By Norm Frauenheim–

Oscar Valdez was motivated by a chance to shut mouths. He did that, including this one. But his compelling stoppage of Miguel Berchelt was – make that is – more than immediate satisfaction gained from silencing the doubters.

It is validation, enduring proof, of who he is. It was there in a victory loaded with lessons for a cynical business short on patience and poise. Quaint notions, both, but Valdez practices them with faith impossible to break. Fracture his jaw, but not his ethics.

They are why he won, leaving the feared Berchelt face- down on the canvas last Saturday. That patience and poise, instead of purses and pound-for-pound claims, are why we’re still talking about a fight that happened nearly a week ago, almost an era today in the social-media’s accelerated time zone. A good guy won in a timeless way.

Maybe, it takes him into a fight with Shakur Stevenson. Or maybe, Gervonta Davis. Already, the cynics are circling, saying he wouldn’t have much of a chance against either. If that sounds familiar, just look at last week’s headlines and odds. Very few suggested that Valdez had any chance.

But cynics beware. Valdez is the defining face of what it is to overcome. A broken jaw didn’t finish him in the rain against Scott Quigg three years ago. He was carried out on a stretcher, looking very much like a fighter who won what some believed was his last stand.

But only his jaw was broken. Not his resiliency. The jaw healed and left a lesson he used to propel himself to what has become a great story for a sport with too few. He started over in a place and in a corner that allowed him to find himself. In Eddy Reynoso, Valdez found his identity.

It was evident in a couple of fight-turning moments midway through the bout. It was further affirmed in colleague Bart Barry’s brilliant column Monday. http://www.15rounds.com/oscar-eddy-and-the-power-of-powerful-questions/

Both are evolving. But that mutual evolution wasn’t clear until those middle rounds, one that could have taken a nasty turn with Valdez instead of Berchelt face-down in the 10-round. Their mutual understanding of what was happening and what was at stake was the key.

Berchelt survived a shaky fourth and began to exert himself. Signs of Valdez, pre-Quigg, were evident. His face was flushed. He looked as if he were about to sacrifice poise and smarts to an instinct that had taken over so often. He would brawl, which was a sure way to lose.

But he didn’t. Reynoso was there to remind him to remember the plan and resist the temptation. It was timely, advice strategically brilliant because of how it was carefully delivered and then stubbornly executed.

The trainer-fighter relationship is often nothing more than personal chemistry. Think Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao. But Reynoso-Valdez looks to be something even more. They’re both students, learning from each other. Teaching each other, too.

Until those moments in the middle rounds of Valdez’ victory for a junior-lightweight title, it was hard to get a solid read on Reynoso. Turns out, that was unfair. He’s best known for Canelo Alvarez, who ranks among the game’s most accomplished fighters.

The assumption was that Canelo would make any trainer look good. Think of Phil Jackson, whose coaching abilities were somehow questioned simply because he had Michael Jordan in Chicago and Kobe Bryant with the Lakers.

Reynoso was a virtual novice when he moved into Canelo’s corner. After Canelo’s lone loss in a one-sided decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013, I still remember the great Rafael Mendoza, a Hall of Fame manager, telling me that Canelo would have to learn on his own.

The insightful Mendoza, a former Mexico City sportswriter, had worked with Canelo early in his career. Both lived in Guadalajara. But he split with Canelo, he said, because he wanted Eddy and his father, Chepo, to hire a more experienced trainer.

The Reynosos were there for Canelo in the beginning, but as investors not as trainers. Mendoza, who died in May 2018, wanted a more experienced voice. Not sure who he had in mind, but I’m guessing Mexican legend Nacho Beristain, whom he brought into Humberto Gonzalez’ corner after a 1993 loss to Michael Carbajal. With Beristain, Gonzalez won the next two fights in a junior-flyweight trilogy, beating Carbajal by narrow decisions in both.

We’ll never know how Canelo would have fared with Beristain instead of Eddy Reynoso. By then, Beristain was more of a revered teacher, an authoritarian never to be questioned. But I’m betting Mendoza would be applauding how Eddy Reynoso has transformed himself into the best trainer of the day. He listens, and It’s clear that Valdez and Canelo listen to him.

It’s that intriguing evolution that makes watching worthwhile. I’ll even watch Canelo Saturday against the longest of longshots, 50-to-1 underdog Avni Yildirim, in a super-middleweight title fight (DAZN 8 pm ET/5 pm PT) at the Dolphins stadium in south Florida. However, I wouldn’t watch if not for what was seen in Valdez’ triumph over Berchelt.

The head movement, jab and footwork exhibited by Valdez have been there at an ever-improving rate in Canelo.

They’re still learning.

So, too, are we all.   

Eddie Hearn

“Cannot quite believe that we are promoting an event at the home of the Miami Dolphins this Saturday– the Hard Rock Stadium. The return of the pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez fighting just 8 weeks after unifying the division against Callum Smith in Texas. We are so excited. We are going to have 15,000 people in the building. Huge crowd there.”

“So proud to be here representing DAZN live this weekend. It’s an absolute honor to be working with, in my opinion, the greatest network in boxing right now. These guys have so much to bring you coming up– an unrivaled schedule.”

“One thing we love at Matchroom is giving young fighters the chance to succeed.”

“You look at Canelo Alvarez, and he was just all business up there. He wasn’t really joking around. I think he knows what could lie ahead.”

“What I like about Avni Yilridim is he’s a massive underdog in this fight. But I promise he will come with fire in his belly…This is a dream come true for him. On paper he should be outmatched, out classed and knocked out.”

“I’ve never seen a fighter like Canelo Alvarez upfront. What you’re seeing on Saturday is the best fighter of our generation, and it’s special to see.”

Canelo Alvarez

“I respect all fighters. I respect the challenger that’s in front of me right now. I know he’s a strong fighter. I know he has a lot of tools. I have the same mentality. I’m trying to do my job, and I’m trying to make history.” 

“I love being here. I love being in the gym. It’s my life. We’re going to take these fights fight-by-fight, and hopefully I can fight 4 times this year.”
“I’m focused on my rival Saturday. I know right now, this fight is the only one that exists for me, and I’m focused on what I have to do, my job for Saturday.”

Avni Yildirim

“I’m ready to be here. Saturday is a big night for me and for my country, for all the fans. It’s a big chance for me, a big chance for my country. Everyone is waiting for the WBC belt. Maybe after the world championship title, boxing will get so big in my country.”

“He’s a big champion, everyone knows that. I’m ready for the world championship title for the big chance. It’s my time. Saturday, for everyone, it’s showtime.”

Joel Diaz

“It was a great experience for me when I was called by Avni’s manager in regard to this great opportunity. Flew into Turkey, started training over there. Everything was great, we’ve been putting in some great work. I believe we can do something with Avni. If not, I wouldn’t be here.”

“He’s hungry, he has a whole country behind him, and he wants to make a legacy of his own being the only Turkish fighter right now at this moment. He’s fighting hard, he’s excited about the opportunity and he’s taking advantage of it.”

“Putting a plan against Canelo Alvarez for me, is really tough because Canelo is not an easy fighter to face. Like every coach, like every fighter we have to take risks. We’re up for the challenge.”  

Eddy Reynoso

“We were very happy after that fight in December and very happy after the results with Oscar Valdez. We know we have a tough fight against Yildirim, he’s trained by Joel. We know it’s not going to be easy but we’re gonna give a good fight.”

Julio Martinez

“I’m ready, I’m anxious. I was sad about the pandemic and having to cancel a couple of fights. I’m ready to fight whoever, whenever and I’m going in there with everything but fear.”

“I’m wishing him luck. He’s Mexican. He’s a Mexican fighter. We want to face the best. We want to unify the title and after the result of this fight, continue gathering more titles. And then possibly move up to super flyweight.”

McWilliams Arroyo

“I’ve been waiting a long year for this fight to be happening and thank God it’s going to be a dream come true. May the best man win. I’ve been working very hard. He’s the world champion and I know he wants to keep being the world champion, and I want to take the championship from him to take it to my home.”

Zhilei Zhang

“I just want to say thanks to everybody who comes here. Thank you, Eddie Hearn, Matchroom and DAZN.  All I want to say is I’m ready to go.”

“I go one step at a time. I never look past him. I’ll see what happens after the fight and we’ll go from there. But right now,  my focus is Saturday night.”

Jerry Forrest

“I had to make sure I took the proper steps to be the best I can be in this fight. That’s what I’ve been trying to produce this entire camp. Be ready, focus and keep my eyes on the prize.”

“He’s a great fighter. I mean, when you’re talking about Olympic fighters, this man is a good fighter. We had to come up with a game plan. We have a game plan that we plan on sticking to. When you’re fighting top guys like Zhilei Zhang you have to be ready.”

Diego Pacheco

“It’s been a hell of a start to my career so far, and I’m just happy to be here. I’m happy to step up and take it to the next level in my career.”

“I was supposed to be on the Canelo and Smith Monday card. Due to things I was going through, I was forced to pull out of the show. That was the past and I’m here now and I’m ready to go this Saturday.”

Rodolfo Gomez

“It’s a good opportunity for me, but I believe that I have all the right tools to come out victorious in this one. I know he’s gonna try his best. I expect his A-game and I’m gonna bring my best A-game, so the fans can expect a great fight.”

“It’s a great opportunity to showcase my skills. Get a contract ready, man because I’m bringing it. I know he’s a great prospect. I see a lot of similarities in our styles, and I think it’s going to be great for the fans.”

Marc Castro

“Let’s get this party started. I’m happy to be here and feel at home right here with Matchroom and DAZN. Eddie’s doing the best and he has Canelo. Canelo is pound-for-pound don’t get it twisted nobody. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

“It was an unbelievable adrenaline rush, because I look up to Canelo a lot. The adrenaline rush– you just have to stay calm.”

Keyshawn Davis

“Honestly, I felt like I was ready to go pro when I was 19.”

“I was trying to wait for the Olympics. I wanted to get this gold medal. But when this pandemic hit, things kind of changed and things weren’t really certain for me. So coming into 2021, I realized all these big fighters had all their fights in the pandemic. I felt like if I would’ve took my opportunity to fight in 2020, my pro debut would’ve been watered down.”

“Saturday night, they should just expect a great performance. I’ve been giving yall great performances throughout my entire amateur career whether it was sparring a big name or going internationally and fighting.”

Aaron Aponte

“We’re ready for the opponent. He’s a good, strong opponent. He’s a tough opponent. It’s only my second fight but I’m gonna get the job done and I’m gonna knock him out.”

“Miami is a huge opportunity for boxing. We have tremendous boxing fans here. Everyone comes out, shows out.”

“I always dreamed about fighting here as being here from Miami, I always dreamed about being in the Dolphins stadium.”

Alexis Espino 

“I can’t even explain how frustrating it is. It’s so frustrating getting to a fight. You know, you pull up with all this adrenaline just to tell you you have to go home. It’s mad frustrating but it I think those are the times it makes you appreciate moments like this. You sit up here and you’re like ‘Damn this feels good.’”

“I’m very blessed to get this opportunity again thanks to Eddie Hearn, thanks to God. I was going through a whole lot of camps and I stayed down. I kept on training. I didn’t let those hiccups pull me down.”

