The Boxing Diary

Views and Opinions

Showing posts with label Saul Alvarez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saul Alvarez. Show all posts

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Canelo Alvarez becomes 3-divison champion with TKO victory against Rocky Fielding

NEW YORK CITY (DEC. 15, 2018): Canelo Alvarez (51-1-2, 35 KOs) entered a select list of Mexican fighters to become a three-division world champion as he defeated Rocky Fielding (27-2, 15 KOs) of Liverpool, England via third-round technical knockout in front of a sold-out crowd of 20,112 boxing fans at Madison Square Garden and live on DAZN. The fight was stopped at 2:38 of the third round.

"That was the plan in the gym, to hit the body and then move up, and that's the result. You see the result here," said Canelo Alvarez. I feel very good and very strong at 168 pounds. I didn't have to dehydrate myself to make weight. We'll have to see with what I do next. I have to talk to my team, enjoy the holiday and then I'll talk to my team. But right now, without a doubt, what I want are the best fights. My goal is to make good fights for the people, for the public, and to make sure the name of Canelo Alvarez and of Mexico is held up high."

"It was the opportunity of a lifetime," said Rocky Fielding. "I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this big fight. I think Canelo has the power to face anyone at 168 pounds."

In the co-main event, Tevin Farmer (28-4-1, 6 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania successfully defended his IBF Super Featherweight World Title against Francisco Fonseca (22-2-1,16 KOs) of San Ramon, Costa Rica via 12-round unanimous decision. Farmer won with three scores of 117-111.

"It was a good performance," said Tevin Farmer. "He was really, really tough. And after a few rounds, we saw that and we started working on things. It's all a road to improve. I say it was a C+, B- performance. Nowadays, I really have a lot of anger built up, good anger though, and I just want to hurt everybody when I'm in the ring. I don't have no sympathy."

"I've been on the road this whole year...I wanted to just let everybody know that I'll be home in Philadelphia in March, I'm bringing everything back home baby. Who wants to fight me? That's the question."

"Is that the fight that I want [against Gervonta Davis]? We've moved past him. Does he want to fight me? Like I said, we active, we getting paid. It's time for him to fight and stay active and then he can come see me."

Sadam Ali (27-2, 14 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York defeated Mauricio Herrera (24-8, 7 KOs) of Riverside, Calif. via unanimous decision in a ten-round welterweight battle. Ali won with scores of 100-90, 99-91, 98-92.

"Honestly, I didn't look good in there," said Sadam Ali. "I felt like I won sloppy. Herrera made me look terrible in there. He's a rugged fighter. And I fell in there that last moment of the fight the same way I fell when I fought Miguel Cotto. I felt like the cards were a lot closer than what the judges said they were."

"It was an okay fight," said Mauricio Herrera. "I had to shake a lot of the rust off, but it was a good pace. Overall, I thought I won the fight. I had him missing a lot in there, and I wasn't that tired.

Ryan Garcia (17-0, 14 KOs) of Victorville, Calif. stopped Braulio Rodriguez (19-4, 17 KOs) of La Romana, Dominican Republic via knockout in the fifth round of a lightweight bout originally slated for ten rounds. Garcia won with a time of 1:14 of the aforementioned round.

"I wasn't looking for the knockout because a lot of people say, if this kid can fight, I just see skills on Instagram," said Ryan Garcia. "I wanted to show them that I can fight and I am for real."

"That was the main thing coming in. We knew from the weigh-ins when [Rodriguez] pushed me that he would try to intimidate me, I think that's what he was trying to do, but I came in here and I was like, that's not going to happen."

"Man, I can't thank them [Eddy and Chepo Reynoso] enough. They took me in like family. They took care of me good. I don't speak Spanish but they took care of me. I don't speak Spanish, but I got the Mexican blood in me. Viva Mexico!"

"When I was first coming up, I made the mistake thinking when I was knocking everyone out that I can conquer the world. I know it's a process and I'm going to trust everyone and trust my team. I'm not scared of nobody."

