Avila Perspective, Chap. 247: Jake Paul, Las Vegas Reflections and More

Published

2 years ago

August 4, 2023

Avila-Perspective-Chap-247-Jake-Paul-Las-Vegas-Reflections-and-More

Once again mega influencer Jake Paul has lured a non-boxer into the boxing ring but this time it’s MMA’s Nate Diaz.

“He’s going to get sent home,” says Paul. “I’m going to knock him out.”

Paul (6-1) faces UFC super star Diaz (0-0) on Saturday, Aug. 5, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. DAZN pay-per-view and ESPN pay-per-view will stream the Most Valuable Promotions that also features Amanda Serrano vs Heather Hardy.

It’s a 10-round fight set at 185 pounds.

One thing about Paul is he knows what sells. Diaz has a rabid fan base and though he never fought professionally as a boxer, he can box as Boxing Hall of Fame fighter Andre Ward can attest.

Ward sparred with brothers Nate and Nick Diaz on occasion and said they do have boxing skills. That will be important when facing the hard-punching Paul.

In almost every fight Paul has dropped his opponent. It took him two fights to knock out MMA champion Tyrone Woodley. Paul has power.

The first time I saw Paul perform took place in November 2020 when he knocked out NBA star Nate Robinson in two rounds. It was obvious from the opening frame that he possessed power in his right.

Diaz has dominated the MMA landscape while fighting for UFC for years. Fans love his devil-may-care attitude including his win over Conor McGregor. But the gregarious Diaz knows there is a stark difference between MMA and boxing.

“It was one-dimensional working on the one craft,” said Diaz. “Every fight I come to win. I’m here to represent me and my team.”

Diaz presents a very dangerous challenge.

Paul chose Diaz because of his popularity among MMA fans. Diaz chose Jake Paul over his brother Logan Paul who formerly boxed an exhibition against Floyd Mayweather.

“He’s obviously a full-time fighter,” said Diaz about choosing Jake over Logan Paul.

Jake Paul said this could be the last MMA fighter he challenges.

“Theres not many of them left to beat. Unless Dana (White) lets Conor fight me,” said Jake Paul about possibly facing Conor McGregor.

Paul has made millions on pay-per-views that entice boxing and non-boxing fans including his loss to Tommy Fury by split decision.

“It’s definitely pretty surreal. I manifested all this to existence. It’s probably one of the biggest fights of the year,” Paul said.

And why did he choose Nate Diaz.

“He has that warrior mindset more than anybody. I’m down for a challenge,” said Paul.

Las Vegas Revisited

Las Vegas always brings new adventures.

If you were driving on the I-15 last Thursday morning and saw a silver and black car streak by at near 80 miles an hour though the desert landscape, that would be me.

This year prizefighting has ramped up the quality of its matchups. Back in April, we saw Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Ryan Garcia attract a large crowd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Their contest established high pay-per-view numbers and drew celebrities from all around the country.

Last weekend, boxing returned on back-to-back nights with Top Rank featuring Seniesa Estrada in the main event at the Palms Casino Resort on Friday.

I arrived early enough to catch the weigh-in at the Palms Casino on Thursday. The room was packed with fighters and their supporters. Among those attending was Mikaela Mayer and her manager George Ruiz. They were talking to someone so I waited.

When they noticed me it was all hugs and handshakes. I immediately could tell Mikaela looked stronger and more vibrant than usual. She mentioned she felt better than ever at the higher weight. She had a glow on her face.

George Ruiz commented that he’s about to sign another female fighter. He remarked how he didn’t really want to meet Mikaela when she approached him many years ago. Now he is fully committed to Mayer and to the future of women’s boxing.

Mikaela does television analysis for ESPN during Top Rank cards. She’s a very good analyst and speaks very well. Most of the female prizefighters are very good at talking off the cuff, while most men boxers are not that capable of speaking live on camera. It’s a weird fact, but something I’ve noticed over the 38 years covering boxing.

Seniesa Estrada was headlining a Top Rank card for the first time. In her other cards she was the co-main event. This time she was the lead star and opposing her was Argentina’s Leonela Yudica. Both made weight, but surprisingly Yudica weighed 103 pounds. The minimumweight limit was 105.

Yudica is a former flyweight champion with the weight limit at 112 pounds. So, for her to weigh 103 was pretty astounding. Would it cause her to be too weak?

