Oscar De La Hoya’s comments about Canelo Alvarez a bit mystifying

Alvarez Khan Boxing

Canelo Alvarez, left, and Amir Khan face off during a news conference promoting their fight this past May in Las Vegas/Associated Press photo by John Locher

 

Oscar De La Hoya the promoter has a job to do – pump up the fighters in his stable the best he can. Still, some of his comments Monday regarding Canelo Alvarez were somewhat mystifying. Alvarez on Sept. 17 will challenge Liam Smith of England for his junior middleweight title at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (on HBO pay-per-view).

Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) could have instead fought middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in a title-unification bout that would have definitely drawn enormous worldwide interest. Rather, Alvarez vacated his middleweight title. Then Alvarez and De La Hoya announced they won’t consider fighting Golovkin until September 2017 at the earliest.

An HBO-produced blog sent out Monday posed two questions to De La Hoya: What does Canelo have to do for the Mexican fans to embrace him as one of their best? How does
he become one of the best in the rich history of Mexican boxing? De La Hoya responded in what seem to be hyperbolic tones.

“Mexican fighters have long been known for their toughness, their ability to walk through fire, their willingness to take three punches to land a solid shot,” De La Hoya said. “That is Canelo Alvarez.

“There is no doubt that Canelo is today already the biggest boxing star in Mexico and the United States. He is in the process of crossing over as a worldwide superstar, but he will never forget where he came from and the rich boxing tradition of Mexico.”

De La Hoya didn’t stop there.

“Canelo is built from the mold of all-time Mexican greats like Julio Caesar Chavez, Salvador Sanchez and Ruben Oliveras – strong fighters with knockout power that focus
on two things – being the best fighter in the world and putting on a show for the fans,” he said. “And that’s what Canelo will continue to do for the rest of his career.

“Incredibly, he has been embraced as Mexico’s biggest and best boxer for years, despite being only 26 years old, and that’s because the Mexican fans know a true
champion when they see one.”

Well, I just saw a message board that contained nearly 90 comments. The subject was, has a fighter from Mexico ever given up a world title to avoid fighting someone?

Frankly, I don’t know if that has happened before. But it was obvious from the amount of negative comments toward Alvarez, that he is not quite the darling of boxing fans worldwide De La Hoya suggets.

It’s difficult to overcome something that happens in the sequence this did. Alvarez after he knocked out Amir Khan in May declared himself ready and willing to fight Golovkin this fall at 160 pounds. To say he was adamant, would be putting it mildly.

Next thing we know, he’s giving up his belt and saying he won’t fight Golovkin for quite some time. I’m not sure if De La Hoya understands what that kind of flip-flop can do to a fighter’s reputation.

Alvarez is a good man. Clean-cut, the whole ball of wax. But until he fights Golovkin, he’s going to have this hanging over his head.

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Robert Guerrero believes Max DeLuca’s 116-112 score Saturday was ‘crazy’

Robert Guerrero

Robert Guerrero/Photo courtesy of Premier Boxing Champions

 

Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero didn’t like the decision that went against him
Saturday in his welterweight fight against David Peralta of Argentina at Honda
Center. A very close fight, Peralta won a split-decision by scores of 113-115,
115-113 and 116-112.

Guerrero didn’t speak to reporters immediately following the fight, instead
making his way to his dressing room. From there did come a comment that
spelled out what he thought about the scores – especially the 116-112 that
came from Max DeLuca.

“I thought I clearly won the fight,” Guerrero said. “For the judge to say I lost 8
rounds sounds crazy to me. Peralta was very awkward, but I felt I won. I won
the rounds when I boxed. This is very disappointing, but I’ll be back, that you
can count on.”

This newspaper – along with a couple of other publications – scored the bout a
114-114 draw. DeLuca’s score did seem out of line.

Guerrero, 33, is 33-5-1. Peralta, who will be 34 on Wednesday, is 26-2-1.

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Robert Guerrero, David Peralta make weight for their fight Saturday

Robert Guerrero

Robert Guerrero/Photo courtesy of Premier Boxing Champions

 

Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and David Peralta on Friday made weight for their welterweight main event Saturday at Honda Center (on Spike).

Guerrero, of Gilroy, weighed 146.8 pounds. Peralta, of Argentina, came in at the 147-pound limit.

Guerrero, 33, is 33-4-1 with 18 knockouts. Peralta, also 33, is 25-2-1 with 14 knockouts.

 

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Gennady Golovkin tired of hearing about guys who say they want to fight him

Gennady Golovkin

Gennady Golovkin/Photo courtesy of K2 Promotions

 

Gennady Golovkin is a respectful kind of guy. But the middleweight champion can be pushed too far, and this week he sounded off about those who say they want to fight him, but don’t.