Katie Taylor (12-0, 5 KOs) of Bray, Ireland defeated Eva Wahldtrom (22-1-1, 3 KOs) of Helsinki, Finland via unanimous decision, defending her IBF & WBA Lightweight World titles in a 10-round fight. Taylor won with three scores of 100-90.

"The goal is to be the undisputed lightweight champion of the world," said Katie Taylor. "Obviously one of the biggest fighters out there is Amanda Serrano, and that's a huge, huge fight. Let's get it on."

"That's probably the biggest compliment I can get to get, being compared to Sugar Ray Leonard [regarding his hand speed]. He's one of my favorite fighters. I've watched a lot of his videos, and my goal is to be as good as him."

Lamont Roach Jr. (18-0-1, 7 KOs) of Washington, D.C successfully defended his WBO title against Alberto Mercado (15-2-1, 3 KOs) of Humacao, Puerto Rico via unanimous decision in a super featherweight battle. Roach Jr. won with scores of 99-91, 98-92, 97-93.

"I controlled most of the fight, and felt like I hurt him in almost every round," said Lamont Roach. "I am proud of the fight that I had tonight - most fighters don't take the type of fights I say yes to. I'll do what it takes to make it to the top and that means fighting skilled fighters."

"I feel good, but it's a bummer going 10 when I know can end it earlier and go less. Other than that, the fight was tough. I dominated in everyone and I hurt him in everyone. I know who the WBO and WBA champions are. [Masayuki] Ito and Alberto Machado.  I'll fight any of them. But I'm in line to fight for the WBO Title, so I really hope that happens next."

Yves Ulysse Jr. (17-1, 9 KOs) of Montreal, Canada won against Maximiliano Becerra (16-3-2, 8 KOs) of Santa Ana, Calif. via unanimous decision in a eight-round super lightweight bout. Ulysse Jr. won with scores of 79-71, 78-72, 78-72.

"It was truly a dream coming true to fight at the Madison Square Garden," said Yves Ulysse Jr. "All the best fighters have fought here and the atmosphere is really unique. I felt like home in the ring. I'm happy about my performance: I've stick to the game plan, was patient to get the openings and hurt him."

Bilal Akkawy (19-0-1, 15 KOs) of Sydney, Australia defeated Victor Fonseca (17-9-1, 14 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico via TKO in the seventh round in a super middleweight fight originally scheduled for eight rounds. Akkawy won with a time of 2:53 of the aforementioned round.

"There is a lot of room for improvement," said Bilal Akkawy. "I wasn't myself in there, but I'll be working on that when I get back to the gym. It's an honor to have fought here [Madison Square Garden]. The plan now is to enjoy the holiday and then head to Mexico so I can get ready for my next fight."

Friday, May 5, 2017

Canelo vs Chavez, Jr. Undercard Final Press Conference Quotes, Photos

LAS VEGAS (May 4, 2017) - Fighters on the undercard of Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. hosted a press conference today at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino ahead of their bouts on Saturday, May 6. Co-main event fighters former IBF Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (37-3, 33 KOs) and Middleweight contender Marco "Dorado" Reyes (35-4, 26 KOs) were joined by former WBC Silver Super Lightweight Champion Lucas "La Maquina" Matthysse (37-4, 34 KOs), Welterweight contender Emmanuel "Tranzformer" Taylor (20-4, 14 KOs), NABF Featherweight Champion Joseph "Jojo" Diaz, Jr. and IBA Featherweight Champion Manuel "Tino" Avila (22-0, 8 KOs) on the HBO Pay-Per-View portion beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Fighting on the preliminary undercard "free view" stream beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT, lightweight prospect Ryan "Kingry" Garcia (8-0, 7 KOs) will face Tyrone Luckey (8-6-3, 6 KOs) and flyweight prospect Marlen Esparza (1-0) will take on Samantha Salazar (2-3-1). Former Mexican Olympian Raul "El Cugar" Curiel will make his pro debut against Jesus Sanchez (1-1-2).

