. Do I fully believe the guy? No. He’s a competitor. Beyond that smile, toothy, A-grade on its best day, he can and has and did act in a manner which, I think, can hang with a Bob Arum, or a Don King. He told us that, and surprised many folks, when he sifted offers, and spurned the one from Stephen Espinoza, and took the one from KenHershman. How that plays out, we shall see, in the next few months, and into next year, when more players, the Roc Nations, and the Haymon Boxing’s seek to deepen their imprint on the fight game.

Oscar, smartly planting seeds and watering them, came back to that POV, that he’s there to serve the fighters, get the best deals for them, and nothing else. “Fighters don’t work for me, I work for the fighter,” he said.

Being a good fightwriter, hell, being a good writer in lots of areas, it helps if you can read between the lines. Is it possible that a message is being sent right there, a presentation of compare and contrast, was being thrown out there? Absolutely…pray tell, can you think of anyone who, conversely, people postulate might be working to their own benefit, and not fashioning deals which serve the best long term interests of people who they advise? I bet you can; but savvy Oscar was not going to burst a relationship bubble by going there. Yes, he can indeed get er done in the smoke filled back-rooms, as well as center ring, or so it seems.

Alvarez too got peppered. He will likely be fighting Joshua Clottey, a not untalented but infrequently active boxer, on Dec. 6. The Mexican too was in message mode; Oscar spoke up for him and declared him the current leader and the future driver of the sport, and Canelo concurred. No, he didn’t mean to pick a fight with Floyd Mayweather when he said he would be the man to own those all-important dates for Mexican boxers, Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day. No offense to Floyd, he implied, but bottom line…those dates are mine. We can play chicken if you want, he seemed to say, but I ain’t budging.

A fight with Miguel Cotto in maybe May seems like a nice option, and oh yes, in the not too distant future, a crack at middleweight star Gennady Golovkin is on his to do list, maybe in a year, or two.

Maybe my main takeaway on Alvarez was: he doesn’t see himself as a second fiddle guy. This guy plays lead guitar, he’s got the groupies who buy the PPVs, and he ain’t no warmup act.

Indeed, he did want to separate himself from the pack, give himself room to breathe and grow away from Mayweather, he said. “My goal in boxing is to be number one,” Alvarez said.

Oscar, once again seeming to say it without saying it, as a smart politician does, as it leaves him wiggle room should events warrant, basically said that Canelo is Golden Boy’s number one focus, and no, I don’t think we see Golden Boy doing promoter work for a Mayweather fight in the near future.

And on the subject of Mayweather, Canelo gave his longest answer to any query when I asked him if he didn’t think he needed to beat the man, to be the man. Does he want to get another crack at Floyd, and beat him, so he can physically usurp him from his throne? “No,” he said, as GBP VP Eric Gomez translated. “That’s not important.” Floyd avoids risk to such a degree, and fights hard maybe ten percent of a round, that his fights are too boring, Canelo said. No need to engage in such a dreary waltz, he said.

Oscar again sent a signal, lol, which he says he didn’t send, when speaking about his ex pal Richard Schaefer. They had been in mediation talks, and it was progressing, the ex fighter said. “But we hit a wall,” he said. “We were making progress and then hit a wall.” Lawsuit against Schaefer is still in play. Message: I finish my fights…

Later, I gave Oscar another in to make a loud stamping sound. Does it look to him like Haymon Boxing is readying to become another sort of entity, one that will be in direct competition with Golden Boy, and the Roc Nations, and such. Oh, Oscar did a bit of Alpha Promoter Male posturing when he said he didn’t see Roc Nation as an entity to threaten a Golden Boy, as music is their thing, and boxing hasn’t been. No, the Cali-based dealmaker said, he isn’t thinking about what shape the Haymon squad may take in 2015, he’s just focused on making the most compelling bouts now. Again, it was the smart politician answer. Fully truthful? Impossible to say, but the one Hillary Clinton would have given…

After the peppering session, Oscar seemed jazzed. “I liked that,” he said, grinning widely, pointing at me, indicating that he liked parrying some solid launches. Message: he’s all in, this is not a job for him, he’s in his element. He said he’s readying a re-launch of his personal brand, and will be firming up many charitable endeavors moving forward.

