Oscar De La Hoya high on Ukranian light heavyweight Vyacheslav Shabranskyy

Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, right, will headline the Aug. 19 main event at Belasco Theater in Los Angeles/Photo courtesy of Golden Boy Promotions

 

Vyacheslav Shabranskyy of Ukraine is trying to follow in the footsteps of other boxers from his country by winning a world title. He could be on his way, what with a record of 16-0 and 13 knockouts as a light heavyweight. He’s ranked as high as No. 5 in the world by one organization.

Shabranskyy goes by the moniker “Lion Heart.” His promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, believes it fits.

“… He is a fearless warrior whose inner strength matches his physical strength and skill,” said De La Hoya, chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Slava, as we call him, is a future star of the sport headed toward a world championship, and I’ve been pleased with his continued ascent as he rises to the challenge every time he steps in that ring.”

Shabranskyy on Aug. 19 will continue his journey when he takes on Oscar Riojas (10-5-1, 3 KOs) of Mexico in a stay-busy fight at Belasco Theater in Los Angeles (on Estrella TV).

 

 

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Tom Loeffler scoffs at notion Golovkin-Brook comparable to Canelo-Khan

Unbeaten welterweight champion Kell Brook will go up in weight to fight undefeated middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin on Sept. 10 in London. (Chris Carlson/The Associated Press)

Kell Brook of England will move up two weight classes to challenge Gennady Golovkin for his middleweight belts Sept. 10 in London/AP photo by Chris Carlson

 

Canelo Alvarez took a lot of heat when, as middleweight champion, he took on welterweight Amir Khan and knocked him out in the sixth round this past May. It’s only fair then that Gennady Golovkin absorb similar criticism, or so it would seem.

Tom Loeffler disagrees. Loeffler, who promotes Golovkin under the K2 Promotions banner, insists that Golovkin defending his title against welterweight champion Kell Brook on Sept. 10 in Brook’s native England (on HBO), is not the same.

“I think the fans realize it’s a completely different situation,” Loeffler told this newspaper this week. “That’s why tickets sold out as quickly as they did. I mean, literally, 11 minutes.”

Golovkin-Brook will be contested at O2 Arena in London. It seats 20,000.

Loeffler reminded a reporter that K2 Promotions tried to get a middleweight for Golovkin. Alvarez, rather than fight Golovkin this fall, gave up his middleweight belt and has moved back down to junior middleweight.

“Every middleweight that we tried to get in the ring with Gennady (turned down the fight), starting with Canelo and going to Billy Jo Saunders to try to unify the title, and then Eubank,” Loeffler said.

Loeffler thought he had a deal for Golovkin to defend against No. 2-ranked middleweight Chris Eubank Jr., but Eubank balked.

“Eubank was a long, drawn-out process,” Loeffler said. “So I think there’s a big difference there and the fans realize that. Look, if any one of those three we had been talking to had signed the contract, Gennady would be fighting a middleweight. But fighting an undefeated welterweight who is arguably the best in his division with a bigger heart than many of the middleweight champions, I think it’s a big statement.

“And the British fans realize how difficult it’s been for Kell Brook to get a big name as well. So it actually solves the problems of both fighters. It’s a good fight.”

Moreover, Khan was a small welterweight. Brook (36-0, 25 KOs) is a big welterweight. A source told this newspaper that when the muscle-bound Brook was on hand for a news conference July 14 in New York City, he was walking around at 178 pounds.

Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs) never weighs that much between fights.

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Carl Frampton knows he’s fortunate to have the McGuigans in his corner

Carl Frampton/Photo courtesy of BoxRec.com

 

When Carl Frampton (22-0, 14 KOs) of Northern Ireland challenges Leo Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 KOs) for his featherweight world title Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (on Showtime), he’ll bring with him a team that includes former featherweight champion Barry McGuigan of Ireland and his son, Shane.

