By Norm Frauenheim –

In a political season, Naoya Inoue’s campaign for supremacy in the pound-for-pound race is gaining momentum for a reason that separates him from everybody else.

He’s busy.

Inoue, tireless inside the ring and outside of it, continues an old-school schedule not seen in decades against TJ Doheny in Tokyo Tuesday. 

It’s his third fight since December, his fourth over the last 13 months. Doheny isn’t expected to be much of a challenge. Other than perhaps fellow Japanese fighter Junto Nakatani, who is these days? 

The biggest surprise is that you can actually bet on this fight. Five days before opening bell at Ariake Arena (ESPN+, 5:45 a.m. ET), Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) is favored, minus-5000. 

In other words, Doheny has a better chance at stopping climate change. Still, the odds aren’t impossible, either. There are no prohibitive favorites, at least not in boxing. 

According to the oddsmakers, Doheny has about as much of a chance as Buster Douglas had against Mike Tyson, a 42-1 favorite in 1990, also in Tokyo. Douglas won that one, scoring an upset as stunning as any in history. Anything is possible, especially in boxing, where cheap shots are the only sure thing. 

But don’t expect climate to quit changing. History isn’t going to repeat itself. Instead, Japan’s rising son is poised to make some more history of his own in a junior-featherweight fight that promises to further his argument that there’s nobody better. 

The 37-year-old Doheny (26-4, 20 KOs) an Australian-based fighter and former 122-pound belt-holder, is well known to Japanese fans. His last three fights have been in Tokyo. He’ll be there again Tuesday, this time in a role that figures to showcase Inoue’s dynamic skillset.

The best bet here: Inoue emerges from Tuesday’s fight as the consensus No.1 in the pound-for-pound debate. 

A comprehensive stoppage of a durable Doheny, who has never been knocked out, would provide further evidence on a resume uninterrupted by the idle stretches that leave questions about his rivals. These days, world-class fighters fight once or twice between birthdays

Inactivity is hard to judge.

Busy is not.

It’s the busy — an accumulation of timely evidence — that gives Inoue a decisive edge in a three-way race that has included Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk. 

It’s been close, almost impossible to call, mostly because all three are the only two division undisputed champs in the game’s four-belt history — Inoue (bantamweight and junior-feather), Crawford (junior-welter and welterweight) and Usyk (cruiser and heavyweight).

On this pound-for-pound list, Crawford has been No. 1 for a couple of years. But, now, there is uncertainty, questions about his last performance in a narrow win at a new weight, 154-pounds, in a decision over Israil Madrimov, a competent belt-holder, yet known more for his amateur accomplishments than his pro career. 

There are also questions about what’s next for Crawford, who returned to the ring against Madrimov after more than a year away from the ring in the aftermath of his defining welterweight triumph over Errol Spence.

Quotes from him and his new representative, Saudi Prince Turki Alalshikh, indicate he’s thinking only Canelo or retirement. He’s been interested in a fight against 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez.

For now, however, there’s been no reported interest from him about a fight at 154 pounds against Vergil Ortiz Jr., or a rematch against a deserving Madrimov.

Crawford won’t know what’s next until after Canelo’s probable victory over Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas on Sept. 14. Canelo hasn’t said he’ll fight Crawford. He hasn’t said he will. Maybe, Crawford gets a definitive answer. Maybe, not.  

If Canelo says no, there’s a chance Crawford retires. He’ll be 37 on Sept. 28, an age that would make a bid for a third undisputed title at a third weight problematic against the young lions at junior-middle.

Then, there’s Usyk, the Ukrainian, whose tactical know how and unwavering discipline has kept him unbeaten. But will that stubborn spirit and intelligent skillset continue to? 

He faces an intriguing rematch on Dec. 21 in Riyadh of his split decision over Tyson Fury on May 18, his first fight after only one fight in 2023 — a ninth-round stoppage of Daniel Dubois in Poland in August of that year. 

It goes without saying that Usyk’s victory over Fury was controversial. By definition, split decisions always are. There were moments when it looked as if Fury would/could win. Maybe with a little bit more discipline and less clowning, he will. By now, it’s safe to say Usyk will keep it close.

For now, however, that’s just another question at a time when Inoue is busy.

Busy delivering all the answers.  

By Mario Ortega Jr. –

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – Once one of the greatest sporting towns in all of the country, in just over a month’s time, “The Town” will no longer field a team in any of the three major sports leagues. All three Oakland franchises, world champions many times over, have left a void on the green pages of the local newspaper and in the hearts of many local sports fans. Once upon a time, professional boxing served as perhaps the fourth major sport in town. This Saturday night at the Oakland Marriott City Center, well-regarded middleweight prospect Amari Jones, Oakland-born, aims to take his first steps in rebranding his hometown as a fight town when he takes on veteran Daniel Echeverria in the eight-round main event of “Showdown in the Town.” 

As late as the 1960’s, monthly pro boxing events were held in either the Oakland Coliseum or Oakland Auditorium. When Andre Ward made his Oakland debut as a professional by claiming his first world championship over Mikkel Kessler in November 2009, it began a nine-year run of big time fights in town, making the former Olympic gold medalist essentially the fourth major sporting franchise across the bridge from San Francisco. Since Ward’s last hometown card in 2016, just one event has been held in Oakland, taking place in 2018.

Should Saturday’s event be a success, promoters will surely look to bring the sweet science back to prominence in the region. Much of that, however, will hinge on Jones; how he draws and how he performs. Thus far, Jones has performed at every turn, garnering praise from many fight prognosticators both locally and nationally. 

Jones (12-0, 11 KOs) was last seen making his New York debut in April, stopping previously once-beaten Armel Mbumba-Yassa in the sixth-round while winning every round on the cards to that point in the fight. Last December, Jones, who trains out of the Lion’s Den Boxing Gym in Pittsburg, made his Bay Area debut with a dominant fifth-round kayo of rugged Quilisto Madera at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Jones was the first to the scale on Friday afternoon, scaling 160-pounds even.

Attempting to spoil the homecoming party will be veteran Daniel Echeverria (21-12, 18 KOs) of Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico. “Tocado” has been fighting professionally since 2012, debuting as a junior welterweight before gradually moving up the scale over the following twelve years. Notable names on his resume include Jorge Paez Jr., Carlos Ocampo and Egidijus Kavaliauskas. Echevarria came up short in those step-up bouts. The Mexican native also came up short when it came to making the contracted 161-pounds on Friday. After scaling one-half-of-a-pound over, Echeverria made a brief attempt at dropping the extra weight, but soon opted for the fine instead. 

In the co-main event, Gabriel Garcia (10-0, 6 KOs) of Antioch, California will take on Giovanni Gutierrez (11-9-1, 6 KOs of Tipitapa, Managua, Nicaragua in a six-round super featherweight bout. Garcia, a Lion’s Den gym mate of Jones, made the move to fighting in the United States last year, after beginning his pro run in Mexico, with two six-round decisions in California and Nevada respectively. Gutierrez has struggled since making his move to campaigning in the United States, while also being matched against undefeated fighters in six of his last seven contests. Garcia scaled 129.1-pounds, while Gutierrez made 129-even. 

In an intriguing six-round light heavyweight bout, “Sugar” Suray Mahmutovic (6-1-1, 6 KOs) of Daly City, California returns to the ring after a year away to take on veteran puncher Anthony Hollaway (7-6-3, 6 KOs) of Peoria, Illinois. Mahmutovic is looking to rebound from his only defeat, a hard-fought majority decision loss to then-unbeaten prospect Sonny McEwen in May of last year. McEwen is a then-unbeaten prospect because he ran into Hollaway this past March. In a rematch of a January 2023 bout in which Hollaway dropped McEwen, but settled for a six-round unanimous defeat, the Peoria fighter stopped McEwen in under two rounds. Mahmutovic weighed in at 177.1-pounds, while Hollaway made 178-even. 

In a four-round junior welterweight bout that may rival the Mahmutovic-Hollaway clash for fight of the night honors when the night is over, Tony Hirsch Jr. (3-0-2, 3 KOs) of Oakland will take on rugged David Reyes Jr. (3-1-1, 2 KOs) of Fresno, California. Hirsch, son of longtime middleweight spoiler Tony Hirsch, will be fighting at home for the first time as a professional. Reyes, a tough choice opponent for a hometown debut, has gone unbeaten since a close defeat to Pedro Angel Cruz in his first pro fight in May of last year. Hirsch and Reyes weighed-in identically at 138.5-pounds.  

Making his highly anticipated professional debut, Concord, California’s Braulio Ceja Navarro will meet Jaycee King (0-1) of Sacramento, California in a four-round lightweight bout. The 19-year-old Navarro, fighting out of the Lion’s Den Boxing Gym, weighed-in at 132-pounds. King, who just turned professional on August 1st, dropping a decision to Dorrel Fore Jr., also made 132-pounds on the nose. 

In another long awaited pro debut, Kyle Lacanlale of San Ramon, California will take on Michael Hernandez (0-3) of Banning, California in a four-round featherweight bout. Lacanlale, who now has former world middleweight champion James Page joining his father Lyndon Lacanlale in training him, made 126.5-pounds. Hernandez, yet to see the final bell as a pro, scaled 122.5-pounds. 

Alton Wiggins (0-1) of Modesto, California will take on replacement opponent Henry Rivera (2-7, 1 KO) of Las Vegas, Nevada in a four-round middleweight bout. Wiggins, born town over in Berkeley, and the Oakland-born Rivera, both scaled 158.2-pounds on Friday afternoon. 

Making his much looked-forward-to professional debut, tattoo artist and former California Golden Gloves champion Marcos Antonio Perez of Brentwood, California takes on tough assignment Ebert Diaz (1-1-1, 1 KO) of Richmond, California in what should be an entertaining four-round welterweight fight. The Oakland-born Perez, also known as “Smokey P,” weighed-in at 144-pounds. Diaz, a frequent sparring partner of lightweight prospect Manuel Jaimes, made 143.5-pounds. 

Stanford University student and undefeated boxer Dante Kirkman (1-0) of Palo Alto, California takes on unorthodox Miguel Soto-Garcia (1-3) of Fresno by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in a four-round light middleweight bout. Kirkman, a decorated former amateur trained by the well-respected Eddie Croft, came in at 153-pounds. Soto-Garcia, up ten pounds from his last bout just 28 days ago, scaled 152.5-pounds on Friday. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Middleweights, 8 Rounds

Jones 160

Echeverria 161.5*

Super featherweights, 6 Rounds

Garcia 129.1

Gutierrez 129

Light heavyweights, 6 Rounds

Mahmutovic 177.1

Hollaway 178

Light welterweights, 4 Rounds

Hirsch Jr. 138.5

Reyes Jr. 138.5

Lightweights, 4 Rounds

Ceja Navarro 132

King 132

Featherweights, 4 Rounds

Lacanlale 126.5

Hernandez 122.5

Welterweights, 4 Rounds

Wiggins 158.2

Rivera 158.2

Welterweights, 4 Rounds

Perez 144

Diaz 143.5

Light middleweights, 4 Rounds

Kirkman 153

Soto-Garcia 152.5

*Echeverria .5 pounds over contracted weight. After brief attempt at shedding excess, opted for a fine instead. 

Tickets for the event, promoted by Lion’s Den Boxing Promotions and Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at uppercutpro.com or at the door on Saturday night. 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] 

By Mario Ortega Jr.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – Back in his home venue having recently conquered Vegas, budding lightweight attraction Adrian Torres will step-up against former world title challenger Ardin Diale in the six-round main event at the Four Points by Sheraton on Saturday night. Fighters for the six-bout card weighed-in at the host venue on Friday morning. 

Torres (8-0, 6 KOs) of Chula Vista, California by way Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico was last seen going the six-round distance for the first time in a unanimous decision victory in the opening bout of the Canelo Alvarez-Jaime Munguia card this past May at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Prior to the May fight, six of Torres’ seven pro bouts had taken place before a hometown crowd in the the Four Points by Sheraton ring, with the lone exception taking place in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

By contrast, Diale (35-19-4, 17 KOs) of La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines has participated in 20 bouts scheduled for the twelve-round distance. Among those contests, Diale unsuccessfully challenged Julio Cesar Miranda for the WBO flyweight title back in February of 2011, losing by fourth-round stoppage. Torres, who has fought all, but two of his pro bouts at the Four Points by Sheraton, scaled 134.6-pounds. Diale, who has fought in the same number of countries as Vargas has fights, made 133.6-pounds.

Adrian Vargas (13-0-1, 8 KOs) of National City, California returns to the ring from nearly a nine-year layoff to take on Jose Belloso (5-4, 5 KOs) of Carson, California in a six-round welterweight bout. 

Vargas, returning from taking a long break from the sport, looked in great shape as he scaled 146-pounds. Belloso, who sprung an upset knockout in his last fight in June, also scaled 146-even. 

In what has fight of the night potential, Diego Luna (3-1-1, 3 KOs) of San Diego takes on tough journeyman Pedro Pinillo (5-8, 5 KOs) of Cali, Colombia in a four-round light welterweight bout. 

All eight of Pinillo’s defeats have come against undefeated fighters, whose records combined stood at 38-0-1 at the time of their bouts. Luna, who scaled 138.8, returned to the win column in his last bout after suffering a one-point decision defeat to undefeated Adrian Boler at this venue in March. Pinillo, who fought an exhibition in Stockton, California on June 20th, which was made such because he had just fought one week prior, came in at 138.2-pounds. 

Local favorite Jose Chollet (3-1, 2 KOs) of San Diego looks to rebound from his sole career defeat as he takes on Genesis Wynn (2-5, 1 KO) of Los Angeles, California in a four-round light welterweight bout. Chollet scaled 143.6-pounds, while Wynn came in at 143-even. 

Matthew Jacinto (1-0, 1 KO) of El Cajon, California makes his U.S. debut against veteran Victor Saravia (1-4-2, 1 KO) of North Hollywood, California in a four-round super featherweight bout. Jacinto, who turned pro in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico two months back, scaled 129.2-pounds. Saravilla, also a veteran of professional kickboxing and Muay Thai, made 129.6. 

Andy Ramirez (5-0, 4 KOs) of Ensenada by way of Denver, Colorado makes his U.S. debut in the opener against veteran M.J. Bo (9-8-2, 5 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines in a four-round super featherweight bout. Ramirez, U.S.-born and Mexico-raised, weighed-in at 125.8-pounds. Bo, fighting for the fourth time since relocating to the U.S., scaled 124.6-pounds. 

Any remaining tickets for the event, promoted by Borizteca Boxing, No Boxing No Life and Clase Y Talento Boxeo, will be made available at the door. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Lightweights, 6 Rounds

Torres 134.6

Diale 133.6

Welterweights, 6 Rounds

Vargas 146

Belloso 146

Light welterweights, 4 Rounds 

Luna 138.8

Pinillo 138.2

Welterweights, 4 Rounds

Chollet 143.6

Wynn 143

Super featherweights, 4 Rounds

Jacinto 129.2

Saravilla 129.6

Featherweights, 4 Rounds

Ramirez 125.8

Bo 124.6

Mario Ortega Jr. can be contacted at [email protected] 

By Norm Frauenheim –

Canelo Alvarez isn’t going to strengthen his position in the pound-for-pound debate, no matter what he does against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in a fight that has been dismissed by exasperated fans who only want to see him against David Benavidez or Terence Crawford.

But the public consensus, as damning as it is noisy, is further evidence that Canelo isn’t going anywhere, no matter who he fights or where he stands in the various ratings. He doesn’t even have all of the super-middleweight belts anymore. An acronym stripped him of one, which I guess means he’s been demoted from undisputed to unified. 

But don’t dispute his power to dictate — to get what, when and whoever he wants — in a business otherwise ruled by chaos. I’ll leave it up to somebody else as to whether Canelo’s long powerbroker reign is good for boxing. There’s an old line worth repeating: Absolute power corrupts absolutely

Nevertheless, his latest controversy with boxing’s nouveau riche, Saudi Prince Turki Alalshikh, only manages to re-affirm that power. Alalshikh took offense when Canelo appeared to rebuff his attempts to put together a much-talked-about date with Crawford after Crawford’s narrow decision over Israil Madrimov in his junior-middleweight debut on August 3.

Canelo talked about respect, which usually means he believes he wasn’t getting enough of it.  Then, he told Alalshikh to talk to him after his title defense against Berlanga on a night when the UFC will stage a mixed martial-arts event at Las Vegas’ Sphere, just a few blocks of neon from T-Mobile Arena.

In the middle of the edgy exchange, Alalshikh posted a photo of himself, declaring he was the Face of Boxing. That precipitated a backlash. The game’s Face is reserved for those who are willing to risk that face. In other words, only the fighters qualify. In a craft where virtually everything is for sale, it’s the one thing that can’t be bought. 

Alalshikh, who is new to the sport and its unwritten traditions, backtracked last week while announcing an undercard featuring Shakur Stevenson-versus-Joe Cordina on an Oct. 12 show featuring Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol in Riyadh.

In posting the undercard, there was a response that called Alalshikh “The Face of Boxing.” No, he said, he wasn’t worthy of that. Only the fighters are. Props to the Prince.

That lesson, however, was a victory for Canelo. In effect, it reaffirmed — even tightened his grip — on his undisputed place as The Face.  Consider Crawford. His brilliant career has ensured him of the Hall of Fame and gained him some over-due respect. At this late stage, however, it looks as if it has come down to just one option: Canelo or retirement. 

Crawford, who will be 37 late next month, had hoped that the Madrimov fight in Los Angeles would be a steppingstone to Canelo. And only Canelo. 

Increasingly, it’s become clear that Crawford, still among the top three in virtually every pound-for-pound rating, has no interest in uniting the junior-middleweight title. 

The unbeaten Crawford is already a two-time undisputed champ, at 140 and 147 pounds. He has expressed no interest in fighting Jaron “Boots” Ennis, the reigning young lion at welterweight. It looks as if he also has no interest in facing the young lions at 154 pounds, including Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Alalshikh said he approached Crawford, also a four division champion, about a fight with Ortiz after Ortiz’ controversial, yet gritty majority decision over Ukrainian Serhii Bohachuk in Vegas a couple of weeks ago. According to Alalshikh, Crawford said no, a sign that we may have seen him fight for the last time. 

After Berlanga, Canelo, a 16-to-1 betting favorite, is sure to get questions from fans and an offer from Alalshikh about Crawford in a fight at 168-pounds, 14 more than Crawford’s weight against Madrimov in a bout that snapped his stoppage streak at 11 straight.

It all depends on Canelo.

Still Canelo.

