By Norm Frauenheim –

Oscar Valdez Jr., another Son of Sonora, is planning to return to the desert he calls home in a fight to regain a title after a one-sided loss to Shakur Stevenson.

Valdez is expected to face Emanuel Navarrete on Feb. 3 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale AZ where another Son of Sonora, Juan Francisco Estrada, won a majority decision over Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in a compelling SuperFly trilogy last Saturday.

As of Thursday, the fight’s site and date were not official, despite media reports, including one from ESPN, which will televise the junior lightweight bout. It was not listed on the Desert Diamond’s event calendar.

However, it was no secret throughout events surrounding Estrada-Chocolatito 3 that Valdez-Navarrete was probably headed to the former National Hockey League arena on the west-side of Phoenix.

Valdez father, Oscar Valdez Sr., said his son was in Hermosillo training in anticipation of a February fight with Navarrete. Valdez’ father was in Glendale to work as a second in the corner for flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez’ majority decision over Samuel Carmona on the Estrada-Chocolatito 3 undercard.  

It looks as if boxing is moving in since the NHL’s Coyotes moved out.

Unbeaten You-Tuber Jake Paul beat mixed-martial arts legend-turned-boxer Anderson Silva there on Oct. 29.

Super-middleweight contender David Benavidez, another Son of Sonora, blew out David Lemieux there on May 21.

Emerging flyweight/SuperFly star Jesse “Bam” Rodriquez, of San Antonio, won his first world title there, taking the World Boxing Council’s 115-pound belt last Feb. 5 with a unanimous decision over Carlos Cuadras.

Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs), who was born in Nogales in the Mexican state of Sonora and went to school in Tucson, has fought in Phoenix twice. The former featherweight champion is wildly popular in southern Arizona. 

Valdez, knocked down in a unanimous decision loss to Stevenson in April, scored a debatable decision over Brazilian Robson Conceicao on Sept. 10, 2021 at Casino del Sol, south of Tucson. 

Fans jammed an outdoor arena on a hot Sonoran night in late summer.

They were there, cheering Valdez’ every move, despite a noisy PED controversy. The bout was preceded by news that Valdez had tested positive weeks before the bout.

The crowd didn’t care, and that crowd is expected to follow him to Glendale in an intriguing bout for a vacant title against fellow Mexican Navarrete (36-1, 30 KOs), a former 122-pound and 126-pound champion who will fight at 130 for the first time.

By Norm Frauenheim –

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Juan Francisco Estrada will enter the ring for perhaps the greatest moment in his long career closer to home than he ever might have imagined.

Estrada, who faces Ramon Gonzalez in the third fight of a compelling SuperFly trilogy at Desert Diamond Arena Saturday (DAZN), is the son of a fisherman who lived and worked in the Mexican town of Puerto Penasco at the top of the Sea of Cortez.

The village is about 215 miles down the road from the urban sprawl that surrounds Phoenix. For years, it’s been Arizona’s beach, a place the Gringos call Rocky Point.

They go to eat the shrimp. They go to party on a unique shoreline where the desert meets the sea. It’s a beautiful place, full of stark contrasts. Deep blue water alongside sand dunes.

Estrada was born there 32 years ago. He grew up there. Learned how to fight there. He also learned about grief. He lost his parents there. First, his mom to leukemia. Then, his dad.

“Like so many, he fished for a living,’’ Estrada said. “He died fishing.’’

His dad, Estrada said, drowned while diving during a long day of working the rich waters off Puerto Penasco. His scuba tanks failed.

Estrada moved on, living with uncles, aunts and others in his family. Mostly, he fought, fought off the grief and fought for a chance to make a living by fighting instead of fishing. He moved to Las Mochis and then Hermosillo, where today he has own family, a wife and three kids

He fights for Mexico, he says

“For all of Mexico,’’ said Estrada, who faces a Nicaraguan in Gonzalez, who grew up in in a Managua neighborhood called Esperanza – Hope.

Mexicans are expected to fill the arena Saturday for Estrada in his bid to beat Gonzalez for a second time at 115 pounds. Gonzalez won the first bout at 108, junior-flyweight.

It figures to be an Estrada crowd, in part because the defending World Boxing Council champion is close enough to his birthplace to be the hometown fighter.

“I still have family there, yes,’’ he said. “But I don’t know how many can come.’’

This time, the traffic figures to be traveling north, up the road away from the water, shrimp, beaches and into the arena

“I was 15 when I went to Hermosillo,’’ Estrada said. “I would see family and siblings there and would say: ‘Well, I have no parents. I have to give it everything to become someone in life.’ ‘’

For one night, they’ll be there to see him, a 32-year man who has arrived at the moment when only everything will achieve the someone he envisions.

By Norm Frauenheim –

PHOENIX – Trilogies are supposed to be about more than just a couple of mere sequels. They’re supposed to make history. Maybe leave a legacy, too.

That’s why Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez are here, west of downtown Phoenix in Glendale.

Each talked quietly, almost solemnly, during a news conference Thursday about their third, defining confrontation (DAZN)

Saturday night at Desert Diamond Arena.

On the scale, they are junior-bantamweights. But, please, forget the junior. It sounds dismissive, an insult to what Estrada and Gonzalez are about to do. For one night, only Super Fly fits the heavyweight expectations awaiting these fighters, small only in height and weight. Go ahead, hum a few lyrics from Curtis Mayfield’s memorable theme to a 1972 film with the same name.

…Lotta things going’ on

The man of the hour

Has an air of great power…

…You’re gonna make your fortune by and by…

…Oh, superfly

After the newser, I jumped into my truck and listened to those and more Mayfield lyrics as I headed east, back on the crowded freeway and on to a stop at the home of America’s last Super Fly. Michael Carbajal is 55 today. There’s gray in his hair. There’s a smile in eyes that used to flash anger like sparks off flint.

He’s a man with memories and admiration for Estrada and Gonzalez. There’s also an understanding of what both are thinking. And enduring.

Nearly three decades ago, Carbajal was there in what was then the most significant trilogy in the history of weight classes at 115-pounds-and-less

Carbajal fought Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez three times, all at 108-pounds. He knocked him out in a Fight of the Year in 1993 in Las Vegas and then lost two narrow, debatable decisions in 1995, first on the Los Angeles Lakers’ old floor at The Forum in Inglewood and then in an aging Mexico City bullring in front of wild crowd of more than 30,000.

“By the third fight, I thought that I knew everything I could about Chiquita,’’ Carbajal said Thursday afternoon in his old Ninth Street Gym, once a church and just a short walk down the street from the house where he was born in a downtown neighborhood about 16 miles from Desert Diamond. “But he surprised me. It was kind of ironic. Before our first fight, he told me not to run away. I didn’t and I knocked him out.

“Then, he boxed. He had that discipline over two fights, over 24 rounds. I never thought he could do that, especially in front of his fans in Mexico City. They knew him for his knockouts. But he did it. He stayed away from me. And I give him credit. If I was him, I’d have done the same thing. No other way he could have beat me.’’

There’s a possible message in that memory for Estrada, Gonzalez and an expected crowd of 10,000.  We’ve seemingly seen it all from Gonzalez’ unanimous decision in the first fight at 108 pounds and Estrada’s debatable split-decision at 115 in March 2021.

But there’s intrigue in what nobody has seen or expects. The resilience and versatile skillsets displayed by both suggest that there is more in each.

“This fight is hard to pick,’’ Carbajal said. “I mean each guy can win if he executes what he does best. But you just never know. Maybe the age will be the key. Gonzalez is 35. Estrada is 32.

“I like how both guys fight. In my day, I’d fight Gonzalez the way Estrada has. I’d put on the pressure. I’d keep that pressure on him. I’d fight Estrada the way Gonzalez has. He doesn’t have huge power. But it’s good enough, because he’s so precise, especially with his counter.’’

In both, Carbajal sees the inexhaustible will that drove him. Defined him.

More than money, he said, led to his decision to fight Chiquita a third time.

“There’s pride,’’ Carbajal said. “It’s wanting to prove who you really are. Me and Chiquita are friends today. We always will be. Back then, we were just sick of each other. He won two of three. But he couldn’t knock me out and he knew that. I knocked him out. I have that over him.’’

Carbajal-Chiquita 3 almost didn’t happen, he recalls. There was turmoil in Carbajal’s life and career. He had left Bob Arum’s Top Rank for Don King, who decided to stage the third fight in Mexico City, Chiquita’s home town because of a chance at a bigger live gate.

Danny Carbajal, Michael’s estranged older brother and then his trainer/manager, didn’t want to go to Mexico City.

“He told me he didn’t want the fight in Mexico City, but I do think he wanted the money,’’ said Michael, whose brother served three-and-half years in prison on charges of robbing Michael after a 53-fight career that included a reported $1-million payday – then the biggest ever for a fighter in the lightest weights — for his first rematch with Chiquita. “But I told Danny that the money didn’t matter as much as everything else.

“I wanted to prove I was better than Chiquita. Period.’’

The discussion in Carbajal’s kitchen got heated. Michael remembers jumping up on to his chair and screaming “I’ll knock him the f— out in Mexico City or anyplace else.’ ‘’

Danny Carbajal didn’t argue.

Today, it’s fair to wonder whether the fight should have happened somewhere else. Phoenix was mentioned. After all, Carbajal   went to The Forum – then Chiquita’s second home – for the first rematch, even though he had decisively won the first bout, getting off the deck twice for a seventh-round KO in neutral Las Vegas. Nothing neutral about Mexico City. Retired featherweight and Carbajal friend Ruben Castillo described it this way: “Michael went from fighting in Chiquita’s backyard to fighting in his kitchen.’’

What it did show, however, is a willingness to fight anytime and mostly anywhere. That is missing these days, Carbajal says. Instead, there’s a risk-to-reward ratio that takes a lot of the courage and even more of the drama out of the game. For proof of that you need go no further than the failed negotiations for a major welterweight fight between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.

“Early in my career, I told Danny to find some ranked guys, real fighters,’’ Carbajal said. “I told him to quit throwing these effing patsies at me. I’d beat up those guys, finishing them off in three or four rounds. Then, I’d leave the ring and wondered what I had accomplished.

“I told Danny I wasn’t learning anything. Yeah, you want to make money. But you want to learn. I wanted to be the best fighter out there, better than anybody. I really loved to fight and I wanted real fights.’’

Nearly three decades later, Carbajal is confident he sees two fighters who love the craft the way he did. In their trilogy, he sees his own.

…The game he plays he plays for keeps…

…Gambling with the odds of fate…

…Woo, superfly

Estrada-Gonzalez 3, the right fight in the right place. 

By Norm Frauenheim-

Thanksgiving gives way to Black Friday. After dashed hopes and some of the usual suspects, it’s hard to know which day best sums up the state of the game as it enters the last month of a troubled year.

First, a few thanks:

Thanks to the Oleksandr Usyk and Vasyl Lomachenko. For a world watching the Ukraine’s desperate war against Russia’s unprovoked assault, they help define a heroic country with an inexhaustible will to fight. Throughout Usyk’s smart, poised split-decision over Anthony Joshua in August, countrymen and comrades were never far away.

Thanks to the women. For one night in April, there was a fight not complicated by contentious negotiations. It also wasn’t another overpriced exhibition from wannabes or retirees. Katie Taylor’s split decision over Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden was real, the Event of the Year if not the Fight of the Year.

To Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr., thanks for nothing. Their failed negotiations after weeks of a rumored done-deal is the Upset of the Year. It upset everyone.

It’s time to move on, time to shop for some solutions. On the remaining calendar, there are still some promising dates:

·     Saturday, entertaining Regis Prograis returns to the world stage in a bid for another 140-pound belt Saturday against Jose Zepeda in Carson, Calif.

·      A week later (December 3) in Glendale Arizona, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada complete their compelling trilogy at 115-pounds, Super Fly in class and legacy.

·     On December 13, undisputed bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue continues his bid for pound-pound supremacy against Paul Butler in Japan.

In each, there’s a chance to move on — if not beyond — and into a New Year. Still, the last year includes lessons worth remembering. The biggest comes from an unlikely source. Within the ropes, Dmitry Bivol scored the Upset of the Year with his decision over Canelo Alvarez in May.

Alvarez moved up in weight, from 168 to 175 pounds, to fight Bivol. It was a risk. Yet, Canelo underestimated the risk.

Underestimated Bivol, too.

That’s easy to do. Bivol is as understated as he is unknown. He’s also a Russian. That meant there was a reasonable argument that he should not have been allowed to fight Canelo in Las Vegas or any other place. Kyiv Mayor and ex-heavyweight champ Vitali Klitschko and his brother, retired heavyweight champion, Wladimir, voiced their opposition to the fight for weeks on social media.

It’s hard to imagine that Bivol could ignore it. He has family in Saint Petersburg. But he didn’t talk much about it. He referred to himself as simply a boxer, a prize fighter. He adhered only to what he could do within his craft. Not much else he could do. Turns out, he did so brilliantly, out-boxing Canelo in every way.

Then, he moved on without a word or gesture that included bravado. He didn’t brag. He didn’t posture. He said he only did what a bigger man is expected to do. Then, he went on, stamping himself as a leading contender for Fighter of the Year, with  another masterful decision over Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in November.

Now, there’s plenty of talk about a rematch, most of it coming from Canelo, who is reportedly anxious to wipe away the tarnish on his pursuit of legacy. It would be big money for Bivol, although it’s safe say that the lion’s share of the total purse would still go to Canelo, boxing’s top draw.