Super bantamweight contender Ronny Rios (27-1, 12 KOs) will fight Daniel Noriega (28-10-1, 15 KOs) and lightweight prospect Joseph "Diamante" Aguirre (16-0, 9 KOs) will take on Angel Aispuro (8-4-2) beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.

Below is what the fighters and their teams had to say at today's final press conference:

ERIC GOMEZ, President of Golden Boy Promotions:

"We at Golden Boy Promotions have stacked this card from top to bottom, and I believe it is our best undercard yet with fighters from three continents here making this a global event on Cinco de Mayo. Throughout the night of May 6, fans will see a range of great action fights from some of our top prospects; to battles of undefeated contenders; to the return of former world champions.

"I also just received confirmation that our May 5th show tomorrow is completely sold out, thank you to all of our fight fans who have sold out this show and our May 6th show.

BERNARD HOPKINS, Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Business Partner:

"I want the young fighters to know this a great opportunity to be on this Cinco de Mayo undercard with Canelo and Chavez, Jr. This is a great moment to become a champion and be a part of this historical event. Take care of business, and be sure to put on a great show."

TONY WALKER, Vice President of HBO Pay-Per-View:

"Our distributors have always told us undercards matter, when you think about it-there is four hours of time to fill. People want to be entertained during that time, so it really helps when you have an exciting undercard to the main event."

"We feel David Lemieux, Lucas Matthysse, Joseph Diaz Jr., all enhance this card and from their strong fan bases in Canada, Argentina and Los Angeles, we expect the fans to be very happy with these great fights."

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN, President of Eye of the Tiger Management:

"This is very exciting, as a fan of boxing, this is an amazing card. Every fight is a must-see. I want to mention the industry of boxing-with the right fights, people come out. We are here to contribute to this great show. David is read, and you can expect fireworks from this co-main event."

DAVID LEMIEUX, Former IBF Middleweight World Champion:

"I'm back, I'm expecting this to be a great night of boxing and to put on a show. I started training immediately after my last fight in March and look forward to Saturday night."

MARCO "DORADO" REYES, Middleweight Contender:

"Without my team, I wouldn't be here. This is going to be an explosive fight between two big puncher fighters in the ring."

MARIO ARANO, President of Arano Boxing:

"We're very excited and very happy for this fight-moving up to weight to welterweight has been a blessing for us. We have a team that has worked with Lucas for 14 years, and it has been a blessing to move up in weight divisions. There is no possibility for Lucas to return to 140. I want to remind you all, Lucas never retired, he is back and ready to give more wars."

LUCAS "LA MAQUINA" MATTHYSSE, Former WBC Silver Super Lightweight Champion:

"Training camp has been great with Joel Diaz, it has worked so well with him. I'm going to put on a great fight-see everyone on Saturday."

JOE DEGUARDIA, President of Star Boxing:

"There are many special things about the Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. fight. I'm extremely impressed with the undercard, and it is amazing we can put together a quality card like this for the fight. It's a true testimony to the sport."

EMANUEL "TRANZFORMER" TAYLOR, Welterweight Contender:

"May 6-what can I say? Lucas Matthysse is strong and powerful but it's my time now. I'm here and I'm hungry, I've been working my whole life for this. I'm excited to fight in front of all the Mexican fans on Cinco de Mayo-expect fireworks on May 6."

JOSEPH "JOJO" DIAZ, JR., NABF Featherweight Champion:

"We had a ten week training camp, and trained very hard for this fight. We're both young, undefeated fighters and there is a lot at stake here for of us because we could both potentially be mandatory challengers. We're going to put on a great show for the millions watching and the thousands in attendance."

MANUEL "TINO" AVILA, IBA Featherweight Champion:

"I've been with Golden Boy my whole career, and without them-I wouldn't be at this stage right now. This is going to be an action-packed fight and someone's '0' has to go."

