Oscar Valdez ready for first title shot

Oscar Valdez is back in ring after short break, looking for first title; Photo by Mikey Williams, Top Rank

Oscar Valdez is back in ring after short break, looking for first title; Photo by Mikey Williams, Top Rank

The quick turnaround isn’t anything new for Oscar Valdez. He’s had shorter breaks, but if he’s successful Saturday, the sacrifices will be worth it.

Valdez, 25, a two-time Mexican Olympian, has finally arrived at his first title shot when he faces Matias Rueda, from the MGM Grand, Saturday for the WBO featherweight title.

The title was vacated after Vasyl Lomachenko moved to 130 pounds. Lomachenko recently stated this week that he’s staying at 130 pounds.

“I kind of knew after I fought (Evgeny) Gradovich,” Valdez said of possibly having a short turnaround. “Bob Arum went into the ring and asked if I wanted to take a long break or if I wanted to get right back at it because he had a fight for me soon.”

Valdez (19-0, 17 KOs) had an easy answer.

“I was fresh, didn’t have any cuts, I felt like I was in perfect condition,” Valdez said. “I took a couple of days off and went back to gym.”

Valdez said he started training camp at The Rock in Carson with trainer Manny Robles close to weight, allowing him more time to study the style and technique of Rueda.

“I study everybody, either in my weight class or close to it, because I know it is possible we might end up fighting,” Valdez said. “Once I got his name, I went back to find videos. He’s a typical Argentinean, like Lucas Matthysse, Marcos Maidana. He’s a hard-hitter, 26 fights, 23 knockouts. I don’t care about his record and style. One thing my trainer Manny (Robles) is always telling me, don’t worry about what he’s doing, worry about yourself and what you’re doing to prepare.

“This is my shot. This might be my dream come true.”

Valdez competed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games for Mexico and quickly turned professional following the London Games.

His ascent has been quick, but he knows there’s more to learn as his career progresses.

“In boxing, you never stop learning,” Valdez said. “That’s the good thing about this sport. You can never get tired of learning. I love boxing, this is my passion. I don’t take much vacation time because I always want to get back in the gym.

“I feel like I still have a lot to improve on, nobody’s perfect.”

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Viktor Postol’s wife, Olga, delivers their twin sons a bit earlier than expected

Viktor Postol/Photo courtesy of Top Rank Inc.

 
Viktor Postol’s wife, Olga, was expected to deliver their twin sons at the end of this month. They came a bit early, however, with that blessed event taking place Tuesday.

Postol said at Wednesday’s final news conference promoting his junior welterweight title-unification bout Saturday against Terence Crawford at MGM Grand in Las Vegas that he was stoked his wife delivered before the fight.

“As you know, my wife gave birth to twin boys last night,” Postol said. “It made me very happy. It relieved a certain worry before this fight.”

Postol had promised his wife that when their sons were born, he would have a championship belt for each of them – meaning his and Crawford’s. Now they’ll be five days old if, and when, their father gets the second belt.

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Gennady Golovkin on hand for funeral services for boxer/trainer Gabe Lira

Gabriel L. Lira's Profile Photo

Gabe Lira, left, and his father Ben

 

Several hundred people turned out Thursday at Rose Hills Memorial Park for the funeral of former boxer/trainer Gabe Lira of Whittier. Lira succumbed July 13 after a 10-month battle with a fungal brain infection that eventually led to heart failure.

Speakers eulogizing Lira talked about his gregarious personality, how he joked with family and friends and was always smiling.

Lira went 7-3-1 with four knockouts in the 1980s. A parks and recreation worker, he helped his father train fighters out of the Teamsters Youth Boxing Club in South El Monte. Lira was 54.

On hand were middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and his trainer, Abel Sanchez. Lira’s father, Ben Lira, is Golovkin’s assistant trainer.

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Yoshihiro Kamegai-Jesus Soto Karass added to ‘Chocolatito’ card at Forum

Yoshihiro Kamegai/Photo courtesy of BoxRec.com

 

A junior middleweight bout between Jesus Soto Karass (28-10-4, 18 KOs) of Mexico and Yoshihiro Kamegai (26-3-2, 23 KOs) of Japan has been added to the Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez-Carlos Cuadras card Sept. 10 at the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood (on HBO).

Soto Karass-Kamegai will be a rematch of their fight in April that ended in a draw at Belasco Theater in Los Angeles.

Kamegai engaged Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero in a vicious 12-round fight in June 2014 at StubHub Center, Guerrero winning a unanimous decision while taking a lot of punishment along the way.