On Friday night they met in the prize ring and Seniesa Estrada was aggressive as usual. She understands that she is in the entertainment world and giving fans a knockout is part of her duty. Yudica, who usually fights bigger and heavier girls, was able to absorb Estrada’s biggest blows and deliver her own.

The two women exchanged viciously for 10 rounds with Estrada simply out-landing Yudica for the win.

Sitting in the audience dressed in black hot pants was Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle. She has the IBF minimumweight title and wants to add Estrada’s WBC and WBA versions too.

Both have accused the other of ducking.

After the long night of boxing a few of the reporters gathered and met across the street at the Gold Coast Hotel. They have a Chinese eatery Ping Pang Pong that’s open late. For the past four years, we’ve made that one of our go-to places for after-hours dining.

We talked about Seniesa Estrada and Yokasta Valle finally meeting in the ring this year. Estrada is considered by many, including me, to be one of the top five female fighters pound-for- pound.

Valle has improved dramatically since changing trainers and is working out of Los Angeles now. She is an incredible athlete and has picked up the pro style of fighting. But will it all be enough to handle Estrada in the trenches?

Saturday

On Saturday morning I made up my mind to have breakfast at my favorite diner Blueberry Hill. There are several of the eateries to choose from in Las Vegas, so I picked the closest to me on Flamingo. It was packed as usual.

Because I was alone, I sat at the bar and immediately found a spot. Right away the waitress gave me a menu, then forgot about me. I had to wave her down and she apologized. She thought I was waiting for someone.

After eating breakfast, I returned to my hotel on the strip and began to receive calls from other reporters. Not everyone arrives early for big fights. Some come during the day of the fight. I like to get settled and sometimes visit one of the many gyms in Las Vegas.

Years ago, there were very few boxing gyms. Today there are dozens of new gyms all over Clark County.

I stopped visiting gyms because of Covid-19. The boxing gyms were a cesspool for germs and disease. They seldom clean the ropes or canvas or chairs. People in the boxing world were dying left and right. I lost many friends to the pandemic.

Now I carry alcohol wipes and try not to touch anything like door handles, chairs or tables without wiping first.

Several reporter friends warned about the parking situation and how to approach it. My photographer and buddy Al Applerose had attended the weigh-ins the day before and had encountered problems.

Temperatures were only about 115 degrees. The forecast was for 120.

Inside the T-Mobile arena they forced us to walk counter-clockwise to our section. If I had gone to the left I would have arrived 20 minutes sooner. Basically, they made us walk around the entire arena. I think these security guys do that on purpose.

The press row for the fights was down below just above the floor. It’s tough on the knees especially when carrying a heavy laptop. I found my seat and discovered I was sitting next to Dan Rafael. I’ve known him since he first arrived on the boxing scene about 23 years ago. I’ve been a credentialed boxing writer since 1993. But I was writing about boxing since 1985. My first story was a major fight between Marvin Hagler vs Tommy Hearns. It sold out the small newspaper I was working for at the time.

Most of the crowd did not arrive until the pay-per-view section of the TGB Promotions card. When Nonito Donaire and Alexandro Santiago entered the ring, the fans began to arrive. I could see celebrities like Cardi B and Mike Tyson.

Later, when fighter Isaac Cruz arrived in the ring with Manny Pacquiao and was set to fight Giovanni Cabrera, it was mentioned that Cruz was the first Latino fighter that Pacman helped. I mentioned that he had also helped other Latinos like David Rodela of Oxnard.

Ironically, later that night, I ran into Rodela at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. I was walking into the men’s room when he said “hey! What did you think of the Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. fight?

I was shocked to see him. I had just mentioned his name to one of the other reporters and suddenly here he was in the flesh. Rodela was one of Manny’s sparring partners and they have remained good friends. One thing about Manny is he was very good to his friends. He bought Rodela a house.

Rodela fought everybody during the early 2000s from Kevin Kelley to Jorge Linares. He even fought Terence Crawford in 2012 at the Hard Rock Casino. He remembers it well.

“Yes, I was knocked out by Terence Crawford but not beat up like that,” said Rodela about how Spence looked after the fight.

Spence versus Crawford was one of those matchups on paper that looked to be difficult to decide the winner. But in the ring Crawford was simply too strong.

After the fight was over the scene was like out of a movie set. It was a coronation of the new king of boxing Crawford.

