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Two More Votes for Canelo from our Spanish Language Sister Site

Lazaro Malvarez Cárdenas and J.J. Alvarez are the linchpins of our Spanish language sister site. Both previewed the Canelo-Kovalev fight in-depth. Here are their stories, translated in English, with Lazaro Malvarez Cárdenas stepping up to the plate first.
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It took some time and even a World title was lost along the way, but when Alvarez’s team makes moves it’s because they know where they’re going and this Saturday, Nov. 2, is no exception. Even though ‘Canelo” and his promoters haven’t been seeing eye to eye, let’s not think that “Golden Boy”, with Óscar de la Hoya in charge, would risk their golden goose, especially during times like these when boxing is being bombarded from the outside as well as from within its own business.
Álvarez is the betting favorite and has a 350 million-dollar deal with the platform DAZN, which he must live up to in great fashion; in other words, without facing another Michael “Rocky” Fielding.
Let’s begin with the comparisons: Alvarez is 29 years old, while Kovalev is seven years his senior at 36. Álvarez has competed in 55 professional bouts, with 52 victories, only one loss against Floyd Mayweather Jr and two draws. Kovalev possesses a record of 34 victories, 3 defeats and one draw with his failures being talked about much more than his successes. His execution came at the hands of Andre Ward, who exposed him in their second match, and the Colombian Eleider Álvarez, whom he was able to get the better of in a subsequent rematch. If we go to the numbers, the Russian has a higher percentage of knockouts (76% to 64%) and he’s 4 inches taller.
Sergey “Krusher” has heavy hands but is mentally weak. Power, a potent jab, and being at his habitual weight of 175lbs are some of his strengths.
Álvarez’s fans point to his speed, ability to bob and weave, adapt, precision, power and to his corner with Eddy Reynoso as head coach. But the real question here is, how will these aforementioned attributes fare at 175lbs and against a natural light heavyweight?
Those who are truly optimistic believe that a body shot from “Canelo” will destroy the Russian and there is no doubt that it will cause some form of damage. That being said, the Mexican’s victory has already long been decided: it comes from his mindset and confidence in that he will retire a faded Kovalev.
Let’s not fool ourselves, the times when Kovalev demolished undefeated fighters such as Nathan Cleverly, Cedric Agnew, Blake Caparello or terrified veterans like Bernard Hopkins and Jean Pascal are long gone. He was almost knocked out in his most recent fight against the unknown Anthony Yarde, and thanks to the Brit’s lack of stamina avoided the upset.
Álvarez is younger, defensively sound and has improved tremendously at the hands of Eddy Reynoso, and if by chance he doesn’t deserve to win in the ring, he’ll have three allies sitting in high chairs at ringside that will help him because “Canelo” Álvarez is part of the Las Vegas show even if it’s only twice a year.
PREDICTION: The Mexican “David” defeats the Russian “Goliath.” Canelo Álvarez by knockout after the 8th round (Lazaro Malvarez Cárdenas)
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After the initial celebration from confirming the fight between the Mexican challenger Saúl “Canelo” Alvarez and the Russian light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, questions flooded the representatives of the red headed Aztecan for allowing him to move up a few weight classes against a big puncher like Kovalev. Previously it seemed like an illogical and absurd decision.
But the people who represent the superstar Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 Kos) and have transformed him into a valuable “commercial product”, as well as the world’s most popular boxer, aren’t taking any shots in the dark. NO. To get to this contract with Kovalev, Canelo’s team made a thorough analysis of today’s Kovalev who at 36 years of age lacks the power of yesteryear and has a stamina issue, as seen in his knockout losses to the American Andre Ward (in the 8th round in 2017), and the Colombian Eleider Alvarez (in the 7th round in 2018), and most recently in his victory against the British Anthony Yarde.
Canelo will be at a height disadvantage (5’8” vs 6’0”), but will have youth on his side (29 vs 36), a deadly left hook and an amazing training camp. The crowd could also be a factor for Canelo, swaying the judges in his favor with their overwhelming chants.
Canelo has competed 12 times in Sin City, with 10 wins one loss and one draw. His defeat against the now retired American Floyd “Money” Mayweather shows the judges favoritism for the Mexican. Mayweather’s victory was domination in all aspects, and yet judge C. J. Ross (who eventually was forced to resign) shamelessly scored the fight a draw, 114-114.
Another memorable fight was Canelo vs the Cuban southpaw Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara, July of 2014. The higher volume of punches, superior technique and defensive ability was displayed by the Cuban, but the judges at ringside unjustly announced the Mexican as the winner with score cards of 117-111 and 115-113 (from Dave Moretti, who will be present at the Kovalev fight). Jerry Roth saw the Cuban as victorious 115-113.