My last read of the whole deal, Canelo to HBO, and him and Oscar at HBO: if he continues to work towards having the fights fans want get made, then I’m in step with Oscar. That’s what I want, I’m a fan first, who happens to write about this addictive sphere we all adore and loathe.

Your thoughts, my informed and passionate friends. Talk to me…

Follow Woods on Twitter. https://twitter.com/Woodsy1069

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Michael Woods

Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh

Published

2 days ago

December 21, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh

Oleksandr Usyk left no doubt that he is the best heavyweight of his generation and one of the greatest boxers of all time with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury tonight at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But although the Ukrainian won eight rounds on all three scorecards, this was no runaway. To pirate a line from one of the DAZN talking heads, Fury had his moments in every round but Usyk had more moments.

The early rounds were fought at a faster pace than the first meeting back in May. At the mid-point, the fight was even. The next three rounds – the next five to some observers – were all Usyk who threw more punches and landed the cleaner shots.

Fury won the final round in the eyes of this reporter scoring at home, but by then he needed a knockout to pull the match out of the fire.

The last round was an outstanding climax to an entertaining chess match during which both fighters took turns being the pursuer and the pursued.

An Olympic gold medalist and a unified world champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight, the amazing Usyk improved his ledger to 23-0 (14). His next fight, more than likely, will come against the winner of the Feb. 22 match in Ridayh between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker which will share the bill with the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

Fury (34-2-1) may fight Anthony Joshua next. Regardless, no one wants a piece of Moses Itauma right now although the kid is only 19 years old.

Moses Itauma

Raised in London by a Nigerian father and a Slovakian mother, Itauma turned heads once again with another “wow” performance. None of his last seven opponents lasted beyond the second round.

His opponent tonight, 34-year-old Australian Demsey McKean, lasted less than two minutes. Itauma, a southpaw with blazing fast hands, had the Aussie on the deck twice during the 117-second skirmish. The first knockdown was the result of a cuffing punch that landed high on the head; the second knockdown was produced by an overhand left. McKean went down hard as his chief cornerman bounded on to the ring apron to halt the massacre.

Photo (c): Mark Robinson

Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs after going 20-0 as an amateur) is the real deal. It was the second straight loss for McKean (22-2) who lasted into the 10^th round against Filip Hrgovic in his last start.

Bohachuk-Davis

In a fight billed as the co-main although it preceded Itauma-McKean, Serhii Bohachuk, an LA-based Ukrainian, stopped Ishmael Davis whose corner pulled him out after six frames.

Both fighters were coming off a loss in fights that were close on the scorecards, Bohachuk falling to Vergil Ortiz Jr in a Las Vegas barnburner and Davis losing to Josh Kelly.

Davis, who took the fight on short notice, subbing for Ismail Madrimov, declined to 13-2. He landed a few good shots but was on the canvas in the second round, compliments of a short left hook, and the relentless Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KOs) eventually wore him down.

Fisher-Allen

In a messy, 10-round bar brawl masquerading as a boxing match, Johnny Fisher, the Romford Bull, won a split decision over British countryman David Allen. Two judges favored Fisher by 95-94 tallies with the dissenter favoring Allen 96-93. When the scores were announced, there was a chorus of boos and those watching at home were outraged.

Allen was a step up in class for Fisher. The Doncaster man had a decent record (23-5-2 heading in) and had been routinely matched tough (his former opponents included Dillian Whyte, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz and three former Olympians). But Allen was fairly considered no more than a journeyman and Fisher (12-0 with 11 KOs, eight in the opening round) was a huge favorite.

