By Norm Frauenheim

It wouldn’t exactly be a rematch. Let’s just call it a sequel, Slap 2.

It’s been all but inevitable ever since Caleb Plant slapped Jermall Charlo nearly three years ago in perhaps the biggest slap since Will Smith delivered an open-handed right to Chris Rock’s face at the 2022 Academy Awards.

Neither Smith nor Rock got an Oscar for that one. There was just an apology from Smith and a ready supply of punch lines for Rock’s stand-up rivals. They called it Slapgate, The Slappening and The Slap Heard Round The World. Social-media went slap-happy. Yet, there was no sequel.

But this is boxing where one good slap always sets the stage for another. That’s exactly what a card featuring Plant against Armando Resendiz in the main event and Charlo against Thomas LaManna Saturday in Las Vegas is all about. It’s supposed to be the sequel for later in the year. 

Plant confirmed as much Thursday at a final news conference and throughout the days before first bell at Mandalay Bay on a card streamed live by Amazon Prime.

“I’m going to fight two times this year,’’ said Plant, a former International Boxing Federation super-middleweight champion who will be fighting for the second time since his dramatic scorecard loss to Phoenix-born David Benavidez in 2023, also in Vegas.

When asked if Charlo was the planned opponent for the second fight, Plant said:

“Yes, as long as he takes care of business.’’

On a card with both Plant and Charlo heavily favored, Charlo is the key question. Nobody knows what to make of the former middleweight champion, who last fought an undersized Jose Benavidez Jr. — David’s older brother. Charlo won easily, but only after failing to make weight in November 2023. Charlo came in several pounds heavier than the limit. Sources told 15 Rounds/The Boxing Hour that Charlo paid Benavidez $75,000 for every pound he was over 160.

Charlo, one of boxing’s most prominent prospects a decade ago, has had issues outside of the ring, all of which have fans and pundits wondering about his readiness for an always-prepared Plant. Throughout much of Thursday’s live stream of the newser, both Plant and Charlo appeared to be respectful. There were a few glares. There might have been a couple of words. But not a single slap.

The slap that ignited the rivalry happened after the Terence Crawford-Errol Spence weigh-in July 28, 2023, the day before Crawford’s defining welterweight victory at Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. Plant and Charlo ran into each other in a nearby parking lot. They began to exchange insults. Then, Charlo, Plant said, began pulling on Plant’s beard amid an escalating torrent of obscene insults. That’s when Plant countered, delivering the slap that has generated most of the questions this week.

Those questions are no surprise, at least not for Plant, who addressed them to reporters after the formal portions of the newser.

“I’ve been prepared,’’ said Plant, who returns to the ring more popular than ever after a solid stoppage of Phoenix super-middleweight Trevor McCumby last September on a card featuring Canelo Alvarez’ victory over Edgar Berlanga. “I knew this would happen. I’m on my mark, completely focused on my next opponent. But I also knew that everybody would be asking questions.’’

Charlo knew they were coming, too. Thursday, he mocked LeManna, who was quick to counter with some of his own pointed mockery. LaManna, Charlo said Thursday, was only there because he put him there. Charlo promised to knock him out if he made a mistake or got too close. Other than that, Charlo dismissed LaManna as only an opponent for the beginning of a comeback.

“I need to get some rounds in,’’ Charlo said. “It’s been a while, you know.’’

Charlo also confirmed Plant’s plans beyond Saturday.

“We got bigger things in the future,’’ he said.  

Yes, Plant said.

“We’ve definitely got unfinished business,’’ Plant said in a tone that suggests he’s anxious to slap a finisher onto this rivalry.

By Norm Frauenheim

Staying busy and staying relevant are a couple of fundamentals, both of which will be at the top of Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez agenda on a jammed July 19 when he re-acquaints himself with his Texas fans in a bid to further define himself as boxing’s only Super Fly in a 115-pound unification bout.

Rodriguez won’t exactly have the stage to himself. In a forever balkanized game further fractured by feast-or-famine scheduling, Rodriguez’ will be scrambling for attention on a day when heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will defend his undisputed title in a rematch against Daniel Dubious at London’s Wembley Stadium and 46-year-old legend Manny Pacquiao will attempt another comeback in his first bout in four years against welterweight champion Mario Barrios in Vegas. 

The mid-summer triple-header is happening amid uncertainty surrounding the whereabouts of the much-hyped Terence Crawford-Canelo Alvarez spectacle,  which at last report is penciled in — keep your eraser at the ready — for September 13 instead of Sept. 12.

As of midday Friday, there was still no announcement of a new location, which originally had been the Raiders home field at Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. The silence is deafening. Also bewildering, unfair to fans and fighters. Then again, it’s also business as usual, which is to say it’s still a mess.

The good news is that none of it seems to bother the business-like Rodriguez, whose skillset includes just about everything other than distractions bought on by feuding promoters or social media’s trash-talk. 

Simply put: Bam does his job. He did it in a devastating response to non-stop taunts from Sunny Edwards, whom he put on the canvas in a defeated heap in a Phoenix suburb in December 2023. He did it again, this time in response to doubts about his youth and experience against accomplished Juan Francisco Estrada, whom he stopped with a tactical masterpiece last June, also in Phoenix. 

The victory over Estrada launched him into another category. It put him into the middle of the pound-for-pound debate, outside of the Naoya Inoue-Usyk-Crawford perch, yet still within striking distance. 

Staying there — as well as busy — is the task on July 19 when Rodriguez attempts to add the Word Boxing Organization’s 115-pound version of the title to his collection in Frisco TX, about 300 miles up I-35 from his home in San Antonio. 

Rodriguez is fighting somebody named Phumelela Cafu, a South African who will be fighting for the first time in the United States. 

Other than a stunning upset — a debatable split-decision over Kosei Tanaka last October in Japan for the WBO belt, the 30-year-old Cafu (11-0-3, 8 KOs) is unknown. That’s what makes him dangerous. That’s also why many will be watching Usyk-Dubois and Pacquiao-Barrios instead. But that’s also business, something Rodriguez (21-0,14 KOs) has also shown he understands.

Rodriguez is coming off a year when much of his momentum in the wake of his triumph over Estrada has stalled. It’s not his fault. But that, too, is business.

It started when Estrada decided not to enforce a rematch clause. He said he was moving up in weight. Truth is, it was more like moving away. Estrada simply didn’t want to fight Rodriguez again. 

It sent a message, first to Ramon Gonzalez, the best known name in the lightest divisions. Rodriguez’ management couldn’t talk Gonzalez into a fight.

Then, there’s Fernando Daniel Martinez, the World Boxing Association’s 115-pound champion. After Martinez took the WBA title from Kazuko Ioka with a unanimous decision in Japan a week after Bam stopped Estrada, there were reports that there were talks of a unification fight with the Argentine. 

Then, however, Estrada announced he didn’t want the rematch and Gonzalez declined to fight Rodriguez. Instead of Rodriguez, Martinez opted for a rematch with Ioka, which he won by another unanimous decision, again in Japan May 11.

There were other circumstances, still it’s beginning to look as if Rodriguez is a contender for Most Avoided, a title nobody wants. Ask Phoenix-born light heavyweight champion David Benavidez, who futilely chased Canelo Alvarez for years and now is hoping for a real shot at some validation of his World Boxing Council belt in a first defense against the Dmitrii Bivol-Artur Bivol 3 winner.

For Rodriguez, Martinez continues to loom as a possibility. But Benavidez, who was given the WBC belt when Bivol acceded to promotional demands and agreed to a third Beterbiev fight, looms as an example of what he and every other avoided fighter must do no matter what happens:

The job.

Rodriguez, who easily scored a stoppage of Pedro Guevara in support of a Jaron Ennis-featured card in Philadelphia in November, fights on, this time in search of a belt that might give him some leverage with promoters, networks and — above all — fans.

A year ago, there was talk of Rodriguez against Inoue, who is coming off a dramatic stoppage of another San Antonio fighter, Ramon Cardenas in Vegas May 4. Then, Bam-versus-The Monster was a Dream Fight. Still is, but the talk has subsided. 

Inoue, undisputed at junior-featherweight and facing a risky date against Murodjon Akhmadaliev Sept. 14 in Japan, is still talking about a move to featherweight, despite suffering an early knockdown against Cardenas at junior-feather. Inoue’s decision figures to be made by how he does against the dangerous Akhmadaliev.

Even then, however, an all-Japanese fight awaits, Inoue against bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani, who has been training in Los Angeles for a 118-pound unification bout against Ryosuke Nishida June 8 in Tokyo. 

The good news for Rodriguez is that Nakatani continues to say he wants to fight Bam. Nakatani trainer Rudy Hernandez set the stage for one by calling out Bam this week during a media workout at LA Gym.

“Junto beats Bam, 100 percent, within six to eight rounds,’’ Hernandez told The Ring. “We’ll knock him out. I am confident about it, but that’s my opinion. It’s not personal.

“It’s business.’’

Bam’s business, too.

PLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA – Super featherweight prospect Gabriel Garcia scored the stoppage he predicted over Armando Frausto, but likely in a less satisfying fashion than he envisioned and rising featherweight Kyle Lacanlale delighted his throng of supporters in an action-packed decision over Rodolfo Molina to cap a ten-bout card at the Alameda County Fairgrounds on Saturday night.

Garcia (12-0, 7 KOs) of Antioch, California and Frausto (10-7-1, 5 KOs) of La Marque, Texas were just getting started when the action was abruptly halted with both combatants covered in blood. While Garcia, 129 ½, was covered in crimson, the blood was entirely the property of Frausto, 130, as a vertical gash had opened over his left eye in the midst of an exchange. 

Referee Gerard White conferred with California State Athletic Commission official Nichole Bowles and the ruling was that the cut was caused by a legal punch, declaring Garcia the winner at 1:26 of the opening round. 

A frustrated Frausto and his team disagreed with the ruling and Garcia seemed amenable to a rematch during their in-ring post-fight discussion. 

In the co-main event, Kyle Lacanlale (5-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon, California scored a thrilling four-round decision over a game Rodolfo Molina (0-2) of Antioch, California. 

Lacanlale, 124 ¾, and Molina, 125, engaged in a toe-to-toe, offense-first battle at the opening bell. With his corner instructing him at times to settle down, Lacanlale opted to engage and meet Molina’s aggression with aggression of his own. Lacanlale’s edge in power was apparent, but Molina made him work. 

Referee Shannon Sands had the ringside physician take a look at Molina before the start of round three, which would end up being the toughest act for the Antioch native. With punches coming both ways, Lacanlale landed a crisp and short right hand that resulted in the first knockdown of the bout. Molina returned to his feet and kept up the pressure, but Lacanlale landed another combination that resulted in the second knockdown. With seconds left in the round, Lacanlale rocked Molina again with a left hook, but the bell sounded before any follow-up could potentially end the fight. 

Despite the rough round three, Molina resumed his offensive style and caught Lacanlale a few times down the stretch of the fight. In the end, the crowd favorite Lacanlale won every round on the cards of judges Susan Thomas Gitlin, Mike Rinaldi and Joel Farbstein, 40-34. Lacanlale will return to the ring on September 6th on the Upper Cut Promotions card at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. 

Former amateur star Kumar Prescod (3-0, 3 KOs) of Oakland, California scored a second-round stoppage of an awkward Rueben Johnson (1-8, 1 KO) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

Prescod, 175, toyed with Johnson, 172, a bit in the first round before coming out aggressively to begin the second. Prescod pressed Johnson into a neutral corner and uncorked an unrelenting combination before referee Gerard White called a halt to the mismatch at 39 seconds of round two. 

In a crossroads bout between veterans, Willie Shaw (15-6, 10 KOs) of Vallejo, California scored a workmanlike six-round decision over Salvador Briceño (18-11-1, 11 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and fighting out of the Jose Morales Boxing Academy in Roseville, California. Shaw, 139, was the busier fighter over the course of the bout. Briceño, 139.5, had fleeting moments, but never really got rolling. 

Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin had it a shutout, 60-54, judge Joel Farbstein scored it 59-55, and judge Mike Rinaldi had it 58-56. 

Without breaking a sweat, Sergio Gonzalez (2-0, 2 KOs) of Sacramento, California scored a quick referee’s stoppage of Tyre Travon Reed (0-1) of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Gonzalez, 156, hurt Reed, 152, with the first sweeping hook he threw. Reed did not have the best defense and referee Gerard White decided to stop the contest to save the Las Vegas resident from further punishment. Official time was 1:21 of the first round. Gonzalez will return to the ring on September 6th on the Upper Cut Promotions card at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. 

Utilizing his decisive edge in height and reach, Alton Wiggins (2-1-1) of Modesto, California scored a four-round unanimous decision over an onrushing Michael Portales (3-4-1, 1 KO) of San Jose, California.   

After a feeling out first round, Portales, 154.5, stepped on the gas in the second, landing clean with a few head shots. With Wiggins’ edge in height, Portales had to sell out a bit and wing his way inside. Wiggins, 155, won over judges despite Portales’ best efforts to force the action.

All three judges, Susan Thomas Gitlin, Mike Rinaldi and Joel Farbstein, scored the bout for Wiggins, 39-37. 

Braulio Ceja Navarro (5-0, 2 KOs) of Concord, California remained unbeaten as he took a close decision on the cards over Emond Driver (1-3, 1 KO) of Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Ceja Navarro, 138, and Driver, 139.5, followed a heated weigh-in with a rough and tumble bout. Ceja Navarro’s class began to prove itself in the third round, before the Concord resident really upped his attack in the fourth. A clean right forced Driver back into his own corner, scoring an official knockdown. Ceja Navarro’s follow-up was stunted by warnings to both for rough stuff, which may have helped Driver clear his head. 

Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored the bout 38-37 for Driver, but was overruled by judge Mike Rinaldi, who had it 39-36, and judge Joel Farbstein, 38-37, both for Ceja Navarro. 

Isaiah Orozco (3-0, 2 KOs) of Gilroy, California managed a four-round split decision over Juan Molina (1-3, 1 KO) of Oakland in a crowd-pleasing action bout. 

Orozco controlled the first, boxing at a distance. An early round trip to the canvas by Molina was correctly ruled a slip by referee Shannon Sands.

Molina found some success turning southpaw late in the second round, while also forcing more of a close range fight. The third and fourth featured exciting, two-way action as each had their moments. Molina found a way to land clean with his left at short range and out of the southpaw stance. Orozco landed some eye-catching blows upstairs as well. 

Judge Mike Rinaldi scored the bout for Molina 49-37, but was overruled by judges Joel Farbstein and Susan Thomas Gitlin, who scored it 39-37, for Orozco. 

Nicholas Saavedra (2-0, 1 KO) of Modesto dropped Richard Esquibel (1-3, 1 KO) of Albuquerque, New Mexico once in the second en route to a third-round referee stoppage.

Saavedra, 126.5, held the clear power edge immediately, but really sat down on his body shots in round two, landing three in a row, punctuated by a left that dropped Esquibel, 126.5. Another left upstairs wobbled Esquibel just before the bell to end the round.

Saavedra varied his attack to start the third, but soon went back down to the bread basket. With Esquibel wincing from the body blows, Saavedra pressed the New Mexican to a neutral corner with a combination upstairs that forced the hand of referee Gerard White. Time of the stoppage was 2:02 of the third. Saavedra will return to the ring on July 17th on the Toscano Boxing Promotions card at the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort in Jamestown, California.

The Bay Area’s Tiare Womack (1-0, 1 KO) scored her first career professional KO before breaking her first professional sweat, halting Lauren Michaels (2-5) of Holidaysburg, Pennsylvania in under a minute.

Michaels, 128.5, made a tactical error in opting to trade at close range with the powerfully-built Womack, 131, at the outset. Mid-exchange, Womack caught Michaels with a straight right that dropped the Pennsylvania native. Michaels watched the count from her knees and rose in time. Moments later, Womack flurried Michaels into the blue corner, prompting referee Shannon Sands to end the bout at 52 seconds of the first. 

Saturday’s event was the first offering of Elite Underdog Promotions and Benjamin’s Boxing, who announced they will present their next event in December. 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

SAN RAMON, CALIFORNIA – Super featherweight prospect Gabriel Garcia returns to the ring and makes his debut on the top of the bill as he takes on Armando Frausto to cap a ten-bout card at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California. The event, titled “The Next Generation of Fighters,” serves as the inaugural professional boxing offering by upstart Elite Underdog Promotions and Benjamin’s Boxing. Fighters weighed-in on Friday afternoon at Benjamin’s Boxing in nearby San Ramon. 

Garcia (11-0, 6 KOs) of Antioch, California will end a nine-month layoff against a well-built Frausto (10-6-1, 5 KOs) of La Marque, Texas in a six-round bout. Garcia, who weighed-in at 129.5 pounds on Friday, was last in action back in August when he scored a six-round unanimous decision over Giovanni Gutierrez. Frausto, who scaled 130, has a record that can deceive, as five of his six career defeats came against a quintet of prospects who entered their bouts with a combined record of 52-1-2. 

“I feel real excited,” says Garcia. “I’ve been training very hard and prepared myself mentally and physically. I am just ready to put on a show on Saturday night.” 

Garcia will end the longest non-COVID era layoff of his career on Saturday night and will do so as the main event for the first time as a pro, as he fights near home for the second time in a row.

“I went through a couple injuries over the last year, but we recovered well and just in time to get on to this card,” said Garcia, explaining his time away. “I am ready to show out and get back on the train track. Expect to see fireworks and a body bag.” 

In the co-main event, undefeated featherweight prospect Kyle Lacanlale (4-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon fights in his home area code for the first time as a professional as he takes on tough Rodolfo Molina (0-1) of Antioch, California in a four-round bout. Lacanale, who trains out of Benjamin’s Boxing, was last in the ring in March, winning a shutout four-round decision over a rugged southpaw in Brandon Badillo. Lacanlale weighed-in at 124 ¾, while Molina made 125-pounds. 

Former amateur standout Kumar Prescod (2-0, 2 KOs) of Oakland, California will take on  Rueben Johnson (1-7, 1 KO) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a four-round light heavyweight bout. Prescod was last in the ring this past March, scoring a fourth-round stoppage of Ernesto Gutierrez. Prescod came in at the division limit of 175-pounds, while Johnson scaled 172. 

In a competitively-matched bout between two veterans, Willie Shaw (14-6, 10 KOs) of Oakland will take on Salvador Briceño (18-10-1, 11 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and fighting out of the Jose Morales Boxing Academy in Roseville, California in a six-round light welterweight bout. Shaw, who scaled 139-pounds on Friday, has been a road warrior for much of his career, but gets to fight back close to home for the first time in over five years. Briceño, who scaled 139 ½-pounds, hopes to end a three-fight skid against tough competition.  

Former amateur standout Sergio Gonzalez (1-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California and his debuting opponent Tyre Travon Reed of Las Vegas, Nevada engaged in one of the more contentious face-offs on Friday. The two will meet in a four-round light middleweight bout on Saturday. Gonzalez, who made 156-pounds, was last in the ring in March, scoring a second-round stoppage of Miguel Soto-Garcia in Lincoln, California. Reed, who was doing most of the talking, scaled 152-pounds. 

