LAS VEGAS — There were only a couple of draws and lots of controversy for Lamont Roach Jr. last year

This year, there’s only a loss and no controversy.

William Zepeda (33-2, 27 KOs), an incoming missile throughout 12 rounds, eliminated any possibility that Roach (25-2-3, 10 KOs)would emerge with a career-correcting victory and a title Saturday night at Virgin Hotel in a TNT/DAZN opener to a monthly series.

On a night with open scoring, Zepeda managed to shut the door on Roach early and often, winning the World Boxing Council’s vacant lightweight title with a unanimous decision — 117-111, 118-110 and 117-111. 

Through the first four rounds, the left-handed Zepeda did what he was expected to. The popular Mexican moved forward, incoming almost in a straight line. Quickly, Roach found himself  on his back foot, often scrambling to find ways to slow Zepeda’s advance.

In the second round, he threw quick combinations. In the third, he tried to target Zepeda’s body. In the fourth, he retreated into a defensive posture, both gloved hands surrounding his face like castle walls.

Still, Zepeda moved forward, scoring with punches and aggressiveness. In a bout with open scoring, Zepeda led narrowly through the first four.

A Roach expectation — perhaps prayer — is that Zepeda would tire some time after the sixth. Then, the plan was for him to use all of the different weapons in his varied skill set. But there was no sign of fatigue apparent in Zepada’s march forward in the seventh and eighth. After eight, Zepeda continued to hold a narrow lead in the open scoring. 

Roach, a Washington DC fighter seeking a second dtile at a second weight,  still had a chance. But there was no chance of Zepeda slowing down. Not this time. He sustained his furious pace, throwing multiple punches — uppercuts, hooks, the kitchen sink — with every step toward his target. 

For Roach, there was no shelter

No title either.

Muratalla scores dominant decision

Raymond Muratalla had options. He still does, perhaps one or two morethan he had a few days ago.

In a business-like bout, Muratalla checked all the boxes with a thorough decision over aging contender Robson Conceicao Saturday night at Las Vegas’ Virgin Hotel.

Muratalla, still the International Boxing Federation’s lightweight champion, kept himself in the hunt for a shot at a unified title, perhaps the World Boxing Council belt that was at stake in Saturday’s  next bout, Lamont Roach-versus-William Zepeda.

More significant,perhaps, he stayed unbeaten, extending his record to 25-0, with 17 KOs). That’s a resume good enough to get some attention in the pound-for-pound neighborhood.

A lot of that was expected, of course. He was a 14-to-1 favorite, one- sided odds that explain why he wasn’t in the main event. He didn’t;t get a knockout or even a knockdown. Still, he was dominant.

Early on, it was evident that Muratalla was the better fighter. He moved forward, his feet moving in a tireless dance all the while. He was setting the pace, aggressively throwing jabs in an apparent effort to test Conceicao’s stamina. The Brazilian is 37. He’ll be 38 in October.

In the fifth and sixth rounds, it looked as if the younger man’s tactics might be working. Conceicao dropped his hands, first to his waist and then down to his hips. It was an invitation for the 29-year-old Muratalla to attack And he did. 

But that’s when Conceicao (21-4-1, 10 KOs) found some life in his legs. He began a sideway shuffle — a step left, two or three steps to the right and a short hop backwards. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to deflect some of the dangerous power headed his way. In the end, however, it was only a way to survive. Only Muratalla would thrive.

Crazy Cards: Curiel wins decision

It was supposed to be a fight fit for television.

But there was more reason to nap than watch Raul Curiel beat Quintin Randall  in a junior-middleweight fight on a Lamont Roach-William Zepeda card that was the first in a monthly TNT-DAZN series.

Curiel (18-0-1, 14) did more, just  enough to win a narrow decision that was a so-called majority, yet all over the place in terms of scores. On one card, it was 97-93 for Curiel. On another, it was 100-90, also for Curiel.  On the third, it was 95-95. Nowhere was a card that made much sense.

Curiel, of Mexico, was more active. Randall (17-4-1), of Houston, was more elusive. Neither was dominant.  

Charles Conwell back with victory

It was dull.

Also predictable.

For Charles Conwell, it had to be.

In Conwell’s first fight in 16 months, the 2016 Olympian (22-1, 17)  needed a victory and he got one Saturday, employing superior speed that kept Paul Kroll (12-1-2. 8 KOs), a Philadelphia junior-middleweight, on his back foot and into a retreat that finally ended with no counter or energy on the Lamont Roach-William Zepeda card at Las Vegas’ Virgin Hotel..

With Kroll defenseless and on the ropes, it  ended in the ninth round, Conwell a winner by TKO in his first fight since a loss in April 2025.

Prospect Dylan Capetillo stopped in stunner

Danger is written into a prospect’s job definition.

How much danger?

Dylan Capetillo, a much hyped 17-year-old from Las Vegas, found out Saturday in a stunner Saturday on the card featuring Lamont Roach-William Zepeda at Vegas’ Virgin Hotel.

It struck hard and fast, a lightning bolt that left Capetillo with his first loss in only three fights. It was delivered by Juan Becerril, a Mexican who also has only three fights yet threw a left hand with all of the authority of a tested veteran.

Becerril (3-0, 2 KOs), knocked down in the second, floored Capetillo (2-1, 1 KO) in  the third. It lifted Capetillo up and onto the canvas with a crash. The back of his head landed hard. He got up. But the referee had seen enough. He ended it at 48 seconds of the round, a hot prospect no more. 

Joel Iriarte stay unbeaten with 8th-round stoppage

Joel Iriarte employed advantages in size and strength to walk down, wear down Jorge Lagunas, who was still on his feet yet unable to offer punch resistance when the welterweight fight was stopped in the eighth round of the fourth bout Saturday on a card featuring Roach-Zepeda at Vegas’ Virgin Hotel.

Lagunas (19-10, 16 KOs), of Mexico, was unhappy at the stoppage, a decision made by ringside physicians. He walked around the ring, throwing his hands in the air as if to say he wanted to continue. For that, he got applause, but not much else.

Iriarte, of Bakersfield CA, stayed unbeaten (11-0, 10 KOs) and retained a fringe welterweight belt.

Fabian Guzman rocks and rolls to dominant decision

Fabian Guzman threw more punches. They landed with more precision. And with more power.

In the end, Guzman (11-0, 7 KOs), a middleweight from Southern California, simply had  more of everything, all enough to score a unanimous decision over Aaron Coley (17-6-2, 7 KOs), of Oakland, in the third bout on the Roach-Zepeda card Saturday at Vegas’ Virgin Hotel

Gael Cabrera stays unbeaten with dominant decision

Gael Cabrera calls himself Terror.

Terror is what he delivered.

For eight rounds, Cabrera (12-0, 7 KOs), a junior-featherweight prospect from Mexico, scored at will with punches from every possible angle Saturday in the second bout on the Lamont Roach-William Zepeda card at Vegas’ Virgin Hotel.

For an overmatched Francisco Portillo (20-15, 2 KOs), there was nowhere to hide. There was no counter either in a scorecard shutout put together by the dominant Cabrera, a Golden Boy Promotions fighter.

First Bell: Dalis Kaleiopu says Aloha with first-round stoppage

Aloha means hello. 

Means goodbye.

Dalis Kaleiopu delivered both sides of the Hawaiian greeting, saying Hello to the Mainland and then Goodbye to Yeyery Castillo for a stunning first-round stoppage in a knockout opener Saturday to a card featuring Lamont Roach Jr.-versus-William.Zepeda at Virgin Hotel.

Castillo (14-3, 11 KOs), a lightweight from Philadelphia, never had a chance against Kaleiopu, who grew up in Waianae on the leeward side of Oahu, a cultural home for Hawaiian history. There’s power in that heritage. Kaleiopu (9-0, &KOs) displayed it, scoring a first-round stoppage for the third straight time. 

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS — A draw creates inevitable controversy and often doubt, but none of that was apparent in bold confidence expressed by Lamont Roach Jr,, who is coming off successive draws last year, first to Gervonta “Tank” Davis and then Isaac “Pit Bull” Cruz.

Roach stepped off the scale Friday after a mock weigh-in for his bid Saturday for a second division title against William Zepeda at the Virgin Hotel.

“I’m leaving no questions, no doubts,’’ said Roach, who was at 134.6 pounds, safely under the lightweight limit, 135, Friday morning at the official weigh-in. “I’m the best fighter in the world, no question.’’

That begged a question, of course.

How dio you expect to win?

“Anyway I want,’’ Roach (29-1-3, 10 KOs) said without hesitation.

 Zepeda (33-1,27 KOs)  who was also at 134.6 pounds, might have something to say about that. He was beaten in his last bout by Shakur Stevenson. But he went the distance, losing a decision to the pound-for-pound contender. It was a performance that said he can upset anybody, including Roach. 

Roach, of Washington DC, has been a betting favorite — minus 145 — since the bout was announced for a World Boxing Council title vacated by Stevenson. The narrow odds suggest only one thing: A 50-50 fight.

Roach gets the nod because of a comprehensive skillset. Simply put, he has more options than Zepeda, known for his aggressiveness. Zepeda knows how to apply pressure, especially in the opening rounds. But here’s the question: Can he sustain it?

If not, expect Roach to make adjustments. A boxer-puncher, he can fight from the outside and throw counters on the inside. In other words, any way he wants.

A Roach victory would restore much of the promise he had before Tank and Pit Bull sidetracked him. Ultimately, Roach says he wants a fight with Stevenson.

“It would be a great chess match,’’ he said.

First, however, he has to make all the right moves against Zepeda. Then, the next step might be a date with the winner of the co-main event, Raymond Muratalla against Robson  Conceicao on a card also newsworthy because it’s the first in a TNT/DAZN monthly series. 

 Muratalla (24-0, 17 KOs), the International Boxing Federation’s lightweight champion, was also at 134.6 pounds Friday. More significantly, he’s a much bigger favorite to win than Roach is. The Robert Garcia-trained Muratalla is a minus-14 choice to beat  Conceicao (23-3-1, 10 KOs), a competent, yet aging contender from Brazil. The 37-year-old Brazilian, who was at 135 pounds Friday, has an Olympic gold medal, yet he is still seeking his first world title belt.

“I expect a great fight, a tough fight,’’ Conceicao said through an interpreter. “He’s a great champion. But I’m ready for this.’’

From the sounds of it, so too is Roach.

By Norm Frauenheim

In a rare show of unity in boxing’s balkanized state, an alliance of promoters and a streaming service staged a news conference, introduced young fighters, plans, possibilities and one intriguing fight.

In a predictable counter and a sure sign that unity in boxing is still an oxymoron, a rival promotional entity sent out a news release announcing it had signed one of the game’s biggest names.

It was that kind of day. Pick a side? Not exactly, at least not for fans, who on Thursday witnessed an emerging battleground for control of the fight game.

On the unified side, there was Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and DAZN with a blueprint for the rest of 2026, including an intriguing fight Aug. 22 featuring resilient champion Rolly Romero against Teofimo Lopez in Lopez’ welterweight debut at Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena.

For the entertaining Lopez, a shot at a third-division belt is a step up and perhaps away from his last fight, a one-sided loss at junior-welterweight to multi-division champion Shakur Stevenson in January.

“When I face the champion, I’ll be 29,’’ said Lopez, whose manager Keith Connolly said the Romero fight will launch Lopez into a series of mega-fights.. “I’ve got a lot of good prominent years left. I’m gonna answer all the questions on August 22.’’

Presumably, one will be a definitive answer to what happened against Stevenson, whose masterful performance against Lopez put him among the top five in the pound-for-pound debate.

Only Lopez’ volatile father and trainer, Teofimo Sr., referred to his son’s last fight in what was almost almost an aside during the newser. It didn’t resonate.

In an almost choreographed response, Zuffa followed up the Romero-Lopez newser by announcing what everybody already knew. Stevenson signed.

“Line them up, one-by one, and I’ll beat all the top guys once I get them in front of me,’’ the news release quoted Stevenson as saying. “With Zuffa Boxing, I’m going to go after the biggest fights in the sport and I will become the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world.’’

Who and when weren’t included in the Zuffa release. Teofimo Lopez wasn’t mentioned either. But the timing clearly said he was the target, probably just one of many in a rivalry still in its infancy.

By Norm Frauenheim

Errol Spence Jr., unseen in the ring since his devastating loss to Terence Crawford nearly three years ago, goes Down Under in late July against Tim Tszyu with fans and foe wondering who will show up.

Thursday, he didn’t show up at all.

Spence was a no-show for a video appearance via-satellite at a Sydney television studio, where he and Tszyu were scheduled to talk about their 158-pound catchweight date on the last Saturday in July.

Tszyu, an Aussie living in Sydney, waited.

And waited.

No Spence.

No explanation either.

But there was plenty to say, mostly by a frustrated Tszyu.

“He’s a diva,’’ Tszyu said after an awkward 45 minutes that turned a studio into a waiting room.

Thursday morning in Sydney, he might as well have been an extraterrestrial. Repeatedly, there were attempts to reach Spence, who was in – of all places – Houston, a city known for communicating with satellites.

But there was no answer from Spence, who might as well have been in another universe or maybe just in bed. He’s been training in Houston with Jermall Charlo, who fights on the Sydney undercard against Aussie Koen Mazoudier.

Turns out, the often-volatile Charlo wasn’t lost in space. He caught his satellite and made his virtual appearance, right on time.

Charlo was there and Spence wasn’t. That only seemed to sharpen Tszyu’s anger.

I’m quite upset,” said Tszyu, a slight betting underdog in his own country

“Just a diva attitude.”

“I had to change plans. But it is what it is.

“Right now, I’m thinking about every limb of his body that I want to hurt. I want to inflict pain. And in three weeks I get to put my hands on him …”

Spence had already angered Tszyu. Before the fight was formally announced at a Las Vegas news conference on a May day when David Benavidez’ stopped Zurdo Ramirez for a unified cruiserweight title, Spence refused to shake hands with Tszyu during an encounter at the MGM Grand.

“The guy is living in his own little fairytale, thinking he runs the show.’’ Tszyu said. “He thinks everyone is on his time. But, unfortunately, we’re not. Just as I won’t be when we finally step into that ring.”