More recently, the draw between Canelo and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, September 16th of 2017, created a lot of doubt surrounding the impartiality and honesty of the judges. Golovkin was the aggressor and landed the more significant punches. But somehow Canelo received the insane score of 118-110 from Adalaide Byrd! (she saw the Aztecan win 10 rounds and only two for the European). Meanwhile, Moretti saw It 115-113 in favor of the Kazakhstani and Don Trella scored it a draw.
We also can’t disregard the claims made by James “Buddy” McGirt, Kovalev’s trainer, who is convinced that his disciple will win. McGirt was inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame this year and knows what kind of weight his words carry. If he provides his unconditional support for the European, his prestige as a trainer will be in question.
McGirt stated that Canelo hasn’t faced any great fighters with the exception of Floyd Mayweather Jr. “I like Canelo, I think he’s a good fighter and his trainer has done a lot of good things with him, but tell me, who has he beat?,” said McGirt. “I respect him for accepting the challenge, but I think he picked the wrong guy”.
Even though anything can happen inside the ring, the decision to take on Kovalev was not without calculation. Canelo’s team is aware of the risk and is extremely confident in his ability to claim victory and grasp the WBO World Light Heavyweight Title. If he sticks with Trainer Chepo Reynoso’s game plan and there are no “lucky” punches, then Canelo will end the night with his hand raised. The winds of victory blow in his direction.
VERDICT: Canelo! (J.J. Alvarez)
Translated by E.G. for Lazaro Malvarez Cárdenas of CdB.ib.tv and J.J. Alvarez of Boxeo.ib.tv
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Mercito Gesta Victorious Over Jojo Diaz at the Long Beach Pyramid

LONG BEACH, CA.-Those in the know knew Mercito Gesta and Jojo Diaz would be a fight to watch and they delivered.
Gesta emerged the winner in a super lightweight clash between southpaws that saw the judges favor his busier style over Diaz’s body attack and bigger shots and win by split decision on Saturday.
Despite losing the main event because the star was overweight, Gesta (34-3-3, 17 KOs) used an outside method of tactic to edge past former world champion Diaz (32-4-1, 15 KOs) in front of more than 5,000 fans at the Pyramid.
The speedy Gesta opened up the fight with combination punching up and down against the peek-a-boo style of Diaz. For the first two rounds the San Diego fighter overwhelmed Diaz though none of the blows were impactful.
In the third round Diaz finally began unloading his own combinations and displaying the fast hands that helped him win world titles in two divisions. Gesta seemed stunned by the blows, but his chin held up. The counter right hook was Diaz’s best weapon and snapped Gesta’s head back several times.
Gesta regained control in the fifth round after absorbing big blows from Diaz. He seemed to get angry that he was hurt and opened up with even more blows to send Diaz backpedaling.
Diaz targeted his attack to Gesta’s body and that seemed to slow down Gesta. But only for a round.
From the seventh until the 10th each fighter tried to impose their style with Gesta opening up with fast flurries and Diaz using right hooks to connect with solid shots. They continued their method of attack until the final bell. All that mattered was what the judges preferred.
After 10 rounds one judge saw Diaz the winner 97-93 but two others saw Gesta the winner 99-91, 98-92. It was a close and interesting fight.
“I was expecting nothing. I was the victor in this fight and we gave a good fight,” said Gesta. “It’s not an easy fight and Jojo gave his best.”
Diaz was surprised by the outcome but accepted the verdict.
Everything was going good. I thought I was landing good body shots,” said Diaz. “I was pretty comfortable.”
Other Bouts
Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (25-1-1, 20 KOs) knocked out Chicago’s Alex Martin (18-5, 6 KOs) with a counter right hand after dropping him earlier in the fourth round. The super lightweight fight was stopped at 1:14 of the round.
A battle between undefeated super welterweights saw Florida’s Eric Tudor (8-0, 6 KOs) emerge the winner by unanimous decision after eight rounds versus Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain.
The taller Tudor showed polished skill and was not bothered by a large cut on his forehead caused by an accidental clash of heads. He used his jab and lead rights to defuse the attacks of the quick-fisted southpaw Cato-Cain. The judges scored the fight 80-72 and 78-74 twice for Tudor.
San Diego’s Jorge Chavez (5-0, 4 KOs) needed less than one round to figure out Nicaragua’s Bryan Perez (12-17-1, 11 KOs) and send him into dreamland with a three-punch combination. No need to count as referee Ray Corona waved the fight over. Perez shot a vicious right followed by another right and then a see-you-later left hook at 3.00 of the first round of the super featherweight match.
Photo credit: Al Applerose
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Jojo Diaz’s Slump Continues; Mercito Gesta Prevails on a Split Decision

At age 30, Jojo Diaz’s career is on the skids. The 2012 U.S. Olympian, a former world title holder at 126 and 130 pounds and an interim title holder at 135, Diaz suffered his third straight loss tonight, upset by Mercito Gesta who won a split decision at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA.. The scoring was strange with Gesta winning nine of the 10 rounds on one of the cards and only three rounds on another. The tie-breaker, as it were, was a 98-92 tally for Gesta and even that didn’t capture the flavor of what was a closely-contested fight.
