Weigh-In Results: Jamel Herring vs. Jonathan Oquendo

TOMORROW at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT live on ESPN+
from the MGM Grand Conference Center – Grand Ballroom (Las Vegas)

(ESPN+ 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT)
Jamel Herring 129.5 lbs vs. Jonathan Oquendo 129.6 lbs
(Herring’s WBO Jr. Lightweight World Title — 12 Rounds)

Steven Nelson 167.6 lbs vs. DeAndre Ware 168 lbs
(Nelson’s NABO Super Middleweight Title — 10 Rounds)

Photos by Mikey Williams

LAS VEGAS – Joe “The Beast” Smith Jr. once again lived up to his moniker. The Long Island native, nearly four years since he knocked Bernard Hopkins through the ropes, knocked out Eleider “Storm” Alvarez in the ninth round of a WBO light heavyweight world title eliminator.

A right-left combination sent Alvarez (25-2, 13 KOs) through the ropes, and he could not beat the count.

Smith (26-3, 21 KOs), who was leading on all three judges’ cards (80-72 and 79-73 2X) at time of the stoppage, has won two in a row since losing to WBA world champion Dmitry Bivol via decision.

Smith said, “Coming into this camp, I knew I had to work on my boxing. I wanted to be sharp, throw a lot of straight punches. I watched his fight with {Sergey} Kovalev, and Kovalev kind of set the way to beat him. So we watched that and worked off of it. I knew coming in today I had to box a little more because he’s got that great right hand. He caught me with it a couple times, but I can take a punch, too.

“Every time he hit me, I wanted to come and stop him in his tracks, and I did that. I stuck to my game plan, and it was a great fight.

“I feel this one is a big one. I really needed it. I wanted to prove I’m not just a knockout guy. I proved my boxing ability, too, and I showed that tonight.”

Photos by Mikey Williams / Top Rank

With numerous fights being cancelled due to non-fighters (trainers, managers, cutmen) being infected by COVID-19, the safety protocols in Las Vegas have been updated. Now upon a positive test for someone in a boxer’s camp, that person is immediately quarantined.

Top Rank will then consult with infectious disease experts and a risk level will be assessed for the non-infected team members. If deemed tolerable and acceptable, the fighter and remaining team are immediately isolated in their room and both must test negative daily until the fight.

Does it work? Under the original protocol, three of the six bouts taking place Thursday night would have been cancelled.

Photo by Mikey Williams / Top Rank

LAS VEGAS (June 24, 2020) —Jose Pedraza and Mikkel LesPierre will give it another shot. The junior welterweights will face off in the 10-round main event Thursday, July 2 from the MGM Grand Conference Center—Grand Ballroom. Pedraza-LesPierre was originally scheduled for June 18, but the bout was postponed after LesPierre’s manager tested positive for COVID-19.

Week 4 of the Top Rank on ESPN summer series begins Tuesday, June 30 at the MGM Grand, when top junior welterweight contender Alex Saucedo faces Sonny Fredrickson in a 10-round showdown.

The Pedraza-LesPierre and Saucedo-Fredrickson cards will air on ESPN and ESPN Deportes beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

“Mikkel and Jose deserve this opportunity, and I commend both camps for agreeing to reschedule this fight on short notice,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Alex Saucedo is destined to be a world champion, but he has an incredibly tall task in Sonny Fredrickson. We have another great week in store at MGM Grand.”

June 30
MGM Grand Conference Center – Grand Ballroom

Main Event
Alex Saucedo (29-1, 19 KOs) vs. Sonny Fredrickson (21-2, 14 KOs)
10 Rounds, Junior Welterweight

Saucedo has fought only once — a first-round knockout over Rod Salka — since he was knocked out by Maurice Hooker in November 2018 in a bid for the WBO junior welterweight world title. The Oklahoma City product is entering his second fight with head trainer Pedro Neme and will move closer to a second world title opportunity with a victory over the 6-foot-1 Fredrickson. From Toledo, Ohio, Fredrickson is a former U.S. amateur standout who is hoping to re-establish his momentum following a majority decision defeat to Samuel Teah last November.

“I have gotten a lot of quality sparring during the last few months, and I believe that’s going to show on June 30,” Saucedo said. “We have done 130 rounds in this camp sparring three times a week. We were able to get some taller guys to prepare for what Sonny brings to the table. I’ve worked on the things I need to win this fight. I’m still the same aggressive fighter, but we put a lot more movement in there. I’ve gone back to basics.”

Undercard

Junior welterweight prospect Josue “The Prodigy” Vargas (16-1, 9 KOs) will seek to increase his winning streak to 11 when he faces the battle-hardened Salvador Briceno (17-5, 11 KOs) in a 10-rounder. Vargas fought four times in 2019, including a win over Noel Murphy that earned him the IBF North American junior welterweight strap. Briceno is 4-2 in his last six fights, including competitive showings in decision losses to unbeaten prospects Gabriel Flores Jr. and Yomar Alamo.

Former U.S. amateur superstar Javier Martinez, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will make his professional debut against an opponent to be named in a six-rounder at middleweight. Martinez won the U.S. Olympic Trials at 165 pounds and was ranked number one in the nation at that weight, but after being named an alternate for the Olympic squad, he turned pro with Top Rank and noted manager Tim VanNewhouse.

Junior welterweight rising star John “El Terrible” Bauza (13-0, 5 KOs) will return from a nearly one-year layoff against the Irish-born, New York-based Larry Fryers (11-2, 4 KOs) in an eight-rounder.

Unbeaten Cleveland native Fred Wilson Jr. (6-0-2, 2 KOs) will face Rance Ward (4-1-1, 2 KOs) in a six-rounder at junior middleweight.

In a six-round junior welterweight bout, Adrian Valdovinos (5-0-1, 4 KOs) will fight Gerardo Alvarez (2-2-2, 0 KOs).

July 2
MGM Grand Conference Center – Grand Ballroom

Main Event
Jose Pedraza (26-3, 13 KOs) vs. Mikkel LesPierre (22-1-1, 10 KOs)
10 rounds, Junior Welterweight

Pedraza, who won world titles at junior lightweight and lightweight, is taking another run at the super lightweight division following last September’s decision loss to Jose “Chon” Zepeda. His opponent LesPierre challenged Maurice Hooker for a world title last year, dropping a unanimous decision. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brooklyn resident received deliveries and assisted doctors and nurses at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in Manhattan.

“I didn’t want to wait around for this fight, so I’m glad we got the deal done,” Pedraza said. “My march toward a junior welterweight world title continues July 2 in Las Vegas.”

“I want to thank Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment for making this fight happen through the trials and tribulations,” LesPierre said. “I’m honored to be the main event on July 2, and I am ready to showcase my talent to the world and prove my world championship caliber.”

Undercard

Robeisy Ramirez (3-1, 3 KOs) is out for revenge. The two-time Olympic gold medalist from Cuba will fight Adan Gonzales (5-2-2, 2 KOs) in a six-rounder at featherweight. It was Gonzales who shocked the boxing world last August when he spoiled Ramirez’s pro debut with a four-round split decision victory. Ramirez has scored three knockout wins since then, including June 9 at MGM Grand. Gonzales has not fought since the Ramirez fight.