Uncertainty about Spence has been there, even before his loss to Crawford. Questions still linger about whether he has ever completely recovered from injuries suffered in a scary car crash October 2019.

Even Spence acknowledges the questions. He’s also mentioned retirement more than once. However, he expressed only confidence during a media workout Wednesday in Houston.

“Camp has been great.,” he said. “I can’t complain at all. We’re putting in the work and leaving no stone unturned. I’m excited.

“…This was the right time to come back, and against the right opponent. My body feels good, so I said why not?

“…We’re focused on the task at hand and that’s conquering Australia.’’

The continent, not the studio.

By Norm Frauenheim

Manny Pacquiao versus-Floyd Mayweather Jr.? Did anyone really want to see it all over again?

Didn’t think so.

The good news is that it looks as if the rematch – or is that redundancy? –won’t happen because of the legal mess surrounding Mayweather, who used to call himself Money May.

Lawsuits that seem to multiply by the day, however, suggest money may be gone and on to a life of uninterrupted court dates.

The latest evidence came Thursday when Mayweather’s exhibition against Mike Zambidis in Athens Saturday was called off, according to federal court records filed in New York.

The bout was in jeopardy after CSI, an events company reportedly contracted to stage Mayweather dates, sued, alleging breach of contract. CSI also filed for an emergency injunction to halt the fight. According to the suit, CSI claims it has rights to stage other Mayweather exhibitions, including one against Mike Tyson.

But it was never clear when – or if – the Mayweather-Tyson exhibition would ever happen. Now, it’s fair to say that the Pacquiao-Mayweather rematch is in doubt.

In effect, that’s what Pacquiao told Boxing Scene’s Lance Pugmire Thursday in the wake of news that Mayweather- Zambidis was suddenly just another Greek myth. No live stream was reported. No ticket sales were reported. No opening bell was inevitable.

Then, Pacquiao told Boxing Scene that the Mayweather rematch, scheduled for Sept. 25, had been postponed indefinitely. Indefinitely can mean lots of things, including forever.

Deepening doubt is there because of the avalanche of lawsuits involving Mayweather, who is believed to have earned a billion dollars in his prize-fighting career.

Dollars, of course, have been the only reason for a rematch. Mayweather’s victory over Pacquiao eleven years ago is memorable only for the record revenue it generated. The fight itself was a dud. Mayweather won a unanimous decision in what was a unanimous bore.

International interest before the fight was squandered during the fight. Then, the money generated by the fight was apparently squandered. Who wants to do that all over again?

That verdict has already been delivered by fans who aren’t likely to pay again for another money-grab between fighters more than a decade past their primes.

Notes on a Scorecard

Elijah Garcia (18-2, 14 KOs), a prominent prospect a couple of years ago, got back into the win column with a mandatory victory, a first-round stoppage, of Ryan Adams last Saturday at Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Garcia’s hometown.

Jose Benavidez Sr., dad and trainer of three division champion David Benavidez, confirms reports this week that he has talked with troubled and talented Tank Davis about being his trainer. “Tank will announce his plans and we’ll go from there,’’ Jose Sr. tells The Good Fight.  There’s uncertainty because of Tank’s problematic legal issues.

By Norm Frauenheim

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez has formally said goodbye to superfly, all in a quest for the challenges he hopes will lead to the biggest one of all:

Naoya Inoue

That’s not exactly a secret anymore. Talk — and perhaps some real momentum — has been building for a Bam-Inoue showdown.

Now, that possibility enters a new stage, one evident by what was missing Thursday at a formal news conference for his bantamweight debut against 118-pound champion Antonio Vargas Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena in a DAZN-streamed bout.

Bam wasn’t seated behind the collection of belts that are usually there. They’re gone. In boxing-speak, they’ve been vacated to make room for what Bam has said is an “inevitable” showdown with Inoue in what would be the biggest fight ever at the lighter weights.

It was news delivered Wednesday by Bam trainer Robert Garcia, who announced on social media that Bam was relinquishing three of the four.

He’s replacing them with a new challenge at a new weight.

“New challenges are more important to me that just another title defense,’’ said Bam, now a former unified champion who suddenly finds himself in the unfamiliar role of being the challenger.

There are signs that Bam won’t be a challenger for long. Vargas is being called underrated by his corner. Maybe, he is.  On the World Boxing Association’s shuffleboard, he was elevated from secondary to the real 118-pound champion a couple of weeks ago. Vargas’ credentials include experience against some of the world’s best, including Shakur Stevenson, who beat him as an amateur.

But prohibitive odds suggest that Bam won’t be a challenger for long. He has an opportunity to win a third belt at a third weight. What’s more significant, however, might be in how he performs at bantam. Success at 118 pounds would represent a steppingstone to junior-feather — 122 pounds, Inoue’s current weight.

At 26-years old, Bam has improved with each move up the scale. He also seems to get better with each fight, all victories That plants an inevitable expectation. Just how good can he be?

“I feel like I haven’t shown 50 percent of who I’ll be,’’ Bam said during Thursday’s newser.

If accurate, half of what Bam’s potential already is good enough to put him among the top five in virtually every pound for-pound rating, many of which have Inoue at No. 1

For now, at least, the question is what Inoue plans to do. Since his victory over Junto Nakatani in front 55,000 Japanese fans in Tokyo, he’s been quiet. Still, there’s talk that he’ll move up to 126 pounds, featherweight.

Garcia believes that would be a move intended to keep him away from a date with the San Antonio fighter.

“Take a look at 126,’’ said Garcia, who agrees that fans have yet to see the best Bam. “There’s nobody at 126 who would make a better fight than one against Bam.

“Moving up to 126 would say that he doesn’t want to fight Bam.’’

For now, the only relevant measurement is Bam’s first time at 118. There’s been talk about a further move up the scale to 122-pounds before a speculated date – December or January — against Inoue.

“But I can only make the right decision based on what I see Saturday night,’’ Garcia said. “I can’t be thinking about more before I see him at 118.’’

By Norm Frauenheim

It’s beginning to feel as though boxing has entered a statement season, as in delivering one.

Dmitry Bivol delivered last Saturday, beating an overmatched German in Russia, yet the message from Bivol was within his performance.

Bivol, still as flawless as any sweet scientist against challenger-without-a-chance Michael Eifert, showed there’s been no evident erosion in the light-heavyweight’s comprehensive skillset after back surgery and a long stretch of inactivity following his rematch victory over Artur Beterbiev.

He knows what he’s doing. But what will he do next? There are plenty of rumors, but no sources and zero hints from Bivol, a quiet Russian who is as taciturn as he is skillful.

The real – for now, only — news is that he’s back in the conversation, including the pound-for-pound debate. He’s among the second five after falling out of the subjective ratings altogether. His options are as viable as ever, including a third fight with Beterbiev and/or a date with newly minted cruiserweight champion David Benavidez, who also continues to hold a light-heavyweight belt.

For Bivol, the task was to restore leverage, his negotiating power and presence for whatever possibility — Beterbiev or Benavidez – develops.

Statement delivered.

Now, it’s Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez’ turn.

Bam’s chance will be there June 13 in Glendale, AZ, a few miles of roadwork from Benavidez childhood home in west Phoenix.

That’s when and where Bam can further his pursuit of a showdown with current pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue at Desert Diamond Arena in a bantamweight debut against Antonio Vargas, who isn’t given much more of a chance than Eifert had against Bivol.

Eifert was a 25-to-1 underdog, according to various betting sites. At opening bell, the odds facing Vargas might be even bigger. The spread ranges from 25-to-1 to 33-to-1, according to numbers posted this week, also by various betting sites.

Translation: Bam is considered a virtual lock. Like Bivol, the significance – message – is within how he wins.

A few weeks ago during a media workout at Central Boxing in Phoenix, Bam, already a two-division champion, said he thought a fight with Inoue was inevitable. Since then, there have been multiple stories about  Bam-Inoue, still a dream fight. A Netflix interest was reported. Even a projected time frame for the much discussed, much anticipated possibility has been mentioned. Some speculation has it happening in early 2027

That’s not inevitable, but it is momentum, the kind that could make it happen. So far, Inoue, who is coming off a defense of his undisputed junior featherweight title against Junto Nakatani, has been about as talkative as Bivol.

Inoue has talked about moving to featherweight. He’s also has mentioned Bam. But now Japan’s Rising Son is quiet, perhaps waiting to see what kind of message Bam delivers against Vargas.

About a week ago, Vargas was declared the World Boxing Association’s 118-pound champ. The acronym’s move was merely a paper shuffle. Vargas had held a secondary belt. For Bam, it’s an opportunity – perhaps a gift. He can add a third division title to his resume.

But a long stop at bantam has never been in the Bam plan. On his blueprint, 118 pounds is another step toward his inevitable. Always has been.

A convincing performance could move Bam closer. Currently, he’s a consensus No. 3 in pound-for-pound ratings, behind No. 1 Inoue and No. 2 Oleksandr Usyk. But there are doubts about Usyk after his problematic victory over kick boxer Rico Verhoeven May 23 in Egypt.

A dominant Bam on June 13 could vault him over Usyk into the No. 2 spot. No. 1 versus-No. 2 is a classic scenario in what would be the biggest little-guy fight in history. Maybe those stories about Netflix’s interest are accurate.

Only Bam can make sure of it with the delivery of another convincing statement.

By Norm Frauenheim

It looks as if hints to David Benavidez’ immediate future will play out Saturday with light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol’s comeback from back surgery against German Michael Eifert in Russia, but that hasn’t stopped anybody from talking — ad nauseam — about Canelo Alvarez.

By all accounts, Canelo-Benavidez won’t happen. At least, that’s what Canelo said definitively during a news conference in Egypt for a Sept. 12 fight against Christian Mbilli.

Benavidez is a cruiserweight and possibly an emerging heavyweight, Stay there, Canelo said. In a rare agreement with Canelo, Benavidez father and trainer Jose Sr. also told Fight Hub TV that the fight was no longer a possibility.

The only sure thing is that fans and media will continue to debate, wonder and fantasize about it.

Canelo-Benavidez has become a permanent fixture in the public imagination, which is where it figures to stay.

Nevertheless, Benavidez repeated what he said after his beatdown of Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez for a unified cruiserweight title May 2. He can still make 175 pounds. Meanwhile, Canelo is staying at 168 in a bid for a World Boxing Council title against Christian Mbilli Sept. 12.

If a heavily favored Bivol wins Saturday, a return to 175 could create Benavidez’ first opportunity at an undisputed title, a key addition to his pound-for-pound resume. The Phoenix born-and-forged fighter has the WBC version of the light-heavy title; Bivol has the other three belts.

“I was ready then and I’m ready now,’’ said Benavidez, who was in Mexico City Wednesday to honor his father as the WBC’s Trainer of the Year. “I can still make 175.’’

Benavidez went on to mention Canelo. It’s impossible not to. Yet, his promised 25-pound move downscale is really about a shot at Bivol and that undisputed distinction.

Against Eifert, there’s a chance to see what Bivol still has. Has he completely recovered from back surgery? Is he still the same fighter who upset Canelo and evened the score with a rematch decision over Artur Beterbiev?

Answers will go a long way to figuring out what and who are next for Benavidez, now a top five pound-for-pound contender. But the questions will still be about Canelo.

FIGHT CITY

Bivol, who is of Russian and Korean descent, will be fighting in his home country in a city, Yekaterinburg, with lots of history, some noteworthy and some ominous.

It is Russia’s fourth largest city, located east of the Ural Mountains. In the early to mid-19^th century, the city’s mines produced 45 percent of all the gold in the world. Some of that gold can be seen, glittering off domes at the top of an old church.  

It’s called Church on the Blood. Czar Nicholas II, Russia’s last monarch, and his family were murdered there by the Bolsheviks in July, 1918.

By Norm Frauenheim

Home can be just about anywhere, especially if it only includes a couple of stools and is surrounded by ropes.

What can go wrong?

Plenty, of course.

But Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez has found only success in what he calls a second home.

Rodriguez, who grew up in San Antonio, is about to fight a fourth bout in the Phoenix area, this time at Desert Diamond Arena in nearby Glendale for a significant step up the scale to bantamweight in a bout that looks a lot like a test of his hopes to one day face Naoya Inoue.

“They gave him two options for June 13,’’ Bam trainer Robert Garcia said. “San Antonio or Phoenix? He picked Phoenix.’’

He did, for more than one reason. He trains in Riverside, Calif., which is closer to Phoenix than San Antonio. But Phoenix has also become a key to his emergence as a pound-for-pound contender.

“This place changed my life,’’ Bam, a two-division champion, said Thursday during a media workout at Central Boxing for his June 13 118-pound date against Antonio Vargas.

He won his first title, a 112-pound belt, with a 2022 victory over Carlos Cuadras at the Suns arena, a few blocks from Central.

Since then, Bam has emerged, from a so-called little guy to a very big name near the top of the pound-for-pound debate. 

In the process, he has created a big fan-base in central Arizona, which has probably appreciated fighters in the lighter weight classes more than any other boxing market.

AZ, after all, grew up on watching one of the best little guys ever in Hall of Fame junior-flyweight Michael Carbajal.

“Carbajal was the first,’’ Garcia said. “He made history.’’

In Bam’s dangerous hands, that history might continue to unfold. The two-division champion is planning on Inoue, perhaps sometime next year..

Bam called the Inoue possibility “inevitable” Thursday. He also said he watched Inoue’s victory over Junto Nakatani in front 55,000 at the Tokyo Dome May 2.

“It was a great performance,’’ Bam said. “Nakatani is a really tough fighter.’’

Throughout all the hype for Inoue-Nakatani, Inoue mentioned Rodriguez and confirmed that a fight with Bam was a real possibility.

For Bam, that’ll mean more than one more move up in weight. Inoue has been fighting at 122 pounds. He’s talked about fighting at 126, featherweight.

For Bam, that means making two – maybe three –more moves up the scale and one more move back to Phoenix, where it all started.

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS —David Benavidez promised dominance. He promised to seize a Cinco de May torch that has belonged to Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez.

For one night, the dominance was there.

