Dan Rafael od espn.com is reporting that former Featherweight champion Orlando Salido broke his orbital in his title losing fight bout this past Saturday night against Mikey Garcia.

“It’s very possible that it was broken right off the bat in the first round,” Salido’s manager Sean Gibbons said.

“Salido wasn’t ready for that first shot so it took him a while to get adjusted after that and we think he was fighting with the broken bone from the first round,” Gibbons said. “He had a CT scan at the hospital and everything was OK, thankfully, other than that (broken bone). We were at the hospital until 5 in the morning and then Orlando was on a flight back to Mexico at 9 a.m.”

He said Salido (39-12-2, 27 KOs), 32, was disappointed that the fight ended so abruptly, just as Salido, although way behind on the scorecards, was beginning to come on.

“We didn’t have closure in the fight,” Gibbons said. “Orlando said he would have rather gotten knocked out than have it end like that. He believes he was coming on and getting ready to do something. The Mikey that fought those first six rounds was tough. But the Mikey who fought the seventh and eighth rounds was not the same Mikey. Orlando was starting to get to him and who knows what would have happened? There was still a lot of fight left when it got stopped.”

“He has great support from the government in (the Mexican state of) Sonora, where we’ll do a fight in May at 130 pounds,” Gibbons said. “And if (junior lightweight titlist) Rocky Martinez is still holding onto his belt, we’d love to fight Rocky Martinez.”

“If we can’t get Martinez, making the weight for featherweight is no problem for Orlando. It’s not an issue, so we don’t rule out something at featherweight again,” Gibbons said.

We came to the moment for which we assembled, Saturday, the telling collection of intervals, two predecessors succeeded by the aptly named championship rounds, the young contender, having had the bridge of his nose crushed by the top of the other man’s head, would have to beat back the old champ, making him quit or at least relent enough to bring a satisfyingly definitive conclusion. Instead, his test sheet confidently filled, our prodigy strode to the room’s front and handed it to the proctor, and the proctor nodded sagely, took the crisp leaf from the student, turned, slipped it in the shredder beside his desk, and said: “That’s an A, champ!”

American Mikey Garcia dropped Mexican Orlando Salido four times in the opening four rounds of their Saturday fight for Salido’s WBO featherweight title – tempting, briefly, a line like “Trampler KO-4.” Noticeably, Garcia did not drop Salido again after round 4, though he staggered him a few times, notably in the sixth, after which, at the halfway point of the match, Garcia’s trainer and older brother, Robert, beseeched his charge to knock Salido out before any shenanigans ensued. A couple rounds later, shenanigans ensued when Salido landed a long right hand then brought his head crashing into Garcia’s relocated nose, breaking it. A ringside physician was hastily summoned and convinced noses are not broken in prizefighting, and the match was complicitly waived-off, giving Garcia a technical decision, Salido’s maroon belt and enough exculpation to keep an asterisk out of his biography – even if the young man never protested.

Likely, Mikey Garcia would have passed Salido’s inquisition well enough, but then, likelier still, Sergio Martinez would have made a quite different spectacle from the one he made in his final 90 seconds with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in September, no? The pair of minutes that followed Salido’s splintering Garcia’s cartilage, belaboring his breathing for what was to come and at least fraying the edges of Garcia’s composure, held in them a chance to learn everything left to know about Garcia, but instead left aficionados ignorant of Garcia’s capacity for adversity as we were when the night began.

Saturday’s main event also did nothing to help televised boxing’s mounting credibility problem. Without Larry Merchant to check enthusiasms any longer, HBO’s journalistic role has succumbed to its promotional one, and Showtime – whose Al Bernstein has nearly Merchant’s credibility but whose dissent is a negative thing (it is found in what he doesn’t say about a fight or fighter) – has rapturously embraced the role of “in association with” promoting.

This was what Saturday’s co-main brought on HBO, when, instead of forcing guest commentator Andre Ward to say what he doubtlessly noticed with wide eyes – that limited little Gabriel Rosado couldn’t miss Gennady Godzilla Golovkin with right uppercuts, as many as four in a row – viewers were treated to “middleweight Mike Tyson” comparisons, as if Rosado were a fraction of the light middleweight Michael Spinks was a light heavyweight, as if Tyson needed a corner stoppage after 20 1/2 minutes to finish Spinks rather than 91 seconds. Or is that analogy too much? It is too much, alas, and perhaps less appropriate than Shakespeare, so we’ll have some:

“As on the finger of a thronèd queen
The basest jewel will be well esteemed,
So are those errors that in thee are seen
To truths translated and for true things deemed.”

