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Diego’s Spit Bucket: A Clumsy Come-Hither for GGG-Martirosyan and More
Canelo’s Beef with GGG Gets Real
Speaking about “funny ways to promote a fight” and “beef getting personal,” let’s talk about Abel Sanchez. What’s with that beef-eating, sanctimonious
The Spit Bucket is your weekly source of random thoughts, opinions and comments about the Manly Art, compiled by TSS boxing writer Diego Morilla. Follow us every week at #SBatTSS and @TSSboxingnews
Somewhere Beyond the Sea
We hear a lot about Mexico vs. Puerto Rico, or Argentina vs. Colombia, or… well… real Mexicans vs. California Mexicans. But there’s a rivalry flying under the radar that is about to get real pretty real soon. Yes, it’s the Caspian Sea rivalry, a bitter dispute between former members of the old Soviet Union in the Caucasus region. That’s where Gennady Golovkin (born in Karaganda, Kazakhstan) and Vanes Martirosyan (born in Abovyan, Armenia) come from, and that’s presumably one of the very few and rather weak selling points for a fight between this unlikely couple.
After all, there’s gotta be something you can use to promote a fight between a guy who made his career at 154 and has been inactive for the better part of two years and one of the most devastating punchers in all of boxing who has even been discussing a possible jump to super middleweight. And on short notice, to boot.
Size, experience, record, recent activity and just plain ol’ common sense point towards another GGG win, perhaps with another highlight-reel knockout against a fighter who has not yet been stopped. So what do you do to boost the chances of this fight not being a complete failure at the box office? Find a dormant regional rivalry (knowing the area and its history, I am pretty sure some of GGG and Martirosyan’s folks have faced each other in the battlefield at some point in the last 800 years) and twist it into a personal beef between the two. Martirosyan has said that he will “pack the place with Armenians,” a not very difficult task given that the StubHub is a stone’s throw from Glendale, an Armenian stronghold in California. With some luck, we’ll have yet another rivalry to talk about in boxing for years to come.– Diego M. Morilla
Canelo’s Beef with GGG Gets Real
Speaking about “funny ways to promote a fight” and “beef getting personal,” let’s talk about Abel Sanchez. What’s with that beef-eating, sanctimonious hidden message in that video promo for a well-known sports apparel brand? If you haven’t seen it, here it is:
“Superhuman power requires a special ingredient…and it’s called hard work,” says Sanchez, while he digs into a rather tasty looking piece of meat. Quite obviously, the whole thing is a cheap shot at Canelo Alvarez and his claim that the level of clenbuterol found in his blood in two consecutive drug tests was due to the presence of this substance in Mexican bovine meat. But let’s break this down a bit further: you lost a big payday, you’re pissed about almost wasting weeks, if not months, of training and now being forced to fight someone else for less money, and you feel like gloating a little bit and showing off for your fans. We’re good up to that point. But at some point in the future, someone is going to sit across that table from you, and there will be a completely different type of beef on the table. I am talking about the negotiation for the eventual mid-September Canelo comeback fight against GGG, of course, and how pointless antics like this one may predispose your already embattled foe to look elsewhere for a payday in which he is the main course, and not the other way around. You feel me?
I still feel Canelo will look to fight GGG in September, of course, but if a few silly antics like this one rub His Frecklesness the wrong way and he decides to make someone else a millionaire, please remember that we warned you about it here first. Revenge is a dish better served cold – or medium rare, in this case. — Diego M. Morilla
Oscar De La Hoya Involved in Yet Another Sex Scandal
It looks like it’s trouble time for Oscar De La Hoya once again. The Golden Boy Promotions promoter and former multiple champion appears to be involved in another scandal. According to a story in England’s Daily Mail, two women are attempting to extort him by demanding two million dollars to avoid posting a video in which he appears to be making sexually explicit poses.
The report claims that De La Hoya met these two models through an Instagram dating service and after exchanging a few messages he invited them to an apartment in Pasadena, California, where a kitchen appliance ended up becoming an important prop during an afternoon of sex that the ladies in question took the trouble to capture on video. Or so goes the story.
