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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David A. Avila

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

Published

3 days ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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

Published

3 days 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

4 days ago

March 28, 2025

David A. Avila

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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