It is a sense that now overcomes viewers of the showcase events that have in the past composed an unseemly number of HBO matches: Regardless of what the a-side guy does, it will be celebrated. When Mikey Garcia (or Floyd Mayweather) retreats to the ropes, lands a potshot, clinches, and begins canvassing the canvas for a referee, it is at best evidence of the opponent’s inability to get anything done, and at worst a slightly boring but tolerable bit of strategizing by a master boxer. Which is fine, probably, so long as violent endings or accomplished opponents are en route.

But as Golovkin nears his 31st birthday, the best name on his resume remains Kassim Ouma, 2-5 in the 4 1/2 years before Golovkin got him; and while Garcia was probably going to beat Salido comfortably and possibly going to stop him, well. There was nothing to celebrate Saturday, and it does future celebrations no favors to force a celebration over what proved unsatisfying. These things need to happen organically, lest we get cases like Andre Berto or Victor Ortiz or James Kirkland, which seem, somehow, to check fans’ future enthusiasm fractionally much as they multiply their inevitable discontent.

Mikey Garcia is absolutely one of boxing’s best prospective attractions, and Golovkin is almost as likely the beast he appears in the gyms of Big Bear, Calif. But until Garcia is made uncomfortable by an opponent, or allowed, as the case may be, to continue with an opponent whose foul tactics render him uncomfortable, should anyone be sure? And while Golovkin probably is the robotic tenderizer of men’s flesh he appeared while walloping a 154-pounder with five losses – a man, it may be helpful to remember, whom Alfredo Angulo finished in less than a third of Golovkin’s time, at junior middleweight – must the coronation commence already, because it behooves ratings at boxing’s flagship network to manufacture and market new faces to viewers?

No and no – those are the answers, but since no one likes a scold, here’s a better note: Saturday’s three-fight card from New York was an excellent matchmaking start to HBO’s 2013, bereft of what cynicism we’ve seen from the network in bygone days; the main event featured two fighters from one promoter, yes, but Salido was universally believed a stern test for Garcia and proved to be, or would have. Neither fighter in the co-main belonged to the main-event’s promoter, and that too was excellent. There is quality control afoot at HBO, and since the on-air talent is going to sell instead of report to viewers whatever happens in front of them, this is something welcome as it is overdue.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

The Theater at Madison Square Garden played host to three of boxing’s most anticipated fights as Top Rank in association with K2 Promotions showcased three world title fights in one night. The main event was a breakout performance for Mikey Garcia (30-0, 26 KOs, 125 ½lbs) who took on WBO featherweight champion Orlando Salido (39-11-2, 27 KOs, 126lbs). Things started quickly for Garcia when a left hook dropped Salido, who was lunging in with his head low. Not long afterwards, another spectacular punch sent Salido down again. After a dominant second round, Garcia knocked Salido down for a third time with another blow that Salido just simply didn’t see. This time it was a right uppercut. Garcia’s patience against the veteran Salido was impressive. Salido had been down countless times in the past, and Garcia made sure that he wouldn’t make a mistake despite his dominant start. To open the fourth round, a short right hand tagged Salido and sent him down yet again. Four knockdowns in four rounds, but none of them were particularly devastating. Salido quickly made it up to his feat each time, but despite stilly seemingly looking okay, Salido was sitting on an eight point deficit after only four rounds, and he was being thoroughly outclassed by his younger opponent.

Garcia is the textbook definition of an economical fighter. He doesn’t move unless it is to put his opponent in an unfavorable position where it would be difficult to land clean punches. He doesn’t throw punches for the sake of throwing punches. Each punch matters and they all serve a greater purpose. The left hooks that sent Salido down were simply short hooks that caught Salido with his head down trying to lunge inside. Other left hooks were thrown to shift Salido’s head into perfect range for his right hand.

There was only so much Salido could do to respond. He opened up the fifth round in a much more aggressive manner. He wasn’t going to tire Garcia out with the way he had been fighting, so he worked towards mauling Garcia against the ropes, leaning his body weight onto Garcia’s hoping to tire him out with sheer physicality. While Salido’s sloppier tactics improved things a bit, Garcia was still in total control. For every successful punch that Salido landed, Garcia landed an even more impressive one; often buckling the knees of Salido. By the eighth round, Salido came in with a right hook, and his head came forward, smashing into Garcia’s face. It created a loud smacking noise heard many rows back. After the round ended and Garcia walked towards his corner, it was clear that he had suffered a broken nose. Referee Benjy Esteves Jr. called in both ringside physicians to observe Garcia’s injury, and they both decided that Garcia was unfit to continue. Due to the accidental headbutt fight came to the scorecards, which were all in Garcia’s favor by a wide margin. The official scores read 79-70, 79-69, 79-69, giving Garcia the victory and his first world title.