Sources close to the conflict have indicated that the FBI is on the case already, but this has not been confirmed. The scandal exploded when celebrity agent Kevin Blatt said that he had a copy of the video in his possession. “I was contacted by someone who claimed to be an Instagram model, and she put me in touch with another lady,” said Blatt, who expressed that he had watched about 30 minutes of a sex video in which De La Hoya allegedly appears. “I’ve received a few similar videos, but this one is extremely embarrassing.”– J.J. Álvarez
“Prince” Cuadras, Suspended and Awaiting a Hearing
The rematch between Francisco “El Gallo” Estrada and Carlos “El Príncipe” Cuadras has fallen like a house of cards. It was being planned to take place in Mexico a few days after the end of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but it is officially off. Why? Cuadras has been suspended by the WBC due to a possible doping case that required the intervention of the sanctioning body, where the fighter is expected to appear in order to clarify the situation. However, there are doubts related to this subject, because WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman expressed that the fighter didn’t really fail any tests nor tested positive after his bout, this time a defeat at the hands of Puerto Rico’s McWilliams Arroyo back in February. “He has been suspended for failures in the protocol of banned substances. He is out of the world rankings and the matter is being taken care of.” According to a report by ESPN, however, the Cuadras case may be related to a presumed case of recreational drugs and not a performance-enhancement drug case. – J.J. Álvarez
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Canelo vs Berlanga Battles the UFC: Hopefully No Repeat of the 2019 Fiasco
If one happens to be fan of both traditional boxing and MMA, then one has a choice to make this Saturday. Canelo Alvarez will be in action at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas defending his lineal 168-pound world title against Edgar Berlanga and two miles away in a competing Pay-Per-View card, the first-ever sporting event will be staged inside The Sphere, a UFC card bearing the title Riyadh Season Noche 306.
This won’t be the first time that a boxing card featuring the red-headed Mexican superstar went head-to-head with a UFC event. On Nov. 2, 2019, Canelo Alvarez fought Sergey Kovalev at the T-Mobile and 2,500 miles away, MMA stars Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal locked horns at Madison Square Garden. Both cards were PPV. Alvarez vs Kovalev was live-streamed on DAZN; Diaz vs Masvidal on ESPN+.
We don’t know which event generated the most profit, but the way things played out, this was a symbolic win for the UFC. On this night, the venerable sport of boxing and its adherents were reduced to a second-class citizen.
The fault lay with the nitwits at DAZN. They thought it prudent to postpone the start of Alvarez-Kovalev until the Diaz-Masdival fight was finished. What resulted was an interlude that dragged on for a good 90 minutes after Ryan Garcia knocked out Romero Duno in 98 seconds in the semi-wind-up. Then came the ring walks, the National Anthems (there were three), and the long-winded introduction of the combatants. When the bell finally sounded to signify the start of the bout, it was 10:18 inside the arena and 1:18 am for the bleary-eyed folks tuning in back in the Eastern Time Zone. The backlash was fierce.
The competing shows this coming Saturday coincide with Mexican Independence Day Weekend. One might assume that this will give the PBC promotion at the T-Mobile a leg up as Canelo Alvarez is a must-see attraction within the Mexican and Mexican-American communities. However, the UFC card has something going for it that T-Mobile lacks. The venue is itself an allurement. The newest addition to the Las Vegas skyline, The Sphere has the WOW factor. Even long-time Las Vegas locals, supposedly jaded by a surfeit of architectural wonders, are mesmerized by the constantly changing light show on the exterior of the big globe. Inside, visitors will find the world’s highest resolution LED display.
Customizing the interior for UFC 306 was an expensive proposition. UFC honcho Dana White has pegged the cost at $20 million and concedes that without Saudi money it would not have been feasible. He says that Saturday’s show will be “one-off,” not merely the first combat sports event at The Sphere, but also the last because it would be too expensive to replicate. If that be true, attendees are advised to keep their ticket stubs. Years from now, they might command a nice price in the sports memorabilia marketplace.