“My opponent seems strong and he’s been talking a lot so I’m really excited to put on a show. I’m sure he’s going to bring out the best of me and that’s what we’ve been training for.”

Canelo Alvarez hopes to turn Miami into another home for his blockbuster fight nights as he prepares to defend his WBC, WBA Super and Ring Magazine World Super-Middleweight titles against mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim on Saturday night (February 27) at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, live worldwide on DAZN and on TV Azteca in Mexico.

TICKETS FOR CANELO VS. YILDIRIM ARE ON SALE NOW FROM TICKETMASTER – TICKETS START AT $55 (PLUS FEES) –FANS CAN VISIT HARDROCKSTADIUM.COM FOR MORE DETAILS 

The pound for pound king (54-1-2 36 KOs) is swiftly back in action after dominating Callum Smith in San Antonio, Texas in December to land the titles he defends against Yildirim (21-2 12 KOs) this weekend.

The Mexican star must see off the challenge of the Turk if he’s to build towards becoming the first undisputed champion at 168lbs, but the fight also sees the 30 year old four weight World ruler fight in Florida for the first time as a World champion.

Canelo’s only fight in the Sunshine State was in December 2008 where he put Raul Pinzon to the sword inside a round in his 24^th pro fight, and he hopes that Saturday night’s blockbuster event can be the first of many in Miami.

“I feel very motivated to be in Miami and have this fight,” said Canelo. “And to put on a great show for the people there because I don’t just represent Mexico, I represent all Latinos.

“I like everything about Miami and I am very happy to be here, it is an honor to fight at Hard Rock Stadium. I feel very excited, very happy, it’s even more motivation for me. To open another door in order to have another home for my fights. I really feel very happy.

“They only let us put 15,000 people in because of the pandemic, but with that we are fine. Last time in San Antonio it was around 12,000 and the stadium sounded like it was full. Let’s hope that normalcy will arrive soon, and the stadium can be filled, but with 15,000 I feel very good, and if there were 1,000 it would be the same, the support of the people is incredible, and I feel very grateful.

“You do feel the vibe of the fans when they are yelling and that motivates you much more, but you have to get into your head that in the end you are the only one up in the ring. I always prepare 100 per cent.”

Canelo’s clash with Yildirim is part of huge night of action at the home of the Miami Dolphins. 

JulioCesar Martinez (17-1 13 KOs) provides the chief support as he defends his WBC World Flyweight title against mandatory challenger McWilliams Arroyo (20-4 15 KOs) while Chinese Heavyweight star Zhilei Zhang (22-0 17 KOs) faces Jerry Forrest (26-4 20 KOs) over ten rounds. 

A host of young talents get the chance to shine on the card in the form of Diego Pacheco. (10-0 8 KOs), Alexis Espino (6-0 4 KOs), Marc Castro (1-0 1 KO) and Aaron Aponte (1-0 1 KO).

Canelo Alvarez says his desire to create history is the driving force that keeps him striving for greatness as he prepares to defend his WBC, WBA Super and Ring Magazine World Super-Middleweight titles against Avni Yildirim at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday February 27, live worldwide on DAZN (except Mexico) with tickets on sale with Ticketmaster.

TICKETS FOR CANELO VS. YILDIRIM ARE ON SALE NOW FROM TICKETMASTER – TICKETS START AT $55 (PLUS FEES) –FANS CAN VISIT HARDROCKSTADIUM.COM FOR MORE DETAILS 

Alvarez (54-1-2 36 KOs) is straight back into action following his clinical win over Callum Smith in December to claim the WBC and Ring Magazine straps and now puts his 168lb belts on the line against WBC mandatory challenger Yildirim (21-2 12 KOs) as he plots his path to becoming the first Mexican to be undisputed champion at Super-Middleweight.

The pound for pound king believes he can set the example for other fighters to follow and look to claim all the belts and secure a legacy, something that motivates him and his trainer Eddy Reynoso to strive to break records and set new goals.

“It’s important for me and Eddy because very few people have achieved becoming undisputed champions,” said Canelo. “And that’s a short-term goal for us. To win all the titles at 168 pounds.

“Obviously, no Mexican has ever done it. So that’s our short-term goal, to keep making history. And that’s what we want. Eddy and I have always wanted the best. And we want to keep making history.

“I think it’s important, not just for me, but for all fighters. To make history in boxing is very important, I think. It’s very important to me to leave behind a legacy in this sport. And that’s why we’re doing this. To keep making history and so when people talk about boxing, they always remember me.”

Canelo’s clash with Yildirim is part of huge night of action at the home of the Miami Dolphins. 

JulioCesar Martinez (17-1 13 KOs) provides the chief support as he defends his WBC World Flyweight title against mandatory challenger McWilliams Arroyo (20-4 15 KOs) while Chinese Heavyweight star Zhilei Zhang (22-0 17 KOs) faces Jerry Forrest (26-4 20 KOs) over ten rounds. 

A host of young talents get the chance to shine on the card in the form of Diego Pacheco. (10-0 8 KOs), Alexis Espino (6-0 4 KOs), Marc Castro (1-0 1 KO) and Aaron Aponte (1-0 1 KO).

Joel Diaz says his work with new charge Avni Yildirim will shock the world when he takes on WBC, WBA Super and Ring Magazine World Super-Middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens in Florida on Saturday February 27, live worldwide on DAZN (except Mexico).

TICKETS ARE ON GENERAL SALE NOW FROM TICKETMASTER – TICKETS START AT $55 (PLUS FEES) – FANS CAN VISIT WWW.HARDROCKSTADIUM.COM/BOXING FOR MORE DETAILS

Star trainer Diaz teamed up with Yildirim (21-2 12 KOs) late in October 2019 but due to the COVID pandemic, the showdown with Canelo will be their first fight together after 18 months of work, with Yildirim’s last action coming in February 2019 when he faced Anthony Dirrell for the vacant WBC strap in Minnesota.

Inactivity might be a hindrance to many ahead of taking on the pound-for-pound number one, but Diaz is happy that they have been able to work on the Turkish man’s arsenal and rid him of his ‘Mr Robot’ style behind closed doors, and Diaz believes that fight fans and pundits will meet a new Avni Yildirim on February 27 – one that’s ready to shock the world against Canelo (54-1-2 36 KOs).

“Avni came to Indio and in the first week of training he fell in love with my work,” said Diaz. “He was the happiest guy I’ve ever met because this guy is not only a gym rat and a hard worker, but he’s a smart fighter, he loves learning. A lot of the things he never learned in his career, he’s learned them now, and he loves the work I put in, and it doesn’t matter how hard the work is, he never complains.

“That’s the reason I like Avni, any trainer would like to have him, he just does what you tell him to do. He’s a true soldier – you tell him to do something, he just does it.

“Avni may be an underdog but he doesn’t care what anybody says, he’s fighting for his country and he’s going to shock the world.

“He’s a completely different fighter from when he fought Dirrell and Chris Eubank Jr. I said to him, you are a physically stronger guy than Dirrell but you had no defense. That’s why they called him ‘Mr Robot’, but there’s no robot in him now, I can tell you. I made a complete transformation because I dedicated time to him. The COVID situation helped him in a way because there was nothing to do, there were no fights, so just to keep him busy we would go to the gym and work on technique and making him a better fighter.”

Yildirim’s clash with Canelo is part of a huge night of action in Miami, as Julio Cesar Martinez (17-1 13 KOs) defends his WBC World Flyweight title against mandatory challenger McWilliams Arroyo (20-4 15 KOs).

Chinese Heavyweight star Zhilei Zhang (22-0 17 KOs) makes a quick return to action over ten rounds against Jerry Forrest (26-4 20 KOs), and a host of young talents get the chance to shine on the card in the form of Diego Pacheco. (10-0 8 KOs), Alexis Espino (6-0 4 KOs), Marc Castro (1-0 1 KO) and Aaron Aponte (1-0 1 KO).

By Bart Barry –

Saturday in Los Angeles in a match broadcast by FOX PBC relocated Tennessean Caleb “Sweethands” Plant decisioned Minnesota’s Caleb Truax to retain a super middleweight title that is to Canelo Alvarez’s super middleweight championship what Dogecoin is to the U.S. dollar.  Afterwards Plant congratulated himself for his shutout victory and willingness to fight anybody despite a sore hand.

Even in this traditionally mediocre time of year when mediocrities are mistaken for much more Plant looked mediocre.

When our beloved sport had a more appreciable fanbase the stretch between December and February was when most any decent fight or fighter got sold all over social media.  It was an anticipatory sort of thing wherein youngsters looked at the great fights to come and projected their justifiable enthusiasm for the future on a present that did not justify their enthusiasms.  Though there was a fraction the enthusiasm for Saturday’s broadcast as bygone years’ January offerings there were still folks projecting their understandable enthusiasm for March’s super flyweight superfight on the Calebs.

Caleb Truax, stopped in his prime by both Danny Jacobs and Anthony Dirrell, got presented as some sort of legitimate threat to a super middleweight titlist, which he is not.  For comparison’s sake, imagine what aficionados would say if after undressing Callum Smith, Canelo had called-out Truax.

Yet a guy who says with a straight face he wants to unify all the titles and become the first super middleweight somethingorother chose Truax as his third title defense.  Was his PBC stablemate David Benavidez unavailable?  There’s no telling.  PBC palace intrigue intrigues nobody anymore.  

Benavidez hasn’t been justifying his talents these last few years, either, but at least he looks like he wants to hurt other men.  Plant looks like he takes himself and his conditioning and his boxing seriously but he hasn’t nearly enough malice to make his living as more than a gatekeeper in anything resembling a good era of talented 168-pound men.

This is no such era, as evinced by Canelo’s capture of the division’s championship in only his second fight at the weight.  If you are wont to accuse Canelo of cherrypicking, what does it say he cherrypicked The Ring champion, someone none of the other titlists thought to challenge?

Plant stopped short of calling Canelo’s name Saturday, after hurting his hand jabbing Truax, because he must know somewhere in the pit of his stomach Canelo is an entirely different entity.  Canelo isn’t quite two years older than Plant but has nearly three times as many prizefights, exactly three times as many knockouts, and at least three times as much of any other thing Plant will ever have.  Canelo looks on his new division as overfed and pathetic.  It’s hard to argue with that assessment.  Forget not, Canelo came up in the Mexican system, where he saw men of twice Caleb Plant’s talent ruined in their first 10 prizefights, if not sparring sessions, for the sin of being born to a smaller physique.

Canelo fights like he needs to justify his luck, like he knows he’s had it too easy; the larger body, the red hair, the golden promoter.  By PBC super middleweight standards, though, Canelo’s career has been an ordeal of almost constant, unimaginable suffering.

It’s improbable Canelo watched Saturday’s match.  If he did surely he was unimpressed.  Turns out, in the ring Sweethands has a pretty sweet personality.  Even with that inane crowd noise signaling to FOX’s audience each time any punch landed there wasn’t an iota of suspense.  And let us hear none of the usual horseshit about an unchallenged fighter being so good it’s not his fault he wins 12-0.  If you are good enough to outbox 37-year-old Caleb Truax 12-0 but not fighter enough to make him quit, you do not belong on television.