By Mario Ortega Jr. –

Good things come to those who wait, or so they say. Aspiring super bantamweight Kyle Lacanlale is hoping to prove that saying true when he finally steps into the squared circle for the first time as a professional next Saturday, August 31st, in a scheduled four-rounder at the Oakland Marriott City Center in Oakland, California. The bout, with an opponent agreed to, but not yet signed as of press time, will serve as one of the special attractions in support of Amari Jones’ hometown debut against Daniel Echevarria. For Lacanlale, it is an event roughly fourteen-years in the making.

Lacanlale, born in San Mateo, California and residing in nearby San Ramon, first found the sport of boxing at the young age of six-years-old. Like many boys his age, Lacanlale was inexhaustible, which led his parents to steer their young son towards athletics. 

“Originally I played basketball when I was little and I was just a super energetic kid,” explains Lacanlale. “There was a boxing gym down from where I lived, so they wanted me to go and burn that extra energy. I was excelling by the time I was eight, so they wanted me to start competing. I had my first fight a month after I turned eight-years-old and I fell in love with the sport. Since then I have been competing and growing at every level.” 

Lacanlale found boxing at a time when the most popular fighter in the world was a fellow Filipino and the San Francisco Bay Area boasted three incredible representatives at the highest level. Lacanlale became a student of the game at a very young age and took note that men very much like himself were succeeding in the sport he was growing to love. Now that he is turning professional, Lacanlale is ready to carry on the tradition and represent his heritage and region in the example set before. 

“I am Filipino, so I grew up watching Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire. Their exciting styles is something that drew me into the sport. Andre Ward, being local, helped me out a lot in getting into the game as a fighter. He’s dropped a lot of knowledge and still does. So picking things from their styles and adding it into my game, as well as listening to their past experiences, are some things that have really helped me out. Andre Ward, Robert Guerrero, Nonito Donaire, James Page…I grew up on those fighters. Just to have my moment to be able to turn pro and to represent the Bay Area and my culture, it is special to me.” 

Lacanlale, much like Guerrero, Donaire and Ward before him, excelled as an amateur during a long career that he began at a very young age. 

“I won a national title early on when I was really young,” explains Lacanlale. “Then I took a break and once I came back in, I became ranked in the 119-pound division and beat multiple national champions in national tournaments. I think I established myself as one of the top fighters in those divisions.” 

In June of last year, Lacanlale made a second consecutive appearance at the U.S. National Championships in Lubbock, Texas. After scoring a decision win in his first bout, Lacanlale came up short via three-round split decision in the next round two days later. With success in national tournaments, Lacanlale had designs on qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Team, but a training injury scuttled those plans. Soon after, Kyle and his father Lyndon made the decision to shift focus to the paid ranks, first eyeing a potential November 2023 debut. 

“Since last November, we have been trying to get a fight,” explains Lacanlale. “We’ve tried everything, from going to L.A., to going up north, and some things just haven’t worked out. Some fights fell through and some opponents pulled out.I just stay in the gym and stay focused and it just has given me more time to stay sharp. It has just been like one, long camp. I have been having fun, continuing to get sharper.” 

Since the last couple years of his amateur run, Lacanlale has fought out of Benjamin’s Boxing, owned and operated by Ali Benjamin, in his hometown of San Ramon. Over the last few months, Lacanlale has spent time working with former world middleweight champion James Page, who has taken to training out of the Lion’s Den Boxing Gym in nearby Pittsburg, California. 

“[James Page’s] experience from when he was a fighter, he definitely uses that and pushes me,” says Lacanlale. “His work ethic is there and he’s telling me the things he wishes he could have done. So now I am just implementing that and it has worked out well so far. My pops has been training me out of Ali’s gym here in San Ramon and the last three or four months we have been working with James Page. He has been working with my dad and correcting the things we need to correct and I have been making those adjustments. We have seen that my game has been elevating and going where it needs to go.” 

Despite not learning who he would be fighting until about two weeks before the fight, Lacanlale feels well-prepared for whatever style opposes him in his debut. Experience is earned and not learned and luckily for Lacanlale he has many years’ worth of amateur tournament match-ups to draw from. 

“I feel like I have a lot of experience, having fought in the amateurs for so long, so it won’t be too different than being in an amateur tournament, when you don’t know who could be coming up next,” compares Lacanlale. “So I feel like I can make those adjustments pretty quickly. I have been sparing a lot of different looks, so I am prepared for whatever is going to come. I am really training hard so my work is going to show. I have been ready for this since last November. It is just time to go.” 

The chief benefit of Lacanlale’s somewhat delayed debut could be that now all of his Bay Area fans, friends and family will be able to attend and witness his big night in person. With the Oakland Marriott City Center a short 30 minute drive through Crown Canyon Road onto Interstate-880 from Benjamin’s Boxing in San Ramon, expect to hear a raucous cheering section in support of the budding Fil-Am star. 

“We were getting ready to fight in LA and other places and my family was getting ready to fly out and rent out hotels to be able to see my fight,” recalls Lacanlale. “So to have this fight here in Oakland, near home, it is going to be packed-out. My family is so supportive, since I was eight-years-old, so you can expect there to be a lot of people there on August 31st. They can expect to see me show out. I am ready to put on a show for all of them because they have been supporting me for so long. I am ready to make a statement in my professional debut as the start to a long career.” 

Tickets for the event, promoted by Lion’s Den Boxing Promotions and Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at uppercutpro.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] 

Philadelphia (August 20, 2024)–A massive night of boxing comes to the Met Philadelphia on Saturday night, August 24 RDR Promotions rising star Isaiah Johnson (9-0, 7 KOs) of Sicklerville, NJ takes on the always-tough Andrew Rodgers (9-12-3, 3 KOs) of Elkhart, Indiana in a super lightweight bout.

The card is promoted by DRCO and RDR Promotions.

A huge undercard has been assembled that will feature many of the top prosects in the area.

Former world heavyweight title challenger Bryant Jennings (24-4, 14 KOs) of Philadelphia returns to the ring after a five-year hiatus as he takes on Joel Caudle (9-8-2, 6 KOs) of North Carolina in a bout scheduled for eight-rounds.

Also in eight-round bouts,. Avious Griffin 14-0, 13 KOs) of Chattanooga, Tennessee takes on William Jackson (13-4-2, 5 KO) of Cincinnati in a welterweight bout.

In a six-round fight, Erron Peterson (6-0-1, 4 KOs) of Philadelphia, PA battles Ashton Sykes 6-7, 2 KOs) of Columbia, Maryland in a middleweight fight.

In Four-round Bouts:

RDR Fighter Rashan Adams (7-1, 6 KOs) of Philadelphia fights debuting Harold McQueen of Lake Worth, Florida in a super featherweight bout.

RDR Fighter Nimal Farmer (5-0, 4 KOs) of Lindenwold, NJ takes on Maurice Clemons (3-6, 1 KO) in a welterweight bout.

Super featherweight Jabril Noble (5-0, 4 KOs) of Philadelphia takes on Nasir Mickens (2-4, 1 KO) of Philadelphia in a rematch.

Nasheed H. Smith (3-0, 2 KOs) of Washington, DC battles Christopher Brooker (16-14, 6 KOs) of Philadelphia in a light heavyweight fight.

Lemar Smith (1-0, 1 KO) of Philadelphia fights Christopher Ortiz (0-0-1) of Las Piedras, Puerto Rico in a super lightweight bout.

Steven Grandy (1-0, 1 KO) of Houston takes on an opponent to be named in a super featherweight bout. Grandy’s twin brother Daniel Grandy (1-0, 1 KO) of Houston takes on Jak Johnson (1-4) of Newcastle, England in a super featherweight bout. The Grandy twins are 17 years-old and turned pro at 16.

Quincy Williams (2-0, 2 KOs) of Washington, DC takes on pro debuting Muzamir Semuddu. Semudddu was a Bronze Medal winner in the All-African Games representing his home country of Uganda.

Welterweight Tyreem Haywood (1-0, 1 KO) of Philadelphia takes on Deo Kizito (3-6, 2 KOs) of Baltimore

Pro debuting super bantamweight Samaj Justice of Philadelphia will take on Joseph K Adorno Del Valle (0-1-1) of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico.

Tickets are now on sale beginning at $40.

https://concerts.livenation.com/event/020060CEBAC75225

The fight card will be streamed live on TrillerTV and BXNGTV.com.

By Mario Ortega Jr. –

This past May, many hours before one of the faces actively representing the long-storied tradition of fighters from Tijuana, Mexico, Jaime Munguia, came up short in a valiant effort against the leading name in professional boxing as a whole, Canelo Alvarez, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, one of the leading prospects to add to the border town’s fighting mythology, Adrian Torres, gave the production crew and smattering of early onlookers a taste of what the future could hold. Torres, now making his home north of the border, aims to continue his upward trajectory as he takes on veteran Ardin Diale in the six-round lightweight main event at the Four Points by Sheraton in San Diego, California this Saturday night. 

Torres (8-0, 6 KOs) now resides in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista, having grown up in the Tijuana colonia of La Gloria, with a population of just over 2,600 according to published sources. Over the years, Tijuana as a whole has produced many noteworthy fighters, such as two-division champion Raul Perez, more controversial figure Antonio Margarito, the great Erik Morales to the present day representatives like Munguia and recently dethroned super bantamweight champion Luis Nery. 

“I like “Panterita” Nery,” explains Torres when asked about fighters from his famous hometown. “I like his style and there have been occasions at the Canelo gym in the past where I was able to spar with him and he gave me some encouraging words. I like what he does in the ring, so right now I look up to him.” 

Despite his geographical affiliation with Jaime Munguia, it was Torres’ connections to Canelo, through his team, that landed the aspiring Tijuana fighter known as “Ratón” the coveted slot to open the event on May 4th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since the tailend of his limited amateur career, estimated to be around 25 fights, Torres has been trained and managed by a dedicated, multi-generational family unit, with chief trainer Carlos Barragán Sr., assistant Carlos Barragán Jr. and manager David Barragán. 

“Since [Canelo’s trainer] Eddy Reynoso helps us out and I work for Eddy, he says, ‘Carlos, let’s put Adrian Torres on,” recounts Barragán Jr. of the discussion that led to Torres’ bout against Arsen Poghosyan in May. “He’s from Tijuana and Jaime Munguia is from Tijuana.’ So I said, ‘Thank you very much’ and we went from there.” 

Prior to the May fight in Las Vegas, six of Torres’ seven pro bouts had taken place before a hometown crowd at the intimate Four Points by Sheraton in San Diego, with the lone exception taking place in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Despite being the first bout of the evening and performing before a sparsely populated audience, the experience gained of taking part in a Canelo Alvarez fight week alone cannot be underestimated. 

“That is a monster in-and-of itself,” explains Barragán Jr. “Just to have some obligations with the media and have to go make weight. You have to go and find the places to train, especially in Vegas. Then just the arena…walking into that arena is a different monster. When people say they want to fight Canelo, that is what some don’t understand. You have to handle the arena, the media. It was a great experience for the kid.” 

Torres met the moment and won every round on all three official judges’ scorecards over a solid opponent, while going the six-round distance for the first time in his career. 

“It was a great experience,” says Torres of competing on the Canelo-Munguia card. “It is a little different in those kinds of arenas, with the cameras, but it was a great experience. We went six rounds, working with my corner and following their instructions and making little changes along the way, but it was good to go the six rounds.” 

Poghosyan, who competed at a high level as an amateur in Armenia, maintained a trend of tough matchmaking by Torres’ team as they continue to prepare their charge for bigger fights down the road. In just his second pro bout, Torres was matched against a very tough Christian Avalos of Carson City, Nevada, but was able to earn a hard-fought unanimous decision in January of last year. 

“I took that fight when I was really busy, on the road, and opponents were not coming through,” explains Barragán Jr. “They called me on Avalos and, in reality, I didn’t really do my homework and just said let’s go. The contract came in and I started really doing my homework and I said, ‘We have a live one.’ [Avalos] had gone to the nationals, won a silver medal at nationals. Adrian Torres is just a local kid that is learning along the way and Avalos, in that fight, was not going to lay down. We hit him with everything and the kitchen sink, but he was just a tough cookie.”

With only Poghosyan and Avalos, two fighters with accomplished amateur backgrounds and solid chins, having lasted the distance with Torres, it would appear that Tijuana may have another ferocious finisher on the horizon.

“I don’t think it is my actual strength or power [that lead to the stoppages,]” explains Torres. “I think it is the precision of the punches that I throw. Looking at everything, they fall with the shot to the liver, so I really like that shot. I understand that power is good, but sometimes it is good to get the experience of the full rounds, so I can get that experience instead of only having short fights.”  

In the two fights prior to traveling to Las Vegas, Torres impressively dispatched fighters, in William Flenoy and Pedro Pinillo, that had either upset or hung tough against well-regarded prospects between lightweight and 140-pounds. Flenoy entered their bout 2-0-1 in his last three against fighters with a combined 13-0-2 record. Pinillo would go on to last the six-round distance against full 140-pound mega prospect David Lopez this past July. 

“I’m not giving him all scrubs,” says Barragán Jr. “We are developing him and doing some good things. It is just a matter of slowly building, polishing and going from there.” 

Torres’ polishing continues this coming Saturday as he steps up to meet the most experienced opponent of his brief career in 58-fight Filipino veteran and former world title challenger Ardin Diale in a six-rounder this Saturday in San Diego.

“The man is a tough guy with a lot of experience,” says Barragán Jr. of Diale. “He’s fought “Gallo” Estrada, he’s fought some good guys and knows what he is doing. That is the type of experience that is going to get Adrian experience too. Those men are just as dangerous as some of the kids, because they understand where to place punches and those are the types of fighters we want to expose Adrian to.”

Despite the vast difference in professional experience, Torres does not seem too worried that Diale (35-19-4, 17 KOs) of La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines will be able to present anything that he cannot handle.  

“We are just going to go in and work with our speed and counter attacks and not let the experience ruffle our feathers or get us nervous,” explains Torres. “I think it is going to be a great fight, because he is coming in with a lot of experience. We are finalizing everything, checking the weight and focusing on the opponent. Everything is good.” 

The Four Points by Sheraton in San Diego has long been a hot venue for aspiring fighters from both sides of the border and all over Southern California to ply their trade and develop en route to bigger and more lucrative bouts. For many years, famed promoter Bobby DePhilippis made the hotel a destination for fight fans to see exciting, well-matched fight nights. In recent years Saul Rios of Borizteca Boxing, along with Eddy Reynoso’s No Boxing No Life, have proven to be exceptional caretakers of the established tradition. 

“I want to thank Eddy Reynoso from No Boxing No Life and I want to thank Saul Rios from Borizteca Promotions for providing this main event,” says Torres. “I am not going to let anybody down and we are going to have a great show. I want to let the fans know that, just like in the past, when they come to see a “Raton” fight, I will not predict anything, but they can understand that I am going to give them a great fight.”

Tickets for the event, promoted by Borizteca Boxing, No Boxing No Life and Clase Y Talento Boxeo, are available at the House of Boxing Training Center in San Diego. 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] 

By Norm Frauenheim –

Devin Haney says he’s ready to come back, re-enter the ring in a year that continues to unfold amid surprises, some new faces, new money and a lot of the usual suspects. 

A lot has changed. Boots Ennis is at the top of the welterweight division, yet still waiting for a defining fight while former 147-pound champion Terence Crawford moves on in an ongoing bid to go up scale, both in weight and wages.  

A lot hasn’t changed.  Ask David Benavidez. He still hasn’t fought Canelo Alvarez.

Where it’s headed isn’t clear. Then again, it never is. Too often, boxing’s calendar and hierarchy are dictated more by cheap shots than genuine drama, of which there’s been plenty. A week ago, Vergil Ortiz’ narrow decision over Serhii Boachuk provided Fight-of-the-Year action. On the same day,  Angelo Leo delivered what might have been the Knockout of the Year with a one-punch stoppage of Luis Alberto Lopez. In late June, Jesse “Bam’’ Rodriguez stopped Juan Francisco Estrada in a Super-Fly fight in Phoenix that was a classic exhibition of world-class skill.

Those skills pay the bills. At least, they’re supposed to. But it’s an old-school line, one forever altered by social media. These days, controversy — multiplied and amplified by the many platforms — sells the pay-per-view. 

Haney was there, caught in a pivotal role in what surely figures to be the biggest controversy this year or any other. He got steamrolled in New York on April 20 by Ryan Garcia, who blew off weight, appeared to chug a beer before he stepped on the scale, scored three knockdowns, tested positive for a banned substance, got suspended, countered allegations with conspiracy theories and kept the internet in a virtual uproar for months. 

It was noisy, often ugly. But it sold, reportedly enough for Garcia to collect $50 million and Haney $35 million. That’s life-changing money. But for Haney, at least, there’s apparently more than $that. He wants to resume his pursuit of an enduring legacy, his own pound-for-pound chapter.

That, at least, had to be the motivation for a social-media post last week.

“Bout time I came back,’’ Haney posted on X, formerly Twitter.

He got an immediate response from boxing’s new money man, Saudi Prince Turki Alalshikh.

‘’Waiting for you in Riyadh,’’ the Prince and Promoter posted.

Alalshikh’s post, accentuated by his access to money,  prompted another response, this one from Garcia, who is under a New York-ordered suspension for a year.

Garcia re-surfaced on X, posting: “We can set that up in riyadh if you would like Mr Turki I will do all you ask including drug testing everyday So please if you can make it happen.’’

No posted response from Alalshikh or Haney. No surprise about that. Alalshikh is trying to do business in the United States. He just promoted Crawford’s debut victory at junior middleweight over Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles. He’s not going to interfere with a suspension ordered by a state regulatory agency.

Meanwhile, it’s fair to say that Haney — whose lone loss was changed to no-contest because of the positive PED test — wants nothing more to do with Garcia.

For now, Haney just wants to fight. Question is: At what weight? Will he come back at 140 pounds? Or will he go to welterweight in a jump that could lead to an intriguing date with Ennis? No matter what the weight, Haney’s first fight back will be a test of who he is after the wild, concussive beatdown administered by the bigger Garcia. Did Garcia take something from him?

In a crazy year full of questions, that one begs for an answer.

NOTES

Crawford’s decision over Madrimov in his junior-middleweight bout in Los Angeles on August 3 snapped a streak of 11 stoppages. Then, it was something of a surprise, especially against a fighter known more for his long amateur career than his pro resume. But Madrimov knew what he was doing. He’s from Uzbekistan, the world’s new power in amateur boxing. Uzbekistan won five gold medals, the most in Olympic men’s boxing, at the Paris Games, which ended last weekend.