MARLEN ESPARZA, Super Flyweight Prospect:

"I'm really excited about this opportunity and experience, and I want to thank everyone for backing me and seeing the vision I see. I'm very proud to be on this card with so many other amazing fighters. On fight night, it's not about win or lose, its about how I win."

RYAN "KINGRY" GARCIA, Lightweight Prospect:

"I put a lot of dedication to this fight, I'm treating this like a world championship fight. I'm coming in explosive with my speed and power-and everyone will see me put on a tremendous show on Saturday night."

TYRONE LUCKEY, Lightweight Prospect:

"Come May 6th, I'm going to give Ryan Garcia the best fight of this life. A little physical education is always good and everyone will see us put on a great fight."

RAUL "EL CUGAR" CURIEL, Former Mexican Olympian:

"You will see me put on the best show in the ring, and I want to thank everybody involved who helped us put on a great night of boxing."

RONNY RIOS, Super Bantamweight Contender:

"This is my first fight on Cinco de Mayo weekend, so I want to thank my family, Golden Boy Promotions and my team-I wouldn't be here without them."

JOSEPH "DIAMANTE" AGUIRRE, Lightweight Prospect:

"I'm really excited, I come from Cancun, Mexico and I'm looking forward to this opportunity. This is my first time fighting in Vegas-I've always fought in Mexico, so this is a dream come true for me."

Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. is a 12-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with TGB and sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Adriana's Insurance and Interjet. Lemieux vs. Reyes is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management. Matthysse vs. Taylor is a 10-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Boxing and Star Boxing. Diaz, Jr. vs. Avila is presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The event will take place Saturday, May 6 at T-Mobile Arena and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Doors open at 2:00 p.m. and the first fight begins at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Alvarez to battle Khan for the lineal middleweight championships

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 2, 2016) - WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) will make his first title defense of 2016 against former two-time world champion and resurgent contender Amir "King" Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) on May 7, Cinco De Mayo weekend, in a match-up of two of the biggest stars in boxing. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®.

Golden Boy Promotions will exclusively promote the fight, with Khan returning to his former home at Golden Boy Promotions for the showdown. The mega-fight promises high-intensity action between two of boxing's most popular and powerful fighters competing in the primes of their careers. Information regarding, the venue, ticket availability and a press tour for the fight will be announced in the coming weeks.

"As the middleweight champion of the world, I will take on the best fighters in the sport and on Cinco De Mayo weekend, I look forward to making the first defense of my titles," said Canelo Alvarez. "Amir was a decorated amateur, a two-time world champion and is in the prime of his career. Fans are in for a great fight on May 7."

"I know Canelo fights the best and wouldn't pass up the opportunity to face me like others have," said Amir Khan. "My goal is to always fight the biggest names and the best fighters that is why I'm excited for this fight. Also, I would like to thank my team and Golden Boy Promotions for this opportunity. I know I have the speed and ability to beat him and will give my fans what they deserve on May 7."

"We are committed to putting on the biggest and best fights in boxing," said Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO, Oscar De La Hoya. "Canelo is the biggest star in the sport and as he demonstrated against James Kirkland and Miguel Cotto last year, he is only getting better. Those who predicted that he would take an easy fight for his first defense have been proven wrong once again. As for Amir, he has won his last five fights including an incredible performance against Devon Alexander, and now that he is back where he belongs at Golden Boy Promotions, his future is very bright, once again."