In a bout that was originally scheduled to take place last August in Oakland, Michael Portales (3-3-1, 1 KO) of San Jose, California will take on Alton Wiggins (1-1-1) of Modesto, California in what has the makings of an evenly-matched light middleweight bout. Portales, who trains out of Benjamin’s Boxing, weighed-in at 154 ½, while Wiggins, looking to rebound from his first career defeat, scaled 155 even. 

Polished prospect Braulio Ceja Navarro (4-0, 2 KOs) of Concord, California will take on Emond Driver (1-2, 1 KO) of Indianapolis, Indiana in a four-round light welterweight bout. Before a face-off so heated it continued in the parking lot after the weigh-in had ended, Ceja Navarro scaled 138, while Driver made 139 ½-pounds.  

Trained by the famed Guerrero Family, Isaiah Jesse Orozco (2-0, 2 KOs) of Gilroy, California will take on Juan Molina (1-2, 1 KO) of Oakland in a four-round lightweight bout. Orozco, who turned professional with two bouts in Tijuana, Mexico, made 132 ½, as did a very determined-looking Molina. 

Nicholas Saavedra (2-0) of Modesto will face Richard Esquibel (1-2, 1 KO) of Albuquerque, New Mexico in a four-round featherweight bout. The nineteen-year-old Saavedra, who will make his 2025 debut, weighed-in at 126 ½-pounds on Friday. Esquibel, who had the misfortune of turning professional against Floyd Schofield, but got into the win column last time out, also scaled 126 ½-pounds. 

Well-regarded Bay Area amateur standout Tiare Womack, who fights out of Benjamin’s Boxing, will make her highly-anticipated pro debut against Lauren Michaels (2-4) of Holidaysburg, Pennsylvania in a four-round super featherweight bout. Womack made 131-pounds, while Michaels scaled 128 ½ -pounds. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Super featherweights, 6 Rounds

Garcia 129 ½

Frausto 130

Featherweights, 4 Rounds

Lacanlale 124 ¾

Molina 125

Light heavyweights, 4 Rounds

Prescod 175

Johnson 172

Light welterweights, 6 Rounds

Shaw 139

Briceño 139 ½ 

Light middleweights, 4 Rounds

Gonzalez 156

Reed 152

Light middleweights, 4 Rounds

Portales 154 ½ 

Wiggins 155

Light welterweights, 4 Rounds

Ceja Navarro 138

Driver 139 ½ 

Lightweights, 4 Rounds

Orozco 132 ½ 

Molina 132 ½ 

Featherweights, 4 Rounds

Saavedra 126 ½ 

Esquibel 126 ½ 

Super featherweights, 4 Rounds

Womack 131

Michaels 128 ½ 

Tickets for the event, promoted by Elite Underdog Promotions and Benjamin’s Boxing, are available online at Eventbrite.com

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

SAN RAMON, CALIFORNIA – Undefeated featherweight prospect Kyle Lacanlale aims to defend his home turf when he returns to the ring this coming Saturday night against Rodolfo Molina at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in nearby Pleasanton, California. The four-round bout will serve as co-main event on the “Next Generation of Fighters” card presented by upstart promoters Elite Underdog Promotions and Benjamin’s Boxing. 

Lacanlale (4-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon has fought in the Bay Area and elsewhere in Northern California before, but Saturday’s contest will take place less than 10 miles from Dougherty Valley High, where the young prospect attended school. Fighting so close to his home base for the first time has Lacanlale, whose nickname “Masanting” means handsome in Kapampangan, a Filipino language, looking forward to Saturday night. 

“I am really excited,” explains Lacanlale. “I grew up going to the Fairgrounds for the Fair and all the events they have there. To be the co-main event on a show there in Pleasanton, California and have all my family and friends and the local community behind me, it is something that I’ve been looking forward to.” 

For some young fighters, the responsibility that would come with being in the co-main event so close to home would be an intrusion on their preparation. However, the determined Lacanlale remained focused in camp and is ready to put on a show for his local following on Saturday night. 

“It is not a distraction,” says Lacanlale of fighting at home. “I take it as motivation. I am excited when my family comes out to support me and they get loud and a lot of people come through for me. It is just added fuel to the fire for me when I get in the ring.”

If preparing for his fifth pro bout was not enough of a workload, Lacanlale is simultaneously wrapping up his junior year at California State University, East Bay, where he studies kinesiology. Finding the balance between academics and athletics is something not foreign to the young pro.

“When I am not in the gym, I am at home taking care of my schoolwork,” explains Lacanlale. “I really have to manage my time and set my schedule straight to get everything I need to get done in a day. I went to Dougherty Valley High, which is a very academic school. I grew up doing this. Academics is something that has always been important in my family. I take care of business in the classroom and in the gym. It just shows how bad you want it. If you want it, you can get it. I put my 110% into everything I do from being in the classroom to being in the gym.” 

Last time out, Lacanlale scored a shutout four-round decision over a scrappy Brandon Badillo at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California this past March. All three judges scored every round for Lacanlale, who drew a sizable crowd to the Sacramento suburb. 

“That was my first southpaw in the pros,” says Lacanlale of Badillo. “I thought I performed very well. I beat him convincingly. He didn’t manage to win a round against me. I was able to box him and control the entire fight. I turned it up a little too late, otherwise I probably could have got him out of there, but I think I showed my skills on that night.” 

Saturday’s event is co-promoted by Juan Sanchez of Elite Underdog Promotions and Ali Benjamin, proprietor of Benjamin’s Boxing, where Lacanlale has trained for years. With Benjamin a longtime fixture in his corner, taking the co-main event slot on this card has some added significance for the San Ramon native. 

“To have Coach Ali putting this event together, along with Elite Underdog Promotions, means a lot and it is an honor for me to be the co-main event,” explains Lacanlale. “I just want to display my skills and put on a good show for everyone at the Fairgrounds.” 

Lacanlale will meet rugged Rodolfo Molina (0-1) of Antioch, California on Saturday night. Molina fought valiantly, but came up short in his pro debut against the well-regarded Irving Xilohua in Sacramento and was willing to sign for a bout with Lacanlale when many others passed on the opportunity. 

“I know he fought Irving in his first professional fight and we know Irving is a solid fighter,” explains Lacanlale. “We’ve seen him throughout the years. From Molina, I expect a tough fighter and we are not overlooking him. I train hard for every fight I step into the ring for and I think that my skills will carry me to a win.”  

Lacanlale, who will be one of the featured fighters taking part in a media day at Benjamin’s Boxing on Thursday afternoon, is determined to make his homecoming fight of sorts a memorable one for all of those who attend on Saturday night. 

“You can expect an exciting fight,” says Lacanlale. “I’ve been training hard and I am feeling sharp. I am ready and determined and I cannot wait to put on a show on May 24th.” 

Tickets for the event, promoted by Elite Underdog Promotions and Benjamin’s Boxing, are available online at Eventbrite.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

By Norm Frauenheim

Few great careers are complete without a risky comeback or two and, sure enough, 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao is poised to made a second one six weeks after he’s inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

What has been rumored for weeks became official Thursday with an announcement from a Pacquiao spokesman that he’ll face welterweight champion Mario Barrios in his first bout in four years on July 19, probably in Las Vegas.

Why? 

Why-oh-why? 

The question is little bit like a comeback. It’s almost — thank you, Marvin Hagler — inevitable, even if a good answer rarely is.

Pacquiao, boxing’s only champion to win belts in eight different divisions, fought and lost a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in his first comeback August 21, 2021 in Vegas. Mostly, that loss is remembered for his emotional, compelling post-fight news conference. He spoke like a statesman.

The next day, he formally announced his retirement in video posted on Facebook.

“Goodbye boxing, thank you for changing my life,” he said then.

Hello boxing, he said Thursday.

Plans have been in the works for awhile. Thursday’s formal news was preceded by online books posting opening odds earlier this week. That’s always a pretty good bet that a rumored fight is a done deal. Pacquiao is picked to lose to the 29-year-old Barrios, a San Antonio welterweight who opened as a minus-500 favorite. 

I’m only hoping for odds that Pacquiao doesn’t get hurt. That’s the only bet I’d make.

In an interview with Sean Zittel after the fight was announced Thursday, trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards said it best. 

Said it for us all.

“I don’t want to see a legend get hurt,’’ Breadman said. 

Too often, however, it’s the risk that sells, and this one figures to sell very well on a busy July 19 that will include heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk-Daniel Usyk 2 at London’s Wembley Stadium and super-flyweight champ Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a title unification bid against Phumelela Cafu in Frisco, TX, a Dallas suburb. Reportedly, the Pacquiao-Barrios card will also include Sebastian Fundora-Tim Tszyu 2, a terrific rematch.

But much of the attention will be on Pacquiao, who is just the latest example of how celebrity is a lot more durable than a chin or foot speed. 

Against Ugas, Pacquiao, then 42, looked every bit his age. Perhaps, his power — always the last thing to go — was still there then. 

And now. 

In 2021, however, he was never able to land much of a telling blow against Ugas, a slick fighter and former Olympian educated in Cuba’s elusive style. Barrios, the World Boxing Council’s 147-pound champion, looked vulnerable against Abel Ramos in a surprising draw last November on a card that drew worldwide interest because it featured aging Mike Tyson against Jake Paul. Tyson couldn’t move his feet or his head any more, either. 

Ramos — an aggressive fighter from Casa Grande, south of Phoenix — wore down Barrios, taking him into the final rounds with stubborn pursuit and quick reflexes. Ramos, who deserves a rematch, is 33, 13 years younger than Pacquiao.

That brings us back to the beginning: 

Why?

Why-oh-why? 

Pacquiao, who will be formally inducted to the Hall in Canastota NY June 8,  is as good a story as any. He’s been a people’s champ. Perhaps, The People’s Champ in a boxing history endlessly compelling because of them. 

He was a forgotten kid who fought his way out and off a third-world country’s poorest streets and into the hearts of his fellow Filipinos. 

He transformed himself into a worldwide celebrity, popular enough to become a Filipino Senator and even a Presidential contender. Politics cost a lot of money. Pacquiao— generous to a fault, if that’s possible — has been known to give away much of what he made in the ring to the poorest Filipinos. He bought meals, homes and fishing fleets.

But even the people move on, and now there are signs that has happened to Pacquiao, too. He failed in his second run for a Senate seat. It was announced Wednesday in the Philippines that he did not get enough votes to finish among the top 12 candidates for the Senate’s available seats. 

Pacquiao, the Federal Party’s nominee, finished with 10,208,499 votes, leaving him in 18th place overall. Turns out, he went from 18th in Filipino politics to fifth in the WBC’s welterweight ratings. But that’s a different story for a different day.

The question here is about money. Does Pacquiao have to fight to pay his political bills? We’ll never really know. At heart, he’s still a fighter, still the name that captured hearts In the Philippines and everywhere else. 

Maybe, he’s back just because he wants to re-live the ring moments that made him so captivating. But he doesn’t have to. His legacy is safe, no matter what happens on July 19. Forever, he’s a genuine legend.

That’s why, as Breadman says, we don’t want him to get hurt. 

Emanuel Navarrete retained the WBO Junior Lightweight title with a controversial technical unanimous decision over Charly Suarez at The Pachanga Arena in San Diego, California.

In round one, Suarez started to bleed from the nose after Navarrete landed a straight right. In round four, Suarez was cut over the right eye from an accidental headbutt. In round six, Navarrete suffered a horrendous looking cut over his left eye from an accidental headbutt. Replays showed that it was a clean left hand from Suarez that caused the cut.

The doctor checked the cut to begin the seventh frame. The doctor then stopped the fight as the eighth bell rang.

When they went to the scorecards, Navarrete won by scores of 78-75 and 77-75 twice.

Navarrete, 130 lbs of San Juan, Mexico needed six tries to make the championship weight limit is now 40-2-1. Suarez, 129.9 lbs of Sawata, PHL is 18-1.

Muratalla Decisions Abdullaev; Wins Interim Lightweight Belt

Raymod Muratalla won the IBF Interim Lightweight Title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Zaur ABdullaev.

Muratalla landed 140 of 533 punches; Abdullawv was 87 of 352.

Abdullaev, 134.4 lbs of Fontana, CA won by scores of 119-109 twice and 118-110 and is now 23-0. Abdullaev, 134.6 lbs of Russia is 20-2.

The full champion is Vasiliy Lomachenlko. Lomachecko has not defended his title due to a back injury,

Andres Cortes remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Salvador Jimenez in a junior lightweight bout.

Cortes landed 120 of 501 punches. Jimenez was 63 0r 253.

Cortes, 131.7 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91 and is now 23-0. Jimenez, 131.9 lbs of Spain is 14-2-1.

Giovani Santillan won a 10-round unanimous decision over Angel Beltran in a welterweight fight.

Santillan, 147.2 lbs of San Diego won by scores of 97-93 on all cards and is now 34-1. Beltran, 146.6 lbs of Mexicali. MEX is 18-3.

Perla Bazaldua won a four-round unanimous decision over Mona Ward in a junior bantamweight fight.

Bazaldua, 114.4 lbs of Los Angeles won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 2-0. Ward, 114.1 lbs of Saint Louis is 0-2.

Alan Garcia won an eight-round unanimous decision over Cristian Medina in a lightweight contest.

Garcia, 136.7 lbs of Ulysses, KS won by scores of 79-73 on all cards and is now 16-1. Medina, 136.7 lbs of Unaipan, MEX is 8-3-1.

Sebastian Hernandez remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Azat Hovhannisyan in a junior featherweight bout.

In round nine, Hovhannisyan was docked a point for holding.

Hernandez, 122 lbs of Tijuana, MEX won by scores of 98-91 on all cards and is now 20-0. Hovhannisyan, 122.7 lbs of Terovan, ARM is 21-6.

By Norm Frauenheim

From weird to wow with a futile stop that was a waste of time, it was a weekend ride from gutter to great. 

For a forever fractured sport, there was reason for the usual abolitionists to say it’s dying, dead all over again. Then, there was a sudden resurrection of the stubborn resilience fundamental to a game always at its best when it’s getting up and off the deck.

Hate it or love it, it was all there in a postcard look at a journey that started in Times Square, not far from Madison Square Garden. Ryan Garcia lost and cried, Devin Haney was forgettable and Teofimo Lopez set himself up for a better day. Tank Davis, who is coming off a draw to Lamont Roach Jr, wasn’t there at all. 

They fought as though they would have been a lot more comfortable, if not more effective at the famed Garden, which — like author George Kimball’s original Four Kings (Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran) — emerged from it all with legacies very much intact. 

Then, there was Riyadh and super-middleweight Canelo Álvarez on the road to a September 12 date with former all-time welterweight great Terence Crawford at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. 

It was perceived to be a tune-up, Maybe, that’s all it was. If so, it should have happened behind closed doors instead of in front of a live-stream audience. There are more exciting sparring sessions in neighborhood gyms than what we saw in Riyadh. Maybe, Canelo was careful not to reveal anything in his decision over William Scull. Or, maybe, there’s just not much left, other than his restored undisputed title. 

Whatever it was, it left a question, a lingering one. Perhaps a damaging one, too. Throughout 12 rounds, there were persistent signs of a decline apparent for a couple of years. From a promotional standpoint, a quick knockout of Scull would have worked. It would have dispelled doubts about Canelo. 

But now they persist, all them fueling skepticism about whether Canelo and Crawford can ever fulfill escalating expectations.

The good news is, yes, they can. 

The proof was delivered on the weekend’s final stop, Las Vegas, where Naoya Inoue and Ramon Cardenas delivered a performance that had it all. 

There was a Rocky moment followed by that up-and-off-the-deck display of grit, which was then complemented by a poised, thorough execution of skill. 

Inoue’s eighth-round stoppage of the unlikely Cardenas in the Sunday curtain-closer to a Cinco de Mayo triple-header was a timely answer to all of the doom and gloom left by the Times Square and Riyadh exhibitions.

There’s no telling whether it’ll be Fight of the Year. A lot of factors go into that one. From this corner, however, it’s already the Most Significant Fight in this year and maybe a few others. 

Above all, it’ll keep some fans in their proverbial seats, at least for awhile. If Inoue-Cardenas had resembled the prior two nights in any way, another erosion in the fan base might have followed.

Inoue-Cardenas reminded us why we watch. Why we’ve been watching. 

It started with Cardenas, a likable San Antonio junior-featherweight who didn’t have any illusions about why he was there. He was the designated opponent for Inoue, heavily favored in what looked like a pound-for-pound campaign stop in his first American appearance in about four years.

But Cardenas promised Inoue a fight. He also said he wasn’t there just to collect a paycheck, which looked to be the only motivation in Times Square and Riyadh.

Cardenas’ proof was delivered by a short left hand that dropped Inoue hard in the second round. Japan’s rising son was dazed — in as much trouble as he been in his otherwise brilliant career. Luis Nery dropped him early, but not with the same concussive power. 

There have been a lot of questions about Inoue in the days since last Sunday. Above all, the knockdown is a reason for Inoue, now 32, to abandon his plans to move to featherweight, up the scale from 122 pounds to 126. He’s been knocked down twice in his last four bouts.

“As long as I can make weight at this division, I will stay in this division,’’ he said after breaking down and stopping Cardenas at 45 seconds of the eighth.

The Cardenas’ knockdown has also been interpreted as a developing vulnerability in Inoue. Maybe.

Maybe, he gets knocked down again by Murodjon Akhmadaliev in Japan on Sept. 14 in another opportunity to make a pound-for-pound statement just a couple days after Canelo-Crawford. 

Thus far, however, a solid case can be made that Inoue is at best at the very moment he appears to be at his most vulnerable. 

Throughout his brilliant 30-0 career, most of the attention has been on Inoue’s comprehensive skillset. Fair enough. But he’s proving to be special because of the way he addresses adversity. 

He fought back from a fractured eye socket, suffered in the second round, in a 2019 unanimous decision over Nonito Donaire. He got up from a first-round knockdown and scored a sixth-round stoppage of Nery in May 2024. Don’t be surprised if gets up, all over again against the left-handed MJ.

Boxing is all about adversity. It’s about getting up. In the here and now, nobody does it better than Inoue, a little guy with unerring instincts and knowhow, both more than enough to keep fans in the seats and him at No. 1 in the pound-for-pound debate. 

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Later tonight, the pound-for-pound discussion will continue for superstar Naoya Inoue as he defends his unified super bantamweight title against heavy underdog Ramon Cardenas in the ESPN-televised main event from T-Mobile Arena. First bell for the six-bout undercard began at 3:15 PM local time. 

Junior welterweight prospect Emiliano Fernando Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) of Las Vegas steamrolled past light-punching Juan Leon Alvarez (11-2-1, 2 KOs) of Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain by way of Guayaquil, Ecuador, scoring a second-round stoppage. 

Vargas, 138.7, was active in the first round, but really upped his intensity once he felt the best Leon Alvarez, 139.9, had to offer by late in the opener. Vargas came out determined in the second and eventually landed a right hand, followed by sweeping left that dropped the Ecuadorian for the first knockdown. Leon Alvarez beat the count, but Vargas did not let him off the hook. Vargas, one of three fighting sons of “El Feroz,” landed an overhand right in close, followed by a three-quarter left that cleaned up for the second knockdown and prompted an immediate stoppage from referee Robert Hoyle. 

Official time of the stoppage was 1:40 of the second round, With the win, Vargas claimed his first taste of hardware, the minor NABF Junior light welterweight title.