Top junior lightweight contender Albert Bell (16-0, 5 KOs), from Toledo Ohio, will face Filipino puncher Mark Bernaldez (20-3, 14 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight bout. Bell graduated from prospect to contender last June on the Tyson Fury-Tom Schwarz undercard, defeating Andy Vences (22-0-1 at the time) over 10 rounds. He returned in October and shut out Frank De Alba.

Featherweight prospect Carlos Jackson (16-0, 11 KOs), who has knocked out five of his last six opponents, will face Jose Enrique Vivas (18-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-rounder.

Elvis Rodriguez (6-0-1, 6 KOs), the southpaw sensation from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, will seek to register his fifth consecutive knockout in a six-round junior welterweight tilt against Daniel Murray (5-3, 0 KOs). The only blemish on Rodriguez’s record came in this third pro fight, a technical draw following an accidental clash of heads.

Featherweight prospect Luis Melendez (8-1, 6 KOs) will fight an opponent to be named in an eight-round bout.

“Yo nunca digo nunca”, dijo el vegalteño Jonathan ‘Polvo’ Oquendo, “pero esta sí debe ser mi última oportunidad”.

“Es mi segunda pelea de título mundial y tengo ya 36 años, por lo que debo estar cerca de colgar ya los guantes”.

Pero Oquendo (31-6 y 19 nocauts) espera colgarlos, naturalmente, después de hacer varias defensas del cetro junior ligero de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB) que tratará de conquistar el jueves 2 de julio en Las Vegas, cuando se mida con Jamel Herring (21-2 y 10), de 34 años.

El combate se celebrará en el salón de conferencias del hotel MGM Grand que ha venido utilizando todo este mes en transmisiones por ESPN la empresa Top Rank para carteleras sin público que han marcado su regreso al boxeo luego de la pandemia.

“Es una pelea fuerte”, agregó sobre el campeón Oquendo, quien en su anterior pelea titular cayó por decisión en 2015 ante el argentino Jesús Cuéllar al disputar el cetro pluma de la AMB.

“Es zurdo y mide 5-10 por los 5-6 que mido yo”, agregó, “y sabe usar la distancia y tiene buen boxeo”.

“Pero también tiene sus deficiencias y esas son las que vamos a aprovechar para ganar la pelea”.

Para Herring, nacido en Nueva York pero radicado en Cincinnati y entrenado por Brian ‘Bo-Mac’ McIntyre, el entrenador de Terence Crawford, será la segunda defensa del cetro que le ganó por decisión al japonés Masayuki Ito en mayo de 2019: el 9 de noviembre, en Fresno, California, venció por decisión unánime en un competitivo encuentro a su retador obligatorio, el hasta entonces invicto Lamont Roach, ante quien Oquendo, ligado promocionalmente a la Miguel Cotto Promotions y la Golden Boy Promotions de Oscar de la Hoya, perdió una cerrada decisión en mayo del año pasado en la T-Mobile Arena de Las Vegas.

Pero Herring y Oquendo también comparten el hecho de haber sufrido una tragedia personal en sus vidas: en 2012 el boricua sufrió un accidente de four track por el cual posteriormente murió su novia, “el amor de mi vida, por haber sido yo ignorante”, lamentó.

Herring, quien se enlistó en los Marines en 2003 y vio acción dos veces en Irak, perdió a una hija de meses en 2009, y el tercer aniversario de su muerte se conmemoró el día de la ceremonia inaugural de las Olimpiadas de 2012 en Londres, donde Herring compitió por los Estados Unidos siendo aún miembro de las fuerzas armadas de su país.

“Hemos entrenado muy bien, durante seis semanas con puertas cerradas en Vega Alta”, dijo Oquendo, entrenado por Dennis Pantoja y Roberto Nevárez, quienes serán los que harán el viaje a Las Vegas con él el próximo lunes.

“Y en los guanteos me han ayudado mucho Alberto Machado y Ramón Meléndez, un muchacho de Vega Baja que mide seis pies”.

“Gracias a Dios hemos podido entrenar muy bien”.

En el combate semiestelar deben enfrentarse Albert Bell y Mark Benáldez, también en las 130 libras.

Artículo por Jorge Pérez
https://thegondol.com/2020/06/listo-oquendo-para-su-ultima-oportunidad/

Top Rank on ESPN: Joshua Greer Jr., Jose Pedraza and Emanuel Navarrete to Headline at MGM Grand and TV Azteca Studios

Greer-Mike Plania, Pedraza-Mikkel LesPierre and Navarrete-Uriel Lopez to top Week 2 cards LIVE on ESPN & ESPN Deportes

LAS VEGAS (June 9, 2020) — Don’t blink. Top Rank on ESPN’s summer schedule resumes with a trio of shows, commencing Tuesday, June 16, with the return of bantamweight contender Joshua “Don’t Blink” Greer Jr. in a 10-rounder against 23-year-old Filipino upstart Mike Plania at the MGM Grand Conference Center – Grand Ballroom in Las Vegas.

The action continues from MGM Grand Thursday, June 18, when former two-weight world champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza will face former world title challenger Mikkel LesPierre in a 10-round super lightweight showdown.

Week 2 concludes Saturday, June 20, at TV Azteca Studios in Mexico City, when WBO junior featherweight world champion Navarrete will fight Uriel “Yuca” Lopez in a 10-round featherweight bout. Navarrete-Lopez will headline one of two June cards from TV Azteca Studios, which will be promoted by Top Rank in association with Zanfer Promotions.

All three Week 2 events will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (in Spanish), with start times to be announced shortly.

“It is exciting to see these great fighters back in action and in fights that promise to be action-packed,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Greer and Pedraza have tough opponents in front of them, but if they are victorious, we could see them in world title fights before the end of the year. Navarrete is the king of the 122-pounders, a throwback fighter who wants to stay as active as possible.”

June 16
MGM Grand Conference Center – Grand Ballroom

Main Event
Joshua Greer Jr. (22-1-1, 12 KOs) vs. Mike Plania (23-1, 12 KOs)
10 rounds, Bantamweight

Greer, the Chicago product who taunts potential KO victims with custom-made pillows, is knocking on the doorstep of a world title shot. He has won 19 fights in a row and is currently the WBO No. 1 contender at bantamweight. Plania, meanwhile, has won eight straight bouts since a March 2018 decision loss to Juan Carlos Payano, a fight that propelled Payano to a world title shot against pound-for-pound great Naoya Inoue.

“Whoever the opponent is, it doesn’t matter. I prepare the same,” Greer said. “Every fight is a world title fight for me. I’m ranked number one in the world, so I have to take advantage of this opportunity. ‘Mr. ESPN’ is back!”

Co-Feature
Antonio DeMarco (33-8-1, 24 KOs) vs. Giovani Santillan (25-0, 15 KOs)
10 rounds, Welterweight

Former lightweight world champion DeMarco, who is coming off a competitive decision loss to top contender Jamal James, represents a quantum leap in class for the 28-year-old Santillan. A native of San Diego who has stopped his last four opponents, Santillan hopes to become the first man to knock out DeMarco in nearly eight years. In his last bout, he overcame a nearly 19-month layoff to knock out Wilfrido Buelvas in two rounds.

Undercard

Nikoloz Sekhniashvili (5-0, 4 KOs), a 26-year-old who hails from the nation of Georgia, will make his 2020 debut against Detroit native Isiah Jones (8-1, 3 KOs) in a six-rounder at super middleweight. Sekhniashvili, trained by Javiel Centeno, is part of a deep stable of fighters that includes Puerto Rican phenom Xander Zayas and lightweight contender George Kambosos Jr.