I’ve been covering pro boxing since 1985 and no other fight result shocked as much as Crawford’s domination of Spence. I was at his fight when he won the welterweight title from Australia’s Jeff Horn in June 2018 in Las Vegas. He was a small blown-up super lightweight then. Now he’s too strong for other welterweights.

After the press conference for Crawford and Spence, photographer Al Applerose and I headed for the New York, New York Casino. Applerose apparently gambled on a 9^th round knockout and won. He wanted to collect.

Inside we decided to get some pizza and beer and we ran into Japanese reporter Yuriko Miyata and American reporter Norm Frauenheim. We also sat and gobbled up pizza and beer as people walked by.

All of us were amazed at Crawford’s dismantling of Spence. I had first met Crawford way back in 2012 when Tim Bradley was about to face Manny Pacquiao for the first time. Crawford was at Bradley’s gym as a sparring partner.

Bradley introduced Crawford to me as the next great fighter. He told me then, “believe me, he is going to be great.”

Bradley was right.

On the drive back home, early in the morning, I listened to Miles Davis’ “So What.” I remembered reading in Miles Davis biography that he used to spar with his friend Sugar Ray Robinson.

It seemed appropriate to listen to Miles while contemplating Terence Crawford’s victory.

Fights to Watch

Fri. ESPN+6 p.m. Derrick Cuevas (25-1-1) vs Alberto Mosquera (28-5-2).

Fri. DAZN 5:30 p.m. Elija Pierce (17-2) vs Mike Plania (28-2).

Fri. Showtime 9 p.m. Jordan White (14-1) vs Eridson Garcia (17-0).

Sat. DAZN 3 p.m. Jake Paul (6-1) vs Nate Diaz (0-0), Amanda Serrano (44-2-1) vs Heather Hardy (24-2), Shadasia Green (12-0) vs Olivia Curry (7-1).

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Ever-Improving Callum Walsh KOs Dean Sutherland at Madison Square Garden

Published

10 hours ago

March 16, 2025

David A. Avila

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Irish luck was not involved as Callum Walsh won the battle of hard-hitting southpaws over Dean Sutherland by knockout on Sunday.

One right hook was all it took.

“You’re never going to beat the Irish,” said Walsh.

In a contest between Celtic super welterweights Walsh (13-0, 11 KOs) retained the WBC Continental America’s title against Sutherland (19-2, 7 KOs) in quick fashion at the Madison Square Garden Theater in Manhattan.

Usually fights between southpaws can be confusing to both contestants. But Walsh had expressed a fondness for fighting lefthanders then vividly exhibited the reasons why.

Walsh, 24, a native of Cork, Ireland, now living and training in Los Angeles, quickly demonstrated why he likes fighting lefties with a steady flow of combinations from the opening bell.

He did not hesitate.

Sutherland, 26, had only lost once before and that was more than two years ago. Against Walsh the Scottish fighter was not hesitant to advance forward but was caught with lefts and right hooks.

After two minutes of scattered blows, Sutherland fought back valiantly and when cornered, Walsh tapped two jabs then unleashed a right hook through the Scottish fighter’s gloves that floored the Aberdeen fighter for the count at 2:45 of the first round.

“I’m feeling very good. Dean Sutherland is a very good opponent. I knew he was going to be dangerous. That was my best opponent,” said Walsh.

It was the fourth consecutive knockout win for Walsh who seems to improve with every single combat.

“I’m looking forward to the future. I’m getting stronger and stronger,” said Walsh who is trained by Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach. “Anyone that comes to me I will take him out.”

Other Bouts

Super featherweight Feargal McCrory (17-1, 9 KOs) survived a knockdown in the fourth to out-muscle Keenan Carbajal (25-5-1, 17 KOs) and batter down the Arizona fighter in the seventh and again in the eighth with volume punching.

Carbajal was deducted a point early for holding in round two, but regained that point when he floored the Irish southpaw during an exchange in the fourth.

Despite suffering a knockdown, McCrory continued stalking Carbajal and floored him in the seventh and eighth with battering blows. Referee Arthur Mercante Jr. stopped the fight without a count.

A rematch between two Irish super middleweights saw Emmet Brennan (6-0) remain undefeated by unanimous decision over Kevin Cronin (9-3-1).

Cronin started quickly with a pressure style and punches flowing against Brennan who resorted to covering and countering. Though it looked like Cronin was building up a lead with a busier style, the judges preferred Brennan’s judicious counters. No knockdowns were scored as all three judges saw Brennan the winner 98-92 after 10 rounds.