To Frampton, this is an undeniably strong team, with the elder McGuigan as his manager and his son as Frampton’s trainer.

“Well, he brings a lot,” said Frampton, when asked what Barry McGuigan brings to the team. “He brings a lot of wisdom. Obviously, he’s been there and he’s done it. Barry’s my manager now and I think we have a great team. It’s his son, Shane McGuigan, who actually trains me. Shane is the one I listen to and comes up with a plan and the tactics.

“But everyone has a bit of an input. And, obviously, it would be silly for us not to take the advice of Barry considering he’s been there and he’s done it. So it’s great that we got people like this on our team who have taken punches in the head, who know what it’s like at the very top level of the sport. Of course, you’re just going to soak it all in.”

In other words, when the McGuigans speak, Frampton takes heed.

“And when someone like that gives you advice,” Frampton said, “you listen.”

 

 

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Elio Rojas will be eager to show he still has ‘elite’ ability when he fights Mikey Garcia underneath Santa Cruz-Frampton

Elio Rojas/Photo courtesy of BoxRec.com

 

Elio Rojas of the Dominican Republic is a former featherweight world champion. But he doesn’t believe he was ever afforded the proper appreciation for that, so that’s one reason why he decided to accept a fight with former two-division world champion Mikey Garcia.

The two will tangle Saturday underneath the featherweight title fight between champion Leo Santa Cruz of Lincoln Heights and Carl Frampton of Northern Ireland at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (on Showtime).

“I’m taking this fight because I mean to show the world I’m an elite fighter, and the only way to show it is to beat the elite fighter, which is Garcia,” Rojas said. “That’s why I need to show the world that I’m able to be on top with the big names. I deserve this opportunity because the public never gave me the respect that I deserved.”
Garcia (34-0, 28 KOs), of Oxnard, is a former featherweight and super featherweight champion. He has not fought for 2 1/2 years because of a contract dispute with his now-former promoter, Bob Arum.
Rojas (24-2, 14 KOs) has had a long layoff, as well. He lost his title to Jhonny Gonzalez via decision in April 2012, took more than two years off, came back and won an eight-round decision over journeyman Robert Osiobe of Nigeria in August 2014 and has not fought since.
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‘Handsome’ Carlos Caudras discusses defense against ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez

Carlos Cuadras/Photo courtesy of Teiken Promotions

 

Apparently, Carlos Cuadras of Mexico is quite a character.

Cuadras was on hand Monday at the Fabulous Forum for a news conference promoting his Sept. 10 super flyweight title defense there against Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez of Nicarauga, who is considered by some to be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

When it was his turn to speak on the dais, Cuadras showed us his personality.

“I want to remind everybody that this fight will provide fireworks,” Cuadras said. “It’s going to be a war, and that title’s coming back to Mexico. I can assure you that.”

Cuadras paused and took a bottle of chocolate milk out of his coat pocket and began to drink it as “Chocolatito” watched and smiled.

“I want to remind everybody that I’m good, I’m fast … and I’m handsome, baby,” Cuadras said.

It was all good fun. But these two will be very serious come the fight. For Gonzalez, he is trying to become a world champion in yet another weight class. He has already won titles at minimumweight, light flyweight and flyweight and is again moving up in weight.

“My biggest motivation is getting my fourth title,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a blessing to receive that opportunity.”

Gonzalez, 29, is 45-0 with 38 knockouts. The way he goes about his business in the ring is a beautiful thing.

Cuadras, 27, is 35-0-1 with 27 knockouts.

Cuadras-Gonzalez will tangle the same night middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin will defend his three titles against Kell Brook in London. HBO will televise that fight live during the day, then show it on tape later that night as a prelude to Cuadras-Gonzalez.

The semi-main event to Cuadras-Gonzalez will be a rematch between junior middleweights Jesus Soto-Karass of Mexico and Yoshihiro Kamegai of Japan. They fought to a 10-round draw in April at Belasco Theater in Los Angeles.

