Canelo is Still Mostly the Canelo That We Remember, but GGG is Another Story

Published

2 years ago

September 18, 2022

Canelo-is-Still-Mostly-Canelo-the-Canelo-That-We-Remember-but-GGG-is-Another-Story

Canelo is Still Mostly the Canelo That We Remember, but GGG is Another Story

A fat and seemingly overly optimistic George Foreman, upon launching a boxing comeback after 10 years away from the ring and at the preposterously advanced age of 40, uttered the words that have since become the mantra of all formerly great fighters who are resolute in their conviction that the best of themselves is not necessarily restricted to memories of what used to be.

“The age of 40 is not a death sentence,” Big George proclaimed to much skepticism from the media, and damn if he didn’t speak that pugilistic unlikelihood to truth when, at 45, he knocked out the much-younger and favored Michael Moorer in the 10^th round on Nov. 5, 1994, to ascend to the heavyweight championship of the world for a second time.

But Father Time is the unseen opponent all fighters who have extended their fighting lives to their 40^th birthday and beyond eventually discover is less conquerable than flesh-and-blood opponents. And so it would appear to be the case for future Hall of Famer Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin, whose unanimous-decision loss to Canelo Alvarez in their third matchup Saturday night in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena might have conveyed more about what the future holds for him than it did for the victor.

“I have a lot left. I have a great plan, a lot of appointments. Remember, I’m still champion at 160,” insisted Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KOs) after the longtime middleweight champion from Kazakhstan, in his super middleweight debut and possibly final ring appearance in that division, failed to annex Alvarez’s WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO 168-pound titles in a fight that did not appear to be nearly as close as the scorecards indicated. Give Golovkin credit for a too-little, too-late rally in the later rounds, but the 115-113 tallies for Alvarez (from judges Steve Weisfeld and David Sutherland) and 116-112 (Dave Moretti) seemed more than a tad generous.

Punch statistics furnished by CompuBox are another numerical means of ascertaining who did what, and although Canelo only out-landed GGG by 130 to 120, he connected with 85 power punches to just 46 for Golovkin, whose reputation had been made through a succession of brutal knockouts, 23 straight in one elongated stretch, 18 of which came in world championship fights. No one would have, or should have, yelped in surprise had the tallies read by ring announcer David Diamonte been 117-111 (as I had it) or even 118-110 for Canelo, whose bid to move closer to his status as the sport’s pound-for-pound best, which he relinquished as the result of the transfer of his WBA (super) light heavyweight belt on a clear points loss to Dmitry Bivol on May 7 of this year, might have received only a moderate boost. That the Mexican superstar won so convincingly is especially noteworthy in light of the revelation that he had fought with a tear in the cartilage of his left wrist, which might require surgery.

“I can’t hold a glass,” Alvarez, still arguably in his prime at 32, said of his achy hand. “It’s really bad. But I’m a warrior.”

Trilogies have a special place in boxing history, with good reason. Ali-Frazier, Gatti-Ward, Bowe-Holyfield, Fury-Wilder, Barrera-Morales and similar three-act passion plays have been so compelling that each installment is memorialized as part of a more historically relevant whole. But Canelo-GGG III concluded not with an exclamation point, but with a simple period. It was a lesser version of the two preceding segments, the first being a disputed split draw on Sept. 16, 2017 (many ringside reporters thought Golovkin deserved to win what had been a very competitive bout) and a similarly engrossing do-over on Sept. 15, 2018, in which Alvarez came away with a majority-decision win.

The second fight was delayed after Alvarez twice tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol, which he claimed was the result of ingesting contaminated Mexican beef, resulting in a six-month suspension handed down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Golovkin disputed that ascertainment, unequivocally stating his opinion that Canelo was a cheater. That led to both men developing harsh feelings toward the other, with Alvarez going so far as to say he “hated” GGG and would make him wait, possibly forever, for the third meeting he so obviously wanted. Thus was Saturday’s archrivalry-concluding showdown left to simmer on the back burner for four years, which now would seem to have had a more deleterious effect on GGG.

But that does not detract from what Golovkin brought to the table when he was blasting his way through the middleweight division as few champions have, matching Bernard Hopkins’ record of 20 successful defenses along the way. If historians want to place Sugar Ray Robinson, Carlos Monzon, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Hopkins higher based on quality of opposition, fine, but there can be no argument that the manner in which GGG starched his lengthening list of victims was highly impressive.