Rising sensation Gennady Golovkin (24-0, 21 KOs, 160lbs) had a strong Kazakhstan showing when he defended his middleweight title against the talented Gabriel Rosado (21-5, 13 KOs, 159lbs). Golovkin’s reputation preceded him as in the first few rounds; Rosado utilized a great deal of movement and was very hesitant to throw punches. Golovkin was not flustered by this and walked Rosado down into the ropes and landed some strong blows. In the second round, a right hand from Golovkin opened up a cut over the left eye of Rosado, and it wasn’t long before the blood started pouring out of it. Golovkin just continued to apply the pressure, giving Rosado no room to breathe. Referee Steve Smoger kept a close eye on Rosado’s cut, which was getting worse and worse, and it looked like he was ready to stop the action, but Rosado’s cutman was able to contain the bleeding just a bit, but it was an impossible task. In the seventh round, Golovkin seemed to be going for the KO, and that was when Rosado’s corner stepped up onto the apron and threw in the towel. Golovkin successfully defended his title with a seventh round technical knockout at the 2:46 mark of round seven.

In an interesting matchup, Roman Martinez (26-1-1, 16 KOs, 129lbs) Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1, 20 KOs, 129 ½lbs) squared off in what looked to be an interesting clash of styles. The bout started off in an entertaining fashion as Martinez was able to get inside of Burgos’ rangy offense. Both fighters landed hard blows in the opening rounds, but Burgos’ size and movement seemed to be in control. He often ripped hard hooks to the body from a great distance, and they were taking their toll on Martinez’ body. The pace hit a plateau in the middle rounds. Burgos maintained control of the fight, but neither fighter seemed to kick it into a higher gear, and the fans became a bit frustrated. The pace continued in this fashion until the final bell. Most in attendance had Burgos winning the fight clearly. The final scores read 117-111 for Burgos, 116-112 for Martinez, and 114-114, making it a disappointing split draw. He result drew boos from the crowd.

Sean Monaghan (16-0, 10 KO’s, 177 1/2lbs) was the final non-televised bout when he faced Roger Cantrell (15-2, 8 KO’s, 184 1/2lbs). In addition to his weight advantage, Cantrell also had a sizeable height advantage over his opponent, and he stuck behind his jab to open the fight. Monaghan was able to slip underneath and get inside Cantrell’s range to land some blows of his own. The second round saw Monaghan land multiple unanswered combinations on Cantrell. In the third, Cantrell’s size and weight seemed to come into play and he went on the offensive. The middle rounds saw things level out as both fighters exchanged some heavy blows. But it was Monaghan whose blows were harder, more frequent, and more precise. Cantrell’s stamina seemed to wither and his punches lacked pop. Monaghan used that opportunity to wisely go to the body. Cantrell managed to weather the storm and survive until the final bell. The final scores read 77-75, 78-74, and 79-73 in favor of Monaghan, giving him a unanimous decision victory.

Rising star Glen Tapia (16-0, 9 KO’s, 153 1/2lbs) made short work of Ayi Bruce (14-8, 8 KO’s, 153 1/4lbs) in their bout. Tapia was just simply too big, too strong, too fast, and too smart for Bruce. He opened up the bout mixing things up from a distance with combinations to the body and head. Bruce had no answer. After a successful first round, Tapia became more aggressive. After a hard combination, Bruce was shaken and forced to cover up and weather the storm. Tapia beautifully began landing to the body, which forced Bruce to drop his guard just enough to allow Tapia to land a left followed by a right hook that sent Bruce down.

Bruce beat the count but was on very shaky legs. Tapia went in for the kill and landed about a dozen blows before the referee jumped in and saved Bruce at the 2:33 mark of the second round, giving Tapia a TKO victory.

Puerto Rican Olympian Felix Verdejo (1-0, 0 KO, 130 ½lbs) needed only two punches to knock out Tomi Archambault (1-3, 1 KO, 129 ½lbs). The opening bell rang, and Verdejo threw a left hook to Archambault’s body followed by a fast left hook that landed on his chin. That was all it took, and Verdejo was victorious with a TKO victory in only :21 of the first round.

In an exciting cruiserweight match, Isa Akberbayev (10-0, 7 KOs, 196 ½lbs) and Anthony Ferrante (12-4, 7 KOs, 196lbs) exchanged hard blows for ten rounds. Neither fighter took time getting to know eachother. Near the end of the first round, a right hand to the side of Akberbayev’s head sent him down. The knockdown did not seem to have any lasting effects and when the fighters continued, with only a few seconds to go, Akberbayev landed a right hand that sent Ferrante down. The fight cooled off a bit, but both fighters still traded hard blows. Ferrante’s size and ability to use it well seemed to tire Akberbayev. That, plus a cut that Akberbayev suffered midway through the bout seemed to trouble him throughout the second half of the fight. Entering the final round, Ferrante’s trainer shouted that he needed a knockout to secure a victory even though it seemed like he was ahead on points. Ferrante, calm as ever, shared a laugh with referee Randy Newman before entering the tenth round and landing a vicious right hand that knocked Akberbayev out cold and face first on the canvas. The bout was waved off, and Ferrante was credited with a tenth round knockout at the 1:19 point.