And there’s talk of a Bam-Estrada rematch at the end of this year. Estrada had a rematch clause in his contract. After Bam got up from a knockdown and scored a seventh-round stoppage of Estrada on June 29 at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix, Estrada said he planned to exercise it. 

By Mario Ortega Jr.

For Stockton, California-based lightweight prospect Manuel Jaimes and his team, 2024 has been the year when maneuvering the minefield that is the professional boxing business went from a game of checkers to one of high stakes chess. When Jaimes boards a plane to Las Vegas in September, making his fourth fight trip of the year, but hopefully the third to actually bear out an appearance in the ring, the six-year pro will be on his way to the most important weekend of his boxing life. Jaimes finds himself in the position fighters from all over the world dream of gaining as he is set to take on former interim lightweight champion Rolando Romero on the Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Belanga pay-per-view- telecast emanating from the T-Mobile Arena on Mexican Independence Day weekend. 

Jaimes (16-1-1, 11 KOs) is a relative unknown on the national fight scene despite his impressive record. Earlier this year, Jaimes was poised to make his first impression at the international level with a scheduled ESPN+-streamed bout against Top Rank prospect Charlie Sheehy in San Diego, California. At the time of their scheduled bout, slated to take place on the May 18th undercard of Denys Berinchyk-Emmanuel Navarrete, Jaimes had fought almost exclusively between 130 and 135-pounds, but agreed to give up a pound to make the fight at 136. Unfortunately, Sheehy could not come close and the fight never took place. 

“We were all really excited when that fight came together,” recalls Jaimes of the Sheehy bout, which had many aficionados in the region intrigued. “I went down to camp in Riverside at Robert Garcia’s gym. We put in a lot of work for that fight. A lot of sparring, a lot of rounds. We came to the weigh-ins and I was on weight. My coach told me to go rest, so I stayed back at the hotel room because we knew he was overweight already, it was just a matter of how much and if we were going to be able to come to an agreement and make something happen. Maybe an hour and 30 minutes later, Coach came up and said it was not going to happen and that was a bummer.”

With the disappointment of a fruitless trip down to San Diego in the rearview, Jaimes turned his attention to a July bout against former world super bantamweight champion Jonathan Romero. 

“Having just got out of the camp for the [canceled Sheehy] fight in May, we jumped right back in to prepare for July, so I felt sharp,” says Jaimes. “He was an Olympian, a former world champion, and obviously he’s not in his prime now, but he still is a high caliber fighter with the IQ and mindset of a world class fighter, so it was a good test for me.” 

Leading up to the July bout, it was Jaimes on this occasion that struggled to make weight. Ultimately an agreement was reached and the bout was set to take place at 139-pounds. Jaimes is of the belief that his struggle with the scale may have helped to put him on the radar during the search for possible Rolando Romero opponents. 

“I feel like it was because of my last fight…because I am usually a 135-pounder,” says Jaimes. “That’s the weight I want to be at and the weight I’ve fought at. But in my last fight I had a bad weight cut and came in at 139. We worked it out with the opponent and everything went through. So I was 139 for my last fight. We received a couple calls while I was on my break after that last fight. I had been training since this past February. I fought in March, I was supposed to fight in May and then I had that fight in July. So I was training pretty much the whole first half of the year. I was on my break and feeling like I didn’t want to do anything right now. But when I got back to the gym from my break, they said they had got a couple calls for fights at 140. I pretty much told them I didn’t want to take any fights at 140. But then my promoter Jorge Toscano called me with the Rolly fight, and said, ‘I know you said no fights at 140, but we have this opportunity here and it is on the Canelo card. You’d be opening the pay-per-view…’ And I was like, ‘Damn, let me think about this.’ I decided that it was time. This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for, so let’s do it.” 

Despite not wanting to give up weight to Charlie Sheehy earlier this year or entertaining other offers for fights at 140-pounds subsequent to the July bout with Jonathan Romero, Jaimes’ team believes the proposed fight with Rolando Romero fit the requirements for an exception.

“One of the things I looked at was that [Romero’s] last two fights were the only ones at 140 and he made that weight,” explains Steve Salas, Jaimes’ head trainer, who has been with the Stockton product since he was 14-years-old. “Prior to that [Romero] actually made the 135-pound limit or less as opposed to Charlie Sheehy, who was a “lightweight,” but always had fought above that limit.”   

With the fight set for September 14th, Jaimes took part in some of the media blitz over the last week. With little national exposure, outside of YouTube-available streams, Jaimes was an unfamiliar face to much of the boxing media covering the festivities.  

“I have been more of a local fighter, so I am known here in the Bay Area, but I am not really known [outside of the region,] so even at the press conference, not many people knew who I was,” explains Jaimes. “A lot of people were doing interviews and I was basically just there. So I haven’t had a lot of people coming to me and asking me stuff. A couple people have, but not too many.”

When Jaimes found himself in the presence of Romero for the first time since signing for the bout, during the press tour last week, the Stockton prospect found a more subdued Rolly than maybe he had expected. 

“I know the first time we locked eyes, it felt like he knew who I was, and I know who he is,” says Jaimes. “During the face-off, he didn’t say anything and I thought he would have. During the press conference, there was not too much trash talk and I expected a little more. I think it is because I am not well-known, so it is probably harder to find something to bash me on.” 

Preparing for Romero’s unorthodox style presents challenges. Jaimes seems more intent on testing himself against naturally larger junior welterweights in preparation, while he will draw on prior experience to thwart what Rolly presents in September. 

“I feel it would be hard to find someone to mimic his wild style, but we are going to go down to Riverside again,” said Jaimes on Saturday, referring to the famed camp of Robert Garcia. “I will be leaving in about ten days. I just came back today and sparred with Ebert Diaz. He’s a real solid, big strong guy with the strength of a big 140-pounder.” 

“We have been fortunate enough to have been in the ring with unorthodox boxers before, so it’s not his first time,” says Salas. “At the same time, Manny is going to present some problems that Rolly will have to deal with.” 

Perhaps equally difficult to prepare for, Jaimes will have the adjustment of fighting on the largest stage possible in the sport of boxing. Canelo Alvarez is the biggest gate attraction active in boxing, especially in the United States. Fighting in front of a crowd, that even if many attendees have failed to find their seat by the opening bell, will be the largest of his career, Jaimes understands the gravity of the moment. 

“There is nothing that could compare,” says Jaimes. “This is definitely the biggest stage you could possibly be on: opening a pay-per-view card for Canelo, who is probably top one or two on most people’s pound-for-pound lists right now. To be opening that, I am not sure there are any ways to prepare for that. I just have to try to not let those lights get too bright and stay focused on the task.” 

One of the great aspects of professional boxing is that it is one of the few sports where you can witness an athlete completely change the trajectory of their life in one night, or with just one punch. Jaimes has been building to this moment for six years as a pro and he is determined to take advantage of the opportunity.  

 “I am really excited and I am going to put the performance of my life on in this one,” says Jaimes. “It puts me on the main scene, being put on the card has kind of put me there. But with a win, then you can start throwing my name up there with the top contenders, the guys that are fighting for world titles. This is big. I need this one and I am going to win.” 

Photo by Esther Lin/Premier Boxing Champions 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected]  

By Norm Frauenheim –

Canelo Álvarez, who often acts like a Prince, and Turki Alalshikh, who is one, are engaged in a contentious face-off, emphasis on face. It’s messy, then again most things are in boxing.

This one has been brewing for a while, but it escalated in the wake of Terence Crawford’s solid, yet pedestrian decision over Israil Madrimov, who was known more for his amateur accomplishments than his pro resume. Crawford was supposed to be sensational. That expectation was built into his unbeaten record, his history as a two-division undisputed champion and his reign as the  consensus pound-for-pound No. 1. 

The Madrimov fight last Saturday was seen as a step toward bigger things, specifically a fight with Canelo. Instead, it left questions about what’s next for  Crawford. In retrospect, it’s no surprise. Crawford was attempting to make one the riskiest moves in boxing. He was jumping up in weight, from welterweight to junior-middle. 

Perhaps, it was a jump too far. Crawford looked tentative early and beatable later. Only a furious burst of energy and uppercuts over the final two rounds saved him from a scorecard upset. He won on all three cards. He won on this one, 115-113. But not everybody agrees, including Canelo. He told media that, on his card, Madrimov won.

Fair enough. In the end, however, the close fight is a sign that Crawford should stay at welterweight, Reportedly, that won’t happen. Boxing Scene reported Thursday that he intends to relinquish his World Boxing Organization version of the 147-pound belt. 

The consensus is that he’ll stay at junior middle, defend the 154-pound belt he took from the unappreciated Madrimov, whose up-and-down,  side-to-side movement was a defensive puzzle that the calculating Crawford could not solve.

Still, it was Crawford’s debut at a heavier weight. It was a new beginning for a fighter known for his smarts. Perhaps, he learned from it and will be more effective against Tim Tszyu, Sebastian Fundora, or Vergil Ortiz Jr. in his next date at junior-middleweight. Ortiz faces Serhii Bohachuk Saturday in an intruding 154-pound belt for an interim title at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay.

There are still options for Crawford. But the close decision over Madrimov — Crawford’s first victory after an eight-year run of 11 straight stoppages — eliminated one. For now, there’s no immediate chance of him facing Canelo, unified champion at 168 pounds. 

Throughout the buildup to Crawford-Madrimov, that was the talk. It was the one fight that Prince Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, seemed to want more than any other. Crawford insisted that he wasn’t listening, that he had only Madrimov on his mind. But it was impossible to ignore. 

If it was ever real, however, is another question for one reason: Canelo. He never seemed to exhibit any interest, perhaps because he knew that he wouldn’t get any credit for beating a smaller man. For whatever reason, Canelo continued to rebuff any and all attempts by Alalshikh to put together the fight. Tension was evident when Canelo continued to sidestep David Benavidez and  chose to fight over-matched Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14. The Canelo-Berlanga  fight at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on the same night Al Sheikh will work a UFC event at the brand new Sphere.

“We will eat him,’’ Alalshikh said of Canelo.

That’s one way of saying Alalshikh promises to destroy Canelo’s live gate on Sept. 14.

It was also a comment that offended Canelo, who has a history of getting angry at anything said that he views as disrespectful. After Gennadiy Golovkin trashed him for a positive test for clenbuterol, GGG offended him enough for their third fight to be delayed. Trash talk from Benavidez and his father, Jose Benavidez, is one reason there’s been no Benavidez-Canelo fight, despite a widespread demand for one. Now, it looks as if he won’t do business with Alalshikh, at least not for awhile.

“I don’t like the way (Alalshikh) talks,’’ Canelo told Boxing Scene this week.

He didn’t like the way Golovkin talked.

He didn’t like the way Benavidez and his dad talk.

Nevertheless, the Prince kept talking, countering in his own way on social media . “I have no desire in discussing another conflict,’’ he said.

Amid it all,  he did something else. He called himself “the face of boxing” in a social-media post that included his photo. Other than spending lots of money, it’s hard to know what he exactly thinks qualifies him to be the so-called face of anything other than perhaps a bank. Face-of-Boxing is one thing he can’t buy. 

It’s not in the purse.

It’s in the heart. 

It might be an ill-defined title, but only a face that risks lifetime scars qualifies. In saying he’s the face, Alalshikh tries to puts himself alongside Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Cesar Chavez, Floyd Mayweather and so many others. There’s a debate today about whether the current face is Canelo, or Crawford, or Naoya Inoue, or Oleksandr Usyk. But neither Alalshikh nor any other promoter, matchmaker or sportswriter is in the argument. Or should be.

Alalshikh has access to unprecedented bills of currency that include the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Hamilton, Jackson, Grant and Benjamin. It was hard to ignore — I tried —  that many in boxing were willing to get on bended knee to acquire as many of those Benjamins as they could Saturday. Repeatedly, broadcasters called Saturday’s card at BMO Stadium “the best ever.’’ Was that before or after Ali-Frazier? Before or after Duran-Leonard? Before or after Leonard-Hearns?

Spending money to change today’s game doesn’t include the right to rewrite its rich history 

Canelo, I think, knows that . Often, he’s easy to dislike. Money has turned him into a diva. When he says he wants $150-to-$200 million to fight Benavidez and $150 million to fight Crawford, he’s only saying he won’t fight either. If he is in fact the Face of Boxing, it’s blemished for as long as doesn’t fight Benavidez. 

But he’s proud and he also understands history. He’s always saying he wants to make history. This time, he is. In his stand against Prince Alalshikh, he’s saying that not everything can be bought.

By Mario Ortega Jr. –

Veteran light heavyweight Jasper McCargo entered the ring at a fork-in-the-road moment in time as a professional fighter on Saturday night in Sacramento, California. Should returning Blake McKernan get the best of him in their scheduled six-rounder, “Smooth Jazz” would seriously consider closing up shop on fighting and concentrate on his other life’s work as owner and proprietor of Pound for Pound Fitness, a personal training studio in his hometown of Richmond, California. McCargo did not leave the ring with his hand raised, but the manner in which defeat was dealt has left McCargo with unfinished business. 

Going into the third round on Saturday at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, the local fight fans appeared to be taking in an exciting and competitive fight. McCargo boxed well for most of the first round, but McKernan landed some eye-catching shots late that may have swayed it his way. Round two featured two-way action as well, with McCargo playing the boxer and counter-puncher and McKernan looking to close the distance. 

As is the case in boxing, things can change with one punch and they soon did in the third. McCargo was caught with a stiff right, which was the precursor to a knockdown, as ruled officially by referee Michael Margado, though disputed by McCargo’s own recollection. Upon resumption of the round, McCargo appeared to clear the cobwebs and actually boxed well to close out what had been previously a disastrous stanza. 

Things abruptly came to a halt at the start of round four. Long-tenured and well-respected ringside physician Dr. Gary Furness stood at a neutral corner to assess McCargo and before long referee Margado was waving off the bout, officially at :01 of the fourth, to the dismay of many ringside and despite the animated protest of “Smooth Jazz.”  

“I feel it was definitely an unfair situation that happened,” says McCargo. “To just stop the fight, it was not right. I feel like I deserved to be able to continue in the fight. In no way, shape or form, should he have stopped the fight. It definitely wasn’t right that he did that. I feel it was pretty unfair. We still had three more rounds to go and who knows what would have happened in those next three rounds. Especially the way Blake was getting tired anyway. I was feeling strong.”

To be fair to the ringside doctor, his chief concern is fighter safety and the disappointed fans and spectators ringside did not have the same face-to-face view of McCargo at the time of the stoppage. However, based on McCargo’s performance at the tail end of round three, and his fluidity in the immediate aftermath of the bout, one would have been hard-pressed to find a neutral party ringside that agreed with the timing of stoppage. 

“He didn’t say much to me,” recounts McCargo of his interaction with the doctor in the corner. “He called me over there and as soon as I went over there, I told him, ‘Hey, I feel great. You saw that I finished the round strong.’ He told me to follow his finger, and I know I followed his finger. I was getting ready to start the round and he just waved it off. There was nothing in regards to me, where he should have waved it off. 

I questioned him more about it in the locker room. He said, ‘Your left eye looked funny, like you might have had a concussion.’ I said, ‘Well my left eye is not the same as my right eye anyway.’ And I reminded him that I was talking fine, I was finishing the round strong and I was still punching and making him miss. We had that minute between rounds to recover. There was no reason to stop a fight like that. He just kind of did the brief post-fight test, said that I looked ok and gave me the basic 45-days [post-fight suspension]. And that was the end of the conversation.” 

McCargo (4-6-3, 2 KOs) is also of the opinion that it was not the right hand or any follow-up that finally drove him to the canvas in the third round, which ultimately prompted the ringside doctor’s concern. 

“Even with the knockdown, he caught me with a good shot, but really he shoved me down,” claims McCargo. “I tried to clinch after the shot, and as I was clinching he was actually pulling me down. So it wasn’t the actual shot that made me go down. It was him pulling me down. I guess it could go either way, but still, it wasn’t the type of blow that should stop the fight. If I had a concussion, he should have been able to finish me right there. I wouldn’t have been punching him and making him miss and talking clearly to him. If it was a concussion, I would have been still woozy and not able to punch like that. I just don’t feel like that was a good enough explanation.” 

With the result of their meeting on August 3rd carved into the record books, McCargo’s only recourse is to convince McKernan into giving him a rematch.  “Smooth Jazz” does not want to end his career on the sour note of a questionable stoppage in a fight he and many others felt was still undecided. 

“I feel like I deserve a rematch and all the people that came to see the fight deserve a rematch,” says McCargo. “I feel like if Blake was a real fighter, like a real serious fighter, then he should want to get a clear victory against me. Instead of bragging about a situation like that, as if it was a clear victory. 

The way I feel and the way a lot of other people feel: they paid 75 or 110 dollars to get in there and next thing you know, Blake lands one punch and the referee just stops the fight. And the fight doesn’t continue. I would have been mad too, if I had just come as a fan.” 

Blake McKernan (14-2, 7 KOs) of Sacramento will next fight on September 21st at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in nearby Lincoln, California. McCargo initiated a push online for fans to voice their desire to see the rematch take place on that date next month and continues to make his case in the hopes the fight can be made in short order. 

“I was already supposed to fight on that show anyway,” says McCargo. “It was in the contract, if I had won, the rematch, with us fighting again, would have been on the 21st [of September]. So we should just fight on the 21st. What should happen is that we have a second fight and continue the first fight, that is what is fair.”  

The ball is likely in McKernan’s court. The rematch would conceivably be the easiest fight to make. Fan interest appears to be there as well. 

“If there were ever any situation where there should be a rematch, this is definitely that situation,” says McCargo. “Otherwise it is just unfinished.” 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] 

By Norm Frauenheim –

LOS ANGELES — It was a ceremonial weigh-in, which is another way of saying it was phony. But there was nothing phony about the look. From Terence Crawford, it never has been.

Crawford looked at and through Israil Madrimov the way he has throughout a career introduced and defined by unblinking, unforgiving eyes impossible to ignore and intense enough to fear. Crawford doesn’t say much. He doesn’t have to. Those eyes say it all. They have throughout a career without a loss and never a sign of hesitancy or self-doubt.

Errol Spence has seen it. Shawn Porter, and so many more, have seen it. It was Madrimov’s turn at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles Friday about 24 hours before their junior-middleweight title fight at BMO Stadium just a few miles of roadwork down the freeway.

