The Boxing Diary: Previews

Showing posts with label Previews. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Naoya Inoue vs John Riel Casimero fight update

Rey Tecson JOHN RIEL CASIMERO , Naoya Inoue

Which boxing match you're eager to watch but was canceled due to COVID-19?

If you're going to ask me, my answer is Naoya Inoue vs. John Riel Casimero. Why? Because for me it's an excellent matchup between two exciting combatants at their physical prime.

Although this is not a fight between two undefeated rivals, but man... I just love the firepower to be displayed in this fight.

Casimero is not an undefeated boxer. If you look at his record, he has been defeated four times. He has a record of 29 wins, 4 losses, 20 wins by stoppages. But this guy is definitely a warrior with power on both hands.

Casimero always came up as the winner in situations that many consider he has no chance. But at times though came out losing on a match he's highly considered to win e.g. against Jonas Sultan. One thing I'm sure about Casimero, he's a battle-tested road warrior. Sa Bisaya pa, dili ni siya balay-balayon.

I don't want to say so much about Naoya Inoue, just look at his record at Boxrec. Well, Inoue has an undefeated record of 19 wins out of which; 16 of his wins by stoppage.

Naoya is skilled, talented, tough, young, powerful on both hands, and explosive finisher. To back-up, all my adjectives to this guy from Japan, just watch Inoue vs Donaire. Man... believe me I watch it 100 times. No. Maybe 5 times now. And I want to watch again every time I have the chance.

Inoue did not stop Donaire though. Because Donaire is Donaire. Donaire was the COVID test (usually we say acid test) of Inoue actually. Inoue passed the test.

Because of my disappointment why this fight is canceled (obviously because of the pandemic) and my excitement to find an update of this fight---I searched to google for update and Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports answered my question. I caught Kevin doing live on his Instagram. I asked him about the Inoue-Casimero fight update.

Kevin said, quoting MP Promotion head Sean Gibbons that "John Riel Casimero was in Las Vegas training." On Inoue, he said that Inoue can get into the US Embassy in Japan once it is open. Once you hear the US Embassy in Japan has re-open then it is just a matter of time before Inoue has their fight scheduled.

View this post on Instagram

Answering your boxing and MMA questions

A post shared by Kevin Iole (@keviniole) on May 26, 2020 at 2:47pm PDT

Danny Garcia vs Brandon Rios preview

Rey Tecson Brandon Rios , Danny Garcia

Danny Garcia and Brandon will face Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, Events Center, Las Vegas for a 12-round welterweight bout.

Garcia and Rios came in at 146.5 pounds during the official weigh-in on Friday. Both men looked very impressive and in tremendous shape. If you look at Rios in many of his weigh-ins in the lower divisions, he looks drained and pale. And as he climbed on to higher division, he looks fat on those few weigh-ins in the past. As to Danny Garcia, he always came in shape at every division he fought into.

These two guys have similar numbers if you look into their height, reach, and age. Garcia stands 5'81/2", reach 174 cm. Rios, 5'8", reach 173 cm. A slight advantage on Garcia though but I don't see it really matters.

As I look at it, the fight is good till Rios' chin still able to absorb those overextended right hooks from Garcia or an overhand right counter. The style of Rios looks tailor-made for Garcia. Rios loves to come in and Garcia loves to counter with some little angle maneuvers. If you look at Rios's previous fights, he loses to fighters that adjusted his fight and by not fighting his fight, which is toe-to-toe, tough-to-tough bravado.

Well, of course, I'm not counting Rios on this fight, I mean if he could lure Garcia to fight his fight then he has the chance of knocking Garcia also. Rios has this tendency of talking in the ring that could really piss an opponent. A style that would lure an opponent to answer fire with fire.

Hunger to win

Garcia would not want back-to-back losses here obviously. He really would go back to the win column to get back on track and go back to where he's at prior to the Thurman loss.

Rios on the other hand, looking also to get a solid win. I mean a win from Danny Garcia will boost his rank among the top welters. It's the hottest division so far.

During the weigh-in, Garcia said "I'ma do what I wanna do. Like I said before, it's the Danny Garcia show... I'ma put him to sleep!"

In response, Rios said, "I can win this fight. I won my world title why can't I beat Danny Garcia? He's nobody special. Everybody thinks he's somebody special, he ain't nobody special. I'm ready for this guy."

