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Canelo Alvarez Splits With Golden Boy and DAZN and Moves On to Caleb Plant

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Golden Boy Promotions, the company founded by Oscar De La Hoya, brought Saul “Canelo” Alvarez into the fold in January of 2010. At the time, Alvarez was only 19 years old and a total unknown outside the Spanish-speaking world. But the Guadalajara redhead, who has an Irish strain in his family tree, was the hottest young sports personality in Mexico. When it became known that he was dating TV reporter Marisol Gonzalez, a former Miss Universe contestant who was seven years older than he, his face was all over the tabloids.

In September of 2015, as he was preparing to fight Miguel Cotto, Canelo re-upped with Golden Boy. “I am loyal; it’s part of my character,” he told reporters while adding that he couldn’t envision working with any other entity.

That was five years ago and things have changed. Canelo sued Golden Boy Promotions and their live-streaming partner DAZN in September, seeking $280 million for breach of contract. This past week, Canelo dropped the suit in return for becoming a free agent.

Canelo last fought in November of last year when he moved up two weight classes to challenge WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev. He de-throned Kovalev via an 11th-round TKO, but forfeited the belt rather than challenge the WBO rule that prohibits its champions from holding the titles of other sanctioning organizations in different weight classes.

Prior to the Kovalev fight, reporters could see that the relationship between Canelo and Oscar De La Hoya was tattered. The two barely acknowledged each other at the pre-fight events, even when sharing a dais.

Canelo vs. Kovalev was Canelo’s third under the DAZN banner with whom he signed an 11-fight deal in October of 2018. The deal would pay him $365 million over the life of the contract. Each fight excluding the lid-lifter with overmatched Rocky Fielding would bring $40 million into the Golden Boy coffers. Of this, Golden Boy would keep $5 million after paying Canelo his fee.

The contract, it was noted, did not obligate Alvarez to fight any specific opponent, a great oversight on the part of DAZN’s brain trust. DAZN subsequently signed Gennadiy Golovkin under the mistaken impression that both thirsted to bring closure to their rivalry in a trilogy fight. Canelo-Golovkin III, if brought to fruition within a reasonable time frame, would certainly bring hordes of new subscribers into the DAZN community.

Although Canelo’s departure is a big blow to Golden Boy, the company reacted diplomatically. In a formal statement released through Mike Coppinger of The Athletic, GBC said:

“The lawsuit was resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, and we wish Canelo the best moving forward.

In a strong partnership with DAZN, we will continue showcasing our wide array of talent, including rising superstars like Ryan Garcia, Jaime Munguia, and Vergil Ortiz, all of whom have the talent and potential to become the next biggest star in our sport.”

Before the rift was resolved, there were murmurs that Team Canelo was plotting a fight with Caleb Plant. The 28-year-old Plant, a Tennessee native who now lives and trains in Las Vegas, is 20-0 (12) and holds the IBF 168-pound belt.

That fight hasn’t been formally announced, but BoxRec says it’s a go, so one can fairly assume it’s a done deal. BoxRec, the sport’s foremost record-keeper, isn’t in the habit of including a forthcoming fight in their listings unless all the i’s have been dotted and all the t’s have been crossed.

Caleb Plant is a PBC fighter, inked to Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions. Canelo vs. Plant, pegged for Dec. 19 at an as-yet undetermined location, will presumably be a “one-off” deal for Canelo with Haymon’s organization. It will be a pay-per-view event; there’s little doubt about that. At stake will be Plant’s IBF belt and the WBA 168-pound world title. Callum Smith also holds the WBA super middleweight title and Fedor Chudinov holds a secondary version of it (don’t ask).

Holding a big fight so close to Christmas flouts conventional wisdom and the risk of this fight failing to meet revenue expectations would seem to be especially high in this particular year when so many folks have less discretionary income at their disposal as a result of the pandemic. But no one in boxing has a bigger fan base than Canelo and for his most ardent fans, his absence from the ring has likely made the heart grow fonder.

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Argentina’s Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

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In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12th round, Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez came off the deck to win his rematch with Kazuto Ioka and retain his piece of the world 115-pound title. The match was staged at Ioka’s familiar stomping grounds, the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.

In their first meeting on July 7 of last year in Tokyo, Martinez was returned the winner on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and a bizarre 120-108. The rematch was slated for late December, but Martinez took ill a few hours before the weigh-in and the bout was postponed.

The 33-year-old Martinez, who came in sporting a 17-0 (9) record, was a 7-2 favorite to win the sequel, but there were plenty of reasons to favor Ioka, 36, aside from his home field advantage. The first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four weight classes, Ioka was 3-0 in rematches and his long-time trainer Ismael Salas was on a nice roll. Salas was 2-0 last weekend in Times Square, having handled upset-maker Rolly Romero and Reito Tsutsumi who was making his pro debut.

But the fourth time was not a charm for Ioka (31-4-1) who seemingly pulled the fight out of the fire in round 10 when he pitched the Argentine to the canvas with a pair of left hooks, but then wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum swing.

Martinez set a fast pace and had Ioka fighting off his back foot for much of the fight. Beginning in round seven, Martinez looked fatigued, but the Argentine was conserving his energy for the championship rounds. In the end, he won the bout on all three cards: 114-113, 116-112, 117-110.

Up next for Fernando Martinez may be a date with fellow unbeaten Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the lineal champion at 115. San Antonio’s Rodriguez is a huge favorite to keep his title when he defends against South Africa’s obscure Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.

As for Ioka, had he won today’s rematch, that may have gotten him over the hump in so far as making it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. True, winning titles in four weight classes is no great shakes when the bookends are only 10 pounds apart, but Ioka is still a worthy candidate.

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

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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

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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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