Mikael Zewski (17-0, 13 KOs, 149 ½lbs) scored three knockdows en route to stopping Brandon Hoskins (16-3-1, 8 KOs, 146lbs). All three knockdowns came in the fourth round and the referee called a halt to the action at 1:42 of the round, giving Zewski a TKO victory.

The judges gave Ronald Ellis (6-0, 6 KOs, 168 ½lbs) every round when he took on Steven Tyner (3-9-2, 2 KOs, 170lbs). The scores all read 40-36 in favor of Ellis for the unanimous decision victory.

Orlando Salido 126 – Mikey Garcia 125.5
Roman Martinez 129.5 – Juan Carlos Burgos 129

The June day Manny Pacquiao lost to Timothy Bradley began with a media breakfast in the airy, open interior of Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill at MGM Grand, where the company generally outpaces the fare and certainly did that morning. Most of the writers you know were there, along with Harold Lederman and other HBO employees. All were gathered to meet a touted middleweight from Kazakhstan scheduled to fight a Russian, Dmitry Pirog, returning from a banishment he gained in 2010 by unmanning Danny “Golden Child” Jacobs.

Gennady Golovkin’s English that morning was limited mainly to “nice” and “happy” and a disarming smile he directed at his trainer, Abel Sanchez, who said several times his charge brought historic gifts of power and class. And experienced, serious writers, elders of the craft, did not joke about Golovkin’s bemusing interview either, serious as they were about what sources said about him.

Saturday Golovkin will make his second appearance on HBO, and his fifth defense of the WBA’s middleweight belt, against Philadelphia junior middleweight Gabriel Rosado, on a card they share with Mikey Garcia and Orlando Salido who will make a battle for the WBO featherweight title that makes even xerostomic curmudgeons salivate. Of the four fighters, Golovkin must win in a surprisingly spectacular way, which will be tricky because expectations of him are quite high. There’ll be no fooling aficionados this time, in other words, no trotting-out a short-notice Pole with an unpronounceable first name like Grzegorz Proksa then feigning shock or delight when Golovkin brings ruin to a very difficult opponent you’d never heard of.

Aficionados have heard of Gabriel Rosado, have seen him fight, and know he was knocked sideways by Alfredo Angulo 3 1/2 years ago at 154 pounds. Rosado benefits from geography, excellent promotion and doing the right thing, challenging for a middleweight title at 160 pounds, but none of those convinces anyone worth convincing he is more than a showcase opponent for Golovkin.

Golovkin is apparently boxing’s new most-avoided fighter, which is another way of saying his talent in the ring is disproportionate to his talent in the box office. Other fighters who wore this moniker – Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams – proved much less fearsome once they found a way to sell tickets, or in Williams’ case, HBO purses. Golovkin is rather friendly if not yet eloquent, but unlike Latino fighters about which the same can be said, Golovkin suffers a want of Kazakhstani journalists and ticket-buying enclaves; he may soon win fans with merit, but he is unlikely to do so with ethnic interest, or else his HBO debut in September would have been in New York, NY – like Saturday’s card – not Verona, NY.

Golovkin has HBO’s interest, though, and that is often more lucrative than interesting boxing fans. Golovkin’s debut on the network featured at times embarrassingly effusive praise from the usual suspects, abetted by fans’ general ignorance of who Proksa was. There will be no like abetment with Rosado, who has fought on NBC Sports Network, and whose limitations are well catalogued. That is why Golovkin must do better than look good, win an eventual stoppage or hope HBO’s promotional machinery can overwhelm viewers; Golovkin must do something that startles a universal consensus into declaring whoever wins Martinez-Chavez II must face him next.

Mikey Garcia will be under less performance pressure Saturday, if by performance pressure one means a need to be entertaining, not merely victorious. Garcia can afford to follow an adage-cum-cliché that goes “Win tonight, look good next time” because there is no known way to beat Orlando Salido without getting hit by him. Garcia, invincible looking till his last performance, has defense that is not impregnable and speed that is not invisible and can be both hit and defended. But that’s about the most that can be done with him, and one is made wretched by its doing. Salido can be hit, he is especially vulnerable to left hooks as he throws them, but he also tosses a blindman’s overhand right developed, in his career’s 53 prizefights, to punish the whimsy of fellow Latinos ether lazy to bring their jabs home or premature to cock their hooks.

