PBC on Spike: Erislandy Lara Dominates Delvin Rodriquez

Published

10 years ago

June 13, 2015

Junior middleweight Erislandy Lara easily defeated Delvin Rodriguez on Friday night on a Premier Boxing Champions bout televised live on Spike. All three judges at ringside scored the bout for 120-107 for Lara, who said after the bout he was ready for fights against some of boxing’s biggest stars.

“The future is clear,” said Lara. “I want Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto and Gennady Golovkin.”

Lara, a 32-year-old Cuban defector living just outside of Houston, defended his WBA title in style by completely outclassing Rodriquez, a good, but not elite, TV fighter from the Dominican Republic who lives in Connecticut. It was a masterpiece of the sweet science, but one that left many wondering if Lara could have picked up the pace to end things early.

Lara outboxed Rodriguez, age 35, from the opening bell in what amounted to a showcase fight for the southpaw stylist trained by Ronnie Shields in Texas. Lara stood in the center of the ring in Round 1 and landed jabs and straight left hands at will. Rodriguez was nary able to land a punch on the slickster despite the Cuban using very little movement around the ring as is sometimes typical of his style.

It was more of the same in Round 2. Lara’s jab was sharp and his left hand was deadly accurate. In Round 3, Lara unfurled his right hook. Soon he was throwing sharp combinations, landing at a ridiculously high rate and not getting hit back in return.

Lara moved more in Round 4 and did not let his hands go, instead focusing on a light jab as Rodriguez inched forward and Lara slid backward. Lara opened up more in the next round, perhaps encouraged to do so by some fans in attendance who had begun to boo. For the first time in the fight, Lara started throwing hard shots to Rodriguez’s body.

The strategy continued in the next round. Lara dropped Rodriguez with a vicious one-two just seconds before the end of Round 6 after lulling the veteran into a daze with fancy footwork and off-putting rhythm. Rodriguez rose to his feet and the bell rang before Lara could move in to finish him.

In the next round, Lara walked his opponent down and landed punches virtually at will, though he remained carefully responsible behind his jab. Round 8 was more of the same except Lara managed to stagger his prey toward the end of it.

Rounds 9, 10 and 11 were similar. Lara did his thing. He landed hard punches in high volume but didn’t close the show. Lara tripped Rodriquez down behind a punch in Round 11, but referee Celestino Ruiz correctly ruled it a trip and not a knockdown. Round 12 was just like the previous 11. Lara dominated Rodriguez, hurt him at times, but didn’t get the knockout.

Rodriquez is now 0-2-1 in his last three bouts, including a draw against Joachim Alcine last year and a one-sided Round 3 knockout loss to Miguel Cotto in 2013.

It was Lara’s second straight win after losing a controversial split-decision against Canelo Alvarez in a 155-pound catchweight fight in July 2014. In December of the same year, Lara dominated former titleholder Ishe Smith over 12 rounds at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio.

The win does two things for Lara. First, it keeps the oft-avoided fighter in the public eye. While some fans don’t particular enjoy the Cuban style he employs to wins fight, the fact remains he is one of the best junior middleweights in the world today, perhaps the toughest to beat in the division short of lineal champion Floyd Mayweather, who hasn’t campaigned at the weight since 2013.

Second, and maybe more important to his career going forward, the fight gave Lara a chance to showcase his skill set to a broad audience. Lara might not be universally loved for his defensive style, but there is no reason to believe the talented 32-year-old will languish in obscurity under the co-management of Al Haymon. Lara, who is also managed by Luis DeCubas Jr., needed to step up the pace against Rodriguez in an effort to show fans he can be more entertaining as a prizefighter. Most would probably agree he did not do that. Instead, Lara was the same fighter he always is: masterful but disinterested in taking needless risks.

Lara’s team has publicly lobbied for bouts against the likes of Mayweather, Cotto and Golovkin, but it’s more likely he will need to continue to clean out the division until a more attainable big fight comes his way. A unification bout against WBO titleholder Demetrius Andrade, who hasn’t been in the ring in over a year, would make the most sense at this point. The fighters, who met in 2005 as amateurs in a bout Lara won, are evenly matched southpaws who no one else seems eager to challenge.

They might as well fight each other.

Beterbiev Destroys Johnson

In the co-featured bout, Russian light heavyweight strongman Artur Beterbiev, age 30, remained undefeated with a one-sided beatdown of Alexander Johnson. The Montreal-based Beterbiev appears to be one of the brightest up-and-coming 175-pound prospects in all of boxing. He mercilessly annihilated Johnson, a 33-year-old veteran fighter from Maryland.

Beterbiev put pressure on Johnson from the opening bell. He stalked forward and threw thudding blows that were mostly blocked in Round 1. But by Round 2, he was catching Johnson clean and clearly making his mark. Johnson, a southpaw, landed a nice counter left hand toward the end of Round 2 but it didn’t keep the ruthless Russian from coming forward.

Beterbiev landed good body blows in Round 3 after allowing Johnson off the hook a bit early in the round. It appeared he was looking for punches to counter but couldn’t quite get the timing down so he went back to pressing forward. It was more of the same in Round 4, except Beterbiev was now throwing and landing more punches than ever. He landed a stiff jab in Round 5 to put Johnson down the first time in the bout, then landed an uppercut moments later which left Johnson hanging on the ropes.

Round 6 was Johnson’s best round, primarily because it looked like Beterbiev took a break before going in for the kill the next round. Beterbiev knocked Johnson down with a quick left in Round 7, then ended the bout with a wrecking ball right hand on the temple a few seconds later.

Beterbiev appears to be on his way to the top of the light heavyweight division. He appears capable of competing against anyone in the division right now after just nine professional fights, including lineal champion Adonis Stevenson and unified champion Sergey Kovalev.

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Kelsey McCarson

Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

Published

4 days ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.

The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.

Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.

Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.

Co-Feature

In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.

The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.

A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.

Other Bouts

In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.

Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.

Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.

Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.

Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.

Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.

Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.

Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.

There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

Published

4 days ago

March 29, 2025

David A. Avila

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.

There were no knockdowns in this rematch.

The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.

It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.

Nothing changed in their second meeting.

Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.

The blows came in bunches.

In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.

Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.

Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.

During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.

But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.

“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.

Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.

“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.

Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.

“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.

Female Flyweight Battle

Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.

Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.

Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.

The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.

Neither fighter could take over the fight.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.

Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.

Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.

Puerto Rico vs Mexico

Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.

Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Published

5 days ago

March 28, 2025

David A. Avila

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Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.

Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.

Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.

“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.

If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.

For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.

Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.

No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.

Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.

The fight breakdown

Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.

Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.

That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.

More drama.

During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.

New York City got its money’s worth.

Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.

Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?

“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”

Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.

That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?

Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.

Can she draw enough of that fire out again?

“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”

Co-Main in Las Vegas

The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.

Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.

Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.

Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.

Golden Boy in Cancun

A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.

In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.

Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.

Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.

Fights to Watch

Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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