Dajuan Calloway (11-3, 9 KOs) emerged the winner by technical knockout over Thomas Carty (10-1) who was unable to continue after two rounds when his leg tangled and thereafter was unable to stand. Because he could not continue the fight was ruled a technical knockout win for Calloway in the heavyweight match.

Also

Cletus “Hebrew Hammer” Seldin (29-1, 23 Kos) defeated Yeis Solano (15-5) by majority decision after eight rounds in a super lightweight contest.

Donagh Keary (1-0) defeated Geral Alicea-Romero (0-1-1) by decision after four.

Light heavyweights Sean O’Bradaigh (0-0-1) and Jefferson Almeida (0-1-1) fought to a majority draw after four.

Photo credit: JP Yim

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Nick Ball Wears Down and Stops TJ Doheny Before the Home Folks in Liverpool

Published

2 days ago

March 15, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Fighting in his hometown, Liverpool’s five-foot-two fireplug Nick “The Wrecking” Ball stopped TJ Doheny after 10 progressively more one-sided rounds to retain his WBA belt in the second defense of the featherweight title he won with a hard-earned decision over Raymond Ford in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Referee Michael Alexander, with the assent of Doheny’s corner, waived it off following the bell ending Round 10, much to the chagrin of the brave but mildewed Doheny who burst into tears. But then, Doheny’s right eye was closed shut and he was plainly exhausted. This may be the end of the line for the 38-year-old campaigner from Perth, Australia via Portlaois, Ireland who was 26-5 heading in following his first loss inside the distance which came against pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue.

There were no knockdowns, but Ball (22-0-1, 13 KOs) was docked a point in round nine for throwing Doheny to the canvas after having previously been warned for this infraction. Earlier, both he and Doheny were warned for an incident that could have ended the bout prematurely. At the end of the first round, Ball extricated himself from a headlock by kicking Doheny in the back of his knee. The challenger’s leg appeared to buckle as he returned to his stool.

Going forward, Ball has many options. The 28-year-old Liverpudlian purportedly relishes a unification fight with WBC belt-holder Stephen Fulton, but the decision ultimately rests with Ball’s promoter Frank Warren.

Other Bouts of Note

In a 12-round bantamweight contest that was close on the scorecards but yet a monotonous affair, Liverpool’s Andrew Cain won a split decision over former WBC flyweight title-holder Charlie Edwards. The scores were 116-112 and 115-114 favoring Cain with judge Steve Gray submitting a disreputable 115-113 tally for Edwards. At stake were a trio of regional titles.

The science of boxing, they say, is about hitting without getting hit. Charlie Edwards is adept at the latter but the hitting part is not in his DNA. He was on his bicycle from the get-go, a style that periodically brought forth a cascade of boos. Cain, who trains in the same gym with Nick Ball, was never able to corner him – Edwards was too elusive – but Cain, to his credit, never lost his composure.

In improving to 14-1 (12), Cain achieved a measure of revenge, in a sense. In his last documented amateur bout, in 2014, Cain was defeated by Charlie’s brother Sunny Edwards, also a former world title-holder at the professional level. Heading in, Charlie Edwards (20-2, 1 NC) was unbeaten in his last 13 which included a comfortable decision over Cristofer Rosales in his flyweight title fight. Charlie relinquished that belt when he could no longer make the weight.

Showboating Cuban lightweight Jadier Herrera, who fought 13 of his first 14 pro fights in his adopted home of Dubai, advanced to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a seventh-round stoppage of spunky but outclassed Mexican import Jose Macias (21-4-2). The official time was 2:31 of round seven.

An all-Liverpool affair between super flyweights Jack Turner (11-0, 10 KOs) and Ryan Farrag (23-6) was over in a jiff. The match, which went next-to-last in the bout order, ended at the 42-second mark of round two. A barrage of punches climaxed by a left hook sent Farrag down hard and the referee waived it off.

The noted spoiler Ionut Baluta, whose former victims include Andrew Cain, forged another upset with a 10-round split decision over local fan favorite Brad Strand. The judges favored Baluta 98-91 and 96-94, out-voting the Italian judge whose 97-93 tally for Strand was deemed the most accurate by the TV pundits.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 317: Callum Walsh, Dana White and More

Published

3 days ago

March 14, 2025

David A. Avila

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As Callum Walsh stood on the observation deck at the top of the Empire State Building with fists clenched, it harked back to actor Jimmy Cagney, an actor of Irish descent, yelling “Top of the world, ma,” in the 1949 motion picture White Heat.

