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

Published

3 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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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

Published

1 day ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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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

Published

1 day ago

March 29, 2025

David A. Avila

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

Published

3 days ago

March 28, 2025

David A. Avila

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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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