Yet during an interview with the DAZN Boxing Show, Bivol suggested that money is not the biggest factor in his thinking. He also concedes that boxing’s balkanized politics are a factor. Eddie Hearn promotes him.  Hearn rival Bob Arum promotes Artur Beterbiev, who holds more belts and most of the cards in the light-heavyweight division.

Still, Bivol makes it sound as if legacy is priceless. That’s a quaint notion in a business eroding because of its adherence to the risk-reward ratio.

A fight with Beterbiev for the undisputed claim on light-heavyweight, he suggests, looms larger in his mind than a career-high payday.

“Of course, for my legacy, it’s better to fight for another belt,’’ Bivol said. “I’ve made 10 defenses. Of course, I want more. I want to feel that I fight for something else, not just defend my title.’’

It sounds like a plea for a new beginning, a resurrected way of doing business. The fans want more, too. Thanks, Dmitry Bivol.

By Norm Frauenheim –

Reports of a Ryan Garcia-Gervonta Davis agreement Thursday is a sign that boxing still has a pulse.

It’s faint. But it’s there, a sign of life after boxing’s obituary was written all over again in the wake of any chance that Terence Crawford-versus-Errol Spence Jr. happens before they’re eligible for senior-citizen discounts.

But don’t set aside some grocery money for the pay-per-view just yet. The misleading speculation and reports about the Crawford-Spence negotiations are a reminder not to count on any bout until the fighters are gloved up, in the ring and you hear the opening bell.

There are still some loose ends. Davis has to win and emerge without injury from a reported tune-up on Jan. 7.  He also faces 14 traffic charges in Baltimore for an alleged hit-and-run two years ago in a trial now scheduled for Feb. 16.

There’s still no date, although mid-April is said to be the target for a bout expected to be at a catch-weight, 136 pounds.

It’s not Crawford-Spence, but it’s a good one against a couple of compelling fighters, both unbeaten and each in their prime. Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) is 28; Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) is 24. What could go wrong? Stupid question. This is boxing.

If it happens, it sets up what could be a good couple of months, a welcome stretch with real fights instead of more social-media trash from Crawford and Spence.

David Benavidez and Caleb Plant have an agreement for a 168-pound fight. The WBC (World Boxing Council) has designated it as a title eliminator, meaning that the winner is supposed to get a so-called mandatory shot at the belt held by Canelo Alvarez.

But It’s not clear what Canelo will do. He just underwent wrist surgery. It’ll be awhile before he hits a tee-shot or a heavy bag. Promoter Eddie Hearn said he might be healthy enough to fight in May. But that date figures to be a tune-up.

If the wrist holds up, would Canelo move on to a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, the light-heavyweight champion?  Bivol beat him easily last May. There’s a prevailing opinion that Canelo simply can’t beat Bivol at 175 pounds, 168 or any other weight.

Would he then turn to Benavidez instead? Canelo is dismissive of Benavidez, the Phoenix-born fighter whose father-and-trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. is planning to return to his son’s hometown. They’ve been living and training in Seattle.

Canelo and Hearn have repeatedly mocked Benavidez’ resume, deeming it less than worthy of a shot at boxing’s biggest star. Still, Canelo will be watching.

“It’s a very competitive fight and I see Benavidez winning, but my focus is on the Dmitry Bivol rematch.” Canelo told Bet365.mx this week.

The Canelo angle is a good bet to add some intrigue to a long-awaited fight between Benavidez and Plant, who suffered an 11^th-round TKO loss to the Mexican champion a year ago.

Like Davis-Garcia, however, no date or site has been announced. The Benavidez-Plant agreement was reported two weeks ago. A day in March was mentioned last at the WBC convention in Acapulco. Vegas, Los Angeles and a Texas city are possible destinations.

Until then, Caveat Emptor, the Buyer Beware tag and boxing’s only real mandatory. 

By Norm Frauenheim –

The World Boxing Council is trying to make some history at its annual convention. It’s also trying to rewrite some.

In the here-and-now, the acronym announced it will ban Russian and Belarusian boxers from its rankings until the unprovoked assault on Ukraine ends.

Kudos for that, although it’s a conditional tip of the historical cap. In boxing-speak, that’s just another way of saying it’s interim. This is prize-fighting, emphasis on the prize. That’s what dictates the business model. No way to rewrite that bit of history. A good sanctioning fee is a down payment on compromise.

That said, the WBC has decided to rewrite some other parts of boxing’s notorious past. This one is fun. More important, it’s free. The game is littered with lousy decisions.

The WBC got started on its rewrite during its annual meeting, this one in Acapulco, with Jeff Fenech’s 1991 draw with Azumah Nelson, then the WBC’s junior-lightweight champion.

The furor over that one has faded, but the WBC tried to right the wrong, awarding Fenech one belt robbed from him more than three decades ago. Fenech celebrated, mostly because it makes him a four-belt champion.

“It’s crazy, brother,’’ Fenech, an Aussie, told Australian media. “It would’ve meant more to me back when I really won the fight. But for them, the WBC, to do this is so special. Far out, it means so much to me.’’

Far out, indeed.

It’s not exactly clear how far the WBC intends to go with its rewrite. It looks to be a bridge too far. Boxing has been called the world’s second oldest profession, which means there’s an old and new testament full of questionable decisions.

For now, at least, it appears decisions judged to be bad beyond dispute will have to involve a WBC belt. Still, the WBC has already shown a willingness to wade into geo-political issues.

The ratings ban on Russian and Belarusian boxers is just the latest example. Hence, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the WBC award a belt to any fighter who got robbed, no matter what titles or medals were involved at the time.

Here a few:

At the top of the list, the infamous 1988 Olympics in Seoul.

It’s at the amateur level, a good place to start. Also, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has long talked about the importance of Olympic boxing. It’s never been the same since Roy Jones Jr. and Michael Carbajal, both Hall of Famers, were robbed of gold. Both Americans wound up with silver that included only controversy and no consolation.

After winning every round before the light-middleweight gold medal bout, Jones lost, 3-2, to South Korean Park Si-hun, who never fought again.

Carbajal, known for power and precision, lost by a shutout, an astonishing 5-0, to an unknown Bulgarian. It was a bout in the lightest weight class, yet it served as a warning to what was coming in the Jones bout.

In a dispute later documented by the Los Angeles Times, the official in charge of assigning refs and judges — an agent for Stasi (the old East German police force) in his day job — got into an argument with the Americans before assignments were made the night before the gold-medal round. He stormed out of a meeting, telling American officials that they would see what was about to happen in the next day’s opening gold-medal bout, Carbajal’s bout.

The thefts, infamous and remembered because they happened on a worldwide stage, also impacted the pro game. Early in his career, Jones would not fight anywhere outside of the US. That reluctance robbed him and the business of an opportunity to sell his singular talent worldwide  

Yet, another acronym, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has never corrected the record. The WBC could. Give Jones and Carbajal its own version of a gold medal.

Next on the lousy list: Pernell Whitaker’s draw with Julio Cesar Chavez in San Antonio at the Alamodome in September 1993. It was called The Fight. It should be remembered as The Felony.

During an era when establishment media still paid attention to boxing, Sports Illustrated featured the welterweight fight for the WBC belt, putting Whitaker on the magazine’s cover with the headline “ROBBED!”

SI scored it 117-110 for Whitaker. So did I. I was there. But the judges scored it a majority draw. Whitaker was known for elusive defense, yet he landed more punches, 311-220, than the Don King-promoted Chavez. It was 115-115 on two cards and 115-112 for Whitaker on the third.

A personal memory: A roaring crowd of 65,000 walked out of the Alamodome quietly. It was a Chavez crowd, predominantly Mexican and Mexican-American. They know boxing, better than anybody in the world. The silence said plenty. They knew what they had just witnessed.

This list could start and end with the Seoul Olympics and Whitaker-Chavez. They define the rest. Still, no lousy list is ever complete. And none is ever wrong. Only the scorecards are. There are just too, too many bad decisions.

Since the WBC opened the door, correcting one and probably more, here are two:

First, Timothy Bradley’s split-decision over Manny Pacquiao, June 2012, in Las Vegas for the WBO’s welterweight title. On the list of lousy decisions in the 21^st Century, this one figures to always be a contender. Put it this way: If Bradley had been at ringside commentating in his current role as an ESPN boxing analyst, he’d have been outraged.

Second, Evander Holyfield’s draw with Lennox Lewis, March 1999, Madison Square Garden, New York. The fight between heavyweight belt-holders was called Undisputed. It has been in dispute ever since. It looked as if Lewis would win. He appeared dominant over at least eight rounds. On the scorecards, however, it was three different fights. It was Holyfield, 115-113, on one. It was Lewis, 116-113, on another. On the third, it was 115-115, resulting in a draw, a majority mess.

Nobody agreed, not even then-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who got something right for maybe the last time.

Giuliani called it “a travesty.’’

There’ll be more of that. No correction necessary.

WBA Super Middleweight World Championship – 12 Rounds

David Morrell Jr. – 166 ½ lbs.

Aidos Yerbossynuly – 167 ¼ lbs.

Referee: Tony Weeks; Judges: Mike Fitzgerald (Wis.), Patrick Morley (Ill.) Don Trella (Conn.)

Middleweight Bout – 10 Rounds

Jeison Rosario – 160 lbs. 

Brian Mendoza – 159 ¼ lbs.

Referee: Mark Calo-Oy; Judges: Scott Erickson (Minn.), John Mariano (Minn.), Gary Ritter (Okla.)

Middleweight Bout – 10 Rounds

Fiodor Czerkaszyn – 158 ¾ lbs.

Nathaniel Gallimore – 158 ½ lbs.

Referee: Gary Ritter; Judges: Mark Calo-Oy (Texas), Brian Cosgrove (Minn.), Mike Fitzgerald (Wis.)

SHOWTIME BOXING COUNTDOWN

Stream Live at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT

on the SHOWTIME SPORTS^® YouTube Channel

Light Heavyweight Bout – 10 Rounds

Andre Dirrell – 174 lbs.

Yunieski Gonzalez – 174 lbs.

Referee: Dave Smith; Judges: Patrick Morley (Ill.), Kyle Shiely (Minn.), Don Trella (Conn.)

Middleweight Bout – Eight Rounds

Julian Williams – 159 ½ lbs.

Rolando Mansilla – 158 lbs.

Referee: Mark Calo-Oy; Judges: Brian Cosgrove (Minn.), John Mariano (Minn.), Gary Ritter (Okla.)

Super Lightweight Bout – Eight Rounds

Kent Cruz – 143 lbs.

Enriko Gogokhia – 141 ½ lbs.

Referee: Gary Ritter; Judges: Scott Erickson (Minn.), Kyle Shiely (Minn.), Don Trella (Conn.)

Note: Contracted weight is 143 pounds.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9:10 p.m. ET/6:10 p.m. PT immediately following the Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva replay. Veteran sportscaster Brian Custer will host the telecast while versatile combat sports voice Mauro Ranallo will handle blow-by-blow action alongside Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and three-division world champion Abner Mares. Three Hall of Famers round out the telecast team – Emmy^® award winning reporter Jim Gray, world-renowned ring announcer Jimmy Lennon, Jr. and boxing historian Steve Farhood as unofficial scorer. The executive producer is four-time Emmy award winner David Dinkins, Jr. The producer is Ray Smaltz III and the director is Chuck McKean. Sportscaster Alejandro Luna will call the action with former junior middleweight world champion and SHOBOX^® analyst Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez serving as expert analyst in Spanish on Secondary Audio Programming (SAP). SHOBOX announcer and combat sports expert Brian Campbell and his MORNING KOMBAT co-host Luke Thomas will call the action during the live-stream bouts.  

#          #         #

ABOUT MORRELL JR. VS. YERBOSSYNULY

Morrell Jr. vs. Yerbossynuly will see unbeaten WBA Super Middleweight Champion and Minneapolis fan-favorite David Morrell Jr. return to action against undefeated mandatory challenger Aidos Yerbossynuly in a 12-round duel that headlines live on SHOWTIME Saturday, November 5 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from The Armory in Minneapolis.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will begin at 9:10 p.m. ET/6:10 p.m. PT and features former unified champion Jeison Rosario taking on veteran contender Brian Mendoza in a 10-round middleweight attraction in the co-main event, plus unbeaten middleweight Fiodor Czerkaszyn battles the hard-hitting Nathaniel Gallimore in the 10-round telecast opener.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow #MorrellYerbossynuly, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotions, on Instagram @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotionss or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ShowtimeBoxing.

By Norm Frauenheim –

David Benavidez waited for weeks. He heard Canelo Alvarez say no, no and no all over again. He heard David Morrell say maybe later.

From Caleb Plant, he heard nothing.

Until Thursday.

Suddenly, the waiting game and all of its frustration ended. Plant announced on Twitter that he signed to fight Benavidez. It was a surprise, if only because Plant had quit talking about Benavidez.

For years, Plant (22-1, 13 KOs) and Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) exchanged trash talk. Then nothing, no mention at all of Benavidez from Plant after Plant’s stoppage of Anthony Dirrell on Oct. 15

The silence was almost newsworthy. It was as if Plant had joined the crowd that was running from Benavidez, boxing’s most avoided fighter since Antonio Margarito.

Turns out, however, the silence was simply business. Negotiations had been underway for at least a couple of weeks, in part because neither Benavidez nor his promoter-manager Sampson Lewkowicz wanted to fight Jose Uzcategui, who had already fallen out of a 2021 date because of a positive test for the potent steroid EPO.

Benavidez-Uzcategui talks had been reported. And perhaps that fight would have been an alternative if a deal couldn’t be made with Plant.

But it was also clear that Uzcategui was a fight that would have done nothing for Benavidez reputation. Nobody wanted to see it. Plus, there’s a risk in a stay-busy fight, especially against an opponent with a documented PED history.