World ranked featherweight Mikito Nakano (13-0, 12 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Hiroshima, Japan was impressive in his United States debut, halting Pedro Marquez (16-2, 10 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico inside of four rounds as his countryman Naoya Inoue looked on from the dressing room. 

Nakano, 125.9, began to display his power edge early in round two. Nakano, the IBF #8/WBC #10/WBA #10/WBO #11 ranked featherweight, eventually punctuated a series of punches with a short left hand that resulted in a delayed reaction knockdown. The Japanese contender kept the pressure when action resumed and dropped Marquez, 126, moments later, landing in combination through the Puerto Rican native’s gloves. 

Nakano continued to punish his adversary, scoring a knockdown early in the third, splitting Marquez’s guard and snapping his head back on the way down. Marquez would see the bell to end the round after offering back just enough to keep referee Harvey Dock satisfied. 

It was only a matter of time however, as Nakano scored two more knockdowns in the fourth to force the stoppage. Nakano scored the first knockdown of the round, dropping Marquez with a clean right to the body. Nakano downed Marquez for a fifth and final time shortly thereafter, landing another right to the body. Marquez fired back with a left counter that missed, but the pain came a second later, forcing the Puerto Rican to a knee. Having seen enough, Dock immediately waved off the onslaught at 1:58 of fourth. 

Exciting junior middleweight prospect Art Barrera Jr. (9-0, 7 KOs) of Lynwood, California utilized his edge in power to score a sixth-round stoppage over soft-punching Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. (6-2-1, 2 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois. 

Barrera, 152.7, did not appear bothered by much of what Guerra, 153.7, had to offer and controlled the fight from the early going. Barrera began to open up and punished Guerra for much of round five, exploiting lapses in the Chicago native’s defense and landing in combination. Guerra managed to survive the round, but referee Thomas Taylor kept a keen eye at the start of round six. With Guerra taking unanswered punches early in the round, Taylor leaped in to stop the mismatch at the first opportunity. Official time was 1:15 of the sixth. 

Ra’eese Aleem (22-1, 12 KOs) of Las Vegas took what he must hope is the first step towards a world title opportunity as he boxed his way to a ten-round unanimous decision over a game Rudy Garcia (13-2-1, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles, California in the curtain raiser. 

Aleem, 125.6, and Garcia, 125.3, engaged in a chess match throughout much of the bout, both looking to pick their spots and time their punches without being overly aggressive on offense. Aleem, fighting for just the second time since coming up short in a world title eliminator nearly two years ago, began to break through Garcia’s guard with cleaner punches late in the fight. Garcia, ending a one-and-a-half-year layoff himself, never looked out of place against the world class Aleem. 

In the end, all three official scorers had the bout wide for Aleem. Judge David Sutherland had it 97-93, judge Steve Weisfeld 98-92 and judge Chris Migliore found just one round for Garcia, scoring the bout 99-91. 

Former amateur star Patrick O’Connor of Waldorf, Maryland warmed-up in preparation of making his professional debut against Marcus Smith (2-1, 2 KOs) of Carlisle, Ohio, which was slated to be a four-round cruiserweight swing bout. At some point in the night, it was decided that the fight would not take place due to time constraints.

Photos by Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS — Naoya Inoue stood on the scale like a politician on the bully pulpit Saturday in his first American appearance in about four years for a bout that looks a little bit like a campaign stop in his bid to gain pound-for-pound supremacy.

Pound-for-pound is nothing more than debate, after all. It’s about gaining supporters and knocking out lingering doubts.

Inoue is expected to do both against likable, yet little-known junior-featherweight challenger Ramon Cardenas, a massive underdog  who insists he’ll prove to be more than a mere prop Sunday in Inoue’s defense of his undisputed 122-pound title at T-Mobile Arena.

“More than anything, I want people to see something they haven’t been able to see yet in the U.S,” Inoue said through an interpreter before he safely made weight, coming in under the junior-featherweight-limit by a slim tenth-of-a-pound, 121.9, also a tenth-of-a-pound heavier than Cardenas.

Those are bold words. Terence Crawford, an all-time welterweight great and America’s best practitioner of the sweet-science craft, is surely planning to introduce a couple of counter arguments of his own in a planned move up to the scale against Mexican super-middleweight Canelo Alvarez later in the year. 

On Sunday, however, Inoue, Japan’s rising son, will have the bully pulpit all to himself in what will be the four-division champion’s 25th successive title defense. 

Inoue’s dominance of boxing’s lightest weight classes has been thorough and reliable, so much so that it’s become expected, if not somewhat forgettable. 

It’s not, of course. In part, Inoue can reawaken America’s impatient, quick-to-forget audience with a showcase exhibition of a skill set still sharp, comprehensive and dynamic as any.

“I’m very motivated to fight in front of an American crowd in a big arena like this, but because it’s during Cinco de Mayo weekend, it feels like I’m playing an away game,” Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) said a day before the ESPN-televised bout. “So, I don’t know what to expect.”

He can expect skepticism, much of it planted by rival promoter Eddie Hearn, whose noisy criticism of Inoue’s recent string of opponents probably factored into Inoue’s agreement to fight Murodjon “MJ” Akhmadaliev, a feared Uzbek and a former bantamweight champion, next September in Tokyo. 

Against Cardenas, there’s a chance to get an updated look at Inoue and how he might withstand a risky challenge from a dangerous Akhmadaliev.

If there are flaws in Inoue, Cardenas hopes to be the first to expose them.

Opportunities like this don’t come around often, so I had to jump at it,” said Cardenas (26-1, 14 KOs), a 29-year-old San Antonio fighter and Akhmadaliev’s stablemate. “I’ve been mentally preparing to fight Inoue for a long time. I knew I’d eventually get a big fight if I kept winning. And here we are — a shot at the undisputed champion of the world.

“This is Inoue’s first fight in America in four years, so I know he’s motivated to show out. I’m prepared for the very best version of Naoya Inoue.”

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Unified super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue aims to bolster his bid for pound-for-pound kingpin status in a stateside showcase against once-beaten Ramon Cardenas at the T-Mobile Arena in an ESPN-televised main event on Sunday night. On a weekend in which some of the sport’s top stars will have already stated their case and another has dropped from contention, Inoue is the best bet to stand out spectacularly. Fighters for the eight-bout card weighed-in Saturday morning and then took part in a ceremonial event in the afternoon in one of the studios adjacent to the MGM Grand Garden Arena. 

Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) of Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan continues what could become a Fighter of the Year 2025 campaign as he takes on heavy underdog Cardenas (26-1, 14 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas. Inoue made short work of late replacement opponent Ye Joon Kim in January and may fight twice more this calendar year if reported plans come to fruition. 

Reports surfaced in recent days that Inoue has already agreed for his next bout, to take place this September in Japan, against Murodjon Akhmadaliev, who holds claim to an interim version of the WBA title. When asked how he stays motivated to keep fighting, Inoue offered brief insights. 

“My goal is to just get stronger,” said Inoue. “For my final challenge, I want to move up to featherweight. That will be my final challenge,” said Inoue, through interpreter Nobu Ikushima on Saturday. 

Cardenas, the IBF #1 ranked 130-pounder, graduated to the national level in 2024, picking up two regional titles, followed by a career-best win over previously unbeaten Bryan Acosta this past February. There may not be any string of opponents one could have that would ready a fighter for the leap in class that Inoue represents, so it goes without saying “The Monster” represents a giant step-up in class for Cardenas. However, the San Antonio fighter does not appear to be in awe of the moment and has said the right things. 

“I am excited and ready to get the show on the road,” said Cardenas, fighting for his first world title on Sunday. “It doesn’t get real until tomorrow and I am ready.” 

Inoue, defending the WBC/WBA/WBO/IBF 122-pound titles, weighed-in at 121.9-pounds on Saturday, while the challenger Cardenas scaled 121.8. 

In the co-feature, budding star Rafael Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico will defend his WBO 126-pound title against former 130-pound title challenger Edward Vazquez (17-2, 4 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas in a twelve-round featherweight bout. 

Espinoza, who scaled 125.4-pounds on Saturday, became one of the faces of the division over the last year-and-a-half, highlighted by his signature knockout of Robeisy Ramirez in the rematch of his title-winning effort last December. 

“It is a dream come true to be here on this Mexican Day and to fight for these beautiful people,” said Espinoza after hitting the scales for the ceremonial weigh-in. 

Vazquez, the WBO #10 ranked 126-pounder despite not fighting at that weight class in two years, was last seen at this level giving Joe Cordina all he could handle in an IBF super featherweight title bid that resulted in a majority decision defeat in November of 2023. The challenger weighed-in at 125.6-pounds on Saturday. 

WBO #10/WBC #15 ranked welterweight Rohan Polanco (15-0, 10 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic will see action against veteran Fabian Maidana (24-3, 18 KOs) of Jose Leon Suarez, Buenos Aires, Argentina in a ten-round bout. Polanco hopes to further add to his credentials, while Maidana aims to make good at the same venue he came up short in an interim title bid against Mario Barrios one year ago. Polanco, who risks his regional WBO Inter-Continental title, weighed-in at 146.2-pounds on Saturday, while Maidana made 146 even. 

Rising prospect Emiliano Fernando Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) of Las Vegas will meet Juan Leon Alvarez (11-2-1, 2 KOs) of Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain by way of Guayaquil, Ecuador in an eight-round bout for the minor NABF Junior light welterweight title. Vargas, who made 138.7-pounds on Saturday, is back after a second-round stoppage of veteran Giovannie Gonzalez in late March. Leon Alvarez, who scaled 139.9-pounds, has built up his record against modest opposition, mainly in Spain. 

Mikito Nakano (12-0, 11 KOs) of Las Vegas, by way of Hiroshima, Japan will take on Pedro Marquez (16-1, 10 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a ten-round featherweight bout. Nakano, the IBF #8/WBC #10/WBA #10/WBO #11 ranked featherweight, made 125.9-pounds on Saturday. Marquez, who weighed-in at 126-pounds, will be taking a major step-up in class on Sunday as he fights out of his native Puerto Rico for the first time in his professional career. 

Fighting out of the famed Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, junior middleweight prospect Art Barrera Jr. (8-0, 6 KOs) of Paramount, California will meet Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. (6-1-1, 2 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois in a six-rounder. Barrera, who just saw action and scored a second-round stoppage a month ago, weighed-in at 152.7-pounds. Guerra, who gained fame with a victory over Nico Ali Walsh at Madison Square Garden this past February, weighed-in at 153.7-pounds. 

Featherweight contender Ra’eese Aleem (21-1, 12 KOs) of Las Vegas looks to get rolling again against Rudy Garcia (13-1-1, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles, California in a ten-round bout. Aleem, now signed to Top Rank after fighting just once a year for the last three years, made 125.6-pounds, while Garcia, who will be shaking off a little rust himself, scaled 125.3-pounds. 

Former amateur star Patrick O’Connor of Waldorf, Maryland makes his professional debut against Marcus Smith (2-1, 2 KOs) of Carlisle, Ohio in a four-round cruiserweight bout on Sunday. O’Connor weighed-in 196.1-pounds, while Smith scaled 188 even. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBC Super Bantamweight Championship

WBO Super Bantamweight Championship

WBA Super Bantamweight Championship

IBF Super Bantamweight Championship, 12 Rounds

Inoue 121.9

Cardenas 121.8

WBO Featherweight Championship, 12 Rounds

Espinoza 125.4

Vazquez 125.6

WBO Inter-Continental Welterweight Championship, 10 Rounds

Polanco 146.2

Maidana 146

NABF Junior Light Welterweight Championship, 8 Rounds

Vargas 138.7 

Leon Alvarez 139.9

Featherweights, 10 Rounds

Nakano 125.9

Marquez 126

Light middleweights, 6 Rounds

Barrera Jr. 152.7

Guerra Jr. 153.7

Featherweights, 10 Rounds

Aleem 125.6

Garcia 125.3

Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds

O’Connor 196.1

Smith 188

Tickets for the event, promoted by Top Rank, in association with Ohashi Promotion, Teiken Promotions and Sampson Boxing, are available online at AXS.com 

Photos by Mikey Williams/Top Rank 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS — Naoya Inoue’s pound-for-pound campaign resumes Sunday in a return to America  against Ramon Cardenas in a T-Mobile Arena fight he calls a good “platform” to exhibit his skillset enroute to a significant September date against Murodjon Akhmadaliev. 

On Friday, Inoue confirmed an announcement on social media from promoter Eddie Hearn that he has an agreement to fight Akhmadaliev later in the year. 

Inoue told reporters that the agreement, announced on X early Thursday, was “written in stone.” According to a Boxing Scene story published on Thursday, Inoue-Akhmadaliev is planned for Sept. 14 in Tokyo.

It looks as if only Cardenas has a chance to rewrite what looks to be indelible. But it’s not much of a chance. Cardenas has power. The likable San Antonio junior-featherweight has poise. According to prohibitive odds, he also has virtually no chance, which also means he has nothing to lose. But he’s here, he says, to perhaps write his own name in stone. An upset of Inoue would do that. Money, Cardenas said, is not his motivation.

“I’m not here to collect a paycheck and that’s what makes me dangerous,” he said Friday during a formal news conference at the MGM Grand.

For Inoue, now 32, the bout looks to be a chance to re-awaken American fans to his comprehensive collection of skill. From power to precision, it’s all there, swift and deadly.

“The ideal situation is to show the American fans my boxing and win with a knockout,” he said through an interpreter at Friday’s news conference. “But more than anything, I want people to see what they haven’t been able to see yet in the U.S.”

Inoue was asked if Cardenas reminds him of any fighter he’s faced. That’s a tough question. said Inoue, who is in a three-way race with heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk and former welterweight great Terence Crawford for the top spot in the pound-for-pound debate.

“Cardenas is a very well-rounded fighter,” Inoue said.”And I think it’s a good platform to show my boxing skills.”

In part, Cardenas is an interesting opponent for Inoue because of his relationship with Akhmadaliev. They’re stablemates at trainer Joel Diaz’ Boxing Academy in Indio, a hot spot in the California desert between Phoenix and Los Angeles.

For Akhmadaliev and fans, how and what Cardenas does against the dynamic Inoue could provide a good look at what might happen in September.

By Norm  Frauenheim

Naoya Inoue has heard the criticism, and it looks as if he has answered with news Thursday from rival promoter Eddie Hearn, who announced on social media that he has a “done deal” for Inoue to fight Murodjon Akhmadaliev.

Hearn, Akhmadaliev’s promoter, said he had an agreement in a message on X Thursday, a few hours before Inoue’s scheduled arrival at the Las Vegas’ MGM Grand for a fight Sunday against Ramon Cardenas at T-Mobile Arena.

There was no immediate confirmation of the agreement from Inoue, the Japanese star who first has to beat Cardenas before he can move on in his quest for pound-for-pound supremacy.

However, Boxing Scene reported a date and place — Sept. 14 in Tokyo.

Inoue, ripped by Hearn for a string of weak opponents, is expected to beat Cardenas. He’s a massive favorite over the San Antonio junior-featherweight. According to some on-line books, Inoue is a 50-to-1 favorite.

Buster Douglas was  a bigger underdog against Mike Tyson in Inoue’s home country in 1990. Douglas, a 42-1 underdog,  stopped Tyson, also in Tokyo, in one of the biggest upsets in any sport.

Translation: It happens, which is perhaps one reason to watch Inoue against Cardenas on an ESPN-televised card scheduled to follow the Los Angeles Dodgers — featuring Japan’s biggest star, Shohei Ohtani — against the Atlanta Braves.

Above all, the reported agreement could heighten interest in Inoue-Cardenas in the curtain-closer to a busy Cinco de Mayo triple-header beginning Friday at Times Square in a New York card featuring Ryan Gracia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez.

On Saturday, the weekend’s second chapter plays out with Canelo Álvarez against William Scull in Saudi Arabia for the undisputed super-middleweight title.

Scull, a Cuban living in Germany, might have a better chance than Cardenas. But not by much. Canelo is a 30-to-1 favorite, according to books.

For Canelo, the bout versus Scull is thought to be a tune-up for his projected fight against former welterweight great and newly-minted junior-middleweight Terence Crawford.

Canelo-Crawford also is expected to happen in September, although a specific day has not been reported. There’s been no reported site either, although Las Vegas and Los Angeles have been mentioned. 

If in fact Canelo-Scull is a tuneup, it won’t be the only one this weekend. Inoue against Cardenas would be the second in Hearn’s announced plan for a showdown with Akhmadaliev, a former undisputed champion at bantamweight.

For Inoue, it’s an intriguing tune-up, a many-sided fight that includes an opportunity for him to deliver another combination. https://theboxinghour.com/2025/04/25/naoya-inoue-back-in-the-usa-with-a-chance-at-the-final-say/

Inoue, who is known for his masterful execution of combos, will have the weekend’s final word and perhaps an opening statement on what happens next.

By Norm Frauenheim

Naoya Inoue, whose masterful combinations keep him at the top of the pound-for-pound debate, is back in the United States for the first time in nearly four years this week on the first stop of an itinerary that will give him the last word and perhaps an opening statement.

It all adds up to another Inoue combo, one perfectly timed to reaffirm his claim on the pound-for-pound’s mythical crown. It’s no coincidence, perhaps, that Inoue is planning to deliver a convincing one-two just a few weeks after he turned 32. Inoue, who celebrated the birthday on April 10, is in his prime, yet it’s a prime entering a late stage. On his career path, now is the time to punctuate an unbeaten, four-division title run with a string of dominant performances.

It all begins next weekend with an intriguing Cinco de Mayo triple-header. First, there’s Times Square Friday (May 2) on a New York card featuring Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia, all three in almost desperate fights to resurrect their pound-for-pound aspirations. Then, there’s a chance Saturday (May 3) to see what Canelo Alvarez still has against William Scull in Saudi Arabia in a perceived tune-up for his projected September showdown with Terence Crawford.

Then, there’s the curtain-closer Sunday (May 4), Inoue — with his pound-for-pound credentials very much intact — against Ramon Cardenas at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. There are loud complaints about Cardenas, just as there were about everybody else beaten by Inoue over the last couple of years. No surprise there. In part, it comes with the rare pound-for-pound real estate occupied by Inoue these days.

But the complaints also are one way to explain Inoue’s astonishing superiority. He’s just been a hell of a lot better than anybody since stopping Nonito Donaire in a 2022 rematch. From this corner, the complaints about Inoue’s opposition sound a lot like those lodged against Crawford, who alongside Inoue and heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is at the top of the pound-for-pound race. 

Crawford was just a heck of a lot better than anybody he faced, especially at welterweight. That, after all, is why Crawford, who has fought once at junior-middle, is jumping up two weight classes to face Canelo, undisputed at 168 pounds.

But that won’t stop the skepticism. And it shouldn’t. Pound-for-pound contention comes with a burden of proof. Inoue, after all, is a 50-to-1 favorite to beat Cardenas, according to some online books. Buster Douglas had a better chance at beating Mike Tyson in 1990 in Inoue’s home country. Douglas, a 42-1 underdog, beat Tyson in a monumental upset in Tokyo. Maybe, that’s a reason we should watch Inoue-Cardenas. But don’t bet on it.

In his first appearance in the U.S. since a third-round TKO of Michael Dasmarinas in June 2021, however, complaints about Inoue-versus-Cardenas miss what the Cinco de Mayo three-step is really all about. 