They had already made weight earlier in the day behind closed doors for the California State Athletic  Commission. Crawford (40- 31 KOs) was at 153.4 pounds. Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) was at the 154-pound limit. A ceremonial version in front of fans and cameras was next. It’s one way to sell the pay-per-view for a card scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. PT (4:30 ET). It’s mostly theater, rehearsed and packaged. 

But for Crawford it was one more chance to unleash a look seen for the first time for the fighter standing across from him. We’ve seen the look on video and in photos. For those last few moments on a stage in downtown LA, however, it included more than just ceremony. There was chaos. At least, that was the promise, the forecasted threat, on the night before the first jab ignites the controlled violence.

Did it affect Madrimov? We won’t know until opening bell in a soccer stadium built on real estate that once included the old Sports Arena, a cornerstone to LA’s rich boxing history. But the look was a sure sign that the fight was already underway in the minds of both Crawford and Madrimov.  

“I was already the best at 154 when I stepped into this division,’’ said Crawford, a former undisputed champion at welterweight and junior-welter, who will fight for the first time at junior-middle against Madrimov, the champion about to make a first-time defense.

Madrimov is given a chance because of his familiarity at the weight. He’s a natural junior-middleweight. Then again, Crawford might be a natural force-of-nature. He’s on a roll, including a streak of 11 successive stoppages. 

The argument is that eventually a move up the scale will stop Crawford, end his pound-for-pound reign. Madrimov appeared to be unshaken by a look that has left a lot of Crawford opponents beaten before the first counter lands.

“I have a plan,’’ said the unbeaten Uzbek, who has been training in the desert east of Los Angeles under veteran trainer Joel Diaz’ guidance. “I have a plan to showcase my skills and prove I’m the best in this division.’’

Madrimov, mostly unknown among Mexican-American fans in Southern California, possesses athleticism and two-fisted power. Like Crawford, he’s versatile, able to switch from southpaw to orthodox and back.

A former gymnast, his footwork includes angles that could give Crawford problems. He’s an educated fighter, one who learned the craft through a decorated amateur career that includes more than 300 bouts. 

Translation: He knows what he’s doing. But, Crawford said, he’ll have to know a lot more than just that.

Crawford says he has beaten a lot of fighters whose resume includes trophies and medals.

“They all left the ring the same way, and I look for him to leave the same way,’’ Crawford said moments after a stare down that has always included an unmistakable look at him.

And what he intends to do. 

On The Undercard 

Former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. (35-2, 22 KOs), who is coming off a 23-month layoff,  faces Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller (26-1-1, 22 KOs). Miller was at 305.6 pounds, the lightest Miller has weighed in six years. Ruiz was at 274.4 pounds, the heaviest he’s been since his rematch loss to Anthony Joshua in December 2019. “This is everything for me, of course it is,’’ said Ruiz, remembered for his huge upset of Joshua in New York. “I had everything in the palm of my hand. Then, it just went away. I want to be a damn champion again.’’

In another heavyweight fight,  promising Jared Anderson (17-0, 15 KOs) is in for his toughest test against Martin Bakole (20-1, 15 KOs). Anderson was at a career-high 252.4 pounds. Bakole also came in at a career-high weight, 284.4 pounds.

Mexican junior-welterweight champion Isaac Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) got huge cheers from Mexican fans  He was at 140 pounds against Jose Valenzuela (13-2, 9 KOs), who was at 139.8.

David Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs), a Cuban living in Minneapolis, looks as if  he’s a possibility at light-heavyweight for David Benavidez, the Phoenix fighter who has decided to stay at 175 pounds. Benavidez relinquished his spot as the WBC’s so-called mandatory challenger to Canelo Alvarez’ super-middleweight title. Instead, Benavidez, who hopes to resume his career later this year, has a so-called mandatory shot at the 175-pound winner of Dmitry Bivol-versus-Artur Beterbiev in October. Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs) will be at light-heavy for a vacant title against Radivoje Kalajdzic (29-2, 21 KOs). Morrell, who has scored seven successive stoppages, was at 174.8 pounds Friday. Kalajdzic was at 174.4.

Andy Cruz (3-0, 1 KO), an Olympic gold medalist from Cuba, was at 134 pounds for his lightweight bout against Antonio Moran, who came in at 134.8. Cruz is a Boots Ennis stablemate. “Boots will be here, at ringside,’’ Cruz said of Philadelphia’s welterweight champion. Ennis wants to fight Crawford, who instead might be in line for a big-money bout against 168-pound Canelo. 

By Mario Ortega Jr. –

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – Solidly-built cruiserweight Blake McKernan returns to the site of his professional debut to take on a tough assignment in Jasper “Smooth Jazz” McCargo while hoping to begin his comeback story on the right note at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel on Saturday night. Fighters for the six-bout card, dubbed “Showdown in Sactown,” weighed-in on Friday afternoon at the host venue. 

McKernan (13-2, 6 KOs) of Sacramento has fought just once since coming up short against former world champion Badou Jack on the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. undercard in November of 2020. The time away from the ring was due to multiple shoulder surgeries and a bout with severe sepsis, which caused organ dysfunction that had McKernan bedridden for a time. McKernan, known as “The Beast,” is back healthy and looked to be in great shape at Friday afternoon’s weigh-in, scaling 197-pounds. 

McCargo (4-5-3, 2 KOs) of Richmond, California is a veteran with over eight years of professional experience, which was preceded by a successful amateur run on the national level. After a three-fight stretch where McCargo took on three of the most well-regarded prospects he could find, “Smooth Jazz” looked rejuvenated in two fights against Sacramento’s Terrell Glynn last year. In their first meeting, which took place at the DoubleTree, many ringside felt it was McCargo that deserved the four-round decision that ultimately went to the hometown fighter in a majority verdict. In their rematch, the bout was stopped after nearly two rounds due to a cut and declared a technical draw. McCargo was the last fighter to weigh-in Friday, coming in at a trim 184-pounds. 

Islam Abdusamadov (2-0, 1 KO) of San Jose, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia will take on Matthew Monroe (1-3) of Sacramento in a four-round middleweight bout between two fighters familiar with the DoubleTree ring. 

Abdusamadov was tested in his last bout against Juan Meza Moreno at this same venue in January, as a second-round knockdown proved the difference in the bout. Monroe fought on the same January card, taking undefeated Victor Guerrero to  the four-round distance. Abdusamadov weighed-in at 164, while Monroe made 165-pounds. 

The squared circle will look undersized when heavyweights Jamaar Collins and Herman Hodnett make their professional debuts against one another on Saturday. Collins, who stands 6’4” and fights out of Merced, California, will look up at the 6’8” Hodnett of Oroville, California, as they meet in a four-rounder. Collins, an ex-footballer, came in at 217-pounds. Hodnett, who played football and basketball at Butte Community College, came in at 216-pounds. 

Tony “Pretty Boy” Hernandez returns to his home away from home in a short-notice four-round light heavyweight bout against Jawan Jackson (0-3) of Sacramento. 

Hernandez (6-3-1, 4 KOs) of Live Oak, California turned in an impressive performance this past January 20th at the DoubleTree in scoring a six-round unanimous decision over veteran gatekeeper Ramon Ayala. 

Jackson, who has also fought professionally in MMA and kickboxing, weighed-in at 169-pounds, while Hernandez came in heavy at 180-pounds. An agreement was reached, which included a fine for Hernandez, and the fight will proceed on Saturday night. 

In an all-Sacramento super featherweight pairing, Dorrel Fore Jr. will take on Jaycee King over four-rounds. Both fighters are making their professional debut. The two locals had the most contentious face-off at Friday afternoon’s weigh-in, with some brief light shoving. Fore Jr. scaled 134-pounds, while King came in at 131. 

William Davis (2-2-1, 1 KO) of Oakland, California will take on Miguel Soto-Garcia (1-2) of Fresno, California by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in a four-round welterweight bout. Davis came in at 145-pounds, while Soto-Garcia scaled 142. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Cruiserweights, 6 Rounds

McKernan 197

McCargo 184 

Middleweights, 4 Rounds

Abdusamadov 164

Monroe 165

Light heavyweights, 4 Rounds 

Hernandez 180* 

Jackson 169

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds

Collins 217

Hodnett 216

Super featherweights, 4 Rounds

Fore Jr. 134

King 131

Welterweights, 4 Rounds

Davis 145

Soto-Garcia 142

*Hernandez eight pounds over the contracted 172-pounds. 

Tickets for the event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at uppercutpro.com or tomorrow night at the door. 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be contacted at [email protected] 

By Norm Frauenheim –

LOS ANGELES — Terence Crawford says this is his era. That’s hard to dispute. Hard to prove, too.

All of the numbers on his resume support his claim. He’s been an undisputed champion in two divisions, welterweight and junior-welter. He’s unbeaten. He has scored eleven straight knockouts. He’s been at the top of the pound-for-pound debate for years. Other contenders emerge, then fall away. But Crawford is always there, consistently among the top five.

Yet, the critics are always there, too, persistent with doubts about the quality of Crawford’s opposition or the frequency of his fights. It’s a debate that has followed him throughout his career. It’s a debate, too, that is a simple matter of perspective and perhaps timing. There’s a reason for all of the questions about his opponents. Crawford made them look bad. From Jose Benavidez Jr. to Shawn Porter to Errol Spence Jr., he’s blown them all away.

In a different time or perhaps in a different era, would he have exhibited the same kind of dominance? Maybe, maybe not. But he can’t choose the time. He can only make it his own. Yet, the chance that he’s right — that this is in fact his era — is there as it never has been because of the discussion generated by that very question. 

Crawford can answer in his own way as he begins another chapter in his career amid fascinating talk about whether he could have held his own in a different era, the one writer George Kimball so perfectly described in his book, Four Kings.

It’s fair to wonder whether Crawford could have been a Fifth King. We’ll never know. But Crawford’s brilliant dominance in his time has become almost singular. Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler —  Kimball’s Four Kings — had each other. Their four-sided rivalry in the 1970s and 1980s  cemented their legends. 

Crawford only has himself. He’s a fighter without a rivalry in a sport known for the one rivalry that has become a historical reference point. Muhammad Ali needed Joe Frazier; Frazier needed Ali.

Crawford has yet to find that defining kind of rival. Look at his record. There are no rematches. Perhaps, he’ll fight Spence for a second time. But Crawford’s thorough beatdown of Spence in a timeless exhibition of instinct and skill in July of last year left little reason to want another one. 

Crawford’s dominance is double edged. He’s known as a finisher for what he does to opponents within 12 rounds. But he also finishes careers. Benavidez, once a prodigy, was never the same fighter after Crawford stopped him in the 12th in Omaha in 2018. Porter retired after Crawford forced him to surrender after the 10th. Spence still hasn’t fought since suffering a ninth round stoppage last July. 

There are no rivals in Crawford’s career. He finishes them before they can become one.

That’s why, perhaps, he searches for new ways to challenge himself and prove his critics wrong. He’s fighting Saturday (pay-per-view card starts at 1:30 pm ET/4:30 pm on DAZN, ESPN+, PPV.com) in Los Angeles for a fourth title at a fourth weight against a 154-pound Uzbek, junior-middleweight champion Israil Madrimov, in a stadium, BMO, built on real estate — the Sports Arena — known for much of LA’s rich boxing history.

Madrimov, mostly unknown to LA’s Mexican fan base, is big and athletic. A former gymnast, he did a back flip during media workouts at the San Monica pier this week in the build-up for the first Saudi-staged card in the Riyadh Season. 

The promotional marketing suggests he has enough size and power to upset Crawford. It’s intriguing, mostly because Crawford is attempting to win another belt in a step up in weight against a fighter expected to be dangerous, especially in the early rounds. In a face-off after Thursday’s final news conference, however, Crawford looked like the bigger man.

“A lot of people forgetting that I punch hard, and I’m strong too,’’ said Crawford, whose biggest rival has always been the skeptics among fans and media. “A lot of people are over-thinking this whole fight. They’re thinking ‘He’s the bigger guy, he’s the stronger guy’ especially since I’m moving up in weight.’’ 

It’s the kind of thinking  Crawford hopes to hear much more of, perhaps next year in a proposed fight against super-middleweight champion Canelo Álvarez. Saudi Prince and promoter, Turki Alalshikh,  wants to put together a Crawford-Canelo fight for a defining confrontation, one that could decide who is boxing’s greatest fighter in the post-Floyd Mayweather era.

Crawford, who will be 37 years-old on Sept. 28, already believes he’s that fighter, the best he says of his era and maybe in any other. Time is perhaps his biggest and only rival. It will be there, all over again, in another chance to make this time his time Saturday.

NOTES

Jaime Munguia will come back from a loss at super-middleweight to Canelo on Sept. 20 at Desert Diamond Area undefeated Erik Bazinyan in Glendale, AZ on Sept. 20, Top Rank announced this week. Top Rank recently signed Munguia, who will return to the Phoenix area. He beat John Ryder at Footprint Center, the Suns home arena, in January.

And it looks as if Desert Diamond will be busy this fall. The Boxing Hour confirmed a Boxing Scene report that Top Rank wants to stage a Emanuel Navarrete-Oscar Valdez Jr. rematch there on Dec. 7. Navarrete scored a punishing decision over Valdez at Desert Diamond last August.

By Mario Ortega Jr. –

Without the support of one of the big-time promoters, fighters aiming to be successful in building their resumes often live by the motto,“I stay ready, so I don’t have to get ready.” Some of the best opportunities free agents receive come from accepting fights on short notice. In recent years, veteran light heavyweight Tony Hernandez has learned the value of staying ready, so when the opportunity came to fight this Saturday in Sacramento, California, “Pretty Boy” did not have to get ready and jumped at the chance. 

Hernandez (6-3-1, 4 KOs) of Live Oak, California is a longtime venue favorite at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, where Saturday night’s event takes place, but he was not originally slated to appear as part of promoter Nasser Niavaroni’s “Showdown in Sactown” card and did not get the call until three weeks out. 

“I was supposed to have one of my fighters make their debut on this card and he ended up getting hurt,” recalls Hernandez, who has owned and operated the Hernandez Boxing Academy in Yuba City for four years. “When that happened, Nasser asked if I could take his spot. So I ended up taking his spot and this is sort of a stay-busy fight for me, because I am looking for bigger fights in August and September.” 

Before Hernandez can shift focus to those potentially more profitable bouts in the coming months, he will first take on Jawan Jackson (0-3) of Sacramento in a four-rounder on Saturday. Jackson sports a novice pro boxing record, but has also competed professionally in MMA and kickboxing. 

“I’ve never heard of him,” admits Hernandez. “He’s almost 40 as well. I don’t know where he trains at. Maybe he is self-taught. He does have a lot of MMA fights though.” 

The one potential hiccup that could even the playing field for the less experienced Jackson would be the fact that Hernandez enters the bout at less than 100 percent. When preparing to fight in late April, Hernandez injured one of his hands in sparring and has been nursing it ever since. 

“I was sparring with Mike Guy and ended up hitting him on the top of the head,” recalls Hernandez. “So I laid off of it before I was offered a fight in Florida and ended up taking it. I was sparring with Joeshon James and hurt it again when I hit him on top of the head and then the elbow.” 

With a late August or September return originally planned, Hernandez has not been sparring since reinjuring himself in order to preserve his hand. 

“After that sparring, my hand was all swollen, and I figured I needed to let it heal,” explains Hernandez. “I couldn’t just keep hurting it, saying yes to fights and keep getting hurt. I wasn’t going to fight until September [until this fight was offered]. I haven’t sparred for this fight to be honest. I’m nursing the hand still. I’m just basically going off of being active and my experience, having been fighting for so long.”

One of the benefits of experience is the opportunity to learn from your past mistakes. Hernandez has gained a better understanding of his body and how to manage his weight between fights. 

“I was walking around at about 190,” explains Hernandez, who had previously begun camps, such as the one before Kenny Lopez Jr., as high as 225-pounds. “I’ll be coming in at 175 [on Saturday]. Right now I am about 183, so I only have about seven pounds to cut. I will just be sitting in a hot bath on Friday morning and drop the rest of the weight. This hasn’t been too bad with such a short notice.”

Without the ability to spar, for the fear of reinjuring his hand, Hernandez has concentrated on other areas of preparation. 

“For a three-week notice, I feel pretty good,” exclaims Hernandez. “I was running the mountains before [I was offered the fight] and staying active. I had hurt my hand so I was taking some time off, but still trying to stay active.”

Should Hernandez come out victorious with two healthy hands he could potentially be back in action before the end of the month on the Amari Jones-Daniel Echevarria undercard in Oakland, California. 

“Nasser might put me on to stay busy,” says Hernandez of the August 31st event, which takes place at the Oakland Marriott City Center.  “I was supposed to fight Amari, but he didn’t want to fight me at a catch-weight of 165. He wanted me to get down to 160. So we’ll see. Nasser was originally going to try and set that up for August, but maybe it is a possibility for September 21st.” 

Hernandez last touched the 160-pound middleweight limit in February of 2020. In the six fights since, including this coming Saturday, Hernandez has competed between 168- and 175-pounds. To get down to 160-pounds, to meet Amari Jones at Thunder Valley Casino, would be quite the undertaking.

“If I could make 160 by September that would be nice, but that’s a tough one,” admits Hernandez of a potential Amari Jones fight. “I’d have to do some serious training for that one.” 

Before he can shift gears and look toward August or September, Hernandez has the task at hand: win on Saturday and leave the ring healthy. 

“I am just hoping for a good show,” says Hernandez, who always draws a boisterous crowd in Sacramento. “I haven’t knocked anybody out since [May 2022,] so I am hoping for a knockout. I am going to push the pace and see how my hand feels. I am expecting this to end and it won’t go the whole four rounds, that is for sure. I’d just be playing with my food at that point.”

After Saturday, Hernandez’s meals could potentially get much bigger in the ring, while also getting smaller out of the ring. 

Tickets for Saturday night’s event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at uppercutpro.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] 

By Norm Frauenheim –

It’s a fight that was called a fantasy more than three years ago

Quit dreaming, Sampson Lewkowicz told media and fans about David Benavidez-versus-Canelo Alvarez after Benavidez blew out David Lemieux at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale AZ in May 2021. 

Fans never did — never could — quit fantasizing. Even Lewkowicz, Benavidez’ primary promoter, began to change his mind over the next couple of years amid Benavidez’ surging momentum in victories over Caleb Plant and then Demetrius Andrade. There was just too much talk, too much interest. Benavidez-Canelo was at the forefront of the fans’ collective imagination. It was the fight everybody wanted to see. 

Dream on. 

Lewkowicz was right on.