Gonzalez (45-0, 38 KOs), of Nicaragua, has won titles in three weight classes – mimimumweight, light flyweight and flyweight. He will be moving up in weight to challenge Mexico’s Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KOs) for his super flyweight belt.

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It’s good to know Adrien Broner won’t be Manny Pacquiao’s opponent Nov. 5

Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao/Photo courtesy of Top Rank Inc.

 

It’s good to know that when Manny Pacquiao fights in the fall, it won’t be against Adrien Broner, who apparently priced himself out of the sweepstakes with unrealistic demands.

Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, on Wednesday confirmed with several reporters that he had secured a date and site for Pacquiao’s bout against a still-to-be-determined opponent. It will be Nov. 5 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Not only did Broner apparently ask for too much to fight Pacquiao, Broner on Tuesday was sent to jail because he missed the beginning of his trial for felony assault and aggravated robbery, crimes he allegedly committed Jan. 21 in his native Cincinnati.

Broner was found in contempt of court and given 30 days in jail. He was taken away upon his arrival, about three hours late, according to a story on ESPN.com.

As for Pacquiao’s next opponent, it figures to be one of three guys – Viktor Postol, Terence Crawford or Jessie Vargas.

Postol and Crawford fight this Saturday at MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a junior welterweight title-unification bout. Vargas is a welterweight world champion.

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Robert Guerrero back in ring against David Peralta in August – then what?

Robert Guerrero

Robert Guerrero/Photo courtesy of Premier Boxing Champions

 

Former world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero has lost three of his past five bouts. But they were to Floyd Mayweather Jr., Keith “One Time” Thurman and most recently Danny Garcia. No shame there.

Guerrero, 33, will get back in the ring for the first time since what was a good – yet unsuccessful – showing against Garcia for a vacant welterweight world title in January at Staples Center. He’ll headline an Aug. 27 card at Honda Center when he takes on David Peralta of Argentina in the welterweight main event (on Spike).

American fans know little of Peralta (25-2-1, 14 KOs), who has fought exclusively in Argentina. Guerrero seems to know something about him, though.

“My opponent is a tough fighter from Argentina,” said Guerrero, of Gilroy. “Everybody knows that fighters from Argentina always come to fight, so I must be prepared and I’m expecting a war.”

From here on, it will be interesting to see what Guerrero does in his career. He would seem to be a way off from another title shot, as he is ranked in the top 15 of just one of the four organizations. And it’s a No. 13 ranking, so no one is going to owe him anything soon.

Considering his showing against Garcia, Guerrero – just 33 – certainly isn’t ready to hang ’em up. But it doesn’t seem he would have enough to beat any of the champions in the division, though he would appear to have the best shot against Jessie Vargas. The other three are Thurman, Garcia and Kell Brook, who is moving up to middleweight to challenge Gennady Golovkin for his title in September in England.

Here’s a thought: Guerrero could move down to junior welterweight. He never really did fight there, as he went from lightweight straight to welterweight; Guerrero had one fight technically in the junior welterweight division when he weighed 138 for Joel Casamayor, but he only weighed 133 and 134 his next two fights before moving to welterweight. (Lightweight is 135). Guerrero weighed in at 145 1/2 pounds just a year ago for a fight against Aron Martinez. He is not a big welterweight at all.

Of Guerrero’s seven fights at welterweight, he has weighed in at as high as the 147-pound limit just twice.

Not that the 140-pound junior welterweight division would be a cake walk to a title. Viktor Postol and Terence Crawford are two of the champions. Those two beasts will take on each other Saturday at MGM Grand in Las Vegas (on HBO pay-per-view).

 

 

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Heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller talking a lot of smack about champions

Jarrell Miller

Jarrell Miller/Photo courtesy of Salita Promotions

 

It appears heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller is trying to take the Floyd Mayweather Jr. path to stardom. Miller talks a lot of trash, and he’s been bashing the heavyweight champions of late.

For example, he said he wants to break Deontay Wilder and “his toothpick legs” in half. Miller refers to Anthony Joshua as “definitely one of the weakest of the heavyweight champs.”

But he does seem to at least have some respect for Tyson Fury, who holds two of the belts.

“I like Tyson Fury,” said Miller, a top 10 contender who Aug. 19 will take on Fred Kassi at Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. (on Showtime). “I still want to break his fingers in half, but he is good for the sport of boxing and I feel like me and him for a main event will sell any arena out. He talks a lot of smack and he does back it up, but he is still a jokester and I am real. I will smash him if he tries to step on me in the press conference. I will knock him out, same way I will for everyone else.”

Miller then said something about a potential fight with Fury that was kind of out there.

