Three Punch Combo: Scenarios for Daniel Jacobs and More

Published

6 years ago

May 13, 2019

THREE PUNCH COMBO — A lot of speculation this past week has been on the future of Canelo Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 KO’s) following his big middleweight title unification win against Daniel Jacobs (35-3, 29 KO’s). But what about the future of Jacobs? First, it is clear that a move to 168 seems likely. With that said, here is a look at three possible options for Jacobs’ eventual return to the ring.

Rocky Fielding (27-2, 15 KO’s)

Fielding, who is also coming off a loss to Canelo, is probably the ideal foe for Jacobs to test the waters at 168. Not only does he have a name but he’s a tough gritty competitor with an aggressive style that is well suited for Jacobs plus he’s somewhat limited inside the ring and he doesn’t carry a big punch. Jacobs won’t have to search to find him and won’t have to fear Fielding’s power. Assuming Canelo does fight again in September, a fight between Jacobs and Fielding may be the ideal co-feature.

John Ryder (28-4, 16 KO’s)

Ryder won a 168-pound belt on the undercard of Canelo-Jacobs with an impressive third round TKO of the previously unbeaten Bilal Akkawy. That seemed to set up a fight between him and another 168-pound belt holder in Callum Smith. But what if Smith gets the call to face Canelo in September? Well a natural fall back option for Ryder would be a fight with Jacobs.

Assuming this scenario, Jacobs-Ryder would also be an ideal co-feature. Ryder is a southpaw but aggressive in nature and he would bring the fight to Jacobs. Much like Fielding, his style would be ideal for Jacobs. As an added plus, if Jacobs were to win he would immediately pick up a 168-pound belt and thus become a little more marketable as he seeks bigger opportunities down the road.

David Lemieux (40-4, 34 KO’s)

Lemieux’s career is clearly in flux at the moment and he needs a signature win now more than ever. He pulled out of his last two fights for various reasons and, like Jacobs, is seemingly headed north to 168 after a long career at middleweight. And as such, he may be willing to roll the dice with a high risk showdown with Jacobs.

As for Jacobs, if he wants a bigger name in his return then Lemieux is the most logical option. He’s a much riskier opponent then Fielding or Ryder, but Jacobs would still be favored and a win over Lemieux would vault him quickly up the rankings in the 168-pound division.

Under The Radar Fight

Saturday brings us another big day of boxing with the return of the World Boxing Super Series as well as the big heavyweight championship fight on Showtime between Deontay Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KO’s) and Dominic Breazeale (20-1, 18 KO’s). As part of that Showtime televised card, there is an intriguing 140-pound fight between Juan Heraldez (16-0, 10 KO’s) and Argenis Mendez (25-5-2, 12 KO’s) that has fallen almost entirely under the radar.

Heraldez, who turned pro in 2009, needs to make a move in his career. To say his career has moved along slowly would be an understatement. That stated, he has always shown promise and is coming off a career best win in February against Eddie Ramirez. In facing Mendez, Heraldez, 28, is taking another step up in competition.

Mendez, 32, has been a pro since 2006 and is a former 130-pound world champion. After losing consecutive fights in 2016 to Robert Easter Jr. and Luke Campbell, Mendez’s career seemed to be tilting downward. But he bounced back with two solid wins and is coming off a split draw in March with 140-pound contender Anthony Peterson. In that fight, Mendez seemed to seize control in the second half of the bout and hopes to keep that momentum going when he faces Heraldez.

Heraldez-Mendez is an evenly matched fight on paper featuring a nice contrast of styles. Heraldez will certainly be the aggressor and press the fight behind his jab looking to land power shots. Mendez is a boxer-puncher who looks to counter. And he will have plenty of opportunities to counter against the aggressive Heraldez. I expect we see an entertaining fight in what could be the most competitive fight of the entire weekend.

I Will Miss My Friend

Two years ago on the Saturday of Boxing Hall of Fame weekend in Canastota, NY, my wife and I headed to the nearby Dunkin’ Donuts. The festivities on the Hall of Fame grounds had just concluded for the day and we wanted to give the crowd a little time to filter out before heading out to dinner.

I was seated facing the door when someone I recognized entering the building. However, I couldn’t immediately put a name to the face. The person who entered must have seen me staring as he walked toward me and took a seat right next to my wife and I and immediately struck up a conversation with me. It was when I heard his voice that I realized this was Bert Cooper.

Bert was willing to share any and all experiences in his life with me that day. We talked in length about his boxing career. The Holyfield fight of course came up and he expressed deep regret for not being better prepared for that fight despite getting it on such short notice. Bert also shared with me his battles with drugs and alcohol. He was very detailed when talking about this to the point where my wife was a bit taken aback.

After talking for nearly an hour (and making Bert a little late for his next engagement), we parted our separate ways. Before we did, I told Bert he was a personal favorite of mine and I always looked forward to watching him fight. And that he also had given me an unforgettable memory. He gave me a great big smile and shook my hand saying he really enjoyed hanging out with me.

I figured I’d never see him again, but as fate would have it I bumped into Bert again last year, once again during Hall of Fame weekend. This time, I was at the nearby hotel where several boxers had come out to sign autographs and interact with fans. Much to my amazement, Bert remembered me from the previous year. He greeted me with that great big smile of his and insisted on signing a photo. He whispered to me that he usually charges for these but not for his friends.

