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Oscar Valdez Straddles Two Worlds….Plus Other Fight Notes

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Oscar Valdez straddles two worlds as deftly as he handles incoming fire from top contenders inside the prize ring.

Whether it’s Tucson, Arizona or Nogales, Mexico the WBO featherweight world titlist glides through the differences confidently like breathing in and out.

But confidence is not cockiness.

Though undefeated after five years as a professional, when Valdez (22-0, 19 KOs) faces Genesis Servania (29-0, 12 KOs) of the Philippines on Friday Sept. 22, at the Convention Center in Tucson, Arizona, he expects yet another pitched battle. ESPN will televise the world title fight.

“I’ve seen him fight before. It’s a tough fight,” said Valdez, 26, adding that his previous foe Miguel Marriaga was also unknown until they fought at StubHub. “Not a lot of people know him (Servania) but there was a point that nobody knew who Manny Pacquiao was and a point when nobody knew (Marcos) Maidana.

More on that point: there was a time few knew the qualities of Valdez too.

The two-time Mexican Olympian now lives in Southern California in Riverside County. Since becoming a pro in 2012 the Mexican-born champion has slowly developed into one of the most entertaining yet skilled prizefighters in an area filled with talent.

Many times an entertaining boxer can mean a brawler, but Valdez manages to straddle both worlds while being both fun to watch and skillful enough to get away with an aggressive approach.

Take his last two world title challenges for example. Against Colombia’s Marriaga the fight changed several times as Valdez unveiled layer after layer of his potent offense. When the knockout did not emerge he stifled any attacks with his array of defensive tactics.

It was impressive.

Prior to that Valdez fought Japan’s Hiroshige Osawa and broke him down slowly like a lumberjack hacking away in the Canadian tundra.

Dreamers

 Maybe his ability to fight on different levels comes from being able to live in two distinct worlds like Mexico and the United States. He’s also aware of the plight of thousands of Mexicans living in the U.S. who face deportation. It hurts him.

“It makes some sad that we come to this country not to rape or do bad things, we only come to this country to get a better life,” says Valdez who lived in Arizona for several years and now lives in Lake Elsinore, Calif. when training.

Top Rank’s Bob Arum wholeheartedly supports the Mexican youth called the “Dreamers.”

“These Dreamer kids are as American as my grandkids. The idea we would send them back to other countries is ludicrous. Americans supposedly have higher ethical standards,” said Arum. “I will fight to my last breath for these kids. We have to open our hearts to them.”

Well said.

SoCal Ramping Up Again

 Several fight cards take place in Southern California once again.

 Ontario

 On Friday, another Thompson Boxing Promotions card takes place at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario.

The newest member of its world champion club, Danny Roman, should be in attendance. He recently dethroned Japan’s Shu Kubo by knockout to take the WBA super bantamweight title. It’s now in the L.A. native’s hands and he is expected to be at the boxing show to meet fans on Friday Sept. 22.

The main event features Jose “Gato” Roman (24-1-1, 16 KOs) against Wilberth Lopez (18-8) in a lightweight clash. Also on the card will be undefeated prospects Ruben Villa, Ruben Torres, Michael Dutchover and Juan Ruiz.

For more information call (714) 935-0900.

 Inglewood

Jorge Linares (42-3, 27 KOs) defends the WBA lightweight world title against England’s Luke Campbell (17-1, 14 KOs) at the Inglewood Forum on Saturday Sept. 23. Golden Boy Promotions, Teiken Promotions and Matchbox Promotions are the promoters of record on the fight that will be televised by HBO.

Linares, 32, has had an interesting career. When he first arrived in the American scene from Venezuela and Japan he was immediately crowned the best young fighter by many. But things did not work out immediately and though he won world titles he never dominated.

The sharp-shooting Venezuelan always had problems against Mexican fighters, especially the brawlers. His first three losses were to Juan Salgado, Antonio DeMarco and Sergio Thompson in 2012. But after that last loss Linares seems to have discovered what was missing and has not lost since.

Also on the card is undefeated Antonio Orozco (26-0, 17 KOs) defending the NABC and WBC USNBC super lightweight titles against Roberto Ortiz (35-1-2, 26 KOs) of Torreon, Mexico.

Orozco, 29, of San Diego won his last fight by impressive knockout against Keandre Gibson in Las Vegas last April.

Doors open at 3 p.m.

Rancho Mirage, Calif.

 Kaliesha West (16-2-3) returns to the ring wars when she faces Kirstie Simmons (8-2) in a six round main event held in the super featherweight division. The match takes place at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, Calif. on Saturday Sept. 23.

West, 29, a former two-division world champion, has been away for three years and expects a rugged fight against Simmons, 34, a southpaw fighting out of Colorado.