Cotto vs Ali weights: Cotto 151.6lbs, Ali 153lbs

Rey Tecson Miguel Cotto , Previews

Miguel Cotto and Sadam Ali both hopped on the scales and registered below the junior middleweight limits. Cotto weighed 151.6 pounds while Ali 153 pounds for their Saturday night bout at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Cotto of Caguas Puerto Rico will be lacing up his gloves for the final time in a professional fight. He will face the younger Sadam Ali who moves up in weight for this fight.

So everything is good to go! Cotto looks to be in tip-top shape and Ali looks confident on his new weight. A good spectacle is expected tonight, though many believed Cotto will be too much for Ali. Well, they said in basketball the ball is round. In boxing, for sure both men will come out swinging, so who lands best might turn the lights off instantly.

Will it be a W on the final fight ledger of the great Miguel Cotto? Or can Ali makes a point on Cotto to really hang it up for good?

Questions will be answered tonight. Excited to see how Cotto will exit boxing tonight!

Against all odds: The Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Conor McGregor spectacle

Rey Tecson Conor McGregor , Floyd Mayweather Jr.

With eyes closed, I can tell you, of course, who will win between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor. Obviously, it's... ahh... Do I need to mention it? That is because the fight is in the boxing ring. Not only that, if you look at everything on each guy's ledger all point to Mayweather's favor.

First, if we look at Conor's record in boxing at Boxrec it says triple "0". In Arabic, they called it "bateek". Boxing debutante actually. Okay fine, let's look at Conor's MMA record. The UFC superstar's MMA record as per mixmartialarts.com is 22-3-0 (Win-Loss-Draw). The undefeated Mayweather's boxing record per boxrec.com is 49-0-0, 26 KOs (Win-Loss-Draw). Conor's wins not even surpassed the numbers of Floyd's KO victories. But of course, if the fight is in the cage, I'll bet on McGregor.

Actually, it's a monotony to point out things why Mayweather will win on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas because I'm not alone here. The boxing community I believe is unanimous in its prediction.

But well, it's not a reason for me not to watch it. But not a good reason to buy a PPV though. We all know exactly, what is the outcome. But of course, we want to see how it happens. I'm not belittling Connot here, but, you know, the fight is in the boxing ring. All respect to Conor, he's a good MMA fighter. He's just fighting in a different sport and the best in boxing.

It would be a spectacle of course that goes down into history. Two different combat sports stars meet in the boxing ring. I like to see a rematch in the cage to be fair in MMA. It will be exciting to see if Conor forgets that he's inside a boxing ring and start kicking Mayweather. Well, heavy penalties will be imposed if Conor kicks Mayweather.

Okay... that's all folks! Enjoy the match on Saturday night.

Adrien Broner faces Mikey Garcia at Barclay Center

Rey Tecson Adrien Broner , Mikey Garcia

While everything is Mayweather-McGregor on the internet let's not forget that we have a nice card tonight. Multi-division titlist Adrien "The Problem" Broner takes on undefeated Mikey Garcia in a 12-round jr. welterweight bout on Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

On Friday night the fighters stepped on the scales for the official weigh-in. Both have no problem with their respective weights and came in below the 140-pound limit. Broner tipped the scales at 138.75 lbs. while Garcia weighed 139.5 lbs.

It was also Broner's 28th birthday on Friday's weigh-in. Leonard Ellerbe presented a birthday cake to Broner.

"I'll fu@k this nigger," says Broner when asked about his final thoughts on tomorrow's fight.

Well, I hope he does because I believed Mikey Garcia is not an easy nut to crack. He's a very calm fighter inside the savage ring. He's so methodical in his approach.

"I'm very calm. I don't let my emotions get the best out of me," says Garcia when asked about how different his style compare to Adrien.

"It's gonna be a hell of a fight and I'll come out victorious once again," said Garcia.

I'm sure it's gonna be a very entertaining fight tonight. Don't miss it, boxing people!

Linares vs Crolla rematch preview and prediction

Rey Tecson Anthony Crolla , Jorge Linares

Is it revenge or repeat? Can Crolla get the win this time to even the score? Or can Linares prove again supremacy at the lightweight division?

Jorge Linares (41-3-0, 27KOs) will hit the road again to defend his lightweight title against Anthony Crolla (31-5-3, 13KOs) in a rematch on Saturday night at the challenger's home turf at the Manchester Arena (formerly M.E.N Arena), in Manchester, UK.