Super featherweight prospect Edward Vazquez (7-0, 1 KO), from Fort Worth, Texas, will face an opponent to be named in a six-rounder.

Puerto Rican-born heavyweight Hector Perez (6-2, 3 KOs) will fight southpaw spoiler Juan Torres (5-2-1, 2 KOs), from Cypress, Texas, in a six-round bout. Torres has won two straight and has never been knocked out in a professional match.

June 18
MGM Grand Conference Center – Grand Ballroom

Main Event
Jose Pedraza (26-3, 13 KOs) vs. Mikkel LesPierre (22-1-1, 10 KOs)
10 rounds, Super Lightweight

Pedraza, who won world titles at junior lightweight and lightweight, is taking another run at the super lightweight division following last September’s decision loss to Jose “Chon” Zepeda. His opponent LesPierre challenged Maurice Hooker for a world title last year, dropping a unanimous decision. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brooklyn resident received deliveries and assisted doctors and nurses at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in Manhattan.

“I am very excited to finally return to the ring after this long break. During quarantine, I made adjustments and trained hard from home, Pedraza said. “Despite everything that is happening in the world, my team and I have had a great training camp. I have done many runs up the mountains in Cidra, Puerto Rico. I am now focused on giving the fans a great show on June 18 against Mikkel LesPierre. We know he is a world-class fighter, but I am, too, and I am determined to return to the top once again.”

“I’m excited and blessed to be a part of the first round of televised sports as we navigate through this pandemic,” LesPierre said. “Jose Pedraza is a good fighter and a former world champion, but I feel that I have the tools to beat him. It will be a great fight and an opportunity for me to take my career to the next level. The Maurice Hooker fight was just a taste of what the elite level is all about. I’m determined to get back to title contention. This fight is the first step toward that goal. I’m ready to go.”

Co-Feature
Gabriel Flores Jr. (17-0, 6 KOs) vs. Josec Ruiz (21-2-3, 14 KOs)
10 rounds, Lightweight

The 20-year-old Flores, fresh off a win on the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury 2 undercard, returns in his first scheduled 10-rounder. Flores, the Stockton, California native who signed with Top Rank when he was 16 years old, packed more than 10,000 spectators into the Stockton Arena last May to establish himself as one of the sport’s top regional ticket-sellers. Ruiz is unbeaten in his last 16 bouts.

Undercard

David “The Lion of Zion” Kaminsky (6-0, 3 KOs) will face noted spoiler Clay Collard (6-2-3, 2 KOs) in a six-rounder at super middleweight. Collard, who also is a veteran MMA pro, has defeated unbeaten prospects in his last two fights.

In four-round bouts each, Puerto Rican super featherweight Frevian Gonzalez (2-0, 1 KO) will fight an opponent to be named, while super lightweight Victor Rodriguez (2-0, 1 KO) will face Justin Horsley (0-1).

June 20
TV Azteca Studios

Main Event
Emanuel Navarrete (31-1, 27 KOs) vs. Uriel Lopez (13-13-1, 6 KOs)
10 rounds, Featherweight

Boxing’s most active world champion, Navarrete defended his title five times (all by KO) in nine months, most recently knocking out Jeo Santisima on the Wilder-Fury 2 Pay-Per-View undercard. Navarrete is fighting as a featherweight for the first time in nearly three years in what will be his sixth bout in 13 months. Lopez has a 2016 knockout victory over longtime Japanese contender Ryo Matsumoto.

Undercard action will feature Carlos “Chinito” Ornelas (25-2, 14 KOs), who will take on Edwin “Pupo” Palomares (12-3-1, 3 KOs) in a 10-rounder at featherweight. Featherweight prospect Sergio Chirino Sanchez (14-1, 8 KOs) will look to extend his winning streak to six against Gustavo Alan Pina (8-2, 5 KOs) in an eight-round bout.

Former interim world champion Silvia Torres (20-2-2, 7 KOs) will face 21-bout veteran Edith de Jesus Flores in an eight-rounder at light flyweight.

Mexico City-based flyweight prospect Ivan Armando Garcia (5-0, 3 KOs) will fight Roberto Palomares (5-4-1, 1 KO) in his first scheduled six-rounder.

On May 7, 2005, one of my favorites fights of all time took place when Diego Corrales took on José Luis Castillo at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The 12 round lightweight contest was a unification bout as Corrales came into the fight as the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Champion who was of 39–2 with 32 knockouts at the time. Castillo came in at 52–6–1 with 46 knockouts and was the World Boxing Council (WBC) champion.

What happened once the bell rang not only later would become easily the Fight of the Year for 2005, it would become heralded as one of the greatest fights of all time.

Both men were willing to trade blows inside for the entire fight and was amazing action throughout. Corrales said before the fight, “This fight will be like two buffaloes colliding,” and let me tell you that this not only was that but then some as it played out like the real-life version of rock ’em, sock ’em robots.

The fight was an intense, bloody and ruthless match throughout the contest but will be enshrined in history for its te epic tenth round.

Within 30 seconds into the tenth round, Castillo hit Corrales on the button and was knocked down. Corrales spit out his mouthpiece and rose at the count of eight of referee Tony Weeks’ count. A few seconds later, Castillo knocked Corrales down again. Corrales once again took out his mouthpiece out and got back up at the count of nine.

Weeks would take away a point from Corrales for excessive spitting out of his mouthpiece.

When the fight resumed, Corrales would land what Castillo later called “a perfect right hand.” After that right, Corrales had Castillo against the ropes and landed numerous punches which visibly had Castillo out on his feet, causing Weeks to stop the fight.

The tenth and final round without question is not only remembered by those watching this slugfest but the amazing call of its conclusion by Steve Albert calling the blow by blow for Showtime alongside Al Bernstein.

“Unbelievable! Ebb and flow! They’re all standing here at Mandalay Bay! Corrales coming back after being on the canvas twice here in the 10th! Now, Castillo steps back! Corrales waning! Castillo’s in trouble! Weeks steps in and the fight is over! Corrales with a remarkable dramatic turnaround to win this fight! Unbelievable! Diego Corrales said he would go through hell before losing this fight. He may have.” — Steve Albert calling the end of the fight on Showtime.

A rematch of this fight took place on October 8, 2005, but was nowhere as close to capturing the magic of the first one and was shrouded in controversy as Corrales failed to make weight and made the match a non-title one. Corrales also was stopped in the fourth round by Castillo. A third one was set to happen but never took place.

On May 7, 2007, exactly two years after the first fight, Corrales died in a motorcycle accident. Castillo would continue to box before retiring in 2014.

Bernstein said on the broadcast it was “the single most extraordinary comebacks to win a round that has ever happened.”

It still is one of the greatest ones, I’ve ever witnessed.

If you have never seen this bout at all or haven’t seen it in a long time, enjoy this epic clash here. Trust me, this doesn’t disappoint.

Article by Marquis Johns / bigfightweekend.com
Photo via Showtime

Emanuel Navarrete successfully defended his WBO junior featherweight title for the fifth time in nine months, battering an overmatched Jeo Santisima en route to an 11th round stoppage victory on the Wilder-Fury 2 undercard.