From New York to Riyadh to Vegas, it’s a stage-setter. Depending on what happens in Canelo-Scull, the weekend heightens the stakes attached to Crawford-Canelo. In New York Friday, a strong performance by Teofimo, or Haney, or Garcia in Times Square could generate some pound-for-pound time for one or all three in the evolving debate.

In the end, however, the guess here is that Inoue will get the biggest say-so. He’ll use a one-sided blowout of the unfortunate Cardenas to amplify his pound-for-pound claim. Then, he’ll pursue the proof to that claim by moving on to the bigger names promoters, pundits and fans are demanding.

Former junior-featherweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev, possibly in September, and unbeaten bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani, also of Japan, in December were mentioned during Inoue’s public workout Wednesday at Westside Boxing Gym in Los Angeles. Beyond that, there’s hope for a dream fight, Inoue against super-flyweight champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.

“I don’t know if I’ll make it back to No. 1 with this fight, but with September, December and next year … I hope to get back with those fights,” Inoue told reporters through an interpreter at his media workout. “I’m really looking forward to it. I know it is a legendary day for boxing.’’

A good day for another combo, too.

LAS VEGAS – April 24, 2025 – Former super middleweight world champion Caleb Plant and Mexican knockout Armando Reséndiz, plus two-division champion Jermall Charlo and veteran contender Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna previewed their respective showdowns during a virtual press conference on Thursday before they co-headline PBC Championship Boxing on Prime Video on Saturday, May 31 from Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Plant will defend his Interim WBA Super Middleweight Title in the main event against Reséndiz, while Charlo begins his super middleweight campaign against LaManna in the co-main event of action beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. 

The show will stream exclusively on Prime Video for all Prime members in the United States and select countries. Join today or start a free 30-day trial to catch the championship card.

Tickets for the live event are on sale now through AXS.com.

Here is what the fighters had to say Thursday:

CALEB PLANT

“Expect fireworks. Me and my team have been grinding hard and once that bell rings, I’m gonna step on him.

“Armando thinks he can beat me, and that’s enough to piss me off. He knows what’s coming to him.

“I’m not gonna be distracted from the fight that’s in front of me. It’s happened so many times where fighters get so worried about the next fight, and they don’t win the fight in front of them. I’m not letting that happen. Armando is coming to take my spot, but I’m not gonna let that happen.

“The first thing on my mind is to put on a great performance on May 31. I want Charlo, Edgar Berlanga, Jaime Munguia, Diego Pacheco, and anyone else who’s up there. Then I’ll end up where I’m supposed to be. I’m gonna pick them off one by one.

“Some fighters lose and their confidence is shattered. Maybe their confidence was fake to begin with. A loss has never made me think I couldn’t do what I’m capable of. I take those experiences and learn to make adjustments, which a lot of fighters aren’t able to do.

“Experience isn’t something you can buy or borrow. You have to walk through the fire. I’ve been on the biggest stages in boxing. Each time you get those experiences, you take it over to the next fight.

“I’m too strong, I’m too fast and I’m too slick for Armando. I have a great team with me. We’re the A-Team. We’re coming to win and we’re going to win.

“I have the desire to win and the desire to be a champion. Even with the success I’ve had, that desire doesn’t dim at all.

“I feel strongly that you should have fun doing what you love to do. Boxing is the place where I can let go. When that bell rings, that’s when I can be myself.”

ARMANDO RESENDIZ

“I’m really looking forward to this fight. I’m in excellent shape because I’m facing an elite fighter who’s accomplished a lot. My dream has always been to fight against the best and this is making my dream come true. We’re going to give the fans a great fight.

“I know that Caleb remembers me from those sparring sessions. I believe it was right before the Canelo fight. I know that I have the tools to overcome this challenge.

“I think Caleb has some selective memory about our sparring. They took me out of the gym for a reason. I’m gonna show him exactly how much I’ve grown on May 31.

“I don’t care about anyone else but my team and my family. I’m here making my dreams come true. I’m a Mexican fighter and people are gonna see what I’m capable of. It’s not because I think I can win, it’s because I know I can win.

“Training camp has been going great and I’ve had really good sparring sessions. I’m feeling really confident and I’m ready to get it on.

“Like the Mexican fighter that I am, I always put my best foot forward. I believe in what I can do. My career has had highs and lows, but I’ve realized that there’s no opponent that I will fear.

“The fights that I’ve had in the past will allow me to be even stronger this time around.”

JERMALL CHARLO

“This is gonna be a fight. I gotta do what I always do. He’s gonna come at me and make it a fight. I expect the best out of him and I’ll be ready to make the adjustments.

“Thomas LaManna is standing in the way of my goals and my dreams. But I’m ready to stand in the paint with him.

“I’m ready to get back in the ring. Those two years actually helped me. They made me better. Not only have I not taken damage, but they’ve made me stronger.

“I’m back at 100%. I feel stronger and better. I’m fully back. My team is better and everything is falling into place perfectly. I got Houston back on my back. I can carry them now.

“There’s bigger fish to fry. I just hope Thomas can go back to his family happy after.”

THOMAS LAMANNA

“We’re gonna shock the world on May 31. That’s what we’re coming to do.

“I’m glad this fight is finally here. The timing is right and I’m excited and ready. We’ll both be in that ring and ready to rumble.

“He is who he is in this sport. He’s been off for a while, but he’s never lost. This is the biggest fight of my life and I’ve been training like it.

“I’ve gotten a lot more experience since I fought Erislandy Lara. The best lesson in life is experience. Every day you get better. I’ve gotten more comfortable with these last nine wins. 

“Once the call came for this fight, I answered. I’m here to write my own legacy.”

#         #         #

For more information visit Amazon.com/PBC, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow #PlantResendiz & #CharloLaManna follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing on Instagram @PremierBoxing or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions

By Norm Frauenheim

It was a different Ryan Gracia than the one who shocked, outraged and frightened throughout a long-running social-media ride to hell-and-back a year ago. He was composed, thoughtful. There was even a hint of humility. Was it real? Will it last? 

Those are questions only Garcia can answer as he resumes a career interrupted by the craziness that surrounded his date with Devin Haney, a fight preceded by Garcia chugging a beer on the weigh-in scale and one that turned into a virtual accident. It’ll be exactly a year this Sunday, Easter Sunday, since a bout that  included a positive PED test, suspension, lawsuit, reported settlement and repeated denials. The hangover, framed by the questions, lingers.

There were no simple answers last April. There were none this April at a public workout in San Diego Thursday a few weeks before Garcia answers an opening bell for the first time in more than a year May 2 against Rollie Romero in Times Square, about eight miles of roadwork through New York traffic from the scene of his last ring appearance against Haney at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

Garcia, who is coming off a year-long suspension for testing positive for Ostarine, was calm. But will that prove to be only the calm before another storm? The answer to that one rests in what is about to transpire before a card that figures to get more attention for where it is than who is on it. 

For Garcia, it’s a tuneup. For Haney, it is too. He’s scheduled to fight Jose Carlos Ramirez. Teofimo Lopez will also be there in a defense of his junior-welterweight title against Arnold Barboza Jr. Hopefully, the weather will include only punches and no rain. 

“Looking to get the rust off,’’ Garcia said to a circle of reporters before a live-streamed workout at BXNG Club in Oceanside.

Looking to get some answers, too.

Garcia made some news Thursday, repeating that he had an interest in fighting welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis, the acknowledged best at 147 pounds today. He also mentioned Mario Barrios and Brian Norman.

“I’m excited, but do I want to fight somebody else that would make me feel more like a champion?’’ he said. “Whoever the champions are …any of those guys. I will win the word championship if I beat any of those guys.’’

But, mostly, the Friday night card — the first in a Cinco de Mayo triple-header  including Canelo Álvarez-William Scull Saturday in Saudi Arabia and Naoya Inoue-Ramon Cardenas Sunday at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena — is thought to be a steppingstone to a Garcia-Haney rematch, which is projected for a day in October. The planned sequel is full of immense potential to settle a lot of differences still there after Garcia’s three-knockdown beatdown of Haney in bout later changed to no-contest because of the PED positive.

“I want the Devin Haney rematch, 100 percent,’’ said Garcia, who has virtually disappeared from the wild social-media presence he occupied a year ago. “I need it and I’m going to do it for USADA this time. I want the Devin Haney rematch so bad. I really want it. There’s some personal bad blood there but it’s not going to overrule me but it’s got some extra oomph in there, you know, when you’re fighting and put it on him even more. 

“Then you got Bill’s (Haney’s father and trainer) crazy antics, and he’s constantly talking nonstop, and that makes me want to put a whooping in a little bit more. This is an opportunity to do it again, and I think after that, I’ll put a stamp on that and move forward.”

Garcia’s mention of USADA — a drug-testing agency — is a reference to the Ostarine controversy. Garcia tested positive twice for the substance — an anabolic agent, according to drug testing and New York State Athletic Commission. 

But he denied it after the fight. And he denied it again Thursday.

“I did a lot of things, but for me it was more mental,’’ Garcia said. “Everything was mental. It took a toll on my mentality, because I know I didn’t take steroids or anything like that.

“It was tough for me to overcome that, but throughout the year I got over it, re-focused myself, and got blessed with this opportunity.’’

This time, Garcia denies it without any of the angry histrionics that were there for weeks after the fight.  A year later, Gracia says it a matter-of-fact tone.

Still, it was an acknowledgement that Garcia knows what a lot of people are thinking. Hall of Famer and ringside analyst Roy Jones Jr, expressed it in an interview this week with AKHi TV, a You Tube boxing network. Jones gives a Haney a chance to win the rematch.

“If you (don’t) knock him out when you’re illegal, how you gonna beat him when you’re not illegal?’’ Jones is quoted as saying.

For Garcia, there’s only one opportunity. Only one answer. First, there’s Romero. Then, there’s the projected rematch.

“I felt that this is my chance to come back and show everybody I can really fight,” he said.

By Norm Frauenheim 

It’s not exactly the transaction David Benavidez wanted. Benavidez, an instinctive fighter, was hoping to exchange blows for an undisputed title. Instead, he exchanged light-heavyweight belts in a move that was more about process than punches. It didn’t earn him a purse, but it didn’t cost him a sanctioning fee either.

In acronym-speak, Benavidez got “elevated,” from interim to champion without throwing a single jab in a move that was about as elevating as filing taxes. Few fans care, mostly because not much happened in a World Boxing Council shuffle that saw Benavidez move into a title relinquished by Dmitrii Bivol in about the time it takes to send a text message. 

Only when Benavidez elevates a challenger into mid-air with a furious succession of combinations will anybody really care. Maybe, that happens against Callum Smith. Or Anthony Yarde. Until then, however, Benavidez is confronted by skepticism already attached to what fans dismiss as an e-mail title. But don’t blame Benavidez, who understands the inevitable doubts.

“This is not ideal,’’ Benavidez posted on social media in response to a shuffle before a scheduled purse bid last week.

It’s decidedly not. 

But it’s not surprising, either. 

There had been plenty of talk about Bivol-Benavidez instead of a third Bivol-Beterbiev. Benavidez’ growing fan base is impatient, frustrated that Canelo Álvarez continues to say no to their demands for a fight with Benavidez. The Canelo possibility, if there ever was one, looks to be slim-to-none. But the fans’ impatience for Benavidez in an undisputed showdown has followed him up the scale to light-heavy.  

Nevertheless, it was pretty clear that Bivol-Beterbiev 3 would happen — probably this fall — at the moment Prince and promoter Turki Alalshikh  waved three fingers in the immediate aftermath of Bivol’s rematch victory — a majority decision — over Beterbiev Feb. 22 in Riyadh. 

There are reasonable questions about whether the third will be any different than the first or second. Bivol is a slight favorite to win the trilogy fight. But a draw might be the best bet. They are 1-1, each winning by majority decision by identical scores — 114-114, 116-112, 115-113. If there’s a draw in the third, will Alalshikh  wave four fingers? A fourth fight would only heighten the impatience among Benavidez fans.

For the Phoenix-born Benavidez, the good news is that he has a belt that gives him some leverage in potential negotiations with Matchroom-promoted Smith or any other 175-pound challenger. Still, I’m not sure the WBC did Benavidez any favors when the acronym handed him the title. Then again, it’s not as if the WBC did him any favors during his time as the so-called interim champion at 168-pounds. 

That was supposed to lead to a mandatory shot at Canelo.

It didn’t. 

But a Canelo-Benavidez fight was never ordered. There was no purse bid, no threat to strip Canelo and “elevate” Benavidez. Remember, Canelo gets what he wants. It’s the perk that comes with his celebrity and pay-per-view numbers. Now, he has a rich five-fight deal with Alalshikh. 

First, he’ll fight William Scull in a perceived tuneup on the first Saturday in May in Riyadh. Then, there’s the projected date against Terence Crawford, the all-time welterweight great who is coming up from 154 pounds for a 168-pound date in September. After that, who knows? Let’s just say there’s no mention of Canelo-versus-Benavidez. 

There’s been speculation among fans and media that the WBC moved Benavidez into the light-heavy vacancy left by Bivol in part because it wanted to make up for what it didn’t do at super-middle. Maybe. 

The real devil in the fine print, however, appears to be lurking in a looming battle created by Saudi money. In addition to signing Canelo, Alalshikh  bought The Ring, a century-old publication with a trademark name and its own championship belts.

A couple of years ago, the WBC’s Mauricio Sulaiman dismissed The Ring-sponsored titles. The Ring, he said, was just a magazine. But don’t tell that to Alalshikh. He carries The Ring belt around as though it’s permanently attached to one shoulder. Bivol, the man in the middle, relinquished the WBC belt because Sulaiman and Alalshikh left him no reasonable option.

Bivol has a deal with Alalshikh, who underwrote the first two fights with Beterbiev, according to promoter Eddie Hearn. He had a belt with Sulaiman. What would you do? Take the paycheck or keep the belt? Stupid question.

Sulaiman told ESPN Knockout that Bivol had an $8-million offer to fight Benavidez. He said the Bivol offer for a third Beterbiev fight was $2.7-million. The real numbers are impossible to know. It’s not as if the Saudi contracts are public record. 

Even if the numbers are close, however, it’s safe to guess that Bivol sweetened his purse by choosing Beterbiev instead of Benavidez — who according to Benavidez — dominated Bivol in sparring a couple of years ago.

Benavidez, also caught in the middle, got the consolation prize, a belt — a trophy — that comes with a burden of proof. He has yet to fight for it. 

Like Benavidez said, it’s not ideal. But Benavidez is 28. Beterbiev is 40. Bivol is 34.

Longterm, it is ideal.

Ideal for Benavidez.

By Norm Frauenheim

Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford will share a ring and not much else on a projected day in September. In part, the differences are what make their planned fight so intriguing. 

Canelo has a documented advantage on the scale and perhaps another one among fans. Shifting odds, reported here last week https://www.15rounds.com/2025/03/30/canelo-crawford-interest-builds-as-odds-continue-to-favor-canelo/, suggest the public increasingly favors Canelo.

Then, there are the intangibles, hard to define, nonetheless there on social media in a tireless debate that only figures to get noisier by multiple octaves. 

It’s a fight with a genuine chance to remind us that legacy — rendered irrelevant by overuse — can still mean something. Put it this way: Canelo, bigger and wealthier, is fighting to preserve his; Crawford, smaller and less popular, is fighting to guarantee his own. 

It’s not that simple, of course. It never is amid the inherent chaos sure to happen before any conflict. It’s messy, a drama expected to exasperate and entertain. But the stakes are there, clearcut in a fight between two of the best in their generation. A younger one is emerging. Canelo-Crawford represents a passing-of-the torch, that last major bout for fighters who’ll reunite in Canastota NY at a Hall of Fame induction in about five years. The winner of this one can claim to be the best of his day. In a time that will be remembered for a risk-to-reward ratio and fights that didn’t happen, it just doesn’t get much better than that.

On the scale and their resumes, we know the differences. Crawford is unbeaten at 140, 147 and 154 pounds in a reign that includes undisputed titles at junior-welter and welterweight. Canelo has lost twice, going upscale from 154 to 160, 168 and 175 pounds. 

At 168, it’s safe to argue that nobody has ever been better than Canelo. At 147, there’s an argument that Crawford could have been an all-timer, among the best in the fabled welterweight division, good enough to perhaps be a fifth king in the four-sided rivalry so powerfully captured by the late George Kimball in his book, Four Kings, about Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns.

The respective arguments are there, an inseparable part of what is also at stake.

For now, Crawford and Canelo enter the ring with only one thing in common: A victory over Amir Khan. On paper, at least, the Khan fights settle nothing. Both Canelo and Crawford scored sixth-round stoppages over Khan, Crawford winning by TKO in April 2019 at welterweight and Canelo by KO in May 2016 at a 155-pound catchweight.

Crawford knocked down and nearly knocked out Khan in the first round. But the fight ended in controversy. After an apparent low blow, Khan’s corner said he could not continue. Canelo simply overwhelmed Khan in the sixth walking through his punches and knocking him unconscious. Yet, Khan was competitive in the early rounds. 

At the time of stoppage, Canelo trailed, 47-46, on one card. He led 49-46 and 48-47 on the other two. 

Other than the low blow, there was no argument about the scoring for Crawford-Khan. At the time of stoppage, Crawford was on his way to a runaway decision — 49-45, 50-44, 49-45.

In the buildup to Canelo-Crawford, the scorecards figure to be part of the story, an item in the debate. But the two fights were separated by three years. Khan was a different fighter in each. So, too, were Canelo and Crawford, now at the end of their primes. Canelo is 34. Crawford will be 38 on Sept. 28.

In the end, however, there will be a parallel that will further the intrigue and perhaps set the stage for what follows. Floyd Mayweather Jr., a dominant face of the generation before Canelo-Crawford, looms as a significant point of comparison.

Canelo has fought him, losing a decision in 2013 that proved to be a lesson and a milestone for the business-like way Canelo turned himself into boxing’s biggest pay-per-view draw over the next 12 years. Crawford has not fought Mayweather and presumably never will. 

Since Crawford’s singular display of welterweight brilliance in a stoppage of Errol Spence Jr. in July 2023, fans and media wonder at how Crawford, a dynamic finisher at welterweight and still unbeaten, would have done against Mayweather, who retired unbeaten as one of history’s greatest defensive fighters. We’ll never know.

But Canelo-Crawford — who wins and how it happens — figures to produce documented history and an intriguing look about how different eras compare. That’s real legacy. 

By Norm Frauenheim

Date and place remain uncertain, but exploding interest in Canelo Alvarez-versus-Terence Crawford six months before a projected opening bell is already evident in the noisy debate on social media and shifting numbers in the betting line. 

The social-media noise will continue, ad nauseam. But it’s the betting line, an early poll of sorts, that is showing a shift of public opinion toward Canelo. 

Canelo opened as a slight favorite, minus-190. But the odds, the dollars, are moving toward Canelo during the weeks since an 11th-hour deal was struck with Saudi Prince and promoter Turki Alalshikh on Feb. 7. 

This week Canelo is at minus-230. Translated, that means there’s a 66-percent chance he wins a fight as intriguing as any for a bout expected to happen in September in either Las Vegas or Los Angeles. 