So, too was that torch, which Benavidez grabbed with the fastest hands in a dangerous business. It belonged to him Saturday night and perhaps in future years after he claimed a third title in a third division with a sixth-round knockout of Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Benavidez, born-and-forged in Phoenix, is the first in history to win titles at 168 pounds, 175 and 200. In effect, he took the snoozer out of cruiser with hands that move at a rocket rate.

“Speed, power and punch selection,” Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) said.”That’s what I do. I’ll fight anybody. Don’t efff with me.”

Zurdo (48-2, 30 KOs) tried. But he had no way of dealing with Benavidez’ singular hand speed. HIs trademark flurries are a blitzkrieg. They overwhelm.

In the fourth round, Zurdo saw it coming at him from angles he never expected. His only escape was to take a knee. A storm shelter wasn’t available. He would got back onto his feet, blood smeared across his nose and both cheeks.

All the while, Zurdo tried to subdue Benavidez with his bigger body and advertised power. 

Benavidez answered the opening bell, looking smaller and somewhat cautious. Within the first round’s final minute, however, he landed the first significant punch, a short right hand. Zurdo countered. Then, however, Benavidez unleashed one of  those swirling, blinding flurries, It was a sign of things to come.

In the second, Zurdo introduced Benavidez to some of that power. It was enough to back Bhim up a step or two. But Zurdo would quickly discover there was nothing he could do to slow down  those hands

In the final second of the sixth, he encountered them again. Still, no counter. This time, the punches cascaded off of Zurdo’s face like incoming waves. Blood poured from his left eye. The right began to swell and take on the color of a purple grape. With one second left in the sixth, it was over. Cinco de Mayo, 2026, officially belonged to Benavidez, who stood in the middle of the ring and repeated his long-standing challenge to Canelo Alvarez, the last man to possess the valuable date..

There was no immediate answer from Canelo, who was at ringside. Then again, Canelo had just witnessed another reason nobody has been able to beat Benavidez, who — hands down — possesses the most devastating weapon in the prizefighting business.

Munguia wins belt, scores dominant decision

Jaime Munguia promised he would return to Tijuana with a title.

Promise fulfilled.

Munguia (46-3, 35 KOs) is homeward bound with a World Boxing Association super-middleweight belt in his bags after he easily beat Armando Resendiz ((48-2, 30 KOs)with superior hand speed, precision and even some surprising endurance.Saturday in the final fight before the David Benavidez-Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez main event at T-Mobile Arena.

For all but the final seconds of the final round, the fight was a mismatch. Put it this way: Munguia dominated Resendiz the way Canelo Alvarez dominated Munguia two years ago. Canelo was there, seated at ringside in support of Munguia. Canelo, who wore a T-shirt that said Jaime, is trained by Eddy Reynoso, who also trains Munguia, who left the ring amid a chorus of Cinco de Mayo cheers.

Within the first few moments, it was clear that Resendiz never had a chance. The scorecards would confirm that. It was Munguia –117-111, 119-109, 120-108. Only in the final seconds did it ever look as if Resendiz, a fellow Mexican, had a chance. 

Munguia was attempting to score a knockout. He swung wildly, leaving himself open. That’s when Resendiz landed a huge overhand right. But Munguia withstood it. Seconds later, he had his promised belt. 

Duarte wins controversial split decision

It began in controversy.

It ended in controversy.

For the winner, there were boos, lots of them.

Oscar Duarte heard them after he was given a split decision over Angel Fierro Saturday night on a Cinco de Mayo card featuring David Benavidez against Zurdo Ramirez at T-Mobile Arena.

“I thought I won this fight,” Duarte (31-2-1, 23 KOs) said. “I believe I won this fight.”

But the chorus of boos said loudly that many didn’t agree. Fierro looked to be in control early. Then, Duarte fought his way back over the final few rounds. Two cards had it for Duarte, 115-113 and 116-112. The third had it 116-112 for Fierro, The Boxing Hour scored it a draw.

Fierro, who was three-plus pounds over the 140-pound mandatory Friday, rocked Duarte repeatedly in the early rounds with a right, a lightning bolt of a punch. Fierro also got floored after the bell ending the fourth. But that right continued to land over the next couple of rounds.

Jose Tito Sanchez wakes up crowd, scores stoppage 

A restless, late-arriving crowd finally got a wake up call, delivered by Jose Tito Sanchez.

Sanchez (16-0, 10 KOs) threw a succession of powerful combinations that put Jorge Chavez down twice in the 10th, a round that finally got  fans out of their seats Saturday at T-Mobile Arena Saturday night on the Benavidez-Zurdo card.

After seven slow-paced bouts on the undercard, Sanchez struck. Suddenly, the crowd roared. It was as if Cinco de Mayo had finally arrived. Only Chavez (18-1-1, 14 KOs), a junior-featherweight from Tijuana, didn’t celebrate. 

First ,a five-punch combo dropped him flat on the canvas. Somehow, he got upright. But not for long. Sanchez, of Cathedral City CA,  quickly followed with another multi-punch combo, finishing Chavez at 2:30 of the 10th.

Ismael Flores scores 154-pound upset

Ismael Flores combined pressure to poise and added just enough patience to a thorough attack that left Isaac Lucero with only one option.

He backpedaled, backpedaled all the way into a  one-sided scorecard loss Saturday on the card featuring Benavidez-Zurdo Saturday at T-Mobile Arena

Flores (18-1-1, 12 KOs), a junior-middleweight from Argentina, sustained his tactical mix throughout 10 rounds, scoring a 98-92, 99-91, 98-92 upset of the favored Mexican, (18-1, 14 KOs), a 9-to-1 betting favorite at opening bell.

Blancas ices Salomon, wins decision

Daniel Blancas calls himself “The Ice Man.” Raul Salomon found out why.

Blancos, still an unbeaten (15-0, 7 KOs) super-middleweight from Milwaukee, repeatedly stopped Salomon’s forward pursuit throughout most of a hard-fought 10 rounds on Benavidez-Zurdo card Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. 

It often looked as if the chilling sting in Blanco’s pouches froze Salomon (16-4-1, 14 KOs) in his tracks, leaving the Southern California fighter without many alternatives in a unanimous-decision loss

Capetillo escapes with narrow decision

Dylan Capetillo, a Las Vegas junior-welterweight, scored repeatedly throughout three-plus rounds and then held onto his scorecard advantage, eluding a late charge from James Pierce for a narrow decision Saturday in the fifth bout on a pay-per-view card featuring Benavidez-Zurdo Saturday at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Capetillo won 39-37 on all three cards over Pierce (2-1, 2 KOs), a Phoenix fighte

Carrillo stays unbeaten, delivers body-shot KO

It only takes one punch and Jose Carrillo, of Colombia, threw it, a lethal body shot that sent Marlon Delgado onto the canvas and kept him there for a fifth-round knockout in the fourth bout Saturday on the card featuring Benavidez-Zurdo at T-Mobile Arena..

The punch suddenly reversed Carrillo’s fortunes. Through four rounds, Carrillo (15-0, 11 KOs) was losing to a more active and precise Delgado, an Ecuadorian who lost for the first time in nine light-heavyweight bouts (8-1, 6 KOs).

No knockdowns, no winner either

There were no knockdowns. No cuts or bruising punches..

In the end, there was no winner either.

Julio Ocampo Hernandez, a Washington fighter who trains at David Benavidez’ Seattle gym, and Carlos Lewis, of Oklahoma City, fought to a draw in the third bout on the Benavidez-Zurdo-featured card Saturday.

Neither lightweight could gain much of an advantage throughout the six rounds.One judge scored 58-56 for Hernandez (9-0-1, 5 KOs). One judge scored 58-56 for Lewis (5-1-1, 3 KOs). On the third scorecard, it was 55-55.

Junior-welterweight Javier Meza dominates, wins TKO

Junior welterweight Javier Meza had more hand speed, more power, more accuracy.

More of everything.

Meza (6-0, 3 KOs) overwhelmed Damonte Smith (3-1, 1 KO), an Iowa fighter was knocked down twice in the fourth and was finished, a TKO victim, in the fifth round of the second fight on the Benavidez-Zurdo card Saturday afternoon at T-Mobile Arena.

First Bell: Middleweight Khamukov delivers opening salvo, wins decision

Sometime between brunch and lunch, the show opened in a ring with more people within the ropes than in the seats.

About eight hours before David Benavidez and Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez would enter the ring, middleweights Petr Khamukov (14-1,6 KOs) of Los Angeles and Bernard Joseph of Massachusetts got things started in an empty T-Mobile Arena.

With punches echoing throughout the venue, a more aggressive Khamukov, prevailed winning a 10-round unanimous decision, 99-91, 98-92, 99-91.

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS – David Benavidez is bigger than ever, both on the scale and the stage.

He commands a room with energy and charisma, delivering answers at the rate he throws punches. He’s moving up, moving fast. Stand in his way at your own peril. He’s an incoming stampede.

His momentum– all of it — was there Wednesday in a ring at one end of the MGM Grand’s casino floor. The sports book was at one side. A restaurant on the other. Center stage belonged to Benavidez, who entertained a gathering crowd of onlookers and then tirelessly spoke to one group of reporters after another.

There’s an old line about winning the news conference. There was no debate about it Wednesday. It was Benavidez, undisputed in every way.

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, the champion, was there, but almost as an afterthought in a promotional step toward a cruiserweight showdown Saturday in a Cinco de Mayo celebration at T-Mobile Arena.

On paper, at least, Zurdo has all the advantages. He’s taller, tall enough to look down at Benavidez, who has never had to look up to look into an opponent’s eyes. Zurdo knows the cruiserweight division.

Like an old pair of shoes, it seems to be perfect fit for Zurdo, who won a title in March 2024 and defended twice.  Meanwhile, Benavidez is trying it on for the first time in a jump up in weight bigger and perhaps as daunting as any in boxing.

Twenty-five pounds pack a punch that many believe will provide Zurdo with enough of an advantage to steal the evident momentum and imminent stardom from Benavidez

“We’ll see,’’ Zurdo, a popular Mexican, said in a tone that was hard to judge.

Cautious?

Confident?

We’ll see.

In Benavidez’ tone, however, there was no room for guessing. No mistake, either, about what he intends in his bid to win a title at a third weight. As he stepped out of the ring after an entertaining display of his trademark hand speed, the ring announcer closed the show by saying he’s “looking to become” a three-division champion.

Benavidez quickly amended that.

“I’m not looking to become,’’ the Phoenix-forged fighter said into the microphone. “I will be a three-belt champion.’’

For now, there’s not much disagreement. Benavidez has been a solid betting favorite since the fight was announced. Even Zurdo’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, picked Benavidez to win what he predicts will be A Fight of the Year contender.

“I’m going to pick Benavidez to win by a haymaker,’’ said De La Hoya, who also suggested that Benavidez’ vulnerability might be his chin.

Zurdo has power and precision, according to De La Hoya. A precise shot from Zurdo could result in an upset, said De La Hoya, who apparently won’t be betting on that possibility.

What’s clear is that Benavidez is going into the fight pursuing a dominant victory. He wants to make a statement about credentials that’ll keep him in the pound-or-pound debate for a decade.

“I plan on doing this for the next 10 years,’’ he said.

And he plans to do it at the top of the game, which might mean nine more appearances on the Cinco de Mayo weekend that once belonged to Canelo Alvarez.

The date’s former owner is expected to be in the audience. Canelo, scheduled for a comeback in September from his loss to Terence Crawford, plans to be ringside for the Eddy Reynoso-trained Jaime Munguia against super-middleweight Armando Resendiz.

He’ll also get a look at whether Benavidez can prove that his Cinco de Mayo appearance is more permanent than temporary. 

By Norm Frauenheim

Floyd Mayweather cast doubt last Saturday on whether his September 19 sequel with Manny Pacquiao will be documented as a real fight and where it’ll happen, but tickets were available this week for a date already scheduled on the Las Vegas Sphere’s calendar.

Tickets, priced from $1,882 to $29,214, were up for sale on the Sphere’s website Thursday amid controversy raised by Mayweather, whose comments suggested the event was not the done deal it seemed to be when announced February 23 by Netflix and CSI Sports.

During a busy boxing day dominated by Sebastian Fundora’s stoppage of Keith Thurman last weekend, Mayweather told Vegas Sports Today that the venue was uncertain.

“We don’t know if it’s a hundred percent going to be there,’’ Mayweather said during a reported meet-and-greet at Caesars Palace.

Days later, however, the MSG-sponsored Sphere is moving forward as if it is certain.

Mayweather also told Vegas Sports Today that the fight would not count in the official record book, which has him at 50-0 after a boxing victory over then MMA star Conor McGregor in August 2017.

“This is not actually a fight,’’ Mayweather said. “It’s an exhibition.”

In a video posted by Source of Boxing, Pacquiao countered, saying he didn’t sign up for an exhibition.

“…he signed a real contract,’’ says Pacquiao, who lost a 2015 decision to Mayweather in a much-hyped fight remembered mostly for the record-setting pay-per-view revenue. “Yes, the contract that we signed is a real fight. I wouldn’t fight an exhibition.’’

There’s a theory that Mayweather is attempting to re-negotiate, because he wants to protect his official record. He might need money, but he still values the 0 on the loss side of the ledger more than anything. It’s his identity. Maybe, his future. He’ll be 50 next year. One loss might ruin the birthday party.

From the Netflix and Sphere point of view, however, that risk is part of the drama, a compelling reason to watch. After all, the first fight, more than a decade ago, was a dud.

As of Thursday, it’s not clear whether Mayweather thinks he’s found a loophole that will allow him to re-negotiate. The Pacquiao camp is certain he does not.

Mayweather is in breach of contract,

Jas Mathur, Manny Pacquiao Promotions CEO, told ESPN and Boxing Scene.  Now, there are reports that Mathur is demanding Mayweather re-confirm that he intends to fulfill the terms that –Pacquiao says — he agreed to.

Will he? Mayweather, a calculating and clever master of the feint within the ring, also uses it outside of it. Keep them guessing, before and after opening bell.

He’s done it often enough to think he’s trying to do it all over again. It also might help explain the odds. Mayweather opened as a slight betting favorite, minus 175. A couple of days later, money came in on Mayweather, making him more of a favorite, minus 190.