Longtime HBO blow-by-blow announcer Jim Lampley several years ago paid Golovkin a massive compliment when he called him the “most consistently hard puncher” he had seen over an extended period, more so than even the vaunted likes of Foreman, Mike Tyson, Wladimir Klitschko, Thomas Hearns and Julian Jackson.

“I think it’s more interesting when somebody has consistent punching power over the course of a long career in a weight class the way Gennadiy did,” Lamps commented. “The fact he weighed in hundreds of times as an amateur and a profession at the same weight, 160 pounds, makes the retention of his punching power exciting, not to mention some of the cartoon-style knockouts he produced.”

If he truly intends to remain active as a fighter, even if only a facsimile of his battering-ram best, it is entirely possible that Golovkin can remain a factor in his preferred comfort zone of middleweight for a couple of more years. Jermall Charlo, Demetrius Andrade, Jaime Munguia, Chris Eubank Jr. and Carlos Adames are all in that division, and there is always the possibility that junior middles Jermell Charlo, Brian Castano, Sebastian Fundora and Tim Tszyu could move up. If fans of GGG close their eyes and imagine a best-case scenario for him moving forward, it might be for him to replicate what Hopkins did after the second of his back-to-back losses to Jermain Taylor (the first of which was at age 40), which was to move to another weight class (light heavyweight), win a world there twice and fight on for another 12 years. If it happened once, hey, maybe it could happen again.

The options for Alvarez are even more expansive. He has been a world champion at 154, 160, 168 and 175 pounds and is not averse to going wherever the biggest, highest-paying and most-legacy-enhancing fights are. He has professed to want another shot at Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs), should he get past his Nov. 5 clash with Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs), which some would say is inadvisable the way their first meeting went, or he can remain at super middle and throw hands with the formidable David Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs), arguably an even more attractive pairing. Unlike Golovkin, however, Canelo can’t afford any more hints of slippage; he has been to the top of the P4P mountain and wants to enjoy that vista again, and for a long time.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

Bernard Fernandez, named to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the Observer category with the Class of 2020, was the recipient of numerous awards for writing excellence during his 28-year career as a sports writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. Fernandez’s first book, “Championship Rounds,” a compendium of previously published material, was released in May of last year. The sequel, “Championship Rounds, Round 2,” with a foreword by Jim Lampley, is currently out. The anthology can be ordered through Amazon.com and other book-selling websites and outlets.

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Boxing Odds and Ends: Ernesto Mercado, Marcel Cerdan and More

Published

9 hours ago

January 28, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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The TSS Fighter of the Month for January is super lightweight Ernesto “Tito” Mercado who scored his sixth straight knockout, advancing his record to 17-0 (16 KOs) with a fourth-round stoppage of Jose Pedraza on the undercard of Diego Pacheco vs. Steven Nelson at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas.

Mercado was expected to win. At age 35, Pedraza’s best days were behind him. But the Puerto Rican “Sniper” wasn’t chopped liver. A 2008 Beijing Olympian, he was a former two-division title-holder. In a previous fight in Las Vegas, in June of 2021, Pedraza proved too savvy for Julian Rodriguez (currently 23-1) whose corner pulled him out after eight rounds. So, although Mercado knew that he was the “A-side,” he also knew, presumably, that it was important to bring his “A” game.

Mercado edged each of the first three frames in what was shaping up as a tactical fight. In round four, he followed a short left hand with an overhand right that landed flush on Pedraza’s temple. “It was a discombobulating punch,” said one of DAZN’s talking heads. Indeed, the way that Pedraza fell was awkward. “[He] crushed colorfully backward and struck the back of his head on the canvas before rising on badly wobbled legs,” wrote ringside reporter Lance Pugmire.

He beat the count, but referee Robert Hoyle wisely waived it off.

Now 23 years old, Ernesto “Tito” Mercado was reportedly 58-5 as an amateur. At the December 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials in Lake Charles, Louisiana, he advanced to the finals in the lightweight division but then took sick and was medically disqualified from competing in the championship round. His opponent, Keyshawn Davis, won in a walkover and went on to win a silver medal at the Tokyo Games.

As a pro, only one of Mercado’s opponents, South African campaigner Xolisani Ndongeni, heard the final bell. Mercado won nine of the 10 rounds. The stubborn Ndongeni had previously gone 10 rounds with Devin Haney and would subsequently go 10 rounds with Raymond Muratalla.