The promotional idea Saturday is to test Garcia and get him a first world title. Garcia is ready; he may even have been ready more than two years ago when he undid Cornelius Lock at Laredo Energy Arena in an IBF featherweight eliminator. He will be tested in a new and thorough way by Salido, unless Salido’s two fights with Juan Manuel Lopez, and rigorous schedule, have aged him more than expected, which is possible. Promoter Top Rank would not have made this match with Salido – one of its signature trial horses – if it did not think Garcia was ready, but how much of that readiness is attributable to Garcia’s prowess and how much to Salido’s reduction remains to be seen.

Salido knows his role, or at least fights like a man who suspects his role and resents it. Every gainfully employed trial horse believes he can win; Salido is an uncommon case of one who does win, or at least scares the hell out of what thoroughbreds he races. Salido does a lot of things wrong, like touch his gloves before attacks, but Garcia will find striking Salido is the easiest part of fighting him. What happens when Salido soldiers through those strikes to blast Garcia with shots of his own will read for us Garcia’s fortune.

Saturday Golovkin will probably make the more spectacular fight, he has the opponent for it, but if Garcia is able to stop Salido, he will have redoubled aficionados’ belief in his potential in a way Golovkin’s opponent will almost certainly forbid the Kazakhstani from doing.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

RIVERSIDE, CALIF. (January 11, 2013) — Undefeated No. 1 featherweight contender MIKEY GARCIA, his co-trainers Eduardo and Robert Garcia and manager Cameron Dunkin, hosted a Riverside, California Media Workout on Thursday.

A native of Oxnard, Calif. and a graduate of the Ventura County Police Academy, Garcia is in his final week of training camp before he heads east to “The Mecca of Boxing,” Madison Square Garden, where he will challenge World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion Orlando “Siri” Salido (39-11-2, 27 KOs), of Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, México. The Salido vs. Garcia world title fight will headline a championship tripleheader which will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, Saturday, January 19, at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Here is what Garcia had to say:

“It has been a very intense training camp because we know that this is the most important fight of my career.

“I believe I have the skills and the strength to beat Orlando Salido, but I know that I have to be very smart and very patient in the ring.

“Orlando Salido is the best featherweight champion in the world and he has earned the right to be called that. He is very strong and very experienced and this will be the toughest test of my career, but I am ready for it.

“I have been waiting to fight for a world championship for awhile and I am ready for the challenge. I now have the experience and the skill to face the best fighters at featherweight and I will prove it.

“I love going to New York for this fight. New York has always been a great fight town and I had a great experience there when I fought there last year. It’s a great place to fight and a great place to win my first world championship.

“Looking forward to a great fight and to giving the fans my best effort possible. I know that is about winning but also about giving the fans their money’s worth.”

*******************

Garcia (30-0, 26 KOs) returns to the ring having won 14 of his past 15 bouts by knockout. Considered to be one of boxing’s top young prospects, Garcia, 24, had a career-best year in 2011, knocking out previously undefeated contender Matt Remillard in the 10th round in March to capture his NABF and NABO title belts. He followed that with four-round knockout title defense victories of Rafael Guzman and Juan Carlos Martinez in June and October, respectively. Guzman and Martinez had a combined record of 47-14-1 when they fought Garcia. Last year, he continued his winning ways, knocking out one-time world title challenger Bernabe Concepcion and former world champion Mauricio Pastrana, in the seventh and second rounds, respectively. In his last fight , on November 10, Garcia knocked out former WBA featherweight champion Jonathan Barros in the eighth round. Garcia is trained by his father Eduardo Garcia and co-managed by his brother, 2012 Trainer of the Year Robert Garcia, the former IBF junior lightweight champion.

Promoted by Top Rank® and K2 Promotions, in association with Tecate and Madison Square Garden, remaining tickets, priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, are currently available for purchase at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com or www.hbo.com/boxing.

Taken in composite, Mexican Abner Mares and American Mikey Garcia make a quite compelling fighter, and despite competing networks and the promoters that milk and direct them, Saturday brought a chance to see the men in a composite – not to compare them, though that day might yet come, and neither to see how they complement each other, but rather to see how, together, as the important fighters on their respective cards, Mares as main on Showtime and Garcia as co-main on HBO, they made Saturday an enjoyment.

Garcia, who found a late replacement for Mexican Orlando Salido in Argentine Jonathan Barros, who was overmatched then not overmatched then, yes, overmatched, enjoys a credibility advantage because of who promotes him, and that might as well be set forth early: Top Rank is good at developing fighters, as fighters then attractions, as any promotional company in boxing history. Golden Boy Promotions is not, or certainly not yet.