FOX should include an oddsmakers-veto clause in its broadcasting contracts, henceforth.  If PBC announces a fight and the opening line is greater than 5-to-1 FOX ought to spike it.  Put PBC on the line to overpay their fighters for insipid mismatches.

What’s that you say, they’ll just do it anyway?  You’re right.  Never mind.

The Benavidez-Plant situation puts the lie to all those pity pieces we’ve written over the years about rival promoters and sanctioning bodies undoing our beloved sport.  The Ring’s numbers 1 and 2 super middleweights have one belt and one promoter, they’re both undefeated, and they don’t fight one another.  Before anyone goes too hard on Plant’s matchmaking, take a look at Benavidez’s next opponent in March.  At least Benavidez will ice Ronald Ellis – if you’re thinking that, like I am, you’re a sucker (like I am).

Finally, it’s unrewarding to write like this, to dump icewater on some young aficionado’s affinity for a fighter he’s been told, by Joe Buck of all people, is a surefire future superstar.  If there are disinterested fans of Plant reading this – read: kids without a financial incentive for saying Plant is a future world champion – it’s not my intention to make you feel lied-to or plant seeds of cynicism for boxing to water regularly, even if that’s what I’ve done.  Switch your allegiance to Canelo, today, friends, and stick with him till any super middleweight actually challenges him.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Tickets for Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez defense of his WBC, WBA Super and Ring Magazine World Super-Middleweight titles against Avni Yidirim on Saturday February 27 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, are on general sale NOW! The event is live worldwide on DAZN (excluding Mexico) or on cable/satellite pay-per-view in the U.S. and Canada.

TICKETS ARE ON GENERAL SALE NOW FROM TICKETMASTER – TICKETS START AT $55 (PLUS FEES) – FANS CAN VISIT WWW.HARDROCKSTADIUM.COM/BOXING FOR MORE DETAILS

Canelo (54-1-2 36 KOs) cemented himself as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world and the top dog in the 168lb division with a dominant win over previously unbeaten Briton Callum Smith in San Antonio, Texas in December with the WBA, vacant WBC and Ring Magazine belts on the line in front of a sold-out socially distanced crowd in the Lone Star state.

Yildirim (21-2 12 KOs) has been biding his time to fight for the WBC title once again, having been frustrated in his last outing when his clash for the vacant crown with Anthony Dirrell in Minnesota in February 2019, with the clash ending in a technical decision win for Dirrell after he suffered a cut over his eye.

A stacked undercard in support of the main event is lead by Canelo’s fellow countryman Julio Cesar Martinez defending his WBC World Flyweight title against mandatory challenger McWilliams Arroyo.

Martinez (17-1 13 KOs) puts his title on the line for the third time since landing the belt in December 2019 in a thrilling stoppage win over Cristofer Rosales, outpointing Jay Harris in Dallas in February and blasting away Moises Calleros in two rounds in Mexico City in October.

Arroyo (20-4 15 KOs) has been ready to pounce on his shot at the title and win a World strap at the third time of asking. The decorated Puerto Rican amateur was edged out via split decision by IBF champion Amnat Ruenroeng in September 2014 and then fell to pound-for-pound star Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez in April 2016 for the WBC and Ring Magazine crowns in California.

Chinese Heavyweight star Zhilei Zhang make a quick return to action over ten rounds against Jerry Forrest, and a host of young talents get the chance to shine on the card in the form of Diego Pacheco. (10-0 8 KOs), Alexis Espino (6-0 4 KOs), Marc Castro (1-0 1 KO) and Aaron Aponte (1-0 1 KO).

Julio Cesar Martinez will defend his WBC World Flyweight title against McWilliams Arroyo as the chief support to Canelo Alvarez’s defense of his WBC, WBA Super and Ring Magazine World Super-Middleweight titles on Saturday February 27 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, live worldwide on DAZN (except Mexico).

TICKETS GO ON PRE-SALE TODAY (TUESDAY JAN. 26) FROM 2PM ET VIA TICKETMASTER AND ON GENERAL SALE FROM 2PM ET ON WEDNESDAY JAN. 27 – TICKETS START AT $55 (PLUS FEES) – FANS CAN VISIT WWW.HARDROCKSTADIUM.COM/BOXING FOR MORE DETAILS

Martinez (17-1 13 KOs) puts his title on the line for the third time since landing the belt in December 2019 in a thrilling stoppage win over Cristofer Rosales, outpointing Jay Harris in Dallas in February and blasting away Moises Calleros in two rounds in Mexico City in October.

The all-action Mexican is raring to finally face his mandatory challenger Arroyo after having to pull out of a proposed clash with the Puerto Rican through illness in August. It is a huge night for the all-action champion, who turns 26 on Wednesday, as he finally gets to fight as the chief support to his stablemate Alvarez, whom he also shares a trainer and manager in Eddy Reynoso, after illness ruled him out of fighting on his card in December in San Antonio.

“I am so happy to be back in the ring again and I promise you a war with Arroyo in Miami,” said Martinez. “With the unification fights ahead of me, it is important to take care of my mandatory challengers and I expect a tough fight with Arroyo. I believe that 2021 will see me unify the division and become undisputed and I can’t wait put a smile back on boxing fans faces.”

Arroyo (20-4 15 KOs) has been ready to pounce on his shot at the title and win a World strap at the third time of asking. The decorated Puerto Rican amateur was edged out via split decision by IBF champion Amnat Ruenroeng in September 2014 and then fell to pound-for-pound star Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez in April 2016 for the WBC and Ring Magazine crowns in California.

The 34 year old ranked at number one in the WBC enters the bout on the back of three wins in 2019 having returned to Flyweight from a brief stint at Super-Fly, and the former World Amateur Champion is determined to end the talented Mexican’s reign in Miami.

“Finally, the fight is near, and I am sure the fans will enjoy another classic between Mexico and Puerto Rico,” said Arroyo.

“This will be another great classic between Puerto Rico and Mexico,” said Arroyo’s co-promoter, Miguel Cotto. “I am sure they will provide the fans a great fight and McWilliams will be prepared to rip that title away and bring it back to Puerto Rico.”

A stacked undercard in support of Alvarez also sees Chinese Heavyweight star Zhilei Zhang make a quick return to action over ten rounds against Jerry Forrest.

Zhang (22-0 17 KOs) is back in the sunshine state after stopping Devin Vargas in four rounds in their clash in Hollywood, Fl. in November, and the 37 year old giant will look to take another step towards securing a huge fight in the glamour division with victory over Forrest (26-4 20 KOs), who took Carlos Takam the distance in his last outing in July.

“I’m very excited about this fight,” said Zhang. “February 27 is the highest profile card of the first quarter of 2021, and it will be an honor to be part of it. I can’t wait to get in the ring and wish the best of luck to my opponent Jerry Forrest. I am training full force. I will be ready.”

“Zhang is a good fighter with great size and technique, but I’ll be ready for this fight,” said Forrest. “2021 is a new beginning for me. Covid has made training difficult with many gyms shut down, but I’ve stayed in shape since my last fight. I’m now up at my manager’s gym in Ashburn, Virginia, and my trainers have been creating a game plan while bringing in sparring partners to match Zhang’s size and style. I’m excited about this opportunity and am looking forward to ending Zhang’s unbeaten streak.”

A host of young talents get the chance to shine on the card, led by Diego Pacheco. The rangy teen has raced to 10-0 with eight wins inside the distance, and the Super-Middleweight sensation will look to add another impressive win when he takes on Rodolfo Gomez Jr (14-4-1 10KOs) over eight rounds.

“I am excited to be back under the bright lights,” said Pacheco. “2021, it’s time to show everyone I’m here and I’m a problem for anyone at 168lbs.”

Alexis Espino (6-0 4 KOs) had a frustrating end to 2020 after losing out on two fights, but the 21 year old is ready to put that behind him and get 2021 off to a flier against Ashton Sykes (5-3 KOs)

“I am more than ready to fight on this amazing card and show what I been working on aside from the time I spent away,” said Espino. “it was a frustrating time for me at the end of 2020, but I am itching to finally show how much work I have been putting into this since I haven’t been in the ring due to recent cancellations.”

Former amateur sensation Marc Castro got his pro career off to the perfect start on Canelo’s undercard in San Antonio with a KO win, and the Fresno star goes again in Miami against Lester Brown (4-2-3 1 KO).

“I am ready to get back in the ring and I want thank God and my team for making it possible for being a part of the pound-for-pound king Canelo’s undercard once again,” said Castro.

Another successful amateur making his second appearance in the paid ranks is Miami’s own Aaron Aponte. The 19 year old won via stoppage on debut in October, and Aponte will showcase the his talents on a huge platform in his hometown.

“I’m super excited to be fighting at the Hard Rock Stadium on February 27 on the undercard of boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez” said Aponte. “It’s an honor to fight on such a massive event in my hometown and I’m very grateful to Matchroom and DAZN along with my manager Peter Kahn and the Fight Game Advisors Team for this opportunity. Stay tuned for the rise of Aaron ‘Alien King’ Aponte!!”

“This is a stacked undercard in support of the pound-for-pound king,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “Julio Cesar Martinez is fast becoming a must-see attraction in the sport and an impressive win here will take him to another level – but McWilliams Arroyo is up for the challenge and is a dangerman.

“Zhilei Zhang can stake his claim for a massive fight at Heavyweight later in the year with victory over Jerry Forrest, and it is fantastic for the young talents on the card to be able to perform on this huge stage.”

By Norm Frauenheim–

Canelo Alvarez’ contract with Matchroom for two fights with DAZN, the streaming service he sued, is a further example of his power. He gets what he wants.

The deal, formally announced Thursday, is also a further look at a career path carefully drawn up to include bouts and belts that figure to strengthen his claim on the top spot in the pound-for-pound debate.

Canelo is as stubbornly methodical outside of the ropes as he is within them. He’s working to eliminate any other pound-for-pound argument. The process resumes on Feb. 27 in Miami against Turkish challenger Avni Yidirim in a stay-busy bout that sets the stage for a further unification of the super-middleweight title against Billy Joe Saunders or Caleb Plant.

Of the two, Saunders looks to be the most likely in large part because of a long-term promotional relationship with Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn. Saunders also brings the UK audience. But exact date doesn’t seem to matter much. If it is Saunders in May, it figures to be Plant in September. Or vice-versa.

The key is that each has a 168-pound belt that Canelo needs to unify the title and finish the argument. For now, it continues, an ongoing argument reflected in polls conducted and marketed by rival networks. DAZN’s No. 1 is Canelo; ESPN’s No. 1 is welterweight Terence Crawford. Pick your acronym and reasoning.

There’s the body of work theory, which favors the once-beaten Canelo. There’s the eye-test, which favors the unbeaten Crawford. At least, it does from this corner. Put it this way: 2020 ended with Crawford finishing Kell Brook on Nov. 14 in a fourth-round TKO and Canelo scoring a one-sided decision on Dec. 19 over an overmatched Callum Smith.

Canelo’s side of the debate could include a couple of more belts and a busier schedule. For now, that’s the advertised plan and advertising counts for a lot in this debate. Canelo is moving forward. Other than more talk about an ever-elusive date with Errol Spence Jr, it’s not clear what’s next for Crawford.

Meanwhile, Canelo’s plan does not include any mention of Gennadiy Golovkin or David Benavidez. For both, it’s a case of weight and wait, a frustrating dilemma for them and fans.