Well, it's somehow easy to write a preview about this fight because we do have a reference point. Re-watching the first fight that happened on 24th September last year is the best, to begin with. So I re-watch the first match on Youtube.

Linares vs Crolla I

Based on the previous outing it is safe to say that Linares has the edge over Crolla with regards to overall boxing skills and techniques. But of course, boxing can not be won in the ring over those advantages alone. A lot of things are there to consider. In the first bout, Linares was the one who makes use of the entire ring with his footwork.

In the first bout, Linares was the one who made use of the entire ring with his footwork. He was able to maintain the necessary distance he needed to threw in combinations making it difficult for Crolla to mount counters.

In the first six rounds, Linares was able to rack up points and even hurt Crolla at the end of Round 6. But Crolla, as the fight went on to the second half was able to make every round closer, landing significant punches that take a toll on Linares. Crolla's body works made a telling effect as Linares started to show fatigue. It was Linares' first time to go full 12 rounds. Well, Linares was able to pass the test and went home with a unanimous decision victory.

Power, Stamina, and Durability

Although it is obvious that Linares has the edge with regards to overall boxing skills, let us see other factors to consider. If we look at the ledger of each fighter, it looks like Linares has the upper hand with regard to power. He had 27 KO's in 41 fights, whereas Crolla had only 13 in 31 fights. That's a 66% KO rate for Linares to only 33% on Crolla per Boxrec. But it is exciting to see because, although Linares had more power on his hands, he tends to lose steam in the later rounds.

Crolla, on the other end, seemed to be more durable and has more gas in the tank. He took Linares' best shots. Well, except in Round 6 where he wobbled.

Adjustments and keys to victory

Since this is a rematch, It boils down to adjustments to make the difference in the second fight. It will depend on how each fighter learned the first bout and make the necessary adjustment tonight. If I will see Round 13 instead of Round 1 in the rematch, I think, we will see the same ending. But if we see a different fight tonight due to drastic adjustment on both fighters, well that remains to be seen.

In my opinion, if Linares will show up with the same movement and improved on his stamina he'll get the repeat of what happened in November. But without that extra mileage put on Linares' gas tank, a more aggressive Corolla (with more jab and head movement moving forward) might even the score and see you again in the ring for the third time.

Prediction

Well, my prediction is that I saw Linares this time being prepared to go full 12 rounds, so he has more oxygen in the tank and will execute the same game plan -- Linares UD 12.

Lemieux vs Stevens a must-see match-up

Rey Tecson Curtis Stevens , David Lemieux

David Lemieux vs Curtis Stevens will headline HBO Boxing After Dark on March 11 at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in New York for a 12-round middleweight fight.

Well, many showed disappointment for a Lemieux-Stevens fight. Mostly were boxing fans who waited for a non-ppv boxing match on HBO. For them Lemieux-Stevens is a undercardesque match-up. They're looking for better, free fight on TV. Fed up of high PPV subscriptions to star fighter match-ups and at times not delivering the goods.

But make no mistake, if you look at it, Lemieux-Stevens is a guaranteed all-action match. Both men don't like to step back, hard hitters and looking for knockout victories. Lemieux has 82% knockout ratio while Stevens has 62% knockout rate on his ledger. Put them together and it's gonna be a hell of a fight.

As a boxing fan, I don't care who were the fighters shared a ring. As long as you I will see a good, competitive and action-packed fight, I'm good.

The worst thing about watching boxing is when you see a one-sided beat-down because of bad match-making. These were results of so-called tune-up fights, stay busy fights. Whatever you called it. Just to match an A level fighter to like C level fighter to boost the A level fighter's activity, stock and or record.

Lemieux-Stevens is not at all what I mentioned above. Both men are strong middleweights contenders. What's interesting is that both men lost to Gennady Golovkin. I'm sure they want to prove that they're just one level below Golovkin at the middleweight division.

Lemieux had set his eyes for another shot at the world title.

"I've told everyone my goal is to once again become middleweight champion of the world. Curtis is in the way, and I'm going to go right through him," said Lemieux.

If other boxing fans feel that this is a lousy match-up HBO can give on TV, well, for me, this is a must-see fight.

Manny Pacquiao vs Jessie Vargas preview

Rey Tecson Jessie Vargas , Manny Pacquiao

Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao will come out from a short retirement to fight American Jessie Vargas, Saturday night, 5th Nov. at the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs) announced retirement after his victory over Timothy Bradley Jr. in 9th April to focus his bid for a Philippine senatorial seat, which he successfully won in May elections.