The fight will be held at 128 pounds. West intends to fight at 122 pounds ultimately after this fight.

For tickets go to www.zoobubble.com

Doors open at 7 p.m.

Oscar Valdez photo courtesy of Al Applerose

Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel.

To comment on this article at The Fight Forum, CLICK HERE.

 

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Undercard Results from the Canelo-Charlo Card in Las Vegas

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Undercard Results from the Canelo-Charlo Card in Las Vegas

In a heavyweight battle slated for 10, Frank Sanchez (23-0, 16 KOs) stopped LA trial horse Scott Alexander (17-6-2) after four frames. Alexander’s corner attempted to stop it in the waning seconds of the fourth, but the referee did not see it and the bell rang before the fight was waived off.

Alexander had one big moment. In the opening round, he rocked Sanchez with a short right hand. But from there, it was all Sanchez in a rather messy fight.

A Miami-based Cuban defector, Frank Sanchez came in ranked #3 by the WBO, #4 by the WBC, and #5 by the IBF. His best win came in this building, a comfortable decision over Efe Ajagba in October of 2021. Alexander also fought here. In his previous visit to the T-Mobile, he was knocked out in the opening round by Zhilei Zhang.

Former WBO light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk, in his third fight back since ending his retirement, improved to 20-0 (16) with a second-round stoppage of 38-year-old Brazilian Isaac Rodrigues (28-5). Gvozdyk, 36, left the sport after getting beat up by Artur Beterbiev, but got the itch and is pursuing a fight with Dmitry Bivol.

In an 8-round middleweight fight, 2012 U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha (24-3-1) won a majority decision over Keandre Leatherwood (23-9-1). The judges had it 76-76 and 78-74 twice. Once a highly regarded prospect, Gausha is spinning his wheels. Leatherwood, from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, had been stopped four times.

Guadalajara super lightweight Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela advanced to 28-3-1 (17 KOs) with a sixth-round stoppage of overmatched Colombia import Yves Gabriel Solano (15-3).  This was redemption of sorts for Valenzuela who lost an unpopular 12-round decision to Montana Love in his last outing inside these walls.

Kazakh super middleweight Bek Nuramaganbat (11-0) continued his fast ascent of the 168-pound ladder with a third-round stoppage of Bola Osundairo. A 30-year-old Chicago-based Nigerian, Osundairo was a 2021 USA National Champion at 178 pounds.

A four-round middleweight contest between Abilikhan Amankul (4-0-1, 4 KOs) and Joeshon James (7-0-2, 4 KOs) ended in a draw. Although he didn’t win, Sacramento’s James continued to exceed expectations. In previous contests he KOed previously undefeated Richard Brewart and fought to a draw with Top Rank signee Javier Martinez. Amankul, a 26-year-old Kazakh, lost a split decision to eventual gold medal winner Hebert Conceicao in the Tokyo Olympics.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

David Avila is ringside. Check back later for his report of the Canelo-Charlo fight and the main supporting bouts.

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Opetaia Demolishes Thompson in London; Wallin Upsets Gassiev in Turkey

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In his first defense of his IBF cruiserweight title, Australian southpaw Jai Opetaia demolished overmatched Jordan Thompson in the featured bout of a Matchroom card at London’s Wembley Arena. Opetaia (23-0, 18 KOs) overwhelmed Thompson (15-1) from the opening gun and had the six-foot-six Mancunian on the canvas twice before the match was waived off at the 20-second mark of round four.

An Olympian at the age of 16, Opetaia won the title 15 months ago with a unanimous decision over longtime title-holder Mairis Briedis. Noting that Opetaia broke his jaw in two places early in that contest, prominent Australian sporting journalist Simon Smale called it “one of the bravest, gutsiest, victories in Australian boxing history.”

Following that fight, Opetaia had to eat through a straw for several months. Hence, there were questions about whether his jaw would hold up and whether he would show ring rust in his first title defense. But the towering Thompson, whose nickname is Troublesome, although game, proved to be no trouble whatsoever for Opetaia who would be favored to beat any cruiserweight in the world, no matter the locale.

Opetaia may return to England for his next fight which would be a unification match with Bournemouth’s 18-1 Chris Billam-Smith who captured the WBO version of the 200-pound title in May with a surprisingly one-sided decision over favored Lawrence Okolie. The other cruiserweight title-holders are the well-traveled Badou Jack (WBC) and the French-Armenian boxer Arsen Goulamirian (WBA).

Four female fights were on the undercard including two 10-rounders, both of which were won by the “A side” Englishwomen.

In her first title defense, Ellie Scotney, a 25-year-old Londoner, retained her IBF world super bantamweight title and improved to 8-0 at the expense of 37-year-old Argentine veteran Laura Soledad Griffa (20-9). In a rather monotonous fight, Scotney won every round on two of the scorecards and nine rounds on the other.

