Looking Ahead to Lomachenko-Campbell and Other Fights on Saturday’s Docket

Published

5 years ago

August 29, 2019

Looking-Ahead-to-Lomachenko-Campbell-and-Other-Fights-on-Saturday's-Docket

Vasiliy Lomachenko, #1 on several pound-for-pound lists, returns to the ring on Saturday at London’s O2 Arena to meet Luke Campbell in a battle of former Olympic gold medalists that will air on ESPN+. Lomachenko last fought in April when he ran off Anthony Crolla in a total mismatch. During their 10 minutes of fighting, Crolla was credited with landing only 12 punches. The bout ended with him splattered face down on the canvas.

Campbell, a southpaw like Lomachenko, is a big star in the UK. When he won gold at the 2012 London games, becoming the first British boxer to win gold in his weight class (bantamweight) since 2008, British Mail issued a first-class postage stamp with his likeness on it and he was appointed an MBE, short for the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. (The closest kin to an MBE in the U.S. would be the Presidential Medal of Freedom.) He enhanced his profile with an appearance on ITV’s popular “Dancing on Ice” series where he placed third.

As a pro, Campbell is 20-2 (16 KOs). Both losses were by split decision, the first to Ivan Mendy and the second to former WBA and WBC lightweight champion Jorge Linares. He avenged the loss to Mendy after taking on Shane McGuigan as his trainer.

Lomachenko, reportedly 396-1 as an amateur, has won 12 straight since coming up short in his second pro bout against mauler Orlando Salido. During the streak he won titles in three weight classes: 126, 130, and 135. Three lightweight title belts will be at stake on Saturday, all but the IBF diadem held by Richard Commey who reportedly has a date with Teofimo Lopez in December.

Campbell has a history of starting slow and has been dropped by Linares, Mendy, and Argenis Mendez, although he always got up. Needless to say, he’s a big underdog.

There’s a growing feeling, however, that the Englishman, with his home field advantage, will make things interesting. They may weigh the same, but standing side by side one can see that Campbell is bigger. Boxing writer Mark Eisner says that Campbell will be the hardest puncher that Loma has faced since Salido. He notes that Loma has had hand and shoulder problems lately and speculates that this could be a sign of age creeping in. To this we would add the Shane McGuigan factor. The laurels keep coming for the 2016 BWAA Trainer of the Year. For this fight, McGuigan has reportedly had Campbell sparring with three guys at once.

That would seem wise. In the ring, Lomachenko is a ghost, a ghost with a hammer in his hand to steal the nickname applied to the fabled Welsh flyweight Jimmy Wilde. “He’s even better than I thought. His balance and his feet are incredible,” said Anthony Crolla, “and the angles he picks are just crazily good.”

There are two interesting fights on the undercard. Charlie Edwards defends his WBC world flyweight title against Mexico’s Julio Cesar Martinez. Hughie Fury, Tyson Fury’s cousin, opposes former heavyweight title-holder Alexander Povetkin. A participant in seven world title fights (excluding interims), Povetkin, who turns 40 in a few days, is a consensus 17/10 favorite.

The Fury-Povetkin fight will air at 4:00 pm ET / 1:00 PT on ESPN+ with the Lomachenko-Campbell bout to follow. The undercard will start on ESPN+ at 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT.

Bendigo

On Saturday in the Australian inland city of Bendigo, which can trace its name to a famous British bare-knuckle fighter, there’s an important 10-round domestic squabble between Brisbane’s Jeff Horn (19-1-1, 13 KOs) and Melbourne’s Michael Zerafa (26-3, 15 KOs). If Horn should win, as expected, he will fight Ryota Murata in late December for Murata’s WBC world middleweight title. That’s the word from Horn’s U.S. promoter Bob Arum.

Horn, a former schoolteacher who fights with a metal plate in his neck, etched his name in Australian sports lore in May of 2017 when he scored a unanimous, albeit controversial, decision over Manny Pacquiao. It was a monumental upset and it came in a fight hyped as the biggest boxing event ever in the Land Down Under.