The fighting senator confirmed on 9th Aug. that he will come out of retirement and fight Vargas for the WBO world welterweight title.

"Yes, the fight is on. I have agreed to a Nov. 5 fight with reigning WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas," Pacquiao said in an interview with ESPN.com.

Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs) won his last fight against top young welterweight Sadam Ali in 5th Mar. via knockout in the 9th round, but lost to Bradley, prior to the Ali fight, in a controversial 12-round decision.

The referee mistakenly held Vargas to stop throwing punches to a wobbling Bradley thinking the 12th round was over. Bradley regained footing and was able to finish the fight and won by decision.

The Las Vegas-based Vargas, 27, was the clear underdog against the experienced former congressman who is 10 years senior, but Vargas is confident he can do it.

“A lot of you guys do wish me luck, but in the back of your mind you’re thinking: ‘I don’t think he can do it.’ But I’m here to tell you I can,” said Vargas quoted by telegraph.co.uk.

Pacquiao stands at 5’ 5.5” while Vargas stands 4.5 inches taller at 5’10”. Vargas has a significant height advantage against the former 8-division champion. He also enjoys a 4-inch reach advantage measure from armpit to the fist.

In the undercard, Filipino American Nonito Donaire Jr. faces Jessie Magdaleno for the WBO super bantamweight title.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas is available live on HBO via pay-per-view.

Raymond Tabugon faces toughest test in Juan Francisco Estrada

Rey Tecson Juan Francisco Estrada , Previews

General Santos City's Raymond Tabugon (18-5-1, 8KOs) will face Sonora Mexico's Juan Francisco Estrada for a 10-round non-title match at the Estadio Francisco León García, in Sonora, Mexico on Saturday night.

Tabugon traveled to Mexico for the second time hoping for a win this time after being knocked out in the fifth round against Juan Hernandez Navarrete during his 2015 trip to Mexico. A fight with Estrada is a huge step-up in competition for Tabugon. He's the obvious underdog against the experienced and former flyweight champion Estrada.

Estrada (33-2, 24KO’s) resume includes notable wins against top boxers like Brian Viloria, Milan Melindo, Giovani Segura, and Hernan Marquez. He also once faced but lost to the number one pound-for-pound boxer Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez of Nicaragua.

Sanman Promotions CEO Jim Claude ‘JC’ Manangquil who handled Tabugon said that he "expects Tabugon to fight hard like he always does."

Although Estrada has the experience and crowd on his side, for sure he'll be experiencing some ring rust as he was sidelined for almost 13 months because of an injury to his right hand. He got the injury during his fight against fellow Mexican Tyson Marquez. Estrada needed an operation and it remains to be seen tonight how good his right hand.

Donnie Nietes defends title in his hometown against Raul Garcia

Rey Tecson Donnie Nietes , Previews

Donnie Nietes, the man they called "Ahas" will showcase his poisonous sting in front of friendlies against Raul Garcia at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum, in Bacolod City, Philippines.

Nietes (37-1-4, 21 KOs) is the longest Filipino world champion is seeking to continue his winning streak in the quest for global recognition he long deserved. Although a champion since 2007, the Bacolod native is still unrecognized on the international stage. In fact, Nietes, 34, had a debut fight in the US only in his last fight on 17th October 2015 at the StubHub Center, in Carson, California.

If Nietes get past Garcia, a possible US fight could happen next. His handlers are gunning for a flyweight world championship match against Roman Gonzalez. He's been at a 108-pound division for a long time. A move at flyweight is too good for him. And why not move and fight the best in the division, the best pound-for-pound. He's not getting any younger.

Well, that of course if he gets past Raul Garcia.

Raul Garcia (38-3-1, 23 KOs) is a man on a mission. He came all the way to Mexico to Nietes' home turf to exact revenge. Nietes defeated Raul's twin brother Ramon Garcia in 2011.

However, according to Nietes, Raul has an identical style with his twin brother.

“His style of fighting is the same as his twin. They have the same offense. The movement of Raul Garcia is the same as Ramon Garcia also. That’s why it’s very familiar to me,” says Nietes as per Ryan Songalia of Rappler.

Nietes won via unanimous decision against Ramon. But it is exciting to see how much improvement Raul would incorporate in his game plan against Nietes with the help of his twin brother.