Fantasy turned into futility this week with news that Benavidez has relinquished his spot as the so-called mandatory challenger to Canelo’s World Boxing Council piece to the undisputed super-middleweight title. Benavidez finally decided to stay at light-heavy and retain challenger’s rights to the 175-pound title at stake in the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev fight scheduled for October 12.

The news was confirmed Wednesday in a social media post from WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman: 

“The WBC has just received a letter from @SampsonBoxing exclusive promoter of Benavidez300confirming that David Benavidez will continue his career as Lightheavyweight. He is confirmed as WBC 175 interim champion and is the mandatory contender for the winner Beterbiev vs Bivol.”

It’s not a surprise. It was never Benavidez’ choice, anyway. Not really. Throughout all of the talking and rumored offers, it was clear that Canelo would not fight him. Why? There’s a laundry list of reasons. Pick one, pick them all.

Reason One: Benavidez would have been too big at opening bell. The Phoenix fighter, who some say will one day be a heavyweight, was accused of being weight bully. Reason Two: Canelo, 34-years-old on July 18, did not want to deal with the younger man’s energy, especially in the later rounds. Benavidez is 27. Reason Three: Canelo was angered at non-stop trash talk from Benavidez and his father, Jose Benavidez Sr.. Because of the talk, Canelo decided he’d never do business with Benavidez.

Benavidez actually looked beatable in his last bout, a unanimous decision over former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in his 175-pound debut on June 15. Benavidez’ power just wasn’t there, perhaps because of a hand injury he suffered in training. 

His trademark energy also wasn’t there in the end. He appeared to be fatigued, also perhaps because of the hand injury and a cut above an eye, also sustained in training. It’s not clear how much those injuries impacted Benavidez camp in Miami. 

Still, he looked vulnerable. Yet, Canelo still wasn’tinterested. Instead, Canelo took a fight against Edgar Berlanga, a so-called mandatory challenger for a different acronym. Canelo-Berlanga was reportedly a done deal Thursday, set for Sept. 14 in Las Vegas.

The Berlanga fight is another example of Canelo’s power. He does what he wants, regardless of acronym rules or network priorities. Fair or not, that’s a prerogative that comes with his pay-per-view power. Sometimes, however, it’s not exactly clear what he wants. To wit: It’s still not certain Canelo wants to fight Terence. Crawford, who jumps from welterweight to junior middle next-week  Saturday (Aug. 3) against Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles. But it is abundantly clear Canelo does not want Benavidez.

The WBC is currently the target of widespread criticism for not stripping Canelo. As far as anybody knows, the ruling body didn’t even threaten to strip him. Instead, it looks as if it foresaw an issue and decided to sidestep it by offering Benavidez a couple of options. In an unusual move a few months ago, the WBC offered him the light-heavy option. 

To wit: Beat Gvozdyk and you win an interim title and the so-called mandatory-challenger’s spot that comes with it. It was as if the WBC knew that there was no way Canelo would fight Benavidez. Still, it was unlikely that the Mexico City-based organization would strip its title from Mexico’s reigning face of boxing. More than that, it’s unlikely that the WBC or any other acronym can afford to say no to the sanctioning fees paid by Canelo, who recently appeared on the cover of Forbes magazine.

Remember, Canelo gets what he wants.

And what he doesn’t.

For the WBC, it was a looming dilemma, political and financial. In the end, the WBC created the light-heavyweight option.

Finally, the choice was made for him. Canelo made it, choosing Berlanga and proving that money is boxing’s only mandatory.

Through out several weeks, Benavidez thought about it. A year ago, he said he was prepared to move on, move beyond Canelo. He had been chasing Canelo in a single-minded, almost desperate attempt to define himself and his career. 

Yet, when faced with the decision, he wouldn’t give up the Canelo possibility or potential purse. Immediately after the victory over Gvozdyk, he said he would go back to 168 pounds and pursue the so-called mandatory versus Canelo. Still, there was no final decision. There was only one deadline after another.

By Mario Ortega Jr.

STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA – Lightweight contender Gabriel Flores Jr. returns to his hometown and brings pro boxing to a venue more accustomed to hosting sluggers of another variety in Banner Island Ballpark on Saturday night. Flores will take on veteran Ronal Ron in the eight-round main event of a six-bout card. Fighters weighed-in at the University Plaza Waterfront Hotel on Friday morning.

Flores (23-2, 8 KOs) is the headlining attraction for the first-ever boxing event hosted at the home of Minor League Baseball’s Stockton Ports. Eventual World Series champions such as Max Muncy and Matt Olson once slugged their share of home runs on the same field where Flores will hope to continue his road to a crack at a world title of his own. 

Last time out, fighting under his father’s G-Squad Entertainment promotional banner for the first time, Flores packed the Adventist Health Arena next door en route to a decision win over previously unbeaten Julian Rodarte. Flores’ large local following will have more room to stretch out on Saturday, as the young contender may provide fireworks of his own before the pyrotechnics are set to fill the stadium’s open air at the conclusion of the event. 

Ron (14-6, 11 KOs) of Chino Hills, California by way of Caracas, Distrito Capital, Venezuela has been cast in the part of durable opponent, charged with giving the local favorite son a good enough fight that it is not just the peanuts and crackerjack sending the crowd home satisfied.

Ron may have more stoppage victories under his belt than does Flores, but a comparison of their resumes reveals that none could be fairly made. The two times Ron has stepped up to the upper level also represent his two knockout defeats. Eventual 130-pound champion Hector Luis Garcia halted Ron in three in 2019 and Abdullah Mason needed four rounds this past April. 

Flores, defending the WBA Continental USA title he claimed in March with the win over Rodarte, weighed-in at 134.8-pounds. 

Ron, who looked to provoke some heat during the face-off, scaled 134.4. 

Former Flores foe, the aforementioned Julian Rodarte (19-1-2, 8 KOs) of Downey, California returns to Stockton to take on Andrew Rogers (8-12-3, 3 KOs) of Elkhart, Indiana in an eight-round lightweight bout. 

Rodarte, who lost a majority decision to Flores on his last visit to the “Port City” in March and is now promoted by G-Squad Entertainment, made 134.4-pounds. Rogers, 0-3-1 in his previous four trips to California, came in a whopping five pounds over the limit.

As of press time it was unclear whether or not this bout would actually come to fruition due to the weight discrepancy. 

Andrew Rodriguez (3-0, 1 KO) of Salinas, California makes his long-awaited U.S. debut against former amateur opponent Alejandro Robles (0-3) of Modesto, California in a four-round super flyweight fight. 

Rodriguez made the weight with a little room to spare at 113.8-pounds. Robles just missed the contracted weight at 115.8-pounds. After some discussion, Robles opted not to attempt to lose the extra weight and will instead receive a fine. 

Former standout amateur Lorenzo Powell (1-0) of Sacramento, California will meet Ethan Rowan (0-1) of Saint Paul, Minnesota in a four-round lightweight contest. Powell, who turned pro in Stockton in March, scaled 137.2-pounds. Rowan, a veteran of mixed martial arts prior to taking up pro boxing, made 139-pounds. 

Ab Lozano (1-0, 1 KO) of Martinez, California will take on Rod Sarguilla (2-5, 1 KO) Los Angeles, California by way of Midsayap, Cotabato, Philippines in a four-round featherweight bout. The well-regarded Lozano scaled 123.8-pounds, while Sarguilla, based out of the famed Wild Card Boxing Club, made 123-pounds even. 

Former amateur star Steve Canela of San Jose, California had hoped to be making his professional debut on Saturday night. Instead, Canela’s four-round bout with Pedro Pinillo (5-8, 5 KOs) of Cali, Colombia will be sanctioned as an exhibition. 

Pinillo would have made for an experienced opponent for a debut, but Canela will have to wait a bit longer to make it official. Pinillo, having just fought well-regarded prospect David Lopez for a full six-rounds one week ago, is under a routine seven-day suspension by the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission, set to run through today’s date, July 19th. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBA Continental USA Lightweight Championship, 8 Rounds

Flores Jr. 134.8

Ron 134.4

Lightweights, 8 Rounds

Rodarte 134.4

Rogers 140*

Super Flyweights, 4 Rounds

Rodriguez 113.8

Robles 115.8**

Light welterweights, 4 Rounds

Powell 137.2

Rowan 139

Featherweights, 4 Rounds

Lozano 123.8

Sarguilla 123 

Welterweights, 4 Rounds (Exhibition)

Canela 144.6

Pinillo 145.4

*Rogers 5 pounds over contracted weight

**Robles .8 over contracted weight 

Tickets for the event, which will be streamed via pay-per-view by the BLK Prime streaming service, are available online at gsquadent.com 

Photo by Julio Sanchez/G-Squad Entertainment 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] 

By Norm Frauenheim –

So far, it’s been a summer defined by a new face, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, and a resurrected one, Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Now, it’s Terence Crawford’s turn to make a statement about himself and his place in an evolving game.

Safe to say, it’s changing.

Safe also to say, that nothing has changed about Crawford or his unshakable belief about where he belongs. 

Bud is back to re-affirm — or perhaps remind us with a re-make of legend Roy Jones Jr.’s Ya’ll Must’ve Forgot lyric — that his pound-for-pound dominance has defied time’s inevitable corrosiveness over the many months since beating Errol Spence last year with a masterful performance powerful enough to belong in just about any time.

Crawford, undisputed at welterweight and junior-welter, gets that chance on August 3 when he re-enters the bully pulpit at a heavier weight, 154 pounds, against Isrial Madrimov, a first time junior-middleweight champion, in an intriguing bout at a new arena on some historical real estate in Los Angeles. 

It’s a fight about possibilities and risk. It’s also a fight generating ticket sales and anticipation among fans anxious to see Crawford for the first time in about 13 months. He’s 36-years-old. He’ll be 37 in September, an age which usually means a fighter is beginning to exit his prime. Time and again, however, Crawford proves he’s unusual. 

Against Spence, his brilliance prompted many to wonder, indeed argue, whether he could have held his own in the 1970s and 1980s against Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns, writer George Kimball’s Four Kings. We’ll never really know. 

Nevertheless, Crawford might be the only fighter in today’s generation that some believe could have had a real chance — could have been a Fifth King — in what was a golden era. 

Some argue that pay-per-view star Canelo Álvarez belongs in the argument. Maybe, he does. It’s an interesting debate. Actually, it’s more than that.  It could be settled within the ropes instead of only in the imagination. 

Crawford-versus-Canelo is a real possibility — perhaps the biggest — attached to Crawford’s bid to win a fourth title at a fourth weight against Madrimov. Saudi Prince and Promoter Turki Alalshikh has the money to make it happen. 

After all, Saudi money is making the Los Angeles card happen, a first for the Riyadh Season, which is moving from the  Middle East to a longtime, lively fight town on the West Coast. Unlike Riyadh, there’ll actually be a crowd there, one which figures to include a huge number of Mexican and Mexican-American fans. Canelo fans.

They’ve known about the Crawford-Canelo possibility. They’ve heard the talk for months. Among fight fans — a diminishing population, there’s skepticism because of the difference in weight. 

Canelo is the undisputed super-middleweight champion, 168 pounds, two divisions higher than the weight Crawford will be at for the first time against Madrimov. On the scale, it just looks like a jump too far. 

Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn believes it is. He says Canelo-Crawford won’t happen, mostly because it puts Canelo in a no-win situation. 

The Mexican, Hearn says, wouldn’t get credit for a win. Because of his weight advantage, he’d be expected to win easily. But Canelo, who lost to Dmitry Bivol in a jump to light-heavyweight in 2022, is seeking only credit attached to a dollar sign. Prince Alalshikh has that kind of credit — seven figures and more — to offer.

Still, Hearn believes Crawford will discover on Aug. 3 that he already has gone too far up the scale. Hearn believes Madrimov, a mostly unknown Uzbek with reported power and athleticism, can win. Of course, Hearn has to say that. He is Madrimov’s promoter

“These great fighters only get beaten when they go up the scale,’’ Hearn said at a news conference when Crawford-Madrimov was formally announced. “I’m hoping.”

Crawford was seated down the table from Hearn for the live-streamed newser.

“You hoping?’’ Crawford, already knowing the answer, interrupted. 

Hearn already knows what happens when you pick against Crawford. In March 2014, Crawford traveled to Scotland and scored a unanimous decision over Hearns-promoted Ricky Burns for his first significant title, the World Boxing Organization’s lightweight belt.

Still, Hearn’s many-sided interests includes another possibility: Crawford against Ennis. Ennis is coming off an impressive fifth-round stoppage of David Avanesyan in a Philadelphia homecoming last Saturday. 

Ennis, a 27-year-old welterweight champion, has long talked about a chance to fight Crawford. If the unbeaten Crawford loses or even struggles at 154 pounds against Madrimov, forget Canelo. 

Then, Hearn believes Crawford-versus-Ennis could happen in a season that might be remembered for Bam, Boots and Bud. Hearn said the possibility has already been mentioned in a conversation with Turki Alalshikh.

“He said if there’s no Canelo fight, he wants to make Boots-versus-Crawford,’’ Hearn said. “Would we do it? The answer: Of course.’’

But the aforementioned if leaves little doubt about Prince Alalshikh’s priority. First and foremost, he wants Crawford-Canelo in a bout that would attract so-called crossover fans for what could deliver a decisive answer, rare in any day and especially so in today’s balkanized business.

Who’s the best, Crawford or Canelo? On the historical scale, it would matter. It would determine the best fighter since the Floyd Mayweather era and perhaps one good enough to be a Fifth King.  

By Mario Ortega Jr.

After a year of cancellations due to everything from opponent pullouts to promoted events that never took place after false weather reports or multiple postponements, Salinas, California-based super flyweight prospect Andrew Rodriguez will finally get to ply his trade in the United States for the first time as a professional this coming Saturday, just 130 miles north of home, at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton. For Rodriguez, fighting at the Minor League Baseball stadium represents his first opportunity to show his local fanbase that, after years of perfecting his craft, he is ready for the major league of pro boxing. 

Rodriguez (3-0, 1 KO) entered the paid ranks in February of last year, earning a unanimous decision win over a 32-fight veteran in Rosarito, Mexico. For the former National Junior Golden Gloves champion, traveling south for his debut represented the culmination of years of hard work in the gym, dating back to Rodriguez’s early years of grade school. 

“It was pretty wild,” recalls Rodriguez of his debut. “It was like stepping into a new world. You don’t exactly forget about the amateurs, but you have to understand this is the real deal now. You can lose your life in boxing. One wrong hit and it is over. It was an eye opener. I had to tell myself, all the stuff you do outside of the gym is just as important as everything you do in the gym. I take that information I told myself and try to apply it to every day. Whenever I am in the boxing ring as a professional, I need to take care of myself.”

After notching his first knockout two months later in Tijuana, Mexico, Rodriguez was slated to make his stateside debut last April in Santa Ynez, California. After matchmakers for the event could not find an opponent willing to fight Rodriguez at his weight class, the super flyweight stayed the course in the gym, only to have several more agreed to dates fall apart that fall and into early this year. Rodriguez returned to the ring this past April, almost one year to the day of his last fight, scoring a four-round unanimous decision over 32-bout veteran Julio Jacobo back at the Evolution Club in Tijuana. 

“I was glad I went to get those cobwebs out of the way and he was a tough, game fighter,” says Rodriguez of the Jacobo fight. “It was a good fight and it went all four rounds for a unanimous decision win. If the knockout comes, it comes, but I would rather look good the whole fight, than have a shitty performance with a knockout win. I am glad I got that experience for my second full, four-round fight. It felt good after being without a fight for almost a full year. It was good to get in there, get the jitters out and it prepared me mentally for what is coming next.” 

Next up for Rodriguez is a familiar face in Alejandro Robles (0-3) of Modesto, California this Saturday night. After a year of gearing up for bouts that never came to fruition in his home country, the Salinas product had to have a pragmatic view of the proposed date until his opponent signed and it still may not feel like a reality until they step on the scale Friday in Stockton. 

“We got this date in Stockton to finally make my U.S. debut and I was hoping and praying it was going to come through,” says Rodriguez of when the July 20th date was first discussed. “Especially since we didn’t get that call [on the opponent] until late June. So when we got that contract, that was the confirmation stamp that we finally got it. We signed the contract, so it is official.” 

When Rodriguez was offered the fight, his opponent’s name rang familiar, even though he had never been offered to fight him over the last year of searching for bouts in California. After doing some digging, Rodriguez came across an old fight tape and realized they had shared a ring before. 

“I just remembered recently, I had fought him in the Golden Gloves in 2022,” says Rodriguez. “We fought back then and I came out victorious. For a while I didn’t recognize him, but I went back into some old files from amateurs and found out for sure that I had fought him. That was the amateurs though, and it is a whole different game in the pros. You can never underestimate anybody. In the pros, all it takes is that one hit. So looking at him, I am taking it like he is undefeated. He has that chip on his shoulder and I am pretty sure he knows who I am. So we are coming strong, coming hard for him.” 

Despite Robles’ winless pro record, Rodriguez is expecting his foe to come ready and be the best version of himself possible. 

“In his eyes, it has to be a make or break and against a guy that beat him in amateurs,” explains Rodriguez. “He’s fighting close to home for him, so I know he is coming to fight. I am not overlooking him or taking him lightly. I know I beat him in the amateurs, but it is a whole different game in the pros. We have eight ounce gloves on. I am coming mentally ready and physically strong. I’ve had some great work this camp and I feel it will all display this Saturday, July 20th.” 

In preparation for this fight, Rodriguez was in camp with his godbrother and featherweight contender Ruben Villa. The two also traveled to Riverside, California to get work with Robert Garcia’s vast stable of fighters before Villa wrapped up camp for his fight, which took place last Saturday. 

“I got some great work with all undefeated guys, working in the heat out there,” explains Rodriguez of his time in Riverside at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy. “I got to turn heads and earn some respect out there from them.” 

Back home, finishing up his in-ring preparation, Rodriguez spent time in the squared circle with undefeated super bantamweight prospect Anthony Garnica in Oakland, California, who fights next month. “Garnica is a really solid fighter and one of the best fighters at my weight that I can get work with in the area,” says Rodriguez. 

Should things go according to plan on Saturday, Rodriguez and his team are eyeing potential dates locally in October and November to hopefully keep things rolling into 2025. 

“I want to get one or two more fights before the end of the year,” exclaims Rodriguez. “From there, hopefully five fights next year. I just want to stay active going into 2025 and hopefully be a lot busier all of next year.” 

Rodriguez, who ideally wants to campaign at 115-pounds, but is willing to take fights in the 118-pound bantamweight division, wants to build his career locally as much as possible and solidify his brand, joining Salinas’ storied line of professional fighters. 