The early odds figure to change more, especially during the first Saturday in May when Canelo is expected to reunify the super-middleweight title against International Boxing Federation belt-holder William Scull, a Cuban living in Germany, in a perceived tune-up in Riyadh. 

Canelo figures to win easily, but how easily will be a key factor going into the fight against Crawford, a four-division champion and an all-time welterweight great who is moving up two weight classes.

Increasingly, there’s social-media talk that the smaller, more skillful Crawford can beat Canelo. But the shifting odds say something else. There’s an old line: In a fight between two good fighters, bet on the bigger guy. For now, that’s Canelo. 

According to the latest odds update, Crawford has a 33 percent chance at springing one of the biggest upsets since Manny Pacquiao, then a lightweight champion, jumped to welterweight and scored an eighth-round stoppage of Oscar De La Hoya in December 2008.

Pacquiao weighed in at 142 pounds. De La Hoya, who came down from junior middleweight, was at 145 at the official weigh-in. It looked as if De La Hoya had weakened himself in the battle to make weight. Pacquiao overwhelmed De La Hoya late in the eighth, forcing him to quit before the start of the ninth.

Canelo, already known to tire in the later rounds, won’t have to weaken himself on the scale. According to the agreement, he’ll be at his customary weight, 168 pounds at the weigh-in the day before opening bell. 

It’s up to Crawford, who fought and won a belt at junior-middle (154) in his last bout, to add pounds. The question is how that will affect Crawford, who unlike Canelo does not have a fight scheduled before the projected September bout.

If Crawford can carry the additional weight without draining his endurance or eroding the dynamic resilience in his varied skillset, he’s got a real chance. Canelo has never faced anybody with Crawford’s quicksilver ability to adjust, including a seamless move from orthodox to southpaw and back. 

At 37 — he’ll be 38 on Sept 28, Crawford’s feet might not move with the agility and speed that they did when he was at lightweight and junior-welter. 

If, however, Crawford withstands Canelo’s early power, carries the weight and carries himself into the later rounds, there’s a chance he catches a tiring Canelo with counters from angles the powerful Mexican has yet to see.

On the scale of intangibles, the edge goes to Crawford. There’s charisma in his defiance. Motivation, too. Underdog will be the perfect fit for Crawford in his pursuit of big money and genuine legacy. 

It’s not as if Crawford is coming into what might be his last fight seeking a gigantic payout against a Jake Paul or a Conor McGregor. He’s taking on perhaps the biggest challenge possible against a bigger man, Canelo, who goes into the fight more than just favored.

Canelo is supposed to win. There’s pressure in that role, but it’s one Canelo understands better than any fighter in his generation. 

He’s learned how to counter it and how to use it throughout the years since a milestone scorecard loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September 2013. If social media and shifting odds are any indication, that pressure is just beginning to build.

Best bet:

It’s going to be a hell of a fight.

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS — For Sebastian Fundora, the view is unobstructed. 

Maybe, even undisputed.

At 6-foot-6, Fundora, a junior-middleweight with NBA dimensions, already has two pieces to the 154-pound puzzle, both of which he is expected to retain in an interesting challenge from Chordale Booker Saturday on Prime Video at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Ultra Arena.

Fundora’s possible path to undisputed was cleared of a challenge Friday with news that Terence Crawford will relinquish his World Boxing Organization title, a so-called interim belt. Crawford’s decision is significant on multiple levels. Above all, it is a sign  that Crawford intends to retire after his looming date with super-middleweight champion Canelo Álvarez in September.

Since a spectacular  stoppage of Errol Spence in July 2023, Crawford, a four-division champion and an all-time welterweight great, has never shown interest in fighting Fundora or anyone other than Canelo. At 37, it looks as if he’s seeking a big-money goodbye to his brilliant career. His lone appearance at junior-middleweight, a narrow decision over Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles in August, was seen as a move — the penultimate bout in his career – toward the big paycheck against the bigger Canelo.

Crawford’s decision Friday prompted the WBO to recommend in a social-media post that Puerto Rican Xander Zayas step up in the ratings and into the challenger’s role for one of the titles Fundora will defend for the first time Saturday.

“Anybody,’’ Fundora told reporters Friday after tipping the scale at 152.8 pounds in a staged weigh-in at a crowded ball room at Mandalay Bay. “Whoever it is. Zayas, Crawford. We’re ready for all of them.’’

Fundora said he has seen Zayas fight a couple of times.

“It would be a good fight, a good Latin fight,’’ said Fundora, who hasn’t fought since he took the two belts from a bloodied Tim Tszyu in a split-decision stunner last March.

At 27, Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) looks to be comfortable and in control at 154. He made weight easily, coming under the limit Friday by more than a pound. He’s a 14-to-1 favorite over Booker, who has an interesting back story. For Booker, the ring is a refuge from trouble. In 2010, he was an 18-year old facing a possible 13 years in prison on multiple gun charges and one charge of possession with intent to distribute.

He wound up spending three years on probation, a sentence that included a message: Change. He did. An improbable victory over the heavily-favored Fundora would mean even more change.

“It would change my life,’’ said Booker, who was at 152.6 pounds Friday in front of a crowd that included family and friends. “I’m extremely confident.’’

It’s a confidence he says he found in his first real training camp. For years, he would spend time in the gym only when he could find time away from his 40-hour-a-week jobs.

“This was the only training camp I’ve had in my time as a professional fighter,’’ Booker said. “There’s no pressure. Only my family and friends think I can win. Everybody thinks I’m going to get killed. But I’m here to show what I can do.’’

Whatever happens, he’s already done plenty.

NOTES: Jesus Ramos (22-1, 18 KOs), of Casa Grande AZ, has been mentioned as a possibility for Fundora if — as expected — Fundora beats Booker. Ramos sat next to Fundora at a news conference Thursday. “Definitely,’’ Ramos said when asked about the possibility. “I’m happy to be here, next to him, so I can get a chance to see how tall he really is,’’ Ramos said. “But, first, I have to win this fight.’’ Ramos was at 155.8 pounds Friday. He faces Mexican Guido Emmanuel Schramm (16-3-2, 9 KOs), who was at 154.6 pounds. …Phoenix middleweight Elijah Garcia (16-1, 13 KOs) comes off his only loss in a pivotal test against former Olympian Terrell Gausha (24-4-1, 12 KOs). Garcia was at 159.6 pounds; Gausha 160.2. 

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS — They sat next to each other like neighbors at one end of the table, linked by geography and the promise that comes with youth. Elijah Garcia and Jesus Ramos are from Arizona, which these days has become a place known for young fighters.

Aggressive fighters.

Ambitious, too.

“I’m here to get better,’’ said Garcia, a 21-year-old middleweight who shares a prominent spot alongside Ramos Saturday on a Prime Video card featuring junior-middleweight champ Sebastian Fundora against Chordale Booker at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Arena.

Getting better sometimes means starting anew. That’s where Garcia (16-1, 13 KOs) finds himself in a fight to reset the table — re-assert his evident potential — against former Olympian Terrell Gausha (24-4-1, 12 KOs) in Garcia’s first fight since a his lone loss eight months ago to Kyrone Davis.

There are always questions about how a fighter reacts to his first defeat. It’s a portal, a test, that few fighters avoid. Unbeaten is unlikely. But dealing with defeat, confronting and overcoming the adversity, is often a true measure of a fighter’s future. Ramos, seated next to Garcia at the AZ end of the table Thursday during a news conference, already understands that. 

Ramos (22-1, 18 KOs), who faces Mexican Guido Emmanuel Schramm (16-3-2, 9 KOs) in a junior-middleweight bout Saturday, has already passed through the portal, scoring successive stoppages over Johan Gonzalez and Jeison Rosario after his lone loss to Erickson Lubin in September 2023. 

“The loss was a blessing in way,’’ said Ramos, a 24-year-old from Casa Grande. “Losing led to a lot of work at getting better all of the time.’’

Ramos talks about the loss as though it is part of the lesson plan for a young fighter. Perhaps, it is. Garcia, who grew up in Phoenix and has a ranch in Wittman, is about to find out. The plan is eight-months long. He left his family and his ranch, moved to Las Vegas and began to work under the guidance of veteran trainer Bob Santos.

Garcia’s life has changed. His corner has changed. His father, George Gracia, had trained him. HIs dad will still be there Saturday, but as the cut man, Elijah said.

“My dad was great,’’ Elijah said. “He got me here. Bob Santos has been there. He is all about winning. Winning, winning, winning.’’

Over the eight months, Garcia said he has developed a strong relationship with Santos, who once trained beloved two-time champion Robert Guerrero.

“For eight straight months, my life has been all about boxing, only boxing,’’ said Elijah, who wore an Arizona Diamondback’s cap and a Wittman T-shirt. “There have been no kids, no ranch. Just boxing. Like I said, I’m here to get better.’’

In Gausha, Elijah Garcia faces a fighter who is 16 years older than him. At 37, Gausha, a US Olympian at the 2012 London Games, has fought for a major title twice, losing both times. Carlos Adames scored a unanimous decision over him last June for a 160-pound belt. He lost a decision to Erislandy Lara for a 154-pound belt in 2017. 

“I respect him,’’ Garcia said. “He’s a good fighter. I could have said no. But I need to fight a good fighter to get better. I’ve got to get better to be a world champion, and that’s always been my dream.

“I had a loss. But that loss is behind me. I can’t do much about it right now. I just have to move on.’’

Start anew.

By Norm Frauenheim –

David Benavidez says he wants to be the Face of the Game. He might have to wait on that one too. 

That’s not his choice. Patience, after all, isn’t exactly a virtue in boxing, which has been defined by the pursuit of paydays ever since prize and fighting became one word. But it’s an inescapable factor in the ongoing emergence of Benavidez. 

He waited on Canelo Álvarez, still to no avail. 

Now, he waits on Dmitrii Bivol.

The current round in the waiting game isn’t exclusive to Benavidez. For now, it’s the state of a game waiting on changes Saudi money has brought. 

And bought. 

There’s talk of moving beyond ruling acronyms and a crazy collection of belts named everything but irrelevant. There’s an agreement for a new league, TKO, although nobody seems to know exactly how that one will be much different than any other acronym.

Nearly a month ago, Benavidez was at ringside in Riyadh for Bivol’s narrow rematch decision over Artur Beterbiev. Benavidez was there as the potential next, the so-called mandatory challenger, for the winner after his solid scorecard victory over David Morrell Feb. 1 in Las Vegas.

Mandatory has been attached to Benavidez’ name for years now. He was in that role, the World Boxing Council’s mandatory at super-middleweight, throughout his futile pursuit of a date with Canelo, undisputed at 168 pounds in everybody’s opinion other than than one acronym, the IBF (International Boxing Federation). 

But mandatory didn’t mean much then. It was never enforced, simply because Canelo’s celebrity and pay-per-view clout comes with prerogatives. Canelo, who intends to re-claim the IBF belt against William Scull during the first weekend in May in Riyadh, fights whoever he wants to.

Benavidez moved up the scale and away from Canelo, in part to create his own career and mostly because he didn’t have much choice. At 28 years old, Benavidez is just getting bigger, perhaps big enough to one day fight at heavyweight.

Whether the move from super-middle to light-heavy changed the meaning of mandatory, however, is still anybody’s guess. 

In the wake of Bivol’s majority decision, the WBC did what it did not do at 168 pounds. It ordered Bivol to defend his 175-pound title against Benavidez, a consensus pound-for-pound pick for the first time since beating Morrell. 

But Saudi Prince and promoter Turki Alalshikh, whose bankroll is redefining boxing’s expectations, announced in The Ring — his new acquisition — that he was not interested. 

That much seemed to be clear at the moment Bivol’s narrow rematch victory was announced. Alalshikh waved three fingers, meaning — of course — that a third Bivol-Beterbiev fight was next. In the wake of the WBC order, however, he said in a somewhat tense declaration that he would not bid on Bivol-Benavidez.

What followed was predictable, perhaps even inevitable in this age of disinformation. There was a social-media report that negotiations for Bivol-Benavidez were underway. That proved to be news to both Benavidez promoter/manager Sampson Lewkowicz and Bivol manager Vadim Kornilov.

Lewkowicz called the report “fake news.” Believe him. After Benavidez blew out ex-middleweight David Lemieux in a third-round beat-down in May 2022 at Glendale, AZ, just a few miles of road work from the Phoenix streets where Benavidez grew up, Lewkowicz told 15 Rounds that talk about a Canelo fight was “fantasy.” It still is.

Then, Kornilov told journalist Dan Rafael of Fight Freaks that there was nothing to reports about Bivol-Benavidez. Bivol was with his family, Kornilov said, resting from a busy stretch that included the majority-decision loss to Beterbiev and the rematch victory, all within five months — October and then February.

In the days after Bivol won the rematch, fans took to social media, calling for Bivol to skip a second rematch with Beterbiev. First, they wanted to see Bivol-versus-Benavidez. It’s a fair opinion, but that’s all it is. Saudi money figures to decide this one. Bivol-Beterbiev 3 looks to be next.

The guess is that a third Beterbiev-Bivol fight will be as close as the first two were. Both were decided by identical scores. If the trilogy fight is a draw, will Alalshikh wave four fingers? A fourth fight for the 40-year-old Beterbiev? 

It’s not clear what that might mean for Benavidez, who already is being mentioned in a possible fight against Callum Smith. Then again, it might mean more of the same.

He’s still waiting, which on one level makes him the only relevant Face of a changing game. Waiting is the only mandatory these days.  

By Norm Frauenheim

Canelo Álvarez, who has never fought anywhere outside of the Western Hemisphere, arrived in New York Thursday, the first step in a journey that will lead him to answer his first opening bell somewhere out of the Americas.

Canelo is not exactly going global. He’s already introduced himself to the world with world-class wealth generated by the rock-and-roll power in his combinations. That beat — beatdown — figures to continue in Saudi Arabia during the first weekend in May against somebody named William Scull, a Cuban with a belt, mostly anonymity and virtually no chance.

At least, the oddsmakers don’t give him one.

His chances at beating Canelo are at 30-to-1. Odds were better that somebody in the audience Thursday knew who Scull was when he arrived at Radio City Music Hall for the newser. Scull wore a red cap, glasses and no name tag. He could have used one. He could have been a tourist looking for a slice of pizza for all anybody knew. Come to think of it, a hungry tourist in New York might have as much of a chance at upsetting Canelo in Riyadh. 

The stakes, after all, are huge in a brand new, four-fight Saudi deal that is supposed to begin with a tune-up, a set-up for a captivating September showdown, super-middleweight Canelo against all-time welterweight great and newly-minted junior-middleweight Terence Crawford at an NFL stadium.

Canelo, a careful pro in the ring and on the stage, didn’t want to talk about Crawford when asked if the Scull fight could risk the projected biggie.

“We don’t have a fight in September,’’ Canelo said during the live-stream. “There is only this fight. Then, we will see.’’

It didn’t take long for Saudi Prince Turki Alalshikh to remind Canelo of the real reason he signed him to a contract in a furious 11th-hour deal last month. 

September 12, Alalshikh said, offering a specific date for Canelo-Crawford on a Friday night at Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, the Raiders home field. Alalshikh told Canelo that he forgot to mention one item: The International Boxing Federation 168-pound belt, stripped from Canelo and then won by Scull in a unanimous decision over Vladimir Shiskin for the then vacant belt last October in Germany.

“I got you, don’t worry,’’ Canelo said, relaxed and smiling, said to Alalshikh.

It was a comment from a fighter in control, a sign that he also expects to be in control and undisputed all over again in May.

“He has only one belt, and that’s mine, too,’’ Canelo said of Scull.

Through an interpreter, Scull acknowledged he’s in a tough spot. He’s the designated fall guy in a bout that Alalshikh is confident will set the stage for a huge money-maker in September. 

“This is just how boxing is sometimes,’’ said Scull, who lives in Berlin.

But, Scull continued through an interpreter, “I’m going to shut up everybody. You’ll see.’’

For Scull, the newser on a New York stage was often awkward. He had never been there. The crowd grew restless when it couldn’t hear him in the early moments. Please, speak into the microphone, Canelo told him. It was Canelo’s show.

The Mexican, still boxing’s pay-per-view star, did say that Scull’s Cuban pedigree could present some problems.  Before his move to Germany, Scull learned how to box in the slick Cuban style, which has won a lot of Olympic medals but frustrates fans and opponents on the professional level.

“It’s going to be difficult, because the Cuban style always is,’’ Canelo said. “He has a lot of skills, but there is nobody else, no other Canelo, out there.’’

Canelo’s experience with Cuban fighters is perhaps defined by a difficult night against Erislandy Lara at junior-middleweight in July 2014 in Vegas. Canelo escaped with a controversial split-decision. Lara landed more punches (107, connecting at 28 percent) than Canelo (97, connecting at 23 percent.) 

The argument is that Canelo’s shots were more effective. Whatever you believe, the fight itself was a dud. The styles simply didn’t mix well enough to produce a fan-friendly fight. It’s safe to say Alalshikh is urging for more. He was talking about a belt when he mentioned “an item.’’ But the genuine item might be a knockout. Canelo hasn’t scored one since 2021.

Maybe, Canelo, now 34,  discovers some of his youthful power in his first fight in a different hemisphere. He concedes the atmosphere will be different. There’s talk that the fight will take place in the morning of May 3 in Riyadh. That way, Canelo’s Mexican fans have a better chance to see the PPV bout on a Cinco de May weekend, one of Canelo’s traditional dates.

“Different for me, for sure,’’ Canelo said.

But, he continued, he felt “most assured that the whole world is Canelo territory.’’

Alalshikh is betting on it.

LINCOLN, CALIFORNIA – Cruiserweight contender Blake McKernan kept his comeback rolling, scoring a stoppage of late replacement Jurmain McDonald in the main event of a ten-bout card at the Venue at Thunder Valley at Thunder Valley Casino Resort on Saturday night.

McKernan (16-2, 9 KOs) of Sacramento, California started out working behind his jab and using his reach advantage over the former middleweight McDonald (8-8, 3 KOs) of Jefferson City, Missouri. McKernan, 195.5, made McDonald, 200, feel his power midway through the round when he landed a hard right hand that gave the Jefferson City native reason to pause his attack. 

After allowing McDonald some comfort in round two, McKernan turned up the aggression in round three and rocked McDonald along the ropes and followed-up until the bell to end the round. By round four, McDonald was only looking to land one looping shot at a time and was bloodied by the nose. Though McDonald’s ample body was there as a target, McKernan mostly landed his power shots upstairs, often off of his jab. 

McDonald returned weary to his corner at the end of round four and, after consulting with the corner, referee Edward Collantes opted to end the bout between rounds, officially at 3:00 of round five. With the victory, McKernan has won three straight since returning from a nearly two-year layoff induced by multiple shoulder surgeries and a bout with severe sepsis. 

Undefeated middleweight Islam Abdusamadov (5-0, 2 KOs) of Santa Clara, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia scored a four-round unanimous decision over Josias Gonzales (2-5-1) of Whittier, California. 

Abdusamadov, 157, dropped Gonzales, 148, in the second, landing a right in the middle of an exchange. Gonzales had the habit of falling off balance when he was errant with a power shot and Abdusamadov was ready to counter. Gonzales did not appear hurt and fired back in a wild exchange to end the round. 