The T-Mobile has Canelo, but The Sphere has Alexa Grasso who, akin to Canelo, hails from Guadalajara. Ms. Grasso, 31, just may be the second-most-well-known fighter in Mexico. In addition to holding the UFC flyweight title, she is an analyst for the UFC’s Spanish-language broadcasts.
Grasso will be defending her belts against Russia’s Valentina Shevshenko in the co-main. In the featured bout, bantamweight belt-holder Sean O’Malley will defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili.
The T-Mobile card on Prime Video comes with a suggested list price of $89.99 for U.S. buyers without a Prime Video account. That tab has been widely assailed as a rip-off. “It’s gouging fight fans, plain and simple,” says Kevin Iole who covered both boxing and MMA for Yahoo. (For the record, the UFC show on ESPN+ comes with a list price of $79.99, $10 cheaper if bundled with an ESPN+ subscription. The UFC folks are holding their breath that the event can be translated to the small screen without compromising the clarity of the picture. The logistics are daunting.)
The main bouts on the UFC card will be far more competitive based on the prevailing odds, but when it comes to combat sports, this reporter is a traditionalist. Agreed, that can be interpreted as an old fuddy-duddy stuck in his ways, but in my eyes boxing, a sport that rests on a far more arresting historic foundation, trumps the Johnny-come-lately that is the UFC.
Check back later this week as TSS West Coast Bureau Chief David A. Avila offers up a closer look at Alvarez vs Berlanga and some of the supporting bouts.
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Niyomtrong Proves a Bridge Too Far for Alex Winwood in Australia
Today in Perth, Australia, Alex Winwood stepped up in class in his fifth pro fight with the aim of becoming the fastest world title-holder in Australian boxing history. But Winwood (4-0, 2 KOs heading in) wasn’t ready for WBA strawweight champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong, aka Knockout CP Freshmart, who by some accounts is the longest reigning champion in the sport.
Niyomtrong (25-0, 9 KOs) prevailed by a slim margin to retain his title. “At least the right guy won,” said prominent Australian boxing writer Anthony Cocks who thought the scores (114-112, 114-112, 113-113) gave the hometown fighter all the best of it.
Winwood, who represented Australia in the Tokyo Olympics, trained for the match in Thailand (as do many foreign boxers in his weight class). He is trained by Angelo Hyder who also worked with Danny Green and the Moloney twins. Had he prevailed, he would have broken the record of Australian boxing icon Jeff Fenech who won a world title in his seventh pro fight. A member of the Noongar tribe, Winwood, 27, also hoped to etch on his name on the list of notable Australian aboriginal boxers alongside Dave Sands, Lionel Rose and the Mundines, Tony and Anthony, father and son.
What Winwood, 27, hoped to capitalize on was Niyomtrong’s theoretical ring rust. The Thai was making his first start since July 20 of 2022 when he won a comfortable decision over Wanheng Menayothin in one of the most ballyhooed domestic showdowns in Thai boxing history. But the Noongar needed more edges than that to overcome the Thai who won his first major title in his ninth pro fight with a hard-fought decision over Nicaragua’s Carlos Buitrago who was 27-0-1 heading in.
A former Muai Thai champion, Niyomtrong/Freshmart turns 34 later this month, an advanced age for a boxer in the sport’s smallest weight class. Although he remains undefeated, he may have passed his prime. How good was he in his heyday? Prominent boxing historian Matt McGrain has written that he was the most accomplished strawweight in the world in the decade 2010-2019: “It is not close, it is not debatable, there is no argument.”
Against the intrepid Winwood, Niyomtrong started slowly. In round seven, he cranked up the juice, putting the local fighter down hard with a left hook. He added another knockdown in round nine. The game Winwood stayed the course, but was well-beaten at the finish, no matter that the scorecards suggested otherwise, creating the impression of a very close fight.