Ticket prices for Cuadras-Gonzalez are $25, $50, $100, $200 and $300 and can be purchased at the Forum box office and through Ticketmaster.

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Oscar Valdez explosive in knocking out Matias Rueda in second to win title

Oscar Valdez/Photo courtesy of Top Rank Inc.

 

Oscar Valdez, a highly touted featherweight out of Mexico, is now a world champion after knocking out Matias Rueda of Argentina at 2:18 of the second round to win the title recently vacated by Vasyl Lomachenko.

The bout was the semi-main event to the junior welterweight title-unification fight between Viktor Postol and Terence Crawford won by Crawford via wide decision.

Valdez (20-0, 18 KOs) came out swinging and laid some serious leather on Rueda (26-1) in the first round. Valdez then decked Rueda with an absolutely vicious left hook to the body in the second round, Rueda tasting the canvas after a second delay.

Rueda rose at about nine seconds, but Valdez was on him again and landed several shots to the head before again decking Rueda with a body shot. The bout was waved off right then and Valdez ran around the ring in celebration.

“The best day of my life,” Valdez said. “It’s what my father and I have dreamed of since I started boxing.”

Rueda was simply overmatched, his record coming in notwithstanding.

“He caught me with a good (punch) in the second round and that was it,” Rueda said. “I could never recover from that.”

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Viktor Postol says Terence Crawford did not want to make their fight exciting

Viktor Postol, left, is knocked back by Terence Crawford during their WBC-WBO junior welterweight title unification boxing bout in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 23, 2016. (AP Photo/Chase Stevens)

Viktor Postol’s glove touches the canvas in the fifth round, Terence Crawford getting his second knockdown of the round/AP photo by Chase Stevens

 

Terence Crawford won a wide unanimous decision over Viktor Postol in a junior welterweight title-unification bout Saturday at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

What was interesting about the fight was how much Crawford danced and moved. Both fighters came in 28-0, but Crawford entered with 20 knockouts to just 12 for Postol. Yet, Crawford was the fighter who seemed unwilling to go toe-to-toe. Afterward, he and his trainer – Brian McIntyre – both talked about how film they studied of Postol showed he can’t get his punches off unless he’s sitting down on them, which can’t be done when a fighter has to chase another.

Postol made note of Crawford’s excessive movement in the post-fight news conference.

“What I tried to do is make the fight happen,” said Postol, of Ukraine. “I tried to go forward. I didn’t choose to do a technical style and make it only a chess match. I think I did my best to make it an exciting fight. I think the other side did not really want to do that.”

Postol was asked if he expected Crawford to move as much as he did.

“No, I did not expect that,” Postol said. “I thought there were two champions in there and one was going to be a unified world champion. And I thought we’re both there to prove we’re a world champion.”

Crawford, of Omaha, Neb., won by scores of 118-107, 118-107 and 117-108. He did score two knockdowns in the fifth round. The first was a flash knockdown in the opening seconds of the round, Postol later saying he was off-balance. The second came when Postol’s glove touched the canvas after he was sent reeling from a left to the head. Postol said that one was legitimate.

The fight was carried on HBO pay-per-view. It will be replayed on HBO next Saturday.

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Oleksandr Gvozdyk gets off canvas to knock out Tommy Karpency in 6th

Oleksandr Gvozdyk/Photo courtesy of BoxRec.com

 

When Tommy Karpency decked Oleksandr Gvozdyk in the first round of their light heavyweight fight Saturday, it appeared their bout scheduled for 10 rounds could be over quickly. However, Gvozdyk (11-0, 9 KOs) recovered nicely and eventually knocked out Karpency with a body punch in the sixth round. The time was 2:21.

The fight was underneath the junior welterweight title-unification fight between Viktor Postol and Terence Crawford at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

It appeared Karpency could have gotten up, but he stayed on his knee and took the 10-count. He was pointing to his right eye after he was counted out.