That led to a fight with Terence Crawford which didn’t turn out well for him. In his last start, Horn starched countryman Anthony Mundine with a left hook in the opening round. Mundine is ancient and his reflexes are shot, but he twice held a version of the world super middleweight title and this was a nice scalp for Horn to hang on his bedpost.

Michael Zerafa’s three losses have all come on the road: vs. Arif Magomedov in Moscow (UD 10), Peter Quillin at Foxwoods in Connecticut (KO by 5), and Kell Brook (UD 12) in Brooks’ hometown of Sheffield, England. He doesn’t lack for confidence. “Quite simply, my boxing ability is vastly superior to Jeff Horn. He is tough, yes, but skills pay the bills and he only knows one way, which is to walk forward,” said Zerafa to Melbourne Herald Sun reporter Jon Anderson.

Zerafa, like Horn, likes to press the action. This has the appearance of an entertaining fight.

Minneapolis

Five years have elapsed since Erislandy Lara fought Canelo Alvarez. The fight, said Las Vegas Review-Journal sports editor Ed Graney, “was tougher to score than your average Hawaiian Tropic swimsuit competition.” But in the end, two of the judges thought Canelo’s aggression trumped Lara’s slicker boxing and the budding Mexican superstar was returned the winner on a split decision.

Lara and his long-time trainer Ronnie Shields didn’t think the fight was tough to score. “We wuz robbed,” they shouted. And indeed, had the crowd at the MGM Grand Garden not been overwhelmingly pro-Canelo, the result may have been different.

Lara demanded a rematch that never happened and almost certainly never will happen now that Canelo’s thicker torso has thickened some more, mobilizing him to pursue prey in higher weight classes. Their 2014 match was contested at the “catchweight” of 155 pounds.

While Lara, the Cuban exile, will never have the opportunity to avenge that particular loss, a victory on Saturday over Ramon Alvarez, Canelo’s older brother, will ease some of the hurt. The winner will claim the vacant WBA 154-pound world title, giving the WBA two 154-pound world champions (arrrgh), the other being Julian Williams.

Lara (25-3-3, 14 KOs) is a bigger favorite over Alvarez (28-7-3, 16 KOs) than is Lomachenko over Campbell. But hold the phone. Lara is 36 years old (perhaps even older) and beginning to show his age. In his last start, against Brian Castano, Lara lost the last three rounds on all three cards and had to settle for a draw. In his fight before that, he was knocked down in the 12^th round by Jarrett Hurd, enabling Hurd to capture Lara’s world title belt on a split decision in a fight that was a strong Fight of the Year candidate (but ultimately overtaken by Fury-Wilder).

Al Haymon, the driving force behind Premier Boxing Champions, reportedly has more than 100 fighters under contract. As a consequence, his shows tend to have very deep undercards. There are 15 bouts scheduled on Saturday’s show at the Armory. Most qualify as “showcase fights” for Haymon’s blue-chip prospects, of which there are many.

Lara vs. Alvarez will air live on FOX at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT. The appetizer is an 8-round match between ever-improving six-foot-five junior middleweight Sebastian Fundora (13-0, 9 KOs) and fellow southpaw Jamontay Clark (14-1, 7 KOs).

Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel

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Arne K. Lang

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Ringside at the Cosmo: Pacheco Outpoints Nelson plus Undercard Results

Published

1 day ago

January 25, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Ringside at the Cosmo: Pacheco Outpoints Nelson plus Undercard Results

LAS VEGAS, NV – Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions was at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas tonight for the second half of a DAZN doubleheader that began in Nottingham, England. In the main event, Diego Pacheco, ranked #1 by the WBO at super middleweight, continued his ascent toward a world title with a unanimous decision over Steven Nelson.

Pacheco glides round the ring smoothly whereas Nelson wastes a lot energy with something of a herky-jerky style. However, although Nelson figured to slow down as the fight progressed, he did some of his best work in rounds 11 and 12. Fighting with a cut over his left eye from round four, a cut that periodically reopened, the gritty Nelson fulfilled his promise that he would a fight as if he had everything to lose if he failed to win, but it just wasn’t enough, even after his Omaha homie Terence “Bud” Crawford entered his corner before the last round to give him a pep talk (back home in North Omaha, Nelson runs the B&B (Bud and Bomac) Sports Academy.