There are no odds on whether the fight, real or not, happens at all.

Not yet anyway.

By Norm Frauenheim

Keith Thurman promises history. A lot of people think he already is.

There’s a challenge in that, one that offers Thurman the motivation that always comes with an opportunity to prove them wrong.

It also gives him a chance to talk, and there’s never been a doubt he’s still better at that than just about anybody on boxing’s bully pulpit.

He was there, center stage, Thursday with a volume of words full of philosophy, preaching and psychology. If it weren’t for Sebastian Fundora’s much-hyped height, you wouldn’t have known Fundora was there at all.

Fundora, all 6-foot-6 of him, walks into a room and everybody looks up, including the 5-7 Thurman, who must have suffered a crick in his neck during the ritual stare down during a live-streamed newser a couple of days before the title fight Saturday at Vegas’ MGM Grand.

Fundora let his 154-pound title, recent string of impressive victories and that height do most of his talking. The 28-year-old with an emerging ring IQ is a smart guy. So, he listened.

Word-for-word, Thurman is unrivalled, if not undisputed. He has a broadcaster’s skillset. For now, however, he’s a fighter who plans to stay active. Thurman, nicknamed One Time, said Thursday he doesn’t intend to retire. One Time promised at least one more in a fight — he says — could open the door to Hall of Fame consideration

“A historic night,’’ he said many times.

In part, Premier Boxing Champions’ pay-per-view bout on Amazon Prime is historic for both PBC and Thurman. Thurman was featured in PBC’s first main event, a decision over Robert Guerrero 11 years ago — March 7, 2015 – also at the MGM Grand.

“It’s called PBC,’’ Thurman said. “It should be PB Me.’’

He’s a poet, too.

But a question lingers: Is he still the puncher with the finishing power defined by his nickname? The answer determines the fight.

Despite the nickname, his career has been a story about not enough times. It’s impossible to judge inactivity. That’s not exactly fair. There was Covid. There were injuries, including three surgeries. 

But none of that is attached to his record like an asterisk offering an explanation. It’s just a fact, including only 15 rounds since July 2019. 

That’s nearly seven years, a stretch when some fighters retire, come back and retire all over again.

At 37, Thurman is closer to the end than his prime. Perhaps, inactivity helped protect him from the inevitable wear-and-tear sustained in a busy career. But the surgeries suggest otherwise.

Thurman hears the skepticism. He uses it, effectively on stage and in video. The psychologist in him also might be using it against the younger Fundora. Media and fans were there with questions Thursday. In part, however, Thurman might have been talking to an audience of one: Fundora.

Fundora, he said many times, has been knocked out in his only loss to Brian Mendoza in 2023. Fundora’s muscle memory of that KO will be there, Thurman said, when a big shot lands. The body, he promised, will react in a way Fundora’s mind can’t control.

“I don’t know what all is going to go down,’’ Thurman said. “I just know Sebastian Fundora is going down.’’

It’s no coincidence that Mendoza is on Saturday’s card against Cuban prospect Yoenis Tellez in the co-main event. It’s also no coincidence that Thurman was seated next to Mendoza on the stage for the news conference.

“He gave me the cheat code,’’ Thurman said to Fundora, who was seated on the other side of the pulpit. “Night, night.

“I’m going to give you that flashback. Do you remember? Maybe, you forgot. I will make you remember.’’

Maybe, make some history, too.

By Norm Frauenheim

Reborn Emanuel Navarrete fought his way back from the edge of retirement and now looks at a restored future that starts with options, a decision and perhaps a dilemma.

What’s next?

More to the point, who’s next?

A couple of weeks after a dramatic career-best stoppage of Eduardo Nunez, Navarrete must choose between a promise and an opportunity.

Charly Suarez?

Or O’Shaquie Foster?

The either-or could change, of course. Unforeseen options are like insults from feuding promoters. There’s always another one.

This week, however, there were only two for Navarrete, who on Wednesday got an order that — in acronym-speak — told him he had 20 days to negotiate a deal for a “mandatory” rematch.

The only mandatory here is skepticism, of course. The only bet is an extension. Negotiations and Navarrete’s decision figure to go on for a while.

The dilemma was Navarrete’s own doing. In a contentious arena often devoid of what Ernest Hemingway called “grace under pressure,” a maturing Navarrete showed some.

He thanked Suarez.

He also acknowledged he owed him one.

“I know I owe Suarez that rematch,’’ Navarrete said at a news conference in the immediate aftermath of his 11^th-round TKO of Nunez in front of a roaring crowd in Glendale, AZ.

The rematch has been there, at one level or another, amid lingering echoes of the controversy over the Navarrete-Suarez fight in May. At first, Navarrete was declared the winner by an eighth-round “technical decision.” The referee ruled that a cut above his left eye was caused by a punch.

Thirty minutes after the San Diego fight, however, video showed the cut was caused by a Suarez punch.

Weeks later, the California State Athletic Commission changed the result, ruling it a dreaded “No Contest.”

Ten months later, there’s still no rematch. It screams for one. It sounds as if Suarez is already counting on it. The Filipino told Boxing Scene that he wants the rematch in Las Vegas.

On the last night in February, he was in the Arizona crowd for Navarrete’s victory, a definitive performance that proved to be a powerful answer to most questions about Navarrete’s future. It’s never been brighter.

Nevertheless, a ruling at a regulatory meeting allowed him to retain a title that many believe Suarez had rightfully taken from him in the ring. It remains unresolved, because Suarez stepped aside, allowing Navarrete to fight Nunez.

For that, Navarrete is thankful. But it’s still not clear whether he’ll agree to a sequel, or simply relinquish the WBO belt and move on to another 130-pound unifier against Foster.

Foster was in the Arizona crowd, too.

“Let’s do it …let’s make it happen,’’ Foster told reporters.

Then, he went on to suggest he has more name-recognition than Suarez.

“My profile has been raised,” he said.

Foster also has something that Suarez doesn’t. He’s got a junior-lightweight title, the World Boxing Council’s version – the green belt valued more than any other, especially by Mexican fighters.

The powerful Foster, who like Navarrete is a Top Rank fighter, also represents a significant 130-pound challenge to Navarrete’s renewed aspirations. There was talk that Navarrete merits some serious pound-for-pound consideration after his stoppage of a feared Nunez, a fellow Mexican who was the betting favorite at opening bell.

A victory over Foster would validate what Navarrete did against Nunez. It also would answer a lingering question about Navarrete’s consistency.

He had grown erratic, which was all too evident in a now-forgotten, yet still-controversial stoppage of unknown Australian Liam Wilson, also in Glendale where Navarrete won a then-vacant WBO title in February 2023.

To do it, Navarrete had to get up from the only knockdown in his career. He was floored by a left hook. Clearly dazed, he was still alert enough to spit out his mouthpiece, giving him a controversial 27 seconds to recover. He survived.

Wilson’s corner was outraged. It threatened a protest. It demanded a rematch. Wilson never got one. Will Suarez?

For now, not even Navarrete knows. It’s a tough question, one bound to be controversial in the court of public opinion.

Stand-up guy?

Or pound-for-pound guy?

By Norm Frauenheim

David Benavidez, once branded as a weight bully, now looks up-and-down the scale and sees only options.

Bullies are sometimes hostages, too, trapped by a narrow pursuit that eliminates other possibilities.

For Benavidez, that was Canelo and only Canelo. It kept him at 168 pounds, a super-middleweight division long ruled by Canelo Alvarez. For as long as it did, there was nowhere else to go for Benavidez.

At 23-years-old, he missed weight in 2020, losing the World Boxing Council’s 168-pound title for the second time since a positive drug test, yet never losing it in the ring. Still, he chased Canelo for five more fights over three-and-half years. The pursuit bullied the bully, keeping him at 168 and only 168.

From bout to bout, birthday-to-birthday, he battled to make the weight while his maturing body told him to move on, move up.

His toughest fight?

“The scale,’’ Benavidez, now 29, said at a recent news conference for the formal announcement in his bid for a cruiserweight title against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez May 2 in Las Vegas.

It was a joke. Kind of. The question asked by The Boxing Hour, should have been more specific. To wit: Who was his toughest opponent?

“Caleb Plant,” said Benavidez, a Phoenix born-and-forged fighter who battled and beat Plant, scoring a hard-fought decision in Vegas March 2023.

He would fight once more at super-middle, winning both the fight with the scale and then Demetrius Andrade later that year.

Still, Canelo would not budge, perhaps because he saw Benavidez as too big, or too loud or too much of both. Whatever the reason, Benavidez moved on, moved up. The question, however, is still there.

“For as long as Canelo is still out there, still active, it’ll always will be,’’ Benavidez said.

Canelo is planning a September 12 comeback in Riyadh from his scorecard loss to Terence Crawford. Christian Mbilli and others have been mentioned for what will be Canelo’s first fight in a year. But don’t bother to look too far down the list. Benavidez’ name is not there. The question is, of course.

These days, it’s almost always preceded by an apology. Sorry, but we have to ask.

Benavidez is happy to answer. Maybe, relieved, too. His move up the scale has freed him from the frustration that had been attached to the futile pursuit of what would have been a rich date with Canelo. It’s also freed him to take on risks that can make or break a legacy.

Cruiserweight is that risk. After three fights at light-heavyweight, Benavidez is making the jump, from 175- pound champion to 200-pound challenger.

Zurdo, Benavidez’ old sparring partner, has been at the weight for three fights over the last two years. He’s won two of the belts. His experience, familiarity, gives him an edge.

Another Zurdo advantage is measurable. Benavidez has always been the bigger fighter. In a face-off at the end of a Las Vegas newser late last month, however, Benavidez had to look up to look into Zurdo’s eyes. Will that matter? Maybe not.

But that photo is just one indication of adjustments confronting Benavidez in a bid for a third division title.

There’s a sense that Benavidez’ energy and whirlwind punching rate will propel him to victory. Betting odds reflect that. Benavidez is a slight favorite, minus 310.

Jai Opetaia, the world’s most feared cruiserweight, talked about Benavidez-Zurdo during the days before his bout against Brandon Glanton in a Zuffa-promoted card Sunday in Vegas. He wants the winner.

Opetaia, the most interesting big guy from Down Under since David Tua, also talked to Benavidez during the Ryan Garcia-Mario Barrios fight on March 21. They weren’t exchanging gardening tips. The Benavidez-Opetaia possibility has got fans talking.

Whatever happens, Benavidez hasn’t eliminated anything on either side of his current place on the scale. He says he still wants to fight Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev at light-heavy.

The difference between 175-to 168 is seven pounds however. That’s a lot less than the 25 pounds separating 200 from 175.

Can he go back down, win another fight with the scale? He’s done it before, which explains why he’s confident he can do it again.

But doubts increase as he gets older. It’s also not clear what Bivol and Beterbiev plan to do. There was talk of them in a second rematch, a trilogy. But both names have begun to fall out of the media and the pound-for-pound ratings. Their careers are close to the end.

Meanwhile, Benavidez is just beginning on a path that some say will lead to heavyweight. Cruiserweight is just seen as a steppingstone for him and Opetaia, as it was for Evander Holyfield and Oleksandr Usyk. But that option will have to wait.

“The question is not whether I can fight at heavyweight,’’ Benavidez said. “It’s whether I want to.’’

By Norm Frauenheim

GLENDALE, Ariz. –The blood poured into a right eye. A swelling bruise began to close the left eye. Only the end was easy to see.

Emanuel Navarrete’s punches, long and deadly, bloodied, bruised and busted-up Eduardo Nunez, forcing the ring physician to call an end to the carnage in the first second of the eleventh round Saturday night at Desert Diamond Arena.

Navarrete’s victory proved to be a definitive answer to a growing chorus of critics who believed that the three-division champ was in a steep decline. He’s not. Instead, he’s a unified junior welterweight champion. He took Nunez’ International belt and added it to his World Boxing Organization title.

“I feel like I got back to what it is to be a Mexican warrior,” he said to a roaring crowd after his fourth appearance in the state since 2023.

The only way back to his warrior roots, however, was through a determined challenge from another resilient Mexican. Nunez (29-2, 27 KOs) was a slight favorite. And there were moments when it looked as if he might prevail.

“I want to be champion again,” he said after hugging Navarrete in the center of the ring. “I will continue to learn. 

Nunez’ right eye was cut in the fourth round. From the fifth through about the eighth, however, his power and evident discipline forced Navarrete to retreat.

But his corner stopped the bleeding after the round.  The blood was gone, suddenly and seemingly replaced by a sharper Nunez. He began to find his range. He landed a solid body-to-head combination that backed Navarrete into the ropes. 

The double shot, perfectly executed, seemed to surprise Navarrete, whose loosey-goosey style managed to confuse Nunez over the first two to three rounds. But the combo interrupted Navarrete’s momentum. He hesitated just enough for Nunez to get back into the fight.

Nunez’ power was finding avenues under Navarrete’s long, spaghetti-like arms. First, he targeted Navarrete’s body. Then his head, Navarrete went into reverse. He marched forward in the opening round. He retreated in the seventh. Increasingly, the relentless Ninez was there, his head and face in Navarrete’s chest. In the eighth, Nunez backed  him into the ropes and followed with a succession of head shots that landed with an echo that could be heard above the roar from the crowd. 

In the ninth, the blood started flowing again. A rapid swelling, the color of a purple grape, appeared around the left. Only the end was left.  

Emiliano Vargas prevails in punishing fight

There’s more to Emiliano Vargas than just a pretty face. There’s a mean streak too.He displayed it Saturday in a contentious, bruising stoppage of Augustine Quintana Saturday In a junior-welterweight fight that was a good measure of the young prospect’s chances of fulfilling his potential at Desert Diamond Arena.

“I want to become a world champion in my next fight,” the 21-year-old Vargas said after forcing Quintana’s corner to end it after the ninth round.

In the early rounds, it looked as if Vargas would win easily. In the fifth, however, Quintana (22-3-1, 13 KOs)  suddenly got aggressive. He marched forward, pursuing Vargas and throwing punches at a wild rate and in every direction. One landed low. Then, another. Vargas was in evident pain. The referee called time and warned Quintana.