Golovkin fought Canelo to a controversial draw and lost to him narrowly by majority decision, both at middleweight. But GGG’s prime is going, going, gone. Time is an issue.

If Canelo’s 2021 schedule is already booked with Yidirim, Saunders and Plant, Golovkin will probably have to wait until 2022. GGG will be 40 on April 8 of that year.

At the other end of the age and weight scale, there’s Benavidez, who many believe might have the best chance at upsetting Canelo. Benavidez is 24. He’s young, but that’s the problem. His failure to make weight presumably dropped him off of Canelo’s short list.

With a belt, he would have been there. But he lost it – the World Boxing Council’s version – on Aug. 14 when the Phoenix fighter was 2.8 pounds heavier than the limit for a defense against Roamer Alexis Angulo.

Benavidez went on to stop Angulo, forcing the Venezuelan’s corner to throw in the towel after the 10^th round. But he lost a career-defining opportunity. He’s still young enough to regain it. But making the 168-pound limit doesn’t figure to get any easier for the maturing Benavidez, who figures to be a light-heavyweight within a couple of years. 

The costly scale-fail in August happened in part because of the Pandemic, according to Benavidez, who said it disrupted familiar routines for his bout at Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort in Connecticut. There was no sauna. There was no gym other than a treadmill and a stationary bike in the hotel.

Benavidez, a lanky 6-foot-1 ½, says he plans to stay at super-middleweight for as long as he can.  But time, already a problem for Golovkin, is there for Benavidez too. The alarm sounded when he stepped on that scale in mid-August.

Without a belt, Benavidez’ only leverage is the media. He repeatedly calls out Canelo. But Canelo doesn’t seem to hear him. He’s got other plans.

Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez will defend his WBC, WBA Super and Ring Magazine World Super-Middleweight titles against Avni Yidirim on Saturday February 27 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, live on DAZN in over 200 countries and territories (excluding Mexico) or on cable/satellite pay-per-view in the U.S. and Canada.
AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON TICKET ON-SALE DATES AND PRICES WILL BE MADE IN DUE COURSE – FANS CAN VISIT WWW.HARDROCKSTADIUM.COM/BOXING FOR THE LATEST NEWS ON TICKETS.
Canelo (54-1-2 36 KOs) cemented himself as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world and the top dog in the 168lb division with a dominant win over previously unbeaten Briton Callum Smith in San Antonio, Texas in December with the WBA, vacant WBC and Ring Magazine belts on the line in front of a sold-out socially distanced crowd in the Lone Star state.

The Mexican star declared after the fight his desire to become the undisputed champion at Super-Middleweight, but before targeting the remaining belts, the four weight World ruler must deal with his dangerous WBC mandatory Yildirim at the home of the Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes.

“Avni Yildirim is a good boxer and I know we will put on an exciting fight,” said Canelo. “I’m very glad that we are able to bring this event to Miami, a short distance from where my hero, Muhammad Ali, trained. February 27 will be a great night for the sport.”

“On February 27, we take the next step in our journey to unify the Super-Middleweight division,” said Eddy Reynoso, Sport and Talent director at Canelo Promotions and Canelo’s trainer. “We will be facing our WBC mandatory opponent, Avni YildirIm. We are very happy with the alliance we have with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom to put on this bout together, especially in a new venue for us.”

Yildirim (21-2 12 KOs) has been biding his time to fight for the WBC title once again, having been frustrated in his last outing when his clash for the vacant crown with Anthony Dirrell in Minnesota in February 2019, with the clash ending in a technical decision win for Dirrell after he suffered a cut over his eye.

The 29 year old challenger will be aiming to shock the world two years on from that disappointment and does so in his third fight in the States and second in Miami, having beaten the ‘Road Warrior’ Glen Johnson in August 2015, and the Turkish star returns to the Sunshine State for the biggest night of his career.

“I am honored as a mandatory to fight again for the big green belt – thank you to everyone who is involved,” said Yildirim. “I always give my all – and everybody should be ready to see a war. I am coming to make my country proud – I am representing the whole of Turkey.”

Following a great night in San Antonio, Canelo teams up with Matchroom and Eddie Hearn for a two-fight deal starting with the clash with Yildirim, and Hearn is excited to develop the relationship with Canelo and his Ring Magazine trainer of the year and manager Eddy Reynoso.

“It is an absolute honor to promote the pound-for-pound number one and I’m so excited to head to Miami and the home of the Dolphins at the Hard Rock Stadium,” said Hearn. “Even in a pandemic, Saúl is looking to be more active than ever and in his plan to be undisputed he must overcome his mandatory challengers to keep his belt. Yildirim is the first of those challenges who will be attempting to dethrone the king on February 27. We look forward to a huge night of boxing on DAZN and the start of a huge year for Canelo.”

“How many fighters at this level return to the ring after two months? Canelo’s love for boxing and his fans is truly unique,” said Ed Breeze, DAZN EVP, Rights. “We’re thrilled to deliver our fifth consecutive Canelo fight to DAZN subscribers across the world.”

“We are excited to work with Canelo Alvarez, Matchroom and Eddie Hearn to bring world class boxing to Hard Rock Stadium for the first time in history with Canelo vs. Yildirim,” said Todd Boyan, Senior Vice President of Stadium Operations for the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium. “Canelo is one of the top athletes in the world and this live event in a socially distanced setting will be a special night for boxing fans.”

ENDS

About Hard Rock Stadium
Hard Rock Stadium is a global entertainment destination that recently completed a $755 million, multi-year renovation privately funded by Managing General Partner & Chairman of the Board Stephen Ross to transform the iconic venue into the best Miami has to offer in world-class fare, art, culture and an elevated guest experience. Home to the Miami Dolphins, University of Miami college football, the Capital One Orange Bowl game, Jazz in the Gardens, Rolling Loud and the Miami Open presented by Itau, Hard Rock Stadium features world-class entertainment and demonstrates its versatility in hosting a wide variety of events. The stadium has hosted six Super Bowls (XXIII, XXIX, XXXIII, XLI, XLIV and LIV), the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl and four BCS National Championship Games (2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013). El Clasico Miami, the first meeting of soccer giants Real Madrid and Barcelona in North America, was hosted at the venue in 2017. Hard Rock Stadium regularly hosts the Brazil Men’s National Soccer Team for a series of matches, and the venue has showcased Drone Racing League since the launch of the franchise. In 2021, the venue hosted the College Football Playoff National Championship.

LAS VEGAS (January 21, 2021) – If 29-year-old Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (41-0, 27 KOs), arguably already one of the top 25 Mexican fighters of all-time, has his way as he enters his prime years, he will eventually have a mega-showdown with fellow countryman Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (54-2-32, 36 KOs) before making their way to the Hall of Fame.

“Anything is possible, and it’ll be great for fans if a fight for me against ‘Canelo’ happens,” Ramirez said. “With two Mexicans in the ring, you know it’ll be a war from round one. We’ll see what happens in the future.”

First, though, Ramirez has some business to take care of starting with a potential Interim World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight World title fight against 2012 U.S. Olympian “Sir” Marcus Browne (23-1, 16 KOs).

The WBC recently ordered No. 1 rated Ramirez vs. No. 4 Browne. Team Zurdo and Team Browne have until February 5th to work out a deal before it goes to purse bid. Ramirez is promoted by his own company, Zurdo Promotions, while Browne is represented by PBC.

If everything goes as Ramirez plans, he’ll have a world unification fight with either WBC/IBF light heavyweight World champion Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs) or WBA Super title-holder Dmitry Bivol (17-0, 11 KOs, preferably later in 2021, pending COVID-19 restrictions.

“I never look past any fight,” Ramirez noted. “In this sport, on any given night, the best man will win. All I can do is train hard and prepare myself to be my best for when the occasion arises. Brown, Bivol, Beterbiev or Canelo, it doesn’t matter who I fight; I always train hard to make sure I’m ready when the fight is here.”

Ramirez became the first Mexican fighter to capture a world super middleweight crown in 2016, when the athletic southpaw thoroughly dominated defending champion “King” Arthur Abraham (44-4), winning each round for a 12-round unanimous decision (120-106 X 3) to become the WBO world champion.

In 2019, Alvarez joined WBO titlist Julio Cesar Gonzalez (2003) as the only Mexican-born light heavyweight champions of the world, when he stopped 34-3-1 Sergey Kovalev in the 11th round to become the WBO World light heavyweight champion. The 9-time, 4-division world champion Alvarez relinquished his WBO light heavyweight crown without defending it.

Ramirez is off to the 5th-best winning streak to start a professional career in Mexican boxing history behind four Hall of Famers: his idol Julio Cesar Chavez (87), Carlos Zarate (52), Ricardo Lopez (47) and Marco Antonio Barrera (43).

The dream match for “Zurdo,” of course, is down the road against Canelo. How about having it on Cinco de Mayo or Mexican Independence Day?

Between then and now, however, Ramirez needs a career-defining victory against a primetime opponent such as Beterbiev or Bivol to set the stage for a Canelo showdown.

“We’ll see if he’s (Canelo) able to do it again (fight as a light heavyweight),” Ramirez added. “He’s already fought at that weight once (light heavyweight) and I don’t see why it should be a problem unless it was a fluke. But I do understand he and his team will have to be a lot more cautious navigating this weight class, compared to the lower divisions, due to the higher risk. Also, we’ve been around each other before and even sparred. He knows I’m not just a Kovalev or a Callum Smith.

“It’ll (Canelo vs. Zurdo”) be an instant classic and a great way to showcase top-tier Mexican boxing to the world. I think fans will love this battle between Sinaloa (Ramirez) and Jalisco (Alvarez).”

INFORMATION:
Website: www.ZurdoPromotions.com
Instagram: @zurdoramirez, @zurdopromotions
Twitter: @ZurdoPromotions, @GilbertoZurdoRamirez

By Norm Frauenheim-

Canelo Alvarez finished 2020, which ended amid relief and hope that business as usual will be there sometime in a new year. Then, Ryan Garcia started 2021 with a bang as loud as a firecracker and yet still haunted by concern that the new will be a lot like the old.

Canelo’s decision over an overmatched Callum Smith on Dec. 19 promised a resumption of some lost reliability. That was followed by some real momentum in Garcia’s powerful stoppage of Luke Campbell on Jan. 2.

But it gave way to a hiatus, which is a polite word describing the same void that descended on boxing like a curtain last year. There were more postponements, cancellations and quarantines than opening bells. For a haphazard 10 months, there was no way out of the bubble.

Are we there all over again? Hope not. But there’s no boxing for nearly two weeks, or at least until Jan. 20 when ShoBox is scheduled to begin a 20^th season with junior-welterweight “Marvelous” Mykquan Williams (15-0-1, 7 KOs) against Colombian Yeis Gabriel (15-0, 10 KOs) in a bout between unbeaten prospects at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

Scheduled is the operative word, of course. Maybe, maybe not. Tomorrow is as tentative now as it was a month ago. The calendar has changed, but not much else.  

Big fights are getting shut down for the same reason that everything else is. Only COVID is unbeaten. The killer pandemic rages on. Anybody remember when they had a sit-down meal inside a restaurant? Didn’t think so. I haven’t had one since about the last time I had a seat near ringside. The plate remains mostly empty for now.