Top Rank makes a high virtue of never putting a fighter in a match for which he is unprepared; when a Top Rank project like Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. or Juan Manuel Lopez loses, it is not because Top Rank hurried him but rather Top Rank, or more specifically Bruce Trampler, our sport’s finest noncombatant practitioner, believes nothing more can be done to prepare him for what elite opponents remain. Once a fighter has proved himself fully developed, Top Rank’s bent changes from research and development to sales; while prospect Alex Saucedo’s next opponent is being chosen right now to determine and maximize Saucedo’s potential as a prizefighter, regardless of what revenue he brings in 2013, Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent was chosen to maximize Top Rank’s earnings. An excellent model, that.

Golden Boy is all sales all the time. Projects appear chosen for their bilingualism and beauty – the assets responsible for Oscar De La Hoya’s ascent, his company believes – or other qualities that strike scouts as exceedingly marketable. Golden Boy’s is not a model sustainable as Top Rank’s because it involves either overpaying for proven commodities or investing in developmental ventures that go nowhere for their want of selection criteria and strategy. Abner Mares is the exception.

Saturday at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Mares made another brutal and entertaining match against another well-regarded opponent, a Panamanian named Anselmo Moreno, who, in aficionados’ imaginations at least, had the exact tools to disarm him. Mares can be disarmed but not dissuaded, so long as an opponent allows him to move recklessly, and therefore wreckingly, forward. He is a consummate Mexican prizefighter in this sense, all tenacity and hooks to the body with an overhand right he hurls head-down, though he’s somewhat less Mexican in his devotion to fouling energetically till the referee stops him. A traditional Mexican code says a prizefighter solely fouls an opponent he is not man enough to defeat fairly – and that ethic says it is better to lose honorably to a better man, in a fight to unconsciousness or worse, than foul one’s way to a different outcome.

Mares’ methods, in this sense, seek refuge in American clichés: “winning is everything”, “if you’re not cheating you’re not trying”, “bend the rules to their breaking point”. Mares charges to set his shoulders beneath your elbows, a position in which he has you handcuffed and is free to whale away, and if you retaliate by setting yourself on the back of his neck, to push his lowered head a little lower, he blasts you in the balls then comes up shrugging. He does not have-to throw that punch, no, but then you didn’t have to lean on his neck, and he knows the worst that cup shot will bring is a double warning, offsetting fouls, and whereas he had every choice to throw that punch or not, you had little choice to do what you did. You’ll do it again, reflexively, a few more times, and if the referee does not penalize you, Mares’ll put knuckles where your cherries grow in the meantime.

Mares gets, and quite possibly deserves, the benefit of officiating doubts because he is trying to make a fight at every moment of every match, to a point of dropping his shiny purple gloves and loping after an opponent, as he did in the 12th round Saturday. Mikey Garcia would not do that. He is more polished than Mares, more apt to throw the perfect punch with perfect leverage at the perfect moment. Garcia is fantastic but also imperfect, as we got reminded Saturday.

That Garcia is hittable is not truly worrisome; while there was nothing edifying about how he turned away from Barros after the Argentine’s left hook snapped his chin in round 7, aficionados appropriately trust if Garcia hadn’t a chin, his promoter would have discovered that 15 fights ago. It’s the technical flaws that bring concern with Garcia, specifically an urge to parry, with his right hand, jabs to the body. That is a major no-no and sets one to imagining what’ll happen the first time Orlando Salido, or worse, Yuriorkis Gamboa, feints that jab, watches Garcia’s right hand drop, and remortgages his home on a left hook to Garcia’s right chin. Salido will answer that question graciously, and perhaps gratuitously, in Garcia’s next fight in January, while being more durable before Garcia’s own left hook than Barros was.

Abner Mares wants his next opponent to be Top Rank’s Nonito Donaire, and it was refreshingly uncouth the way Mares demanded that Saturday. Donaire’s December opponent, Mexican Jorge Arce, was not, in his prime six years ago, good as Mares is right now, and one can rightfully assume if Donaire-Mares never happens it is because Top Rank did not think Donaire was ready, or did believe there was much more and easier money elsewhere.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com.

Former Olympians Vanes Martirosyan and Erislandy Lara battled to a technical draw after a cut over the left eye of Martirosyan forced the bout to be stopped in the ninth round of their WBC Super Welterweight elimination bout at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.

It was a close fight that saw Martirosyan fight well early and Lara coming on late before a headbutt caused a nasty cut above the left eye of Martirosyan.

At the time of the stoppage the scores read 86-85 Martirosyan, 87-84 Lara and 86-86.

Martirosyan, 153 lbs of Glendale, CA is 32-0-1NC while Lara, 153 1/2 lbs Guantanamo, CUB is 17-1-1-1NC

Mikey Garcia scored a eighth round stoppage over Jonathan Barros in round eight of a scheduled ten round Super Featherweight bout.