The fight can be seen on ABS-CBN's Sky Cable, Philippines, pay-per-view, and Live Stream on TFC.tv through subscription.

This will be tonight folks, Saturday, May 28 starting at 6 a.m. E.T. (6 p.m. Manila time).

Speed vs Power: Canelo vs Khan preview and prediction

Rey Tecson Amir Khan , Previews

Lineal middleweight champion of the world Saul "Canelo" Alvarez will defend the title against UK's Amir "King" Khan at the new T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas Nevada. The match can be seen live on HBO PPV and also available on internet PPV.

When I read the press release from Golden Boy Promotions about this fight in February, I'm shocked! I said what? The last time I checked Khan fought at welterweight against Chris Algieri almost a year ago. There were no reports whatsoever that he struggled the weight limit of 147 pounds at welterweight.

After Khan won a decision versus Algieri, he was chasing for a Floyd Mayweather Jr. bout. But Floyd has always been turning down Khan's challenge and instead fought Andre Berto in September.

Former MW champion Miguel Cotto took on Canelo in November, which Canelo won (partly controversial though) and took the lineal middleweight title. Still, no word came out about a Canelo-Khan fight.

In early 2016, Khan is gunning for a Manny Pacquiao fight. Pacquiao lost to Mayweather in May 2015 and was staged for one last fight before retiring. Pacquiao dumped Khan and instead chose a Bradley rematch. And then... boom! the news broke... Canelo vs Khan for the middleweight championship of the world!

Well, I'll make my prediction here short. We all knew that this fight of course is about speed vs power. It is clear from the beginning that Canelo has the advantage in size and power, while Khan has the advantage in speed.

Now the bottom line here is how these two men capitalize their advantage/s towards each other. A stronger and powerful Canelo is of course ineffective if he can not catch the faster, quicker Khan. So if Canelo can effectively cut the ring down and corner Khan and unleashes his power bombs... Bingo! End of the story.

But also if the quicker, faster Khan can utilize the entire ring the whole night and maintains a disciplined fight throwing fast combination, go out from harms way before Canelo retaliates then he'll win by decision.

So it's a matter of proper execution on those advantages. And the one who executes well will win.

Now, who do you think will execute well?

Now here comes the overall boxing skills and game plan. For me, both Khan and Canelo have sound boxing skills. What I think will play a major factor here is their tendencies inside the ring that will of course influence their execution.

Khan has the tendency to trade it when he's hurt. In his two knockout defeats, Khan bravely or shall I say stupidly traded with punches to Prescott and Garcia when he was hurt after a knockdown. Of course, the wisest thing to do there is to clinch as much as you can till the cobwebs are gone. I don't mind the referee deduct points as long as I can recover and fight another round than instantly KOed.

Well, I don't see Khan here not being hurt when hit cleanly by Canelo in this fight, and then he'll resort to his tendencies.

So I've got Canelo by knockout in round 8.

Will to win: Pacquiao vs Bradley III preview and prediction

Rey Tecson Freddie Roach , Manny Pacquiao

Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao faces Timothy Bradley Jr. for the third time. This is for the welterweight championship of the world, Saturday night. This could be the 8-division champ's last fight.

Date: April 9, 2016 (April 10, Manila)

Venue: MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

Division: Welterweight

12 Rounds

At stake: The Welterweight Championship of the world.

The fighters

Manny Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs), a former world champion in eight weight divisions. He holds victories over boxing greats Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton and Marco Antonio Barrera (twice).

He had also epic battles with Juan Manuel Marquez (one draw, two wins and one loss). Thrice with Erik Morales (one loss and two wins).

After 21-year as a pro boxer, this could be Pacquiao's swan song. Pacquaio's career started in 1995 with 65 total fights around his waist.

The incumbent congressman is seeking a higher post in Philippine politics. He runs for a senatorial seat for the May 2016 national elections. If Pacquiao wins, (most likely as he's in the magic 12 on most surveys) he would probably hang his gloves for good to focus his job as senator.

"Sa lahat ng mga Pilipino nanawagan po sa ako sa inyong lahat na magkaisa po tayong lahat para sa karangalan ng ating bansa. Baka ito na po ang huling laban ko na masasaksihan ng boung sambayanang Pilipino," Pacquiao said in Tagalog. (I call on to all the Filipinos to unite for the glory of our country. Maybe this will be my last fight for the Filipino people to see.)