Rhiannon Dixon, a 29-year-old southpaw, had a surprisingly easy time with Norwegian veteran Katharina Thanderz, a former world title challenger. Dixon (9-0) won every round on all three cards. Thanderz, who trains in Spain, declined to 16-2.

Wallin-Gassiev

In a 12-round heavyweight fight in Antalya, Turkey, Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs) won a split decision over Murat Gassiev (30-2). This was a dull fight. Owing to various issues, Gassiev had answered the bell for only eight rounds in the previous seven years and his vaunted power had deserted him. True, he landed the harder punches, but Wallin, who kept pecking away with his jab, was far busier and won the fight on volume alone. Two of the judges had it 115-113 for the Swede who is 6-0 since going 12 rounds with Tyson Fury. The other judge scored it for Gassiev by a bizarre 117-111.

Opetaia-Thompson photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 254: Canelo vs Jermell Charlo in a Battle of Undisputed Champions

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LAS VEGAS-Less than the usual massive crowd gathered for boxing kingpin Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Jermell Charlo in the desert heat outside of the T-Mobile Arena on Friday afternoon. Usually the weigh-ins are slightly bigger for Mexico’s idol.

Is the declining crowd an indicator of Alvarez fans ebbing belief in his abilities?

Still, on Saturday night, two undisputed world champions from differing divisions will collide as Guadalajara, Mexico’s Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) meets Houston’s Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) at T-Mobile Arena for the super middleweight world championship. PPV.Com will stream the clash of champions.

This year has seen a hyper-speed uptick in champions fighting other champions, perhaps the result of watching their female counterparts Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor produce the biggest fight of 2022. This year several marquee collisions were spawned from lightweights to heavyweights.

Or maybe the pandemic lull created a twitch panic among the elite.

Charlo was one of those who had been sidelined while others like Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Naoya “Monster” Inoue and Canelo Alvarez filled their pockets with cash. And others like Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez gained undisputed glory.

Instead of watching on the sidelines, Charlo decided to make his move for greater glory by attempting to dethrone one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, if not the kingpin of boxing when it comes to money.

“If I accomplish this massive goal, it will be hard to top,” Charlo said a few weeks ago during his media workout. “I’ll be in the record book with the greats of boxing for a long time.”

Risks brings rewards.

Canelo, long a member of the boxing elite, has held his position as the box office king for many years now by taking the daunting risks throughout his boxing life.

“Jermell is right, I have nothing to prove. But this time I have something to prove to him,” said Alvarez while in Las Vegas on Wednesday. “He never believed in my skills. He’s been calling me out. Now I have an opportunity to show him my skills.”

Undisputed super welterweight will challenge undisputed super middleweight in a two-division jump not often seen, except for Henry Armstrong, Roberto Duran and Sugar Shane Mosley. It’s the road taken by those who seek to be great.

Both are 33 but the redhead Alvarez has been fighting professionally since he was 15. That’s a lot of bullets in the chamber he has already used. Charlo has height, speed and the ability to adapt to different styles. Stylistically, it’s a battle that makes even the skeptics take pause.

It all depends on Alvarez’s resiliency. Charlo has ring rust, while Alvarez seemingly has lost the hunger. Whose weakness will prove the greater?

“Now is the time for this fight. We’re in our primes and at our best,” said Charlo. “I wanna shake the doubters off and prove to the world why I”m in this position. There’s a reason I made it this far.”

Alvarez remembers being as hungry as Charlo.

“I never overlook any fighter,” Alvarez said. “I know what he’s going to bring and I’m ready.”

Undercard

Several other notable bouts are included on the pay-per-view card.

Former world titlists and current welterweight contenders Yordenis Ugas (27-5) and Mario Barrios (27-2) battle for an interim title set for 12 rounds.

Super welterweights Jesus Ramos (20-0, 16 KOs) and Erickson Lubin (25-2, 18 KOs) match skills  in a match that pits a southpaw veteran against an undefeated southpaw from Arizona. For the past three years Ramos has been moving up the ladder and was last seen pounding out highly-touted Joey Spencer. Can he survive Lubin who nearly toppled Sebastian Fundora?

Doors open at T-Mobile Arena at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.

Lampley is back

Legendary HBO announcer Jim Lampley was hired along with ace reporter Lance Pugmire who will co-host the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez versus Jermell Charlo showdown via viewer chat live on PPV.com.

It’s the same concept used by Monday Night Football that features former quarterback greats Peyton Manning and Eli Manning in alternative programming.

Lampley returns to boxing after a five-year absence following HBO’s yanking of the popular program that vaulted elite boxing to the top behind the likes of George Foreman, Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao.

The veteran announcer will be live streaming all the action on media platforms before and during the fight action. He was sorely missed by all who follow the sweet science.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

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