Golovkin is preparing to defend his belts against Kell Brook on Sept. 10 in Brook’s native England (on HBO). Golovkin was playing host to reporters at the Big Bear camp owned by his trainer, Abel Sanchez, and answered a variety of questions.

He said that he does want to unify his division, but “I don’t know if WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders will fight me.”

How about a move from middleweight to super middleweight for a high-profile fight?
“Move up to 168, for what? Who is going to fight me there?” he said. “Which champion at that weight will agree to fight me for a big fight?”

Good question.

He’s fed up, it seems, and it all came out.

“Just too much talking about fighting me – Canelo, Eubank, Saunders, (Carl) Froch – they are acting like clowns with no respect for the sport,” Golovkin said. “I’m here now, sign the contract and fight me. Any of them, doesn’t matter which one.”

Canelo Alvarez recently gave up his middleweight belt rather than face Golovkin this year. Highly ranked middleweight contender Chris Eubank Jr. seemed all set to sign to fight Golovkin, then backed out.

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Canelo Alvarez, Oscar De La Hoya still defending their move to make Gennady Golovkin wait until September 2017

Canelo Alvarez sits on the dais at a news conference promoting his fight this past May against Amir Khan, won by Alvarez via 6th-round knockout/Associated Press photo by John Locher

 

Canelo Alvarez and his promoter – Oscar De La Hoya – on Wednesday played host to a conference call promoting Alvarez’s fight against junior middleweight champion Liam Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) of England on Sept. 17 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (on HBO pay-per-view). But Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) and De La Hoya found themselves still defending the decision to have Alvarez gave up his middleweight title rather than meet middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin this fall. Alvarez and De La Hoya also previously said they now won’t consider Golovkin until September 2017.

Alvarez shrugged off the negativity.

“Yeah, you know, there’s always going to be critics,” he said. “They’re always there, and it’s something that’s part of it. It’s part of the business. Obviously, there’s good critics sometimes and there’s bad critics.

“But the most important thing is it doesn’t faze me. That’s fine, I’m used to it now, and I’ve got to do what’s best for my career.”

De La Hoya said it was all about Alvarez not being ready to fight at the full middleweight limit of 160 pounds. When he fought in the middleweight division, it was at a catch-weight of 155, just one pound over junior middleweight.

“I mean, Canelo knows his body,” De La Hoya said. “His trainers know his body, and the bottom line is Canelo is a 154-pound fighter. The fact that he fought at 155, people expect him to go up and fight at middleweight, and that’s not the case. He’s a 154-pounder, and he’s going to go up to 160 when his body feels ready.”

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David Peralta confident he has more than ghost of a chance against Guerrero

David Peralta/Photo courtesy of BoxRec.com

 

David Peralta has 28 professional bouts, every one of them contested in his native Argentina. Not only has Peralta never fought in the U.S., he has never even boxed for a major title.

All this would seem to make him a huge underdog for his fight Saturday against former world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (33-4-1, 18 KOs). They will square off in the welterweight main event at Honda Center in Anaheim (on Spike).

At a workout Wednesday in Costa Mesa, Peralta (25-2-1, 14 KOs) spoke in confident tones about his big chance.

“I’m physically and mentally prepared for this fight,” said Peralta,  who, like Guerrero, is 33. “Robert Guerrero is a great fighter and a great champion. I’ve seen everything he’s done and I think this is my time.
“The United States is a beautiful place and I’ve enjoyed being here very much. I’m going to give a very hard fight on Saturday night. I’m going to leave it all in the ring and come out with a victory.”
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Errol Spence Jr.-Leonard Bundu draw big ratings on final day of Rio Games

Errol Spence Jr., left, lands a punch on Leonard Bundu during their fight Sunday from Coney Island, N.Y./DiBella Entertainment photo by Ed Diller

 

Fighting on NBC on the final day of the Rio Games on Sunday afternoon, welterweight contender Errol Spence Jr. and Leonard Bundu toiled at a peak audience of 6.4 million viewers, according to Premier Boxing Champions, which cited Nielsen.

Spence and Bundu squared off following Team USA’s gold-medal performance in men’s basketball; NBC televised the Rio Games. Spence and Bundu averaged 4.8 million viewers during the broadcast. Their bout – won by Spence via sixth-round knockout from Coney Island, N.Y. – was the highest-rated PBC fight to date, according to a PBC news release.

“I knew this would be the most important fight of my career and the goal was to not just win, but to put on a spectacular one-sided performance,” Spence Jr. said. “It felt good to go out there and give everyone watching a great show and to do it in front of such a large television audience makes it even better.”

Spence, of Desoto, Texas, is 21-0 with 18 knockouts.