The real talks were with Plant, the only fight that made any real sense for Benavidez and his emerging fan base. Benavidez quickly signed, according to his father and trainer Jose Benavidez Sr.

“David signed a few week ago,’’ Jose Sr. told 15 Rounds from Seattle where he and his sons have been living and training for the last few years.

Still, however, the unbeaten super-middleweight from Phoenix had to wait, wait on Plant. Finally, he signed Thursday.

“Plant wanted this, wanted that,’’ Benavidez Sr. said. “He wanted to use Rival gloves. He wanted the blue corner. He wanted to be the second guy to enter the ring. He wanted a 22-foot ring. I told him, look, we’ll fight you in a ring as big as the Dallas Cowboys stadium. Then, you’ll have plenty of room to run around.’’

Benavidez’ dad took the list of demands to his son.

“David just looked at me and said ‘Give him whatever he wants. I just want to fight him,’ ‘’ Jose Sr said.

Done deal.

It’s still not clear exactly when the fight will happen. Jose Sr. said a date within the first quarter of next year – January, February or March — looks likely. A neutral site is also likely. Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Dallas are possibilities, he said.

Phoenix is not on the list. After a hometown crowd erupted in a collective roar at Benavidez’ scary blowout of David Lemieux in suburban Glendale last May, it’s clear that the heartbeat of Benavidez’ fan-base is Phoenix. It would be tough for Plant to win a decision there.

It’s also a fan base that’s likely to follow Benavidez to where ever, whenever he fights Plant. The Benavidez family – David, former junior-welterweight champion Jose Jr. and Jose Sr. – are planning to move back to Phoenix.

“It’s time, time to come home,’’ Jose Sr. said.

Time, time to fight Plant, too.

By Norm Frauenheim –

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Jake Paul jumped off the scale, flexed, screamed and then did what he does best.

He weighed in.

He’s been weighing in all week with an unvarnished rip of a business known for what it doesn’t do any more. It fails to deliver fights that matter. It stumbles, from week-to-week, from one round of exasperating news to another.

Terence Crawford won’t be fighting Errol Spence. Canelo Alvarez won’t fight David Benavidez. Anthony Joshua won’t fight Tyson Fury. Who knows about Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis?  Never-Never Land isn’t fiction. It’s boxing.

But the oft-criticized Paul (5-0, 4 KOs), dismissed as a YouTuber, is about to do what so many others in the waiting game won’t. He’ll fight Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena, facing 47-year-old mixed-martial arts legend Anderson Silva (3-1, 2 KOs as a boxer) in a Showtime Pay-Per View bout (6 pm PT, 9 pm ET/ $59.95) that’s another easy target for old-school critics.

It’s a gimmick, they say. It’s also a fight that doesn’t matter, they say, arguing that it doesn’t belong on a decent undercard. Maybe, it doesn’t. But there aren’t many decent undercards anywhere these days.

Paul thinks he knows why. And he’s not shy about saying why. He counters the criticism with plenty of his own. His featured fight against Silva on a hybrid card that includes boxers, MMA fighters, a former NFL running back and a practicing physician is a lot of things. Mostly, it’s a forum, another platform, for Paul. He’s using it to say what a lot of frustrated fans are thinking. He has turned it into his bully pulpit.

“Get these fights done,” Paul said at a news conference before making the contracted weight Friday morning at 186.5, a fraction of a pound heavier than Silva, who came in at 186.1 “Stop shooting yourself in the foot. Stop being greedy. Give people what they want. Don’t look at every term in the contract and try to change it.

“Just effing fight. You spar every day. Why not get paid effing tens of millions of dollars to do it in front of people? They’re very scared to risk their undefeated records, but boxing needs these big fights. Don’t let your manager stop you. Don’t let your promoter stop you.

“You gotta be in control.”

Today’s state of the boxing business is the flip side of control. It’s chaos. Paul also knows that movers-and-shakers, both in boxing and the UFC, don’t like what he’s saying. In effect, he’s telling the fighters to do more than take punches. He’s telling them to take control.

“It sucks for the fans,” Paul said exactly one week after the business was pushed to another breaking point with news that Crawford-Spence would not happen in 2022. 

“The fans are the ones that get hurt. And it’s bad. This is why the sport has gone to bad places before.

“It’s gone to scary moments where you think the sport’s going to wind up dying out, because big fights like this aren’t happening. Why didn’t we get Fury-Joshua? There’s so many instances where big fights could be made, and they’re just not.

“I don’t know what it is. No one will ever know, and that’s what’s frustrating.’’

The fighters staged a weigh-in for fans Friday afternoon. Here are the officlal weights from Friday morning for fighters on the PPV part of the card:

Lightweights Ashton Sylve (7-0, 7 KOs), Long Beach, California, 132.4 pounds versus Braulio Rodriguez (20-4, 17 KOs), Dominican Republic, 132.5 pounds.

Cruiserweight debuts: Uriah Hall, New York, 198.6 pounds versus former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell, Columbus, Ohio, 197.6 pounds.

Cruiserweight debut of Dr. Mike Varshavski (pro debut), New York,182.6 pounds, versus Chris Avila (1-1), Stockton, California, 183.3 pounds.

The non-televised part of the card is scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm (PT). It includes three Arizona fighters – Glendale junior featherweight Danny Barrios Flores (10-0, 2 KOs) against Edgar Ortiz Jr. (8-3-2, 4 KOs) of Phoenix and Glendale featherweight Adrian Rodriguez (2-0, 2 KOs) against Dominique Griffin (4-2-1, 2 KOs) of Irving, Texas.

By Norm Frauenheim –

GLENDALE, Ariz. – His reputation precedes him. So, too, does his nickname. Trouble is expected from anybody who calls himself The Problem Child.

Jake Paul’s reputation includes just about everything. He’s a promoter, puncher and a provocateur. Sometimes, he’s a potential union organizer. More on that later. Bet on it.

What he’s not, however, is a fool. Before he arrived in my home state, I wondered about that.

That prompted me to ask a question Thursday during the final formal news conference before his Showtime pay-per-view fight Saturday against mixed-martial arts legend Anderson Silva at Desert Diamond Casino.

As an old — very old — boxing writer, I’m new to the Paul story , which is full of inflammatory challenges and over-the-top bragging. Paul did some of that Thursday.

The pressure, he said, was all on him in his bid to beat the 47-year-old Silva.

“For sure I have more pressure on my shoulders,’’ Paul said. “Just being the ‘A’ side, and the amount of (bleep) I talk. I think the entire MMA community is waiting for me to lose. They want me to lose.

“I just have so many more big ideas and plans in this sport and I just plan on being here forever. This is the start of that, and the pressure is on.’’

That’s when I decided to ask a dumb question, one intended to be stupid. I was expecting a stupid, over-the-top answer. So much for expectations and reputations. Paul knocked it down, smartly and with a parting shot delivered like a punch line.

Paul had mentioned David Benavidez this week in one his many interviews, this one with DAZN. He is in Benavidez’ old neighborhood, after all. He is about to fight in the arena where Benavidez last appeared in a scary beat-down of David Lemieux last May.

Anyway, Paul said he wanted to promote Benavidez and then he explained how he would do it.

It was fanciful, of course. Benavidez already has a manager/promoter in Sampson Lewkowicz, who fought and won a battle with Top Rank to retain his rights.

It’s hard to foresee a time when Paul might promote Benavidez. But it’s no secret that the feared super-middleweight from Phoenix is having trouble finding anyone willing to face him. So, I decided to test Paul with a question, one as obvious as it was stupid.

If you can’t promote Benavidez, would you fight him?

Paul looked at me like I was Dana White.

“I’m not ready for that,’’ he said.

Then, I reminded him how hard it is for Benavidez to find opposition.

“Tell him he’s going to have to keep looking,’’ Paul said.

Smart, funny and not what might have been expected if you believed Paul’s portrayal in the media. He knows his career is still in the prospect stage. There’s frustration at the money and attention he generates. But he’s simply been smart enough to create his own celebrity through social media.

He has a profile and a punch in a business with many who have neither. Where will it all lead? Who knows? He has only five pro fights, all victories and four by KO. Silva is a risk, at least the oddsmakers think so. Some have favored the Brazilian, whose boxing record includes a victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Meanwhile, expect the unconventional Paul to move forward with more trash talk and ideas. One of them includes a bet with Silva. Paul said Thursday he’d do an MMA fight or kickboxing bout with Silva if Silva won Saturday.

If Paul wins, however, he said he wants Silva to help him create a union in a bid to get fighters more money and health care. At first, Paul said it would be a union for UFC and MMA fighters.

Then, he said “All fighters.’’

Silva reached across the podium and shook hands on a bet and an ambitious goal. He talks big. Thinks big, too.

By Norm Frauenheim-

GLENDALE, Ariz. – He rode in on a horse.

Maybe, it was a nod toward Arizona’s wild-west past. Or, maybe, it was his way of saying he was the cavalry, riding to the rescue in an attempt to save a battered game from a head-long gallop to its own demise. Or, maybe, an elephant wasn’t available.

Whatever it was, Jake Paul, an unconventional boxer, enlivened a traditional media event Wednesday with an unconventional entrance for a public workout a few days before his cruiserweight bout with UFC icon Anderson Silva Saturday night on Showtime pay-per-view.

Paul had fun and a crowd of fans on a pavilion outside of the renamed Desert Diamond Arena west of Phoenix had some fun with him.

That’s not to say that Paul also didn’t do some business. He doesn’t just ride horses. He also has some horse sense. If his entrance was an acknowledgement of AZ history, his presence at the Glendale arena was also an acknowledgment of the state’s best-known fighter.

Paul mentioned David Benavidez, telling the DAZN Boxing Show he’d like to be his promoter. Why not? He’s in the neighborhood after all, talking, training and talking at an arena where Benavidez blew out David Lemieux in his last bout on May 21.

Benavidez grew up a few miles east of the arena, formerly known as Gila River. Metro Phoenix is the heart-beat of Benavidez’ emerging fan base. You could hear it, loud and clear, in his three-round demolition of Lemieux.

“David Benavidez,’’ said Paul, who promotes Amanda Serrano. “I think he’s big in the boxing world and he’s a superstar, he’s my favorite boxer, but he needs that push just like Amanda did into the mainstream.

“The kid needs to be on billboards, he needs to be on podcasts, he needs to be collaborating with influencers. He needs help making some content and getting some big sponsorships to get his name out there even more.”

Benavidez already has a promoter/manager in Sampson Lewkowicz. He’s also aligned with PBC. But that doesn’t stop Paul, whose opinions are part of the fun. Both are inexhaustible, always part of the show.

Paul’s tireless self-promotional skill has created a huge virtual universe. Not even Canelo Alvarez can ignore the reported social-media number – 20 million-plus You Tube subscribers. That’s enough to add a zero to even Canelo’s paycheck.

Thus far, however, Canelo has ignored, or at least eluded Benavidez, who is reportedly close to a deal for a fight with Jose Uzcategui in January,

Canelo said after his super-middleweight decision over Gennadiy Golovkin in a third fight in September that Benavidez’ resume doesn’t measure up.

“What has he done?’’ Canelo asked angrily.

He’s done more than Paul, at least he has in boxing terms narrowly defined by an unbeaten record, including a World Boxing Council title that was lost twice — first for a positive drug test and then on the scale.

Yet, Paul has an answer. He proposes to promote Benavidez  the way he promotes himself.

Put it his way: It’d be a wild ride. 

By Norm Frauenheim-

The outrage is predictable. Inevitable. Boxing loves its misery and more was delivered Thursday with news that Terence Crawford won’t be fighting Errol Spence Jr.

Not in November.

Not in December.

Not in February.

Sorry, if I don’t join the chorus of angry cries. I don’t care. Not anymore, and I suspect that feeling is more widespread than social media’s noisy outburst might suggest.

There was a desperate, last-chance hope attached to the prospect that Crawford-Spence would finally happen. The welterweight showdown was seen as a way to resurrect, if not save, the business.

But that dwindling light at the end of a long, futile tunnel was extinguished with ESPN’s report that Crawford will fight David Avanesyan on Dec. 10 in hometown Omaha.

“I don’t even know who (he) is,’’ Spence told the Dallas Morning News.

About that – and only that, there’s no debate. No outrage. Avanesyan is unknown. Then again, Crawford and Spence aren’t much better known among a crowd that hasn’t paid attention or a pay-per-view price-tag since Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao in 2015.

An eroding, hair-on-fire fan base can scream and yell, but the rest of the world isn’t listening.

It just doesn’t care anymore.

Indifference is the problem, or perhaps the epitaph.

Dylan Hernandez, the Los Angeles Times’ forthright and fearless columnist, generated some of the battered game’s familiar outrage in 2016 with last rites.

Boxing Is Dead, he wrote then.

Hard to argue with him today.

I’m not prepared to throw another shovel of dirt onto its remains. The game will continue, always in some form. After all, it’s already outlived most newspapers, a dying game if there ever was one.

Long after the newspaper industry prints its final edition, boxing will still be there, surviving on some forgotten street corner. Its inherent defiance is inextinguishable. But defiance isn’t a business model. The money is going, going, gone.

There’s a generation of boxers who grew up expecting Mayweather money. They have practiced Mayweather’s risk-to-reward formula. Mayweather left a model. Dollar-for-dollar, there’s never been anybody better. But the door to the vault began to close when he left the game.

He continues to collect bigger money than most in today’s generation in so-called exhibitions in Asia and the Middle East. His skills are eroded, but his name recognition is not.