For a few seconds, Vargas walked it off. The warning, however, changed the fight. It got nasty, borderline ugly. Quintana continued to throw punches, some that repeatedly seemed to land just at or below the beltline. But Vargas didn’t back away. 

Instead, he stood and exchanged shots that echoed throughout the old ice hockey arena. In the eighth, Quintana slipped onto his hands and knees. Vargas looked at him. Actually, he glared and gestured at the Argentine, urging him to get up. No interpretation necessary. Vargas wanted to administer some more punishment. 

He did with punches that forced another timeout  Quintana was sent to his corner where the ringside physician was waiting. The  good doctor took a look at his busted-up face and determined the fight could continue. Nobody was happier about that than Vargas.  A round later, it was over, despite angry protests from the busted-up Quintana.

Abel Ramos storms back, scores decision over Smalls

Now we know why Mario Barrios wouldn’t fight Abel Ramos again.

Ramos, fighting for the first time since a controversial draw with Barrios for the WBC welterweight title more than a year ago, displayed great conditioning, unleashing another furious rally for a victory over prospect Tahmir Smalls at Desert Diamond Arena.

It was close, but this time the judges got it right, giving Ramos (29-6-3, 22 KOs) a split decision– 98-92  and 97-93 for Ramos, 96-94 for Smalls.

Ramos and the crowd — populated by many fans from hometown Casa Grande about an hour drive from Glendale — celebrated as though they had been waiting for fate and fairness to finally favor Ramos.

For months, he waited and wondered, praying and hoping for a rematch with Barrios. 

“It’s been awhile since I last fought,” he told The Boxing Hour before opening bell.  “I thought I’d get the rematch. There were. a couple times I thought it was done. They kept saying yeah. But then he got the Manny Pacquiao fight. That’s when I knew I’d have to fight somebody else. No regrets. 

“I’m just happy to be here, fighting again. 

“I just love to fight.”

For the last six rounds, that was evident, painfully so for Smalls (16-1 11 KOs). First, there were body shots from  Ramos. Then, head shots. In the final round, Smalls slipped to the canvas, a picture of exhaustion..

“It’s exactly how I thought it would go,” said Ramos, who resurrected his future. “I hope this win will give me another title shot. I want Ryan Garcia, all of the champions.” 

Martinez, Cardenas fight to a draw

Jordan Martinez didn’t get the win. But he got the cheers and probably a rematch.

Martinez, an entertaining mix of energy and speed, wound up with a draw in front of hometown fans Saturday against favored Arturo Cardenas in the first fight of the DAZN live stream of the Emanuel Navarrete-Eduardo Nunez fight at Desert Diamond Arena.

Martinez (16-0-1, 15 KOs) appeared to grab the early momentum in the junior-featherweight fight. He danced into the ring and kept his feet moving throughout most of the early rounds. By the mid rounds, however, Cardenas (17-0-2, 9KOs) began to catch with solid shots. It was enough for him to also catch him on the cards — 98-92 for Martinez, 96-94 for Cardenas and 95-95. It was a split draw. A split audience, too..

“Most of his shots were hitting me on the gloves,” Cardenas, of Mexico, said.

The, crowd booed,

“We can run it back for sure and I’ll come back better,” said Martinez, a Phoenix fighter who wore the city’s logo on the back of his trunks.

Mesa junior welterweight Ochoa suffers first loss

Mexican Oscar Alvarez Guerrero brought Julio Cesar Chavez out of his broadcasting seat and onto his feet with a resilient burst of late energy that led to an upset decision over Trini Ochoa, a popular junior welterweight from Mesa, Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena.

The early moments in the eight-round fight appeared to belong to Ochoa, who delivered an effective body attack. But the lanky Guerrero (15-2, 12 KOs) endured the shots, recovered and then began to dominate, especially in the final couple of rounds. That’s when Guerrero mounted a relentless attack, backing Ochoa (21-1, 9 KOs) on to the ropes and into the loss column for the first time.

Bantamweight Velle stays unbeaten with dominant decision

Phillip Velle, an accomplished amateur, continued to add a prospect’s credibility to his resume Saturday, displaying a comprehensive skill set in a dominant decision over Brayan Ramos at Desert Diamond Arena.

Velle (5-0, 2 KOs), landed several well-executed counters throughout a sxi-round bantamweight fight. He staggered Ramos (8-8-1, 2 KOs), a resilient Mexican who managed to stay on his feet and in the fight. 

Prospect Beltran extends unbeaten record

Hector Beltran calls himself Handsome. The nickname still works. His face and record remains unmarked.

Beltran, a Robert Garcia-trained prospect, stayed unbeaten with a shutout decision over a game Cesar Diaz in the second fight on the Navarrete-Nunez featured card Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena.

Beltran (7-0, 5 KOs), of Dallas, took complete control of the welterweight bout in fourth, landing successive shots that rocked Diaz (10-2, 6 KOs) from one side of the ring to the next. 

First Bell: Navarrete-Nunez card opens with quick KO

Las Vegas welterweight Rahman Muhammad turned a scheduled matinee into a short feature Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena

Muhammad (3-0, 2 KOs) wasted little time, opening the show with second-round stoppage of Mitchell McFadden, (1-1), of Atlanta, on a Matchroom card featuring the Emanuel Navarrete-Eduardo Nunez fight for two pieces of the junior-lightweight title

By Norm Frauenheim

GLENDALE, Ariz. – For a while, the only thing separating Emanuel Navarrete and Eduardo Nunez was a valid passport. Now, even that’s gone.

Navarrete and Nunez stood face-to-face, seemingly even for perhaps the most intriguing fight in a new year Friday, just a day after Navarrete resolved issues over a lost passport and boarded a private jet in Mexico City for a flight to Arizona.

He landed, his papers and weight all in order. As he stepped off the scale, he looked relieved. Finally, he was where he was supposed to be. Finally, there were no issues about the weight. He safely came in under the junior-lightweight limit of 130 pounds.

In a staged weigh-in after the official one behind closed doors Friday morning at Desert Diamond Arena, he was at 129.2 and Nunez at 129.8.

Over the last few years, the 31-year-old Navarrete (39-2-1-1, 32 KOs) has often struggled to make weight. But this time, more than a passport was lost.

Pounds were, too, enough for him to stay in the hunt to keep his World Boxing Organization belt and to take Nunez’ International Boxing Federation title Saturday night at Desert Diamond in a DAZN-streamed bout.

“Obviously, we had our setbacks, all out of our hands,’’ Navarrete said through an interpreter. “But, finally, we’re here.’’

Navarrete sounded confident. The three-division champion is no stranger to Arizona where he’s already fought three times since 2023.

“This is a lot like my second home,’’ Navarrete said.

He’s been lucky in Maricopa County. He escaped with a victory over Australian Liam Wilson, scoring a stoppage after getting up from a controversial knockdown. He’s also been dominant, punishing Oscar Valdez, first at Desert Diamond and again at the Suns home arena in downtown Phoenix.

He knows the city. It knows him. But a boxing ring never includes any of the comforts of home. It’s full of danger and shifting allegiances, both of which are personified in the emerging face of Nunez.

Navarrete has the resume and an awkward style, a puzzle to most who have tried to solve it.

But Nunez has the momentum, which includes an astonishing knockout rate. He’s not perfect, but he’s close. He’s stopping opponents at a 93.1-percent clip.

Twenty-nine victories in 30 fights, 27 by stoppage. It comes with no surprise, perhaps, that his only loss came on the scorecards early in his career. Nunez’ power has dictated what he does. Who he is.

“Navarrete has been a champion for a long, long time,’’ Nunez said, also through an interpreter. “But I feel like it’s my time to write my own destiny.’’

Nunez woke up Friday as the favorite. The betting odds have been close since the fight was announced. Throughout, however, Nunez has been the bettors’ slight favorite, a sign perhaps that the fighter from Sinaloa has captured the imagination of Mexican fans.

For now, at least, Nunez is a name. Few American fans have seen him fight. In August 2024, he beat Miguel Marriaga in Carson, Calif. Last May, he traveled to Japan, scoring a unanimous decision over Masanori Rikiishi for a vacant IBF title in Yokohama. Twice, his passport has been punched with some noteworthy credibility.

But none would be more powerful than a victory over Navarrete, whose name has been near the top of Mexico’s boxing royalty for many years.

A victory over Navarrete would be a sure sign that he has arrived, especially among Mexicans, boxing’s biggest and loudest demographic. It’s no coincidence that promoters, Matchroom and Top Rank, have dubbed the fight “King of Mexico.”

Canelo Alvarez, who still plans a post-Terence Crawford comeback in September, might argue with that one. For one night, however, the marketing title works.

The 27-year Nunez has youth and evident energy. Against a Navarrete, he might need a lot of both. Navarrete’s edgy victories over Valdez suggest he’s at his best against fellow Mexicans. Valdez is popular in Arizona, in part because he has roots in Tucson. But Navarrete walked through him. From round to round, it looked as if he was energized by a partisan crowd. Those Valdez fans might be his fans now.

Nunez figures to encounter that version of Navarrete, who is also motivated by talk that he is not the fighter he was five years ago. In his last fight, he escaped against Charly Suarez. It ended in controversy over whether a punch or a head butt left Navarrete with a nasty cut. Eventually, it was ruled a No Contest. Navarette kept his belt, but couldn’t shed the questions.

“Some of the criticism was unfair,’’ said Navarrete, who has never had a better chance to prove just how unfair.   

By Norm Frauenheim

Shakur Stevenson’s sudden transformation from boring to brilliant isn’t exactly a surprise.

The potential, sometimes suffocated by bouts of immaturity, has always been there.

What we saw from the 28-year-old’s captivating mastery of technical skill against Teofimo Lopez appears to be just a beginning, an awakening of who he really is.

What’s next? Who’s next? The possibilities appear to be unlimited, although a return to lightweight looks unlikely. The World Boxing Council made sure of that by stripping him of its 135-pound belt while he was still celebrating his scorecard masterpiece over Lopez for a fourth division title.

I’m not exactly sure why the WBC stripped him. Amend that: I don’t care. I don’t think most fans do, either. Apparently, it had something to do with an unpaid fee – reported to be $100,000, even though the WBC was not part of the sanctioning for a 140-pound fight for Lopez’ World Boxing Organization and Ring belts. Fees, flies and fine print, they’re all over boxing.

What nobody can strip from Stevenson, however, is his future, including his place among the top five in the pound-for-pound debate, Against Lopez, he engineered a bold and early statement about 2026. On the last day in January, he made a New Year look like his year.

It was timely, a move that coincides with a changing-of-the-guard in the wake of Stevenson mentor Terence Crawford’s retirement after his September victory over Canelo Alvarez.

Stevenson is no Crawford. Few are. Stevenson is not a finisher.

Crawford’s last two fights went to the cards. But both were at heavier weights – junior-middleweight against Israil Madrimov and super-middleweight against Canelo. At junior-welter and welterweight, however, Crawford was deadly, scoring 11 successive stoppages from 2016 through 2023.

It’s not clear that Stevenson will ever develop that kind of show-stopping dynamic. Given his first nine years in the pro ring, you’d have to say no. Yet, that can change. He’s just entering his prime, meaning power along with maturity are expected to grow. That figures to be part of his unfolding story.

For now, at least, he’s already talking as though he intends to go upscale. He mentioned Conor Benn in the immediate aftermath of beating Lopez by a decision more one-sided than the scorecard numbers. Somehow, unanimous just didn’t explain how big his victory really was.

But promoter Eddie Hearn seemed to dismiss the Benn possibility, saying he wanted to get the UK fighter a title bout or two. For now, at least, the weight difference looks to be too much. Benn has been campaigning at middleweight.

A more intriguing possibility rests closer to home, against Devin Haney, who began to restore his credibility in November with a victory for the WBO welterweight title over Brian Norman, Jr.

“a tremendous fighter, …,’’ Haney said of Stevenson in a post. “but hell yes I know I can beat him.”

Haney also posted: “Me & Shakur is the biggest fight in boxing!’’

Exclamation point not necessary.

Stevenson, who knows how to time a good counter, fired back on social media in a way sure fire up demand among fans weary of stories about belts and fees.

“Be careful what you ask for things might just happen,” said Stevenson, already the biggest happening in a year just underway.

By Norm Frauenheim

Teofimo Lopez arrived looking more like a preacher than a prizefighter. He wore a half-coat and reading glasses, carefully balanced at the end of his flat nose.

Instead of a belt, he carried a book.

No telling what it said. But, safe to say, there was no sermon from the bully pulpit. This was the Church of Chaos, another boxing ritual, a news conference Thursday intended to offend and sell, sell, sell.

The Lopez-Shakur Stevenson fight is doing that and perhaps a lot more. The junior-welterweight bout Saturday at New York’s Madison Square Garden is already sold out. A big audience for the DAZN live-stream is expected. Chaos, staged or otherwise, really isn’t necessary.

This fight, the first significant one in a New Year, sells itself. From the pound-for-pound debate to the race to be the game’s new face, it’s all there. Nevertheless, neither Lopez nor Stevenson nor anybody in the audience could resist another chance at some drama in the live-streamed newser.

First, there was Lopez’ look, or perhaps costume. He’s unpredictable, so much so that many wonder about his chances against Stevenson’s classic skillset. Hence, the inevitable question: Which Lopez will show up? The fighter who beat Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor? Or the one who lost to George Kambosos?

His fashion statement Thursday offered no clues. On paper, at least, Lopez has some documented advantages. At opening bell, he’ll be the defending champion. He holds the World Boxing Organization and The Ring versions of the 140-pound belt. He’s held them for more than two years, including three defenses.

He knows the weight. Stevenson doesn’t. The former champion at 135, 130 and 126 pounds is at the heavier weight for the first time.  A jump too fast, a bridge too far? The oddsmakers don’t think so. Stevenson is about a 3-to-1 favorite.

Stevenson mentor Terence Crawford, a retired face of the game since his September triumph over Canelo Alvarez, doesn’t think so, either.

“Shakur is on a whole ‘nother level,’’ Crawford said in an interview after the newser in New York. “Come Saturday, he’s going to prove it.’’