“I feel a lot of people don’t know who I really am, just because all my pro fights have been in Mexico,” explains Rodriguez. “I took a break from the amateurs when I was about thirteen, so a lot of people didn’t really get to know me. I do wish my name was a little more out there. That is why we are working right now. I just have to keep working and my time will eventually come. I hope to put on an amazing performance this Saturday and turn a lot more heads.”

Despite all the trouble landing local fights, Rodriguez has continued to gain support from family, friends and fans throughout his early journey in the paid ranks. “Superfly” had a large contingent make the journey to Rosarito for his debut last year and plans to reward everyone that makes the shorter drive north as he fights on the undercard of the first boxing event ever held at Banner Island Ballpark this weekend. 

“I want to thank everyone for all the support,” says Rodriguez. “I know it has been a bumpy first year-and-a-half and I appreciate everyone that has trusted the process, sticking with me through all these fallouts. I just can’t wait to put on this performance on Saturday and show everyone what they have been missing out on.” 

Tickets for the event, promoted by G-Squad Entertainment and available via pay-per-view on the BLK Prime streaming service, are available online at gsquadent.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] 

Follow all the action as Jaron Ennis defends the IBF Welterweight title against David Avanesyan. The action begins at 8 PM ET with a WBC Featherweight title bout between Skye Nicolson and Dyana Vargas. Plus involving undefeated prospects Khalil Coe and Jalil Hackett

Round 1: Jab buckles Avanesyan…Right from AVanesyan..Jab to body from Ennis..Left to body..Right to body…Right to bidy/Left to head..Low blow that makes AVanesyan go down..Left

ROUND 2 Double right..Jab to body…Avanesyan fighting back,,,Right from Ennis..Left from Avanesyan..Left from Ennis..Right 

ROUND 3 4 hard shots from Ennis..Short right on inside..Avanesyan lands a right…Triple left from Ennis..

ROUND 4 Ennis jabbing from southpaw stance..Right to body….Left around the guard..Right to body…left..Chopping right…Left body

ROUND 5 2 Upperuts from AVanesyan..Good right from Ennis…Counter left from Avanesyan..uppercut,,Right from Ennis….COUNTER LEFT AND DOWN GOES AVANESYAN…Ennis pounding awa with body shts,,FIGHT STOPPED IN THE CORNER…..ENNIS TKO AFTER 5

Round 1 Left from Dobson…Right from Hackett..Jab..Double jab…Good left hook..Right to body…Dobson land a right to the head..Left to head by Hackett
Round 2 Jab from Hackett..Left hook…Left to body by Dobson…Left hook from Hackett..
Round 3 Counter uppercut from Hackett..Jab..Body shot…Right from Dobson…Right to body…Right from Hackett..
Round 4  Right from Hackett…left to body and right to head…Right rocks Dobson..Right and left from Hackett…Hard right..Double jab,,
Round 5 Left from Hackett…Right…Left from Dobson..Big Bump on the fight side of Dobson’s head
Round 6 Quick right from Hackett…Left from Dobson..Double jab from Hackett…Right…Clipping left…Body shot
Round 7 Right from Hackett..Right from Hackett..Trading Jabs…Right from Dobson
Round 8 Left from Hackett…Jab..Counter right from Dobson..
Round 9 2 Body shots from Dobson
Round 10  Right from Dobson…Right from Hackett…Left to body…Counter right from Dobson…Left from Hackett

97-93 twice and 96-94 for Jalil Hackett

ROUND 1; Jab from Nicolson..Left…Left..Left..

ROUND 2 Nicolson jabbing and moving…Jab to body…

ROUND 3 Vargas gets in a couple of body shots..Jab from Nicolson..Jab..Left…Hard jab

ROUND 4 Jab from Nicolson…Good right hook..

ROUND 5 Straight left from Nicolson..3 hard overhand lefts

ROUND 6 Left from Nicolson…Jab from Vargas..Left..from Nicolson

ROUND 7 Nicolson jabbing…Left and right..Straight left

ROUND 8 Jab from Nicolson…Good straight left…Good jab…

ROUND 9 Jab from Nicolson..Hard left…

ROUND 10  Whipping left from Nicolsso..1-2..

100-90 on all cards for Nicolson

Round 1: Right from Coe…Jab..Hard jab..Left to body..Left to body…Right on the inside…
Round 2: Hard left rock Riter,,,BIG LEFT HOOJ AND DOWN GOES RITTER…Coe rocking Rotter all over the ring…Huge uppercut...BIG RIGHT AND RITTER IS STAGGERING,,,FIGHT STOPPED

By Norm Frauenheim –

The first half of the year ended with Bam. The second half begins with Boots.

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez’ brilliant stoppage of Juan Francisco Estrada on June 29 and Jaron “Boots” Ennis’ homecoming title defense against David Avanesyan Saturday are a couple of weeks at the heart of a busy boxing year, a problematic 2024 yet still with reasons to be optimistic that it’ll be remembered for more than just Ryan Garcia.

Through the rest of the week, it’s up to Ennis to extend the drama delivered by Rodriguez’ pound-for-pound statement in a seventh-round stoppage of the accomplished Estrada in front of a roaring crowd in Phoenix.

That’s a tall order. But the elements are there. Ennis is at home in Philadelphia, which celebrates its unrivaled boxing heritage with a statue of Rocky on the steps of the city’s Museum of Art. Boxing has always been something of an art form in Philly.

Ennis just looks as if he’ll be the city’s next master. There have been flashes of Ennis’ blend of power and style since his debut in 2016. But boxing’s forever balkanized politics and petty rivalries always seemed to keep him from achieving his projected artistry.

But now Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) has a new promoter, Matchroom, and a renewed future that begins, the promoters say, Saturday against Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs) in a DAZN-streamed-welterweight fight at Wells Fargo Center.

Philly fans have noticed. They bought 4,000 tickets in the pre-sale when the fight was first announced with Cody Crowley as the opponent. A month later, Crowley got injured and Avanesyan – knocked out by Terence Crawford in December 2022 – replaced him. Tickets continued to sell. Reportedly, about 10,000 had been sold three days before opening bell.

Call it Ennis’ coming-out party, not unlike Rodriguez’ defining victory over Estrada. Before the super-flyweight bout, it was called a chance for Bam to crash the top five in the pound-for-pound debate. Turns out, that was more than just hype. Bam jumped into the top tier in several ratings, including this one.    

Ennis, who figures to take over the top of the welterweight division in the wake of Crawford’s move up to junior-middle, has fought 31 times, all victories. He’s been fighting long enough to be an aging veteran. But he’s not. He’s just entering his prime, 27, about three years older than the 24-year-old Rodriguez.

Prime means promise. Bam and Boots haven’t squandered theirs. At the heart of boxing in 2024, they’re the future. The guess, perhaps the hope, is that they’ll continue to pursue it in the ring instead of social media.

That brings this column back to Ryan Gracia. He’s in the Bam-and-Boots generation. He’s about a year older than Rodriguez. He’s a couple of years younger than Ennis. But the 25-year-old Garcia has become the poster child for how-not-to-do-it throughout an ongoing story as sad as it is enraging.

He tested positive for a PED and blew off weight before bludgeoning Devin Haney on April 20 after weeks of dark and bizarre behavior on social media. He denied the PED test, alleging some kind of conspiracy about how he had been set-up.

He’s been suspended. But there’s been no suspension of the craziness. Racist remarks on twitter are the latest, including an unforgivable comment about George Floyd, a civil-rights symbol since he was slain on the streets of Minneapolis.

Within 280 characters, Garcia sounded like a rabid racist and a grave robber. Sick, sick stuff. Yet, it continues. He says he’ll go to rehab, but then says he’ll coach his brother instead. He’s been suspended by the New York Commission, his promoter and ruling bodies.

But he stays on social media, almost as if that’s a bigger addiction than any substance. By now, we all know he has a social- media following that only Gallup can count. 

Increasingly, however, his social-media audience is in more control of him than he is control of it. It wants outrage and Garcia delivers, repeatedly elevating the outrage.

It’s dangerous, even more dangerous than boxing, which throughout the first six months of 2024 has been unable to escape the distraction and damage done by the Garcia story.

This Saturday, however, there’s another chance to forget about him, his ongoing decline and his absolute lack of respect for a time-honored craft practiced at the highest level by Rodriguez and Ennis.

If you don’t go to rehab, Ryan Garcia, then just go away. Let the rest of this year be remembered for what Bam did and Boots is about to do. 

By Norm Frauenheim –

Jesse Rodriguez, whose simple nickname is synonymous with his power in the ring, is putting some of that Bam into the pound-for-pound debate.

His thorough seventh-round stoppage of accomplished Juan Francisco Estrada last Saturday is prompting a shuffle in some ratings, yet not all.

From this corner, Rodriguez’ comprehensive performance – he scored two knockdowns and got up from one – puts him in the top five.

On this list, Rodriguez is No. 4, behind Terence Crawford at No.1, Naoya Inoue at No. 2 Oleksandr Usyk at No. 3 and one spot ahead of Tank Davis at No. 5. Shuffle them anyway you like. After all, it’s only an argument.

That said, the 24-year-old Rodriguez delivered an argument hard to ignore. Some of the prominent ratings weren’t convinced. They kept him in the second five, behind Canelo Alvarez, Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev, Tank and – in some cases – Shakur Stevenson.

The pound-for-pound debate is political, meaning that evidence gets ignored and opinions are rooted in stubborn ego. Conclusion: They’ll never change.

Still, it’s hard to understand how any fair-minded rating can keep Rodriguez out of the first five. To do so is a little bit like scorecards turned in by judges Javier Camacho and Robert Tapper. Through the sixth round, Camacho had Estrada winning, 57-56. On Tapper’s card, it was even, 56-56.

What were they watching?

Not what a roaring crowd of 10,000 at Phoenix’s Footprint saw. Not what I saw either. I was there.

I suspect the controversial cards wouldn’t have mattered had the fight gone the distance. Rodriguez’ dominance was evident in the opening rounds with agile footwork that seemed to confuse Estrada.

His dominance was more evident throughout the next four-plus rounds with knockdowns in the fourth and the finishing blow – a paralyzing body shot — in the seventh.

It also was evident in the unshakeable poise he showed in getting up from a knockdown – the first in his career — in the sixth.

Over the final rounds of the fight, he would have convinced Tapper and Camacho that their rounds were just wrong. Guess here: He would have won a one-sided decision.

But he wound doing a lot more than just that: In a further expression of his nickname, he proved he had the power to take it out of the judges’ hands. Bam, he scored an astonishing knockout of a fighter who had never been stopped. That’s what pound-for-pound contenders do.

In part, I suspect some of the pound-for-pound ratings didn’t jump him into the first five because of traditional bias against the little guys. The flyweight categories – 108 to 115 pounds – have always been ignored.

But there have been exceptions. Bam is just the latest and perhaps the biggest. What’s intriguing is the terrific way in which Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has moved him up a scale from anonymity to prominence.

Hearn has done it at the right time and mostly in the right place. Phoenix has been the launching pad for the San Antonio fighter’s ascendant career.

Phoenix is an emerging boxing market, yet with one aspect missing in many cities. It grew up with a fundamental appreciation of the lightest weight classes. A personal story: I spent much of my newspaper career covering Hall-of-Fame junior-flyweight Michael Carbajal for The Arizona Republic.

About three decades later, I meet fans in their 30s and 40s. They tell me that their dad used to read my stories about Carbajal in The Republic. They say they’re fans today because their dads were.

I think of them when I hear Hearn say that Phoenix fans “are very educated.’’ They are, especially about the flyweights. Today’s growing generation of Phoenix fans learned about the little guys from their dads.

Move the clock forward to today, to Bam.

It’s no coincidence that he won his first title at Footprint, a downtown Phoenix arena that Carbajal helped open in 1992 with a junior-flyweight title defense. Thirty years later, Bam won his first major title there, the then vacant World Boxing Council’s 115-pound belt, with a unanimous decision on Feb. 5, 2022.

He defended it a couple of times, relinquished it and then won a vacant 112-pound title against Christian Gonzalez at home in San Antonio in April 2023.

Then, it was back to Phoenix at Desert Diamond Arena in suburban Glendale where he retained the 112-pound title by punishing the entertaining Sunny Edwards, forcing the UK fighter into a ninth-round surrender in front of a lively crowd of about 5,000. That performance put Rodriguez into pound-for-pound ratings – at ninth or 10^th — for the first time.

Next stop: A return to Phoenix, this time back to Footprint against the 37-year-old Estrada, one of the best little guys in his flyweight generation. This time, the crowd doubled, jamming the lower bowl for a chance to see a pound-for-pound star’s coming-out party.

After the concussive conclusion, Hearn stood in the ring and thanked the crowd.

“Thank you, Phoenix,’’ he said.

Hearn also said that Phoenix and Japan share a rare appreciation for the smaller weight classes. It’s a reason, in part, that some Phoenix fans will pay attention to Kazuto Ioka’s fight against Argentine Fernando Martinez bout for two 115-pound belts Saturday in Japan.

After taking the WBC title from Estrada, Rodriguez said he wanted the winner in a bout that might represent another step up in the pound-for-pound debate and toward a showdown that has already entered the public imagination:

Bam-versus-Inoue.

“Right now, it’s a fantasy fight,’’ Bam said with wisdom not often heard from somebody still in his early 20s.

It is fantasy. Inoue, a former junior-flyweight and super-fly champion, is fighting at junior featherweight.

“I got to work my way up,’’ Rodriguez said.

He does.

But his victory over Estrada is a further testament to the Bam who gets up, works his way up, on many scales, including one that turns fantasy into reality.

By Mario Ortega Jr.

While often overlooked and underappreciated, the lower weight divisions in boxing produce some of the best fights each year. Rarely able to rely on punching power to win fights, the elite fighters furthest down the scale more often than not are superb technicians that have honed their craft in the gym. Historically, the American boxing public has been most drawn to the knockout punchers of the heaviest divisions, or the flashy athleticism of welterweights and lightweights. Former amateur sensation David Cardenas Jr. has begun to chart his rise and could one day become a fighter that draws eyeballs to the lowest weight divisions. Cardenas continues his ascension up the ranks Saturday, July 6th in Floresville, Texas. 

Cardenas (6-0, 4 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas capped a distinguished amateur career by winning the USA Boxing National Championship at 106-pounds in December 2022 and becoming the #1-ranked fighter in his weight division before turning professional last August in Mexico. For most amateur fighters at the top of their respective weight class, the ultimate goal is the Olympic Games. With the 2024 Summer Olympics on the horizon, but the lightest weight division in competition set at 112-pounds, Cardenas and his team had a decision to make. 

“We thought about [qualifying for the U.S. team,] because not everyone gets to go to the Olympics, but 112 isn’t really my weight class, so we decided to just go pro,” recounts Cardenas. 

The 105-pound weight class in professional boxing, a division that first became recognized by the professional governing bodies of the sport in the late 1980’s, is often overlooked by even the most ardent followers of the sweet science in the United States. The division’s failure to break through into the public consciousness could be partially contributed to the fact that the division has never had a U.S.-born standout star and had never had a world champion born stateside until Oscar Collazo claimed the WBO title just last year. 

Cardenas plans to make his campaign at 105-pounds, or the 108-pound light flyweight division, eventually. Six fights into his professional career, Cardenas has fought opponents as heavy as 121-pound Rodric Cherry, whom he stopped in two-rounds in his second pro bout late last August in San Antonio, and no lighter than 14-fight veteran Richard Hernandez, who made 112-pounds before lasting the four-round distance this past December. 

“The difficult part is his weight class,” explains Rick Morones Jr. of TMB Promotions, promoter for Saturday’s event in Floresville. “It is hard to find those little guys. You run out of them pretty fast, so I think that will be the most difficult task for promoters [attempting to match David.] Promoters will tell you that weight class is a problem.” 

Helping guide Cardenas’ career and charged with pointing him towards the right opponents as he progresses is his trainer Rick Nunez. “I have been guiding him throughout his fights,” says Nunez, a twenty-year veteran of the sport. “I have a lot of experience in that. I have been trying to build him up and get him to contender status.” 

During his stellar amateur run, Cardenas was trained by well-respected U.S. National Team coach Jeffery Mays, among others. Across town, Nunez trained fighters out of his South Park Boxing Academy, including one consistent opponent from Cardenas’ weight class. Unbeknownst to the two, Nunez and Cardenas would eventually stumble into realizing they were in fact of family relation. 

“David and his dad showed up to a local boxing event, with his uncle, who I knew was my cousin and I asked how they knew each other, and his uncle said [David Sr.] was his little brother,” recalls Nunez. “I was like, ‘What do you mean this is your brother?’ I still didn’t believe him, so I called my aunt and asked her about it.”

A year or so after getting the verification from his aunt of their family relation, Nunez took on the assignments of training Cardenas and steering his career in the right direction as the young amateur star was set to begin his run as a professional. 

“Once he turned pro, I guess he realized he needed to make the transition and I already had a really good resume with building pro fighters and helping guys get to the next level as pros,” says Nunez, who was a part of the team that guided Mario Barrios to a world title. “He just told me, ‘Hey Cus, once I get ready to turn pro I want to come over to work with you.’ We have been working together ever since. We started off last August, so this August will be one year and hopefully he will be 8-0 in one year [of fighting professionally].” 

For Cardenas’ first bout, Nunez opted to take his young charge on the road to Tamaulipas, a border state in Mexico, just south of Texas. It was a positive experience for Cardenas, one that he will be able to draw from down the line, as his weight class may require that he pack his passport to seek out the biggest possible bouts. 

“It was a good experience,” recalls Cardenas, who never fought internationally as an amateur. “Rick was like, ‘Let’s go to Mexico and get all the nerves out in Mexico.’ I know a lot of fighters do that at the beginning of their career. I trusted in my team and I did that.”

Since his debut in Mexico, Cardenas has enjoyed the luxury of fighting in or within driving distance of his native San Antonio each time out, a streak that continues with his next scheduled bouts, July 6th in Floresville and August 24th back in his hometown. 

“I enjoy [fighting at home,”] says Cardenas. “I have a lot of supporters in San Antonio and throughout Texas. They are the reason why I am here in this spot. Later on, it is going to be hard to fight as much here in San Antonio, Texas.”  

The fight on Saturday in Floresville will be a rematch, as well as Cardenas’ first bout scheduled for six rounds. Getting ready for the longer distance only requires minor adjustments for a fighter that will have competed eight times in just over his first twelve months as a professional. 

