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Arne’s Almanac: Benavidez vs Lemieux Tops the Busy Weekend Boxing Slate

The marquee event on this weekend’s boxing slate will be held at the Gila River Arena in Glendale Arizona, the recent home of the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes, where David Benavidez meets David Lemieux in a match stamped as a WBC interim title fight in the super middleweight division. Showtime will televise.
It’s a homecoming for the 25-year-old Benavidez (25-0, 22 KOs) who has the seemingly incongruous distinction of being both undefeated and a former two-time world title-holder. He was stripped of his first title after a failed drug test and his second title reign ended when he came in overweight.
The 33-year-old Lemieux, from Montreal, is one of the sport’s hardest punchers (check out his brutal one-punch knockout of Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan). He’s won five straight since being schooled by Billy Joe Saunders, elevating his record to 43-4 (20), but he’s moving up in weight against an opponent who is taller and younger and more technically proficient. The bookies don’t like his chances. Benavidez is in the vicinity of a 15/1 favorite.
Benavidez has been calling out Canelo Alvarez for some time. Canelo’s 168-pound belts were not at risk in his engagement with Dmitry Bivol. However, barring a big upset, Benavidez is more likely to fight Caleb Plant or England’s John Ryder next.
The undercard is deep but not particularly interesting with the exception of the TV opener, a crossroads fight between precocious featherweight prospects Luis Reynaldo Nunez (16-0, 12 KOs) and Jonathan Javier Fierro (13-0, 12 KOs). Nunez, 22 is from the Dominican Republic. Fierro, who is only 18 years old, fights out of Guadalajara, Mexico.
Meng vs Pascal
The action gets underway tonight (Friday, May 20) in Plant City, Florida, where Fanlong Meng, rated #1 by the IBF at 175 pounds, steps up in class to meet veteran Jean Pascal.
The 34-year-old-Meng, a 2012 Olympian and currently undefeated (17-0, 10 KOs), will have a three-and-a-half-inch height advantage over his 39-year-old opponent. However, assuming he is still in shape – this will be his first fight in 29 months — Pascal (35-6-1, 20 KOs) won’t be an easy nut to crack. The Laval, Quebec resident from Haiti, a former two-division world title-holder, upset Badou Jack in his last outing, winning a split decision.
Four 8-round fights in the junior welterweight division, the opening round of the “Last Chance” Tournament, precede the main event. The combatants are all former promising prospects whose careers have stalled or hit the skids. To take the most severe example, Kendo Castaneda, who boasts a 17-5 record but has lost five straight, takes on Sonny Frederickson who has lost his last four, dipping his record to 21-5.
Some of these 140-pound fights should provide lively entertainment. They will air on ProBox TV (proboxtv.com), a new streaming platform described as “the first and only global sports streaming and media company dedicated exclusively to professional boxing.” Subscriptions are being offered at the introductory rate of $1.99 per month or $18 per year.
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A Matchroom Matinee
The Saturday docket includes a matinee for DAZN subscribers in North America. The featured bout, airing from London’s O2 Arena, is an all-South London showdown between light heavyweights Joshua Buatsi (15-0, 13 KOs) and Craig “Spider” Richards (17-2-1, 10 KOs).
Buatsi, born in Ghana, was a bronze medalist for England at the 2016 Rio Olympics. His manager of record is Anthony Joshua. Richards is a former world title challenger who hunkers for a rematch with Dmitry Bivol to whom he lost a 12-round decision in May of last year.
Alen Babic, whose fan-friendly fighting style has been compared to a typhoon, opposes Adam Balski in the co-feature. A victory for the wild-swinging Babic, who has answered the bell for only 29 rounds while building a 10-0, 10 KOs record, will reportedly propel the London-based Croatian into a WBC bridgerweight title fight with Oscar Rivas who won the inaugural bridgerweight title in October of last year in a slugfest with fellow Canadian Ryan Rozicki. Balski, a 31-year-old Pole, brings a 16-1 record.
In another bout of note, British junior welterweight Chantelle Cameron, who owns the WBC and IBF versions of the 140-pound title, looks to keep her undefeated (15-0, 8 KOs) record intact at the expense of Argentine challenger Victoria Noelia Bustos (23-6). Cameron is pointing toward a unification fight with Rhode Island’s Kali Reis who owns the other two pieces of the title.
Top Rank in Las Vegas
Top Rank returns to Resorts World on Saturday with an 11-bout card airing on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+. The show kicks off earlier than usual with the main card on ESPN kicking off at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.
The main event, packaged as a WBO interim middleweight title fight, matches Janibek (Qazaq Style) Alimkhanuly (11-0, 7 KOs) against Danny Dignum (14-0-1, 8 KOs).
Dignum and his team, a six-man traveling party, arrived in Las Vegas from London on Sunday. To fight in the main event of a boxing show in Las Vegas is a dream come true for the 30-year-old Brit (pictured on the right; photo courtesy of Mikey Williams) whose record includes a 3-0-1 mark in bouts sanctioned for the WBO European middleweight title.
“I didn’t come here just to show up,” said Dignum at the pre-fight press conference. “I am going to cause a big upset and make a lot of fans.” However, he didn’t say it with a lot of conviction. He knows that he is the “B” side. Top Rank calls Janibek, trained by Buddy McGirt, one of boxing’s most-avoided fighters and the next big star from Kazakhstan.
The opener on ESPN’s main platform showcases Cleveland welterweight Delante “Tiger” Johnson, a 2020 Olympian who looks to build upon his 3-0 record in a 6-rounder with Argentina’s Agustin Kucharski who is 8-4-1 and has never been stopped. The co-feature is an intriguing lightweight battle between Jamel Herring (23-3, 11 KOs) and Jamaine Ortiz, (15-0-1, 8 KOs), the latter of whom was the subject of a recent profile in these pages.
On paper Ortiz, who hails from Worcester, Massachusetts, is moving up in class. In Jamel Herring, the ex-Marine, he is facing a former Olympian and former world title-holder. However, the oddsmakers deem this a very winnable fight for Ortiz who will enter the bout in the unaccustomed role of the favorite. Herring, moving back to lightweight, looked every bit his age (36) in his one-sided defeat to Shakur Stevenson.
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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.
The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.
Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.
Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.
Co-Feature
In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.
The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.
A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.
Other Bouts
In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.
Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.
Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.
Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.
Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.
Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.
Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.
Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.
There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0
No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.
There were no knockdowns in this rematch.
The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.
It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.
Nothing changed in their second meeting.
Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.
The blows came in bunches.
In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.
Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.
Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.
During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.
But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.
“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.
Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.
“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.
Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.
“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.
Female Flyweight Battle
Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.
Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.
Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.
The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.
Neither fighter could take over the fight.
After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.
Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.
Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.
Puerto Rico vs Mexico
Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.
Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.
Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.
Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.
ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.
“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.
If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.
For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.
Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.
No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.
Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.
The fight breakdown
Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.
Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.
That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.
More drama.
During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.
New York City got its money’s worth.
Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.
Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?
“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”
Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.
That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?
Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.
Can she draw enough of that fire out again?
“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”
Co-Main in Las Vegas
The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.
Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.
Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.
Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.
Golden Boy in Cancun
A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.
In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.
DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.
Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.
Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.
Fights to Watch
Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).
Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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