Timothy Bradley Jr. (33-1-1, 13 KOs) won the first Pacquiao fight in one of the most controversial decisions in the history of boxing. On paper, Bradley won, but many believed Pacquiao won convincingly. In 2014, a rematch was set to prove each fighter's case in the first fight. Bradley lost to a decision. He's been 2 wins, 0 losses, 1 draw since then.

In a third fight with the Filipino star, Bradley is very motivated. This could be his last chance of beating Pacquiao.

"This is about legacy for me. I'm getting a third crack at it. I'm ready, and if I'm gonna win this fight is now... is now", said Bradley during the Final press conference Thursday. I'm ready for everything! More than any other fighter that I've ever been in... is now! If I'm gonna beat Manny Pacquiao is now. This is my only opportunity... this is my last opportunity."

The stage

Following Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s retirement, and the inactivity of Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao now sits at the number one spot. While Timothy Bradley is at the number two spot on most welterweight rankings.

The Transnational Boxing Rankings Board had Pacquiao and Bradley at number one and two respectively. The board's championship policy, wherein a fight between number 1 and number 2 warrants a championship. Hence, the vacant welterweight throne will be filled on April 9, not unless we have a draw or no contest.

Fight Prediction Pacquiao vs Bradley Jr III preview and prediction

"One thing I can be sure though is, we've prepared Manny as he wished he would, to win .... and win with a bang. Over the last week, I finally am happy with what he's doing. The last two days of sparring was really good", said Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's long-time trainer.

Although Pacquiao lost the most important fight in his career against Floyd Mayweather Jr, it doesn't mean that he's a totally diminished fighter. However, the performance of his right arm remains to be seen after the subsequent surgery 11 months ago. Pacquiao lost a clear-cut decision against Floyd in a mind-blowing revenue in May 2015.

“I think Manny still has it. I mean, who hasn’t lost to Mayweather? If you’ve fought him, you’ve lost to him. Mayweather is a great, intelligent fighter. Just by losing to him, that doesn’t mean Pacquiao’s done” said Rios, a common denominator between the two top welterweights, in an article written by Eric Raskin on Inside HBO Boxing.

Bradley stopped Rios in his last outing, having new trainer Teddy Atlas on his corner. Many believed that Atlas played a big factor in Bradley as a fighter. Atlas, a respected trainer and a disciple of Cus D'Amato "is a mental strategist whose philosophies seemed like adaptations from Sun Tzu's diary", if you let me borrow those quoted words from Rappler's sports editor Ryan Songalia.

However, I think, at this point in Bradley's career, may not be able to change drastically his tendencies as a fighter into a fighting style that would guide him to victory. But Atlas' motivation would definitely push Bradley to its maximum limit. Atlas has a unique way of ensuring his instructions or motivations are retained in the brain and stimulate a call to action on his fighter. He used to hold his fighter's face to look at him in the eyes while he gives instructions. This is crucial in a close fight.

I think this fight is gonna be close. A 50-50 fight. The fighter who pushes to the limit, the fighter whose willing to do everything inside the ring, this Saturday night would get the decision. And to me that's Pacquiao.

Pacquiao by decision.

Pinoy Pride 35: "Stars of the Future" undercards

Rey Tecson Albert Pagara , Pinoy Pride

ALA Promotions' Pinoy Pride Series on its 35th installment will be back at its home base in Cebu for another spectacular fight card. Junior featherweight standout "Prince" Albert Pagara (25-0, 18 KO) will headline the card against Nicaragua's Yesner Talavera at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino on 27 February. The event will be telecast by Philippine giant network ABS-CBN.

The 21-year-old Filipino has been touted as the next big thing in Philippine boxing. He's been undefeated for 25 fights, 18 fights inside the distance. Pagara has decent power in both hands. He's been impressive in his American debut, knocking out William Gonzalez in Round 6 at the Stub Center, Carson in October 2015. I'm expecting him to challenge for a world title this year.

It was also ALA promotion's US debut after a successful international venture held first in Dubai in September 2014.

Pagara knocked out Jesus Antonio Rios in Round 1 during Pinoy Pride's return to Dubai in August 2015.

Meanwhile, Talavera (15-3-1, 4 KO) has never been stopped in his three career defeats. This will be his first fight outside of his native Nicaragua.

Undercards

Now on it's 35th installment, the successful Pinoy Pride series will be back at their home turf giving the Cebuano fans back their fighters. Below is the full list of under-cards.