At the age of 25, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico's Canelo Alvarez, the current WBC, Ring Magazine, and Lineal Middleweight World Champion has conquered the boxing world, captivating fans both at home and around the globe with his action-packed fighting style, charisma and willingness to take on the toughest challenges. The 2015 Fighter of the Year candidate's road to stardom began in 2011 with a win over Matthew "Magic" Hatton for the vacant WBC Super Welterweight World title, his first title defense against Ryan Rhodes and stoppage victories over Alfonso Gomez and Kermit Cintron. Then in 2012, Canelo defended his belt against future Hall of Famer Sugar Shane Mosley and showed the veteran his first retirement, winning via unanimous decision. Canelo continued on the path to superstardom in 2013 with a fifth round technical knockout of Josesito Lopez, followed by a unanimous decision victory over then world champion, Austin Trout in front of over 40,000 fans at San Antonio's Alamodome. The victory earned, Canelo the WBA Super Welterweight World Championship and proved his dominance at 154-pounds and a clear, bonafide ticket seller. On September 14, 2013, Canelo faced the man on top of the pound-for-pound list - Floyd "Money" Mayweather - giving a stellar effort before falling short of victory for the first time via 12-round majority decision. The fight ended up being the biggest of 2013, but also the second highest grossing bout of all-time and the second most watched boxing event ever on Mexican television (only behind 2015's Mayweather-Pacquiao). Since then, Canelo has won four straight fights, defeating top stars Alfredo "Perro" Angulo via 10th round technical knockout and Erislandy "The American Dream" Lara via split decision in 2014. On May 9, 2015, Alvarez dazzled with a victory over the fierce James "Mandingo Warrior" Kirkland at Minute Maid Park in Houston in front of more than 31,000 fans that featured what many have already deemed the "Knockout of the Year." Finally, On November 21, 2015, Alvarez defeated future Hall-of-Famer Miguel Cotto for the WBC, RING Magazine and Lineal Middleweight Championship in front of a packed arena at the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas and more than 900,000 homes across the country. The unanimous decision victory cemented Canelo's status as boxing's biggest draw and among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Bolton, Lancashire, England native, Amir "King" Khan catapulted into the media spotlight after winning the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Khan turned professional on July 16, 2005 with a first round technical knockout victory over Phil Edwards. Since then, Amir Khan has exploded onto the international sports scene. In July 2009, Khan competed for his first world title against Andriy "Kotelya" Kotelnik where Khan was crowned as the WBA Super Lightweight World Champion via a unanimous decision victory. Khan went on to successfully defend the title five times against tough competition in Dmitriy "Star of David" Salita, Paul "Magic Man" Malignaggi, Marcos "El Chino" Maidana, and Paul "Dudey" McCloskey. In July 2011, Khan faced Zab "Super" Judah and added the IBF Super Lightweight World Championship to his collection when he knocked out Judah in the fifth round. The victory was short lived however; as Khan lost a controversial 12-round split decision to Lamont "Havoc" Peterson on December of 2011. The controversy surrounding the officiating prompted a rematch, but that bout was canceled when Peterson failed a pre-fight drug screening. Disappointed but not discouraged, Khan faced Danny "Swift" Garcia in July 2014 for a chance to become a world champion once more but was stopped in the fourth round. Since then Khan has rebounded giving Carlos Molina his first professional loss in December 2012, defeating former IBF Lightweight World Champion Julio "The Kidd" Diaz in April 2013, securing the WBC Silver Welterweight and the WBA International Welterweight Titles against Luis Collazo in May 2014, and defending his titles in spectacular fashion against former three-time world champion Devon "The Great" Alexander in December 2014 and former WBO Super Lightweight World Champion Chris Algieri in May 2015. Now, "King" Khan will be looking to become a world champion again when he faces Canelo on May 7.

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Official Weights: Cotto 153.5, Canelo 155

Lineal middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) surprisingly weighed in even below the junior middleweight limit. He only weighed 153.5 lbs., which is .5 lbs. under the junior middleweight limit during their official weigh-in at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, North Convention Center - Islander Ballroom on Friday afternoon.

Mexican star Saul Canelo Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) tipped the scales spot on the contracted catchweight limit at 155 lbs.

Canelo has a clear advantage in size for this match-up. The catchweight at 155, I think will play to his advantage in my opinion, because Canelo seemed to struggle to make 154 lately. He tends to tire in the late rounds of his previous fights at 154. An indication he might outgrow his division. One pound could really make the difference here. At 155, it made him not that much drained during the training but not too heavy to make him sluggish and slow. But he should not over re-hydrate.

Friday, May 8, 2015

Canelo-Kirkland weigh-in live streaming