Navarrete (31-1, 27 KO) really had no trouble with Santisima (19-3, 16 KO), who was a huge underdog and proved that everyone had read the matchup correctly. This has become par for the course with Navarrete title defenses; while he fights regularly and people like that, his opponents are lousy for world title fights.

Santisima did prove durable and game, surviving as long as he did, but he didn’t trouble Navarrete at all. Navarrete dominated in several rounds and looked to close repeatedly, and while he suffered a clear injury to his right hand, he said Santisima lasted because of his toughness.

“I hit him weirdly with my right hand did hurt my thumb, but I had to plow through it and get the victory,” Navarrete told Bernardo Osuna. “The fight took a long time because I had a very tough opponent.”

VIA Badlefthook.com

Turn down a fight for what? It’s not what WBO junior featherweight titleholder Navarrete does.

Watching Emanuel Navarrete box, you almost get the feeling that he enjoys fighting a little too much.

After upsetting Isaac Dogboe by unanimous decision to become the WBO junior featherweight champion in December 2018, Navarrete turned right around and defeated Dogboe by 12th-round TKO in the May 2019 rematch. That reinforced that his initial win was far from just a good night or fluke. He then proceeded to defend that very title three more times before the year ended for good measure.

It’s that kind of bustle that has helped the 25-year-old build his reputation as “The Mexican Iron Man.” Navarrete will look to make it five consecutive title defenses when he faces Jeo Santisima on the main card of Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

“This streak I’m riding of five world title defenses in less than nine months has been great for my career,” Navarrete told DAZN News via a translator. “After beating Isaac Dogboe for the world title, I’ve been a very active fighting champion. Thankfully, I’ve not received much punishment during my streak of world title defenses.”

It’s quite the opposite, as Navarrete has been the one doling out the punishment during this stretch with a third-round TKO of Francisco De Vaca in August, a fourth-round TKO of Juan Miguel Elorde less than a month later and a fourth-round stoppage of Francisco Horta in December.

Turn down a fight for what? It’s not going to happen on Navarrete’s watch — he’s putting the fighting in “fighting champion.” Navarrete (30-1, 26 KOs) has never abandoned the hungry, go-getter mentality of being an underdog throughout this period and doesn’t plan to relinquish it moving forward, either.

“Nothing has changed for me,” he said. “In a way, I still see myself as the underdog. That motivates me to keep working hard and to keep improving my skills. I want to get better with each fight that passes. I want to represent the Mexican flag and my motivation is to raise it as high as I can.”

Plus, he’s not shy about saying that he flat out savors fighting, aiming to have as busy of a 2020 as he did last year.

“I like the activity,” Navarrete said. “As long as I keep walking out unharmed from these fights, I would like to keep fighting as much as possible. It will all depend from the opportunities that my promoters present to me. They are doing a great job moving me and I never turn down a fight.”

For Navarrete, there’s a method behind this frantic pace. It’s his hope that he’ll force a unifying title shot with one of the other junior featherweight champions, whether it be newly crowned IBF/WBA champ Murodjon Akhmadaliev or WBC titleholder Rey Vargas.

“My opinion is that they need to fight me,” he said. “I’ve been looking for a title unification fight for a long time. It doesn’t matter, the name. It doesn’t matter who goes first. I want to face them all. I want to unify the division, but I can’t keep waiting forever. It’s getting tougher for me to make the weight. If I don’t get a title unification opportunity soon, I’ll probably move to featherweight.”

Until then, Navarrete has a fight on his hands with Filipino contender Jeo Santisima (19-2, 16 KOs) and he’s not about to overlook the challenge.

“You have to be prepared to go to war at all times and against any opponent,” he said. “I’m ready to go to war.”

Given the amount of eyes that are bound to converge on the Wilder-Fury 2 card, Navarrete sees Saturday night as an opportunity to introduce his brand of boxing to a new audience, while continuing to give familiar fans the fervent fighting they’ve come to know and love from him.

“This is an event that has captured the attention of fans around the world,” he said. “It’s always great to get that kind of exposure and to get to perform in front of such a big audience. This is a great opportunity for me to showcase all my skills on a big stage.

“The fans haven’t seen the best of me yet.”

But they continue to get him in high volume, which cannot be ignored … especially on the biggest boxing card of the year.

Via MARK LELINWALLA / DAZN.com

Sergey Kovalev made weight at 175 pounds on his second weigh-in attempt for his title defense of his WBO light heavyweight title against Saul Canelo Alvarez on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Initially, Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 KOs) weighed in one-quarter pound over the limit at 175.25 lbs. He stripped naked in a failed attempt to make weight on the spot, but it was no use. After quickly going back to his dressing room, Kovalev returned moments later and successfully weighed in at 175 lbs. For his part, the 29-year-old Canelo Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 KOs) weighed in at 174.5 lbs. Canelo looked good at the weight. He obviously isn’t going to pack on too much more weight overnight before the secondary weigh-in on Saturday morning.

Via boxingnews24.com

Being a world champion is a dream that Emanuel Navarrete has already fulfilled. But this Saturday, he will fulfill another.

“I always wanted to fight in Las Vegas, as a world champion, on a national weekend. Thank God, I will be given this opportunity n Saturday,” Navarrete said shortly before closing his preparation in Tijuana.

The “Cowboy” Navarrete (28-1-0, 24 KOs) will defend for the third time his WBO super bantamweight world championship, against Filipino contender Juan Miguel Elorde (28-1, 15 KOs), in the fabulous T-Mobile Arena of Las Vegas.

Navarrete travels to Las Vegas motivated and with the illusion of giving the Mexican fans a great show, and of course, a memorable victory.

“I am facing a very strong opponent, from a boxing family like Elorde, and he has a lot of quality, but we have done a great preparation and we are going to bring the belt back home,” Navarrete said.

Although the show is headlined by undefeated heavyweights Tyson Fury (28-0-1, 20 KO’s) and Otto Wallin (20-0, 13 KO’s), Navarrete is aware that the Mexican fans’ eyes will be on their countrymen.

“It is a great motivation and it is very special at this time in my career that I am considered to present Mexico in showcased fight in Las Vegas, it is a dream come true,” said the boxer born in San Juan Zitlaltepec.

By Rafael Soto / BoxingScene.com

Tyson Fury came to Las Vegas. He fought. He conquered.

Fury (28-0-1, 20 KOs), the lineal heavyweight world champion, defended his title for the fourth time via second-round TKO over previously undefeated German challenger Tom Schwarz (24-1, 16 KOs) at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

“I came here to put on a show for Las Vegas and I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as i did,” Fury said. “I want to thank everyone for putting on a great show. ESPN was promoting the show every day for four weeks. There was a 2.5-hour documentary on ESPN last night. {Top Rank is} the greatest promotional company in the world.”

Fury, who entered the ring to James Brown’s “Living in America” in homage to Rocky IV, was never threatened by his challenger. A knockdown early in the second was the beginning of the end. Shortly thereafter, Schwarz’s corner threw in the white towel and referee Kenny Bayless stepped in to end the carnage.

Puerto Rican knockout artist Angel “Tito” Acosta (18-1, 18 KOs) will defend his WBO Jr. Flyweight World Title for a second time as he takes on Mexican warrior Abraham Rodriguez (23-1, 11 KOs) in the 12-round main event of the Oct. 13 edition of Golden Boy Fight Night on Facebook Watch at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. The action will be streamed live globally on Facebook Watch via the Golden Boy Fight Night Page beginning at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET.