Stevenson’s cool confidence has been evident since the fight was formally announced. Still, the ever-enigmatic Lopez tried to rattle him Thursday. In a spontaneous flash of anger, it looks as if he might have succeeded.

In the middle of a trash-talking exchange full of profanity – both racial and sexual, Lopez insulted Stevenson’s mom. Stevenson, who ran to defend his mom after his 2022 victory over Oscar Valdez in Las Vegas, got up from his seat on the stage and walked toward Lopez.

“I will smack the (bleep) out of you,’’ Stevenson said with evident menace.

It was a moment when it looked as if the newser was going off the rails. It was also a moment when pundits decided it was enough to score an early victory for Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs). But Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) quickly regained his evident poise. After all, he had an unexpected counter waiting for Lopez.

Lopez’ father and trainer, Teofimo Sr., missed the newser. “Under-the weather” was the formal explanation. “Hungover” was the Stevenson explanation. Stevenson and his corner said they saw Lopez’ dad in the hotel lobby Wednesday.

That’s when they decided to buy a bottle that they wrapped in a brown-paper bag, which could have been used to wrap much of what transpired Thursday. Stevenson reached under his chair and handed it to Teofimo Jr., who apparently had no answer. Maybe, he should have consulted that book.

Guess here: After some early success, Lopez will run out of answers in the late rounds against Stevenson’s technical, southpaw skillset. Stevenson by unanimous decision.

Notes on an undercard

Carlos Castro (30-3, 14 KOs), of Phoenix, faces a tough challenge on the undercard against emerging Bruce Carrington (16-0, 9 KOs), of New York, on the Lopez-Stevenson card.

Castro knocked down Stephen Fulton in his last bout, yet still lost a split decision.

“I’m good, I’m confident,’’ said Castro, who grew up in a Phoenix trailer park. “I’m here to take on the best, here to prove myself.’’

Kingsley Ibeh, a Nigerian and a former defensive tackle at Washburn University in Topeka, has been training in Phoenix for a heavyweight bout against Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, also on the Stevenson-Lopez card.

Ibeh (16-2-1, 14 KOS), who also played soccer in Romania, wound up in the ring only after a chance encounter in a Phoenix gym. He scored a knockout in an impromptu sparring session during a workout. Ibeh, who started playing football at Glendale Junior College in suburban Phoenix, had been working as an insurance salesman and personal trainer.

By Norm Frauenheim

The props and plots were all there. So was Ryan Garcia.

Garcia, ever the showman, delivered Thursday with a gag bag full of punchlines, insults, mockery, T-shirts, ring-card girls and many more of the usual theatrics he’s been rehearsing for so long

He may have left the white horse in the barn this time. Maybe, some of the manure, too. But place and stage — Avalon Hollywood — hasn’t changed much since Garcia’s gallop into a formal news conference in 2024 turned into a wild ride and controversial crash against Devin Haney.

Once again, Garcia proved his wit is still as quick as his hands. Maybe quicker, although we’ll have to wait and see on that Feb. 21 against welterweight Mario Barrios at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Barrios, the World Boxing Council’s 147-pound champion, was part of the live-streamed show Thursday, of course. But Garcia has a way of turning everybody around him into a bit player. Barrios — a champion, but no celebrity — understood his role, his place among the extras.

“This is turning into a circus,’’ Barrios said during his turn at the podium at the newser for The Ring-promoted bout.

By then, Garcia had already turned it into his bully pulpit.

First, there was the story line, the plot that will be explored ad nauseam for the next month.

Barrios’ trainer is Joe Goossen, Garcia’s ex. After Goossen, there was Derrick James. Before Goossen, there was Eddy Reynoso. Hand wraps last longer. Now, Garcia’s dad, Henry is back in the corner he occupied early in his son’s pro career and throughout his amateur days.

On Thursday, dad warmed up the show for his son. He complained about Goossen, suggesting that he’s betraying his son.

“At first, I was taken a back,’’ said dad, who called Goossen’s move “disrespectful.’’

Then, it was Goossen’s turn. He conceded that his new role in the latest chapter of Garcia’s ongoing show was “awkward.”

But Goossen’s explanation was quickly interrupted by Garcia, who delivered a perfectly-timed counter.

From his seat next to the podium, Garcia cried that he was suffering from a broken heart. Jaws and noses get broken all the time in what Mike Tyson once called the hurt business. Not many hearts do, perhaps because there just aren’t many in the prize-fighting business.

“How could you, Joe?’’ Garcia said. “That’s messed up. I just can’t believe you’re doing this to me. That’s insane. You hurt my heart.

“It’s over. We’re done. I’m breaking up with you again. You just broke my heart. Just move on. You were being sweet, but I’m offended.

“It’s too late. I’m offended. I’m offended already. I’m hurt. All of that.”

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do. It’s a 1962 Neil Sedaka song not heard by anybody among fight fans in more than a half-century.  Garcia sounded as if he was humming a few of those forgotten lyrics. But the show, like the trainers, had to move on.

Garcia took the cue, reached into a bag at his feet and pulled out black T-shirts that said: I Am A Traitor. He threw one at Goossen. Goossen threw it back as though he was trying to throw a hook

At one point, Garcia raced backstage, chanting repeatedly that he loves the WBC. He returned to center stage with three ring-card girls, all waving WBC placards. Somewhere, Terence Crawford must be smiling.

In November, the World Boxing Council lifted a ban on Garcia, who is coming off a listless loss in May to Rolly Romero after the Haney bout was ruled a no-contest because of a positive PED test. The WBC had suspended him for racial slurs posted on social media. The move opened the way for him to fight Barrios.

“Last, but not least, I get to thank the WBC,’’ he said without saying he was sorry.

In the end, Garcia said whatever he wants. It wouldn’t have been much of a news conference if he hadn’t.

“I’m the ringmaster,’’ he said.

He’s that and more, said Barrios, who also showed he can deliver a quick counter.

“Payaso,’’ he said.

That’s Spanish for clown.

By Norm Frauenheim –

David Benavidez wore a polished symbol of the Phoenix logo around his neck a few days ago in a long-awaited homecoming.

The medallion represents, he says, where he’s been and who he still is.

In its brass reflection, however, there was something else. Something more. The mythological bird, now a modern city’s identity seen on government doors and busses, means a lot of things.

On this day, there was a message, a bold statement about a fighter transformed, unleashed from the years when he was defined by his futile pursuit of Canelo Alvarez.

He’s moved on, beyond Canelo and up the scale. The Canelo question is still there. Yet now, it’s almost an aside. Sorry to ask, video journalists say apologetically as he stands amid reporters and a long line of fans during an opening of the Visionary Boxing Club in west Phoenix last week.

No problem, Benavidez says, smiling. He hasn’t exactly eliminated Canelo as a possibility. He never will. The maturing Benavidez, 29-years-old last month, is a businessman, too. Business is a fundamental too often not included in a prize fighter’s skillset.

Canelo still means business, lots of it. Benavidez, like everybody else in the fight game, knows Canelo collected $100-million-plus for his September loss to Terence Crawford. That’s more than a prize. It’s a fortune.

Of course, Benavidez says he’d fight Canelo.

Canelo’s future, post-Crawford, was unclear until Thursday when The Ring reported he plans to fight again on Sept.12 in Saudi Arabia. He underwent elbow surgery in the immediate aftermath of the one-sided scorecard loss to Crawford.

In a video, Canelo’s return was called a “big, big,

big fight” by Saudi Prince and promoter Turki Alalshikh, who bankrolled the Canelo-Crawford fight and owns The Ring.

Until then, Benavidez has other plans, all as ambitious as they are risky.

“Zurdo, Beterbiev, Bivol,’’ Benavidez said of Gilberto Ramirez, Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

Of the three, only Ramirez – Zurdo – is on the calendar, penciled in for May 2 – the Cinco-de-Mayo celebration that could have been called Canelo-de-Mayo during the Mexican’s primetime reign.

The risk in the Zurdo date, planned for Las Vegas, looks to be heavy. Benavidez, who defended his light-heavyweight title in a seventh-round stoppage of Anthony Yarde November 22 in Saudi Arabia, is making the jump to cruiserweight.

After only three fights at 175-pounds, the light-heavy limit, Benavidez will fight in a division 25 pounds heavier.

On the scale, it looks risky. According to early odds, however, it’s not. Some betting sites already make Benavidez a big favorite (minus-900).

Benavidez is confident, in part because he knows Zurdo well. They’ve sparred countless rounds. One hundred, 200 rounds, Benavidez says.

“Between 2017 and 2022, we sparred all the time,’’ said Benavidez, now a Miami resident who re-connected with his Phoenix fan-base Saturday by signing autographs for about six hours. “For five years, we sparred championship rounds. I knew then that I wanted to fight Zurdo. One day, I figured we would.

“After all of those championship rounds, it’s going to be a championship fight.’’

Benavidez is already at his new weight.

“I’m at 200 pounds now,’’ he said last Saturday.

The weight looked natural, unlike the 168 pounds that often left him gaunt and hollow-cheeked in the division long dominated by Canelo.

His father and trainer, Jose Benavidez Sr., says his son is already close to the weight he expects hm to be at opening bell May 2.

“Two-hundred, maybe 205,’’ Jose Sr. said.

Still, the jump in weight leaves questions about his hope to go back down to light-heavy for 175-pound dates against Beterbiev and Bivol. For at least a year, the expectation has been that Benavidez will grow into a heavyweight. Could cruiser be the first step in that direction?

It’s still not clear whether Beterbiev and Bivol will fight for a third time. Bivol is back in the gym after undergoing back surgery. Speculation has him back in the ring this Spring.

Meanwhile, time is the biggest question for Beterbiev. He’ll be 40 next Wednesday. He won’t be fighting much longer, unlike Benavidez whose ascent is just beginning.

By Norm Frauenheim

Marinate, a promotional euphemism for momentum, is either another tiring tease, or an early way to test public interest, or a little bit of both in a recipe that leaves hungry fans wanting but never getting.

The current example: Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez-versus-Naoya Inoue.

There’s more talk than ever, perhaps because of Junto Nakatani’s disappointing decision over Sebastian Hernandez last month in what was supposed to be a convincing steppingstone to Nakatani-Inoue.

Nakatani was left with a bruised right eye and perhaps a bruised resume, yet he survived, still unbeaten for a fight long planned to be the biggest in Japanese history. According to multiple reports — one from Boxing Scene this week and another from the World Boxing Council, the long-planned bout is projected to be on May 2, a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Tokyo.

News of the projected date was also accompanied by a poll conducted by The Ring. Who would you rather see, Nakatani-Inoue or Rodriguez-Inoue?

The timely question was prompted by Nakatani’s problematic performance Nov. 22 in the former bantamweight champion’s first fight at 122 pounds.

Fans, never a patient demographic, apparently have seen enough. Already, it looks as if they’re ready to cast aside Nakatani-Inoue for Rodriguez-Inoue. Seventy-three percent would prefer Bam in the ring against the feared Inoue instead of Nakatani.

The poll, like all polls, could mean just about anything. It also might be unfair to Nakatani, an accomplished fighter who struggled at a new weight against a dangerous foe virtually unknown outside of Mexico. It happens.

It also gives Nakatani more to prove, perhaps enough to make him more dangerous to Inoue than ever. Lessons delivered, lessons learned. That happens, too.

Still, surprising questions are there, left in the wake of his controversial victory. Left there, too, is an affirmation of the emerging interest in Bam, whose move up the pound-for-pound ratings has put the San Antonio fighter among the top five, consistently behind only Inoue and heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk.

Although hard to judge, a poll is one possible ingredient in a fight that might do more than just marinate. Maybe, it resonates. Maybe, it happens. Let’s say that Inoue beats Nakatani as decisively as he has beaten so many others. Then, there could still be questions about his claim – lifelong ambition — on pound-for-pound supremacy. Answers might be there only in a date with Bam.

For now, at least, there are already betting odds on Bam-Inoue, still marinating in the public imagination. Inoue is a solid favorite, minus 550.

In the collective mind of many fans, however, the odds of the fight ever happening are longer. Quit talking about it, they say. It’s a waste of time, they say, because the size difference is too big. Bam is a unified Super-Fly champion, fighting at 115-pounds, seven fewer than Inoue, undisputed at junior-feather (122).

But consider this: The 5-foot-4 Bam and 5-5 Inoue both started at the same weight, junior-flyweight, 108 pounds. The “Bam-is-too-small-for-Inoue” argument sounds a lot like “Inoue is too small for Nonito Donaire.’’

The “too small” Inoue beat Donaire, scoring a unanimous decision, at 120 pounds, in the 2019 Fight of the Year. In 2022, he backed it up, scoring a second-round stoppage of Donaire.

The more significant difference is in that other seven – the years that separate them in age. Bam will be 26 on January 20; Inoue will be 33 on April 10.

The pressure builds with every second on that unforgiving clock, especially for Inoue. It’s no secret that smaller fighters have careers shorter than those in the heavier divisions. Through interpreters, he has hinted at retirement in 2027.

That’s next year, which means the Bam-Inoue marination could be at full boil in about six months.  

By Norm Frauenheim

A year ends and another begins, leaving memories, controversies, brilliance, buffoonery, outrage, the usual suspects and lessons never heeded.

Ignore the lessons, and a battered business moves on from 2025 into 2026 full of the usual good, sad, bad and ugly.

First, the good: Fighter of the Year. It starts with the obvious, Terence Crawford. He’s Fighter of the Year with a singular performance, one of the best in several years.

This corner has said before and will say it again: Crawford’s decision over Canelo Alvarez in mid-September reminded us why boxing was once called The Sweet Science. It was brilliant for its fundamental adherence to time-honored skills, including footwork and smarts.

Lesson: It can be done again. Here are two fighters who have a chance at doing it in forthcoming years, both contenders now.

First runner-up: Naoya Inoue, who in 2025 stayed busy – old-school style – with four fights including this corner’s Fight of the Year, a Las Vegas stoppage of Ramon Cardenas in May. In an early round, then unknown Cardenas floored Inoue, who is at his dynamic best when he’s in trouble. The dramatic comeback from the perilous edge of defeat also saved boxing on a weekend that included the wreckage from an abysmal event in New York’s Times Square.