“We just do twice as much work,” says Cardenas. “If I am fighting six rounds, I do eight rounds or ten rounds in sparring. I am just doing everything harder.” 

“We spar a few extra rounds here and there,” explains Nunez. “I have a lot of amateurs in my gym, but I am not big on amateur boxing, so everyone in my gym is training as if they are a pro or going to turn pro sometime down the line. It is nothing different. It is just about being more patient in the ring and being comfortable with the longer distance.” 

For his first bout scheduled for six, Cardenas will meet a familiar foe in 16-fight veteran Steveen Angeles Cruz. The two met in March, with Cardenas winning every round on the judges’ scorecards en route to a four-round decision. Despite the lopsided scoring, it was a tougher-than-expected fight the first time out. With the rematch set for six-rounds Saturday, Cardenas has a second chance to silence any doubters, and two extra rounds to accomplish that feat. 

“That was probably one of David’s only not-so-good, not-so-exciting performances,” admits Nunez. “Within the first two rounds, it looked like David was going to knock the kid out, but David just got tired. He just couldn’t put him away and it’s just extra motivation for David. So that is the only reason [for a rematch.] There were some people that said he didn’t look too good against this guy. So we said he had a bad night, we will take it and show everybody that he just had a bad night. He is human like anybody else and it happens.” 

Promoter Rick Morones Jr. expects to see an interesting fight on Saturday, with both the young prospect David Cardenas Jr. and the game veteran Steveen Angeles Cruz having something to prove. 

“With these types of fights, especially with the first one being tough, you are going to get the best version of Steveen Cruz, so this one will be even better,” says Morones. “But you are also probably going to get a better version of David Cardenas, which makes the fight all that more interesting.”  

Should things go according to plan on July 6th, Cardenas will keep the busy schedule rolling into an August 24th bout back in San Antonio. “The first year or two, it is always good to move them at a good pace, because they are only four-round fights and obviously he is not going to go the distance in every one of them,” says Nunez. “He’s not getting into ring wars. His skillset is very good and his IQ is also. He’s not taking punishment, so it’s good to keep him busy. When we get him to that next level, then we will look to back him down to three or four fights a year.” 

While it is early to look too far down the road, Cardenas’ team have designs on building him up over roughly the next two years, before setting their sights on challenging for a title. With the aforementioned New Jersey-born, but Puerto Rico-raised and based Oscar Collazo representing the only previous American champion in his division, Cardenas could one day be the first 105-pound champion with a strong hometown fanbase to fight out of the continental United States. 

“My career is moving pretty fast and it is going pretty good,” says Cardenas. “I have just been staying in the gym throughout the year and trusting my team and my dad. I stay in the gym and trust that they will get me the fights and wins I need to keep moving forward. Keep expecting exciting fights. Expect to see me keep on improving in these fights and looking better. The tougher the competition is, the better I look.” 

Tickets for Saturday’s event at the Floresville Event Center, promoted by TMB Promotions, are available by calling 210-449-5599 or 210-322-9974. 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] 

Follow all the action as Teofimo Lopez defends the WBO Junior Welterweight title against Steve Claggett. In the co-feature former featherweight champion Robeisy Ramirez takes on Brandon Leon Benitez. The opener at 10 PM ET will see a rematch between Nico Ali Walsh and Sona Akale

THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY…NO BROWSER REFRESJ NEEDED

ROUND 1: Left to body by Lopez…Right to body…Lopez outlanded Claggett 16-12

ROUND 2 Left to Body from Claggett..Left from Lopez…Right..Counter right..Another right…Another right

ROUND 3 Good uppercut from Lopez…Claggett lands a right…Jabs, body and straight right from Lopez..Right uppercut..Right..

ROUND 4 Right from Lopez..Right…Good body shot from Claggett..Uppercut from Lopez..Right..4 punch combination…right..Right to body

ROUND 5 Jab from Claggett..Body work from Lopez…Redress around the left eye of Lopez..Jab from Lopez

ROUND 6 Uppercut from Lopez

ROUND 7 Right from Lopez..Right..Left uppercut. Combination…Right

ROUND 8 Double left to the body..Jab…hard right,,,Big uppercut..Left hook at the bell

ROUND 9 Left hook from Lopez…Right to body

ROUND 10  Right from Lopez..Chopping right…Right from Claggett…Uppercut from Lopez..Swift combination

ROUND 11 Blood from nose of Claggett…Right uppercut from Lopez..Left hook..3 jabs and a right hand.

ROUND 12 Right from Claggett..Goo right from Lopez…left..Big Right uppercut…Big Right

Round 1 Ramirez lands a left to the body.
Round 2 Counter jab from Ramirez..left to the body…Combination
Round 3 Good combination from Ramirez…Left..Left..Jab…3 punch combination…Combination from Benitez…
Round 4 Hard left from Benitez..Counter left…Nice jab…
Round 5 Blood from the nose of Benitez..Left from Ramirez…Left uppercut starts a 3 punch combination..
Round 6 Counter left from Ramirez…
Round 7 Short left on inside…left from Ramirez…sweeping right and left…Benitez bleeding from mouth..Short left uppercut on inside..HUGE RIGHT UPPERCUT AND DOWN GOES BENITEZ…HE DOESNT BEAT THE COUNT

Round 1 Akale lands a left hook…Good right from Walsh…Another Right..Walsh outlanded Akale 15-11
Round 2 
Round 3 Akale lands a right..Overhand right..Right from Walsh knocks mouthpiece out…LEFT HAND AND DOWN GOES AKALE
Round 4 Jab from Walsh…Right from Akale…Uppercut from Walsh
Round 5 Akale lands 2 rights and a left…Jab..2 body shots from Walsh..Right from Akale…Overhand right..Walsh bruiserd under his right eye.  Hard right from Akale…Another..Akale bleeding over his right eye
Round 6 Walsh has a hurt shoulder but continues to fight,,,Right from Akale

Akale outlanded Ali Walsh 118 to 91.

58-55 TWICE AND 57-56 FOR ALI WALSH

By Norm Frauenheim –

PHOENIX, AZ — On the scale, there was no difference between them. Not even a single ounce.

In a weigh-in that might be a hint at how close a DAZN-streamed fight for the almost mythical  SuperFly title might be Saturday night at Footprint Center, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Juan Francisco Estrada were at the limit, 115-pounds each.

The only surprise, perhaps, was the crowd Friday night for a so-called ceremonial weigh-in at a re-done old building in the city’s warehouse district a couple of miles south of Footprint.

The official weigh-in, conducted by the Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission behind closed doors at a downtown hotel, happened about nine hours earlier.

The ceremonial version was for show, and sure enough Mexican and Mexican-American fans showed up, most of them for Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs), the World Boxing Council’s

defending champion.

They chanted his nickname.

El Gallo filled the old room as he stepped on to the scale.

El Gallo echoed through the place as he stepped off.

“They are here for me and more will be Saturday night,’’ said the accomplished Estrada, the son of a Mexican fisherman  who grew up about 215 miles south of Phoenix in a town, Puerto Penasco,  located at the top of the Gulf of California.

Despite the title belt, Estrada goes into the bout as betting underdog. The odds are dictated by time. Estrada hasn’t fought since a narrow decision over iconic Ramon Gonzalez 19 months ago in Glendale, a Phoenix suburb.

More significant perhaps are the years not included on a traditional tale of tape.

The 34-year old Estrada is a decade older than Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs), an emerging 24-year-old Mexican-American from San Antonio.

Rodriguez heard the chants and smiled at Estrada as they stood across from each other and stared into each other’s eyes during the ritual face-off for the cameras.

“This is another day for me, a day at the office’’ Rodriguez said. “I’ve been getting ready for this moment for a long time.’’

Still, Rodriguez’ deep-seated respect for Estrada was also evident. For years, Rodriguez looked at Estrada and saw a hero.

Now, he sees a rival.

“This the biggest fight of my life,’’ Rodriguez said. “It’s also a fight I’ve been preparing for for most of my life.’’

By Norm Frauenheim –

PHOENIX, AZ — Eddie Hearn foresees the Bam Rodriguez-Juan Francisco Estrada bout Saturday night as a potential Fight of the Year, one that could have pound-for-pound implications. 

“Going into Saturday, I’d say this the best fight so far this year,” Hearn, of Matchroom Promotions, said Thursday at a news conference featuring Rodriguez and Estrada at a redone old building in a warehouse district south of Footprint Center. “Bam is in for a big test. Estrada is proven. He looks fresh.”

The 34-year-old Estrada is a decade younger than the emerging Bam, a Mexican-American from San Antonio who is fighting in Phoenix for the second straight time after his pound-for-pound attention-getting victory over Sunny Edwards last December at Desert Diamond Arena in nearby Glendale.

A big victory over the accomplished Estrada could vault Rodriguez into the top of the pound-for-pound debate alongside Naoya Inoue, Oleksandr Usyk and Terence Crawford, according to Hearn.

“He’s only 24 years old,” the promoter said. “He’s just beginning. A phenomenal performance here against Estrada would set up some enormous fights.”

Phenomenal probably means a stoppage. Bam sounded confident that he could pull one off against the tactically-skilled Estrada, the son of a Mexican fisherman who grew up 215-miles south of Phoenix in a town named Puerto Penasco..

“I think I have the skills to stop any one,” Bam said.

But he also knows he never faced anybody better than Estrada, the World Boxing Council’s 115-pound champion.

“This is my biggest fight ever,” Bam said.

Estada, nicknamed El Gallo, says he stands in the way of Bam’s bold ambitions.

“It’s going to be a real good weekend, especially for the Mexican people,” Estrada said. “It’s a chance to show that El Gallo still has things to do in this sport.” 

By Norm Frauenheim –

David Benavidez, who won at a heavier weight and looked beatable in doing so, is back to where he was before his decision over Oleksandr Gvozdyk.

Waiting for Canelo.

On the financial scale, it makes sense. It always has. A fight with Canelo Alvarez still represents the quickest way to the biggest money. Over the last several years, that’s been the only formula in a business otherwise ruled by only chaos.

If you want to follow the money, follow Canelo. This is prizefighting, after all.

But it’s not clear what Canelo is thinking. There’s been silence on what he thought of Benavidez’ scorecard victory over Gvozdyk, a unanimous decision yet flawed in many ways on June 15 on an Amazon Prime card at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

Presumably, he watched and saw that Benavidez’ power and energy in the later rounds weren’t there in his 175-pound debut. Speculate all you want as to why. Benavidez said he came into the fight battling injuries undisclosed before opening bell.

There was a stitched-up cut along his left eyelid, a reason that his father-trainer, Jose Benavidez Sr., brought in Stitch Duran to

work the corner.

He said he injured a tendon in his right hand. He massaged the hand throughout the post-fight news conference. The injuries, the Phoenix-born fighter said, happened in training in Miami. Just how they impacted his preparation – his focus and conditioning — is anybody’s guess.

But Benavidez clearly did not have the energy late in the fight against Gvozdyk that had been there throughout his run at super middleweight.

At 168, he seemed to have an extra gear in the later rounds. But it was missing against the Ukrainian, a former light-heavyweight champion, who was the bigger fighter. Benavidez said he was at 189 pounds at opening bell.

He and Gvozdyk were each at 174.2 at the official weigh-in. Gvozdyk never said what his weight was at fight time, but he looked to be at about 200 pounds. With his hand speed, Benavidez scored, but his punches didn’t have the power to hurt, or even move, Gvozdyk, a former Canelo sparring partner who was at his best in the final moments.

If Canelo was watching, he had to notice. Canelo, who will be 34 in July, is moving out of his prime, but his lower-body strength is still there. In some ways, he resembles Gvozdyk. It’s hard to knock him off balance much less off his feet.

At light-heavyweight, Canelo’s ex-sparring partner might have found a weakness in Benavidez that was not apparent at super-middle. He also might have found a reason for Canelo to say, yeah, I’ll fight him.

Over the first week after Benavidez light-heavy debut, however, there’s been silence. Perhaps, Canelo has decided he’ll let the process play out.

Benavidez announced, post-fight, that he would relinquish his mandatory challenger spot for the light-heavyweight champion, which would have meant an even riskier fight against the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol winner in October.

Instead, he said, he’d go back to super-middleweight and pursue the mandatory challenge – still Canelo — he’s been pursuing for a couple of years. He was expected to send the World Boxing Council a letter of formal declaration. Then, the WBC is expected to rule.

By now, however, we know Canelo does he what wants. Gets what the wants. He has said so, repeatedly, over the last year.

There’s already talk of Canelo fighting Edgar Berlanga in September. That speculation appeared to be the reason behind an agreement between Canelo and somebody named William Scull, a super-middleweight nobody knows yet is still a rival acronym’s mandatory challenger.

The speculation is that Scull will get step-aside money.

Then, Canelo will get Berlanga.

And Benavidez will get what he’s always had.

He’ll get to wait.

NOTES

In one of the best fights in the history of the little guys, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez is about a 9-2 favorite over Juan Francisco Estrada for the SuperFly title next Saturday (June 29) on the Suns home floor at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix.

Speaking of odds, what are the odds on Ryan Garcia ever fighting in another state-sanctioned bout again? He was suspended Thursday for a year by New York for testing dirty before his stoppage of Devin Haney. Garcia won’t go away. He’s a social-media freak show. Promoters will do whatever they can to get him back in the ring a year from now. There’s a market for his kind of unhinged behavior.

And the WBO orders negotiations for an Emanuel Navarrete-Oscar Valdez junior-lightweight rematch. In a futile attempt to win a lightweight title, Navarrete looked terrible in a sloppy scorecard loss – a split decision — to Denys Berinchyk in May. But a Navarrete-Valdez rematch might a hard sell. It was a good fight. But it was a blowout, Navarrete scoring a one-sided decision in August 2023 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale AZ. 

By Norm Frauenhem –

LAS VEGAS — The weigh-in ended with Gevonta Davis doing something no tank could ever do. He back-flipped. He stuck the landing. It wasn’t exactly Simone Biles.

But it was an example of his dynamic athleticism. His armored nickname is a symbol of his Abrams-like power.

Yet, it’s deceptive, almost a feint. He has power in his hands, to be sure. But it’s the power in those legs that creates openings and sets up angles for the knockout blows that really do land.

Really do stick.

Over 12 rounds, it’s hard to avoid his deadly combination of power and speed. Ryan Garcia couldn’t do it. The bet is that Frank Martin can’t either in their lightweight title fight Saturday night on an Amazon Prime card that also features David Benavidez and Olkesandr Gvozdyk in an intriguing light-heavyweight bout at the MGM’s Grand Garden Arena Saturday night.

“it’s going to be crazy out there,’’ Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) said. “I hope he’s ready.’’

Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) only looked as if he were ready only for a meal or three. He was as gaunt as a Ghost, his nickname. He looked drained Friday after an apparent fight to make weight. He did, tipping the scale at 134.4 pounds, more than a half-pound under the lightweight maximum.

Meanwhile, Davis was full of energy and all of the usual trash talk. Do a back flip? Davis looked as if he could have done two or three more and then a floor routine for a weigh-in crowd estimated to be at 4,000, most of them Tank fans.

“I’m so happy that people in this arena underestimate me,’’ Martin said of the underdog role he has been assigned for this pay-per-view card.

Meanwhile, Tank seemed to celebrate, perhaps more for what might happen after his expected victory over Martin. He came in light. He was a pound lighter than Martin and more than a pound-and-half lighter than the lightweight limit.

There’s been a lot of talk about Tank at junior-welterweight, 140. But Friday’s weigh-in set off speculation about a lightweight showdown with Vasiliy Lomachenko, perhaps in November.

It all hinges on what happens Saturday night on a pay-per-view card scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. in Vegas (8 pm ET). But one thing was apparent. Tank’s backflip says he’s ready to leap into another opportunity, perhaps one as big as a date with Lomachenko.

Before Tank and Martin stepped on to the scale, Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) and Gvozdyk (20-1, 16 KOs) weighed-in for a second time. They were on the official scale a few hours before weighing in again for the crowd.

Benavidez, of Phoenix, reported to the Nevada Commission Friday, mid-day, thinking that he was scheduled to officially record his weight for what would be a so-called ceremonial weigh-in later in the day. That had been the routine in his last two fights in Nevada.

This time, however, the Nevada Athletic Commission decided there would be no mock weigh-in. Apparently, Benavidez didn’t get the news. But he asked if could weigh in earlier in the day anyway. The Commission agreed. So, did Gvozdyk.

Both were at 174.2, safely under the 175-pound limit. There was little doubt that Gvozdyk, a 37-year-old ex-champion from the Ukraine, had done the work. He was cut, almost with sculpted upper body, including a six-pack that Benvidez has never had.

At 27, however, he has youth, energy and an evident mean streak.

“The Monstruo,’’ he said of his Monster nickname, “always goes for the knockout. And that’s what I’m going to do.’’   

By Norm Frauenheim –

LAS VEGAS – Phoenix middleweight Elijah Garcia can be no heavier than 173 pounds at a weigh-in Saturday morning or his fight against Kyrone Davis is off, Davis trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards said.

Garcia failed to make weight Friday at the formal weigh-in for his bout with Davis on the undercard featuring lightweights Tank Davis-versus-Frank Martin and light-heavyweights David Benavidez versus Oleksandr Gvozdyk at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

“I told him, if he (Garcia) is more than 10 pounds over tomorrow, we can’t fight,’’ Edwards told video journalist Sean Zittel.

The morning weigh-in is scheduled for 9:30 a.m (PT). Garcia-Davis is the ninth fight on a 13-fight card, according to the bout sheet.  First bell is scheduled for 12:15 p.m.

The Garcia-Davis fight was announced before the weigh-in. But neither fighter ever made it to the scale that was on the stage.

It was disclosed later that negotiations were underway after Garcia struggled to make weight.

According to Edwards, Garcia was at 165.2 pounds the first time he stepped on the scale, off-stage. The second time, he was at 163 pounds.

Davis was at 160.4. Edwards said the rehydration clause for Saturday morning’s weigh-on was set at 173.

He said that Garcia already had an advantage because he was 2.6 pounds heavier than Davis late Friday.

Davis, Edwards said, was unhappy.

“This is the second time this happened,’’ Edwards said.

The Garcia-Davis fight has already been postponed once. They had been scheduled to fight March 30. But the bout got cancelled when Garcia got sick.

He suffered from a respiratory infection.

“I wasn’t feeling good,’’ Garcia (16-0, 13 KOs), a 21-year-old prospect, said Wednesday at a news conference.  “I was feeling a little bit sick last time, but I’m good right now,” 

Garcia is anxious to regain the career momentum he had a year ago. He hasn’t fought since September.

