Assessing Rios-Alvarado 3, With HBO’s Lampley

Published

10 years ago

January 23, 2015

He’s sat ring side and watched the thunder and lightning up close, seen the sweat cascade, shielded the blood droplets from his sport-coat.

Jim Lampley has seen Mike Alvarado and Brandon Rios do their violent waltz twice and basically, expects the sweat quotient and need to shield his attire from the runoff spillage from the carnage to be in play once again on Saturday night.

So, Jim, what do you think unfolds on your air, on HBO, which starts programming at 9:45 PM ET, with an undercard attraction, a bout pitting Mexico’s Gilberto Ramirez (30-0, 24 KOs) versus Russia’s Maxim Vlasov (30-1, 15 KOs) in a light heavy tangle?

They will do what it is they do, which is re-acquaint themselves in violent fashion, he told me, and who will have their hand raised at the end of however many rounds goes down will depend on a couple things.

First off, Lampley told me that several folks who would know have told him that Rios is walking the walk, and is indeed in a re-dedicated mode as of late. On calls and interviews, the Texas-born born hitter, who lives in Cali, admitted that some of that recent success infected him, that he came down with paycheck-itis after a few of his fat-purse tussles bloated his bank account.

Bank account bigger, willingness to grind smaller.

Lampley is buying the Rios rap and thinks that reset in attitude could bear fruit, and give him the edge when all is said and done at the 1stBank center in Bloomfield, CO. Meanwhile, Alvarado has said that he will not be distracted by the various issues hanging over his head…but in fact “he was arrested a couple weeks ago,” the blow by blow man who gets a Hall call this summer told me. “Can he minimize that in his mind, and focus on the task at hand?” Somewhat of a rhetorical question; we batted about the notion that fighters aren’t built quite like us squares, that physically and mentally they are of a different stock. So, maybe a gun charge hanging over my head infects my attitude mightily and takes away from my ability to be present in body and brain and ready myself for taking on tasks. Maybe that same gun charge is sort of par for the Alvarado course, and he can shrug it off, and in fact shelve any worries and get his body and head into fighting form. “Boxers are people too,” Lampley said, “and while many come from a place where such dramas are not a rarity” it would be a heavy lift for Alvarado to be able to “compartmentalize” the goings-on to perfection.

So, are we to believe Alvarado when he declares that a day in jail didn’t take away from his prep? “I have grown so much from all of these learning experiences,” he said, spinning fairly masterfully. “I put them behind me. I don’t hold on to them. I don’t bring them with me into the ring and it’s not a distraction. I have learned to be positive through it and be strong and it gives me more confidence to be a better person and a better fighter. On Saturday night it is on us to reach deep inside and make the adjustments that we need to make to overcome this kind of fight.”

Things is, once the bell rings, you just know, during portions of each round, rumbling will occur. Risk aversion won’t be on the table as trading, fast and furious and nasty, will ensue.

Rios summed it up nicely during a recent conference call: “We are cool outside the ring but once we get in that ring we hate each other,” he said. “We want to kill each other and that’s what makes this sport and that’s what makes these fights more exciting because everyone thinks that ‘these guys are too close, they have fun together, but once they get in the ring they kill each other.’ It’s like the Army, all of the soldiers are your brothers. Alvarado is like my brother and we fight – we fight until somebody gets hurt.”

I think most of us assessing this scrap see Rios (32-2-1), at age 28, and 1-2 in his last three, as maybe having a quarter more in the tank than the 34-year-old Alvarado. “Mile High Mike”–man, does that nickname always give you as much pause as it does me, for sheer provocativeness?– won one of his last four, and ate leather sandwiches from Rios, and Ruslan Provodnikov, and Juan Manuel Marquez in the last two years. That accumulative punishment, coupled with, can we agree, at least the distinct possibility of a loss of focus from his law enforcement meet ‘n greet, has me leaning Rios on Saturday. Lampley doesn’t disagree with that reasoning.

And you, fight fans? Talk to me, in our Fabulous Forum…

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

Published

10 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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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 least 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, delivered the coup-de-gras, 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

Published

20 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11^th 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 the winner of the Feb. 2 match between Brandon Figueroa and Stephen Fulton. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa/Fulton 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

Published

1 day ago

January 24, 2025

David A. Avila

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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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