Las Vegas Trainer Bones Adams Talks About Life on the Bubble Circuit

Published

5 years ago

October 1, 2020

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Seinfeld ran nine seasons on NBC. One of the most memorable episodes was the “Bubble Boy” episode that ran in Season Four (1992). The Bubble Boy had an immune deficiency that forced him to live inside a germ-free plastic bubble. But he wasn’t a sympathetic character; he was a cantankerous SOB.

Las Vegas boxing trainer Bones Adams isn’t the cantankerous sort — well, at least not in the company of this reporter – but the former WBA super bantamweight champion has been spending a lot of time lately as a “Bubble Boy.” Others in the fistic fraternity have been Bubble-ized more often, but likely not in as many different settings. Adams, 46, has been through the rigamarole in California and in far-off Connecticut and by the time you read this he will be hunkered down in the Top Rank Bubble at the MGM Grand, his second visit to his hometown Bubble.

Bones Adams

We caught up with Adams on Thursday morning at his gym. Later that day he would be checking in to his dormitory at the MGM Conference Center. A fighter that he has been training, heavyweight Mitchell Sipe, makes his pro debut this Saturday in one of the undercard fights on the Top Rank card topped by the match between junior welterweights Jose Pedraza and Ivan Baranchyk. ESPN+ will televise.

Adams and the other principals on the show have already received their instructions. The letter of welcome from Top Rank comes illustrated with pictures of their private entranceway and other places they need to be. The Conference Center is segregated from the main hotel and casino which is off-limits.

Bones knows the routine. When he and his fighter arrive, they will be greeted by a security guard who will accompany them to the COVID testing lab, the first order of business. All of the participants are housed on the second floor which is reached by an elevator inaccessible to outsiders. It’s one person to a room and although one can interact with others in the dorm, one is compelled to practice social distancing. Masks must be worn at all times when leaving one’s assigned room. A second COVID test will be conducted before the fight. Results are made known in 3-5 hours.

Bones’ first “Bubble” came at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA where Golden Boy potted a show on July 24. The excursion started off on the wrong foot and ended badly.

When he and his fighter Samuel Vargas arrived at the airport in Ontario, they were told to wait around to pick up another fighter to transport to the venue. The wait lasted four hours in a hot van. It took another hour-and-a-half to reach Fantasy Springs which was 92 miles away.

The grub at the commissary was lousy. No problem; Bones just ordered from room service. But the promoter didn’t pick up the tab. The cost was borne by him.

Vargas, the Canadian-Colombian veteran, was matched against fast-rising welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr, the third-most-valuable property in the Golden Boy stable (trailing only Canelo Alvarez and Ryan Garcia). Vargas, who was game to the core, could have turned his career around with an upset, but he was stopped in the seventh round by Ortiz who scored his 16^th knockout in as many starts.

Adams’ trip to the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, also began on a sour note. The plane trip from Las Vegas wasn’t a direct flight. When the aircraft landed in Hartford, 45 miles from Uncasville, it was 1 am and Bones and his traveling companion, WBO world bantamweight champion John Riel Casimero, were famished. There was no food on the plane because of COVID restrictions.

At the venue, there was nothing to eat at that hour except snacks in the hospitality room. “They had a great selection of snacks,” said Bones. But it goes without saying that a world champion shouldn’t be sating his hunger with Snickers in the wee hours of the morning when he is days away from defending his title.

Although the Connecticut excursion started out badly, it ended on a bright note. John Riel Casimero’s bout with Duke Micah was the opener of the six-bout PBC/SHOWTIME card featuring the Charlo twins. Dominant from the opening bell, Casimero took out Micah in the third. “Bring on the Monster,” he said after the fight, referencing baby-faced Japanese knockout artist Naoya Inoue. Casimero will be the underdog when they meet, but he shortened the odds with his stellar performance.

Casimero

The Mohegan Sun event marked Bones’ second Bubble in as many weeks. Seven days earlier, on Sept. 19, he was at the MGM Grand for Jonathan Rice’s fight with Efe Ajagba.

Rice lost the fight, but may have actually increased his marketability by extending the highly-touted Ajagba the full 10-round distance. The former Olympian was undefeated and had knocked out 11 of his previous 13 opponents.

Rice was less tentative as the fight wore on. “If he would have started the fight the way that he finished it, he would have won,” says Adams. That may be stretching it, but he isn’t the only one who thought that the scores (99-91, 99-91, 98-92) were too wide.

Bones Adams gives Top Rank high marks. “When I was fighting,” he says, “they were always more professional than everyone else, and that’s still true today. No one else is as well-organized. They remember to take care of all the little things.”

Being sequestered in a Bubble is tedious, but for Bones Adams, the Top Rank buffet makes it more palatable, pardon the pun. “It’s outstanding,” he says, “and we can take as much food as we want back to the room.”

What grates on Adams is that others involved in a Bubble production — ring officials, members of the promotional and broadcasting teams, etc. – have more freedom to roam than the boxers and their seconds. “I think it should be the same for everybody,” he says.