“Absolutely,’’ Garcia said Wednesday. “It’s June, and I’m having my first fight, so that kind of sucks because I want to be fighting four or five times a year.”

Davis (18-3-1, 6 KOs) is seen as a tough test, especially for a young prospect who hopes for a shot at a middleweight title. Erislandy Lara, a 40-year-old belt holder, has been mentioned as a possibility.

Davis’ resume includes a date as a late replacement, a sub, for Benavidez in November 2021 in Phoenix. He gave the bigger Benavidez six tough rounds before his corner threw in the towel in the seventh.

By Norm Frauenheim –

LAS VEGAS – Mike Tyson lost his cool and Evander Holyfield lost part of his ear.

Manny Pacquiao scored an upset that eventually transformed him into a worldwide celebrity, Filipino Senator and presidential contender.

Julio Cesar Chavez lost for the first time.

Floyd Mayweather never lost there or anywhere.

Welcome to MGM’s Grand Garden Arena. It’s still standing, a place that has seemingly seen it all, endured it all, throughout a long run of the drama, chaos and crazy that only boxing can deliver. Sometimes, it’s theater. Sometimes, comedy. Sometimes, absurd. Sometimes, scary. Often dangerous. And always unpredictable.

The ride, exhausting and exhilarating, continues Saturday with a milestone card featuring lightweights Tank Davis versus Frank Martin and light-heavyweights David Benavidez versus Oleksandr Gvozdyk. It’s number 100 for the 30-year-old arena near the intersection of Tropicana and The Strip. It’s a moment to remember – and in some cases perhaps a reason to forget – a lot of what happened in the world’s busiest boxing arena over the last three decades.

Throughout the week before Saturday night’s first bell, that’s what the sprawling hotel and casino has been doing. It’s been remembering with a museum that features video and mementos. Holyfield’s long-lost ear lobe isn’t among them. From gloves to scars, however, so much else is.

For a sportswriter who was there for the inaugural card – Chavez’ first defeat in 90 fights, a split decision loss to Frankie Randall in January 1994 – here are 10. From controversial to dramatic, I’ve put them in categories.

The Craziest

The Bite Fight. There’s only one. It’s more infamous than famous, it was a heavyweight fight that shut down a casino and a city.

In the third round of the Tyson-Holyfield rematch on June 28, 1997, Tyson bit off a piece of Holyfield’s right ear. The arena erupted. Gunshots were heard in the parking lot. Blackjack tables were overturned on to the casino floor. A member of the Arena’s maintenance crew said he had found remains of Holyfield’s ear on the ring’s apron. He showed it to the media, a piece of flesh that he displayed like a relic. He placed it on the middle of a white napkin.

But apparently it was lost in a cab enroute to the emergency room where it was hoped that the bloodied Holyfield could be re-united with the missing earpiece.

Biggest Upsets

Pacquiao over Oscar De La Hoya, Dec. 6, 2008. Pacquiao, dominant in the lightest weight classes, jumps to welter in a fight against the bigger De La Hoya, one of the giants of his generation. Fans and media feared for Pacquiao. Pacquiao dominated, forcing De La Hoya to quit and retire after eight rounds.

Holyfield 11^th-round TKO over Tyson, November 9,1996. Holyfield wins an 11^th-round TKO. Tyson had gone into the fight heavily favored. Holyfield had been struggling. He had even been diagnosed with a heart problem. But his heart was huge and healthy. He was fearless in attacking Tyson, the bully of his time.

Biggest Knockouts

Pacquiao, KO of Ricky Hatton, May 2, 2008. In the last moment of the second round, Pacquiao lands a left hand that launches Hatton into mid-air. From a ringside seat, you could see the bottom of Hatton’s shoes. He was out before he hit the canvas.

Juan Manuel Marquez, KO of Pacquiao, Dec. 8, 2012. After a frustrating three losses to Pacquiao, a bulked-up Marquez took out his frustration in a third rematch. In the sixth round, Marquez ducked an attempted Pacquiao combo and delivered a straight right hand. Unconscious, Pacquiao, fell, face first, onto the canvas.

Dominating Performance

Marco Antonio Barrera, UD over Naseem Hamed, April 7, 2001. Barrera was one of the great featherweights and junior-featherweights of his generation. But Hamed was the show. As it turned out, he was also the victim. Barrera schooled him from round-to-round. Barrera looked frustrated by Hamed, who kept him waiting while he made a circus-like entrance. He dropped into the ring on a long cable attached to the Arena’s ceiling. Barrera waited, tapping one foot onto the canvas like an impatient teacher. The teacher then delivered a painful lesson.

Biggest Controversy

Timothy Bradley, SD over Pacquiao, June 9, 2012.

Boxing wouldn’t be what it is without scorecard controversies. But few have ever been as noisy as Bradley’s split-decision over Pacquiao, the Filipino’s first loss in seven years. Two judges had it 115-113 for Bradley. The third had it 115-113 for Pacquiao. The crowd and most of the media had Pacquiao winning easily. At the time, I was covering the fight for The New York Times. Going into the 12^th round, I had my story written and ready to send. Then, the scores were announced, forcing at least one writer into panicked rewrite.  

Biggest Event

Mayweather, UD over Pacquiao, May 2, 2015.

Since the Mike Tyson era, it was the one fight that generated attention from fans and media that had lost interest in boxing. Tickets and credentials were at a premium. Mayweather went on to win a careful decision. The pay-per-view did record numbers, 4.6 million buys.

Biggest Dud

Mayweather, UD over Pacquiao, May 2, 2015

Instead of fireworks, there were yawns. Mayweather’s defensive genius explains his unbeaten record. But the record pay-per-view audience paid to see the edgy drama that is created by fighters willing to risk it all. That didn’t happen.

Master Heavyweight

George Foreman, 10^th-round KO of Michael Moorer, Nov. 5, 1994.

Foreman, outsmarted by Muhammad Ali in Zaire in the 1974 Rumble In The Jungle, outsmarted a much-younger man two decades later. At 45, Foreman became the oldest heavyweight champ ever. With hands wrapped in gloves instead of wrapped around cheeseburgers, Foreman delivered  a crushing knockout of a 26-year Michael Moorer in a memorable, feel-good story. 

By Norm Frauenheim –

LAS VEGAS – On stage and in front of the cameras, Jose Benavidez Sr. looks at his son and sees a nice guy.

David Benavidez smiles.

He’s polite.

He’s cooperative.

But there’s a transformation when he steps into a ring and through ropes that are often a dividing line between the well-mannered personality of a consummate pro and the angry edge of danger that appears like a sudden storm amid the confines of boxing’s regulated violence.

“When he steps into the ring he’s often somebody I don’t recognize,’’ said Jose Sr., also his son’s trainer.

On Saturday, the day before Father’s Day, the son that Jose Jr. raised to be a fighter is expected to express that edgy persona in a light-heavyweight debut he’s favored to win against Oleksandr Gvozdyk, an accomplished ex-champion.

“I’m just going to be David Benavidez,’’ the 27-year-old ex-super-middleweight champion said Thursday during a co-main event news conference for an Amazon Prime card featuring lightweights Tank Davis and Frank Martin at the MGM Grand. “I’m going to go in and look to knock him out.’’

Through his 28 fights, Benavidez has collected nicknames, only victories, 24 knockouts and a fearsome reputation. He has a mean streak.

Insightful trainer Stephen Breadman Edwards was the first to see it from the opposing corner, initially in a Benavidez stoppage of Kyrone Davis in November 2021 and again in a punishing Benavidez decision over Caleb Plant in March 2023.

Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach saw the early signs of it when Benavidez, a chubby kid in his mid-teens, showed up with his father and older brother, Jose Benavidez Jr. at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif.

“Yeah, you could see it then,’’ Roach said in Phoenix, Benavidez’ hometown, before a Jaime Munguia victory over John Ryder in March. “In this business, a mean streak is a good thing to have.’’

It’s there, perhaps, because of the way his father raised him long before he ever walked into Central Boxing off the streets in downtown Phoenix.

“I was very hard on my sons,’’ Jose Sr. said. “I’ve changed in that way. I couldn’t do that anymore. But I was tough on them. That mean streak, maybe, is in David’s DNA.’’

There’s more to it than just that. There has to be, especially if Benavidez hopes to one day fight at heavyweight. The maturing Benavidez is working on ways to refine his skillset, his father says. He’s been ripped for a lack of footwork and defense.

“We’ve heard that,’’ his father said. “We know that. We’ve been working on it.’’

But that evident mean streak is there, fundamental to Benavidez’ ring persona. It’s instinctive, and it’s augmented by his abundant energy. Put the two together, and Benavidez has a rare extra gear. In the later rounds, it begins to kick in with a stubborn pursuit and punches thrown at a whirlwind rate. Andrade couldn’t stop it. Neither could Plant.

Now, Gvozdyk has a chance, perhaps a much better one than Andrade or Plant ever had.

“He’s a big fighter,’’ Gvozdyk said. “He was a huge super-middleweight.’’

At light-heavy, some advantages in size won’t be there for Benavidez. In a face-to-face stand-off for the cameras Thursday, Benavidez looked into the eyes of a taller opponent for perhaps the first time in his career.

Benavidez and Gvozdyk already know each other. They sparred about seven years ago in Oxnard, Calif. Then, however, Benavidez was only 20 years old, still figuring out that he liked to fight and had enough of a mean streak to do so at a very high level.

“He’s not that guy anymore,’’ Gvozdyk, an Olympic bronze medalist for the Ukraine and a roommate of undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk at the 2012 London Games. “I know that they call him The Monster. I’m a little bit skeptical about that.

“But there’s no doubt that he knows how to put the pressure on. I’ll have to deal with that. That means good footwork and movement. I’m just going to resist The Monster.’’

Gvozdyk would be the first be the first in a bout that could lead to a mandatory shot at the winner of the Dmitry Bivol-versus-Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed light-heavyweight title on Oct. 12.

“I’m going to be as dominant as I was in the super-middleweight division,’’ said Benavidez, who still hasn’t eliminated a possible showdown with undisputed 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez. “The better the competition, the better I’m going to be.’’

Maybe meaner, too.    

By Norm Frauenheim – 

LAS VEGAS – Other than Tank Davis showing up, it was a news conference without much news.

Davis, missing in action for the for the so-called Grand Arrivals Tuesday, appeared twenty-four hours later, armed with familiar insults and profanity at the final formal newser for his lightweight title defense against Frank Martin Saturday night.

“I’m going to eff you up,’’ Davis said at the MGM Grand, which will stage its 100^th fight card in a long, legendary run.

In so many words and gestures, Tank repeated the phrase ad nauseam. Only the eff never changed.

Martin, at least, delivered a clever counter.

“I’m glad Tank gave me the opportunity to kick his ass,’’ he said Wednesday.

From oddsmakers to fans, very few believe the 135-pound fight on Amazon Prime will play out quite the way Martin says it will.

Best guess, Martin winds up on his rear end midway through the fight, the main event on a solid card that includes David Benavidez in his light-heavyweight debut against former 175-pound champion Oleksandr Gvodzyk

But there is one notable exception. Former welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. thinks Martin has a real chance. Spence has to think that. He’s Martin’s manager.

“He’s going to show why he’s the best 135-pouder in the world,’’ said Spence, who sat next to his estranged trainer, Derrick James, Martin’s trainer.

Spence and James split not long after the stunning loss to Terence Crawford last July in a controversy that included a lot of angry allegations about money.

Apparently, they don’t agree about much, other than Martin, who for the most part managed to keep his cool in the face of insults and aggressive gestures from Tank.

Davis kept walking toward Martin, who backed away. At one point, Davis appeared to throw an aggressive couple of gestures. Martin reacted, almost as if an altercation was about to begin.

But it was a feint from Tank, who ran away and laughed at Martin.

“When he came up here, he was shaking,’’ Tank said.

Meanwhile, Tank appeared annoyed at stories of a sparring session with Martin several years ago. According to some, Martin landed a left hand that got Tank’s attention.

It “clipped” him, according to one account.

“He ain’t clipped s—,’’ Tank said.

In the end, the newser and maybe the sparring were nothing more than talk.

“We were just talking,” Martin said. “It can go how ever he wants it to go.

“If he acts up you all gonna see him get knocked out. If he comes in and acts crazy, he’s going to sleep.”

By Norm Frauenheim –

LAS VEGAS – If David Benavidez beats Oleksandr Gvozdyk Saturday night at the MGM Grand, he’ll have a decision to make.

A Benavidez victory would make him the World Boxing Council’s mandatory light-heavyweight challenger for the winner of the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol fight, re-scheduled for October 12.

He is already the WBC’s super-middleweight mandatory challenger to Canelo Alvarez’ undisputed title.

If Benavidez, a solid favorite, beats Gvozdyk in his 175-pound debut on Amazon Prime, he is expected to choose one or the other immediately after the fight, Benavidez promoter Sampson Lewkowicz confirmed Wednesday before a news conference featuring the main event, Tank Davis-versus-Frank Martin

Benavidez, a Phoenix fighter now living in Miami, would have 10 days to decide, according to a deadline imposed by the WBC.

Benavidez, who has said he is moving past all the talk about a showdown with Canelo, still talked about the Mexican pay-per-view star after he arrived in Vegas Tuesday.

He still believes the fight can happen.

Still, believes he can beat Canelo, too.

“in my heart, it’s going to happen,” Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) said. “When? I don’t know.

“But we’re 100 percent ready to get that fight and get that victory as well. I’m ready to fight whoever and beat whoever.’’

This week, that means Gvozdyk (20-1, 16 KOs), a whoever who held the WBC’s light-heavyweight belt from 2018 to 2019.

By Norm Frauenheim –

It looks as if Deontay Wilder’s improbable career has come to an end. Let’s hope so, anyway.

Zhilei Zhang delivered an unmistakable message in Saudi Arabia Saturday with successive rights that sent Wilder spinning onto the canvas like debris caught in a whirlpool.

It’s over, Deontay. More time in harm’s way only means the kind of harm that more money can’t correct. It was hard to watch. Sad in many ways.

I was there in 2008 when Wilder, an unknown novice from Tuscaloosa, won a modest bronze at the Beijing Olympics. He was a story only because he was the only American to win a boxing medal at the Beijing Games.

Then, he looked like another symbol of what was wrong with American boxing and its storied place in Olympic history, sports history.

Most of the U.S. media had already written off American boxing, Olympic and professional. It was on the fringe, and editors were trying to push it off that edge and into extinction. They still are.

Then, Wilder looked like an ominous marker on that road to nowhere. I was in Beijing for the same reason everybody else was.

I covered Michael Phelps’ record-setting eight gold medals in the pool. I watched Usain Bolt sprint into a history defined by Jesse Owens, Bob Hayes and Carl Lewis.

I wrote about Henry Cejudo, a Mexican-American from Phoenix who won wrestling gold yet couldn’t get his mom into China because of questions about her immigration status.

But, 16 years later, I mostly remember Wilder.

He sat in a dank, aging building in a dark Beijing neighborhood somewhere far from an Olympic complex that the Chinese had built to showcase their confidence and ambitions.

For now, boxing is still an Olympic sport, but you wouldn’t know it, at least not by real estate’s proverbial mantra: Location, location, location.

At the 2004 Games in Athens and then in Beijing, boxing was shoved, hidden perhaps, into urban corners not exactly known for swimming pools and rhythmic gymnastics. Good luck at finding a cab. Then again, cabbies know not to go there.  

Late at night in Beijing, there was the familiar chaos in the ring and mostly outside of it. American fighters rebelled against their appointed coaches. There was a midnight news conference about bribed judges and fixed fights. Cubans were screaming at Romanians.

It was an angry mess.

But in a crowded room that smelled like an Eastern European’s arm pit, there was Wilder, a 22-year-old going on 10. He was ecstatic.

He kept shaking his head in wonder. The rest of us just shook our heads. The media figured we’d seen the the last of Wilder

For the next 10-plus years, he surprised us. He enlivened the heavyweights – the flagship division suffocated by the stoic, effective Wladimir Klitschko. The media dismissed Wilder for his lack of boxing skill. He didn’t start until he was 20. His smarts were questioned. He was called a one-hit wonder.

But his right, the biggest since Tommy Hearns’ right hand, kept blowing away everybody in front of him. It was a force of nature, a lightning bolt, that shook up boxing’s dormant division.

To wit: It was a hell of a lot of fun.

His fifth-round stoppage loss to Zhang, whose ZZ initials are a pretty good acronym for what his right does, has been explained in a lot of ways.

One theory suggests that Wilder just doesn’t have the same kind of power in his right. Maybe. He’s 38. But power is the last thing to go, especially in heavyweights. Think George Foreman.

The guess here is that Tyson Fury took away Wilder’s childlike fearlessness, especially in their violent, five-knockdown fight in October 2021.

There are still questions about whether Fury – a heavyweight great in his own right because he got up from Wilder’s ferocious right – is the same after their trilogy fight about two-and-a-half years ago.

If Fury watched Wilder fall to Zhang, he might have wondered how much Wilder took from him. It’s a question that was there in the wake of his split-decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk, and it’s a question that lingers in his decision to fight a rematch projected for October.

At one level or another, Fury too might discover that it’s time, past-time, to walk way. Wilder should have retired after that third fight. Boxing, especially the heavyweight variety, doesn’t forgive. It just punishes.

It’s time, Deontay, to move on, to protect yourself and your family from the punches that jeopardize your future. Let your improbable career stand as an enduring example of what’s possible.

Boxing is at its best when it surprises. The unlikely Wilder is a face of its inexhaustible resilience.

I thought about that when I watched him lose to Zhang. For me, Wilder is a reason to be a fight-writer.

I say that just as my part in the business changes all over again. This column is appearing on a new, re-branded platform, TheBoxingHour.com instead of 15Rounds.com.

A couple of weeks ago, I learned that the boxing version of 15 Rounds was going away, another website change-up amid many during the last few months. Throughout my sports-writing days, I’ve been through this, ad nauseam.

Right after Beijing, I was shown the door by The Arizona Republic, where I had worked for 30-plus years.

I got a buyout, but I wasn’t ready to quit writing. I was also angry about the virtual end of my newspaper career.

When I was honored with the Nat Fleischer Award for excellence in boxing journalism from the Boxing Writers Association in 2008, I said in my acceptance speech that boxing would outlive newspapers. That might be the best pick I ever made.

Still, I concede that a couple of weeks ago I thought: Not again. Then, I watched Wilder in a loss at the end of a career that I saw begin.

He didn’t quit.

I won’t either.