Gonzales had a solid round three as perhaps Abdusmadov was looking to time a perfect counter once more, but ultimately was outworked in stretches of the round. Again the round ended with a heated exchange, where Abdusamadov was able to flex some of his power against the busy Gonzales. 

In round four, Abdusamadov was willing to give ground against the forward-moving Gonzales in order to land his power counter punches. Gonzales would throw a flurry, but Abdusamadov would time him and land one or two clean shots that would win the moment for him. In the end, judge Joel Farbstein had it 39-36, while judges Melissa McMorrow and Edward Collantes scored it 38-37, all for Abdusamadov. 

Kyle Lacanlale (4-0, 3 KOs) of San Ramon, California was taken the distance, but won every round against a tough Brandon Badillo (0-4-1) of Lancaster, South Carolina. 

Lacanlale, 124, set the pace and landed in combination against the shorter Badillo, 126.5. Lacanlale was the better boxer and landed with power shots, but Badillo hung tough and fought back throughout. 

All three judges, Joel Farbstein, Melissa McMorrow and David Hartman scored the bout a shutout for Lacanlale, 40-36. Lacanlale’s next bout is already set for May 24th at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California. 

In a rough inside fight, Jessie James Guerrero (5-0-3, 4 KOs) of Gilroy, California remained unbeaten with a four-round majority decision over Antonio Vallecillo Velasquez (0-2) of Richmond, California by way of Chinandega, Nicaragua.

Guerrero, 110.5, and Vallecillo Velasquez 110.5, traded on even terms for much of the bout. Guerrero landed well in combination, but Vallecillo Velasquez had his moments, landing some clean power shots. 

Judge Melissa McMorrow scored the bout even, 38-38, but was overruled by judges Michael Margado and Joel Farbstein, who scored the fight 39-37 for Guerrero. 

Braulio Ceja Navarro (4-0, 2 KOs) of Concord, California pounded out a four-round unanimous decision over journeyman David Minter (4-7, 3 KOs) of Lincoln.

Ceja Navarro, 138.9, threw and landed in combination as the veteran Minter, 139.5  could not keep up with the high output. 

Slowed only by a warning and timeout for a low blow in the final round, Ceja Navarro claimed a shutout on the cards of all four judges, Joel Farbstein, Melissa McMorrow and David Hartman, 40-36.

In an excellent action fight, Ebert Diaz (3-2-1, 1 KO) of Richmond, California scored a hard-fought six-round majority decision over Christian Avalos (3-2-2) of Carson City, Nevada. 

Avalos, 135, got off to a great start, rocking Diaz, 134.8, in an exchange in the first, but the Richmond native regained his footing quickly and bounced back to have a solid second round. 

As the fight progressed, Diaz’s pressure began to turn the fight in his favor, but all six rounds featured two-way action. Avalos landed with a clean uppercut late in the sixth, but ultimately came up short on the cards. 

Judge Melissa McMorrow scored the bout even, 57-57, but was overruled by judges Joel Farbstein and Edward Collantes, 58-56, for Diaz.

In his pro debut, former amateur standout Sergio Gonzalez (1-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento scored two knockdowns en route to a third-round stoppage of Miguel Soto-Garcia (1-5) of Fresno, California by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Gonzalez, 149, turned up the pressure in the second round, dropping Soto-Garcia, 150.5, with a left hook. Later in the round, Gonzalez caught Soto-Garcia with a right in the middle of an exchange to score a second knockdown.

After a visit to the Soto-Garcia corner at the end of round two, referee Edward Collantes stopped the bout officially at 3:00 of round three.

Vikash Deol (2-0, 1 KO) of Hayward, California remained unbeaten via four-round unanimous decision over Herman Hodnett (0-2) of Oroville, California.

With his basketball center frame, Hodnett, 246, failed to take advantage of his height and reach and fought an inside fight with the stalky Deol, 230. 

Late in the final round, referee David Hartman deducted a point from Hodnett for hitting behind the head, which ended up being the difference in the scoring, as judges Joel Farbstein and Edward Collantes both scored the bout 38-37, while judge Melissa McMorrow had it 39-36, all for Deol.

Dante Kirkman (4-0, 2 KOs) of Palo Alto, California scored two knockdowns in short order to halt journeyman Jose Cruz (2-7, 1 KO) of El Monte, California in the opening round. 

Kirkman, 158, downed Cruz, 160, in the early going with an overhand right. Cruz managed to rise, but was soon forced into the red corner, where Kirkman landed a solid right and a sweeping left to down Cruz for the second time. Referee Michael Margado began his count, but ultimately waved it off at  2:32 of round one.

In the opener, Pedro Angel Cruz (4-6, 2 KOs) of San Jose, California boxed his way to a six-round unanimous decision over brawling Luciano Ramos (2-9) of Stockton, California by way of Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

Cruz, 143, had the superior technique, but Ramos, 142.5, had his moments, landing with power punches. In the end judges Joel Farbstein and Michael Margado scored it 58-56, while judge Melissa McMorrow scored it 59-55, all for Cruz. 

Upper Cut Promotions will bring professional boxing back to the Venue at Thunder Valley on Saturday, September 6th.

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

ROCKLIN, CALIFORNIA – Cruiserweight contender Blake McKernan ended a two-year sabbatical last August and will now fight for the third time in his return on Saturday night as he takes on short notice replacement Jurmain McDonald in the eight-round main event at the Venue at Thunder Valley at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. Fighters for the ten-bout card weighed-in Friday morning at Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ in nearby Rocklin. 

McKernan (15-2, 8 KOs) of Sacramento, California scored fourth-round stoppages in both of his bouts last year, stopping Jasper McCargo on his feet in August and dropping Milton Nunez to a knee to force the last stoppage at the Venue this past October. The two fights last year ended a long layoff induced by multiple shoulder surgeries and a bout with severe sepsis. McKernan originally prepared for veteran Shawn Miller, a naturally larger opponent than he will end up meeting in his replacement. McKernan weighed-in at 195.5-pounds on Friday. 

McDonald (8-7, 3 KOs) of Jefferson City, Missouri is a recent entrant into the cruiserweight division, as he ended a two-plus year layoff this past January, scoring a four-round decision in his 200-pound debut. Prior to the time away, McDonald fought at middleweight and will likely look to use his footwork and movement on Saturday, as he was not a puncher at the 160-pound weight class. McDonald made the cruiserweight limit of 200-pounds on Friday. 

Power-punching middleweight prospect Islam Abdusamadov (4-0, 2 KOs) of Santa Clara, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia will take on gatekeeper Josias Gonzales (2-4-1) of Whittier, California by way of Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, Mexico in a four-round bout. Abdusamadov, coming off of a four-round unanimous decision at the Venue last October, weighed-in at 157-pounds Friday. Gonzales, whose previous opponents all combined have only one loss among them, scaled 148-pounds on Friday. 

Exciting featherweight prospect Kyle Lacanlale (3-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon, California will take a step-up against better-than-his-record Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) of Lancaster County, South Carolina in a four-rounder. Lacanlale, fighting for the fourth time since turning pro in late August, weighed-in at 124-pounds on Friday. The well-traveled Badillo, who has never fought an opponent with a prior loss, weighed-in at 126.5-pounds. 

Jessie James Guerrero (4-0-3, 4 KOs) of Gilroy, California returns to the ring on Saturday against Antonio Vallecillo Velasquez (0-1) of Richmond, California by way of Chinandega, Nicaragua in a four-round flyweight bout. Guerrero, came away with a draw last time out against Bryan Santiago last October, and Vallecillo Velasquez, fighting for the first time since May of 2023, both scaled 110.5-pounds on Friday. 

Making his 2025 debut, Braulio Ceja Navarro (3-0, 2 KOs) of Concord, California will take on veteran journeyman David Minter (4-6, 3 KOs) of Lincoln in a four-round light welterweight bout. Ceja Navarro’s original opponent was a late scratch and the Concord native agreed to step up in weight to meet Minter and keep his spot on the card Saturday. Ceja Navarro, normally a super featherweight, weighed-in at 138.9-pounds on Friday. Minter, no stranger to testing undefeated pros, scaled 139.5-pounds.

In what is sure to be an action fight, Christian Avalos (3-1-2) of Carson City, Nevada will take on Ebert Diaz (2-2-1, 1 KO) of Richmond, California in a four-round lightweight bout. Avalos, winner of three straight bouts, weighed-in at 135-pounds on Friday. Diaz, coming off of a decisive victory over previously unbeaten Kevin Montano, scaled 134.8-pounds. 

Former amateur standout Sergio Gonzalez, who trains out of Caballero’s Boxing Gym in Sacramento, will make his highly-anticipated debut in a four-round junior middleweight bout against Miguel Soto-Garcia (1-4) of Fresno, California by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. Gonzalez weighed-in at 149-pounds, while Soto-Garcia scaled 150.5. 

Vikash Deol (1-0, 1 KO) of Hayward, California will end a six-year absence when he meets Herman Hodnett (0-1) of Oroville, California in a four-round heavyweight bout. Deol weighed-in at 230-pounds, while the much taller Hodnett came in at 246. 

Junior middleweight prospect Dante Kirkman (3-0, 1 KO) of Palo Alto, California will make his 2025 debut against Jose Cruz (2-6, 1 KO) of El Monte, California in a four-round bout. Kirkman, finishing up his undergraduate degree at Stanford University this semester, weighed-in at 158-pounds, while Cruz made the 160-pound middleweight limit. 

In what promises to be a crowd-pleaser, Pedro Angel Cruz (3-6, 2 KOs) of San Jose, California will open the night as he takes on Luciano Ramos (2-8) of Stockton, California by way of Buenos Aires, Argentina in a six-round welterweight fight. Cruz weighed-in at 143-pounds, while Ramos scaled 142.5-pounds on Friday. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Cruiserweights, 8 Rounds 

McKernan 195.5

McDonald 200

Middleweights, 4 Rounds

Abdusamadov 157

Gonzalez 148

Featherweights, 4 Rounds

Lacanlale 124

Badillo 126.5

Flyweights, 4 Rounds

Guerrero 110.5

Vallecillo Velasquez 110.5

Light welterweights, 4 Rounds

Ceja Navarro 138.9

Minter 139.5

Lightweights, 6 Rounds

Avalos 135

Diaz 134.8

Light middleweights, 4 Rounds

Gonzales 149

Soto-Garcia 150.5

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds

Deol 230

Hodnett 246

Middleweights, 4 Rounds

Kirkman 158

Cruz 160

Welterweights, 6 Rounds

Cruz 143

Ramos 142.5

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

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

Just seven months into his pro career, former amateur standout Kyle Lacanlale will make his fourth ring appearance this coming Saturday as part of the “Thunder Showdown II” event at the Venue at Thunder Valley at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. Lacanlale will take on tough Brandon Badillo in a four-round featherweight attraction as he continues his rise a short ride from home.

Lacanlale (3-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon, California made his pro debut just last August 31st, as he steamrolled his opponent in one minute before a vocal gathering in nearby Oakland. After scoring a second career stoppage in October, Lacanlale was taken the four-round distance for the first time in his last outing, November 30th in Tijuana, Mexico. 

“That fight was fun,” says Lacanlale of his bout south of the border. “We went down there to get another fight in before the year ended. The fight went the four rounds and I got a unanimous decision. My opponent came in a little overweight and had eleven fights, so it was a good experience for me to go out there and go the four rounds. I was able to box him and get the win out there.”

Veteran Luis Antonio Macias had some extra poundage and a few veteran tactics that aided his ability to last the distance against Lacanlale. However, it is the type of fight that every young fighter needs to learn and grow before moving on to the next level. 

“Our opponent didn’t make weight,” recalls Kyle’s father-trainer Lyndon Lacanlale. “He was five pounds heavier than our contract was, but we took the fight. [Kyle] could have done a little better. He was accepting the holds a little more than he should have. The guy was a crafty and held a lot. He fought defensively, basically. He was also a grown man at 27-years-old and he had some experience. There were little tricks they were doing as well, like using some vaseline, which makes it hard to make solid contact with the punches, with everything sliding off. I wish it would have went a little better, but Kyle got the win on the cards of all three judges.”

Like most young fighters, Lacanlale would have preferred to continued his knockout streak, but he was able to show he could go the four full rounds and finish strong. The knowledge gained will definitely serve Lacanlale as the competition gets tougher.

“Obviously, I want to get the knockout when I fight, but if it comes, it comes,” explains Kyle. “But I was able to box and dominate all four rounds. I felt like I was in control the whole fight. There wasn’t much for me to worry about and I felt like I could execute what I wanted to do in the ring.”

Next up this coming Saturday, Lacanlale will take on a better-than-his-record Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) of Lancaster County, South Carolina at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in the Sacramento suburb of Lincoln, California. 

“I’ve seen a little film on him,” says Kyle. “He’s a southpaw and I know he’s tough. All his losses were to high-ranked amateurs or guys with good professional records so far, so I am looking to go out there and make a statement. I am going to execute the game plan and hopefully come out with the stoppage.”

Originally Lacanlale and his team had agreed to fight an unbeaten opponent, before that fighter fell out and was replaced by the ultra tough Badillo.

“We had a different opponent that was 3-0 that dropped out for whatever reason, and Badillo stepped-in and I actually think he is a better fighter than the 3-0,” says Lyndon. “Some people will just look at his record and say he is a bum, but he’s not. He’s lasted in every fight. I’m expecting good things out of Kyle. I’m happy with a win, but I’d be even happier with a stoppage, just because these national champions [that have fought Badillo] couldn’t do it.”

Three fights in, on the verge of walking out for bout number four, Kyle Lacanlale is pleased with the path he has traveled thus far, while getting ready for what it is to come. 

“I’m happy with what we have done since last year,” says Kyle, who hopes to stay active by fighting every couple months. “I had three fights in the last quarter of last year and I am getting ready for my fourth fight at the beginning of this year, so I am just going to continue to build and setting myself up for the future.”

Building a professional boxing career has similarities to building a home. Before anything else, you need a solid foundation. With a wealth of amateur experience and the beginnings of a well-planned pro career coming together, Lacanlale’s foundation looks strong. The young fighter continues to build this coming Saturday in Lincoln, before a supportive fanbase. 

“They can expect a dominant performance,” predicts Kyle, whose next bout is already pegged for May 24th near home at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton. “I have been training hard. I am sharp. I am ready and I am motivated. I am just going to go out there and do my best to show everyone the skills that I have.”

Very few tickets remain for Saturday’s event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, and are available online at uppercutpro.com 

There is something that never gets old about the story of a fighter finding his way to America to pursue his dreams and doing what it takes to succeed and accomplish improbable goals. From the dry, mountainous terrain of  Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia, middleweight Islam Abdusamadov made his way to the States and continues to achieve his objectives this coming Saturday night as he returns to the ring to meet Josias Gonzales as part of “Thunder Showdown II” at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. 

Currently residing in Santa Clara, California, middleweight upstart Abdusamadov (4-0, 2 KOs) first took to boxing in his native Dagestan following his cousin to the gym.  

“I started training with my cousin Sadula Magomedov in Dagestan, Russia and I liked it,” explains Abdusamadov. “I went to the store and bought a boxing bag and for two months I trained myself. I kept training and training for about two years before I started fighting amateurs in Russia.” 

Fighting and training out of the mountains of Dagestan, Abdusamadov approximates he fought to a record of about 20-5 before a family member living in the San Francisco Bay Area convinced him it would be a good idea for his budding boxing career to make the move to the United States and offered to take him into his home. 

“My uncle Ramazan Magomedov has helped me a lot and continues to support me,” explains Islam. “My uncle doesn’t know boxing, but he has helped me. He still helps me and cares for me a lot. My uncle was living here and told me I could be better here.” 

Abdusamadov did not speak much English at the time of the move and obviously had some adapting to do once he arrived in Santa Clara. After some adjusting, and picking up the language, Abdusamadov feels at home now as he pursues his dream of boxing stardom. 

“Maybe for about a year it was hard, but I had someone here, in my uncle, to help me,” explains Abdusamadov. “When I came here, I did not speak English. I learned from speaking with people myself, so for the first year it was hard, but now it is easy.” 

Soon after arriving, Abdusamadov’s uncle helped his nephew find his new home boxing gym after a quick Google search pulled up the nearby Relentless Boxing and Training Center, founded by accomplished former professional, and now a well-regarded trainer, Arturo Quintero. Abdusamadov eventually ended working with Quintero and Eriky Alvarez Cosio through a few more amateur fights before the time was right to turn professional. 

“Even though he didn’t have an extensive amateur career, he has developed really fast,” explains Quntero. “The power that he has is insane, insane power. He just needs to start relaxing a little bit more, work more on setting up his punches and everything else will fall into place.” 

Sometimes things just work out for a reason and by chance Abdusamadov had an uncle that lived near a quality boxing gym with a good team of coaches and everything has fit just right for the Dagestan native while he pursues his singular goal of boxing success. Abdusamadov has adapted to the American fighting style while still having some of the Russian amateur teachings in his arsenal. 

 “I came here for training,” explains Abdusamadov. “I did not come here for clubbing or girls, I came here just to train boxing. I don’t have a choice. Before I go back to Dagestan, this is my goal. Professional boxing. For Russia, everyone is not training to be professionals, they are only training for the amateurs. The coaches only know amateur boxing. They are born for amateur boxing and I believe they are better amateurs there. But here, in the United States, we train for professional boxing. We fight in the amateurs for the experience, but we train to be professionals. Over there, they train to be the best amateurs, but not professionals.” 

Abdusamadov, with his power-punching approach, crafted his style to the pro game and finally realized his dream of turning professional in November of 2023, stopping Miguel Soto-Garcia in the third round at Gold Country Casino Resort in Oroville, California. 

“It is different,” explains Abdusamadov. “Amateur and professionals are very different. Professional boxing is more calm. You punch for power. You want to knock down the guy. I like knockouts. I look for the knockout. In amateurs, you have headgear and big gloves. It is hard to get a knockout. But in the pros, I like to go for the knockout. It is fun.” 

Abdusamadov’s love affair with the knockout almost got him into some trouble in pro bout number two, which took place last January against eight-fight veteran Juan Meza Moreno in Sacramento, California. After dropping Meza Moreno late in the second round, Abdusamadov punched himself out late in the fight, trying to end matters inside the distance. In the end, the knockdown scored gave Abdusamadov the points win, as Meza Moreno was able to box over the last two rounds but ultimately lost 38-37 on all three cards. 

 “I knocked him down and tried for the knockout, but it was hard,” recalls Abdusamadov. “I tried, but I still won the decision. That is the important thing. Maybe he felt my power and decided he needed to be careful. I wanted to finish him in the fight, but still I won.”

For Abdusamadov, the experience gained in his second pro fight will serve him well for the rest of his career. 

“It was a great learning experience,” says Quintero. “He pushed through and showed a lot of heart. I have been in that situation, so I know what it feels like. To push through it and come out with the win still, it was good to see. It is only going to help him for his next fights and show him that he needs to stay relaxed. It is not just about that one shot. As he starts progressing to more rounds, the fighters he is going to be fighting are going to be more experienced fighters. These guys are going to be able to take his punches a lot better than the ones when he first started. It was a good experience for him to understand that he will not be able to take everyone out with one punch. He needs to be patient, set-up his punches and when he sees the opening when the fighter is hurt, then go for that finish. But he can’t just start looking for that knockout.”