The Ndongeni fight, in July of 2023, was staged in Nicaragua, the homeland of Mercado’s parents. Tito was born in Upland in Southern California’s Inland Empire and currently resides in Pomona.

Pomona has spawned two world champions, the late Richie Sandoval and Sugar Shane Mosley. Mercado is well on his way to becoming the third.

Marcel Cerdan Jr

Born in Casablanca, Marcel Cerdan Jr was four years old when his dad ripped the world middleweight title from Tony Zale. A good fighter in his own right, albeit nowhere near the level of his ill-fated father, the younger Cerdan passed away last week at age 81.

Fighting mostly as a welterweight, Cerdan Jr scored 56 wins in 64 professional bouts against carefully selected opponents. He came up short in his lone appearance in a U.S. ring where he was matched tough against Canadian champion Donato Paduano, losing a 10-round decision on May 11, 1970 at Madison Square Garden. This was a hard, bloody fight in which both men suffered cuts from accidental head butts.

Cerdan Jr and Paduano both trained for the match at the Concord Hotel in the Catskills. In the U.S. papers, Cerdan Jr’s record was listed as 47-0-1. The record conveniently omitted the loss that he had suffered in his third pro bout.

Eight years after his final fight, Cerdan Jr acquired his highest measure of fame for his role in the movie Edith et Marcel. He portrayed his father who famously died at age 33 in a plane crash in the Azores as he was returning to the United States for a rematch with Jake LaMotta who had taken away his title.

Edith et Marcel, directed by Claude Lelouch, focused on the love affair between Cerdan and his mistress Edith Piaf, the former street performer turned cabaret star who remains today the most revered of all the French song stylists.

Released in 1983, twenty years after the troubled Piaf passed away at age 47, the film, which opened to the greatest advertising blitz in French cinematic history, caused a sensation in France, spawning five new books and hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles. Cerdan Jr’s performance was “surprisingly proficient” said the Associated Press about the ex-boxer making his big screen debut.

The French language film occasionally turns up on Turner Classic Movies. Although it got mixed reviews, the film is a feast for the ears for fans of Edith Piaf. The musical score is comprised of Piaf’s original songs in her distinctive voice.

Marcel Cerdan Jr’s death was attributed to pneumonia complicated by Alzheimer’s. May he rest in peace.

Claressa Shields

Speaking of movies, the Claressa Shields biopic, The Fire Inside, released on Christmas day, garnered favorable reviews from some of America’s most respected film critics with Esquire’s Max Cea calling it the year’s best biopic. First-time director Rachel Morrison, screenwriter Barry Jenkins, and Ryan Destiny, who portrays Claressa, were singled out for their excellent work.

The movie highlights Shields’ preparation for the 2012 London Olympics and concludes with her training for the Rio Games where, as we know, she would win a second gold medal. In some respects, the movie is reminiscent of The Fighter, the 2010 film starring Mark Wahlberg as Irish Micky Ward where the filmmakers managed to manufacture a great movie without touching on Ward’s famous trilogy with Arturo Gatti.

The view from here is that screenwriter Jenkins was smart to end the movie where he did. In boxing, and especially in women’s boxing, titles are tossed around like confetti. Had Jenkins delved into Claressa’s pro career, a very sensitive, nuanced biopic, could have easily devolved into something hokey. And that’s certainly no knock on Claressa Shields. The self-described GWOAT, she is dedicated to her craft and a very special talent.

Shields hopes that the buzz from the movie will translate into a full house for her homecoming fight this coming Sunday, Feb. 2, at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan. A bevy of heavyweight-division straps will be at stake when Shields, who turns 30 in March, takes on 42-year-old Brooklynite Danielle Perkins.

At bookmaking establishments, Claressa is as high as a 25/1 favorite. That informs us that the oddsmakers believe that Perkins is marginally better than Claressa’s last opponent, Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse. That’s damning Perkins with faint praise.

Shields vs. Perkins plus selected undercard bouts will air worldwide on DAZN at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT.

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Ringside at the Cosmo: Pacheco Outpoints Nelson plus Undercard Results

Published

3 days ago

January 25, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Ringside at the Cosmo: Pacheco Outpoints Nelson plus Undercard Results

LAS VEGAS, NV – Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions was at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas tonight for the second half of a DAZN doubleheader that began in Nottingham, England. In the main event, Diego Pacheco, ranked #1 by the WBO at super middleweight, continued his ascent toward a world title with a unanimous decision over Steven Nelson.

