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Avila Perspective, Chap. 96: The Return of Boxing, NVHOF and Machete

If all goes according to Hoyle, it looks like Shakur Stevenson will be the first to shake out the cob webs of boxing when he fights early next month.
Las Vegas seems to be the target site on June 9, as WBO featherweight titlist Stevenson (13-0, 7 KOs) appears in a non-title fight against an opponent to be named after Mexicoâs Rafael Rivera (27-4-2, 18 KOs) was forced to withdraw because of immigration issues related to the pandemic.
Nothing is etched in stone. If it takes place, the Top Rank show will be shown by ESPN.
It makes sense to open up in the Nevada casino city whose economy depends mostly on live gambling and the people who arrive ready to spend money on hotels, restaurants, and various forms of entertainment. Boxing has always been a lure for Las Vegas.
The lure is Shakur you could say for prizefighting.
Twenty-two year old Stevenson just could be the next great boxer with his mix of height, build, and scintillating fighting tools that have enabled him to burst on the professional fight scene after a successful amateur phase.
He could be the one.
Sadly, fans wonât be allowed in the venue due to new medical protocol because of the corona virus and it remains to be seen if any media outside of ESPN will be admitted.
Still, Las Vegas is opening and thatâs a good sign for the city of 1 million when its hotels are full. Gambling and sports are what keep the casino city alive.
Female star Mikaela Mayer the number one ranked super featherweight in the world is also slated to perform on the same boxing card. At press time Mayer agreed to fight Helen Joseph but contracts had not been finalized.
Letâs keep our fingers crossed.
Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame
A casualty of the pandemic will be this yearâs scheduled ceremony for the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame. It has been canceled.
The eighth annual NVBOF ceremony was scheduled for August 7 and 8 at the Red Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.
âWe waited as long as possible before making this difficult final decision,â stated Michelle Corrales-Lewis. âOur induction weekend features numerous events that require close proximity of our devoted boxing fans with honorees. Hundreds of fans mix with our inductees, champions, and celebrities where hand-shaking, hugging, picture-taking, autograph-signing, and close-in dining are all part of the experience.â
Among those expected to be inducted this year were James âLights Outâ Toney, Miguel Cotto, Fernando Vargas, Danny âLil Redâ Lopez, Andre Ward, Azumah Nelson, Mark âToo Sharpâ Johnson, Jose Luis Castillo, Clarence âBonesâ Adams, Julian Jackson, Jose Sulaiman, Carlos Padilla, Sammy Macias and Lorenzo Fertitta.
Itâs an extremely impressive class and sure to attract thousands to its ceremony when it eventually takes place. I canât remember any class in any Hall of Fame as powerful as those who were to be honored this year.
Toneyâs exploits alone were enough to guarantee a class to remember. The former middleweight, super middleweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight titlist in my estimation is the greatest fighter in the last 60 years. He could have fought in any era and matched with any fighter from middleweight up to heavyweight.
Itâs going to have to wait until next year.
According to the officers of the NVBHOF the list of this yearâs class will be added to those voted in next yearâs class.
âWe do not want to reduce the quality and emotion of the weekend for our Inductees, and certainly do not want to put anyoneâs health in jeopardy because of the nature of our event,â said Corrales-Lewis.
For more information call (702) 368-2463.
Machete
Motion picture star Danny âMacheteâ Trejo revealed during a Spanish language boxing show that the sweet science paved the way for him to eventually find a way into Hollywood and fame.
âWhen I was eight or nine, my uncle fought in the Golden Gloves and even at that age I was his sparring partner-slash-punching bag! But even back then he really taught me how to box so when I started getting into trouble and going to juvenile hall and the joint, they knew I boxed so I always fought in the joint and became champion of every institution I was in,â said Trejo on Peleamundo the Spanish language boxing show streamed by Matchroom Boxingâs on Youtube.com.
Trejo owns Trejo Tacos and still works in the film industry. The episode hosted by former world champion Jessie Vargas also features Erik Morales.
Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing ChannelÂ
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Bombs Away in Las Vegas where Inoue and Espinoza Scored Smashing Triumphs

Japanâs Naoya âMonsterâ Inoue banged it out with Mexicoâs Ramon Cardenas, survived an early knockdown and pounded out a stoppage win to retain the undisputed super bantamweight world championship on Sunday.
Japan and Mexico delivered for boxing fans again after American stars failed in back-to-back days.
âBy watching tonightâs fight, everyone is well aware that I like to brawl,â Inoue said.
Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs), and Cardenas (26-2, 14 KOs) and his wicked left hook, showed the world and 8,474 fans at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas that prizefighting is about punching, not running.
After massive exposure for three days of fights that began in New York City, then moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and then to Nevada, it was the casino capital of the world that delivered what most boxing fans appreciate- pure unadulterated action fights.
Monster Inoue immediately went to work as soon as the opening bell rang with a consistent attack on Cardenas, who very few people knew anything about.