Only Canelo Alvarez and Tyson Fury can rival his earning power. But Crawford and Spence, pound-for-pound contenders, have none of his notoriety. They’re skilled fighters. But skills don’t exactly pay the bills any more.

Crawford reportedly has signed a deal worth as much as $10-million to fight Avanesyan on a pay-per-view venture produced by BLK Prime, which is part of Endavo Media & Communications Inc., an Atlanta-based business.

Crawford’s deal in terms of percentages isn’t clear, yet. How much is guaranteed? How much is tied to the pay-per-view numbers? The bout’s price tag is $39.95.

Initial reports make it look as though it’s an investment in a future Crawford-Spence fight. Crawford was quoted as saying that Spence was still there, possibly in 2023.

“Once I’m successful against Avanesyan, my plan is still the same: Whoop Errol Spence’s ass,” Crawford told ESPN.

Trouble is, this fight is way past its due date. It should have happened five years ago. Crawford turned 35 on Sept. 28. His prime time is beginning to fall through the hour glass. More significant, perhaps, is Spence, who is already a big welterweight. He’s talking about moving up the scale.

“I got to talk to my manager but I already told them I’m at this weight too long,’’ the 32-year-old Spence told the Morning News.

Spence also tweeted that he had been fighting at welterweight for more than a decade.

“this sh!t ain’t easy or fun,” he tweeted.

Futile negotiations ain’t much fun, either.

BLK Prime, however, can only make its apparent investment in Crawford work if it can bring disaffected customers back into the PPV tent. The idea, perhaps, is to stage a bout or two against a couple of unknowns as a way to sell a possible past-due fight. The task is to introduce Crawford to the so-called crossover fans, who probably know a lot more about Jake Paul than they do Crawford.

But it’s a little late in the game to do that. It’s no secret that Top Rank grew frustrated with Crawford, still a free agent after he split and subsequently sued the promotional entity after his definitive stoppage of Shawn Porter last November.

Crawford’s versatile skillset hasn’t included much in the way of self-promotion. Maybe that changes. Maybe not. The question is how to awaken some interest, which wasn’t there for Crawford-Porter, a welterweight fight that would have sold itself in another era.

It did about 135,000 pay-per-view buys at $69.99, according to multiple media reports. That means it fell about 15,000 buys short of the 150,000 break-even point. despite a reported $2-million in ticket sales from a soldout crowd of 11,568 at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay.

In other words, it was a bust, a financial loser. Crawford won an entertaining fight, stopping Porter in the 10th-round. But everybody else took a bath. Indifference is costly.

But the PPV model is still there. The question is whether anything has been learned from the Crawford-Porter lesson. Will it result in any substantive changes? Prompt any real moves?

“I might be moving up, I don’t know,’’ Spence said of a jump to junior-middleweight. “I might be moving up.’

Fans might have already moved.

Moved on.

By Norm Frauenheim –

It’s a comeback connected to a birthday.

Deontay Wilder turns 37 a week after his comeback Saturday night against former sparring partner Robert Helenius at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

The birthday on Oct. 22 will be a reason for Wilder to celebrate a second coming.

Or a cause to reconsider.

On the heavyweight calendar, 37 is still primetime. On the scale, heavyweights are bigger. On the clock, their careers last longer. But traditional measurements don’t take into account Wilder’s last fight.

It was brutal, violent in almost every way. At opening bell Saturday night (FOX PPV, 6 p.m. PT/9 pm ET) it’ll be 377 days since Wilder suffered three knockdowns in a loss to Tyson Fury in the third fight of a trilogy. It’s been called a classic, maybe because it was crazy. 

Surely, it was concussive.

Fury, who was on the canvas twice, has been in and out of retirement, ad nauseam, since he came back with a sixth-round TKO of Dillian Whyte on April 23 in London. He’s offered all kinds of explanations. 

The only believable one, however, is a concussion he said he sustained against Wilder. Both heavyweights suffered damage in a wild exchange of punishment that ended in the 11^th round.

Question is:

How much?

The last we saw of Wilder in the ring, his eyes were vacant as he fell face first onto the canvas. It’s a dramatic image that says Wilder suffered the most.

Then, he was an ex-champion. But not an ex-fighter, although he has since said he was “85-percent’ certain he would not be back until he saw a larger-than-life statue of himself last spring in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, his hometown. That’s when he decided to come back. But statues don’t get concussed. They don’t sustain enduring damage.

Against Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs), there figures to be an answer or at least an indication as to whether Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) did.

Or didn’t.

The fight is being portrayed as a triumphant return by a likable personality, known both for his right-handed power and fearless energy. He’s unpredictable and often controversial.

He says Saturday’s bout will mark the beginning of a comeback that he foresees lasting three years. He says he’ll retire at 40. He envisions a fight with Oleksandr Usyk, the compelling Ukrainian who beat Anthony Joshua for a second time in August. 

He even talks about a fourth fight with Fury. Guess here: His Hall of Fame resume is incomplete without a victory over Fury. To get in, he needs to beat Fury, who is 2-0-1 against Wilder.

A fourth fight isn’t impossible. Fury, recently frustrated at futile negotiations for an all-UK fight with Joshua, expressed his respect for Wilder this week.

But will he be the same guy? Some fights take a dangerous toll, aging a fighter beyond the number of his  birthdays. The brutality of the third fight with Fury might have eroded Wilder’s willingness to walk into harm’s way. 

But that won’t be evident until after he answers another opening bell. An imminent one. 

By Norm Frauenheim

The furor is familiar. So is the futility.

Nothing like a positive drug test to generate big headlines, especially in boxing at a time when big fights are more rumor than real.

It’s hard to know if Errol Spence Jr.-Terence Crawford is on, off or just more talk. Spence suggests on Twitter Wednesday that the fight will still happen.

But the biggest welterweight bout in years has been on and off more often than Tyson Fury has been in and out of retirement.

The state of the game? Let’s just say it’s in a state of disrepair, which brings us back to the game’s only real news — the positive drug test that forced Conor Benn-versus-Chris Eubank Jr. off its scheduled date Saturday in London.

The fight, an Eddie Hearn-promoted exercise in nostalgia between the sons of fathers from a memorable UK rivalry in the 1990s, is off. Benn, a welterweight preparing to fight at 157-pounds, tested positive for something called clomiphene, reported to be a women’s fertility drug. (Insert lousy joke here.) The substance also is reported to increase testosterone in men. (Insert confusion here.)

It’s the confusion that reigns, of course. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) “prohibited” the bout, saying it was “not in the interests of boxing” Wednesday following news of Benn’s positive test in the Daily Mail.

Injunctions were threatened. Contradictory statements delivered. Look for all of that to continue, ad nauseam.

For now, however, there’s no fight, although Hearn is reportedly shopping for a new date, new location and a commission known more for sports washing than regulation.    

Hearn contends that Benn has not been suspended. Benn, he says, tested positive only in the so-called A-sample. It’s not clear when results from a B-sample will be disclosed. Then again, it’s not clear whether there was – or is –a B-sample.

From A-to-Z, it’s a mess.

Another one.

At one level, it’s reminiscent of what transpired in a PED flap surrounding former junior-lightweight champion Oscar Valdez Jr. in September of 2021. He tested positive for something called phentermine, reported to be a stimulant that helps in losing weight. Valdez was allowed to fight, beating Robson Conceicao at a casino on Native American land near Tucson

But he fought only because of confusion over what qualifies as a PED and what doesn’t. It depends on location, location, location and acronym, acronym, acronym.

Both Benn and Valdez tested positive for substances banned by VADA. Both were positive in random VADA tests conducted weeks before the scheduled opening bell.

But the Valdez-Conceicao happened because the fight was regulated by the Pascua Yaqui, which adhered to a PED list and rules used by WADA not VADA. Only one letter separates the acronyms. But there’s a huge difference between the W and the V.

Phentermine is not illegal if not found on the day of the fight, according to WADA.

It is prohibited at all times by VADA.

Call it a loophole. Call it a devil in the details. Whatever, Valdez fought, amid a social-media outcry of condemnation directed at him and anybody associated with the Top Rank bout.

Now, there’s Benn-Eubank. The difference is that it’s not happening, at least not now. But the same sort of loophole remains. According to a deal between the two fighters, they agreed to non-binding VADA testing. VADA prohibits clomiphene. But the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD), which tests for the BBBofC, does not.

Only the BBBofC, however, has final say-so on whether to proceed with the fight. It said no, unlike the Pascua Yaqui

The mystery is why this loophole still exists at all. During contract negotiations, shouldn’t the promoters and representatives of each fighter get together and agree on one testing authority – WADA or VADA or UKAD? Pick the acronym and abide by what it bans.

Close the loophole before the sport itself gets banned.

ReplyForward

By Norm Frauenheim-

It’s hard to know what to make of reported pay-per-view numbers, especially during a streaming era when numbers are misrepresented or not reported at all and the theft rate might rival the buy rate.

But they continue to accumulate, fight-after-fight, like CompuBox’s punch stats, round-after-round, in a one-sided bout. They add up to a trend. And it isn’t pretty.

The business is losing, mostly because it doesn’t get it anymore. Latest example: Deontay Wilder-Robert Helenius. It’s a pay-per-view fight.

Wilder created some controversy about 10 days ago when he told Boxing Scene he already belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Go ahead, argue about that one. But he doesn’t belong on pay-per-view. Not now, not on October 15 in his first bout since he was left on the canvas, a broken man, by Tyson Fury after 10-plus rounds of a violent beatdown nearly a year ago.

For most of the last year, there were doubts about a Wilder comeback, both in the public mind and his own. Even the winner talked about retirement. Then again, Fury talks a lot. There’s not much he doesn’t say. We’ve lost count how many times he’s been in and out retirement. He’s retired at lunch. He’s coming back at dinner.

But he did say he suffered a concussion against Wilder during their dramatic third date in Las Vegas last October. That’s believable. Nobody emerged from that heavyweight rematch unscathed. It’s a mark of just how violent it was. It’s also reason to proceed with caution.

In effect, Wilder, a former champion, is starting over. He says he decided to attempt a comeback after a statue of him was placed in front of a Tourism and Sports building in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, his hometown. Move over, Nick Saban.

The statue is a symbol of who Wilder was. But it says nothing about who he is, post-Fury.

Tough fights come with a price, but not one that fans should have to pay in a first bout, a test run on whether a comeback is even viable. If it is – if Wilder doesn’t display symptoms of lingering damage against Helenius at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, then, yeah, it’s time to move back onto a pay-per-view stage and a comeback that would provide a further chance to prove the Hall-of-Fame claim.

But now, against Helenius, Wilder’s former sparring partner? Pay-per-view for a virtual sparring session? No way. PPV is a tag that says you’re proven, a commodity worth watching. The burden of proof is, first and foremost, what Wilder has to deliver against Helenius, a 38-year-old Finn and at best a mid-level challenger.

It should be an investment on what Wilder hopes will unfold in his comeback. Instead, he’s going straight to the pay window. In part, Wilder is selling his name recognition, which is lot more durable than chins, noses and brain cells in today’s version of the boxing biz. 

He’s also doing what other fighters are. FOX is charging $74.99, which is the same price it charged for heavyweight Andy Ruiz Jr.’s unanimous decision over Luis Ortiz on Sept. 5.

It’s not clear how Ruiz-Ortiz did on PPV. It’s not, probably because it wasn’t big. Boxcar numbers get reported. Small ones don’t, but increasingly they are part of the business plan. PPV is the persistent devil in the details of a bet on immediacy instead of the future. Fighters agree to a share of PPV receipts in an attempt to get the money they want.

But it’s a gamble, a risk to them. Remember the scheduled PPV fight between lightweights Tevin Farmer and Mickey Bey in Prescott Valley, AZ last August 12? It got canceled hours before opening bell because the money wasn’t there. That’s where this business model is headed.  

Above all, it puts the business at risk of losing more customers in an already eroding fan base.

More and more, a PPV tag is seen as a warning: Buyer Beware. Even Canelo Alvarez’ decision over Gennadiy Golovkin in a third fight on Sept. 17 left doubts about PPV. Arguably, Canelo-GGG 3 was the most PPV-worthy fight in 2022.

But reports indicated it failed to meet expectations for a long-awaited bout. DAZN’s PPV price for non-subscribers was $84.98, nearly a buck more than the Wilder-Helenius price tag.

It wasn’t long ago that the boxing biz declared that PPV is dead. Yet, it persists, a working definition of what Albert Einstein meant when he said insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting it to be different.

By Norm Frauenheim –

It was thoroughly forgettable. Thoroughly predictable, too.

Nothing that happened within the ropes during Canelo Alvarez’ decision over Gennadiy Golovkin in a third fight registered much more than a yawn on the wow meter.

It was simply a sign that it’s time to move on.

Turns out, only that sign is important, despite over-the-top promises that were part of a tireless sales pitch before opening bell. 

Question is, will boxing heed its warning? Sometimes, the business is the last to know. Increasingly, it’s becoming evident that fans suspected the bout was over-hyped, over-due and over-priced for a trilogy between fighters who were over-the-hill.

That’s the unmistakable message in the pay-per-view numbers reported a few days after DAZN’s live-stream of the bout last Saturday at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

There’s some debate about the numbers, just as there was some disagreement about the scorecards (115-113, 116-112, 115-113) in favor of Canelo. Long-term, doesn’t matter. Feigned outrage about the scoring margins doesn’t change the result. Canelo clearly won.

The subsequent debate about the pay-per-view reports don’t matter, either. The trend does. To wit: The public appeal for the red-headed Canelo, Spanish for cinnamon, is beginning to look a little Oxidado, rusty.