Acosta is a 27-year-old world champion who has won all of his fights by knockout. Acosta has knocked out fighters all over the country, including stoppage wins in New Jersey, Texas, Florida and New York. In 2017, Acosta traveled to Japan to take on Kosei Tanaka for a world title, and though he lost in what was a very tough fight, the native of San Juan, Puerto Rico returned in his very next fight to capture the WBO Jr. Flyweight World Title with a 10-round technical knockout victory against Juan Alejo in Dec. 2017.

“I feel happy to be making my second defense against a Mexican fighter,” said Tito Acosta. “I know that Mexicans always come to give a war. Abraham Rodriguez will come very well prepared, and I’m sure we will give a great fight between Puerto Rico and Mexico.”

Rodriguez is a 23-year-old native of Sonora, Mexico who remained undefeated in 22 fights after his making his debut in April 2013. The 108-pound pugilist scored all of his wins in Mexico, though suffered his first defeat earlier this year against Alejandro Villaseñor. Rodriguez bounced back in July against Jorge Miguel Hernandez, putting him in place for title contention on Oct. 13.

“I’m mentally and physically motivated for this fight,” said Abraham Rodriguez. “I’m going to come very well prepared to give a war, which is always what happens when you have a fight between the two countries of Mexico and Puerto Rico. I’m happy to have the chance to elevate the name of my country against a someone who I know will come prepared for a battle.”

“This is an exciting time for Puerto Rican boxers,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “There are many world champions from Puerto Rico right now, including Alberto Machado. We’re proud to work with Miguel Cotto Promotions to give a great platform to some of Puerto Rico’s world champions, so it’s a great pleasure to have Tito Acosta headline this Facebook Watch event.”

“I’m very excited to have Tito Acosta headlining in Las Vegas for the first time in his career,” said Miguel Cotto, President of Miguel Cotto Promotions. “He is a rising Puerto Rican star and has everything to become a successful name in boxing. I can’t wait to watch him perform in Las Vegas on Facebook this October 13.”

Acosta vs. Rodriguez is a 12-round fight for the WBO Jr. Flyweight World Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions. Murtazaliev vs. TBA is a 10-round junior middleweight fight presented by Main Events and Golden Boy Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING” and Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle.” The fights will take place on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018 at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. The action will be streamed live globally on Facebook Watch via the Golden Boy Fight Night Page beginning at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET.

Tickets for Acosta vs. Rodriguez are priced at $75, $50, $25, and $10, not including applicable service charges and taxes. Tickets go on sale Thursday, Sept. 27 at 10:00 a.m. PST. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or The Joint Box Office at (702) 693-5000.

HBO Sports returns to the vibrant junior middleweight division when one of 2018’s breakout stars defends his WBO crown for the first time on HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: JAIME MUNGUIA VS. LIAM SMITH AND ALBERTO MACHADO VS. RAFAEL MENSAH, presented SATURDAY, JULY 21 at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from the Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas.

The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Two months ago, Jaime Munguia (29-0, 25 KOs) made an impressive HBO debut, scoring a resounding fourth-round KO of junior middleweight titleholder Sadam Ali. Now, the 25-year-old native of Tijuana, Baja Calif, Mexico defends his title against the UK’s formidable Liam Smith (26-1-1, 14 KOs), 29, in a 12-round clash that promises to produce fireworks.

The co-feature spotlights Alberto Machado (19-0, 16 KOs) defending his super featherweight title against No. 1 contender Rafael Mensah (31-0, 23 KOs) in a 12-round battle. Machado, 27, hails from San Juan, Puerto Rico; Mensah, also 27, is a native of Accra, Ghana, and has 12 more pro bouts than the champ.

This doubleheader marks the 39th consecutive year that HBO Boxing has televised a fight card from Las Vegas.

Photo by Tom Hogan/Hogan Photos
https://www.boxingscene.com/photos-jaime-munguia-liam-smith-go-face-face-vegas–130110

Jaime Munguia

Jaime Munguia (29-0, 25 KOs), the newly-crowned WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, will make the first defense of his title against former world champion Liam “Beefy” Smith (26-1-1, 14 KOs) in a 12-round main event Saturday, July 21 at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. The fight will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Munguia is a dangerous 21-year-old puncher who has ended 25 of his fights by stunning knockout. Munguia has only fought twice in the United States, the second of which was for a last-minute title opportunity against Sadam “World Kid” Ali in May. Munguia used his enormous height and reach advantages to drop Ali several times before a thunderous left hook ended matters in the fourth round. The newly-crowned champion is excited to defend his new belt.

“I’m very excited and thankful with everyone that made this possible,” said Jaime Munguia.”I invite the fans to go and see me live or to tune in on HBO. I will defend my WBO title with pride and honor. See you in Vegas!”

Smith, the first of an impressive stable of brothers to win a world title, is a 29-year-old native of Liverpool, England. After scoring 20 impressive victories as a professional, Smith defeated John “Apollo Kidd” Thompson via seventh-round technical knockout to capture the WBO 154-pound title. Smith then lost the title against Canelo Alvarez in front of over 50,000 fans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas in an impressive show of heart. Smith has had three victories since, and after pulling out of his May 12 fight against Sadam Ali due to an illness, he is more than ready to regain the title that was once his.

“To go to Vegas and fight for a world title is every fighter’s dream,” said Liam Smith.”But it’s only an extra incentive to my main motivation – getting that WBO world junior middleweight title back around my waist.Munguia is obviously a dangerous puncher and I’ll have to be wary of him early on, but he’s never fought someone as good as me and a fully-fledged 154lb fighter. I can’t afford to look an inch past Munguia though. He’s world champion for a reason and with such a high knockout percentage, I’m going to have to be my best ever. Unfortunately for Munguia, that’s what I’ll be.”

“I’m proud and excited that this Mexican Kid from Tijuana [Munguia], who’s the hottest fighter in boxing today, will once again fight on July 21 against the tough Liam Smith,” said Fernando Beltran, CEO of Zanfer Promotions. “I know he will prevail again in spectacular fashion like he always does.”

“Liam Smith was very confident of beating Sadam Ali, but unfortunately the allergic reaction he suffered temporarily sidelined his plans,” said Frank Warren.”Munguia looked impressive beating the former champion, but Liam actually feels he is a better stylistic match up for him than Ali would have been.I’m very confident Liam will be recapturing the WBO Junior Middleweight Title and bringing it back to the UK.”

“When Jaime Munguia made his HBO debut this past May, he put the division on notice with a spectacular knockout and captured a 154-pound title”, said Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President, HBO Sports. “He looks to keep the momentum going on July 21 as he takes on his mandatory challenger Liam Smith, who hopes to take the title back to his native UK.”

https://www.boxingscene.com/munguia-smith-machado-mensah-finalized-july-21-hbo–129349

LIAM SMITH will challenge WBO Jr. Middleweight champion Jaime Munguia at the Hard Rock casino in Las Vegas on July 21.