In his second fight, Abdusamadov did not need to worry about conserving energy, as he halted normally tough Matthew Monroe inside the first round last August. The Dagestan native returned less than two months later and, similarly to the Meza Moreno bout, dropped his opponent Andrew Buchanan early, but this time he boxed smarter down the stretch. Buchanan, much like Meza Moreno, reverted to a boxer’s style to close out the fight after feeling Abdusamadov’s power, which helped get the fight to the scorecards. Abdusamadov prevailed 39-36 on all three official cards. 

Next up on March 8th at the Venue at Thunder Valley in Lincoln, California, Abdusamadov takes a step-up in seven-fight veteran Josias Gonzales, a tough southpaw fighter that has fought almost exclusively against unbeaten prospects in his early pro career. 

“His record might now show it, but the guy is a good fighter, a strong fighter and very durable,” says Quintero of Josias Gonzales. “Islam can win, he just has to stick to his game plan and stay focused and relaxed and do his work.”

Helping bring confidence to Team Abdusamadov heading into battle this Saturday is the quality work they have put in preparation, especially in sparring. 

“He’s ready,” says Quintero of Abdusamadov. “This has probably been his best camp since turning pro. We have got great work with Vladimir Hernandez and Cristian Baez. Even though we know Vladimir is a right hander, the work he gives us is beyond comparison. Mentally and physically, Vladimir pushes you. He just throws non-stop punches. It gives Islam that sense of pressure, how to set himself up, how to move around and get around him. How to fight a pressure fighter. With Cristian, many of the same tactics, but Cristian is more of a boxer and he is a southpaw, like Islam’s opponent will be on March 8th.”  

Gonzales is a tough guy to stop inside the distance and his last opponent, a 5-0 at the time Sincere Brooks, was lucky to escape with a split decision last November, but Abdusamadov still envisions ending things early this Saturday night. 

“I never know what will happen. Once the fight starts, I will see what he brings and see if I can knock him out,” says Abdusamadov. “I always think about the knockout. If in the first round I can, I will in the first round. But we will see. Maybe the third or fourth round, but I will try. In my head, I will try to knock him out. I know it is hard to do, because the opponent can fight, but I will try and we will see. I know he is a good fighter, but I am better and we will see.” 

Limited tickets remain for this Saturday’s event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, at uppercutpro.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com

By Norm Frauenheim

A tank is easy to understand. Gervonta Davis isn’t. He’s more mercurial than his bulldozing, armor-plated nickname ever could be. In the ring and out of it, he’s a dynamic force, often a volatile mix of powerful athletic skill and emotions. Unpredictable and unbeaten.

He’s both, and both are very much in play this week as he resumes his career Saturday at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in a lightweight title defense against Lamont Roach. Only the fight itself (Amazon Prime, Pay-Per-View) itself is predictable. Expect a blowout of the likable, yet smaller Roach, who enters the ring in possession of a junior-lightweight belt.

“You know who I am,’’ Davis said at a news conference this week when asked for a prediction. “You know what I do.’’

What he’s done is undisputed. It’s hard to argue with 28 knockouts in 30 victories. Knowing who he is, however, isn’t quite as clear as his record, a powerful statement of his pound-for-pound credentials. This week, there were more surprises from Davis. Let’s just start with arrivals. Davis has a habit of keeping promoters and reporters waiting. He’s been late to news conferences about as often as he’s left the ring with another stoppage. 

But Thursday he was on time and respectful. In part, perhaps, that’s because he knows and seems to like Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs), who grew up in Washington DC. Davis is from nearby Baltimore. They’ve known each other since they were kids in the amateur ranks. In part, also perhaps, Davis knows he can dominate Roach.

On paper, the fight looks to be bridge to bigger dates, the biggest of which would be Shakur Stevenson. If not Stevenson, then maybe emerging Keyshawn Davis, the World Boxing Organization’s new lightweight champion. The opportunities are all there for Tank in a year when he could put himself in contention for the top spot in the pound-for-pound argument currently still led by Ukrainian heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk, all-time  welterweight great and current junior-middleweight champion Terence Crawford and junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue.

From rating to rating, Davis is among the second five. For now. There’s a sense that Davis is better than anyone included among the top 10. Nobody has his finishing power, consistently delivered with predatory instinct and precision. Still, there’s a guessing game about his plans, brought on by his own uncertainty, evident this week on successive days. 

At a live-streamed media workout Wednesday, Davis talked about hopes for a busy year. 

 “I want to say hopefully I got three fights this year,’’ Davis told the moderator about a path that could lead to the top of the pound-of-the-pound debate

The next day, however, Davis wasn’t so sure.

“Yes, it’s good to be in the sport, but sometimes we’ve got to learn ourselves,’’ Davis, now 30 and a father of three,  told Boxing Scene and other reporters Thursday after the formal part of the final news conference.  “I’ve been giving so much to the sport, I don’t take the time to study and learn [myself]. Even if it’s not the sport, I’ve been dishing myself out to other people. I just need time for myself – to grow. And then, hopefully, six months or one year from now, I can come back to the sport and fight these guys.”

Davis has often been compared to Mike Tyson, who on one day would wonder why he’s in the ring and on the next day would talk about how much he loved to fight.  Davis been been called the mini-Tyson for lots of reasons, all also on display this week in the build-up to Saturday’s opening bell. 

Davis was asked about his precise power. He had a Tyson-like answer:

When the big punch lands, Davis said, “It actually feels like a home run, when somebody hit the bat and it’s just right on the target and it goes far. It’s like that. That’s how it feel when you actually hit somebody on the button, you know that you catch ‘em real good.”

Tyson’s description: “I try to catch them right on the tip of his nose, because I try to punch the bone into the brain.’’

From this corner, the guess is that Davis will finish Roach in a way that will include both descriptions — a lot of his own and some of Tyson’s.

But then what? That’s the bigger guess, one for Tank as surely as it was for Tyson.

Top Rank sued

A chill went through the boxing business Thursday at news of a lawsuit filed in California against Top Rank. 

Manager/consultant William Keane is suing Top Rank for more than $25 million in unpaid fees, according to the complaint.

Keane alleges Top Rank President Todd duBoef asked him to secure a deal with alleged Irish gangster Daniel Kinahan for American promotional rights to Tyson Fury, a former heavyweight champion who said he retired in the wake of a rematch loss to Usyk. Fury has acknowledged he has been friendly with Kinahan.

Kinahan, wanted in Ireland for reported money-laundering charges, is reportedly in Dubai.

Top Rank did not comment.

By Norm Frauenheim

Rematches, like sequels, often disappoint just about everybody other than the opposite corners that get a second trip to the pay window. From Sugar Ray Leonard-versus-Thomas Hearns to Bernard Hopkins-versus-Roy Jones Jr., they just happen too late. They reach their past-due date. We waited — and waited — for a second Canelo-Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin rematch and then wondered why. It was a dud, altogether forgettable.

But then, there’s the exception, which in the here-and-now means Artur Beterbiev-Dmitrii Bivol 2 Saturday. Let’s just start with the timing. It’s serves as a lesson. To wit: Immediate and rematch should be inseparable. Remove the immediacy and the sequel goes stale.

Beterbiev and Bivol last fought in October, a light-heavyweight bout won by the narrowest of margins by Beterbiev on scorecards that sparked a debate that over the last four months has sustained interest in Saturday’s sequel (DAZN, pay-per-view) in Saudi Arabia like no advertising campaign ever could. 

The absence of a definitive conclusion on Oct. 12 screamed out for a second opening bell as soon as possible. Beterbiev’s birth certificate suggests that even he isn’t immune from time’s inevitable toll. He’s 40. On any clock, there aren’t many rematches — if any — left in his 21-fight career.

In the sequel, maybe Bivol can rewrite the script, reversing inconclusive cards that had him trailing on two — 115-113 and 116-112 — and in a draw on the third, 115-115. After all, he’s the younger man, six years younger, in fact. But narrow odds late this week suggest the sequel will be as close as the original. Beterbiev is a narrow favorite. It’s somewhat intriguing that Bivol was a narrow favorite in October. Best bet, perhaps, is the 34-year Bivol, who might force a trilogy — a third fight — if he wins and if the middle-aged Beterbiev decides to fight on, or at least fight once more.

Saudi promoter, Prince Turki Alalshikh, has said he’ll try to put together a third fight if there’s a Bivol victory, forcing David Benavidez to wait on his bid for the 175-pound title. After his solid decision over David Morrell three weeks ago, Benavidez is the so-called mandatory challenger, which in acronym speak could mean just about anything. In a promising sign, Benavidez and father/trainer, Jose Benavidez Sr, will be there, at ringside in Riyadh. The Phoenix-born Benavidez and his dad boarded a flight to Saudi Thursday. Saudi money is the only factor that could turn mandatory into reality.

Beterbiev was quoted this week as saying he’d be interested in fighting Benavidez instead of Canelo, the super-middleweight champ is pointing toward a September date against former welterweight great Terence Crawford after a perceived tune up against William Scull during the first weekend in May in Riyadh in May. But whatever Beterbiev said about plans beyond Saturday is irrelevant. Neither Beterbiev nor Bivol is thinking about anything beyond Saturday, the biggest date for both.

“I was happy with the first fight because I won,’’ Beterbiev, a taciturn Russian living in Canada, said Thursday at the final news conference in Saudi Arabia  “There are many things {I learned}. It’s too long to tell you. Let’s talk after the fight.”

Beterbiev’s feared skillset includes everything but a few good quotes, of course. Then again, Bivol, also Russian, won’t ever have his own talk show, either.

“I didn’t win last time,’’ Bivol said Thursday.  “And I really want to win. It’s burning inside of me. I want to change something because I can see where I was wrong at some points. And I want to change it.’’

What Bivol wants, presumably, is more energy over the final three rounds. He was leading on the cards through the first nine. Seemingly, suddenly, his punching power lost some of the edge that kept Beterbiev off him until the tenth. That’s when Beterbiev, the older man, found enough energy to apply just enough pressure to win a majority decision. Still, Bivol goes into the rematch with some momentum. Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) went into the first fight with a perfect record — 20 victories all by stoppage. Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) is the first opponent he’s not stopped. 

Safe to say, Beterbiev will want to prove Bivol is somebody he can stop. The rematch offers him that opportunity.

“For me, for nine rounds, Dmitrii Bivol completely dominated,’’ Bivol promoter Eddie Hearn said Thursday of the first fight. “And yes, Beterbiev did come on strong and win rounds 10, 11, 12. I stand by that Dmitrii Bivol won the fight, but it was a fantastic fight between two great fighters. But it’s done now, it’s over. 

“The great thing for fans and the fighters is we get to run it back. I want to echo what (Bivol manager) Vadim Kornilov said and thank Artur Beterbiev because he is now the champion, he is the hunted and he’s been the hunter for a long time. I just see the look in this man’s (Bivol) eye this week, I see something different. I couldn’t believe how well Bivol took the defeat. No sulking, no moaning, unbelievable mindset from this man. 

“I just truly believe you’re going to see one of the great performances from this man, Dmitrii Bivoll this weekend. I’m very confident that he becomes the undisputed champion. I believe he should have been last time, but now that’s done, that’s over. I expect another fight for the ages between two great champions but for me, I truly believe Dmitrii Bivol will be the undisputed champion this weekend.’’

Which could mean an immediate trilogy.

Albuquerque, NM – [February 20, 2025] – Fight fans, get ready for an electrifying night of action as combat sports legends Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans step into the boxing ring for a long-awaited showdown at ICS Mania 1 on April 12, 2025, at The Pit in Albuquerque, NM.

This historic event, presented by Signature Punch Promotions, ICS (Influencer Crossover Series), and, NFL Legend turned MMA entrepreneur, Shawne Merriman’s Lights Out Sports TV will bring together two of the most dominant figures in MMA history, reigniting their legendary rivalry in a whole new arena. With an electric atmosphere and a stacked fight card featuring Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion & Hall of Famer Rashad “Suga” Evans, MMA icon Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez, Johnny and Nicco Tapia, Josh “Pitbull” Torres, Fernando Vargas Jr., PBCs Brian Mendoza, and more, fans can expect an unforgettable night of hard-hitting action. Select fights will be streamed for free, while others will be available via pay-per-view on Lights Out Sports TV, with final details to be announced.

“Fans have been waiting for this one,” said Shawne Merriman, founder of Lights Out Sports and event partner. “Rampage and Rashad have a history, and now they get to settle the score in the boxing ring. This isn’t just a fight—this showdown’s about to be huge and have the entire combat sports world talking.”

ICS Mania 1 will be streamed live on Lights Out Sports TV, ensuring fans around the world won’t miss a second of the action. Lights Out Sports TV is FREE for download on all CTV platforms. Visit https://www.lightsoutsportstv.com/ for more information.

Tickets for ICS Mania 1: Rampage vs. Evans will go on sale soon. Stay tuned for updates on the fight card, streaming details, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

For media inquiries, interview requests, or credential applications, please contact:

EAG Sports Management

Maddy Candioty | maddyc@eagsportmanagement.com | Cell: 805.444.1204 | Office: 310.709.6439

Signature Punch Promotions

Madison Clavon | Madison@signaturepunch.com | MGMT@icsboxing.com 

ABOUT SIGNATURE PUNCH PROMOTIONS:

Signature Punch Promotions  was founded by Gary Lewis, a seasoned boxing manager and promoter, Signature Punch Promotions is dedicated to developing the next generation of boxing superstars.

ABOUT ICS (INFLUENCER CROSSOVER SERIES): 

ICS – Influencer Crossover Series is the premier platform where professional boxers, combat sports legends, rising prospects, and influencers come together to showcase their talents in the ring. With a commitment to fairness, we eliminate the A-side and B-side dynamic, delivering exciting and balanced matchups that engage fans and highlight the best in boxing and combat sports.

ABOUT LIGHTS OUT SPORTS TV:

Lights Out Sports TV is a revolutionary FREE streaming platform bringing fans closer to their favorite sports and athletes with exclusive content, live sports, sports movies, and behind-the-scenes access. From pro athletes to fan experiences, Lights Out Sports TV is changing the game for ultimate sports enthusiasts. You can download Lights Out Sports TV on all CTV platforms.

JAMESTOWN, CALIFORNIA – Lightweight contender Gabriel Flores Jr. scored two knockdowns, but was taken to the limit by hard-charging Jose Arellano, despite wide official scores, en route to a ten-round unanimous decision in the ProBox TV main event from the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort. 

Flores (26-2, 8 KOs) of Stockton, California was the first to strike, scoring the first official knockdown of the bout in the early moments when a left counter forced Arellano (11-3, 6 KOs) Aurora, Colorado by way of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico into the ropes. With Arellano gripping a stand to stay vertical, referee Michael Margado correctly ruled the knockdown. 

Arellano, 133.4, was more caught off balance and quickly made his presence known in the fight. Flores, 134.8, always the classy boxer, attempted to use his superior jab to keep the Colorado native at range, but Arellano was undeterred and found his way inside for much of the middle round action. 

With the fight that had the feel of one slipping away from the Stockton native, Flores, the WBO #10/WBA #12 ranked lightweight, found his distance in round six and was able to use his jab to better effect. Arellano still landed some clean power shots as the fight progressed into the later rounds as he continually pressed the action. 

Flores found a rhythm again early in round nine and would score a second knockdown to start round ten. Flores’ counter downed the forward-moving Arellano in a moment that felt more significant before the final cards would be read. Flores closed the fight strong, but ultimately did not require either knockdown to win over the judges. 

Judge Michael Rinaldi scored the bout 99-89, judge Dan Stell scored it 98-90 and judge Brian Tsukamoto had it the closest, 95-93. With the victory, Flores retained his WBA Continental USA lightweight title and remains viable in the 135-pound division. 

In the co-main event, Emiliano Moreno (12-0, 7 KOs) of Long Beach, California overcame a slow start to score a seventh-round stoppage of Cesar Francis (13-3, 8 KOs) of West New York, New Jersey. 

Moreno, 149.6, started methodically, but picked up the pace as the fight went along. Francis, 146.6, boxed well in the early rounds, pressing the action and setting the pace. 

Moreno was careful in his punch selection early, but landed the cleaner, harder shots when he found the opening. 

Francis began to show signs of wilting in the sixth as his output dipped considerably. Moreno broke through in the seventh, landing combinations upstairs. Francis buckled as a result, but regained his footing enough to find the corner. Before Moreno moved in to follow-up, referee Dan Stell moved in to stop the fight, receiving a mild protest from Francis, who was ahead on the cards at the time of the stoppage. Official time came at 2:44 of the seventh round. 

Anthony Cuba (9-1-2, 4 KOs) of Fontana, California overcame a knockdown to score an eight-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten DeMichael Harris (12-1-1, 11 KOs) of Smyrna, Georgia. 

Cuba, 137, was the aggressor throughout as Harris, 134.2, spent too much time on the ropes. By the sixth, Cuba was distancing himself on the cards with solid power shots. 

Harris had a moment early in the eighth, landing a tomahawk right that dropped Cuba in an exchange. The knockdown came too late, as Cuba regained his footing and claimed the wide unanimous verdict. 

Judge Michael Margado scored it 78-73, while judges Michael Rinaldi and Brian Tsukamoto had it a round closer, 77-74, all for Cuba. 

Kevin Soltero (4-0, 2 KOs) of Kansas City, Missouri sprung an upset over previously unbeaten Andrew Rodriguez (5-1, 1 KO) of Salinas, California via six-round majority decision. 

Rodriguez, 116.4, had to battle with a cut suffered from a headbutt in the second round, but closed that same act with some solid body work. Soltero, 116.6, applied relentless pressure in the third round, as Rodriguez looked to circle and box. 

The Kansas City native was finding a home for his right in the middle rounds and had a strong fourth as the blood seemed to bother Rodriguez. The final two rounds featured excellent two-way action, but it was ultimately Soltero that won over the judges. Judge Dan Stell scored the bout even, 57-57, but was overruled by judge Brian Tsukamoto, 58-56, and judge Mike Rinaldi, 60-54. 

Jennah Creason (2-0-1) of Visalia, California and Samantha Ginithan (1-0-1, 1 KO) of Las Cruces, New Mexico battled it out to a four-round majority draw. 

Ginithan, 140.2, and Creason, 139, both had their moments in a fight fought at close quarters for the eight scheduled minutes. With neither making a clear case, judges Michael Rinaldi and David Hartman both scored the bout even, 38-38. Judge Brian Tsukamoto turned in a dissenting card for Ginithan, 39-37. 

In the walk-out bout, Antonio Mireles (9-0-1, 7 KOs) of Des Moines, Iowa took an eight-round shutout decision over much shorter Josue Vargas (5-10-2, 2 KOs) of Panorama City, California. 

Vargas, 244, was able to make it a mauling, inside fight from the early going. When Mireles, 274, had daylight to punch, he was successful landing in combination. Mireles did not follow his corner’s repeated instructions to turn Vargas and get his back away from the ropes or create distance, but ultimately did enough to win every round, claiming all three cards, 80-72. 

Photos by Julio C. Sanchez/G-Squad Entertainment

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com

JAMESTOWN, CALIFORNIA – In the ten-round main event of tonight’s ProBox TV broadcast emanating from the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort, world ranked lightweight contender Gabriel Flores Jr. will take on TV-friendly action fighter Jose Arellano in what could be an intriguing clash of styles. With the preparation complete, both fighters expressed their feelings about the bout on Tuesday. 