Dan Rafael’s Fight Freaks Unite reported that the pay-per-view stream generated between 550,000 and 575,000 buys in the United States. DAZN quickly countered, issuing a statement saying that it generated 1.06-million buys worldwide. 

The numbers are hard to confirm, especially in a live-stream era when the theft rate probably rivals the buy rate. Then, there are questions about who’s counting. And how they’re counting. But there’s no argument about the trend. It’s down.

The first two Canelo-GGG bouts were televised by HBO Pay-Per-View. The first, a draw in 2017, was reported to generate 1.3 million buys, all in the United States. For the second, a controversial Canelo victory by majority decision in 2018, 1.1-million was reported, also in the United States.

By either report this week – US or worldwide, it’s down. The message: It’s time to move out of the Canelo business and back into the boxing business.

There’s a whole new generation of young, promising fighters, desperate to get a share of the attention and financial pie.

A face of that generation is David Benavidez, the unbeaten super-middleweight from Phoenix. Mention Benavidez, and Canelo sneers the way that proverbial old man might when he tells someone to get the hell off his front lawn.

Canelo complains that Benavidez has accomplished nothing. Eddie Hearn, Canelo’s promoter for the third GGG fight, says the same.

I’m not sure they’ve been listening to the fans, or a growing number of fighters and cornermen. From Paulie Malignaggi to Roy Jones Jr., the fight to see is Benavidez-versus-Canelo.

For now, at least, it doesn’t look as if that’s going to happen. Canelo beat a 40-year-old in GGG Saturday. GGG looked old, fought old. But the 32-year-old Canelo didn’t exactly fight like a young man, either.

His fatigue midway through the fight was oh-so evident. A younger man, a 25-year-old Benavidez, might have walked through him at that point. Come to think of it, so too would a younger Golovkin, say the GGG of 2017 or 2018.

Canelo already concedes he’s dealing with injuries. His knees are problematic enough to limit his roadwork. He underwent knee surgery. That might explain why he tires after four-to-five rounds. Now, he plans to undergo surgery for an injury to his left wrist.

From wrist to knees, he’s beginning to display the symptoms of his many years in the ring. He’s beginning to look like an aging fighter, no matter how old he is.

A year off might allow him to restore his knees, rehab his wrist.

Ii might allow him to rekindle his passion for the blood, bruises, wear and tear.

Then again, it also might just convince him to stay on the golf course, his latest passion.

Meanwhile, Benavidez has to fight. There are plans, father-and-trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. says, for him to fight three more times at 168-pounds, super-middleweight. Whatever the weight, he can’t wait on Canelo. He has to move on.

Boxing would be smart to move on with him. Current numbers say that’s where the future is.

Round 1 Left from Canelo…Right to body

Round 2 Jab from Canelo..Jab from Golovkin…Jab from Canelo..Jab..Right…Jab

Round 3  Right to body from Canelo…Big right from Canelo…Right..Jab…Right…

ROUND 4 Left from Canelo..Jab from Golovkin..Right to body…by Canelo…left hook..Jab…Right…

ROUND 5  Left from Canelo..Jab from Caenlo…Right,,,1-2…Right to body..Left hook…Hard right…

ROUNd 6 Jab from Canelo…Right from Golovkin..Right to body from Canelo..Uppercut from Golovkin..Left to body from Canelo…

ROUND 7   Right to head from Canelo…Uppercut and right to the body…Right to head …Uppercut from Golovkin..Jab

ROUND 8 Right from Canelo…left hook..Counter right..Right to body…Right to bidy…Left gook..andother…Right from Golovkin..Right over the top..

ROUND 9 Double Jab from Canelo..3 punch body combo…Uppercut..1-2 ..Hard left hook from Golovkin…Combo on ropes..Hard right over the top..Ripping right from Canelo..

Round 10 Body shot from Canelo…..Uppercut..Hard jabs from Golovkin…

ROUND 11 Quick start for Canelo with a 3 punch combination…Nig uppercut…Left hook…Left from Golovkin

ROUND 12 Canelo dominant and crusie home

116-112 AND 115-113 FOR CANELO

ROUND 1  Right from Gonzalez….Uppercut from Rodriguez..

ROUND 2 Straight left from Rodriguez…

ROUND 3 Good Straight Left from Rodriguez…

ROUND 4 Hard Left Uppercut from Rodriguez…jab..Straight left..right from Gonzalez..Body shot..Straight left from Rodriguez..Right to body

Rounds 5-11   Rodriguez dominating.  He was deducted a point in round 4 for a low blow

ROUND 12 Rodriguez  working on the inside…Right to side..

118-109; 117-110; 114-113 FOR RODRIGUEZ

Round 1: Akhmedov lands a left
Round 2 Right from Akhmedov…Jab..2 punch combination…Right over the top..Jab from Rosado
Round 3  Volume punching from Akmedov
Round 4  Combination from Akhmedov..Double jab…Double left and right
Round 5 Right from Rosado…Combination from Akhmedov
Round 7 Right to body from Akhmedov…Left from Rosado..Uppercut and body shot from Akhmedov
Round 9 Right from Rosado..3 Punch combination from Akhmedov…Right
Round 10 Double jab from Akhmedov…1-2…Right from Rosado…Right…Right to head..Left…3 punches from Akhmedov…1-2..Hard 3 punch combination

100-90 on ALL 3 CARDS FOR AKHMEDOV

Round 1 Jabs from Williams..Right from Conway..Right to body
Round 2 Right from Conway..2 lefts from Williams..Left to body…
Round 3
Round 4 Jab from Conway…Straight left from Williams..Body shot from Conway..Jab from Williams..Right from Conway
Round 5  Left from Williams..Right hook..Double right from Conway…Jab..Left from Williams…Right from Conway,,,
Round 6 
Round 7 Jab from Williams..Left..Jabbing from Both…
Round 8 Left from Williams
Round 9 Conway bleeding from his nose…UPPERCUT AND DOWN GOES CONWAY
Round 10 Jab from Williams…

96-93 and 97-92 TWICE FOR WILLIAMS

Round 1:
ROUND 5 OVERHAND RIGHT AND DOWN GOES COLLAZO….FOLLOW UP AND THE FIGHT IS OVER

By Norm Frauenheim –

LAS VEGAS – Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin kept their cool under a hot desert sun Friday afternoon at a staged weigh-in.

It was more concert than conflict.

More of a festival than a fight.

Hostility was only there in the eyes and the words exchanged after both fighters stepped off the scale, each a fraction of a pound lighter than the super-middleweight maximum for their third fight Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

At a weigh-in behind closed doors a few hours before the show on the plaza outside of T-Mobile, Golovkin was at a career-high 167.8 pounds. Canelo, the undisputed defending super-middleweight champ, weighed 167.4.

On the scale, their obligations were met. In the ring, their promises remain to be delivered in a long-awaited, long-overdue bout (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) that figures to be the final punctuation point to a contentious rivalry.

Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs) has promised a stoppage. He says it will end within 12 rounds. The first bout in 2017 ended in a draw. The rematch in 2018 ended in Canelo winning a majority decision. Controversy has lingered ever since.

“Come on, if you guys are real boxing fans, you know who is the real champ,’’ said Golovkin (42-1-1, 33 KOs), a middleweight champion who is fighting at super-middle for the first time ever.

GGG has long argued that he won the first two. The question is whether he can deliver the proof. He’s 40, at least a couple of years past his prime. Canelo knows that.

At 32, Canelo is presumably still in his prime, although there were questions – still unanswered – left in the wake of only his second loss in his last outing against light-heavyweight Dmitry Bivol.

He, too, has much to prove against a fighter who has angered him ever since he tested positive for clenbuterol before their 2018 fight. Canelo blamed the test on tainted beef.

GGG dismissed Canelo’s explanation, suggesting that was it was more like the manure produced by the beef.

Over the four years since their last fight, the two have never really settled the argument. It looks as if they’ll get a final chance to do so Saturday on DAZN pay-per-view ($64.99 for subscribers/$84.99 for non-subscribers).

A stoppage, perhaps, is the best way for Canelo to silence GGG, who says he saw nothing new in Canelo during their ritual face-to-face stare-down Friday.

“Maybe, he saw nothing new in my eyes,’’ Canelo said to a roaring crowd of his loyal fans Friday. “But he’ll see something new in the ring.’’

DAZN executives hope so. They have wanted the third fight for four years. They have invested in it heavily. The total purse is $65 million.  But there are questions about whether the fight is too far past its due date.There was a huge crowd on the plaza. for the staged weigh-in. As of Friday, however, the fight had yet to sell out.

By Norm Frauenheim–

LAS VEGAS – Canelo Alvarez says he’s happy to be back on what he calls the path to greatness, a destination that suddenly grew elusive in a stunning loss to Dmitry Bivol four months ago.

It’s still there, of course. Canelo has always talked about greatness as though it’s his destiny. Bivol was just like that bumper sticker. Bleep happens.

Canelo intends to leave it behind and resume his march on history in a long-awaited and long-overdue third fight with Gennadiy Golovkin Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in a DAZN pay-per-view bout.

Everything seems to say that a victory over Golovkin will happen. GGG is 40, the same age Manny Pacquiao was when his career ended against late stand-in Yordenis Ugas a year ago. Canelo is nearly a 5-to-1 favorite.

Nobody gives GGG much of a chance. Then again, few would have ever guessed that Albert Pujols would be closing in on the 700-home-run milestone at 42-years-old either. Remember, bleep happens. Maybe, GGG channels Pujols and hits a homer here. But don’t bet on it.

Expect a Canelo victory. But greatness is different. It’s not an expectation. It’s an argument. At least, it is amid all the talk before GGG and Canelo resume their contentious rivalry.

Canelo, still boxing’s undisputed box-office draw, stirred up controversy about a month ago when asked if he would fight fellow Mexican Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez if Ramirez beats Bivol on Nov. 5.

“I don’t want to fight Mexicans,’’ Canelo said. “I represent Mexico.’’

The comment has been repeated and interpreted. According to one interpretation, Canelo was really saying he wouldn’t fight David Benavidez. The problem with that one is that Benavidez is Mexican-American. He’s from Phoenix. Over the last couple of years, Benavidez has emerged as the one super-middleweight fans would like to see fight Canelo.

But Canelo has moved on to other challenges against other 168-pound contenders, including Callum Smith or Caleb Plant or Billy Joe Saunders. He’s also moved up the scale, beating former light-heavyweight champ Sergey Kovalev and losing to Bivol. None of the moves have included Benavidez.

His comment about not fighting Mexicans, however, is just a further sign to Benavidez father-and-trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. that he never will.

Benavidez Sr. repeated what was said after David’s third-round blowout of David Lemieux last May in Glendale, Ariz. Then, Benavidez manager/promoter Sampson Lewkowicz told the media to forget about Canelo.

“Quit talking about David-versus-Canelo,’’ Lewkowicz said. “It’s fantasy.’’

In so many words, Jose Benavidez Sr. said the same thing four months later after a news conference Thursday at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

“It’ll never happen,’’ said Benavidez’ dad. who will be in Diego Pacheco’s corner for a super-middleweight bout against Enrique Collazo on Saturday’s undercard.

Then, Jose Benavidez had a lot more to say, suggesting that Canelo’s planned path to greatness can never happen without a fight against his son. The defining face of great in Mexican boxing is Julio Cesar Chavez.

Go to a barrio gym in Mexico or the United States. Chances are you’ll see at least one photo or poster of the legendary JCC. He’s the icon

“Julio Cesar Chavez became one by fighting everyone,’’ he said. “He fought Filipinos, he fought Americans. It didn’t matter. He fought everyone. Nationality didn’t matter. You only had to be a champion.

“There’s no other way to be great.’’

PHILADELPHIA (September 15, 2022)–Weights for Friday night’s Hard Hitting Promotions show at the Fillmore.

Joshafat Ortiz 129.8 – Mario Ezequiel Sayal Lozano 132.3

Jan Carlos Rivera 142.9 – Ganzalo Carlos Dallera 145

John Leonardo 127.5 – Pedro Hernandez 127.2

Carlos Ramos 131.1 – Diuhl Olguin 130.1

Jeffrey Villanueva 117.9 – Jose Torres 119.8

LeAnna Cruz 113.9 – Lillian Almarez 114.4

Abdiel Padilla 142.1 – Axl Malendez Salgado 149.3

Promoter: Hard Hitting Promotions (Ortiz vs Lozano is in Association w/DiBella Entertainment)

Venue: The Fillmore

1st Brll: 7 PM ET

Tickets for this great night of boxing ate $60, $75, $100 and $175 and can be purchased at BY CLICKING HERE

By Norm Frauenheim-

It’s hard to believe anything Tyson Fury says these days. He’s the master of the rhetorical feint, an entertaining way of serving up distractions and misinformation. In Fury’s dangerous hands, it’s an art form.  

One minute he’s retired. The next, he’s not. One minute, he’s fighting Derek Chisora. The next, he’s not. It’s all nonsense, of course, from a heavyweight champion who either has too much time on his hands or just needs the attention. Whatever the reason, few are better at turning the ring into a personal stage.

Laugh at the punch lines. Suspend the believability.

The latest chapter in Fury’s ongoing routine involves Anthony Joshua. Fury has let everyone know that he wants to fight him, wants to fight him as soon as possible.

Of course, he does.

Joshua appears to be as vulnerable as ever in the wake of his second straight loss to Oleksandr Usyk, who won a split decision in a competitive rematch on August 20.

Other than the usual bruises, Joshua emerged from the loss in Saudi Arabia without any reported injuries.

But the absence of blood doesn’t mean there wasn’t damage to his confidence. Fury saw what everybody else did. He watched Joshua’s emotional meltdown in a bizarre exhibition immediately after the decision was announced.