The bout gives Smith the chance to win back the world title that he lost to Canelo Alvarez. The belt would be picked up by all-time great Miguel Cotto. He lost his final fight, and the WBO Jr. Middleweight title, to Sadam Ali. Due to a sudden allergic reaction, Liam was forced to pull out of a clash with Sadam Ali earlier this year. That gave unheralded replacement Munguia the chance to step in and shock Ali, scoring a significant upset and displaying intimidating power.

Now Smith gets his world title shot. He is expected to collide with Munguia in entertaining style.

“That fight’s on,” promoter Frank Warren told Boxing News.

“It’s a tough fight. This guy, he’s the next big thing for them. He’s a big puncher, there’s no doubt about that. But as I always said, in boxing it’s not just about who’s the biggest puncher.”

http://www.boxingnewsonline.net/breaking-liam-smith-will-fight-wbo-super-welter-champ-jaime-munguia/

By John Dennen / Photo by Matt Heasley / Hogan Photos

LAS VEGAS – After the months of trash talk, Terence “Bud” Crawford and WBO welterweight champion Jeff “The Hornet” Horn met face to face for the first time.

Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs), the pound-for-pound great from Omaha, Nebraska, is seeking a world title in a third weight class against the unbeaten Horn (18-0-1, 12 KOs).

On the undercard, Jose Pedraza (23-1, 12 KOs), from Cidra, Puerto Rico, will challenge Antonio Moran (22-2, 15 KOs) in a 10-rounder for the WBO Latino lightweight belt.

This is what the main event fighters had to say at Thursday’s press conference.

Terence Crawford

“He’s viewing me as this small welterweight. Come fight night, he’ll see otherwise. I just feel like that’s good for him. He’s coming in hungry and determined, and that makes for a good fight. I’m going to be prepared for whatever he brings. Come Saturday, he might get hurt.”

“I’m bigger. I’m stronger. I’m in my prime. And that’s gonna show come Saturday. A lot of people are comparing how he pushed around Pacquiao, but that’s not me. Pacquiao is 5’5, I believe, 5’6. I feel like you’re viewing that and comparing the Gamboa fight, when I got hurt, to this fight. I’ve seen him get hurt. I’ve seen him get dropped. We’re gonna see come Saturday night who’s gonna be getting rocked and dropped.”

“I got a strong will as well. Pressure breaks pipes. A lot of people came into the ring with me with a strong will, and they left with their tail tucked in.”

“I’m going to let the referee {Robert Byrd} do his job, and I’m going to do my job.”

Jeff Horn

“I’m surprised I’m as big of an underdog as I am for the fight. I’m not surprised I am the underdog. Terence Crawford is a great fighter, pound-for-pound, wiped out the super lightweight division. That’s a tough division as well. I’ve made this mistake before. I underestimated a guy that was slightly smaller than me – in the amateurs – and he knocked me down a couple times. I won’t be making that same mistake. Terence, I know he’s put on the size. He’s going to be a nice, strong welterweight. I can’t wait to get in there and prove the doubters wrong.”

“That guarantees a win if you knock the other guy out. If you search for it too much, that’s when it doesn’t come. You can’t just be looking for the knockout all the time, and I just have to fight the best fight I can and rely on even scoring. I feel like back home {against Pacquiao} it was even scoring, and I feel like it will be the same here.”

“I’ve just got to fight my heart out, and that’s all I can do.”

Crawford vs. Horn and Pedraza vs. Moran will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+ beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET., while the undercard, including Stevenson-Mesquita, Benavidez-Rojas, Nelson-Webster, and Flores-Rojas will be shown on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Remaining tickets for Crawford vs. Horn, priced at $500, $300, $200, $100, and $50 (limited availability), can be purchased online through axs.com, charge by phone at 866-740-7711 or in person at any MGM Resorts box office.

Use the hashtag #CrawfordHorn and #PedrazaMoran to join the conversation on social media.
About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the first-ever multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN. ESPN+ offers fans two exclusive, original boxing programs The Boxing Beat with Dan Rafael (Tuesdays, weekly) and In This Corner (twice monthly). In addition to boxing content, fans can watch thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks. This includes hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, Grand Slam tennis, Top Rank boxing, PGA Tour golf, college sports, international rugby, cricket, the full library of ESPN Films (including 30 for 30) and more. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

Photo by Mikey Williams / Top Rank

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) will oversee seven headline bouts around the world this weekend, two of which are for world titles.

Starting Friday, June 8, in Verona, New York, WBO number one ranked Junior Featherweight Diego De La Hoya (20-0, 9 KOs) will defend his NABO 122 lbs title against José “Sugar” Salgado (35-4-2, 28 KOs) in a 10-round duel. The bout is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and will go on stage at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in the aforementioned city.

The fight will be televised live on ESPN3, starting at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). ESPN2 will air the fights at 12:30 a.m. ET/9:30 p.m. PT. and ESPN Deportes will air the fights the following day at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

De La Hoya-Salgado will take place during the International Boxing Hall of Fame induction weekend, where “Dr. Ironfist” Vitali Klitschko, Erik “El Terrible” Moráles, and Ronald “Winky” Wright will be exalted, along with other important boxing figures such as Peter Kohl, Steve Albert, Jim Gray and Lorraine Chargin.

On Saturday, June 9 in Argentina, Facundo Galovar (10-2-1, 7 KOs), of Tucumán, and Rolando Mansilla (13-5-1, 5 KOs), of Entre Ríos, will face off for the vacant WBO Latino Super Middleweight belt in a scheduled 10 round bout. The card will take place at the Club Atlético Central Córdoba in San Miguel, as part of an event promoted by Argentina Boxing Promotions.

Also on Saturday, but in the Philippines, two WBO Jr. Featherweight title bouts will take place, when local pugilist Jeo “Santino” Santisima (15-2, 13 KOs) faces Likit Chane (16-6, 10 KOs), from Thailand, for the vacant WBO Oriental 122 lbs belt, and local Albert Pagara (29-1, 20 KOs), who is ranked No. 9 by the WBO, battles Laryea Gabriel Odoi (20-3-2, 14 KOs), of Ghana, for the vacant Inter-Continental Junior Featherweight title. Both fights are scheduled for 12 rounds in an event promoted by ALA Promotions at the Maasin City Complex.

In England, the former WBO Lightweight Champion Terry Flanagan (33-0, 13 KOs), from Manchester, will seek to reign in a second division, when he clashes with Texan Maurice Hooker (23-0-3, 16KOs) for the vacant WBO Junior Welterweight crown. The duel will be the main event of a card presented by Queensberry Promotions. The fight will be held at Manchester Arena. Flanagan and Hooker are ranked in the first and second positions, respectively, at the Junior Welterweight division.

During his reign in the Lightweight division, Flanagan successfully defended the title five times.

The fight will be televised by BT Sports, on Showtime Boxing’s Facebook page, as well as in Showtime Sports’ YouTube Channel and Panama Cable Onda Sports beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT.

Another WBO world title fight will be staged this Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada. Here, welterweight campion Jeff Horn, of Australia, will face WBO Super Champion and former Lighweight and Junior Welterweight champion Terence Crawford, of Omaha, Nebraska.

For Horn (18-0-1, 12 KOs), it will be the second defense of the title he won by beating legendary WBO Super Champion, Manny Pacquiao.