“I feel great,” proclaimed Flores (25-2, 8 KOs) of nearby Stockton, California, just before getting on the scale on Tuesday. “I feel ready. All my confidence comes from the preparation and training. I don’t cut no corners. I work as hard as I can and I get great sparring in the city of Las Vegas.” 

With tonight’s fight being broadcasted by a readily-available outlet, there is extra onus on Flores to perform the way that he knows he is capable of, as the eyes of the boxing industry will likely be tuned into the contest. 

“It just makes me excited for everyone to get to see how I am progressing as more of a pro,” says Flores, the WBO #10/WBA #12 ranked 135-pounder. “I started at 17-years-old. Now I am here to show my man strength, my man mentality and all that follows.” 

Flores took exception to the claim that Arellano presents more of a pressure style than recent previous opponents. 

“He’s aggressive, but I don’t know if he is more aggressive than my last three opponents,” says Flores. “He’s probably just as aggressive. I don’t see him being anymore aggressive. Julian Rodarte was pretty aggressive. Ronal Ron, he was coming forward, he was on me. And in my last fight, I was throwing shots and [Dennis Contreras] kept on coming and kept on coming. So I can’t imagine him bringing any more pressure, but if he does, good for him, but I don’t think it is going to make much of a difference. I am ready.” 

Flores, who will be defending his regional WBA Continental USA lightweight title, plans to put on a show for his fans on Wednesday night. 

“Intensity and an explosive Gabriel Flores,” predicts the Stockton native. “Always doing something entertaining.”

Arellano (11-2, 6 KOs) Aurora, Colorado by way of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico is no stranger to the bright lights of ProBox TV, having engaged in some memorable, at times bloody, bouts on the streamer. 

“I feel good,” said Arellano, just after Tuesday morning’s weigh-in. “I am ready. Everything is done, so we just wait for the last thing and that is the fight tomorrow.” 

For Arellano, who campaigns as a super featherweight, the regional lightweight title bout on Wednesday does not mark a permanent move up in weight for the Colorado resident. Instead it was the opportunity to fight Flores that felt like the right fit for Arellano and his team. 

“We are just fighting at this weight for the opportunity,” explains Arellano. “We will beat him and then go back down to 130. My coach Javiel Centeno liked the fight for me. He believed that I could beat him and I went on board with it, so now we are here.” 

One thing that Arellano and Flores agreed on was that the Colorado fighter is not simply a pressure fighter. 

“They call me a pressure fighter, but I consider myself something else,” says Arellano. “It is a match-up of styles and we are going to clash either way, so it should be a fun fight, period. Whether he has to box or I have to box, it is going to be a very good fight. He is gifted, he is a very good boxer, but we are going to have to fight because of our styles. I take nothing away from him, but we will be there.” 

Tickets for the event, promoted by G-Squad Entertainment and Robert Garcia’s House of Champions, are available online at gsquadent.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

When Kylie Jenner accepted his longshot request to accompany him to prom, eventually featuring the event on the maiden episode of the E! Television show “Life with Kylie,” Sacramento, California’s Albert Ochoa soon became a social media celebrity himself. After making the rounds on local and national television and being featured in print and online publications, Ochoa eventually found a way to parlay his newfound fame into a new passion project: boxing. After gaining some ring experience in “influencer boxing” exhibitions and training with notable professionals, Ochoa feels ready to move into the big league of sanctioned professional boxing and will make his pro debut this coming Saturday in San Francisco del Rincón, Guanajuato, Mexico. 

Celebrity boxing has been around a long time, but the world of social media lent itself to organized boxing exhibitions and leagues in a way not possible when television was the main conduit of in-home entertainment. Recognizing a trend, Ochoa decided to try his hand at the sport and quickly grew to have a great devotion to the craft. 

“I saw that these YouTubers and influencers were fighting and Jake Paul did it too, so I said, ‘Let’s try it.’ Then I fell in love with the sport too,” Ochoa recalled after a recent media workout at the Undisputed Boxing Gym in Redwood City, California. “Now we are here and the hard work is paying off.” 

After a failed first attempt, Ochoa returned to the ring over a year later better prepared and began a string of five straight exhibition victories. Over the two years of competing and in the time since his last bout, Ochoa has worked with a line-up of noteworthy names in the sport. 

“I just connected with the right people and fell in the love with the sport,” explains Ochoa. “Despite what people say about me, I did things differently, but I’ve also worked with some great people: Tony “The Tiger” Lopez, Vicente Escobedo, Joel Casamayor, Bob Santos. I think I have picked something from every trainer I’ve had. I think I’ve got better as we have gone along. I’ve got better every day I am in the gym. One fight at a time, one win at a time and I think I am ready for this next step-up. This pro debut will get me considered as a legit, pro fighter now, despite what people say.” 

After deciding he would turn professional, Ochoa turned to one of his hometown’s recent fighting stars in Stan Martyniouk for guidance. A former top level amateur and an accomplished professional, Martyniouk will be guiding his first pro as a head trainer when Ochoa meets six-fight veteran Zachary Johnson this coming Saturday night. 

“I’ve been training amateur fighters and helping a lot of other up-and-comers get ready,” explains Martyniouk. “It was something that I wanted to do after boxing. With the knowledge that I have from coming up in the ranks, I want to help out the younger generation and get them ready and get them better.

He messaged me on Instagram and said he was looking for a new trainer. He had trained with a few trainers in Vegas, but it didn’t really work out, so he asked me if I could help him get ready. I said absolutely, so he came out here in December to try me out. We trained for one day and he liked what he saw and he liked what he did, so he scheduled his training camp with me in January.” 

Ochoa has not only had expert advice coming from his corner, but his significant other more than knows her way around the ring. After a chance meeting at the airport and some online smooth talk, Ochoa struck up a relationship with multiple time world title challenger Maricela Cornejo early last year. 

“We met at an airport,” recalls Ochoa. “She was fighting for Jake Paul in Orlando last year on February 2nd. I was going to that fight, regardless, as just a fan and I saw her at the airport and I’ve been attached to her ever since. She understood my journey and I understood hers. We both got started in the game late and made an impact and got attention right away.” 

A professional for over twelve years, Cornejo is an invaluable resource as Ochoa charts his path as a professional with limited prior ring experience. Not only is Cornejo familiar with the in-ring aspect of the business, but she understands the path of developing a fighter from the beginning stages. 

“I went pro with only four amateur fights, within six months of learning what a jab was,” recalls Cornejo. “So I made some connections with a lot of promoters and just like Top Rank and Golden Boy, they grow their fighters with a plethora of amateur or Olympic backgrounds and they still have to build them up. So I said, ‘Don’t let what anyone else says about these supposedly easy fights bother you, because everybody has them. You don’t have that experience and those that have Olympic experience do it as well. Don’t worry about what anyone says and just stick to the plan.’  I just have been in the sport for a number of years and I think it helps to have another set of eyes looking and trying to help out whenever I can.” 

Based on his winless record, East Rochester, New York’s Zachary Johnson appears to be the right type of matchmaking for a fighter with a limited amount of ring time in his log book, but Ochoa is taking every fight seriously. 

“I know a little bit about him. He’s a pro and he called me out a year ago. He’s a professional fighter. He’s on BoxRec and he’s had more fights than me. So I consider it a big test for me, but I am ready.” 

Should things go according to plan this coming Saturday, the next bout will be a little closer to home at a venue in Southern California. However, one of Ochoa’s career goals is to bring a marquee attraction type event to his hometown of Sacramento, and he already has the fight in mind. 

“I called Urijah Faber out after my last fight and I think that would be big for Sacramento,” says Ochoa. “ I think that is going to happen. He can’t fight another boxer with a bigger name in Sacramento and sell it out. I am that guy. It is going to be big when it happens. That’s why turning pro now to get to those next steps of what I want to accomplish, such as fighting a former UFC fighter as one of those goals.  I think it is something that could be really big for Sacramento. I feel a lot of people would be really excited for it.” 

This Saturday, Albert Ochoa steps into his new reality as a professional boxer. He will have to walk before he can run, but the young Sacramento native is excited to take the next step in his fistic odyssey. 

“It has been a great three years into this journey,” says Ochoa. “I’ve worked my butt off. Stan has pushed me and I’ve worked on a lot of speed and power. This is the strongest I’ve been and I feel my grown man strength coming in and it will show this Saturday.” 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

JAMESTOWN, CALIFORNIA – Lightweight contender Gabriel Flores Jr. aims to continue his rise up the 135-pound ladder and state his case for a title opportunity on the national stage as professional boxing comes to the former California Gold Rush town for the very first time on Wednesday night. Flores, the classy boxer, will take on pressure-fighter Jose Arellano in the ProBox TV-broadcasted ten-round main event from the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort. Fighters for the six-bout card weighed-in on Tuesday morning at the host venue. 

Flores (25-2, 8 KOs) of Stockton, California has reeled off four consecutive victories at home since suffering a ten-round decision setback to Giovanni Cabrera in July of 2022. The last three were fought under his father-trainer Gabe Flores Sr.’s G-Squad Entertainment promotional banner, as Flores and his team have carefully charted a course that has led to a WBO #10/WBA #12 world ranking. Traveling roughly 60 miles from home, Flores will still have the home crowd advantage as he hopes to successfully defend his regional WBA Continental USA title for the third time. Flores weighed-in at 134.8-pounds on Tuesday morning. 

Hoping to spoil any world title hopes for the hometown favorite Flores, Arellano (11-2, 6 KOs) Aurora, Colorado by way of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico moves up from super featherweight and brings an aggressive style that Flores has not encountered with his most recent opponents. Arellano is no stranger to the ProBox TV audience, having gone 1-2 in action fights, notably scoring an upset over 6’3” Oscar Alvarez two Octobers ago in Florida. Arellano scaled 133.4-pounds on Tuesday. 

In the co-feature, 19-year-old prospect Emiliano Moreno (11-0, 6 KOs) of Long Beach, California will take on Cesar Francis (13-2, 8 KOs) of West New York, New Jersey in a ten-round welterweight bout. Moreno was last seen in a stay-busy bout, dispatching Sergio Gil in four rounds last November. Francis, who holds a win over former world champion Raymundo Beltran, did not fight last calendar year and was last in the ring in December 2023, stopping once-beaten Windry Martinez in two. Moreno made 149.6, Francis came in at 146.6-pounds. 

In an eight-round lightweight bout, DeMichael Harris (12-0-1, 11 KOs) of Smyrna, Georgia meets Anthony Cuba (8-1-2, 4 KOs) of Fontana, California. Harris is taking a step-up from recent competition in meeting Cuba on Wednesday. Harris’ two 2024 opponents combined to have a 14-42-1 record, whereas Cuba’s lone defeat came at the hands of mega prospect Curmel Moton, who was extended the distance for the only time in his career to date on that night in March of last year. Harris made 134.2-pounds. Cuba first tipped the scales at 137.4, but returned to make the contracted 137-pounds. 

Heavyweight Antonio Mireles (8-0-1, 7 KOs) of Des Moines, Iowa will look to remain unbeaten in an eight-rounder against Josue Vargas (5-9-2, 2 KOs) of Panorama City, California. Mireles did not make a ring appearance last year and will be making his first start since his majority draw to fellow undefeated Skylar Lacy in November of 2023. Vargas has dropped three straight, albeit against fairly solid opposition. The towering Mireles came in at 274-pounds, while the shorter Vargas scaled 244.2-pounds.

Super flyweight prospect Andrew Rodriguez (5-0, 1 KO) of Salinas, California will take on fellow unbeaten Kevin Soltero (3-0, 2 KOs) of Kansas City, Missouri in a six-round bout. Rodriguez moves up to the scheduled six-round distance for this first time, coming off a dominant four-round decision last October in Stockton. Soltero, with his national level amateur pedigree, figures to be a tougher test on Wednesday. Rodriguez made 116.4, Soltero came in at 116.6-pounds.

Multi-sport star Jennah Creason (2-0) of Visalia, California seeks win number three against Samantha Ginithan (1-0, 1 KO) of Las Cruces, New Mexico in a four-round junior welterweight bout. Creason, who plans to simultaneously pursue her career in MMA, weighed-in at 139-pounds. Ginithan, who also posted a 9-2 record in single round bouts during season two of Team Combat League, made 140.2-pounds   

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBA Continental USA Lightweight Championship, 10 Rounds

Flores 134.8

Arellano 133.4

Welterweights, 10 Rounds 

Moreno 149.6

Francis 146.6

Lightweights, 8 Rounds

Harris 134.2

Cuba 137*

Heavyweights, 8 Rounds

Mireles 274

Vargas 244.2

Super flyweights, 6 Rounds

Rodriguez 116.4

Soltero 116.6

Light welterweights, 4 Rounds

Creason 139

Ginithan 140.2

Tickets for the event, promoted by G-Squad Entertainment and Robert Garcia’s House of Champions, are available online at gsquadent.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com

By Norm Frauenheim

David Benavidez emerges from his victory over David Morrell in more control of his career than ever because of how he dominated often edgy pre-fight appearances, how he fought and how the boxing business changed wildly in the aftermath of the significant light-heavyweight fight.

Benavidez, a two-time super-middleweight once known for being the youngest champion in the history of the division, is moving on and up the scale, both in weight and wisdom. He’s a grown-up.

That’s the simplest way of saying it. Too simple, perhaps, mostly because there’s still a lot of maturing to do for an instinctive fighter who has an unrivaled upside. At 28 years old and just entering his prime, there’s still lots of time to grow into the stardom he foresees and many project. 

Is he already there? No, and that’s good news, promising in part because Benavidez understands where he is — who he is — at this point in his ongoing transformation from an overweight, unknown Phoenix kid with no expectations to one who believes he can be the Face of the Game.

“I’ll be the Face of the Game soon,’’ he said boldly after his unanimous decision over Morrell a couple of weeks ago in front of a roaring, pro-Benavidez crowd at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Soon could mean just about anything, of course. There’s a debate about the so-called Face, a mythic title that some have tried to buy and others have tried to steal. For now, at least, it’s fair to argue there is no face. In acronym-speak, it’s vacant. There are choices, but no consensus. The numbers suggest that Canelo Alvarez still gets the nod, despite some support for Terence Crawford, Canelo’s future foe for a projected September date.

The debate is incomplete without at least a mention of Japan’s junior-featherweight whirlwind, Naoya Inoue, the Asian version of The Monster, and heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, a heroic face amid the Ukraine’s desperate war against the Russians. But if you take a well-worn path and follow the money, it’s Canelo, the only prizefighter to consistently crack the top tier of the Forbes’ list of the world’s wealthiest athletes. Over the last year, however, that changed. Usyk and Tyson Fury surpassed Canelo with two heavyweight title fights last year, both won by Usyk. 

According to Sportico last week, Fury’s total for the two fights was $140 million and Usyk  $120 million, placing both in a different income bracket than Canelo, whose 2024 income was reported to be $73 million. Sportico ranked Fury third, Usyk seventh and Canelo 20th among the world’s highest earning athletes last year.

But it’s a good bet that Canelo will re-take his income supremacy among prizefighters in 2025. Fury says he’s retired. But don’t count on it. Also, don’t count on him getting anywhere close to his 2024 income if he makes a comeback. Meanwhile, Usyk says he’ll fight two more times and retire. But no fight figures to pay him anything approaching the pay he collected against Fury. Meanwhile, Canelo has a rich, multi-fight deal with the Saudis

Add that to his documented command of pay-per-view numbers and the risk-reward ratio, and Canelo’s face still belongs on the game for the same reason George Washington’s face is on the dollar bill. That’s still where the value is. That’s also why Saudi Prince Turki Alalshikh, boxing’s new money man, scrambled to sign him to a four-fight contract and away from a Netflix spectacle with showman Jake Paul in an 11th-hour deal five days after Benavidez secured his own place as a prominent factor on boxing’s board of potential moves over the next couple of years. 

The deal left one significant question. To wit: How much longer will Canelo hold the key to the vault? Like everything else amid the constant chaos, it’s impossible to know. Expectations, the business agenda’s glass jaw, is full of repeated examples. One unforeseen punch changes everything. For now, Canelo’s plans include a perceived tuneup in Riyadh during the first weekend in May against William Scull, a Cuban living in Germany who holds a piece of the 168-pound puzzle that the IBF — Irrelevant Boxing Federation took from Canelo. It’s an opportunity to restore some order, restore Canelo’s undisputed status, both in name and fact. 

Barring that aforementioned punch, Canelo’s business plan then takes him to the intriguing September date with Crawford, perhaps in a ring on the Las Vegas Raiders home field at Allegiant Stadium. It’s a fight between two of the best from different weight classes. Canelo has more size and presumably power; the smaller Crawford has more speed and skill. There’s a reasonable argument for either in what looks to be pick-em fight between the best of a their generation.

Age is a factor. For Crawford, the Canelo challenge — and the payday it’ll include — looks to be a career ender. Crawford is 37. He’ll be 38 on September 28. From Jaron “Boots’’ Ennis to Vergil Ortiz, the former welterweight great, who has fought once at junior-middle, has ignored challenges from the young lions.

Then, there’s Canelo. Between Scull and Crawford, Mexico’s pay-per-view star will celebrate a birthday. He’ll be 35 on July 18. He’s talked about retiring when he turns 37. Beyond the planned Crawford date, there are two more fights on his contract with Alalshikh. What happens against Crawford is sure to dictate what happens to the remaining dates. If Canelo loses to the smaller man, maybe he retires. If he wins, presumably he fights on in a scenario that could include Benavidez. 

If nothing else, Canelo’s deal with Alalshikh has revived some of the talk about Benavidez-versus-Canelo, which for years has been No. 1 on the list of fights the fans most want to see. Those fans haven’t forgotten. Benavidez has moved on, onto light-heavy, after years of calling out Canelo in a futile chase that threatened to define him. He continued to hear the question, even on the night after he proved he could stand on his own — define himself on his own terms — against Morrell.

What about Canelo? The question was inevitable, of course.

“I would love to fight Canelo, it would be a massive, massive, fight,’’ Benavidez said. “But, Canelo says he has other things and he says I’m being ‘too mean’ in the way I’m approaching him. I guess I got to work on my attitude.”

Then, it was a joke, almost said as if it was a parting shot. But the Canelo-Alalshikh deal five days later kept the possibility on the table. It depends on the Crawford-Canelo outcome. It also depends on Benavidez’ next move. He’s expected to be in Riyadh next Saturday (Feb. 22) for the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitrii Bivol rematch of Beterbiev’s narrow victory for the light-heavyweight title last October. Benavidez is in line to face the winner. Even that plan is uncertain, however. Father Time, also like that unforeseen punch, can change everything. Beterbiev had another birthday last month. He turned 40 on January 21. Retirement can’t be too far away.

What remains in place, however, is Benavidez’ current place among the fighters who hold the key to boxing’s future. Benavidez, a consensus pick for the pound-for-pound’s top 10 for the first time this month, is there alongside Tank Davis and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. He’s younger than Crawford, Canelo and Beterbiev. He’s younger, too, than Inoue, 31, and Usyk, 38.

Meanwhile, Benavidez is just getting started, a still emerging and maturing force who used his comprehensive victory over Morrell as a way to announce he’ll be around for awhile.