“A fight between us two will be like Comedy Central on steroids, it would be bananas,” Miller said. “It would sell out kind of like a Mayweather-(Manny) Pacquiao. … I feel like we can capture the heavyweight division and put it back on the map, just because of the way he talks.

“As an American heavyweight, I feel like we have to take over American soil first. I’ll fight anywhere and any time. But on the business side, I have to take over my country first.”

Miller, of Brooklyn, is 17-0-1 with 15 knockouts. Kassi, of New Orleans, is 18-5-1 with 10 knockouts.

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Jarrell Miller wants to break Deontay Wilder and ‘his toothpick legs’ in half

Jarrell Miller

Jarrell Miller/Photo courtesy of Salita Promotions

 

They say confidence breeds success. From the tone of his comments during a workout Tuesday from New York City, heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller is very confident. Whether that turns into success at the highest level remains to be seen.

Miller (17-0-1, 15 KOs) – ranked as high as No. 8 by one organization – on Aug. 19 will take on journeyman Fred Kassi  (18-5-1, 10 KOs)  of New Orleans in the 10-round main event from Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. (on Showtime). But Miller has bigger fish to fry, and he’s hopeful Deontay Wilder is in that mix down the road.

Wilder holds one of the championship belts, and he’s coming off a thorough thrashing of Chris Arreola, who did not answer the bell for the ninth round of their fight this past Saturday at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.

Miller used Tuesday’s workout to call out Wilder, who is now 37-0 with 36 knockouts.

“Wilder is a wild man when he gets in that ring, but at the same time if you watch how he performs, he performs at a mediocre level against mediocre fighters,” MIller said. “If you stick him to a world professional athlete, like myself or top guys, you’ll see him bring even more. Not saying he hasn’t been in the ring with A-plus fighters yet, but you can see all his loopholes in his fighting style. It’s just a matter of time before he gets really exposed and I hope it is with me because I want that behind.”

MIller, who is 6-foot-4, suggested the 6-7 Wilder does not use his height to his advantage.

“Shorter fighters do what they do, taller fighters do what they do,” Miller said. “Deontay is tall, but he doesn’t do what his body is designed to do; he’s trying to do something that smaller guys do, so that is going to be his downfall. Like I said, it is just a matter of time and I am going to break him in half, him and his toothpick legs.”

Miller, 28, is from Brooklyn.

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Viktor Postol can’t say enough about Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach

Viktor Postol/Photo courtesy of Top Rank Inc.

 

All one has to do is spend a little time with Viktor Postol, and it’s obvious this guy is a class act. It is therefore not surprising to hear what he has to say about his trainer, Freddie Roach, who has trained Postol (28-0, 12 KOs) for his past three fights. Included therein was Postol’s 10th-round knockout of Lucas Matthysse this past October at StubHub Center to win a vacant junior welterweight world title.

“When I first met Freddie Roach in his gym in Hollywood, I saw a man who was fully committed to his job,” said Postol, who Saturday will take on Terence Crawford (28-0, 20 KOs) in a title-unification bout at MGM Grand in Las Vegas (on HBO pay-per-view). “I saw that this was the job of his entire life. He lived in, and lived for, boxing.  No matter how many people are in the gym training, Freddie always finds time for everyone to give advice and correct something for somebody.  The same was in my case as he always put his heart and soul into my training as a boxer and anyone can see the result of our working together.”

Postol, 32, is 28-0 with 12 knockouts, 3-0 with two knockouts under Roach.

 

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Terence Crawford says he feels ‘no pressure’ to be boxing’s next superstar

Terence Crawford/Photo courtesy of Top Rank Inc.

Boxing always seems to be looking for its next star. Floyd Mayweather Jr. has retired. Manny Pacquiao did, too, for a moment. But he’s coming back for a fight in the fall. Still, he’s about done, as well.

Terence Crawford, a junior welterweight champion from Omaha, Neb., would seem to have a shot at taking the aforementioned throne. The expectation is no burden to him, either, or so he says.

There is no pressure on me being looked at as boxing’s next superstar, but there is a lot of hard work in becoming one,” said Crawford, who Saturday will take on Viktor Postol of the Ukraine in a title-unification bout at MGM Grand in Las Vegas (on HBO pay-per-view). “I’m really excited to be on the big stage and I’m on that big stage because I paid my dues in the gym and in the ring. That’s the reason I have accomplished so much as a fighter — pride of performance — and that’s why I am going to win on July 23.

“If I’m going to solidify my position as the new face of boxing, it starts by unifying the 140 pound division.”

Crawford, 28, is 28-0 with 20 knockouts. Postol, 32, is 28-0 with 12 knockouts.

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