In round five, Allen had Fisher on the canvas twice although only one was ruled a true knockdown. From that point, he landed the harder shots and, at the final bell, he fell to canvas shedding tears of joy, convinced that he had won.

He did not win, but he exposed Johnny Fisher as a fighter too slow to compete with elite heavyweights, a British version of the ponderous Russian-Canadian campaigner Arslanbek Makhmudov.

Other Bouts of Note

In a spirited 10-round featherweight match, Scotland’s Lee McGregor, a former European bantamweight champion and stablemate of former unified 140-pound title-holder Josh Taylor, advanced to 15-1-1 (11) with a unanimous decision over Isaac Lowe (25-3-3). The judges had it 96-92 and 97-91 twice.

A cousin and regular houseguest of Tyson Fury, Lowe fought most of the fight with cuts around both eyes and was twice deducted a point for losing his gumshield.

In a fight between super featherweights that could have gone either way, Liverpool southpaw Peter McGrail improved to 11-1 (6) with a 10-round unanimous decision over late sub Rhys Edwards. The judges had it 96-95 and 96-94 twice.

McGrail, a Tokyo Olympian and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, fought from the third round on with a cut above his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads. It was the first loss for Edwards (16-1), a 24-year-old Welshman who has another fight booked in three weeks.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Fury-Usyk-Reignated-Can-the-Gypsy-King-Avenge-His-Londe-Defeat?

Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?

In professional boxing, the heavyweight division, going back to the days of John L. Sullivan, is the straw that stirs the drink. By this measure, the fight on May 18 of this year at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was the biggest prizefight in decades. The winner would emerge as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 when Lennox Lewis out-pointed Evander Holyfield in their second meeting.

The match did not disappoint. It had several twists and turns.

Usyk did well in the early rounds, but the Gypsy King rattled Usyk with a harsh right hand in the fifth stanza and won rounds five through seven on all three cards. In the ninth, the match turned sharply in favor of the Ukrainian. Fury was saved by the bell after taking a barrage of unanswered punches, the last of which dictated a standing 8-count from referee Mark Nelson. But Fury weathered the storm and with his amazing powers of recuperation had a shade the best of it in the final stanza.

The decision was split: 115-112 and 114-113 for Usyk who became a unified champion in a second weight class; 114-113 for Fury.

That brings us to tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 21) where Usyk and Fury will renew acquaintances in the same ring where they had their May 18 showdown.

The first fight was a near “pick-‘em” affair with Fury closing a very short favorite at most of the major bookmaking establishments. The Gypsy King would have been a somewhat higher favorite if not for the fact that he was coming off a poor showing against MMA star Francis Ngannou and had a worrisome propensity for getting cut. (A cut above Fury’s right eye in sparring pushed back the fight from its original Feb. 11 date.)

Tomorrow’s sequel, bearing the tagline “Reignited,” finds Usyk a consensus 7/5 favorite although those odds could shorten by post time. (There was no discernible activity after today’s weigh-in where Fury, fully clothed, topped the scales at 281, an increase of 19 pounds over their first meeting.)

Given the politics of boxing, anything “undisputed” is fragile. In June, Usyk abandoned his IBF belt and the organization anointed Daniel Dubois their heavyweight champion based upon Dubois’s eighth-round stoppage of Filip Hrgovic in a bout billed for the IBF interim title. The malodorous WBA, a festering boil on the backside of boxing, now recognizes 43-year-old Kubrat Pulev as its “regular” heavyweight champion.

Another difference between tomorrow’s fight card and the first installment is that the May 18 affair had a much stronger undercard. Two strong pairings were the rematch between cruiserweights Jai Opetaia and Maris Briedis (Opetaia UD 12) and the heavyweight contest between unbeatens Agit Kabayal and Frank Sanchez (Kabayel KO 7).