He threw two of Usyk’s belts out of the ring. He grabbed the microphone and delivered a desperate plea, seemingly asking the crowd and television audience to believe in him. Joshua emerged from the loss unhurt. But it sounded as if his confidence was fractured.

Fury heard it. He also saw a fighter, still big and powerful, who had improved, perhaps because of new trainer Robert Garcia’s guidance. Joshua had Usyk in trouble throughout a dramatic ninth round.

In the wake of Usyk’s decision to not fight until early next year, Fury immediately turned to Joshua. Fury’s predatory instincts had to tell him the time was now. Fight him, finish him, before he has even more time to improve.

A result, perhaps, was sudden news that Joshua had agreed to a purse split for a fight projected for December 17. Forty percent for Joshua, 60 percent for Fury.

But Fury’s co-promoter Bob Arum isn’t buying.

“I really don’t think Joshua’s people are anxious to make the fight now,” Arum said to Sky Sports while in London for a Claressa Shields-Savannah Marshall/Mikaela Mayer-Alycia Baumgardner card postponed Thursday because of Queen Elizabeth’s death. “He’s come through a devastating loss and I think, conventionally, Joshua is going to want a couple of soft touches to get back in the swing of things.’’

It’s not exactly clear what — who – qualifies as a soft touch. Deontay Wilder is set to make his comeback from a devastating stoppage loss a year ago to Fury against Robert Helenius on October 15 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Wilder faces some of the same questions that Joshua does when step back through the ropes. Still, his singular power is there, hardly a soft touch. A young heavyweight, unknown and inexperienced, might pose the least risk for Joshua’s re-entry.

Whoever it is, Arum is betting it won’t be Fury. He dismisses talk from Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn that an agreement on the purse split is in place.

“Eddie Hearn is just talking.,’’ Arum said. “Eddie Hearn, if he wanted to make the fight, he knows me well enough and knows I’m over here.

“…We haven’t really heard from Eddie Hearn. He’s really good at making statements to the press and television. But he’s not – I don’t think – anxious to make this fight.

“I’ve been in boxing a long time and the fact that Eddie and Joshua would want this fight is, to me, incomprehensible. It makes no sense. If I’m wrong and they decide they want it, they know where to find us and call. Stop talking to the press and talk to us and see if we can put it together.”

Hearn, a longtime Arum rival, had his own take.

“I’m not quite sure what Bob Arum has spoken about,’’ said Hearn, who said he has had multiple phone calls and exchanged several e-mails with Frank Warren’s Queensbury Promotions, Fury’s UK promoter. ‘’AJ has just finished his fight with Usyk. He has a couple of bumps and bruises, nothing major.

“Queensberry have the date held of December 17, and that is our preferred date to make the fight. We’re in continued discussions.’’

With Fury in the mix, the only sure bet is that discussion will continue, ad nauseam.

By Norm Frauenheim–

Canelo Alvarez is fighting for Mexicans, but not against Mexicans.

That, at least, was the message he intended this week during a media workout for his approaching date with Gennadiy Golovkin on Sept. 17 in a third fight.

“I don’t want to fight Mexicans,’’ Canelo said. “I represent Mexico.’’

The comment to USA Today at his training camp in San Diego generated questions, if not exasperation, especially among fans who might be reaching into their closets to dust off old caps with the GGG logo done in Mexico’s green-white-and-red colors.

Canelo was responding to a question about whether he would fight fellow Mexican Gilberto “Zurdo’’ Ramirez if Ramirez beat cruiserweight champion Dmitry Bivol. On the scale of tough questions, this one wasn’t intended to be confrontational. It was a softball.

After all, Bivol beat Canelo. If Ramirez can do what Canelo could not, why not go straight to Ramirez in a fight that would be a Mexican blockbuster? It’s simple. Sensible. It also would be a further step toward an initial measure of redemption for Canelo after his stunning May loss to Bivol. He could beat the man who beat him.

What’s more, this is boxing. Not politics. It’s not as if Canelo is running for office. He’s only trying to get back into the pound-for-pound debate. The road back begins with an interesting fight against a bitter rival in a second rematch that could restore the historical momentum he had before the Bivol defeat.

He made the comment, of course, simply because he can. Follow the money. In the boxing business, that means follow Canelo. His minimum wage against Bivol was $15 million, plus a reported 70 percent of pay-per-view sales. He’s the draw, undisputed in every way. That figures to continue, especially if he’s able to make a statement with a definitive victory over GGG. Betting odds suggest that will happen.

Canelo is favored, minus-600, which puts his probability of victory at 85.5 percent. That’s one-sided enough to think that a knockout is likely. For Canelo, a stoppage is almost mandatory.

It would serve as the final punctuation to the skepticism that has circulated for years about the first two fights.

The first bout at middleweight was judged a split draw in September 2017. A year later, the second bout, also at middleweight, was judged to be a Canelo victory by the narrowest of margins. He won a majority decision.

But there was no end to the debate. It has raged on and at a level that forced a third fight. For whatever reason, the third is way past its due date. Still, it’s interesting, because the final say-so goes to the victor.

On paper, Canelo has all the advantages. At 32, he’s eight-years younger than the 40-year old GGG. He’s at his most comfortable weight, 168-pounds. GGG is moving up the scale. All the elements for Canelo to make a definitive statement are in place.

But he’s complicated it with his comments about not wanting to fight a fellow Mexican. Those words could create additional pressure. Suddenly, Canelo has a lot to prove. To himself. And to his fans.

He’s fighting to put some distance between himself and the Bivol loss. He’s also fighting an old rival, one who created his own niche among Mexican-American fans in Southern California before his first bout with Canelo.

In much of the pre-fight hype, GGG looks and sounds comfortable about his role.

“Many Mexicans love me and nobody in Kazakhstan loves Canelo,” GGG, a Kazak living in southern California, said a couple of weeks ago.

He has little to lose. He knows he’s close to retirement, and he’s said so.  An old warhorse, he still knows his way around the ring. It’s not clear how Canelo will react in his first fight after a one-sided loss to Bivol.

A tentative Canelo creates opportunities for GGG.

So, too, does a careless Canelo, whose recent comments create a potential distraction, one he can’t afford at a moment when he’s fighting to retain his pound-for-pound relevancy and his pay-per-view marketability.

Juan Francisco Estrada is ‘excited’ to be back in action and ready to put on a show when he defends his WBC Franchise and Ring Magazine World Super-Flyweight titles against Argi Cortes on Saturday September 3 from Centro de Usos Multiples in Hermosillo, Mexico and broadcast live to all subscribers worldwide on DAZN.
 
Estrada (42-3 28 KOs) makes a welcome return to action almost 18 months after edging out Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez in their epic rematch in Dallas in March 2021. ‘El Gallo’ welcomes Cortes to his hometown and the same arena he stopped Dewayne Beamon in August 2019, and the Hermosillo hero will want to put on another show for his fans. Cortes (23-2-2 10 KOs) lands the biggest fight of his career in his 28^th pro outing, with the Mexico City man aiming upset his fellow countryman and become a household name overnight.
 
The Super-Flyweight landscape is as exciting as ever, with Chocolatito holding the WBC Diamond strap, up and coming superstar Jesse Rodriguez producing stunning wins over Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai so far this year and a host of talents at 112 and 115lbs itching to test themselves against the best – so 32 year old Estrada is looking to remind the world that he’s the top dog.
 
“I am very excited for this show, where we can finally get into the ring after more than a year without fighting,” said Estrada. “I expect a difficult rival, I know that Argi will arrive very well prepared, and will have a man in the corner who knows everything, everyone, with great experience and achievements like Don Nacho Beristain. 
 
“But we have made a great preparation and that I have enjoyed a lot, because for the first time in six years, I have had a camp without injuries, and that has me very motivated for this fight and whatever comes next. There are so many great fights out there and I cannot wait to return.
 
“I hope the fans join us on Saturday. My fight against Cortés will be a war, and the rest of the fight card will be very competitive and exciting with two more World championships, very good prospects, hometown talent with my teammates here Christian Olivo and Omar Salcido present. It will be a historic event that people cannot miss, I hope to see all my people at the arena.”
 
There are two more World title bouts on the bill, starting with the long-awaited rematch between Erika Cruz and Jelena Mrdjenovich for the WBA World Featherweight title. Cruz (14-1 3 KOs) ripped the title from long-time champion Mrdjenovich (41-11-2 19 KOs) in April 2021, with the Mexican ending the five-year rule of the Canadian on the cards after an accidental headclash halted the contest after seven rounds. Cruz successfully defended the belt in Puerto Vallarta in November via split decision over Melissa Esquivel, while the former champion returns for the first time since the first battle.
 
The vacant IBF World Flyweight title is on the line between unbeaten pair Hector Flores and Sivenathi Nontshinga. Both men taste their first World title action as Tijuana’s Flores (20-0-4 10 KOs) builds on his victory over Welsh World title challenger Jay Harris in Wales in November, while hard-punching Nontshinga (10-0 9 KOs) fights outside his native South Africa for the first time and comes into the bout on the back of his first points win in his tenth bout having beaten his previous nine foes inside the distance.
 
Also featuring on the card is Super-Featherweight dangerman Eduardo Hernandez, defending his WBC Silver International title against Jorge Mata. Hernandez (32-1 29 KOs) pulled off a stunning victory last time out, blitzing Jorge Castaneda inside a round in Guadalajara in June to land the title he defends against Mata (14-0-2 10 KOs), the unbeaten 21 year old Tijuana native who fights for his first pro title.

By Norm Frauenheim-

Tyson Fury is a little bit like an ex-American president. He stays in the headlines.

Fury has been there, loud and profane, throughout a week that should belong to Oleksandr Usyk.

Usyk’s rightful chance to celebrate his brilliant ascendancy to the top of the heavyweight division has been stolen, first by the fighter he beat and then by the fighter he wants to beat, all within six days.

Anthony Joshua grabbed the microphone moments after he lost a split decision to Usyk in a rematch Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Joshua also tossed two championship belts out of the ring. They weren’t even his belts. They belonged to Usyk.

Somehow, Joshua thought he could trash somebody else’s property. Even Riddick Bowe knew better thirty years ago. In 1992, Bowe tossed the World Boxing Council’s belt into a garbage can in London. But it was Bowe’s belt to throw away. Ownership and sanctioning fees come with privileges. Bad behavior doesn’t.

Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn is defending Joshua, asking for understanding. That’s his job. Still, I can’t help but think that Joshua might have faced more than just criticism if his tantrum had played out in New York or Las Vegas instead of Saudi Arabia. Boxing is the flip side to politically-correct. It’s hard to regulate behavior.  

But if belts can be tossed out of the ring and into the crowd, what’s next? Stools and buckets? Hide the kids. If you’re seated in a ringside seat, wear a helmet.

A state Commission might issue some kind of censure, a warning to Joshua. But this was Saudi Arabia, a nation that is moving into boxing, golf and auto racing as a way to sports-wash — launder — its image. Nothing new about it. It’s been around since the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Boxing, however, is a risky way to get anything clean. The sport is a collection of great moments and Godfather moments. Still, it generates headlines and money. Enter Fury.

Within hours after Joshua’s tantrum, Fury was at the bully pulpit. He slammed Usyk’s victory, saying ad nauseam that he’s ready to come out of retirement. He’ll fight, he promises, only for half-a-billion. It’s not clear whether he’s talking about pounds or dollars. 

Whatever the currency, it’s astronomical, big enough to be prohibitive. Maybe, that’s the idea. I’ve long thought that Fury’s retirement is just more hot air from a gasbag looking for more attention.

But an impossible demand is one way for Fury to say no to the Usyk possibility. He repeated it Wednesday via social media.

“Hi guys, to all out there that want to make the fight, I’m gonna give you all seven days — till the 1st of September, to come up with the money,” Fury said on Instagram.  “If not, thank you very much. It’s been a blast. I’m retired.”

In a second post, he says, “Also, guys, I forgot to say, all the offers submitted must be to my lawyer, Robert Davies, in writing and with proof of funds. So, let the games begin.”

Safe to say, the head games are already well underway.

At today’s inflation rate, there’s no telling how much Fury’s half-a-bill will be worth. How ever many zeroes, it figures to be more than anyone will be willing to pay. Reportedly, the Saudis paid $150 million for the rights to Usyk-Joshua 2, a rematch of a Usyk victory in the UK about a year ago.

For as long as Fury’s demand makes the fight impossible, he can stay in the headlines with noise mocking Usyk. He calls him a “middleweight.” He says nobody knows who he is. He says he can’t pronounce his name. The lousy lounge act continues. Some of it is funny.

He told talkSPORT that he knows the Saudis have the money.

“They offered Tiger Woods $1 billion,’’ Fury said of the Saudi attempt to get Woods to join LIV Golf.

Then, he dismissed Usyk’s punching power.

“He couldn’t knock the skin off a rice pudding,’’ Fury said.

But talk won’t beat the unbeaten Usyk. There’s no doubt that the much-bigger Fury is the only fight Usyk wants.

“If I’m not fighting Tyson Fury, I’m not fighting at all,’’ he said while standing in the middle of a chaotic ring following his victory over Joshua.

Usyk also didn’t criticize Joshua. He stood there like a parent, watching Joshua with a look that was a mix of exasperation and disapproval. Joshua was more toddler than ex-heavyweight champ. It was hard not to cringe. But Usyk kept his poise, a great champion and a serious man. He has bigger fights. He returns to Ukraine and resumes the deadly fight against the Russians.

He’s a grown-up.

The heavyweight division could use one.  