We got to talking again and literally picked up our conversation right where it ended the previous year. Later on that day, my wife and I joined Bert and the person who brought him to Canastota, Sam, for lunch at a nearby restaurant. Much like the prior year, Bert talked in depth with me about specific fights from his career and once again gave this boxing fan a memory that will be forever cherished.

At lunch, Bert told us that nowadays he was only eating healthy foods. And, of course, after lunch Bert wanted to head for ice cream. So we headed to a small local ice cream stand.

With it being a fairly hot day, the ice cream shop was well populated. Bert greeted everyone there proudly handing out his boxing card to anyone who would take it. And of course, gleefully boasting to anyone who would listen how he nearly defeated Holyfield to win the heavyweight title. He captured the crowd that afternoon at the ice cream shop.

I was very much looking forward to seeing Bert Cooper again in Canastota next month. RIP my friend, you will be missed.

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Matt Andrzejewski

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

Published

2 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

8 hours 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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Avila Perspective, Chap. 310: Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue and More

Published

1 day ago

January 23, 2025

David A. Avila

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Many proclaim super bantamweight world champ Naoya Inoue to be the best fighter in the world today. It’s a serious debate among boxing pundits.

Is he Japan’s best fighter ever?

Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) takes another step toward immortality when he meets Korea’s Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) on Friday Jan. 24, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. ESPN+ will stream the Top Rank and Ohashi Promotions card.

Inoue defends the IBF, WBC, WBA and WBO world titles.

This is Inoue’s third defense of the undisputed super bantamweight division that he won when he defeated Philippines’ Marlon Tapales in December 2023.

Japan has always been a fighting nation, a country derived from a warrior culture like Mexico, England, Russia, Germany and a few others. Professional boxing has always thrived in Japan.

My first encounter with Japanese fighters took place in March 1968 at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. It was my first visit to the famous boxing venue, though my father had performed there during the 1950s. I was too young to attend any of his fights and then he retired.

The main event featured featherweights Jose Pimentel of Mexico against Sho Saijo of Japan. Both had fought a month earlier with the Mexican from Jalisco winning by split decision.

Pimentel was a friend of my female cousin and gave my father tickets to the fight. My family loved boxing as most Latino families worldwide do, including those in the USA. It’s a fact that most sports editors for newspapers and magazines fail to realize. Latinos love boxing.

We arrived late at the boxing venue located on Grand Avenue and 18th street. My father was in construction and needed to pick me up in East L.A. near Garfield High School. Fights were already underway when we arrived at the Olympic Auditorium.

It was a packed arena and our seats were fairly close to the boxing ring. As the fighters were introduced and descended to the ring, respectful applause greeted Saijo. He had nearly defeated Pimentel in their first clash a month earlier in this same venue. Los Angeles fans respect warriors. Saijo was a warrior.

Both fighters fought aggressively with skill. Every round it seemed Saijo got stronger and Pimentel got weaker. After 10 strong rounds of back-and-forth action, Saijo was declared the winner this time. Some fans booed but most agreed that the Japanese fighter was stronger on this day. And he was stronger still when they met a third time in 1969 when Saijo knocked out Pimentel in the second round for the featherweight world title.

That was my first time witnessing Japan versus Mexico. Over the decades, I’ve seen many clashes between these same two countries and always expect riveting battles from Japanese fighters.

I was in the audience in Cancun, Mexico when then WBC super featherweight titlist Takashi Miura clashed with Sergio Thompson for 12 rounds in intense heat in a covered bull ring. After that fight that saw three knockdowns between them, the champion, though victorious, was taken out on a stretcher due to dehydration.

There are so many others going back to Fighting Harada in the 1960s that won championships. And what about all the other Japanese fighters who never got the opportunity to fight for a world title due to the distance from America and Europe?

Its impossible to determine if Inoue is the greatest Japanese fighter ever. But without a doubt, he is the most famous. Publications worldwide include him on lists of the top three fighters Pound for Pound.

Few experts are familiar with Korea’s Kim, but expect a battle nonetheless. These two countries are rivals in Asian boxing.

Golden Boy at Commerce Casino

Middleweights Eric Priest and Tyler Howard lead a Golden Boy Promotions fight card on Thursday, Jan. 23, at Commerce Casino in Commerce, CA. DAZN will stream the boxing card.

All ticket money will go to the Los Angele Fire Department Foundation.

Kansas-based Priest (14-0, 8 KOs) meets Tennessee’s Tyler Howard (20-2, 11 KOs) in the main event in a match set for 10 rounds.

Others on the card are super welterweights Jordan Panthen (10-0) and Grant Flores (7-0) in separate bouts and super lightweight Cayden Griffith seeking a third consecutive win. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Diego Pacheco at Las Vegas

Super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) defends his regional titles against Steve Nelson (20-0, 16 KOs) at the Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday, Jan. 25. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

It’s not an easy fight for Pacheco.

“I’ve been fighting for six years as a professional and I’m 22-0 and I’m 23 years old. I feel I’m stepping into my prime now,” said Pacheco, who trains with Jose Benavidez.

Also on the card is Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz and Southern California’s dangerous super lightweight contender Ernesto Mercado in separate fights.

Fights to Watch (All times Pacific Time)

Thurs. DAZN 6 p.m. Eric Priest (14-0) vs Tyler Howard (20-2).

Fri. ESPN+ 1:15 a.m. Naoya Inoue (28-0) vs Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2).

Sat. DAZN 9:15 a.m. Dalton Smith (16-0) vs Walid Ouizza (19-2); Ellie Scotney (9-0) vs Mea Motu (20-0).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Diego Pacheco (22-0) vs Steve Nelson (20-0).

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