With a victory over Horn, Crawford (32-0-0, 23 KOs) would join Oscar De La Hoya (130 lbs, 135 lbs, 160 lbs), Miguel Cotto (140 lbs, 147 lbs, 154 lbs), Jorge Arce (108 lbs, 115 lbs, 122 lbs) and Fernando Montiel (112 lbs, 115 lbs, 118 lbs) as the only three divisions champions of the entity. Boxing is a great and energy-intensive sport that is enjoyed the world over. As we always do we try to find you the best sporting equipment there is available in the marketplace. We took a look at many different pairs of boxing gloves in order to see which ones we liked the best. ow to be a great boxer, you cannot just buy your way into the sport, but it is very important to have the right gear for boxing before you even go ahead. Top list of Boxing, MMA, Sparring and Training gloves. We revised our list to ensure that we are providing the Best Professional Collection.

Also on the card, WBO Latino Lightweight Champion and ranked No. 5 by this sanctioning body, Antonio Moran (23-2, 16KOs), from Mexico, is heading for his second title defense, when he faces former Jr. Lightweight Champion, and WBO 14th ranked Jose “Sniper” Pedraza (23-1, 12KOs), from Puerto Rico, in scheduled 10 round match.

Horn-Crawford and Pedraza-Moran will be broadcast live via ‘ESPN+’ App, starting at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT. The event is promoted by Top Rank.

Undefeated records will be on the line when Jeff Horn and Terence Crawford clash for the WBO welterweight world title June 9 in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Horn, the current champion, has a career record of 18-0-1. The Australia native claimed the title last July in his hometown of Brisbane after a unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao.

Crawford, who hails from Omaha, Neb., is the challenger despite having a 32-0 record. With titles in the 135 and 140 pound divisions, Crawford will attempt to become a three-weight world champion when he fights Horn at 147 pounds.

Here is some more key information on the fight, courtesy of Opta:

Horn is set to make his first appearance in the United States. All of his previous 19 bouts as a professional have taken place in either Australia or New Zealand.

Crawford got his hands on a world title for the first time back in 2014; he travelled to take on Ricky Burns in Glasgow, beating the Scotsman on the cards in the champion’s backyard.

Since recording a unanimous decision over Ricky Burns, Crawford has forced a stoppage in seven of his nine outings, the exceptions being Ray Beltrán and Viktor Postol. Each of those fights have been with a world title on the line.

Crawford is regarded as a consensus top three pound-for-pound fighter at the moment alongside Gennady Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko. His ability to switch hit seamlessly from orthodox to southpaw is one of his signature attributes.

This will be Horn’s third world title bout compared to Crawford’s 11th. Crawford has been away from the ring for 10 months, the longest absence of his career to date. Horn’s last fight was in December 2017, a TKO over Gary Corcoran.

This bout was postponed, originally set to take place in April 2018. But it was rescheduled because of an injury picked up by Crawford. Horn was involved in a car accident on May 24, but he remains able to fight after not suffering an injury.

Although both are the same age, Crawford turned professional five years before Horn and has racked up 168 rounds across 32 fights while Horn has only been involved in 19 bouts. But unlike Crawford, Horn represented his country at an Olympics Games (London 2012) prior to turning over into the paid ranks.

http://www.sportingnews.com/boxing/news/jeff-horn-terence-crawford-boxing-wbo-title-manny-pacquiao-las-vegas/1c3wf93yv012s1njxs17cxl5mz

By Christian Shimabuku

pacquiao-bradley (2)

By Keith Idec

NEW YORK — Promoter Bob Arum said Thursday that a deal is almost finalized for a Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley rematch and that an official announcement is imminent.

“We’re very, very close,” Arum said at a news conference in Manhattan for the Mikey Garcia-Juan Carlos Burgos bout Saturday night in The Theater at Madison Square Garden. “The negotiations are getting down to the nitty gritty. We hope we’ll be able to announce it sometime before the end of this week.”

The unbeaten Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs, 1 NC), of Palm Springs, Calif., and rugged Russian Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KOs) were the two potential opponents Pacquiao was considering facing April 12 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. But Bradley beat Provodnikov in one of the most entertaining encounters of 2013, recorded a highly controversial, split-decision win against Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs) in June 2012 and is fresh off a convincing victory over Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7-1, 40 KOs), who knocked the Filipino superstar unconscious in his previous fight.

“I think a Bradley-Pacquiao fight now is much more saleable than the Bradley-Pacquiao fight was when it happened, because Bradley has shined his credentials,” said Arum, whose company, Top Rank Inc., promotes Pacquiao and Bradley. “He had an exciting fight with Provodnikov and beat Marquez. We’re dealing with a different Bradley from the relatively unknown guy who fought Pacquiao the first time.”

HBO Pay-Per-View will televise the Pacquiao-Bradley rematch. A multi-city press tour to promote Pacquiao-Bradley II is expected to be scheduled for early next month.

The first fight between Bradley and Pacquiao drew about 900,000 pay-per-view buys. Pacquiao’s last fight, a predictably easy defeat of Brandon Rios on Nov. 23 in Macau, China, and the Bradley-Marquez match Oct. 12 in Las Vegas did less buys combined than Pacquiao-Bradley I.

Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.

Article Link –  http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=73951#ixzz2rKq1nedN This is a legal waiver. By copying and using the material from this article, you agree to give full credit to BoxingScene.com or provide a link to the original article.

Date:  October 12, 2013

Title:  Vacant WBO Featherweight Championship

Location:  Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Promoter:  Top Rank

Supervisor:   Leon Panoncillo, Jr.

Referee:  Kenny Bayless

Judges:  Jerry Roth,  Glenn Trowbrigde, Ed Kugler

Result:   Orlando “Siri” Salido captured the vacant WBO Featherweight Title by KO’ed Orlando Cruz in the seventh round.

 

Date:  Saturday, October 12, 2013

Title:  WBO Welterweight Championship

Location:  Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV

Promoter:  Top Rank/ Bob Arum

Supervisor:   Francisco Valcarcel, Esq.

Referee:  Robert Byrd

Judges:  Robert Yoyle 115-113 | Patricia Morse Jarman 116-112 | Glenn Feldman 113-115

Results:  Timothy Bradley retains the Welterweight Title by split decision over Juan Manuel Marquez.

 

AlvaradoRios2ResultadoZANFER525NF9

Por:  Zanfer Boxing –

El estadounidense Mike Alvarado hizo esta vez las cosas con mayor inteligencia además fue más rápido y certero y otra emocionante pelea   derrotó por decisión unánime en 12 asaltos a Brandon Ríos para coronarse campeón mundial Superligero interino OMB en la Arena del Mandalay Bay de Las Vegas, Nevada ante casi 7 mi frenéticos aficionados que gozaron de una guerra más.

Alvarado (34-1, 23 kos)   con un boxeo de contragolpe dominó desde el tercer round la pelea ante un Ríos (31-1, 22 kos) que siempre busco la pelea sin plan y recibiendo potentes derechas del oriundo de Denver. Los jueces dieron 115-113, 115-113 y 114-113 todos para Mike Alvarado.

Luego de la épica pelea que sostuvieron en octubre del 2012 donde Ríos noqueo a Mike en el séptimo round, ahora Alvarado peleo con una gran estrategia de contragolpe y no fajarse.

En varias ocasiones Ríos fue puesto en malas condiciones con los rapidas derechas e izquierdas de Alvarado, quien siempre fue hacia tras saliendo con pasos laterales y contragolpeando.