It was a competitive bout that saw Garcia get ahead with combination punching while Barros was effective at times with body punches. Barros had a good round seven when he landed a left that startled Garcia.

The following round saw Garcia land a perfect left hook that deposited Barros on the canvas. When he got to his feet referee Robert Byrd asked hi if he wanted to continue but his body language said otherwise and the bout was stopped at 2:24.

Garcia, 128 1/2 lbs of Moreno Valley, CA will now look for a world title shot with Orlando Salido with a record of 30-0 with twenty-six knockouts. Barros, 128 lbs of Santa Fe, ARG is now 34-4-1.

Vanes Martirosyan 153 – Erislandy Lara 153.5
Mikey Garcia 128.5 – Jonathan Barros 128.5
Jesse Hart 167.5 – Joshua Meyers 165

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (October 15, 2012) – Thanksgiving arrives early when knockout artists top-rated super welterweight contenders VANES “The Nightmare” MARTIROSYAN and ERISLANDY “El Oro del Guantanamo” LARA and undefeated No. 1 featherweight contender MIGUEL “Mikey” GARCIA and former World Featherweight Champion JONATHAN “Yoni” BARROS, look to knock the stuffing out of each other on an explosive card that will take place Saturday, November 10, in the Lafite Ballroom at Wynn Las Vegas. Both fights will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.) Martirosyan and Lara will battle in a 12-round World Boxing Council (WBC) super welterweight title elimination bout with the winner being declared the division’s mandatory challenger. Garcia and Rojas will open the HBO telecast in 10-round featherweight rumble. The undercard will feature undefeated contenders, Las Vegas native JESSIE MAGDALENO, and Philadelphia fireball JESSE HART, son of the great middleweight contender Eugene “Cyclone” Hart, in separate super bantamweight and super middleweight bouts, respectively.

These six warriors boast a combined record of 126-4-2 (84 KOs), — a winning percentage of 95% with victory by knockout ratio of 67%.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Tecate and Wynn Las Vegas, tickets to this all-action event go on sale Tomorrow! Tuesday, October 16 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets are priced at $125, $75 and $40, plus a $3 service fee, and are inclusive of applicable taxes. Tickets can be purchased by calling (702) 770-7118, through the website wynnlasvegas.com or by visiting the Wynn Ticket Office (Friday-Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. PT / Wednesday-Thursday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. PT) or the Wynn Concierge (Daily: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. PT.)

“This card will be a treat for fight fans who will be able to watch great fight action in the elegant environment of the Wynn Resort,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.

Martirosyan (32-0, 20 KOs), a native of Armenia who fights out of Glendale, Calif., is one of the super welterweight division’s most promising contenders. A member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, Martirosyan’s amateur resume boasts victories over future world champions Timothy Bradley, Jr., Austin Trout and Andre Berto. Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, Martirosyan captured his first title in 2009, knocking out defending NABA/NABO champion Willie Lee. He successfully defended the title in his next fight, in 2010, a 10-round unanimous decision victory over former IBF junior middleweight champion Kassim Ouma. He added the NABF title to his trophy case with another 10-round unanimous decision later that same year, at Yankee Stadium, this time over previously undefeated Joe Greene, serving up the Bronx bomber his first loss in 33 professional fights. Martirosyan captured the World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver super welterweight title in 2011, via a seventh-round TKO of Saul Roman. Currently world-rated No. 2 by the WBC, Martirosyan returns to the ring fresh from knocking out Troy Lowery, his sixth knockout victim in his last nine fights.

Lara (17-1-1, 11 KOs), a former international standout and a native of Cuba, is now fighting out of Houston under the tutelage of world-renowned trainer Ronnie Shields. A five-year veteran of the powerhouse Cuban national amateur team which included, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Guillermo Rigondeaux and Odlanier Solis, Lara was a gold medalist in the 2005 World Championships, the 2006 Central American Games and the 2007 Pan American Games Qualifier. After turning professional in 2008, Lara was fighting in 10-rounders in only his ninth bout. The only blemish on his professional ledger, a disputed 12-round majority decision loss, in Atlantic City, to former world champion Paul Williams in 2011, was considered so heinous that New Jersey officials suspended all three judges for their scorecards, an unprecedented move. Since the Williams fight, Lara has scored a first-round knockout of Ronald Hearns and a 10-round unanimous decision over veteran Freddy Hernandez, both this year, en route to becoming the WBC’;s No. 1-rated super welterweight contender.