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Golden Boy Promotions, heavyweight Luis Ortiz ‘amicably’ part ways

Heavyweight Luis Ortiz, left, takes on Tony Thompson Saturday in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Omar Vega/Invision/AP Images)

Luis Ortiz, left, parted ways with Golden Boy Promotions on Tuesday/Photo by Omar Vega/Invision/AP Images

Interim heavyweight champion Luis Ortiz of Cuba is no longer being promoted by Golden Boy Promotions as of Tuesday, according to a statement released by Golden Boy spokesman Stefan Friedman.

“Today, Golden Boy Promotions and Luis Ortiz amicably parted ways,” the statement read. “We are proud of the work that Golden Boy and Luis accomplished together, culminating in his WBA heavyweight interim championship victory and subsequent title (defense). We wish Luis and his team all the best in the future.”
According to an Aug. 15 story on BoxingScene.com, Ortiz and Golden Boy were working on a buyout that would release Ortiz from his Golden Boy contract.
Ortiz (25-0, 22 KOs) has not fought since knocking out Tony Thompson in the sixth round March 5 in Washington D.C. The talented Ortiz, a 6-foot-4 southpaw, is 37.

 

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Santa Ana’s Alexis Rocha makes it an early night in fourth pro fight

Santa Ana’s Alexis Rocha was scheduled for his first six-round fight Friday night in the latest Golden Boy Promotions’ LA Fight Club card at Belasco Theater.

Rocha, the younger brother of WBC silver featherweight champion Ronny Rios, didn’t need that long to take care of business.

In the opening fight of the televised card, Rocha took out veteran Israel Villela in the first

Santa Ana's Alexis Rocha improves to 4-0; Photo by Lina Baker/See You Ringside Photography

Santa Ana’s Alexis Rocha improves to 4-0; Photo by Lina Baker/See You Ringside Photography

round to improve to 4-0.

“I thought he was going to rush me in the first round so I made sure to stay focused and aggressive,” Rocha said. “Once I had him down I knew I had to apply smart pressure to win this fight.”

Rocha, 19, sent Villela to the canvas with a left hook. Once Villela got up, Rocha went on the offensive, forcing referee Raul Caiz Jr. to stop the fight at 1:18 of the opening round.

“He was relaxed, wasn’t moving his head, so I wanted to pop my jab and he was there for it every time,” Rocha said,. “What’s more important and what’s going to help me a lot is and benefit me is keeping me active. Golden Boy (Promotions) has done that 100 percent. They’ve kept their word about keeping me active.”

Rocha said he would like to be back in the ring as soon as possible.

East L.A.’s Ivan Delgado finally ended a fight before the final bell, in the co-main event against Alejandro Ochoa.

Delgado (10-0-1) landed three successive left hands that sent Ochoa sprawling the canvas and as soon as he fell, referee Dr. Lou Moret didn’t bother with the count, stopping the fight at 1:42 of the seventh round of a scheduled eight.

Nine of Delgado’s first 10 fights had went the distance

In other action, Oscar Duarte, who is trained by Joel Diaz, took care of Omar Garcia within the first minute of their fight, for a first-round knockout victory. The time of the stoppage came at 58 seconds of the opening round.

Santa Monica’s David Mijares improved to 3-0 with a second-round stoppage of Jorrell Sparenberg.

The next LA Fight Club show is set for Sept. 2.

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Caleb Plant looking to put his ‘Sweet Hands’ on Juan De Angel on Tuesday

Caleb Plant

Caleb Plant/Photo courtesy of Premier Boxing Champions

 

Middleweight prospect Caleb Plant has big dreams, but he has a ways to go before he can realize them. He’ll try to take a step in the direction of his goal when he tangles with hard-hitting Juan De Angel (18-4-1, 17 KOs) of Colombia in the 10-round main event Tuesday from Sands Bethlehem Events Center in Bethlehem, Pa. (on Fox Sports 1).

Plant, 24, speaks like he expects to have his hands full.
“Like all fights at this level, it’s going to be a tough fight,” he said. “I’m expecting to see a hungry fighter who has nothing to lose. I, myself, have everything to lose, so I’m going to make sure I’m at my best when we step in the ring. De Angel has held some regional belts, so I know he has some tricks up his sleeve. One thing I will do is dictate the pace.”
Plant, whose moniker is “Sweet Hands,” is 13-0 with 10 knockouts. He has fought most of his bouts at just above the middleweight limit of 160 pounds, but it sounds like he wants to eventually challenge for a middleweight title.
“The middleweight division has plenty of talent,” said Plant, of Ashland City, Tenn. “Gennady Golovkin has a stranglehold on the division at the moment, but I’m gunning for him and anyone else that’s in my way. First I have to get past this fight and then continue my march toward that world title.”

 

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