Pacheco glides round the ring smoothly whereas Nelson wastes a lot energy with something of a herky-jerky style. However, although Nelson figured to slow down as the fight progressed, he did some of his best work in rounds 11 and 12. Fighting with a cut over his left eye from round four, a cut that periodically reopened, the gritty Nelson fulfilled his promise that he would a fight as if he had everything to lose if he failed to win, but it just wasn’t enough, even after his Omaha homie Terence “Bud” Crawford entered his corner before the last round to give him a pep talk (back home in North Omaha, Nelson runs the B&B (Bud and Bomac) Sports Academy.

All three judges had it 117-111 for Pacheco who mostly fought off his back foot but landed the cleaner punches throughout. A stablemate of David Benavidez and trained by David’s father Jose Benevidez Sr, Pacheco improved to 23-0 (18). It was the first pro loss for the 36-year-old Nelson (20-1).

Semi wind-up

Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz, who as a pro has never fought a match slated for fewer than 10 rounds, had too much class for Hermosillo, Mexico’s rugged Omar Salcido who returned to his corner with a puffy face after the fourth stanza, but won the next round and never stopped trying. The outcome was inevitable even before the final round when Salcido barely made it to the final gun, but the Mexican was far more competitive than many expected.

The Cuban, who was 4-0 vs. Keyshawn Davis in closely-contested bouts as an amateur, advanced his pro record to 5-0 (2), winning by scores by 99-91 and 98-92 twice. Salido, coming off his career-best win, a 9^th-round stoppage of former WBA super featherweight title-holder Chris Colbert, falls to 20-2.

Other TV bouts

Ernesto “Tito” Mercado, a 23-year-old super lightweight, aims to become the next world champion from Pomona, California, following in the footsteps of the late Richie Sandoval and Sugar Shane Mosely, and based on his showing tonight against former Beijing Olympian and former two-division title-holder Jose Pedraza, he is well on his way.

After three rounds after what had been a technical fight, Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) knocked Pedraza off his pins with a short left hand followed by an overhand right. Pedraza bounced back and fell on his backside. When he arose on unsteady legs, the bout was waived off. The official time was 2:08 of round four and the fading, 35-year-old Pedraza (29-7-1) was saddled with his third loss in his last four outings.

The 8-round super lightweight clash between Israel Mercado (the 29-year-old uncle of “Tito”) and Leonardo Rubalcava was a fan-friendly skirmish with many robust exchanges. When the smoke cleared, the verdict was a majority draw. Mercado got the nod on one card (76-74), but was overruled by a pair of 75-75 scores.

Mercado came out strong in the opening round, but suffered a flash knockdown before the round ended. The referee ruled it a slip but was overruled by replay operator Jay Nady and what would have been a 10-9 round for Mercado became a 10-8 round for Rubalcava. Mercado lost another point in round seven when he was penalized for low blows.

The scores were 76-74 for Mercado (11-1-2) and 75-75 twice. The verdict was mildly unpopular with most thinking that Mercado deserved the nod. Reportedly a four-time Mexican amateur champion, Rubalcava (9-0-1) is trained by Robert Garcia.

Also

New Matchroom signee Nishant Dev, a 24-year-old southpaw from India, had an auspicious pro debut (pardon the cliché). Before a beaming Eddie Hearn, Dev stopped Oakland’s Alton Wiggins (1-1-1) in the opening round. The referee waived it off after the second knockdown.

Boxers from India have made large gains at the amateur level in recent years and Matchroom honcho Eddie Hearn anticipates that Dev, a Paris Olympian, will be the first fighter from India to make his mark as a pro.

Undefeated Brooklyn lightweight Harley Mederos, managed by the influential Keith Connolly, scored his seventh knockout in eight tries with a brutal third-round KO of Mexico’s Arturo de Isla.

A left-right combination knocked de Isla (5-3-1) flat on his back. Referee Raul Caiz did not bother to count and several minutes elapsed before the stricken fighter was fit to leave the ring. The official time was 1:27 of round three.

In the opener, Newark junior lightweight Zaquin Moses, a cousin of Shakur Stevenson, improved to 2-0 when his opponent retired on his stool after the opening round.

Photo credit: Melina Pizano / Matchroom

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Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

Published

4 days ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his last three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, applied the exclamation point, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

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