The Irish-born Walsh brings that kind of attitude.

Once again Walsh (12-0, 10 KOs) returns to New York City and this time faces Scottish warrior Dean Sutherland (19-1, 7 KOs) in a super welterweight match set for 10 rounds on Sunday, March 16, at Madison Garden Theater.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions event.

Flanked by master trainer Freddie Roach and managed by Dana White it brings questions as to the direction that Walsh will be steered. It was just revealed that White will head a new boxing promotion outfit with big plans to make a more UFC type of organization.

Is Walsh part of the plans?

It’s a lot to digest as the hot prospect from Cork, Ireland proceeds toward world championship dreams. Can he cleanse his mind of this major distraction?

Walsh and Sutherland are both southpaws who are meeting at the crossroads in the heart of New York City. At this point of their careers a loss can mean rebooting and taking a few steps backward. The winner moves on to the next crucial step.

Sutherland, 26, hails from Aberdeen and has never fought outside of his native Scotland. It’s a lot to ask of someone whose country’s population of 5 million is dwarfed by New York City’s 8.2 million inhabitants all packed together.

Ireland’s population is also 5 million. So basically, both Walsh and Sutherland are on even terms when they enter the prize ring on Sunday.

Who knows what kind of competition Sutherland faced in Scotland. He beat two undefeated fighters and also conquered two foes who each had more than 100 losses on their resumes.

Meanwhile, Walsh has faced only one undefeated fighter but handled veterans like Benjamin Whitaker, Ismael Villareal and Carlos Ortiz Cervantes. But you never know until they meet face to face. Anything can happen in a prize ring.

Walsh has a three-fight knockout streak. Sutherland has slept two out of his last three foes. They will be joined by several Irish fighters on the card plus Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin.

Dana, Turk and TKO

The announcement earlier in the week that Turki Alalshikh together with TKO Group Holdings that include Dana White and Nick Khan formed a new boxing promotion company.

White, who does not own UFC but guides the MMA ship, works for Endeavor, the parent company of UFC and WWE. Their events are all shown on ESPN, the powerful sports network (albeit WWE’s flagship weekly show “Raw” recently moved to Netflix). It seems Endeavor has decided to allow White to guide its boxing program too.

Where does that leave Top Rank?

It seems the partnership plans to rid boxing of the many sanctioning organizations and have only one champion per division. The champion will be given a Ring Magazine belt. Recently, Turki Alalshikh purchased The Ring magazine from Golden Boy Promotions. This seems to have been the plan all along.

Is this good for boxing?

Mark Shapiro, the president of TKO Group Holdings, said:

“This is a strategic opportunity to re-imagine the sport of boxing globally. TKO has the deep expertise, promotional prowess, and longstanding relationships. HE Turki Alalshikh and Sela share our passion and vision for evolving the current model. Together, we can bring the sweet science back to its rightful place in the forefront of the global sports ecosystem.”

DAZN all day

Three boxing cards take place on Saturday beginning with WBA featherweight titlist Nick Ball (21-0-1) the human cannonball, defending against former champion TJ Doheny from Liverpool, England. The first bout begins around 9:30 a.m. (Pacific Coast Time). Ball likes to charge forward and punch. Doheny is no slouch and has experience.

Later, Matchroom Boxing presents a show from Florida that features Edgar Berlanga (22-1) fresh off a solid contest against Canelo Alvarez. He fights undefeated Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) in a super middleweight match. Also, Ammo Williams (17-1) returns to face dangerous Patrice Volny (19-1) in a middleweight clash. The card starts at 3:30 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time.

Saturday evening MarvNation presents Amado Vargas (11-0) meeting Eduardo Hernandez (8-2) in a super lightweight contest at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. Start time is set for 8 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time). The son of the great Fernando Vargas remains undefeated.

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 11:30 a.m. Nick Ball (21-0-1) vs TJ Doheny (26-5).

Sat. DAZN 3:30 p.m. Edgar Berlanga (22-1) vs Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) ; Ammo Williams (17-1) vs Patrice Volny (19-1).

Sat. DAZN 8 p.m. Amado Vargas (11-0) vs Eduardo Hernandez (8-2).

Sun. UFC Fight Pass 3 p.m. Callum Walsh (12-0) vs Dean Sutherland (19-1).

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