No big fights are imminent, mostly because of the surging Pandemic, which has forced a shutdown in the usually busy UK until at least the end of the month.

On Jan. 23, junior-featherweight Angelo Leo is scheduled to defend a 122-pound title against Stephen Fulton, also at the Mohegan Sun, on Showtime.

A week later (Jan. 30), Caleb Plant is scheduled to stay in line for a shot at Canelo in a 168-pound title defense against Caleb Truax on Fox.

On the same day, shopworn ex-light-heavyweight champ Sergey Kovalev is scheduled to re-appear for the first time since getting knocked out by Canelo (Nov. 2, 2019). Kovalev is scheduled to face Bektemir Melikuziev on DAZN in Moscow in a bout that presumably hinges on whether the Sputnik V vaccine really works or is just another piece of fictional garbage from some Russian hackers.

Meanwhile, there will be mostly talk:

·    Talk about how Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. should fight in perhaps the best welterweight bout in many years, but probably never will.

·    Talk that Teofimo Lopez is willing to fight anybody in the lightweight division. He just told The Athletic he wants to fight Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis and Garcia.  ‘We’ve got to face one another’, he said. Hopefully, he also wants to fight Shakur Stevenson, currently a junior-lightweight champ. Lopez, Haney, Davis and Garcia are already being called Four Kings, a nod to the terrific George Kimball book on Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns. Guess here: The predicted Four Kings will become The Fab Five. Expect Stevenson, perhaps the best of them, to move up the scale to 135.

·    More talk from Tyson Fury about how he plans to knock out Anthony Joshua. And more talk from Joshua about how he’ll silence Fury. And more crazy talk from Deontay Wilder.

·    More talk from Canelo that, yeah, he’ll fight Gennadiy Golovkin in a decisive third bout. But, first, he plans to fight a mandatory super-middleweight defense against Turk Avni Yildirim and then pursue title unifications against Plant and Billy Joe Saunders. Check back in January, 2022. Canelo will still be talking about a third date with GGG.

A belated Happy 2021, a new year that defies plans and predictions. Just a prayer works. Pray that the vaccines work. Pray we can all meet at ringside and then at a restaurant to celebrate the fights, the fighters and lost friends.

By Bart Barry-

SAN ANTONIO – Nine days since we put an irresponsible number of aficionados in Alamodome this city hasn’t time to calculate new infections because we’re readying for Tuesday’s kickoff of Alamo Bowl – and yes, fans will be in attendance in an indoor stadium yet again because you can’t tell Texans what to do, especially when they’re trying to protect wealthy people’s fortunes for them.

It’s written 30 miles in near every direction from this city: Trump 2020 flags defiantly still flying on poles outside most every ranch.  Wealthy ranchers’ enduring fealty to a defrocked and deregulating protector of their interests is understandable, in a shortsighted and greedy kinda way, but I’ll be damned if I can figure what’s in it for their ranches’ hands.  Something about culture war this or guns that.  Heavens, such aspiring predators are but dimwitted prey.

I started teaching myself the ancient Chinese game of Go a few months back.  No, not because I saw A Beautiful Mind – as a few acquaintances asked.  Rather it came via what inspiration I feel helping my six-year-old daughter learn how to read.

When we began our weeknightly episodes in August the haul looked impossible.  Suddenly something incredibly important to me most of my life, reading, a thing I do not remember learning to do, required immense amounts of memorization and exceptions to rules overwhelming most reasons for committing rules to memory, even.  Why isn’t “enough” pronounced enoo if you’re not going to pronounce “through” like throff?

But in four months, against all expectations, my daughter’s speed of reading has improved fivefold.  Which set me to wondering if there were an activity at which I might improve myself so much so quickly.  I settled on the game of Go.

Years ago a guy in a coffeeshop told me if he were to do it all again for complexity he’d learn Go, not Chess, and towards the end of October I told myself that if I were going to replicate the miracle every first grader accomplishes with phonetics and brute repetition, if I were going to need but a few months to make a 500-percent improvement, why, there was no need to worry about lost time.  After all, it’s a relative measure.  I’m not trying to beat a 9-dan pro (I’m not even trying to beat her six-year-old daughter); I’m just trying to be five times better in four months than I was when I started.  I’m pretty much there, too.

Were I having to find locals with whom to play on a 9×9 board I’d be nowhere near my goal.  But thanks to what AlphaGo has wrought there are lots of artificial-intelligence-inspired apps for playing the game against a machine.  This allows you to learn via repetition – making similar mistakes and being punished in similar ways thousands of times quickly.  (These programs, beginning in the 1950s with machine-learning Checkers, attained their primacy by playing themselves millions of times.)  I suspect those of us who learn to play against machines, not humans, will be different sorts of players than those who learn the traditional way.  This might worry me if I were trying to become a professional or even a competent amateur, but since I’m only trying to be better compared to myself, well.

All of this has a bit to do with how I saw Canelo Alvarez’s undressing of Callum Smith, believe it or not.  In Go there’s fighting and there’s acquiring territory, and they’re only the same thing to beginners.  One wins at Go by acquiring territory, not winning fights.

When you start playing, though, especially as a westerner, you tend to shortcircuit with a misplaced pride that makes you hit back every time you’re struck.  He takes two of your stones, you take three of his!  You obsess yourself with a single fight in a small corner of the board and keep your eyes set till you’ve won.  Then you look up and see you’ve lost the game, bigly, while fixating on your terrible little patch.

Callum Smith didn’t obsess in any such way, a couple Saturdays ago, but he looked up at the closing bell of every round and seemed surprised to have lost so dramatically.  There were invisible lines on the mat, lines and rules visible only to Canelo, and Smith didn’t even know he crossed them, or Canelo crossed them.  But those lines told Canelo all he needed to know; so long as his lead foot got to position A within three steps, it didn’t matter what Smith’s jab or hook did.  Smith was so badly overmatched, so elegantly handicapped by Canelo’s prowess, he would need to fight that exact same Canelo making those exact same moves a dozen times before he’d have a chance at a draw, and 50 times before he’d win a decision.

Impressive to be so many levels beyond a Ring super middleweight champion.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

By Bart Barry-

SAN ANTONIO – Into this friendly city whose citizens have been generally vigilant about Covid, vigilant as local officials have required, many multiples more vigilant than state officials have, strode Canelo for his fourth Texas prizefight, second in Alamo City.  If it wasn’t his easiest Texas fight it wasn’t his most difficult either.  Which is a surprise and a half – since Callum Smith, the man Canelo beat up Saturday, was by far the most accomplished prizefighter Canelo has fought in Lone Star State.

What you opined of Saul Alvarez’s Saturday performance depends mostly on what you opined of Smith on Friday, what you opined of an undefeated Ring champion who’d won his title by knockout in the finals of a single-elimination tournament.  I learned this lesson about opinion’s effect, contrasting my feelings about Spence-Garcia a few weeks back and Alvarez-Smith Saturday.

I did not think particularly highly of welterweight Garcia, after opining quite highly of him at 140 pounds, and Spence’s workmanlike decision did next to nothing for me, aesthetically.  I opined quite highly of Callum Smith, and it rendered me thrice as susceptible to commentator hyperbole about Canelo.

It’s probably in the word subtlety.  When man’s most primal impulses manifest themselves subtly, perhaps someone with a microphone’s shining you.  While lots of subtle things happen in any confrontation, there is nothing subtle about a man’s consciousness being removed from him on television; in the absence of that spectacle recourses to subtlety deserve be discounted.

Canelo has come a long way since his last Alamodome match, hasn’t he?  Then, Canelo made his sixth defense of his first WBC title, a 154-pound trophy he won beating Matthew Hatton (the EBU European welterweight titlist at the time).  Canelo won a fair, unanimous decision over Austin Trout.  I was ringside for that.  Till that point I rated Canelo below “Son of the Legend” Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. among anointed Mexican prizefighters.  If Canelo wasn’t fully a promoter-manufactured entity he was having an awfully easy run – that would end in humiliation with Floyd Mayweather, five months after the Trout fight.

Watching Canelo from ringside afforded something watching Chavez Jr. did not, though.  On television Canelo didn’t have much an identity more than redhaired horseman from Jalisco.  With Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez still active, at various levels of decline, Canelo mightn’t have been among his country’s best five prizefighters, while being promoted as if he’d eclipsed all of them.  I went to Alamodome in 2013 half expecting Trout to undress him.

I was disabused of that in round 1.  The first time Canelo let fly a hook, actually, I noticed he had access to an entire other level from Chavez Jr.’s.  I’ve written about it before, but Canelo has a different sort of intensity than television shows.

Back then, too, Canelo was given to one defensive-clinic round every fight, a round when he tried to be Will o’ the Cinnamon, showing aspirational levels of head and shoulder movement.  It was corny – like a voluptuous Instagram model in prop glasses with a caption that reads “Beauty AND BRAINS!”  Saturday showed Canelo’s cornball defensive rounds weren’t wrong but early.  Across from Erislandy Lara, Mayweather and Trout, men with better reflexes, Canelo was too slow to make his feints look even hopeful.

The higher Canelo moves in weight, though, the more a defensive genius he appears.  Against Callum Smith he showed a defensive awareness that set Twitter ablaze with comparisons.  It might be inferred the worst loser Saturday was not Smith, in fact, but “Saint George” Groves and by further inference late-career Carl “The Cobra” Froch.  How bloody sluggish must Groves’ve been to make such a bull and bully of a man limited as Callum Smith?

Smith was wholly unprepared for Canelo’s intensity, for his presence, for his speed even, Saturday.  A giant of a man, Smith went from graceful athlete to gangly reluctant in fewer than three minutes.  Late as round 6, I continued hoping like a loon a limited Brit might surprise a fully actualized Mexican prizefighter with a left hook – makes me chuckle at myself, typing that – then Canelo just about broke Smith’s left arm in half with a righthand or two.  By round 9 Smith’s corner was threatening its charge with the white feather.  The championship rounds were about one more hopeless UK fighter’s grit.

There wasn’t an obvious opportunity to ice Smith so Canelo didn’t try very hard, which earned him some derision from what GGG deadenders Canelo sneered at in his incompetently translated postfight chinwag.  Healthy as he feels and looks at 168 pounds Canelo hasn’t an inkling to weigh one ounce less to retire Gennadiy Golovkin, who didn’t rehydrate to the super middleweight limit Friday.

Without HBO around anymore to sensationalize Soviet Bloc fighters to feed Canelo, and without any obvious rivalries between 168 pounds and whatever Andy Ruiz weighs right now, and with his agency as a selfpromoter freer than ever, Canelo has some planning to do.  If he’s serious about unifying titles at 168 pounds – he needn’t be; he has The Ring title already – he should forego whoever holds the IBF belt and unify WBC titles in a match with David Benavidez, who at age 24 is at least as good as Canelo was when he lost to Mayweather at 23.  Maybe that fight would go the way of Crawford-Benavidez.  Maybe it wouldn’t.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Canelo Alvarez won a emphatic 12-round unanimous decision over Callum Smith to win the WBA/WBC Super Middleweight title at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Alvarez was dominant from the start as he landed some quick hard shots using a diverse offensive attack. At different times in the contest, Alvarez landed hard jabs; rights; left hook and a tremendous uppercuts.