El inicio de la pelea fue incierto para Mike, quien casi se va a la lona con un jab de izquierda de Ríos, pero se paro a intercambiar golpes en un dramático round.

Los siguientes asaltos fue de mucho intercambio de golpes, pero Alvarado siempre saco la mejor parte.

Alvarado con sus ganchos de derecha puso mal en el tercero, séptimo y octavo round y por poco se va a la lona. Ya desde el noveno Mike era dueño absoluto de la contienda ante un lento Brandon que como gran guerrero siempre busco la pelea.

Alvarado lanzó 860 golpes y conectó 261, mientras que Rios tiro 823 y logró llegar con 241 con un porcentaje de Mike de 30 sobre 29 de Brandon.

http://www.notifight.com/artman2/publish/Resultado_2/Alvarado_derrot_a_R_os_en_revancha.php

Podría ser en Las Vegas la quinta pelea entre el mexicano y el filipino

          

Pacquiao (izquierda) quiere pelear en abril en Filipinas. (AP)

Por Rigo Cervantez / Especial para ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com

LOS ÁNGELES – La quinta versión de la serie de confrontaciones entre el mexicano Juan Manuel Márquez y el filipino Manny Pacquiao, está cocinada y lista para servirse, el próximo mes de septiembre, presumiblemente, en Las Vegas, Nevada, informó a ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com Ricardo Jiménez, vocero de la empresa Top Rank.

“Pacquiao va a iniciar su campaña de reelección en mayo y junio, por ello, desea pelear en abril. Pero, de no hacerse ese combate que él quiere, entonces lo volveríamos a ver hasta el mes de septiembre, contra Juán Manuel Márquez,” indicó Jiménez.

El congresista filipino, que tiene un contrato de exclusividad con Top Rank hasta el final de 2014, desea pelear en su país, antes de retirarse del boxeo:

“Pacquiao quiere una pelea en abril, en Filipinas o en alguna capital asiática. Una promoción que no es fácil, por todo lo que pide él de bolsa y no cualquier rival puede generar una taquilla importante,” añadió el vocero de la empresa promotora que preside Bob Arum.

Luego de tres pleitos con desenlaces más que controversiales, en los que Pacquiao (54-5-2), había salido con la mano en alto en dos oportunidades, mientras que la tercera era declarada empate, el pasado 8 de diciembre, Márquez (55-6-1), lograba el nocaut número 40 de su carrera, dejando a su rival de bruces sobre la lona, tras un certero derechazo al mentón, en el sexto asalto.

http://www.elnuevodia.com/combatemarquezpacquiaoseriaenseptiembre-1437833.html

Now that a World Boxing Organization panel of so-called independent judges chosen by the organization’s Championship Committee has declared Pacquiao as a convincing winner after a review of  the tape of the title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas last June 9, what now?

Two of the three judges appointed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission — Cynthia Ross and Duane Ford turned in scorecards of 115-113 that helped Bradley win a split decision after the third judge CJ Roth had Pacquiao the winner 115-113.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who handles both fighters, condemned the decision and branded the three judges, including CJ Roth who had Pacquiao the winner, “three blind mice” and requested the Nevada State Attorney General to investigate the circumstances surrounding the decision and the fight itself amidst unsubstantiated speculation that it was a “fix.”

Two prominent US senators joined the fray and called for the creation of a single national boxing commission that would oversee the various aspects of the sport.

Democratic Majority Floor Leader Harry Reid, a friend of Arum and someone who obviously is grateful for Pacquiao’s last minute endorsement at a campaign rally in Las Vegas in which he urged Filipino-Americans to support Reid, and Sen. John McCain, who like Reid boxed in his younger days, used the bizarre decision in the Pacquiao-Bradley fight to win support for new legislation.

The WBO review panel’s scorecards should clearly bolster their efforts while at the same time raising serious questions about how NSAC executive director Keith Kizer could initially, nonchalantly dismiss calls for an investigation into the incompetence of the judges if there is no evidence to prove something more sinister.  Kizer’s position is understandable although seriously flawed because he recommended the judges who were eventually chosen from a pool of six nominees to do the fight.

Kizer informed us “the judges want to come in (individually) and review the bout and I want to watch it with them” and adds that “a judge re-watching a fight is always helpful (whether there is controversy or not).” The question is, what next?

WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel had, a few days before the fight, proudly handed Pacquiao a  Diamond Ring as the “Fighter of the Decade” in what might be considered an effort to  try and match the rival World Boxing Council’s Don Jose Sulaiman putting the first Diamond Belt on the line which Pacquiao won with a rousing 12th round TKO of Miguel Cotto.

Valcarcel sent the review panel’s scorecards to Kizer and broke it down systematically, which demonstrated their wide differences with the official fight judges scorecards. He pointedly noted “the results speak for themselves.”

Apparently they don’t speak loud enough since Valcarcel, in the same breath stated,   “There is no question of our respect and high regard for the official judges. Their integrity is not in question. However, it was decided that a review of the bout should take place with a panel of five confidential judges mainly to maintain impartiality.”

We subscribe to the appreciation of integrity as the quality of wholeness which was totally missing in this case.

Even a cursory reading of the scorecards of the five review judges and those of Ford, Ross and Roth show that the fight, to use Arum’s own words in dismissing any thought of a rematch, ” was not even close.”

Review judge No. 4 (since their identities have been kept secret at least for the time being) had Pacquiao winning by the widest margin, 118-110, while Judges 3 and 5 scored it for Pacquiao 117-111. Judge No. 2 had Pacquiao winning 116-112 which was our unofficial scorecard when we covered the fight with respected boxing commentator/journalist Atty. Ed Tolentino for The Filipino Channel of the giant broadcast network  ABS-CBN.

Judge No.1 scored it the closest at 115-113 but still had Pacquiao the winner which matched the scorecard of Jerry Roth.

A closer reading of the scorecards shows that all five review judges agreed unanimously that Pacquiao won rounds 1, 3, 5, 6 and 10 while all five agreed unanimously that Bradley won only the 10th round.

According to Arum, the investigation of the Nevada State Attorney General’s Office is being pursued as the Chief Investigator and the Deputy Chief Investigator visited him in his Las Vegas office on Wednesday. He said they  “questioned me about a lot of background things for over an hour.”

Arum revealed that they asked him whether he had any proof of criminality and he answered “None, absolutely none.”

This, taken together with the announced views of Valcarcel and Kizer point to a dead-end as far as unearthing any evidence of corruption or wrongdoing, which means there is no way the WBO or the NSAC will reverse the decision or even declare the fight a no decision which would enable Pacquiao to retain his belt.

Like all other efforts to right the wrongs in boxing, nothing is expected to come out of the posturing of the parties to a decision which we ourselves initially referred to as a high crime in Las Vegas where Sin City added one more sin to its list of wrongdoings.

The only glimmer of hope is that Senators Reid and McCain can muster enough support in the U.S. congress to get the much-needed reforms they seek and boxing badly needs, if it is to survive.

The only other alternative would be for Pacquiao to accept the realities of the sport in Las Vegas, return to the scene of the crime and exact vengeance not on Bradley because he had nothing to do with what happened, but to at least win by a knockout or TKO and deprive the judges of a chance to do more harm and send the three blind mice a telling message.

 

By: Ronny Nathanielsz

http://ph.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/fortherecord/wbo-findings-now-234311415.html