“It was a great right to the body,” said Gvozdyk, of Ukraine. “It went deep. It felt good.”

Karpency (26-6-1), of Adah, Pa., was bleeding from a cut on the bridge of his nose. By the time the fight was over, his white trunks were partially covered with blood.

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Viktor Postol, Terence Crawford make weight for their showdown Saturday

Terence Crawford/Photo courtesy of Top Rank Inc.

 

All four fighters for Saturday’s two main fights at MGM Grand in Las Vegas made weight Friday.

Viktor Postol weighed 139 1/2 pounds and Terence Crawford came in at the 140-pound limit for their junior welterweight title-unification bout (on HBO pay-per-view).

Postol, of Ukraine, is 28-0 with 12 knockouts. Crawford, of Omaha, Neb., is 28-0 with 20 knockouts.

The semi-main event will feature a vacant featherweight world-title fight between Oscar Valdez (19-0, 17 KOs) of Mexico and Matias Rueda (26-0, 23 KOs) of Argentina. Valdez weighed in at the 126-pound limit, Rueda came in a pound light at 125.

 

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Viktor Postol brimming with confidence ahead of bout with Terence Crawford

Viktor Postol/Photo courtesy of Top Rank Inc.

 

Confidence is a force that can do wonders for a fighter. If Viktor Postol has as much as it sounds like he has, Terence Crawford could be in trouble Saturday night.

The two will square off in a junior welterweight title-unification bout at MGM Grand in Las Vegas (on HBO pay-per-view). Postol, of Ukraine, is 28-0 with 12 knockouts. Crawford, of Omaha, Neb., is 28-0 with 20 knockouts. It’s just the type of fight that can be won by the fighter more sure of himself during the vital moments.

Postol was asked recently to explain what’s different about Crawford compared to others he’s fought. Postol mentioned all of Crawford’s fine points, such as his technical skills and his ability to successfully change stances. Then Postol spoke in very self-assured tones.

“But that does not mean he is the best I have fought,” Postol said. “I think Lucas Matthysse is a higher-level fighter than Crawford and everyone knows how my fight with Matthysse ended, with him knocked out and the WBC belt around my waist.”

Postol won a vacant title with a 10th-round knockout of the hard-hitting Matthysse this past October at StubHub Center.

“And that is exactly where the WBC belt will remain after my fight with Crawford,” Postol said. “Just above the WBO belt (currently held by Crawford). I am looking forward to destroying Crawford, destroying his perfect record and destroying his reign as world champion.”

Wow. This dude sounds serious.

Crawford actually likes Postol’s spirit, even if he doesn’t agree with everything he said.

“He is supposed to say he is going to destroy anybody that he is going to step in the ring with,” Crawford said. “But to my knowledge, I don’t care what he says because come (Saturday) he is going to have to show me; he is not going to just be able to tell you.

“He knew who to fight. He had the option of fighting either me or Matthysse and he thought Matthysse was the easier fight because he knew if he was going to fight Terence Crawford, he knew what was going to happen.”
Oh, yeah, this could be a good one.

Although Crawford has more knockouts, Postol has knocked out two of the three fighters he’s faced under the guidance of trainer Freddie Roach. Postol is also three inches taller and has a reach advantage of 3 1/2 inches.

Since Postol has a nice left jab, that could be a big weapon for him. Roach thinks so.
“Viktor has a height advantage and a little bit of a reach advantage,” he said. “He sets things up real well with his left hand.”

Crawford scoffs.

“It’s funny how all of the people are giving Postol all of the credit for his jab, but nobody is talking about how good my jab is,” Crawford said. “So I’m loving it.  I’m loving it.”

Those in attendance and watching on TV figure to be loving this fight. It’s a tough one to pick, but the feeling here is Crawford will prevail in a tough one.

The winner could get a shot at Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 5. But it’s doubtful these two will be thinking about that during what should be a tremendous back-and-forth bout with each boxer having big moments.

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