By the middle rounds, it was evident that it would be a dominant victory for Alavrez as despite having a seven-inch height disadvantage, Smith would not and could not hold Alavarez with anything. Alavrez could just walk right in and land thudding combinations and dividing his punches to the head and body.

Alvarez hurt Smith several times with those hard, and the Englishman did well to hear the final bell, but he was bruised and cut over his right eye, and never competitive in the fight which saw Alavrez win on two cards 119-109 and a third was more generous for Smith to the tune of 117-111.

Alvarez landed 214 of 494 punches; Smith was 99 of 539.

Alvarez of Guadalajara, MEX is now 54-1-2. Smith of Liverpool, ENG is 27-1.

Castro Stops Valdes in 3

Marc Castro made a successful pro debut with a 3rd round stoppage over Luis Javier Valdes in a scheduled four-round junior lightweight fight.

In round two, Castro dropped Valdes with a right uppercut. In round three, it was a body shot that followed by a right to the head and Valdes did not beat the count at 1:59

Castro, 130.1 lbs of Fresno, CA is 1-0 with one knockout. Valdes, 128.8 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 7-6-1.

Sanchez stops Fernandez in 7

Frank Sanchez remained undefeated with a crushing 7th round stoppage over Julian Fernandez in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout.

In round seven, Sanchez landed a booming right that badly hurt Fernandez. A follow up right dropped Fernandez onto the apron and the fight was stopped at 1:35.

Sanchez, 229 lbs of Miami is 17-0 with 13 knockouts. Fernandez, 209.2 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 14-3.

Ford Stops Lopez in 7

Raymond Ford stopped Juan Antonio Lopez in round seven of their scheduled eight-round featherweight fight.

In round one, Ford sent Lopez to the deck with a right hook.

In round seven, Ford landed a perfect right hook to the chin that sent Lopez to a knee. Lopez took the 10-count and the fight was stopped at 1:14

Ford, 128.6 lbs of Camden, NJ is 8-0 with four knockouts. Lopez, 129.2 lbs of Dallas, TX is now 15-8.

Williams stops Jones in 1st

Austin Williams remained undefeated by stopping Isiah Jones in round one of their scheduled six-round middleweight bout.

Williams clipped Jones with hard left that hurt him. Williams jumped all over Jones and landed a hard barrage of punches that forced the stoppage at 1:29.

Williams is now 7-0 with six knockouts. Jones of Detroit is 9-4.

Follow all the action as Canelo Alvarez takes on Callum Smith for the WBA/WBC Super Middleweight championship.  The action begins at 8 PM ET /1 AM in England with an undercard featuring some top undefeated Prospects.

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Round 1: Right to body from Alvarez

Round 2 2 Body shots from Alvarez…Jab from Smith..Good Jab..Pawing jab…Hard jab from Canelo

Round 3 Right from Canelo..Good jab and right hand..2 jabs..Jab and right hand

Round 4 hard jabs from Smith..Hard right from Canelo..Body shot from Smith…Hard right from Canelo..Hard body shot..1-2…Good combination on the ropes..Good uppercut..

Round 5 Hard body shot from Canelo…

Round 6 Good right from Canelo..Body shot..Right…

Round 7 Combination from Smith..Hard body shot from Canelo..Long jab…uppercut..Long right

Round 8 Right from Canelo..Lead uppercut and right hand..Combination from Smith..Good right..Thudding right and uppercut from Canelo..snapping jab..Nice right and uppercut from Smith..

Round 9 Right and jab from Canelo..Uppercut..Blood from nose of Smith..Hard right from Smith..Hard body shot and right from Canelo..Big right Hurts Smith…Uppercut from Canelo..Uppercut and right..Canelo starting to bust up Smith..Hard right hurts Smith..Hard right

Round 10 Hard body shot…Hard uppercut..Smith being punished…4 hard body shots..Hard body shot..Hard right and a body shot

Round 11 Body shot from Canelo..Hard left hook..Snapping jab..Hard right hurts Smith..Another right..Jab to the head..

Round 12 Right from Canelo..Snapping jab and right hand…Combination from Smith..Right from Canelo..Combination..Hard thudding right hand

119-109 TWICE; 117-111 FOR CANELO ALVAREZ

Round 1 Right from Sanchez..Hook and right hand…Hard right..Hard right and another..right to body..Uppercut…Body shot
Round 2 Big hook from Sanchez…Ferandez hurt…Sanchez lands a right over the top..Right..
Round 3 Sanchez lands a right behind the head..Hard right from Sanchez
Round 4 Hard body shot that is followed by a jab from Sanchez
Round 5 Hard right from Sanchez
Round 6 Hard right from Sanchez
Round 7 Body shots from Sanchez…HARD RIGHT DOWN GOES FERNANDEZ..FERNANDEZ FALLS OUT OF RING…FIGHT OVER

Round 1: Jab from Ford…hard left drives Lopez fight..Right to the body..hard left hurts Lopez..RIGHT HOOK AND DOWN GOES LOPEZ
Round 2 Hard jab drives Lopez back..Lopez lands a left…combination from Ford..
Round 3 Hard left from Ford
Round 4 Hard uppercut from Ford…Double jab followed by a left ..Lopez lands a left
Round 5 Hard left from Ford..Jab..hard body shot
Round 6 Good jab from Ford..Sharp right hook..Uppercut…Slapping left from Lopez..Left to head from Ford
Round 7 RIGHT HOOK AND DOWN GOES LOPEZ…HE TAKES THE 10-COUNT–FIGHT OVER

Round 1 Jab from Jones..Left from Williams..Jab..HARD LEFT AND JONES IS HURT…WILLIAMS ALL OVER JONES AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

Round 1 Right from Castro..Right to body and head…3 punch combination..Right to body from Valdes///Right from Castro
Round 2 Right snaps back Valdes head..UPPERCUT AND DOWN GOES VALDES…Hard Body shot..Hard body shot
Round 3

By Norm Frauenheim–

A media call with Gennadiy Golovkin this week was preceded by a warning not to ask a question. The question. Don’t ask about Canelo Alvarez, the electronic missive said. You will be muted.

Give me liberty or give me muted.

Saying no to reporters is a little bit like ordering lions not to eat red meat. If not defiance, it often ensures an artful attempt at a round-about way to ask the prohibited without mentioning the letter-of-the law.

But there was nothing artful and surely no defiance during a Zoom session a few days before GGG’s return to the ring Friday night against Kamil Szeremeta (21-0, 5 KOs) in Hollywood, Fla.

Promoter Eddie Hearn answered questions about Canelo. But Hearn’s history tells you he’ll talk about almost anything. After all, he once promoted Logan Paul. Meanwhile, Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs) was asked about his future. (Hint, hint). He was asked about his legacy. (Hint, hint, hint).

He never went there. Not once. He later was quoted about Canelo in a story reported by AFP, the international press service headquartered in Paris.

“I don’t think about this because I’m tired of thinking about it,” Golovkin told AFP. “It’s been over two years that we’ve been throwing this around. It’s not my fault that this fight has not taken place. Currently, it’s too early to say, but there is a possibility this fight might never happen.”

Done. Enough said. For once, a prohibition on one question makes sense. There nothing left to say about GGG-Canelo 3. No outrage necessary, mostly because a third GGG-Canelo fight is way beyond its past-due date.

The question lingers this week only because of the DAZN schedule. By coincidence or not, GGG’s middleweight title defense (DAZN/5 p.m.ET/2 p.m. PT) in his first fight in 14 months is followed 24 hours later by Canelo (53-1-2, 36 KOs) in a super-middleweight bout against Callum Smith (27-0, 19 KOs) Saturday (DAZN/8 p.m.ET, 5 p.m. PT) in San Antonio. The scheduling is a sign that DAZN still wants a return on GGG and its initial investment in Canelo, who is now a free agent after suing both the streaming network and his former promoter, Oscar De La Hoya.

“I really think the challenge he wants is Canelo Alvarez,’’ said Hearn, who will be in San Antonio Saturday as Smith’s promoter.

But, Hearn said, “a lot has to happen.’’

Maybe too much.

From the looks of it, GGG is in terrific condition. He stepped on the scale Friday at a sculpted 159.2 pounds, safely under the 160 mandatory. He’s never missed weight. Truth is, there’s been any doubt that he ever would. GGG has been the consummate pro. But a scale isn’t a clock. GGG is 38. Presumably, he’ll be near or at 39 the next time he fights. His birthday is April 8. His hourglass is running out of prime time.

Meanwhile, Canelo is 30. He’ll be 31 on July 18. Best: A couple of prime-time years are still on Canelo’s clock. But the scale indicates he has moved up and beyond middleweight. There’s a reason he’ll be at super-middleweight (168) in his first fight since his 11^th-round stoppage of Sergey Kovalev at light-heavyweight (175) more than a year ago (Nov. 2, 2019).

“I personally don’t see Canelo coming back to 160,’’ Hearn said.

The question, then, is whether GGG, a natural middleweight, can ever really fight at 168. Then again, that’s a question that Canelo might have to answer Saturday against the unbeaten Smith.

It’s hard not to conclude that GGG and Canelo missed the optimum moment for a decisive third fight. They fought to a controversial split-draw in September 2017. Canelo won a debatable majority decision in September 2018. The third fight, a trilogy’s definitive chapter, should have happened a year later, September 2019. But it didn’t because of personal animosity. The contempt is mutual and real.

Perhaps, big money can change that. But an opportunity has been missed, more by Canelo than GGG. Canelo’s claim on pound-for-pound supremacy is attached to skepticism from fans who argue that Canelo did not beat GGG decisively, if at all.  A chance to deliver the proof was there in 2019, Pre-Pandemic, at a time when Canelo was improving and GGG appeared to be in decline.

Now? Who knows? Or who cares?

From a historical perspective, there’s a parallel. In September 1981, Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns, then welterweights, fought one of the most memorable bouts ever. Leonard, then 25, beat the 23-year-old Hearns, scoring a fourteenth-round TKO in an outdoor ring on the tennis courts behind Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace. The fight begged for a rematch. Begged for a trilogy. But it took nearly eight years for even a rematch to happen, in part because Leonard retired and then came back because of a detached retina.

But they had lost their moment. Time robbed them of it. By today’s standards, they were still young. Leonard was 33; Hearns was 30. But the fight at super-middleweight, also at Caesars Palace, was a bust. It was a draw, despite two knockdowns. Hearns floored Leonard, once in the third and again in the eleventh. But it was more than controversial. It was forgettable.

Not worth asking about, either.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday at Wembley Arena, in its cafeteria or lobby, British heavyweight titlist Anthony “AJ” Joshua went through in nine rounds a limited old Bulgarian named Kubrat “The Cobra” Pulev in four or so rounds longer than Wlad Klitschko did in 2014.  Saturday in San Antonio, Mexican middleweight champion and light heavyweight titlist Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will challenge British super middleweight champion Callum “Mundo” Smith.  DAZN brought and brings us both.

AJ won the first match of his AR (After Ruiz) career by convincing stoppage that made some new fan, someone who discovered boxing Saturday, there must be one, think AJ is an indestructible force other heavyweight champions’d be wise to avoid.  What that means is a fresh round of socialmedia negotiations commences.  They’re all hypothetical at this point, exactly as most contemporary prizefighters and their followers prefer them.