Second runner-up: Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. The three-division champ is boxing’s Quiet Man. He lets his performances speak for him. In 2026, they spoke volumes with two lethal stoppages, including this corner’s Knockout-of-the-Year of super-fly Fernando Martinez for a unified title.

It’s no coincidence that he and Inoue are linked in this Fighter-of-the-Year ballot. Bam-Inoue in late 2026 is the fight this corner wants to see more than any other.  

Now, the sad: A solemn 10-count for George Foreman, Ricky Hatton and Nino Benvenuti. Boxing lost all three in 2025. Foreman, ex-heavyweight champ from two eras, was a compelling story about personal transformation from angry to wise. A scary thug in the early 70s, he became as friendly as a cheeseburger in the 90s. Hatton was fearless and transparent, loved deeply by UK fans who serenaded him. Benvenuti, ex-undisputed middleweight champ with a matinee-idol’s look, is forever remembered by his fellow Italians.

Another 10-count for Michael Katz and Thomas Gerbasi, Sweet Scientists badly missed these days in the media seats. During times full of unsourced reports and feigned outrage in social media, both remind this corner that boxing can still be a writers’ sport.

On to the bad. It wouldn’t be boxing without it.

Worst Scorecard of the Year: Nawal Almohaimeed’s 118-110 in favor of Junto Nakatani in a unanimous decision over Sebastian Hernandez Nov. 22 in Riyadh. The other cards were 115-113, both for Nakatani and both debatable. The fight was supposed to set the stage for Inoue-versus-Nakatani in an all-time Japanese fight in May. 

Per sources close to the planned bout, Japanese promoter Akihiko Honda ended any chance of a speculated Bam-Nakatani fight months ago. He didn’t want to jeopardize plans for Inoue-Nakatani. 

Yet, Hernandez almost did what Honda feared Bam would. Questions linger about the decision and what it says about Nakatani’s chances versus Inoue.

The Enemy Within: Gervonta Davis calls himself Tank. That’s what’s he’s doing to his career. He’s tanking it with personal problems that never seem to end.

Davis has pound-for-pound skills and pound-for-pound troubles. The latest — a lawsuit alleging violent behavior, battery, and kidnapping – forced a cancellation of a date with Jake Paul, who wound up with a  fractured jaw when he decided to fight Anthony Joshua. In news conferences, Tank, 31, said he planned to retire after Paul. “Boxing is dead,’’ he said.

Exhibitions Ad Nauseam: Jake Paul, more promoter than fighter, suffered a painful loss – if not lesson – in facing Joshua. When Joshua’s brutal right snapped Paul’s jaw in two places, I immediately thought of an old line: You can’t play boxing. But authorities – the Florida Athletic Commission — allowed him to, despite the risk posed by Joshua’s enormous advantages in size and experience.

It reminded me of Paul’s date in November 2024 against Mike Tyson, aging yet in the ring despite a bleeding ulcer months before opening bell. Texas authorities shouldn’t have licensed Tyson, who was an accident waiting to happen. Fortunately, one didn’t. Against Joshua, the risk was to Paul, who’s victory over an ailing Tyson may have told him he could survive Joshua.

He couldn’t in what proved to be a sobering moment for somebody who is good for boxing only on the promotional side of the ropes.

Lesson: Do we really need to see Floyd Mayweather-versus-Tyson later this year? Resolve to just say no. 

By Norm Frauenheim

The echoes from last week’s noisy Terence Crawford-World Boxing Council feud include lots of talk about what’s next for an always contentious business suddenly facing some fundamental change.

Still, it’s a guessing game. The only sure thing is that Crawford and the WBC won’t be exchanging Christmas cards this month. All else remains unpredictable. In other words: Business as usual.

Amid all the personal insults and profanity, however, one thing got lost in the WBC’s decision to strip Crawford of its super-middleweight belt for what it said was a failure to pay a $300,000 sanctioning fee. Crawford denied he had agreed to pay anything at all in an angry rant that made fee sound like just another f-word.

Take the belt, said Crawford, who doesn’t need it any more anyway. His undisputed resume is forever there, witnessed throughout his masterful decision over Canelo Alvarez by more than 72,000 at Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium and a Netflix audience in mid-September.  

The WBC can take the belt.

But not the legacy.

The WBC strip, however, created a path for Canelo to reclaim it.

Canelo, the longtime face of Mexican boxing, has already announced he intends to be back, sometime next year after he recovers from left-elbow surgery, which he underwent in October.

For the first time in years, Canelo will be without a belt, especially the WBC’s green belt, by far the most valued one by fighters throughout the acronym era.

Before the Mexico City-based WBC stripped Crawford, the guess was that Canelo would have to face Crawford all over again in a problematic bid to reclaim the WBC belt, long the crown jewel in a collection that includes WBA, WBO, IBF and — increasingly — The Ring.

Crawford’s skillful victory in September suggests that a second fight would play out the same way. Once again, Crawford would dominate.

In the September showdown’s initial aftermath, there looked to be only one way for Canelo to regain a world title at super-middle. He had to go through Crawford. But the WBC opened an alternate path by stripping Crawford and ordering a Hamzah Sheeraz-Christian Mbilli fight for the vacant belt.

Canelo’s chances at regaining a title? Against Crawford or the Sheeraz-Mbilli winner? Dumb questions. After what happened in September, Canelo’s best shot is the latter, against Sheeraz or Mbilli.

Canelo’s are slim to none against Crawford, who goes into the New Year apparently undecided about his future, yet undisputed in the pound-for-pound debate. He’s the consensus No.1, rare in a business known more for only disputes.

By now, of course, the WBC’s relationship with Canelo is no secret. David Benavidez, a Phoenix born-and-forged fighter and current WBC light-heavyweight champion, was the WBC’s longtime interim champion at 168 pounds.

Interim doesn’t mean much, but it is supposed to come with a mandatory shot at the champion. In this case, it was Canelo. But Benavidez never got that mandatory, and the WBC never enforced it with even a threat to strip Canelo.

The WBC has been ripped for its favorable treatment of Canelo. To be sure, Crawford repeated it in his broadside.

That said – and Crawford said plenty, it’s still not clear whether he’ll be fighting for any kind of belt anymore. Before the WBC stripped him, there had been speculative reports that Canelo wanted a rematch. There were also speculative reports that Crawford would ask for the $100-million-plus purse Canelo received in September.

A sequel might attract streaming services willing to pay a fortune for an escalated episode of drama and trash talk. But heightened hostility between Crawford and WBC might be a hurdle. Could the two ever do business together again?

Reported options for Crawford also include a bid for another title at another weight, 160-pounds. At 38-years-old, however, retirement is still another possibility. Crawford just delivered a singular performance, one that reminded us why boxing was once called The Sweet Science.

It would be hard to top that one and maybe even harder to recreate, especially if Canelo opts to take the easier path.

By Norm Frauenheim

Boxing, unruly and unrepentant, is erupting all over again with Terence Crawford’s shotgun-like blast of insults in a social-media counter to the World Boxing Council’s decision to strip him of his title.

In a social-media post delivered from his vehicle late Wednesday, Crawford unloaded on the WBC and its president, Mauricio Sulaiman, who announced from a convention in Bangkok this week that it was stripping the 168-pound belt Crawford won in his masterful decision over Canelo Alvarez for not paying sanctioning fees.

Sulaiman said he failed to pay a $300,000 fee on a purse that Sulaiman said “allegedly earned” Crawford $50 million. If accurate, that’s less than the traditional fee, 0.6 percent instead of the usual 3%.

But Sulaiman’s use of the word “allegedly” is confusing. It suggests that the WBC did not know what the precise size of Crawford’s purse in a mid-September bout that resulted in Canelo collecting more than $100-million, according to Saudi Prince and promoter Turki Alalshikh.

It’s not clear whether the WBC has filed a lawsuit or intends to.

In a subsequent post to his profane shot at Sulaiman, Crawford said he never agreed to pay anything to the WBC, which also said that the pound-for-pound champion failed to pay a fee for his junior-middleweight decision over Israil Madrimov in August 2024.

“Let’s make things clear …’’ Crawford said on an X post. “I never agreed on anything with (WBC), nor did my team. So, stop the crap with that narrative. I’ve always been a man of my word.’’

It’s also not clear what Crawford paid to the other three ruling bodies, — International Boxing Federation, World Boxing Organization and World Boxing Association. He also won a belt from The Ring, a century-old publication bought by Alalshikh from Oscar De La Hoya for a reported $10 million in November 2024.

Sulaiman said the WBC had tried repeatedly to communicate with Crawford. Sulaiman said there was never a reply. Stripping the belt, Sulaiman said, was a last resort.

Crawford, an undisputed champion in three weight classes, is bigger than any of the belts. After his career-defining decision over Canelo, his legacy is secure.

A prevailing theory is that he reacted angrily to the WBC because the acronym tried to embarrass him by going public with the reasons for its decision.

On any scale, $300,000 is a lot of money. But as a percentage of a reported $50 million, it’s small. Still, nobody likes to get outed for not paying parking tickets.

Crawford is known for his pride and defiance. In other words: Don’t try to tell him what to do. And don’t try to make a fool out of him. The WBC did both. An angry Crawford countered.

“No hard feelings,’’ Sulaiman told reporters late Thursday.

The controversy, however, doesn’t figure to disappear quietly. In a possible bid to monopolize the sport, there have been mounting signs for months that the Saudis are trying to rid

the sport of rival belts and acronym influence.

Alalshikh declined to display the WBC belt during a Canelo news conference in March 2025.  He did, however, happily display The Ring’s belt. It’s fair to wonder whether The Ring, a publication, will eventually become another four-letter acronym, RING.

“The effing real belt is the Ring belt, which is free,’’ Crawford said in a remark that sums up a looming battle over who controls the fighters, the fees, rule-and-regs and purses.

It’s still not clear whether Crawford will retire or fight on in perhaps a rematch against Canelo or in a bid for still another title, this time at middleweight.

 But his presence in the overall future of the business will be there, no matter whether he answers another opening bell. On Wednesday, he showed – he shouted – that he was ready to answer just about anything. 

By Norm Frauenheim

David Benavidez, who made more news after the Anthony Yarde fight than he did during it, is seizing the day.

Canelo’s day.

In a sure sign that Benavidez doesn’t intend to waste time waiting while in his prime, he followed up his stoppage of Yarde with an announcement that he plans to fight Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez for two pieces of the cruiserweight title on the Cinco de Mayo weekend.

A sudden step up in weight for another title was news, much of it precipitated by uncertainty about whether a third Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev fight will ever happen.

But the real significance was the date, May 2 at Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. Zurdo, who is scheduled for a Jan. 16 tune-up against Swede Robin Sirwan Safar, confirmed the fight and the date. So did his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya. Already, Benavidez has been installed a 3-to-1 favorite by on-line books.

Odds are: A boxing May Day, a possible sea change at the top of the sport, is happening.

For the last couple of decades, the Cinco de Mayo weekend has belonged to the reigning face of the game.

First, there was Floyd Mayweather Jr., who honored the celebration by wearing a mariachi costume that included everything but a trumpet. Then, Canelo Alvarez, who took it back for Mexico.

But Canelo’s September loss to a masterful Terence Crawford and subsequent fall from the top 10 in leading pound-for-pound ratings for the first time since 2018 leaves a possible opening, a vacant throne, there for a successor.

Boldly, Benavidez has put himself first in line.

“I don’t want to waste any more time,” Benavidez told reporters in Riyadh at the top of his post-fight newser after a solid, expected stoppage in a light-heavyweight title defense.

“I want greatness, and I had an opportunity to go up to challenge Ramirez for two titles at cruiserweight.

“I didn’t get the opportunity at 168, and now I am not getting it at 175. So, I am going to make my own lane and achieve greatness, one way or the other.’’

Benavidez, forced to wait for years, no longer has to, in part because of the momentum that came with his victory over Yarde. The Phoenix-born-and-forged fighter goes into his prime – he’ll be 29-years old on Dec. 17 – with his record unbeaten and his options unlimited.

That said, Yarde, a competent gatekeeper, isn’t exactly Terence Crawford. Guess here, Canelo would have easily beaten Yarde, too. Canelo still looms as a factor in what Benavidez can do, will do. For years, he frustrated Benavidez, denying him a shot at his 168-pound undisputed title.

Now suddenly without a belt, Canelo has lost some of his leverage, but none of his influence. He’s still a draw among Mexican fans, ever loyal and the boxing audience’s biggest demographic. Translation: He’s still box-office. Saudi promoter and Prince Turki Alalshikh paid him a reported purse of more than $100 million for fighting Crawford.

Now there are reports that Canelo wants to double down. Reportedly, he wants a rematch, and there are at least 100 million reasons for why he wants the sequel. 

But there are no reports on what Crawford intends to do. His brilliant decision over Canelo was proof, the punctuation point to a genuine legacy. It would be hard to repeat.

Why risk it against Canelo or anybody else, for that matter? Then again, Crawford, who maybe got half of what Canelo was paid, might ask for the $100 million-plus in a proposed rematch. That might be enough to draw him back into the ring instead of retirement.

Timing is a big factor, second to only the money. Crawford turned 38 just a couple of weeks after delivering a thorough exhibition of Sweet Science skill in a unanimous decision over Canelo. He’ll surely get older, but probably not better. For him, the clock is ticking. Can he still fight? Stupid question. But the longer he waits, the bigger the risk.

If – a big if – a rematch agreement could be reached in early 2026, May 2 – the Cinco de Mayo weekend — would loom, offering Canelo a chance to reclaim a defining date in a still evolving battle with an impatient rival determined to take it from him, one way or another.  

By Norm Frauenheim

Jesse Rodriguez stands out for what he doesn’t do in a business otherwise full of gasbags and so-called influencers who pontificate more than punch.

Bam, a nickname, is the loudest thing about Rodriguez, a fighter as business-like as he is quiet. But don’t mistake the silence. Call him soft-spoken at your own peril. Many have, and all have been left senseless, if not speechless.

Rodriguez owns boxing’s proverbial bully pulpit, dominating with relentless pressure and precise punching. At ringside, there’s an old line about volume punching. That volume is how Rodriguez expresses himself. He turns it up — loud and lethal, then turns it down – clever and calculated – with a maestro’s sense of tempo that often ends in a beat down.