Mark Magsayo vs. Edwardo Montoya, Featherweights 10 Rounds

Kevin Jake Cataraja vs. Chatpetch Por Pakdee, Flyweights 8 Rounds

Melvin Jerusalem vs. Florante Condes, Jr. flyweights 8 Rounds

Jeo Santisima vs. Marco Demecillo, Featherweights 8 Rounds

Elmo Traya vs. Romeo Jakosalem, Jr. welterweights 8 Rounds

Muhammad Radhwin vs. Melchor Roda, Featherweights 4 Rounds

Esneth Domingo vs. Vic Ejercito, Junior Flyweight 4 Rounds

Where to watch: David Haye vs Mark de Mori

Rey Tecson David Haye , Mark De Mori

And oh! Before I will totally forget, there's another heavyweight match happening on the other side of the Atlantic.

David Haye is back in action tonight vs Mark de Mori after 3.5-year absence inside the boxing ring.

Here's all you need to know about fight time, date, venue and more...

Fight venue: O2 Arena in North Greenwich, London

Fight time: Set to kick off on Saturday, January 16 at around 9.45 pm.

TV coverage: Dave in the UK. Coverage begins at 9 pm.

Live stream: The fight also can be seen worldwide via YouTube live streaming, and you can watch it here at TBH through the YouTube channel embedded below:

Deontay Wilder vs. Artur Szpilka where to watch

Rey Tecson Artur Szpilka , Deontay Wilder

Since the match is free to watch even to non-Showtime subscribers, the heavyweight title match between undefeated American heavyweight Deontay Wilder vs. Artur Szpilka can be watched online here at TBD, through Showtime live streaming YouTube channel embedded above.

Before their heavyweight match on Saturday night, Wilder and Szpilka met at the weigh-in on Friday afternoon. You can watch the highlight of the weigh-in here: http://theboxingdiary.com/2016/01/watch-deontay-wilder-vs-artur-szpilka-weigh-in-recap.html and see the official weight results here: http://theboxingdiary.com/2016/01/official-weights-deontay-wilder-228%C2%BE-artur-szpilka-239.html

Bryant Jennings vs Luis Ortiz Weigh-in Live streaming 1PM ET

Rey Tecson Bryant Jennings , Luis Ortiz

Bryant Jennings (19-1, 10 KOs) and undefeated Luis Ortiz (23-0, 20 KO's) will hit the scales this afternoon for the official weigh-in at the Convention Center, Seneca, Onondaga and Cayuga Rooms at Turning Stone Resort Casino at 1PM ET ahead of their 12-round heavyweight title bout.

During the final presser Ortiz told the media that: "I am a man of few words and will let my hands do the talking."

"I have worked very hard to be here, and I will not waste this opportunity. We will see on Saturday who is the best." says Ortiz.

Meanwhile, Jennings told that: "Preparation went as planned" and that "there will be no surprises on Saturday."

Let's take a look at the fighters once again during the weigh-in and see how the fight will look like as they flex their battle ready arms.

Big men show: Wladimir Klitschko vs Tyson Fury preview and prediction

Rey Tecson Previews , Tyson Fury

Wladimir Klitschko and Tyson Fury's combined weight was 493 pounds during the weigh-in.

On fight night, they could weigh more than 500 pounds for their heavyweight championship clash at the Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, Saturday night.

The stats

There were times Klitschko's fight had been with challengers heavier than him. But most of the time, the 6’6” reigning heavyweight champ from Ukraine, had the height and reach advantage on those challengers. Then Klitschko (64-3, 53 KOs) would capitalize on those advantages and win.

Klitschko uses his 81" reach as a jab that earned him the “Dr. Steel Hammer” moniker to keep an opponent at bay and also busting the opponent's nose at the same time. He also uses his height to lean on shorter opponents during clinched -- if an opponent manages to close the gap.

Against Tyson Fury, Klitschko doesn’t have the above advantages. Fury (24-0, 18 KOs) has the three inches height advantages at 6’9” over Klitschko at 6’6”. But the champion has the obvious ring experience having 67 total bouts to Fury’s 24. On the flip side, Fury is the younger fighter at 27 years old, while Klitschko is 12 years senior at 39.

The fight

In the early rounds, I think Klitschko will start slow as usual. Although if Fury forces the action early, the tempo might be changed, I expect Klitschko to clinch a little bit more if the younger Fury engages early and choose to fight from inside.