Originally listed as a 12-rounder, the match was reduced to 10 and that, it turned out, did Diaz no favors. However, it’s hard to feel sorry for the former Olympian as he came in overweight once again, having lost his 130-pound title on the scales in February of 2021.
Diaz also has issues outside the ropes. Best elucidated by prominent boxing writer Jake Donovan, they include a cluster of legal problems stemming from an arrest for drunk driving on Feb. 27 in the LA suburb of Claremont.
With the defeat, Diaz’s ledger declined to 32-4-1. His prior losses came at the hands of Gary Russell Jr, Devin Haney, and William Zepeda, boxers who are collectively 83-2. Mercito Gesta, a 35-year-old San Diego-based Filipino, improved to 34-3-3.
Co-Feature
Chihuahua, Mexico super lightweight Oscar Duarte has now won nine straight inside the distance after stopping 33-year-old Chicago southpaw Alex Martin in the eighth frame. Duarte, the busier fighter, had Martin on the deck twice in round eight before the fight was waived off.
Duarte improved to 25-1-1 (20). Martin, who reportedly won six national titles as an amateur and was once looked upon as a promising prospect, declined to 18-5.
Other Bouts of Note
New Golden Boy signee Eric Tudor, a 21-year-old super welterweight from Fort Lauderdale, overcame a bad laceration over his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads in round four, to stay unbeaten, advancing to 8-0 (6) with a hard-fought unanimous 8-round decision over Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain. The judges had it 80-72 and 78-74 twice. It was the first pro loss for Cato-Cain (7-1-1) who had his first five fights in Tijuana.
In the DAZN opener, lanky Hawaian lightweight Dalis Kaleiopu went the distance for the first time in his young career, improving to 4-0 (3) with a unanimous decision over 36-year-old Colombian trial horse Jonathan Perez (40-35). The scores were 60-52 across the board. There were no knockdowns, but Perez, who gave up almost six inches in height, had a point deducted for a rabbit punch and another point for deducted for holding.
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‘Big Baby’ Wins the Battle of Behemoths; TKOs ‘Big Daddy’ in 6

Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne weighed in at a career-high 277 pounds for today’s battle in Dubai with Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, but he was the lighter man by 56 pounds. It figured that one or both would gas out if the bout lasted more than a few stanzas.
It was a war of attrition with both men looking exhausted at times, and when the end came it was Miller, at age 34 the younger man by nine years, who had his hand raised.
Browne was the busier man, but Miller, whose physique invites comparison with a rhinoceros, hardly blinked as he was tattooed with an assortment of punches. He hurt ‘Bid Daddy’ in round four, but the Aussie held his own in the next frame, perhaps even forging ahead on the cards, but only postponing the inevitable.
In round six, a succession of right hands knocked Browne on the seat of his pants. He beat the count, but another barrage from Miller impelled the referee to intervene. The official time was 2:33. It was the 21st straight win for Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs). Browne declined to 31-4 and, for his own sake, ought not fight again. All four of his losses have come inside the distance, some brutally.
The consensus of those that caught the livestream was that Floyd Mayweather Jr’s commentary was an annoying distraction that marred what was otherwise an entertaining show.
As for what’s next for “Big Baby” Miller, that’s hard to decipher as he has burned his bridges with the sport’s most powerful promoters. One possibility is Mahmoud Charr who, like Miller, has a big gap in his boxing timeline. Now 38 years old, Charr – who has a tenuous claim on a WBA world title (don’t we all?) — has reportedly taken up residence in Dubai.
Other Bouts of Note
In a 10-round cruiserweight affair, Suslan Asbarov, a 30-year-old Russian, advanced to 4-0 (1) with a hard-fought majority decision over Brandon Glanton. The judges had it 98-92, 97-93, and a more reasonable 95-95.
Asbarov was 12-9 in documented amateur fights and 1-0 in a sanctioned bare-knuckle fight, all in Moscow, entering this match. He bears watching, however, as Glanton (18-2) would be a tough out for almost anyone in his weight class. In his previous fight, at Plant City, Florida, Glanton lost a controversial decision to David Light, an undefeated Australian who challenges WBO world title-holder Lawrence Okolie at Manchester, England next week.
A 10-round super featherweight match between former world title challengers Jono Carroll and Miguel Marriaga preceded the semi-windup. Carroll, a 30-year-old Dublin southpaw, overcame a cut over his left eye suffered in the second round to win a wide unanimous decision in a fairly entertaining fight.
It was the sixth straight win for Carroll (24-2-1, 7 KOs) who elevated his game after serving as a sparring partner for Devin Haney. Marriaga, a 36-year-old Colombian, lost for the fourth time in his last five outings, declining to 30-7.
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