He answered Sunny Edwards’ trash-talking, unsupported allegations about PEDs with a punishing stoppage. A couple of fights later, Edwards retired, saying he no longer had the will to fight on. In response to the taunts, Rodriguez beat it out of him in a way only he could deliver.

After Edwards, he got up from a knockdown for a brutally efficient stoppage of accomplished Juan Francisco Estrada June, 2024 in Phoenix. Estrada waived a rematch clause, which was his way of saying a second chance offered no chance.  He has fought only once since then.

Quiet, but impossible to ignore, an unfolding run to the top of a contentious game continues, this time in Riyadh Saturday when the 25-year-old Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs) attempts to add another piece to his Super Fly crown against Fernando Daniel Martinez, a 34-year-old Buenos Aires fighter, also unbeaten (18-0, 9 KOs).

Predictably, perhaps, the emerging Rodriguez has been getting less attention than anybody else on the Saudi card. It’s been built around David Benavidez and his aspirations to become the so-called next face of the game. For now, it all depends on if the Phoenix-born-and-forged fighter prevails in a light-heavyweight title defense against London’s Anthony Yarde.

Then, there’s Devin Haney in a fight to reassert himself and his place against welterweight belt-holder Brian Norman

Jr. on boxing’s developing marquee for 2026.

Rodriguez hasn’t exactly been ignored. But he goes into Saturday’s bout with credentials that neither Benavidez nor Haney has. In every pound-for-pound rating, he ranks higher. Only on the scale is he smaller. In any other world, he’s a main-event fighter, capable of drawing crowds of 10-to-12,000 in Phoenix or San Antonio, his hometown.

In Riyadh, he’s on the DAZN undercard, the second prelim on the four-fight live-stream topped by Benavidez-Yarde.

It’s reasonable to argue that an emerging pound-for-pound contender on an undercard isn’t good for the overall business. Why not Phoenix, or San Antonio, or any other city in the Southwest? Fans there have been left behind, almost forgotten. Forget them, and eventually nobody gets paid.

It’s a complaint that this corner in Arizona hears with mounting frequency. But it’s not one you’ll hear from Rodriguez, still quiet and ever stoic. He’s there for the Saudi money. It’s huge and it comes at an important time in Rodriguez’ life.

Rodriguez, already the father of an 18-month-old daughter, is expecting a son. He missed media workouts Wednesday in Riyadh. Instead, he monitored social media, an anxious dad awaiting his son’s birth on the other side of the world.

“We knew that our fight was gonna end up a day after his birth, so I was telling my girlfriend (Rebecca) to hold him as long as she can,’’ Rodriguez told SunSport in Riyadh. “But just before I came over here, they had mentioned that he might be born either tonight (Wednesday) or tomorrow (Thursday). This is all for them at the end of the day.’’

Motivation to fight, he went on to say, was now rooted in the need to provide for a growing family.

“I have to put food on their plates and toys in their playpen,’’ he said, a quiet man saying it all.

By Norm Frauenheim

From the batter’s box to the finish line to the ring, there’s been a lot of good, bad and ugly over the last fifty years. Pete Rose’s ban, Mike Tyson’s prison sentence, Evander Holyfield’s ear and so much more are all there.

Somewhere on that historical list, there’s Victor Conte.

I’m not sure where. But he’s there, a personality hard to know, yet with an influence impossible to separate from the turmoil and triumph, shock and awe, the cream and the clear.

Conte’s gone, dead at 75 last Monday after a five-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

In the many obits, there is always a mention of major-league baseball’s so-called Steroid Era, almost as if Conte created it.

He didn’t.

To be sure, Conte was there, a man with a potion that enabled Barry Bonds to finish his career in 2007 with 762 homers, more than Henry Aaron’s record (755).

But the substance had already been around for at least a couple of decades in old East German, Soviet and Chinese labs populated by mad scientists who created swimmers, sprinters, shot putters and weightlifters who dominated the Olympic medal count in the 1970s and ‘80s.

Conte simply imported the potion, added a mineral here and there for what has been called “designer” steroids — a good fit for every pair of athletic genes.

It got Conte and his BALCO venture a lot of attention, most of it notorious enough to land him in prison for four months. But Conte was never the evil genius that some of the obits suggest. He was a salesman, who sold himself, first and foremost.

He also was shrewd and cynical. He understood his market, which is populated by ambitious, single-minded athletes who will do almost anything to get an advantage, especially if it can’t be detected, at least for awhile.

It’s fair to assume that gladiators entered the Roman Colosseum armed with more than shields and an arsenal of cruel weapons. Modern archeologists are finding evidence that was more in their cooking oil than just olives.

I swam competitively in college for four years, 1967 through 1971 — the Mark Spitz and pre-goggle era. At a dinner hosted by Conte in Vegas a couple of years ago, I told him cryptically that I was glad that he wasn’t around during my time in the pool. I would have taken just about anything to get to the Olympics.

Conte looked at me and just smiled, in retrospect a knowing smile.

I recall talking to late Arizona Senator John McCain in an interview for The Arizona Republic before the 2004 Athens Olympics. The conversation turned to steroids. McCain, who boxed and wrestled for the Naval Academy, looked at me and – without hesitation — said:

“Hell, I would have asked where can I get some and when can I get some more. I’d have been taking that stuff by the handfuls.’’

From Rome to now, athletes are always looking for an advantage — fair or not, artificial or not. There’s always been a Conte to fill that demand.

My first experience with Conte was after he had left prison and entered the inevitable: Boxing.

Then, he had taken on the role of reformer. For the media, he was the go-to source in a counter argument to the fighters who were contesting a positive test. He also had formed his own company, SNAC, an acronym for the supplements and advice he offered.

At the time of Conte’s death, Terence Crawford was on his SNAC client list. Conte was unable to attend Crawford’s masterful upset of Canelo Alvarez in mid-September in front of an Allegiant Stadium crowd of more than 70,000 and a reported Netflix audience of more than 42 million. Reportedly, his worsening condition prevented him from attending a fight he surely wanted to see in person.

Always, he had openly bragged about how he had worked with some of the sport’s best, including Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields and emerging pound-for-contender Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. He also had worked with Andre Ward and others.

But his prison time, relationship with Bonds, work with Olympic gold-medalist track star Marion Jones and former 100-meter dash world-record holder Tim Montgomery turned him into an easy target, especially in boxing.

That was never more evident than in Rodriguez’ fight against Sunny Edwards at Desert Diamond Arena for the flyweight title in Glendale, AZ nearly two years ago. Edwards, never shy, had seen the SNAC on Rodriguez’ shorts and jersey.

Edwards attacked, calling out Conte and suggesting that Rodriguez was a PED user throughout the days before opening bell. Rodriguez, who has never tested positive and had never even been questioned about it, responded to the pointed, noisy allegations with stone-faced silence.

That left it up to the media to get a response. I called Conte. He was quick to defend Rodriguez as a fighter who had as much integrity as any in the notorious sport. For the next two days, Conte sustained a loud attack on Edwards. Then, Rodriguez finished the job with a punishing stoppage. Two fights later, Edwards retired, saying he just didn’t have any desire to fight on.

In effect, Rodriguez, who let his hands do his talking, finished him. He also let Conte do all the talking.

No matter what Edwards or anybody else believed, Conte was good on stage and in the bully pulpit. It was a talent he learned, perhaps in his days in 1970 when he was the bass guitarist for a Bay-area R&B band, The Tower Of Power, a name and perhaps a pretty good metaphor for what opposing pitchers saw in Bonds when he came to the plate.

Conte, according to Wikipedia, also played for a band named Pure Food and Drug Act. Sunny Edwards isn’t surprised.

Rest-In-Peace, Victor Conte

Major card back in PHX plans

It looks as if a major card is headed back to the Phoenix area, a go-to city until Saudi money began to dominate the business.

Top Rank has plans for Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1,32 KOs) against fellow Mexican Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez (29-1, 27 KOs) on March 7 on the Suns home floor. It’s a junior-lightweight unification fight. Navarrete has the WBO belt; Nunez the IBF.

Names have changed since the last major card has been staged in Phoenix. The downtown arena was called Footprint Center. Now, it’s the Mortgage Market Center. 

By Norm Frauenheim

Only boxing is killing boxing. It’s an old line, yet

relevant as ever this week with news of talk about a Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao rematch.

It’s been a decade since the first one, which has been hard to forget for all the wrong reasons. It was a dud, memorable only for all the money that was made. Pacquiao got rich. Mayweather got richer. Everybody else got robbed.

Many in a record pay-per-view audience of 4.6 million for the May 2015 fight grumbled at what they paid for and walked away, never to pay again.

For ten long years, the business has worked through futility and frustration, attempting to bring back old fans while trying to create a few new ones. The jury is out. So are the fans.

Yet, younger faces and new money, Saudi money, are creating newfound possibilities.

The business is also coming off a notable triumph in Terence Crawford’s scorecard upset of Canelo Alvarez in mid-September in front of a crowd of more than 70,000 at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium and a reported audience of more than 42 million on Netflix.

The numbers add up to a reason for cautious optimism, emphasis on the caution. Crawford’s masterful performance reminded an eroding and increasingly exasperated fan base of why boxing was once called The Sweet Science.

It still can be.

But Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 might make a returning crowd wary of getting fooled all over again. Caveat emptor is attached to any prizefighting venture, of course. But Mayweather-Pacquiao almost stands alone for what went wrong and what not to do all over again.

It’s no surprise that Pacquiao and Mayweather would want to, of course. Another chance at even a fraction of the money earned a decade ago is motivation enough to try once more. Pacquiao confirmed there have been negotiations.

“Right now, we have a lot of negotiations about my next fight; there’s a possible rematch with Floyd Mayweather,” Pacquiao said Wednesday during a news conference in Manila. “…”I’d love to have another fight, a rematch with Floyd Mayweather.”

Of course, he would.

However, there was no immediate confirmation from Mayweather, who reportedly has an agreement for an exhibition with Mike Tyson, also next year.

Pacquiao, however, made it sound as if a rematch — perhaps next spring — would be a genuine bout, one for the books.

“A real fight,” he said.

That, of course, would be a risk to Mayweather’s unbeaten, 50-0 record, a cornerstone to his claim on being the best ever. Unbeaten might be an issue, a legacy Mayweather does not want to jeopardize  

Pacquiao is 46 and coming off an entertaining draw with Mario Barrios in a July comeback. Against Barrios, he proved he can still fight. But for how much longer? The former Filipino Senator will be 47 in December.

Meanwhile, Mayweather, who has been on the exhibition tour for years, is 48. He’ll be 49 in late February.

Even a decade ago, both were late in their primes, yet fought with the hesitance of older men. Mayweather won a decision. After the scores were announced and the boos subsided, Pacquiao said he fought with a shoulder injury.

Even then, the fight was said to be a couple of years past its due date. Ten years later, it’s just ancient history. It’s time to move on, both for them and a game fighting to separate itself from their past.

David Benavidez on the move

David Benavidez, a Phoenix-born fighter now living in Miami, has already moved his training camp to the Middle East for his looming light-heavyweight title fight against 175-pound veteran Anthony Yarde in Riyadh Nov. 22.

With the move, he hopes to adjust to new surroundings and time zone. Benavidez will be fighting in Saudi Arabia for the first time. All of his fights have been in the U.S. and Mexico. 

By Norm Frauenheim

Boxing regulation, like colossal shrimp, is often a classic oxymoron, two words aligned yet always in conflict. After all, boxing is at its roguish best or perhaps worst when it avoids regulation. It’s been a way of doing business

These days, however, two emerging faces from the promotional side – one with unprecedented money and the other with White House connections – joined the regulatory side in an apparent effort to gain control over the balkanized game.

It’s hard to understand why else Prince Turki Alalshikh, the money man from the Saudi monarchy, and Dana White, UFC kingpin and friend of Donald Trump, played politics a week ago in seeking an endorsement from the

California State Athletic Commission.

Alalshikh and White, fresh off their triumph in the promotion of Terence Crawford’s masterful decision over Canelo Alvarez last month, are trying to push through the proposed Muhammad Ali Boxing Revival Act.

It’s supposed to replace the shopworn, often forgotten Ali Act, the original attempt to bring some ethics and order to a business known for notorious practices. For too long, fighters have been protected only by a sturdy mouthpiece.

Late Senators John McCain of Arizona and Harry Reid of Nevada had good intentions when they crafted the bill, introducing it in 1999 and enacting it in 2000. Both were former boxers. They understood the sport and the fighters. Both also got a lot of help and advice from Hall of Fame trainer and ringside commentator Emanuel Steward.

But all three are gone. Guess here, all three would see through what White and Alalshikh were doing at the California Commission. It was a campaign stop – a dog-and-pony show — for legislation that could strengthen their control of boxing when their Zuffa promotional banner debuts next year.

It’s evident that Alalshikh and White are trying to eliminate rivals and perhaps critics. White, an unchallenged giant in his promotion of mixed martial arts, says he wants to go into boxing without the old acronyms or rival promoters.

Part of the reported plan is to recognize only The Ring’s title.

It’s no coincidence that Alalshikh bought The Ring from Oscar De La Hoya last November for a reported $10 million. Then, De La Hoya, who has been feuding with White for years, thought he was selling a magazine, a century-old trademark. But now he knows he sold off a piece of what they intend to use as a further way dominate the business.

From this corner, however, it’s not clear that their proposed changes to 25-year-old legislation will have any more of a lasting impact than the original has had. The criticism of the McCain-Reid bill – bi-partisan and well-intended – is that it didn’t include any real way to enforce laws written to protect the fighters themselves.

An example: The Ali Act was supposed to eliminate the confusion about the difference between promoter and manager. But it’s still there, a conflict-of-interest that often leads to a double dip, leaving the unsuspecting fighter with only enough money for that new mouthpiece.

McCain, a Republican, and Reid, a Democrat, got a lot of endorsements for their legislation from fighters, media and fans when it was introduced.

But there’s no enforcement in another endorsement, which — for now — is the only thing fighters got from White and Alalshikh.