All three judges had it 117-111 for Pacheco who mostly fought off his back foot but landed the cleaner punches throughout. A stablemate of David Benavidez and trained by David’s father Jose Benevidez Sr, Pacheco improved to 23-0 (18). It was the first pro loss for the 36-year-old Nelson (20-1).

Semi wind-up

Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz, who as a pro has never fought a match slated for fewer than 10 rounds, had too much class for Hermosillo, Mexico’s rugged Omar Salcido who returned to his corner with a puffy face after the fourth stanza, but won the next round and never stopped trying. The outcome was inevitable even before the final round when Salcido barely made it to the final gun, but the Mexican was far more competitive than many expected.

The Cuban, who was 4-0 vs. Keyshawn Davis in closely-contested bouts as an amateur, advanced his pro record to 5-0 (2), winning by scores by 99-91 and 98-92 twice. Salido, coming off his career-best win, a 9^th-round stoppage of former WBA super featherweight title-holder Chris Colbert, falls to 20-2.

Other TV bouts

Ernesto “Tito” Mercado, a 23-year-old super lightweight, aims to become the next world champion from Pomona, California, following in the footsteps of the late Richie Sandoval and Sugar Shane Mosely, and based on his showing tonight against former Beijing Olympian and former two-division title-holder Jose Pedraza, he is well on his way.

After three rounds after what had been a technical fight, Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) knocked Pedraza off his pins with an overhand right followed by short left hand. Pedraza bounced back and fell on his backside. When he arose on unsteady legs, the bout was waived off. The official time was 2:08 of round four and the fading, 35-year-old Pedraza (29-7-1) was saddled with his third loss in his last four outings.

The 8-round super lightweight clash between Israel Mercado (no relation to “Tito”) and Leonardo Rubalcava was fan-friendly skirmish with many robust exchanges. When the smoke cleared, the verdict was a majority draw. Mercado got the nod on one card (76-74), but was overruled by a pair of 75-75 scores.

Mercado came out strong in the opening round, but suffered a flash knockdown before the round ended. The referee ruled it a slip but was overruled by replay operator Jay Nady and what would have been a 10-9 round for Mercado became a 10-8 round for Rubalcava. Mercado lost another point in round seven when he was penalized for low blows.

The scores were 76-74 for Mercado (11-1-2) and 75-75 twice. The verdict was mildly unpopular with most thinking that Mercado deserved the nod. Reportedly a four-time Mexican amateur champion, Rubalcava (9-0-1) is trained by Robert Garcia.

Also

New Matchroom signee Nishant Dev, a 24-year-old southpaw from India, had an auspicious pro debut (pardon the cliché). Before a beaming Eddie Hearn, Dev stopped Oakland’s Alton Wiggins (1-1-1) in the opening round. The referee waived it off after the second knockdown.

Boxers from India have made large gains at the amateur level in recent years and Matchroom honcho Eddie Hearn anticipates that Dev, a Paris Olympian, will be the first fighter from India to make his mark as a pro.

Undefeated Brooklyn lightweight Harley Mederos, managed by the influential Keith Connolly, scored his seventh knockout in eight tries with a brutal third-round KO of Mexico’s Arturo de Isla.

A left-right combination knocked de Isla (5-3-1) flat on his back. Referee Raul Caiz did not bother to count and several minutes elapsed before the stricken fighter was fit to leave the ring. The official time was 1:27 of round three.

In the opener, Newark junior lightweight Zaquin Moses, a cousin of Shakur Stevenson, improved to 2-0 when his opponent retired on his stool after the opening round.

Photo credit: Melina Pizano / Matchroom

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

Published

3 days 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 last 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, applied the exclamation point, 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

3 days 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 Brandon Figueroa should he defeat former Inoue foe Stephen Fulton next weekend. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa 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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