One thing promised by Cardenasâ trainer Joel Diaz was that his fighter âcan crack.â
Cardenas proved his trainerâs words truthful when he caught Inoue after a short violent exchange with a short left hook and down went the Japanese champion on his back. The crowd was shocked to its toes.
âI was very surprised,â said Inoue about getting dropped. ââIn the first round, I felt I had good distance. It got loose in the second round. From then on, I made sure to not take that punch again.â
Inoue had no trouble getting up, but he did have trouble avoiding some of Cardenas massive blows delivered with evil intentions. Though Inoue did not go down again, a look of total astonishment blanketed his face.
A real fight was happening.
Cardenas, who resembles actor Andy Garcia, was never overly aggressive but kept that left hook of his cocked and ready to launch whenever he saw the moment. There were many moments against the hyper-aggressive Inoue.
Both fighters pack power and both looked to find the right moment. But after Inoue was knocked down by the left hook counter, he discovered a way to eliminate that weapon from Cardenas. Still, the Texas-based fighter had a strong right too.
In the sixth round Inoue opened up with one of his lightning combinations responsible for 10 consecutive knockout wins. Cardenas backed against the ropes and Inoue blasted away with blow after blow. Then suddenly, Cardenas turned Inoue around and had him on the ropes as the Mexican fighter unloaded nasty combinations to the body and head. Fans roared their approval.
âI dreamed about fighting in front of thousands of people in Las Vegas,â said Cardenas. âSo, I came to give everything.â
Inoue looked a little surprised and had a slight Mona Lisa grin across his face. In the seventh round, the Japanese four-division world champion seemed ready to attack again full force and launched into the round guns blazing. Cardenas tried to catch Inoue again with counter left hooks but Inoueâs combos rained like deadly hail. Four consecutive rights by Inoue blasted Cardenas almost through the ropes. The referee Tom Taylor ruled it a knockdown. Cardenas beat the count and survived the round.
In the eighth round Inoue looked eager to attack and at the bell launched across the ring and unloaded more blows on Cardenas. A barrage of 14 unanswered blows forced the referee to stop the fight at 45 seconds of round eight for a technical knockout win.
âI knew he was tough,â said Inoue. âBoxing is not that easy.â
Espinoza Wins
WBO featherweight titlist Rafael Espinosa (27-0, 23 KOs) uppercut his way to a knockout win over Edward Vazquez (17-3, 4 KOs) in the seventh round.
âI wanted to fight a game fighter to show what I am capable,â said Espinoza.
Espinosa used the leverage of his six-foot, one-inch height to slice uppercuts under the guard of Vazquez. And when the tall Mexican from Guadalajara targeted the body, it was then that the Texas fighter began to wilt. But he never surrendered.
Though he connected against Espinoza in every round, he was not able to slow down the taller fighter and that allowed the Mexican fighter to unleash a 10-punch barrage including four consecutive uppercuts. The referee stopped the fight at 1:47 of the seventh round.
It was Espinozaâs third title defense.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Undercard Results and Recaps from the Inoue-Cardenas Show in Las Vegas

The curtain was drawn on a busy boxing weekend tonight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas where the featured attraction was Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue appearing in his twenty-fifth world title fight.
The top two fights (Inoue vs. Roman Cardenas for the unified 122-pound crown and Rafael Espinoza vs. Edward Vazquez for the WBO world featherweight diadem) aired on the main ESPN platform with the preliminaries streaming on ESPN+.
The finale of the preliminaries was a 10-rounder between welterweights Rohan Polanco and Fabian Maidana. A 2020/21 Olympian for the Dominican Republic, Polanco was a solid favorite and showed why by pitching a shutout, punctuating his triumph by knocking Maidana to his knees late in the final round with a hard punch to the pit of the stomach.
Polanco improved to 16-0 (10). Argentinaâs Maidana, the younger brother of former world title-holder Marcos Maidana, fell to 24-4 while maintaining his distinction of never being stopped.
Emiliano Vargas, a rising force in the 140-pound division with the potential to become a crossover star, advanced to 14-0 (12 KOs) with a second-round stoppage Juan Leon. Vargas, who turned 21 last month, is the son of former U.S. Olympian Fernando Vargas who had big money fights with the likes of Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya. Emiliano knocked Leon down hard twice in round two â both the result of right-left combinations — before Robert Hoyle waived it off.
A 28-year-old Spaniard, Leon was 11-2-1 heading in.
In his U.S. debut, 29-year-old Japanese southpaw Mikito Nakano (13-0, 12 KOs) turned in an Inoue-like performance with a fourth-round stoppage of Puerto Ricoâs Pedro Medina. Nakano, a featherweight, had Medina on the canvas five times before referee Harvey Dock waived it off at the 1:58 mark of round four. The shell-shocked Medina (16-2) came into the contest riding a 15-fight winning streak.