Follow all the action as Oleksandr Usyk defends the IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight titles against two-time champion Anthony Joshua in a rematch.  The card kicks off at 1 PM ET / 8 PM in Saudi Arabia with bouts involving Ramla Ali Plus two elimination bouts with Callum Smith vs Mathieu Bauderlique and Filip Hrgovic and Zhilei Zhang

NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED.  THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY

ROUND 1: Right to body from Joshua…Left from Usyk..Jab..Jab..Left

ROUND 2: Joshua jabs to the body..Left to body..Straight right..Jab from Usyk..Jab from Joshua..Good right down the middle…right to the body

ROUND 3 Joshua lands a good right..Usyk lands a left..another left…Left

ROUND 4  Left From Usyk

ROUND 5 Low Blow landed by Joshua…Counter jab from Usyk

Round 6 Right to body from Joshua

RouND 7 Counter left from Usyk..

Round 8 Good body shot from Joshua…Left hook to the body..3 Punch combination to the body…Combination Usyk…Slapping right from Joshua..Uppercut from Usyk..Bidy shot from Joahua

ROUND 9 Right from Joshua..Huge flurry from Joshua backing Usyk up…Good left hook…Good body shot

Round 10 Big left from Usyk…Body shot…Right from Joshua rocks Usyk..Uppercut and right from Usyk..Uppercut…Body shot

Round 11 Good body shot from Joshua..Left from Usyk…Jab

ROUND 12 Hard body shot from Joshua..Right..3 punch combination from Usyk…Big left hook and a right from Joshua…

115-113 Joshua….115-113 Usyk…116-112 Usyk

Round 1  Right Hook and dOWN GOES Hrgovic
Round 2 Straight from Hrgovic
Round 3 Straight left from Zhang..Good body shot
Round 4 2 Lefts from Zhang and 2 rights to the body..Hard right from Hrgovic..Left from Zhang..Zhang cut on his forehead
Round 5 Good body work from Hrgovic…Good right..Good counter from Zhang
Round 6 Big combination from Zhang..Hrgovic look hurt..Bosy shot from Hrgovic
Round 7 Right from Hrgovic..Counter from Zhang..Sweeping left from Hrgovic..3 punch combination
Round 8 Big left from Zhang..Hard right from Hrgovic..Counter right..Lett hook..Right..Over hand right snaps Zhang’s head back
Round 9 Good right hook from Zhang,,Hard combination..Hard lefts…Big left
Round 10 Check left hook from Zhang..Left from Hrgovic…Right…Body shots…Quick combination..ANother combination
Round 11 Combination to body from Hrgovic..Good right from Zhang…Hard right..Combination from Hrgovic…
Round 12 Straight right from Hrgovic…

115-112 twice…114-113 for HRGOVIC

Round 1: Right from Smith..Left from Bauderlique
Round 2 Right from Smith..Trading hooks…Left from Bauderlique..Right from Smith..Left on inside..Right to body..Uppercut..
Round 3 Right from Smith..Left hook to the body and 2 more..Bauderlique lands a right hook to the body..Right to body from Smith…Short left hook…hard left hook
Round 4 Good body shot from Smith,…HARD LEFT AND DOWN GOES BAUDERLIQUE…Right wobbles Bauderlique…HUGE LEFT HOOK DNA DOWN GOES BAUDERLIQUE AND THE FIGHT IS OVER

Round 1 Rivera lands a 2 rights..Left hook from Jack and a right to the body..Good right from Rivera
Round 2 Big right from Jack..Body shots…Good left hook..Big right…Good uppercut from Rivera…Good right..Leaping shots from Rivera…
Round 3 Jab from Jack..Right to body..2 Uppercuts from Rivera…Jab from Jack..Right and good left hook
Round 4  Uppercut from Rivera…Body shot from Jack…Flurry from Rivera..Left..Right…Left hook from Jack…
Round 5 Right to body from Jack..Hard right
Round 6 Big Right from Jack…Hard left hook to the body..Good uppercut from Rivera…Left..Flurry that ends with a hard right to the body…
Round 7 Good overhand right from Jack… Good uppercut on inside from Rivera…Left hook to body from Jack…Good right to the body
Round 8 Flurry from Rivera…hard right from Jack. Swelling around the right eye of Jack…Right over the top from Jack..Good left hook..Another big left hook…Right over the top..Big body shot…
Round 9 Good 1-2 from Jack..Good uppercut from Rivera
Round 10 Big right from Jack

96-94 Rivera, 96-94 Jack, 96-94 Jack

Round 1: Alatorre lands a left and right hand.  Left hook…Hard RIGHT AND DOWN GOES ALATORRE…Right Rocks Alatorre…COMBINATION AND DOWN GOES ALATORRE AND THE FIGHT IS OVER

Round 1 HARD RIGHT AND DOWN GOES NOVA…SHE DOES NOT GET UP…FIGHT OVER

By Norm Frauenheim –

Boxing and war are often confused, especially in the media. Great fights are called wars. Great fighters are warriors. It’s part of the hype. Sometimes, it’s part of the sales pitch.

Marvin Hagler’s wild stoppage of Thomas Hearns in 1987 is forever remembered as The War, which would later become a logo stitched in white across the front of Hagler’s blood-red cap.

Warfare as symbol and metaphor has always been part of the story. It’s there, a chapter in history, where symbol and sport become one. Joe Louis’ rematch knockout of German Max Schmeling in 1938 is considered a milestone, the first blows thrown in a looming World War.

But it takes a current war, long and lethal, to separate the symbol from the sport, the carnage from the circus.

Make no mistake, boxing is dangerous. But war is disaster.

Oleksandr Usyk reminds us of that, especially Saturday (DAZN, 10 am PT/1 pm ET) when he re-enters the ring for a rematch against Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia after weeks of duty in a self-defense unit in Ukraine.

He’s a soldier on leave. His fellow warriors in the fight against Russia will still patrol city streets and Ukrainian countryside while he goes back to work on a job that pays millions. But that job takes on a magnitude hard to overstate.

Impossible to imagine.

“My country and my honor are more important to me than a championship belt,” he said repeatedly throughout the weeks before Saturday’s opening bell.

Fighting-for-country is a well-worn cliche, especially at the Olympics. But Usyk, who fought and won Olympic gold for his country in 2012, will now fight for the Ukraine in a mission to inspire his nation’s fellow warriors.

Usyk, a family man with three kids, told reporters at a news conference in Jeddah Thursday that he’s been in touch with fellow soldiers.

“I receive voice and video messages from them with words of support and news that they are praying for me and for my victory,’’ said Usyk, who agreed to fight the heavyweight rematch at the urging of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “They are holding their hands tight and praying for my victory. That motivates me.”

Attention to detail in the gym is about all Usyk could do once the deal for the rematch was done in mid-June. He upset the bigger Joshua last September, scoring a unanimous decision over the popular UK heavyweight. But the war at home also was impossible to shut out. It’s there, 24-7, on television. Its effect was there, too, evident on the scale early in training camp. He had lost weight.

“In the first month of the war, I lost 10 pounds,” Usyk told The Guardian.

He blamed it on stress that every Ukrainian felt at the first sound of a Russian missile and the first sight of a dead neighbor. But the pounds came back. If anything, Usyk looks to be bigger than he was in his September victory over Joshua for three of the significant belts. He’s expected to be around 220 pounds against the 6-foot-6 Joshua, who promises to be more aggressive with new trainer Robert Garcia in his corner.

There are questions about whether the added bulk will impact Usyk’s unique footwork and upper-body movement. Joshua, curiously passive for the last few years, is expected to unleash an early assault.

The unspoken question rests in how Usyk will deal with the unprecedented pressure that will follow him into the ring. An entire war-torn country will be watching. Usyk ensured it.

Initially, Usyk offered to buy the television rights. His plan was to make the fight free on his YouTube channel for everybody in the Ukraine. Then, promoters decided to simply give the rights to Usyk, who quietly did what Tyson Fury demanded between a couple of retirements over the last couple of months. Fury — still retired the last anybody checked — said he would fight the Usyk-Joshua winner only if the UK could see the fight for free. Fury also said he’d fight for only half-a-billion dollars.

Hard to know what Fury is doing.

But there’s no confusion about Usyk. In a rare moment when war and boxing will be impossible to separate, he’s fighting for warriors he left at home and warriors he plans to rejoin. 

By Mario Ortega Jr.-

The sport of boxing has been known for providing second chances. Troubled youth headed down the wrong path turns their angst and negative energy into something positive in the ring or a failed fighter can find a new lease on life as a trainer for a promising young talent, hoping their past mistakes can serve as a cautionary tale. Oakland, California’s Kris “Lightning” Lopez did not fulfill the promise he had as a fighter, but his third act in the sport has already proven more fruitful. The former promising amateur turned single fight pro is developing some exciting young talent out of his Lightning’s Boxing Club, most notably his own son David “Dynamite” Lopez, who goes for pro win number two this Sunday in Orlando, Florida on the Bally Sports Entrobox Championship Boxing undercard. 

Boxing and fighting is rooted deep in the Lopez family bloodline. “It is very interesting that boxing is in our family,” explains Kris Lopez, whose great grandfather Elmario Santos was a fighter. “My grandmother used to always tell me stories about him jumping rope and chasing roosters. That was what he did. Come to find out we have a cousin [Nante Manangan] in Hawaii and he’s the face of boxing in Hawaii. Mike Tyson has been to his gym, Laila Ali. Boxing is definitely in our family, from my grandmother’s side to my uncle’s.” 

Kris Lopez’ life in boxing began in what he refers to as bootleg backyard fights in his grandmother’s backyard. “So my uncle started my boxing career when I was young,” recalls Lopez. “I had like 80 backyard fights before my first amateur fight came about. I am not bragging about it. I was like a 15, 16-year-old kid and thought of myself like a Mike Tyson. I wanted to be like Mike Tyson. I looked up to him and studied him and kind of fought like him.  We never wore headgear, and we might have had mouthpieces and gloves, but it would be whatever gloves were around. We would have these fights, and the toughest guys would hear about me and want to fight.” 

The bootleg backyard fights would take place in a 10×10 or 8×8 foot box in Lopez’ grandmother’s backyard, where the young student of Mike Tyson fights would knock out two or three opponents in a single day at times. Lopez’ fighting career took a turn from the backyard into more organized amateur boxing after an encounter with his uncle. 

“One day I was talking to my ex-wife on the phone and my grandmother was telling me something in Tagalog to get off the phone and I wasn’t being disrespectful, but I wasn’t listening,” recalls Lopez. “Next thing I know, my uncle Richard, who was known as the “Duke of Garfield,” and is a legend in our family as the bully, he punched me. He punches me and I turned around as a reaction and knock him out with a one-two. Before he hit the deck, he said, ‘Good shot Kris.’ And then he woke up, and this guy survived Vietnam, and he chased me. I’m being nice, but he said some shit that got under my skin, so I knocked him out again. Then, our relationship was kinda ruined by that and my cousins kind of looked at me different, but the brothers were all secretly happy because he tormented their lives. His own siblings were like, ‘You knocked him out boy?’ and they were proud. This is straight out of a movie. It’s crazy. He was 50-years-old, and I was 20…It was just his presence. I’m not bragging about knocking out my 50-year-old uncle, it was pretty much an accident. But when it happened, in my mind, I knocked out the “Duke.”

Six months after his confrontation with his uncle, Lopez navigated his way to winning the San Francisco Golden Gloves, a feat he would end up repeating the following year. Away from his grandmother’s backyard, Lopez found his way to one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most respected boxing gyms, King’s Boxing Gym in Oakland. “I was at King’s at its peak, at its height,” remembers Lopez. “I was there when James Page was there and Andre [Ward]. Back then it seemed like fights were more scarce, so guys would fight in the gyms.” 

While still an amateur, Lopez was offered to provide sparring for Oscar De La Hoya, who at the time was well into his championship holding professional run. “They offered me to go spar De La Hoya after about my fifth fight,” remembers Lopez. “Honestly, I was scared, I am not going to lie. That dude had like 150 amateur fights and he’s on about his 34th pro fight and I am just getting started. I made up a good excuse. I said, ‘I am not going to fight him as an amateur, because I’ll kick his ass for four rounds, but then I will probably get tired and he will have his way with me. So, instead of sparring with him I am going to fight him for real one day, mark my words, and I am going to beat him.’ It would have been a great story if it had gone on to happen, but it didn’t happen. He went on to fulfill his legacy and I kind of faded into oblivion.” 

Despite amassing a 10-0 record as an amateur, Lopez’ fighting career fizzled out before he could profit from his early promise. “Self discipline. I didn’t have the self discipline,” explains Lopez. “I got caught up in the allure of the streets and selling drugs in the streets. It got the better of me.” 

Only years later, after a divorce and finding love and support from his second wife Denise, did Lopez come back to boxing and eventually get one professional fight under his belt, a disqualification defeat in Las Vegas, Nevada. “I found my wife and kinda got my act back together and salvaged what I had left with boxing, because it was all I really knew and we kind of gave it a shot,” explains Lopez. “I fought my best and I wasn’t the same as when I was 20, but I didn’t know that until I fought and I hit the guy and I couldn’t hurt him. The guy took the shots like a champ. It was kind of a messy, uneventful amateurish pro debut between two guys. It was really a lot of holding and hitting.”  

With his in-ring career behind him, Lopez found his way as a trainer and eventually opened his own gym, Lightning’s Boxing Club in Oakland. Today, Lopez trains professional fighters such as veteran contender Aaron Coley and heavily hyped former international amateur standout Yoel Angeloni of Italy, who turned professional in June with a decision victory in Melbourne, Australia. However, what has undoubtedly brought him the most joy has been developing his own sons, Daniel and younger brother David as fighters. 