At the Mohegan Sun, he was given the bum’s rush when he tried to re-enter the studio to watch the second fight on the card. He had more than a passing interest in the fight as he had once worked with Damien Vazquez and was well-acquainted with the members of Vazquez’s team.

The Bubble Era of Boxing will end soon (hopefully), but people will be talking about it for decades. And Bones Adams will have some interesting stories to share with his grandchildren.

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Arne K. Lang

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Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

Published

43 minutes ago

May 11, 2025

David A. Avila

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In a torrid battle Mexico’s Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and his staccato attack staved off the herky-jerky non-stop assaults of Philippine’s Charly Suarez to win by technical decision and retain the WBO super feather world title on Saturday.

What do they feed these guys?

Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) and his elongated arms managed to connect enough to compensate against the surprising Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) who wowed the crowd at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.

An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on the side of Navarrete’s left eye and forced a stoppage midway through the fight.

From the opening round Navarrete used his windmill style of attack with punches from different angles that caught Suarez multiple times early. It did not matter. Suarez fired back with impunity and was just as hungry to punch it out with the Mexican fighter.

It was savage.

Every time Navarrete connected solidly, he seemed to pause and check out the damage. Bad idea. Suarez would immediately counter with bombs of his own and surprise the champion with his resilience and tenacity.

Wherever they found Suarez they should look for more, because the Filipino fighter from Manila was ferocious and never out of his depth.

Around the sixth round the Mexican fighter seemed a little drained and puzzled at the tireless attacks coming from Suarez. During an exchange of blows a cut opened up on Navarrete and it was ruled an accidental clash of heads by the referee. Blood streamed down the side of Navarrete’s face and it was cleared by the ringside physician.

But at the opening of the eighth round, the fight was stopped and the ringside physician ruled the cut was too bad to continue. The California State Athletic Commission looked at tape of the round when the cut opened to decipher if it was an accidental butt or a punch that caused the cut. It was unclear so the referee’s call of accidental clash of heads stood as the final ruling.

Score cards from the judges saw Navarrete the winner by scores of 78-75, 77-76 twice. He retains the WBO title.

Interim IBF Lightweight Title

The sharp-shooting Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) maneuvered past Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the interim IBF lightweight title after 12 rounds.

Both fighters were strategic in their approach with Muratalla switching from orthodox to southpaw at various times of the fight. Neither fighter was ever able to dominant any round.

Defense proved the difference between the two lightweights. Muratalla was able to slip more blows than Abdullaev and that proved the difference. The fighter from Fontana, California was able to pierce Abdullaev’s guard more often than not, especially with counter punches.

Abdullaev was never out of the fight. The Russian fighter was able to change tactics and counter the counters midway through the fight. It proved effective especially to the body. But it was not enough to offset Muratalla’s accuracy.

There were no knockdowns and after 12 rounds the judges scored it 118-110, 119-109 twice for Muratalla who now becomes the mandatory for the IBF lightweight title should Vasyl Lomachenko return to defend it.

Muratalla was brief.

“He was a tough fighter,” said Muratalla. “My defense is something I work on a lot.”

Perla Wins

Super flyweight Perla Bazaldua (2-0) eased past Mona Ward (0-2) with a polished display of fighting at length and inside.

Combination punching and defense allowed Bazaldua to punch in-between Ward’s attacks and force the St. Louis fighter to clinch repeatedly. But Ward hung in there despite taking a lot of blows. After four rounds the Los Angeles-based Bazaldua was scored the winner 40-36 on all three cards. Bazaldua signed a long term contract with Top Rank in March.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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Late Bloomer Anthony Cacace TKOs Hometown Favorite Leigh Wood in Nottingham

Published

14 hours ago

May 10, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions was at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, tonight with a card featuring hometown favorite Leigh Wood against Ireland’s Anthony “Apache” Cacace.

Wood, a former two-time WBA featherweight champion, known for dramatic comebacks in bouts he was losing, may have reached the end of the road at age 36. He had his moments tonight, rocking Cacace on several occasions and winning the eighth round, but he paid the price, returning to his corner after round eight with swelling around both of his eyes.

In the ninth, Cacace, an 11/5 favorite, hurt Wood twice with left hands, the second of which knocked Wood into the ropes, dictating a standing 8-count by referee John Latham. When the bout resumed, Cacace went for the kill and battered Wood around the ring, forcing Wood’s trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel. The official time was 2:15 of round nine.

Akin to Wood, Northern Ireland’s Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) is also 36 years old and known as a late bloomer. This was his ninth straight win going back to 2017 (he missed all of 2018 and 2020). He formerly held the IBF 130-pound world title, a diadem he won with a stoppage of then-undefeated and heavily favored Joe Cordina, but that belt wasn’t at stake tonight as Cacace abandoned it rather than fulfill his less-lucrative mandatory. Wood falls to 28-4.

Semi-Wind-Up

Nottingham light heavyweight Ezra Taylor, fighting in his hometown for the first time since pro debut, delighted his fan base with a comprehensive 10-round decision over previously undefeated Troy Jones. Taylor, who improved to 12-0 (9) won by scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.

This was Taylor’s first fight with new trainer Malik Scott, best known for his work with Deontay Wilder. The victory may have earned him a match with Commonwealth title-holder Lewis Edmondson. Jones was 12-0 heading in.