Until a Covid vaccine is widely distributed round the world and its effect widely proven round the world all plans for heavyweight superfights are noise.  Here in the U.S. we know all about cacophony (and handling a pandemic catastrophically badly).  Bob Arum and Tyson Fury will do their part to ensure failed negotiations for AJ-Gypsy King get blamed on someone else – they’ve already begun that campaign.  Fury has been lucid for a couple years now, blessedly so, but Arum and others know tomorrow is promised to no promoter and waiting for things to marinate “until we can have fans in the seats again” mightn’t be perspicacity’s own path.

Joshua knows to wait favors him.  So long as the AR charade holds up with Eastern Bloc guys – a Pulev to Usyk to Povetkin run has to be the preferred course – there’s no need to go the riskier route of a Fury fight or, God save AJ’s chin, a match with Deontay Wilder.  Saturday AJ proved against a smaller, older, lighter-hitting, less-athletic version of himself he is a monster.

Even still the sheen is off.  There’s no longer an inevitability to AJ.  One no longer thinks of the kid who dethroned Wlad Klitschko but the man who went wobbly woebegone against a fat little guy who could punch in combination.  That AJ, though, had something like pride and initiative – he was trying to finish Ruiz, remember, when his career comically unwound.  Better for AJ that we remember that bemused countenance and refusal to step forward till he good and felt like it, not the way he ran from the Snickers spokesman six months later.

Tentative as he got after Corrie Sanders denuded him Wlad never had athleticism enough to run like AJ did in Saudi Arabia; Wlad had the heart for it but not the coordination.  Pulev wasn’t much of a matchmaking risk for AJ’s braintrust.  He was a mandatory of some sort, a proven victim, and at age 39 near to immobile as a credible challenger could be.  He also wasn’t much of a finisher.  If AJ chose to plant and punch and his righthand arrived in second place, it was essential he’d have time to settle things before he had to punch or defend again.  Pulev was not a man to rush forward.  

Actually, who cares?  Until AJ fights Fury or Wilder he’ll not be considered credible by aficionados, so why shoehorn anything more into Saturday’s match?

Especially when we can be treating Canelo’s upcoming fight with Callum Smith.  Saturday at Alamodome in a city whose daily new Covid cases are now about the worst they’ve been and eight times or so worse than they were in October, there is a misery of an undercard followed by a properly compelling mainevent, for those dumb enough to put themselves in an indoor arena.

After his excellent win at World Boxing Super Series, Smith has been in hiding.  He fought well 18 months ago and badly five months after that.  He is the Ring champion at super middleweight and deservedly so.  Canelo is the Ring’s pound-for-pound champion, having fought at too many different weights recently to be considered anything other than one of the world’s best fighters, regardless of weightclass or belt.

If Canelo is not the world’s very best fighter it is not for reluctance.  He has made a fight with everyone aficionados have asked him to, especially those men aficionados suspected would make him look bad.  He hasn’t given Gennadiy Golovkin a rubbermatch because he doesn’t believe Golovkin deserves one – an assertion Golovkin is doing his damndest to prove by fighting a 31-year-old Pole with a 24-percent knockout ratio, this Friday.

Yes, the world’s most-feared man, one willing to fight anyone, even career welterweights, between 154 pounds and 168, though not at 154 pounds or 168, will, to his credit, be matching himself against his third career middleweight in a row when he makes a good boy out of the Ring’s number-six-rated middleweight, Kamil Szeremeta, in yet another worst-opponent-the-broadcaster-would-approve showcase for GGG.

Golovkin and his enablers consider his rivalry with Canelo unfinished.  Canelo doesn’t even recognize Golovkin as a rival.  Canelo’s right.  After icing a former light heavyweight champion in his last fight Canelo is about to fight the undisputed super middleweight champion of the world.  Golovkin, 0-1-1 (0 KOs) in career superfights, meanwhile, has returned to making war on mediocre middleweights – though, noticeably, without foundering HBO to overestimate wildly his achievements as he does.  Better put: Did you even know GGG was fighting this week?

Canelo-Smith should be excellent.  Smith has all the tools, and talent aplenty too, but not a fraction Canelo’s experience.  Neither suffers a want of selfbelief.  Had Smith kept improving or challenging himself after WBSS he’d be a favorite Saturday.  Unfortunately he hasn’t.

I’ll take Canelo, UD-12.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Matchroom and Canelo Promotions are delighted to announce that the WBC World Super-Middleweight title will be on the line when Canelo Alvarez and Callum Smith clash at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday December 19, live on DAZN in 200+ countries and territories worldwide and on TV Azteca in Mexico.
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW STARTING AT $75 (PLUS FEES) FROM TICKETMASTER – CLICK HERE
Canelo (53-1-2 36 KOs) once again reaches for greatness as he challenges the WBA Super, Ring Magazine and world number one rated Super-Middleweight Smith (27-0 19 KOs) in Texas, and the addition of the WBC title adds more greatness and glamour to an already monstrous fight.

Both men have won WBC straps before, with Canelo winning belts at Super-Welterweight and Middleweight and Smith landing the WBC Diamond belt at 168lbs, and the winner on December 19 will be ordered to face WBC #2 ranked Avni Yildrim within 90 days.

“The WBC is extremely proud to have such tremendous fight for the vacant WBC Super-Middleweight title,” said WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman. “Canelo and Callum will give the world a superb closing of a difficult year and will make fans from around the world celebrate with much entertainment and enjoyment. I would like to personally praise Avni Yildirim for his exemplary collaboration to make this a reality.”

“I am delighted that the winner of this fight will be crowned the WBC World champion at 168lbs,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “Canelo Alvarez is the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet, and Callum Smith is the number one Super-Middleweight on the planet – so it is fitting for the winner to proudly wear the green and gold belt on December 19.”

Marc Castro, Diego Pacheco, Alexis Espino and Austin Williams will perform on the biggest of stages on the undercard of the World title clash between Canelo Alvarez vs. Callum Smith at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday December 19, live on DAZN in 200+ countries and territories worldwide and on TV Azteca in Mexico.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW STARTING AT $75 (PLUS FEES) FROM TICKETMASTER – CLICK HERE

It’s third time lucky for Castro as the amateur sensation makes his professional debut after false starts in Tulsa and Florida. The Fresno talent amassed a 177-7 record in the amateur code and won countless titles all over the world, and now the 21 year old will finally step through the ropes having missed out in Oklahoma due to COVID and in Hollywood with an ankle strain.

“It’s been a crazy year but I’m ready to get my pro career started on one of the best cards of the year, God willing,” said Castro. “The positive COVID result and the ankle injury were just little setbacks that I have fully recovered from and I cannot wait to get started in the pros on December 19.”

Pacheco (10-0 8 KOs) moved into double figures in Mexico City in October with his eighth stoppage win – and the powerful and rangy teen takes another big step on his pro journey, with his first eight rounder against Rodolfo Gomez Jr (14-4-1 10 KOs) in Texas.

“I’m really happy and excited that I get to close out the year on the biggest show of the year,” said Pacheco. “I’m moving up to eight rounds which is exciting for me, and I really hope I can push on and on from here into 2021.”

Espino (6-0 4 KOs) completes the trio of Mexican-American Matchroom talents on the card, and the 20 year old will fight for the seventh time in the paid ranks in Texas against Ashton Sykes (5-3 1 KO) and for the first time since fighting in the Lone Star state in February.

“I’m so excited for the opportunity to be on the biggest card of year,” said Espino. “I’ve been working harder than ever and I’m ready to put on a great show.”

‘Ammo’ Williams (6-0 5 KOs) recorded his fifth KO win from six pro-outings in Mexico City alongside Pacheco, and the Houston native faces Isaiah Jones (9-3 3 KOs) in his home state for the second time having fought in Arlington in June 2019.

“2020 was the toughest and most unexpected year of my life,” said Williams. “I was tested mentally, physically and emotionally but I overcame all my trials! Now I get to put a guy to sleep on the biggest card of the year! Hard work, faith, and dedication always pays off!”

Castro, Pacheco, Espino and Williams take their place on a blockbuster night, topped by Canelo (53-2-1 36 KOs) challenging Smith (27-0 19 KOs) for the Briton’s WBA and Ring Magazine World Super-Middleweight titles, and exciting Mexican pocket powerhouse Julio Cesar Martinez (17-1 13 KOs) defends his WBC World Flyweight title against Francisco Rodriguez Jr (33-4-1 24 KOs) – with more action to be added.

Julio Cesar Martinez will defend his WBC World Flyweight title against Francisco Rodriguez Jr on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez’s World title clash with Callum Smith at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday December 19, live on DAZN in 200+ countries and territories worldwide and on TV Azteca in Mexico.
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW STARTING AT $75 (PLUS FEES) FROM TICKETMASTER – CLICK HERE
Martinez (17-1 13 KOs) puts the famous green and gold strap on the line for the third time and comes into the bout fresh from a savage second round KO win over Moises Calleros in Mexico City in October. 

The Mexican talent is quickly becoming a must-watch fighter with his all-action style guaranteeing excitement and the 25 year old returns to Texas having beaten British challenger Jay Harris over 12 rounds in Arlington in February.

On a huge night for Mexican boxing with pound-for-pound king Alvarez back in action, Rodriguez Jr. (33-4-1 24 KOs) will be aiming to rip the belt from his fellow countryman in his second World title fight. The 27 year old, ranked #2 in the WBC, landed the WBC Latino title at Super-Flyweight in his last outing in November 2019, picking up the 24^th KO win of his career over Jose Maria Cardenas.

“I’m here in San Diego preparing and I’m very excited to be here,” said Martinez. “I’m completing almost two months of camp. I’m so honored to be fighting on the undercard of Saul. I’m going to leave everything to God as always and have faith that he’ll ensure it all goes well. Hopefully that night I’ll get a knockout.

“We know that this guy is very strong, that he’s coming very well prepared. It’s going to be a tough fight but we know as always we’ve prepared 1000 per cent and we have no fear. Going to leave everything in the ring. I still have three kilos to lose but I have two, almost three weeks left to lose that. I’m excited and anxious.

“I’m appreciative of everything from Mr. Eddie Hearn and Matchroom for all of their support. I want to also thank Eddy Reynoso and my trainer Mauricio Aceves who are always so attentive as well as my family. “Somos con todos menos con miedo”. Blessings”

“I want to thank Martínez and his team as well as Matchroom for giving me this opportunity,” said Rodriguez Jr. “It is a pleasure to fight in the biggest card of the year. Martinez is a solid champion and a good fighter but with all due respect he hasn’t fought someone like me, I been waiting for this shot for almost five years and it comes at a perfect timing – I won’t waste it,”

“Julio Cesar Martinez is arguably the most exciting pound-for-pound fighter in boxing right now and this is the perfect stage to continue his ride,” said Eddie Hearn. “This is perhaps the toughest challenge of his career right now and the fans in Texas can expect a Mexican war for the WBC World title on December 19.”

Martinez’s clash with Rodriguez is part of a huge night of action in Texas, topped by Alvarez once against reaching for greatness, challenging WBA and Ring Magazine World champion Smith – and more undercard fights will be announced later this week.