Lynwood, California junior middleweight Art Barrera Jr, a 19-year-old protĂ©gĂ© of Robert Garcia, scored a sixth-round stoppage of Chicagoâs Juan Carlos Guerra. There were no knockdowns, but the bout had turned sharply in Barreraâs favor when referee Thomas Taylor intervened. The official time was 1:15 of round six.
Barrera improved to 9-0 (7 KOs). The spunky but outclassed Guerra, who upset Nico Ali Walsh in his previous outing, declined to 6-2-1.
In the lid-lifter, a 10-round featherweight affair, Muskegon Michiganâs Raâeese Aleem improved to 22-1 (12) with a unanimous decision over LAâs hard-trying Rudy Garcia (13-2-1). The judges had it 99-01, 98-92, and 97-93.
Aleem, 34, was making his second start since June of 2023 when he lost a split decision in Australia to Sam Goodman with a date with Naoya Inoue hanging in the balance.
Check back shortly for David Avilaâs recaps of the two world title fights.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Canelo Alvarez Upends Dancing Machine William Scull in Saudi Arabia

Saul âCaneloâ Alvarez, who has acquired a new nickname â âThe Face of Boxingâ â is accustomed to fighting on Cinco De Mayo weekend, but this year was different. For the first time, Canelo was fighting outside the continent of North America and entering the ring at an awkward hour. His match with William Scull started at 6:30 on a Sunday morning in Riyadh.
In the opposite corner was 32-year-old William Scull, an undefeated (23-0) Cuban by way of Germany, whose performance was better suited to âDancing With the Starsâ than to a world title fight. Constantly bouncing from side to side but rarely letting his hands go, Scull frustrated Canelo who found it near-impossible to corner him, but one canât win a fight solely on defense and the Mexican superstar was returned the rightful winner in a bout that was a fitting cap to a desultory two days of Saudi-promoted prizefighting. The scores were 115-113, 116-112, and 119-109. In winning, Canelo became a fully unified super middleweight champion twice over.
Terence Crawford was in attendance and HE Turki Alalshikh made it official: Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) and Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) will meet in the Fight of the Century (Alalshikhâs words) on Sept. 12 in Las Vegas at the home of the cityâs NFL team, the Raiders. For whatever itâs worth, each of Caneloâs last seven fights has gone the full 12 rounds.
Semi-wind-up
In a match between the WBC world cruiserweight title-holder and the WBC world cruiserweight âchampion in recessâ (donât ask), the former, Badou Jack, brought some clarity to the diadem by winning a narrow decision over Noel Mikaelian. One of the judges had it a draw (114-114), but the others gave the fight to âJack the Ripperâ by 115-113 scores.
A devout Muslim who is now a full-time resident of Saudi Arabia, the Sweden-born Jack, a three-division title-holder, had the crowd in his corner. Now 41 years old, he advanced his record to 29-3-3 (17). It was the first pro loss for Mikaelian (27-1), a Florida-based Armenian who was subbing for Ryan Rozicki.
The distracted CompuBox operator credited Mikaelian with throwing 300 more punches but there was no controversy.
Tijuanaâs Jaime Munguia, a former junior middleweight title-holder, avenged his shocking loss to Bruno Sarace with a unanimous 12-round decision in their rematch. This was Munguiaâs first fight with Eddy Reynoso in his corner. The scores were 117-111 and 116-112 twice.
Suraceâs one-punch knockout of Munguia in mid-December in Tijuana was the runaway pick for the 2024 Upset of the Year. Heading in, Munguia was 44-1 with his lone defeat coming at the hands of Canelo Alvarez. Munguia had won every round against Surace before the roof fell in on him.
Surace won a few rounds tonight, but Munguia was the busier fighter and landed the cleaner shots. It was the first pro loss for Surace (26-1-2) and ended his 23-fight winning streak. The Frenchman hails for Marseilles.
Heavyweights
In a 10-round heavyweight match fought at a glacial pace, Martin Bakole (21-2-1) and Efe Ajagba (20-1-1) fought to a draw. One of the judges favored Ajagba 96-94 but he was outvoted by his cohorts who each had it 95-95.
Bakole, a 7/2 favorite, came in at 299 pounds, 15 more than he carried in his signature win over Jared Anderson, and looked sluggish. He was never able to effectively close off the ring against the elusive Ajagba who fought off his back foot and failed to build on his early lead.
The fight between the Scotch-Congolese campaigner Bakole and his Nigerian-American foe was informally contested for the heavyweight championship of Africa. That âtitleâ remains vacant.
In a 6-rounder, heavy-handed Cuban light heavyweight Brayon Leon, a stablemate of Canelo Alvarez, was extended the distance for the first time while advancing his record to 7-0 at the expense of Mexicoâs Aaron Roche (11-4-1). Leon knocked Roche to the canvas in the fourth round with a right-left combination, but the Mexican stayed the course while eating a lot of hard punches.
Photo credit: Leigh Dawney / Queensberry Promotions
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