Garcia (29-0, 25 KOs), of Oxnard, Calif., returns to a Las Vegas ring for the first time in four years, having won 13 of his past 14 bouts by knockout. Considered to be one of boxing’s top young prospects, Garcia, 24, had a career-best year in 2011, knocking out previously undefeated contender Matt Remillard in the 10th round in March to capture his NABF and NABO title belts. He followed that with four-round knockout title defense victories of Rafael Guzman and Juan Carlos Martinez in June and October, respectively. Guzman and Martinez had a combined record of 47-14-1 when they fought Garcia. This year he continued his winning ways, knocking out one-time world title challenger Bernabe Concepcion and former world champion Mauricio Pastrana, in the seventh and second rounds, respectively. Trained by his father Eduardo Garcia and co-managed by his brother Robert Garcia, the former IBF junior lightweight champion, Garcia is currently the World Boxing Organization’s (WBO) No. 1-rated featherweight contender.

Barros (34-3-1, 17 KOs), Mendoza, Argentina, brings his own brand of excitement into the ring. He captured the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight title in 2010, knocking out Irving Berry in the seventh round. Barros successfully defended the title two times, via 12-round decisions over Miguel Roman and Celestino Caballero, before losing the title in a rematch to Caballero the following year. Barros returns to the ring after unsuccessfully challenging Juan Salgado for the International (IBF) junior lightweight title in August.

Magdaleno (11-0, 8 KOs), of Las Vegas, NV., was an accomplished amateur fighter, having won gold medals at the 2009 U.S. National Championships and the 2009 National Golden Gloves Championships en route to a 120-16 record. He enters this fight having won his last three fights by knockout.

Hart (3-0, 3 KOs), of Philadelphia, PA, is the son of Eugene “Cyclone” Hart, a highly-rated middleweight contender in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s who in 2003 was named to the The Ring’s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. Hart, 22, compiled an amateur record of 85-11, highlighted by a stellar 2011 which included winning the National Golden Gloves at 165 lbs., the USA National Tournament at 178 lbs and going undefeated at the double elimination USA Olympic Trials box-offs.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com or www.hbo.com/boxing.

LOS ANGELES (June 1, 2011) – Rafael “Chocho” Guzman is the new opponent for undefeated No. 1 featherweight contender Mikey Garcia in the co-main event of “The Son Also Rises: Sebastian Zbik vs. Julio César Chávez, Jr. World Middleweight Championship,” this Saturday at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. The 10-round featherweight rumble will open the two-bout HBO Boxing After Dark broadcast at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.)

Guzman (28-2, 20 KOs), of Guadalajara, México, will be making his U.S. debut when he faces Garcia. A former WBC FECARBOX super featherweight and lightweight champion, Guzman enters this fight having won 10 of his previous 11 bouts. His last three victories have been by knockout. Garcia’s original opponent, Miguel Beltrán Jr., was diagnosed with a fractured left hand and was forced to withdraw from the card. Garcia (25-0, 21 KOs), hails from Oxnard, Calif.

****************************************

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions, Universum Media Network, TECATE and STAPLES Center, “The Son Also Rises: Zbik vs. Chávez, Jr. World Middleweight Championship” takes place This Saturday! June 4, at STAPLES Center, and marks the first fight Chávez Jr. has fought in Los Angeles in six years. HBO will televise the fight live, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.)

Remaining tickets, priced at $100, $75 and $50, can be purchased online at www.staplescenter.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800) 745-3000, or at the STAPLES Center box office.

The world championship event will be highlighted by a celebration of the boxing career of Julio César Chávez, who will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame the following week.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that undefeated Featherweight Mikey Garcia will take on once beaten Miguel Beltran Jr. as the televised co-feature of the June 4 WBC Middleweight showdown featuring Julio Cesar Chavez and Sebastian Zbik, spurning down a title opportunity against Billy Dib.

“It’s a good fight because styles make fights,” said Carl Moretti of Top Rank, Garcia’s promoter. “Beltran is a little bit bigger than Mikey. It can’t help but be a good fight.”

“They decided to not pursue the vacant IBF title fight against the worst television fighter in history,” Moretti said. “HBO wasn’t going near it and refers to Dib as the worst television fighter, and I don’t disagree. It’s a tough sell in today’s market. Mikey won’t have the opportunity with the IBF in his next fight, but I have no doubt he will fight for a title and win one.

“Anyone can fight for a belt, but looking good and moving on is where you make money and grow and cement your reputation. I think that passing on a fight with Billy Dib in Staples Center in a fight that would have been ugly to watch was a good move in the long run,” Moretti said.

“Mikey, more than anything, wants to be a champion, but passing on another HBO fight, it was just too much to give up,” said Garcia’s manager Cameron Dunkin. “He considers it an honor to be on HBO and he would never ever turn that down. Although he wants the IBF title and is thankful to them for making him the No. 1 contender, this wasn’t a 10-second decision. He said he can’t give up HBO for anything. It hurt him to give up the title shot, but he said that nothing touches being on HBO, especially to come right back and have a second fight in a row on HBO. He knows he will get his title shot eventually.”