Canelo Promotions and Matchroom Boxing are delighted to announce that tickets for the blockbuster showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Callum Smith for the WBA and Ring Magazine World Super-Middleweight titles will go on sale at 1pm CT/ 2pm ET today (November 25) for their showdown at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday December 19, live on DAZN in 200+ countries and territories worldwide and on TV Azteca in Mexico. 

TICKETS START AT $75 (PLUS FEES) AND GO ON SALE AT 1PM CT/ 2PM ET TODAY FROM TICKETMASTER – CLICK HERE

Canelo (53-1-2 36 KOs) fights at the venue for the second time in his storied career having beaten Austin Trout there in April 2013, and it’s the fourth time the Mexican pound-for-pound king has boxed in Texas having beaten Trout, James Kirkland and Smith’s older brother Liam in the Lone Star state.

Smith (27-0 19 KOs) will be gunning for revenge for ‘Beefy’s’ defeat in September 2016, and the Liverpool star will look to rubber-stamp his position as the number one 168lber in the world and crash into the pound-for-pound rankings himself with victory on the biggest night of his eight-year pro career.

Tickets for the blockbuster night of action start at $75 (plus fees) and are on sale from 1pm CT/ 2pm ET from this link.

There will be a limited capacity at the Alamodome, with fans in socially distanced clusters of seating – fan safety is the number one priority for the Alamodome and the stadium has implemented a comprehensive COVID-19 reopening plan with details available here.

By Bart Barry-

SAN ANTONIO – Friday afternoon this city landed the biggest prizefight of the rest of the year when promoter Matchroom Boxing announced Mexican middleweight champion and light heavyweight titlist Saul “Canelo” Alvarez would challenge for undefeated Englishman Callum “Mundo” Smith’s super middleweight Ring championship at Alamodome the Saturday before Christmas.  Four hours later every resident of this county got a text message that read:

936 new COVID-19 cases reported today – the most since July.  With the virus spreading, limit unnecessary outings, avoid social gatherings and wear your mask.

936 nuevos casos de COVID-19 reportados hoy, la mayor cantidad desde julio.  Limite las salidas innecesarias, evite las reuniones sociales y use cubrebocas.

If it appears these messages are at cross-purposes with an Alamodome superfight it’s because they are.  Here’s a sentence I didn’t before imagine writing: If you are not from here and planning to come for the Canelo fight, please do not.

The events of 2020 have made, for responsible adults, many previously unimaginable behaviors standard.  Everyone else has, in varying degrees, pretended things are normal, returning to normal, nearly normal or I’ve-waited-long-enough-for normal.  The contortions this has put folks in have been universally ugly.

A quarter of a million Americans have died from Covid.  That reality is too horrifying for all and leads some to dissemble by wondering about the numbers, asking if anything might’ve been done differently, picking nonsequitur fights with elected officials – threadbare arguments about “tyranny” and “free market” and (coming soon) “national debt”.  Looked at as goodfaith inquiries from reasonable people, these arguments raise immense ire in responsible adults.  Looked at as the castings-about of children, these arguments appear tantrums.  Which is what they are.

The formula for not spreading Covid has been unchanging for seven of the last eight months: Stay home unless you absolutely have to go out, wear a mask whenever you do go out, and keep six feet between yourself and others.  To avoid infecting yourself, do all these same things and wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face.

The absolutely-have-to-go-out clause above raises plenty of socioeconomic questions.  I’m not oblivious of them or the injustice of declaring things like meat-processing plants vital to national security.  In this city, too, a number of busdrivers have died of Covid, their exposures to infected and generally asymptomatic folks – themselves commuting to jobs that preclude their families’ hunger – too great for too many hours to be properly mitigated by some flimsy cloth stretched across rubberbands.  These folks deserve our deepest sympathies and financial aid in whatever form we can provide it.

But the men filling Home Depot every day for six months because it’s what happens to be open and they can’t stand being alone or with their families?  They’re a different story.  Especially the jackasses who do so masklessly.  The uncharitable if understandable reaction to such folks’ almost inevitable acquisition of the virus is they had it coming, which they did, but here are two entities that didn’t: Employees and familiars of these folks, and the American healthcare system in the long run.  What is lost on those who fixate on mortality rates is a question like: What will be the lasting impact of 12 million Americans with lingering respiratory issues?  What will that do to gross domestic product, to healthcare costs, to their children’s prospects?

Aside from the fighters themselves, their trainers and cutmen, and a handful of officials, nobody must be in Alamodome next month.  Every national promoter has proved this, out of necessity, since August.  Canelo, angry his paycheck got affected by Covid like everyone else’s, declared an empty arena, or at least a paycheck empty of a live gate, unacceptable, and a scramble began for some state, any state, dumb enough to host large indoor gatherings during a pandemic.  Nobody had to look hard.

Twenty days before our 10-fold increase in Covid cases PBC held a “successful” pay-per-view event at Alamodome.  Did Davis-Santa Cruz cause the spike in cases?  No, probably not.  Rather there was a correlation between our once-vigilant city’s newfound complacency and a 9,000-person event in an indoor arena.

Oh, I know, Canelo-Smith’s promoter will find a podiatrist or dentist somewhere to say the precautions being taken by a part-time staff of minimum-wage security guards are topnotch, and every patron will get a free squirt of hand sanitizer with any ticket purchase above $30, and thousands of people drinking and shouting for hours cannot possibly spread anything because at least half the guards working the doors’ll have functioning forehead thermometers and half of that half will remember to use them, too, so never mind World Health Organization guidance or restrictions from Center for Disease Control.  They can’t tell us what to do!

Last week’s announcement brought to mind two anecdotes.  A month after The Legend of Muhammad Ali was published, I brought an author’s copy Christmas present to the gym for the kindly father of an aspiring pugilist.  He told me his son idolized Ali.  I told him be ready to talk his limited son out of a prizefighting career someday soon.  He told me not to worry because his son had a great chin and lots of heart like Ali.  I told him I didn’t want to see his son finish his days like Ali.  He assured me boxing had nothing to do with Ali’s condition.

My mother used to say of the most delicious things in life they were “to die for”.  I happen to be a big Callum Smith fan and give him a real chance against Canelo in December.  It should be an excellent, consequential prizefight.  But I don’t think it’s to die for.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Canelo Promotions and Matchroom Boxing are delighted to announce that Canelo Alvarez’s clash with Callum Smith for the WBA and Ring Magazine World Super-Middleweight titles will take place with a limited live crowd at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday December 19, live on DAZN in 200+ countries and territories worldwide and on TV Azteca in Mexico. 

An announcement on ticket prices and on-sale dates will be made early next week
Canelo (53-1-2 36 KOs) fights at the venue for the second time in his storied career having beaten Austin Trout there in April 2013, and it’s the fourth time the Mexican pound-for-pound king has boxed in Texas having beaten Trout, James Kirkland and Smith’s older brother Liam in the Lone Star state.

Smith (27-0 19 KOs) will be gunning for revenge for ‘Beefy’s’ defeat in September 2016, and the Liverpool star will look to rubber-stamp his position as the number one 168lber in the world and crash into the pound-for-pound rankings himself with victory on the biggest night of his eight-year pro career.

Home of the UTSA Roadrunners, the Alamodome has a rich history of staging blockbuster fights, with their first fight the infamous draw between Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez and the late great ‘Sweet Pea’ Pernell Whitaker in April of the stadiums opening year in 1993, and the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Evander Holyfield, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Canelo himself headlining since then – and Canelo is excited to return to San Antonio and fight in front of his adoring faithful.

“I am thrilled to be back at the Alamodome and very thankful to be fighting in front of my fans on December 19,” said Canelo. “I have great memories of my previous bouts in Texas, and I expect this to be a special fight to close out the year.”

“It’s fantastic news to be able to hold this great fight in front of fans and in a great stadium like the Alamodome,” said Eddie Hearn, managing director of Matchroom Sport. “It’s a fight that deserves to be witnessed in the flesh and those fans that snap up the hottest ticket in town next week will be in for a brilliant night of action, topped by the pound-for-pound king taking on the number one Super-Middleweight in the world – a simply unmissable occasion for those in attendance and watching live on DAZN.”

“The Alamodome is extremely honored to be working with Canelo Promotions and Matchroom Boxing in hosting this mega boxing event on December 19,” said Steve Zito, general manager of the Alamodome. “We are excited to welcome back Canelo Alvarez to the Alamodome and San Antonio.  Since fan safety is our number one priority, the Alamodome has created and implemented a comprehensive COVID-19 reopening plan with details available here. The venue is prepared to offer patrons a memorable, safe and exciting fight night experience.”

Canelo Promotions and Matchroom Boxing are delighted to announce that Canelo Alvarez will take on Callum Smith for the WBA and Ring Magazine World Super-Middleweight titles on Saturday December 19, live on DAZN in 200+ countries and territories worldwide (excluding Mexico).
 
Alvarez (53-1-2 36 KOs) is back in action for the first time since knocking out Sergey Kovalev in November 2019 in Las Vegas, ripping the WBO World Light-Heavyweight title from the Russian to become a four-weight World ruler.
 
The Mexican superstar beat Smith’s old foe and fellow Liverpool fighter Rocky Fielding in December 2018 to win the WBA regular belt at 168lbs – his third weight to rule at – and will be gunning to follow his domination at Middleweight up to Super-Middle.
 
Smith (27-0 19 KOs) has landed the huge fight he has craved, and the powerful Brit will be out to cement his position as top dog at 168lbs. ‘Mundo’ landed the WBA and Ring belts he puts on the line with a clinical stoppage win over fellow countryman George Groves in the seventh round of final of the inaugural World Boxing Super Series in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in September 2018. 
 
The 30 year old has defended the titles twice since, stopping Hassan N’Dam in New York in June 2019 and then outpointing John Ryder in his Liverpool hometown five months later. Smith will also be out for family revenge when he steps through the ropes, with Canelo having beaten Smith’s brother Liam in Texas in September 2016.
 
“I’m very happy to return to the ring and continue to make history,” said Canelo. “I am motivated to continue to be the best, and I look forward to fighting Callum Smith, who is one of the best at 168lbs.”
 
“We are very happy to return to the ring and close out the year with one more victory to continue demonstrating that Canelo is the best boxer on this planet,” said Eddy Reynoso, Sport and Talent director at Canelo Promotions and Canelo’s trainer.
 
“I’ve been wanting a big fight since becoming World champion, so I’m so pleased that during these challenging times we can deliver to the fans a fight between the very best in the division,” said Smith. “I truly believe I beat him and will prove that 168lbs is my division.”
 
“I’m delighted to be part of this huge fight to close out 2020 and deliver this opportunity for Callum Smith,” said Eddie Hearn, managing director of Matchroom Sport. “Canelo is a fearless competitor who constantly challenges himself against great champions and this will be a thrilling battle for 168lb supremacy. It’s a pleasure to be working with Canelo and Eddy Reynoso and we look forward to a spectacular event on December 19.”
 
“We’re thrilled to work with our great partners Canelo Alvarez, Eddy Reynoso and Matchroom on this new venture,” said Ed Breeze, DAZN EVP, Rights. “Canelo vs. Smith is a perfect fight to support DAZN’s global launch in December as we look forward to introducing the platform to sports fans around the world.”
 
An announcement on the venue for the fight will be made soon.