Other Bouts of Note

In his first fight as a featherweight, Liam Davies rebounded from his first defeat with a 12-round unanimous decision over Northern Ireland’s previously undefeated Kurt Walker. Davies, who improved to 17-1 (8), staved off a late rally to prevail on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. It was the first pro loss for the 30-year-old Walker (12-1), a Tokyo Olympian.

In a mild upset, Owen Cooper, a saucy Worcestershire man, won a 10-round decision over former Josh Taylor stablemate Chris Kongo. The referee’s scorecard read 96-94.

Cooper improved to 11-1 (4). It was the third loss in 20 starts for Kongo.

A non-televised 8-rounder featured junior welterweight Sam Noakes in a stay-busy fight. A roofer by trade and the brother of British welterweight title-holder Sean Noakes, Sam improved to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of overmatched Czech import Patrik Balez (13-5-1).

Photo credit: Leigh Dawney / Queensberry

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 326: Top Rank and San Diego Smoke

Published

2 days ago

May 9, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 326: Top Rank and San Diego Smoke

Years ago, I worked at a newsstand in the Beverly Hills area. It was a 24-hour a day version and the people that dropped by were very colorful and unique.

One elderly woman Eva, who bordered on homeless but pridefully wore lipstick, would stop by the newsstand weekly to purchase a pack of menthol cigarettes. On one occasion, she asked if I had ever been to San Diego?

I answered “yes, many times.”

She countered “you need to watch out for San Diego Smoke.”

This Saturday, Top Rank brings its brand of prizefighting to San Diego or what could be called San Diego Smoke. Leading the fight card is Mexico’s Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 KOs) defending the WBO super feather title against undefeated Filipino Charly Suarez (18-0, 10 KOs) at Pechanga Arena. ESPN will televise.

This is Navarrete’s fourth defense of the super feather title.

The last time Navarrete stepped in the boxing ring he needed six rounds to dismantle the very capable Oscar Valdez in their rematch. One thing about Mexico City’s Navarrete is he always brings “the smoke.”

Also, on the same card is Fontana, California’s Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) vying for the interim IBF lightweight title against Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-1, 12 KOs) on the co-main event.

Abdullaev has only fought once before in the USA and was handily defeated by Devin Haney back in 2019. But that was six years ago and since then he has knocked off various contenders.

Muratalla is a slick fighting lightweight who trains at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy now in Moreno Valley, Calif. It’s a virtual boot camp with many of the top fighters on the West Coast available to spar on a daily basis. If you need someone bigger or smaller, stronger or faster someone can match those needs.

When you have that kind of preparation available, it’s tough to beat. Still, you have to fight the fight. You never know what can happen inside the prize ring.

Another fighter to watch is Perla Bazaldua, 19, a young and very talented female fighter out of the Los Angeles area. She is trained by Manny Robles who is building a small army of top female fighters.

Bazaldua (1-0, 1 KO) meets Mona Ward (0-1) in a super flyweight match on the preliminary portion of the Top Rank card. Top Rank does not sign many female fighters so you know that they believe in her talent.

Others on the Top Rank card in San Diego include Giovani Santillan, Andres Cortes, Albert Gonzalez, Sebastian Gonzalez and others.

They all will bring a lot of smoke to San Diego.

Probox TV

A strong card led by Erickson “The Hammer” Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) facing Ardreal Holmes Jr. (17-0, 6 KOs) in a super welterweight clash between southpaws takes place on Saturday at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida. PROBOX TV will stream the fight card.

Ardreal has rocketed up the standings and now faces veteran Lubin whose only losses came against world titlists Sebastian Fundora and Jermell Charlo. It’s a great match to decide who deserves a world title fight next.

Another juicy match pits Argentina’s Nazarena Romero (14-0-2) against Mexico’s Mayelli Flores (12-1-1) in a female super bantamweight contest.

Nottingham, England

Anthony Cacace (23-1, 8 KOs) defends the IBO super featherweight title against Leigh Wood (28-3, 17 KOs) in Wood’s hometown on Saturday at Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, England. DAZN will stream the Queensberry Promotions card.

Ireland’s Cacace seems to have the odds against him. But he is no stranger to dancing in the enemy’s lair or on foreign territory. He formerly defeated Josh Warrington in London and Joe Cordina in Riyadh in IBO title defenses.

Lampley at Wild Card

Boxing telecaster Jim Lampley will be signing his new book It Happened! at the Wild Card Boxing gym in Hollywood, Calif. on Saturday, May 10, beginning at 2 p.m. Lampley has been a large part of many of the greatest boxing events in the past 40 years. He and Freddie Roach will be at the signing.

Fights to Watch (All times Pacific Time)

Sat. DAZN 11 a.m. Anthony Cacace (23-1) vs Leigh Wood (28-3).

Sat. PROBOX.tv 3 p.m. Erickson Lubin (26-2) vs Ardreal Holmes Jr. (17-0).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1) vs Charly Suarez (18-0); Raymond Muratalla (22-0) vs Zaur Abdullaev (20-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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