P.S. – Because boxrec refused to name this a title fight, it fell under the radar screen until the result was made known. In case you hadn’t noticed, boxrec is at loggerheads with the World Boxing Association and has decided to “de-certify” the oldest of the world sanctioning bodies. While this reporter would be happy to see the WBA disappear – it is clearly the most corrupt of the four major organizations – the view from here is that boxrec is being petty. Moreover, if this practice continues, it will be much harder for boxing historians of future generations to sort through the rubble.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 295: Callum Walsh, Pechanga Casino Fights and More
Super welterweight contender Callum Walsh worked out for reporters and videographers at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif. on Thursday,
The native of Ireland Walsh (11-0, 9 KOs) has a fight date against Poland’s Przemyslaw Runowski (22-2-1, 6 KOs) on Friday, Sept. 20 at the city of Dublin. It’s a homecoming for the undefeated southpaw from Cork. UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card.
Mark down the date.
Walsh is the latest prodigy of promoter Tom Loeffler who has a history of developing European boxers in America and propelling them forward on the global boxing scene. Think Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin and you know what I mean.
Golovkin was a middleweight monster for years.
From Kevin Kelley to Oba Carr to Vitaly Klitschko to Serhii Bohachuk and many more in-between, the trail of elite boxers promoted by Loeffler continues to grow. Will Walsh be the newest success?
Add to the mix Dana White, the maestro of UFC, who is also involved with Walsh and you get a clearer picture of what the Irish lad brings to the table.
Walsh has speed, power and a glint of meanness that champions need to navigate the prizefighting world. He also has one of the best trainers in the world in Freddie Roach who needs no further introduction.
Perhaps the final measure of Walsh will be when he’s been tested with the most important challenge of all:
Can he take a punch from a big hitter?
That’s the final challenge
It always comes down to the chin. It’s what separates the Golovkins from the rest of the pack. At the top of the food chain they all can hit, have incredible speed and skill, but the fighters with the rock hard chins are those that prevail.
So far, the chin test is the only examination remaining for Walsh.
“King’ Callum Walsh is ready for his Irish homecoming and promises some fireworks for the Irish fans. This will be an entertaining show for the fans and we are excited to bring world class boxing back to the 3Arena in Dublin,” said Loeffler.
Pechanga Fights
MarvNation Promotions presents a battle between welterweight contenders Jose “Chon” Zepeda (37-5, 28 KOs) and Ivan Redkach (24-7-1, 19 KOs) on Friday, Sept. 6, at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula. DAZN will stream the fight card.
Both have fought many of the best welterweights in the world and now face each other. It should be an interesting clash between the veterans.
Also on the card, featherweights Nathan Rodriguez (15-0) and Bryan Mercado (11-5-1) meet in an eight-round fight.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. First bout at 7 p.m.
Monster Inoue
Once again Japan’s Naoya Inoue dispatched another super bantamweight contender with ease as TJ Doheny was unable to continue in the seventh round after battered by a combination on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Inoue continues to brush away whoever is placed in front of him like a glint of dust.
Is the “Monster” the best fighter pound-for-pound on the planet or is it Terence Crawford? Both are dynamic punchers with skill, speed, power and great chins.
Munguia in Big Bear
Super middleweight contender Jaime Munguia is two weeks away from his match with Erik Bazinyan at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. ESPN will show the Top Rank card.
“Erik Bazinyan is a good fighter. He’s undefeated. He switches stances. We need to be careful with that. He’s taller and has a longer reach than me. He has a good jab. He can punch well on the inside. He’s a fighter who comes with all the desire to excel,” said Munguia.
Bazinyan has victories over Ronald Ellis and Alantez Fox.
In case you didn’t know, Munguia moved over to Top Rank but still has ties with Golden Boy Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. Bazinyan is promoted by Eye of the Tiger.
This is the Tijuana fighter’s first match with Top Rank since losing to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez last May in Las Vegas. He is back with trainer Erik Morales.
Callum Walsh photo credit: Lina Baker
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