Tomorrow’s semi-wind-up between Serhii Bohachuk and Ismail Madrimov lost luster when Madrimov came down with bronchitis and had to withdraw. The featherweight contest between Peter McGrail and Dennis McCann fell out when McCann’s VADA test returned an adverse finding. Bohachuk and McGrail remain on the card but against late-sub opponents in matches that are less intriguing.

The focal points of tomorrow’s undercard are the bouts involving undefeated British heavyweights Moses Itauma (10-0, 8 KOs) and Johnny Fisher (12-0, 11 KOs). Both are heavy favorites over their respective opponents but bear watching because they represent the next generation of heavyweight standouts. Fury and Usyk are getting long in the tooth. The Gypsy King is 36; Usyk turns 38 next month.

Bob Arum once said that nobody purchases a pay-per-view for the undercard and, years from now, no one will remember which sanctioning bodies had their fingers in the pie. So, Fury-Usyk II remains a very big deal, although a wee bit less compelling than their first go-around.

Will Tyson Fury avenge his lone defeat? Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and the unofficial czar of “major league” boxing, certainly hopes so. His Excellency has made known that he stands poised to manufacture a rubber match if Tyson prevails.

We could have already figured this out, but Alalshikh violated one of the protocols of boxing when he came flat out and said so. He effectively made Tyson Fury the “A-side,” no small potatoes considering that the most relevant variable on the checklist when handicapping a fight is, “Who does the promoter need?”

The Uzyk-Fury II fight card will air on DAZN with a suggested list price of $39.99 for U.S. fight fans. The main event is expected to start about 5:45 pm ET / 2:45 pm PT.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year

Published

4 days ago

December 19, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Unheralded-Bruno-Sarace-went-to-Tijuana-and-Forged-the TSS-2024-Upset-of-the-Year

Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year

The Dec. 14 fight at Tijuana between Jaime Munguia and Bruno Surace was conceived as a stay-busy fight for Munguia. The scuttlebutt was that Munguia’s promoters, Zanfer and Top Rank, wanted him to have another fight under his belt before thrusting him against Christian Mbilli in a WBC eliminator with the prize for the winner (in theory) a date with Canelo Alvarez.

Munguia came to the fore in May of 2018 at Verona, New York, when he demolished former U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali, conqueror of Miguel Cotto. That earned him the WBO super welterweight title which he successfully defended five times.

Munguia kept winning as he moved up in weight to middleweight and then super middleweight and brought a 43-0 (34) record into his Cinco de Mayo 2024 match with Canelo.

Jaime went the distance with Alvarez and had a few good moments while losing a unanimous decision. He rebounded with a 10th-round stoppage of Canada’s previously undefeated Erik Bazinyan.

There was little reason to think that Munguia would overlook Surace as the Mexican would be fighting in his hometown for the first time since February of 2022 and would want to send the home folks home happy. Moreover, even if Munguia had an off-night, there was no reason to think that the obscure Surace could capitalize. A Frenchman who had never fought outside France, Surace brought a 25-0-2 record and a 22-fight winning streak, but he had only four knockouts to his credit and only eight of his wins had come against opponents with winning records.

It appeared that Munguia would close the show early when he sent the Frenchman to the canvas in the second round with a big left hook. From that point on, Surace fought mostly off his back foot, throwing punches in spurts, whereas the busier Munguia concentrated on chopping him down with body punches. But Surace absorbed those punches well and at the midway point of the fight, behind on the cards but nonplussed, it now looked as if the bout would go the full 10 rounds with Munguia winning a lopsided decision.

Then lightning struck. Out of the blue, Surace connected with an overhand right to the jaw. Munguia went down flat on his back. He rose a fraction-of-a second before the count reached “10,”, but stumbled as he pulled himself upright. His eyes were glazed and referee Juan Jose Ramirez, a local man, waived it off. There was no protest coming from Munguia or his cornermen. The official time was 2:36 of round six.

At major bookmaking establishments, Jaime Munguia was as high as a 35/1 favorite. No world title was at stake, yet this was an upset for the ages.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!