“Daniel, my older son, he’s the one that beat Fernando Vargas,” says Lopez with pride. “He could punch, man. I wish he would have stuck with it. He’s making a comeback now. He’s lost 20 pounds, he’s 25. You know how the sport is. We will see what he has left and I am going to support him. Daniel was a two left-footer with power. He’s not as fast or as smooth [as his younger brother,] he’s more of a brute type of fighter, instead of more of a thinker. Now, we are trying to get him to become more of a thinker, so we will see.” 

David Lopez, currently 1-0 as a professional, has been a closely followed wunderkind since the earliest stages of his amateur boxing career. Kris’ old King’s Gym mate Andre Ward took a special interest early on, even inviting David to carry his championship belt to the ring for fights. News cameras and television stations have loved interviewing David, a polished public speaker for such a young kid, from the very beginning. Under the tutelage of his father, David showed an advanced aptitude for the fight game early on. 

“The guys that David beat [as an amateur] had like 125 fights and David only had like 10 and beat them,” remembers Kris. “So we weren’t too worried about David, because David is just the greatest kid fighter I have ever seen in my life. I think he could have beat Andre. He could have beat Roy Jones.” 

David Lopez turned professional in October with a first-round knockout after becoming the youngest fighter signed to a contract by Mayweather Promotions, before even completing high school. Since his debut, lining up willing opponents that actually stick with the fight after signing a contract has been the biggest struggle for the young Lopez. Fights scheduled for February in Las Vegas and in May in Los Angeles fell out after fully completed training camps. 

“I’ve learned there’s a lot of bumps in the road getting fights, but being introduced to the professional game, I’ve learned to always stay ready for whatever,” the media savvy David Lopez explained to Bay Area KRON4 news recently. “It is very stressful. I’ve gone through a lot of training camps and I put my body through a lot. It takes a toll to go through these long camps and then guys pull out. But me and my dad try to stay positive and keep positive mindsets.” 

There have been some very successful father-son, trainer-fighter combos in boxing over the years. It would appear that the Lopez family could be another successful entry in that boxing tradition. 

“It’s great having my dad with me,” says David Lopez. “I know that I am safe and that my dad has my best interests. I think it is really cool that I get to follow my dreams with my dad. He’s a part of it and he’s taking me to where I need to go through his knowledge from what he has experienced in his past. It is definitely dope that my father gets to be part of this and is my trainer of course.” 

This Sunday night at the Caribe Royale Orlando, Kris Lopez guides his son David into the ring for his second professional bout. Through his son and the other aspiring young boxers that walk into his gym in Oakland seeking his expertise and guidance, Lopez has already achieved a level of success and accomplishment he may not have found as a fighter himself, but a second chance is one of the things boxing provides in abundance.  

“I sought out to become a legitimate fighter,” says Kris “Lightning” Lopez. “I struggled with it a bit and I kind of blew my career. Here I am years later, trying to right my wrongs with my kids.” 

Tickets for the event, promoted by Boxlab Promotions, American Dream Presents, Mayweather Promotions and GH3 Promotions and televised by Bally Sports Network, are available online at ticketmaster.com 

Photos courtesy the Lopez family 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com or followed on Twitter @MarioG280

By Norm Frauenheim –

Tyson Fury, lineal heavyweight champion and undisputed populist, is back. Correct that. He never left. He’s still at the proverbial pulpit, but more as a comedian than a bully.

He never retired, of course. We knew that. He knew that. But it was a show, a lousy lounge act full of one liners and rhetorical feints. Fury needs a microphone the way the rest of us need oxygen.

That’s why he’s so much fun. That’s why he’s so exasperating. That’s also why he gets away with it — all with a wink, nod and sometimes a few lyrics from Bye-Bye, Miss American Pie.

From this corner, he’s a better singer than a comedian. But he’s neither Frank Sinatra nor Richard Pryor. What he is — who he is — has never been in dispute. He’s a great heavyweight, as cunning and clever as any.

The good news: That’s a role he’ll continue to play. Actually, it’s the only news.

Amid a flurry of Fury one-liners this week, the only headline is further confirmation that Fury’s retirement was really a vacation. There’s only one reliable guide on Fury. To wit: As long as he’s talking, he’s still active. When he’s fighting — who he’s fighting — are questions without answers.

At least, there were no answers in headlines over the last few days that said Fury was wanted to fight Derek Chisora for a third time. Fury has already beaten Chisora twice. What’s to prove in a third?

A trilogy was news to Chisora. News, too, for co-promoter Bob Arum, who told Dan Rafael’s Fight Freaks to pay no attention. It was just another performance with the microphone from Fury, said Arum, who went on to say that Fury is waiting on the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony rematch a week from Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

That’s the smart thing, the only thing remotely believable. Between opening bells, however, Fury isn’t interested in believable. He just wants an audience, and he got one just as the media megaphone began to shift its attention to Usyk-Joshua 2.

Fury’s UK promoter Frank Warren also is confident he’ll fight again, although Warren’s tone isn’t as skeptical as the ever-forthright Arum.

“I speak to him all the time, Warren told Sky Sports. “If he wants to fight, he’ll fight. I’m not going to tempt him. Because if he needs that, then he shouldn’t be fighting.

“It’s got to come from him and his heart. Do I think we’ll see Tyson in a ring? I do because I think he’s a fighting man and I think he’ll miss it too much. The fans love him. He’s got a real rapport with the man on the street. He’s different class. And he’ll do what he wants to do.”

Warren knows as well as Fury that an all-UK fight between Fury and Joshua is a biggie. It would make some history and GDP-kind of money. But would is a key qualifier here. Yet, the fair-minded Warren doesn’t think Joshua can beat Usyk, a heavyweight every bit as cunning and clever as Fury. Usyk’s versatile skillset and genius ring IQ prevailed in an upset, a unanimous decision over Joshua last September.

“Against Joshua he looked different class,” said Warren, who watched Usyk in his first two dates at heavyweight in victories over Chazz Witherspoon and Chisora. “He didn’t use any of his physical attributes. I didn’t understand why.

“I felt that he would out-jab him or keep him on the end of the jab and let the right hand go. But he didn’t. He was getting out-jabbed by a smaller guy on the outside. I thought the only way Usyk was going to do any damage was to get underneath inside and work inside.

“But he didn’t have to do that. He was beating him on the outside. How do you fight him? I really do fancy Tyson to beat him.

“I think Tyson is a similar guy in some ways and a much, much bigger guy.”

That’s no punchline.

By Mario Ortega Jr.-

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – Undefeated middleweight prospect Amari Jones likely has his seventh straight knockout on his mind as he heads into battle against veteran Michael Lemelle tonight at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton, Sacramento. The six-round middleweight bout headlines a five-fight card at what has become the lone launching pad for Northern California fighters in recent years. Fighters weighed-in Thursday afternoon at Our Place Event Space & Kitchen in historic Old Sacramento.  

Jones (6-0, 6 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada by way of Oakland, California was last seen two months ago as he scored a second-round stoppage on the undercard of Devin Haney-George Kambosos in Melbourne, Australia. Lemelle (3-10-1) of Fort Worth, Texas has seen nothing but undefeated fighters over his last seven contests, each of which ended in a less than satisfactory result for the Lone Star State resident. Jones, who fights under the Devin Haney Promotions promotional banner, weighed in at 161-pounds. Lemelle scaled 159-pounds on Thursday afternoon. 

In the six-round co-feature, popular former amateur star Cain Sandoval (5-0, 5 KOs) of Sacramento takes on significantly more experienced veteran Daniel Evangelista Jr. (20-14-2, 16 KOs) of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in a light welterweight bout. Sandoval, much like Jones, has begun his professional career with a knockout streak he will aim to keep intact tonight against Evangelista. The veteran from Mexico appears to be a step-up from Sandoval’s early competition, but time will tell if his odometer has too many miles on it to push the young fighter. Sandoval weighed-in at 138-pounds, while Evangelista scaled 139. 

Another young knockout artist in Angel Chavez (6-0, 5 KOs) of Salinas, California will take on the unknown debuting Elj Portee of Oceanside, California by way of Baltimore, Maryland in a six-round light heavyweight bout. Chavez, a product of the MXN Boxing Center in Salinas, has scored four first-round stoppages in his first six bouts as a professional. Portee has the unenviable assignment of attempting to make it through six-rounds against a power puncher as his first assignment as a professional. Chavez came in at 178-pounds, as did the shorter Portee. 

Former international amateur standout Shamar Canal, a Devin Haney Promotions stablemate of Amari Jones, takes on Dan Hernandez (0-1) of Riverside, California by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in a four-round lightweight bout. Canal (1-0, 1 KO) of Albany, New York turned professional just over a year ago with a first-round knockout. Hernandez lost a narrow majority decision in his lone pro effort last November. Canal scaled 133-pounds, while Hernandez made 132-pounds. 

In the curtain raiser, former local sparring mates Sergio Vega of Woodland, California and Cmaje Ramseur of neighboring Elk Grove, California appear ready to wage war tonight. Vega (2-1-1, 2 KOs) and Ramseur (1-1, 1 KO) immediately got in each other’s face during the post-scale staredown during Thursday’s weigh-in and had to be separated by promoter Nasser Niavaroni and a member of the California State Athletic Commission before the jawing got out of hand. Vega weighed-in at 140-pounds, while Ramseur, who took the fight on short notice, scaled 144 for the four-round light welterweight bout that Niavaroni predicted will be the fight of the night.  

The intriguing co-main event scheduled to take place between Joeshon James (6-0, 3 KOs) of Sacramento and Chris Thompson (7-0, 5 KOs) of Kansas City, Missouri was scrapped two weeks ago when the Midwesterner pulled out with a reported wrist injury. Somewhat curiously, Thompson has already taken to social media with video hitting a heavy bag while touting a late August return to the ring. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Middleweights, 6 Rounds

Jones 161

Lemelle 159

Light welterweights, 6 Rounds

Sandoval 138

Evangelista Jr. 139

Light heavyweights, 6 Rounds

Chavez 178

Portee 178

Lightweights, 4 Rounds

Canal 133

Hernandez 132

Light welterweights, 4 Rounds 

Vega 140

Ramseur 144

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

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

By Norm Frauenheim-

It’s been a summer about comebacks, which is another way of saying that it’s been mostly forgettable.

Maybe, the Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua rematch on Aug. 20 knocks out the doldrums. Maybe, it ends with something memorable in the Canelo Alvarez-Gennadiy Golovkin trilogy on Sept. 17.

For now, at least, the season belongs to a power hitter in another arena. Yankee outfielder Aaron Judge’s bat is the only Big Drama Show.

As Judge moves ever closer to Roger Maris’ magical 61 homerun mark, boxing finds itself stuck in the waiting room. Plenty appears to be on deck, but in the here-and-now there’s only Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr. 

ESPN reported in June that an agreement was close. Maybe it is. Maybe, Crawford and Spence are signing the contract as I write this. Maybe, it gets announced this weekend.  Maybe, maybe.

The sooner, the better, because the messy web of maybes has put the balkanized business and its suspicious fans on edge.  When ESPN first reported that a deal was close, talk was that the long-awaited welterweight fight would happen in October. Now, no news has pushed the speculated bout into November. Can the Twelfth-Of-Never be too far away?

It’s getting hard to remember when Crawford-Spence wasn’t a topic. It’s been in the public imagination for so long that the two welterweights have gone from early prime time into their 30s.

A whole new 147-pound generation is beginning to emerge. One of them, Vergil Ortiz Jr., will be back in the ring Saturday in his first fight in a year. Ortiz (18-0, 18 KOs), of Grand Prairie TX, is coming off a scary illness for a date against UK welterweight Michael McKinson (22-0, 2 KOs) in Fort Worth Saturday night on DAZN.

“Fortunately, time is on my side,’’ said Ortiz, who suffered from a debilitating condition apparently brought on by intense workouts.  “I’m only 24 years old, and at the same time, I don’t want to be wasting time. You know what that’s like. I should have fought three or four times already, and that’s time we won’t get back.’’

Time is what Crawford and Spence are running out of. Crawford is 34; Spence is 32. It’s no coincidence that one of the acronyms made the Ortiz-McKinson a title eliminator this week. Increasingly-impatient fans will watch in part to get an idea at how Ortiz might do against a Crawford or Spence.

Reasons are countless as to why there was still no Crawford-Spence deal as of Thursday. PIck one, pick-em all.

Crawford, at least, seemed confident this week that the fight will happen.

“Hopefully we can get that fight made down the line,” Crawford told FightHub on Wednesday. “Real soon, not down the line, and give fans what they’ve been looking for.

“We’re working to get it done for you all.’’

The apparent hurdle – surprise, surprise — is the size of the prize in this projected prizefight. In a welterweight bout some say could be the best since Sugar Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns, both Crawford and Spence want big money in what would be pay-per-view. They’re hoping for big guarantees. However, most of their money would likely have to come from a percentage of pay-per-view sales.

That’s the problem. Neither Crawford nor Spence have done big PPV numbers. Crawford’s impressive stoppage of Shawn Porter last November generated fewer than 100,000 PPV buys, according multiple reports.

That makes promoters and networks leery, especially during an era when theft of the PPV signal is rampant. It also leaves a question about whether there’s a sugar-daddy willing to step up with the kind of investment that can make it happen.

That’s exactly what transpired in 2015 when then-CBS President Les Moonves stepped up and brokered the deal that led to the revenue record-setting fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Can it happen again? No sign of it in July. But, maybe, there will be a home-run deal in August. At least, Aaron Judge is there and on a pace to prove that just about anything is possible.