The battle of jabs

In the third, Fury will use his legs effectively and throw more jabs to counter Klitschko’s heavy jabs.

But the champion adjusts in the fourth round, blasting Fury with his signature one-two combo as Fury launches his attacks.

In the middle rounds, Fury continues to land some jabs from outside. He will use angles with his footwork, but also take harder shots from the champion, who steps up the gas and shifts to a higher gear.

In the seventh, it is obvious that Klitschko's ring experience and power took over. He’s landing the harder shots that showed its damaging effect on the challenger.

In the ninth, Klitchsko’s power finally ends the challenger's bid for the world heavyweight championship. The champion lands a textbook one-two combo spot on the button that sends Fury hard to the canvass. Klitschko TKO9.

Photos: Miguel Cotto vs Canelo official weigh in

Rey Tecson Miguel Cotto , Previews

Miguel Cotto and Saul Canelo Alvarez tipped the scale on Friday at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, North Convention Center – Islander Ballroom ahead of their middleweight battle on Saturday night on pay-per-view.

Pinoy Pride 33: Pinoy boxers’ moment to shine

Rey Tecson Albert Pagara , Donnie Nietes

Donnie Nietes is the longest-reigning Filipino boxing champion spanning 8 years. But that span of time being a champion he never had a fight in the US. A fight in the US is an ultimate dream of a non-US-resident professional boxer. In the US most big-time boxing card happens.

Not only Nietes will fight first time in the US. Pagara brothers Jason and Albert, and Mark Magsayo will also debut on US soil. They will fight separate opponents.

Nietes (36-1-4, 21Kos) will headline Pinoy Pride 33 versus Mexican Juan Alejo. Although Mexico shares a border with the US, it's also Alejo’s (21-3, 13KOs) first fight in the US. What a coincidence!

Undefeated Albert Pagara (24-0-0, 17 KOs) faces KO artist William Gonzalez (27-5, 23 KOs) of Nicaragua. They will battle for Pagara’s intercontinental junior featherweight title. While his brother Jason will face Santos Benavides for 10 rounds or less in a non-title fight.

ALA Promotions in association with ABS-CBN Sports promotes Pinoy Pride 33. It's also ALA promotions' and ABS-CBN Sports' first time to stage a fight card in the US.

Michael Aldequer's successful Pinoy Pride series originates in Cebu, Philippines. He found tremendous success in the Philippines and in the middle east. Particularly Dubai.

With so much of first time and outcome might be uncertain. But what is certain is that: Pinoy boxers will have the opportunity to showcase their talent in the US boxing ring.

I expect Pinoy boxers to give their very best. This fight will be their ticket to better opportunities and bigger paydays.

Nietes talked about betting pound-for-pound new kingpin Roman Gonzalez if given a chance. So, Nietes need not only win but should look impressive. And get past Alejo for a possible fight with Roman. Gonzalez will also fight on the same night at a different venue. He will face Filipino-American Brian Viloria.

But well, who knows if Viloria bets Roman, it might set up a fight with Nietes (could be unlikely even if Viloria wins as this two sparred in preparation for their separate opponents). Just exploring possibilities here...

For Albert and Jason Pagara, and Mark Magsayo, it is their time to impress the American fans. If they will come out victorious in a spectacular manner; big fights await.

Stakes are really high for this card! Don't miss it!

Golovkin-Lemeiux undercard final presser photos

Rey Tecson Brian Viloria , Previews

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Friday, August 25, 2017

Saturday, July 29, 2017

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Linares vs Crolla I

Power, Stamina, and Durability

Adjustments and keys to victory

Prediction

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Donnie Nietes, the man they called "Ahas" will showcase his poisonous sting in front of friendlies against Raul Garcia at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum, in Bacolod City, Philippines.

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Lineal middleweight champion of the world Saul "Canelo" Alvarez will defend the title against UK's Amir "King" Khan at the new T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas Nevada. The match can be seen live on HBO PPV and also available on internet PPV.

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao faces Timothy Bradley Jr. for the third time. This is for the welterweight championship of the world, Saturday night. This could be the 8-division champ's last fight.

The fighters

The stage

Fight Prediction Pacquiao vs Bradley Jr III preview and prediction

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Undercards

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Friday, December 18, 2015

Saturday, November 28, 2015

The stats

The fight

The battle of jabs

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Friday, October 16, 2015

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