‘Tino’ Avila confident he can hang with South El Monte’s Joseph Diaz Jr.

Manuel Avila_02.jpeg

Manuel ‘Tino’ Avila is seen here during a recent workout in preparation for Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz Jr./Photo by Julio C. Sanchez/Team Tino

 

Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. of South El Monte is ranked No. 2 in the world at featherweight by one major governing body. He is therefore on the cusp o f a world-title shot. In order to get it soon, he’s going to have to defeat Manuel “Tino” Avila on Saturday on the undercard of the Canelo Alvarez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. super middleweight main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (on HBO pay-per-view).

Diaz is 23-0 with 13 knockouts. Avila, of Fairfield, is 22-0 with eight knockouts. Avila is ranked No. 10, which means Diaz could be facing his toughest opponent to date. Avila sure believes that.

“My team and I have been working extremely hard,” a confident Avila said during a recent workout. “I’ve got all the right people in my corner helping me get to the top.

“I’m sparring with some really good fighters, I’ve taken my conditioning to new levels. I’m amped for this fight.”

Avila had a message for Diaz.

“JoJo Diaz, you better be ready for me on May 6,” Avila said.

Diaz is 24, Avila is 25.

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Report: Gennady Golovkin won’t fight Saunders, will wait for Canelo Alvarez

Undefeated, Unified World Middleweight Champion Gennady, “GGG” Golovkin works outs for the media on April 20, 2016 at the Wild Card West gym in Santa Monica. GGG will defend his titles (WBA, IBF, IBO and WBC against Undefeated Mandatory Challenger Dominic Wade on Saturday, April 23 at the Fabulous Forum.  (Photo by Gene Blevins/Southern California News Group)

Gennady Golovkin/Photo by Gene Blevins

 

Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin will not fight in June after all and will instead wait to see if he can get Canelo Alvarez in the ring in September, according to a report out of London by ESPN.com.

According to the report, Golovkin had been considering a fight with fellow champion Billy Joe Saunders for June 10 in Golovkin’s native Kazakhstan. But the combination of Golovkin getting banged up in his recent title defense against Daniel Jacobs and Saunders’ promoter Frank Warren wanting to move the fight up a week, Golovkin and his team – which includes K2 Promotions – has decided to pass up that fight and wait for Alvarez.

There is no guarantee Alvarez and his promoter – Oscar De La Hoya – will make the fight with Golovkin. Alvarez and De La Hoya both say they want to make it, but De La Hoya told reporters at a recent news conference that if Alvarez’s fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on May 6 at T-Mobile Arena ends up being terrific, he’d consider doing a rematch of that bout.

That would mean that if Alvarez were to win next month, and in a possible rematch with Chavez, Alvarez would not be getting into the ring with Golovkin until 2018.

The report suggested Golovkin would be interested in fighting  Chavez should he beat Alvarez.

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Canelo Alvarez will want to rip off Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s head more than others when they tangle in May

Floyd Mayweather Jr. throws a jab at Canelo

Canelo Alvarez, right, reacts to a punch thrown by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in their September 2013 junior middleweight title fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas won by Mayweather/Associated Press photo

 

Sometimes a rather harsh question can result in a terrific response. Such was the case recently when Canelo Alvarez was asked during a conference call if, after 50 previous opponents, this is the first time he’d like to rip off his opponent’s head.

The question was, of course, in reference to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50-2-1, 32 KOs), who will take on Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) on May 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (on HBO pay-per-view). It’s crystal clear that there is no love lost between these fellow Mexicans.

“No, he’s one more of the 50 of all my opponents that I’ve faced,” Alvarez said. “I’ve wanted to rip their head off; I wanted to beat them; I wanted to them knock them out. This is a little extra. There’s a little bit more motivation, of course, because of the rivalry.”

The two will tangle at a catch-weight of 164 1/2 pounds

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Tickets are on sale for Canelo Alvarez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Las Vegas

Canelo Alvarez lands a right uppercut to the side of Liam Smith’s head during their junior middleweight title fight won by Alvarez via ninth-round knockout this past September in Arlington, Texas/Associated Press

 

Tickets for the May 6 super middleweight fight between Canelo Alvarez of Mexico and countryman Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas are now on sale.

Prices for the Golden Boy Promotions card are $75, $125, $200, $300, $400, $600, $800, $1,000, $1,250 and $1,500. They can be purchased by calling 888-929-7849 or by going online to www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) and Chavez (50-2-1, 32 KOs) will be fighting at a catch-weight of 164 1/2 pounds, 3 1/2 pounds under the super middleweight limit.

The bout will be available on HBO pay-per-view.

 

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Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is stopped by Andrzej Fonfara after nine rounds

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., left, and Andrzej Fonfara pose after they weighed in Friday for their fight Saturday at StubHub Center in Carson/Photo by Gene Blevins, Los Angeles Daily News

 

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. could not answer the bell for the 10th round Saturday night at StubHub Center, Andrzej Fonfara of Poland stopping Chavez via ninth-round technical knockout.

Chavez told trainer Joe Goossen after the ninth round to stop the fight, that there was something wrong with his leg. But Chavez never mentioned a leg injury during a post-fight interview inside the ring. Chavez was beaten to the punch by Fonfara all the way through, getting decked by Fonfara in the ninth round ahead of the fight being stopped between rounds.

It was the first fight at light heavyweight for Chavez (48-2-1) , the former middleweight champion from Mexico. Fonfara (27-3)  was ahead by seven, seven and nine points at the time. It was Chavez’s first fight in 13 months.

In other action: Lucas Matthysse (37-3) of Argentina won a 12-round majority decision over Ruslan Provodnikov (24-4) at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, N.Y. One judge had it even 114-114 while the other two had Matthysse ahead 115-113 and 115-113.

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Middleweight champ Gennady Golovkin and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will appear in separate SoCal fights in April and May

AP Photo

Gennady Golovkin/Photo by Lionel Cironneau, Associated Press

 

Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will appear in separate fights in the Southern California area in May and April, respectively.

Chavez (48-1-1, 32 KOs), of Mexico, will take on Andrzej Fonfara (26-3, 15 KOs) of Poland in the light heavyweight main event April 18 at StubHub Center in Carson (on Showtime).

Then, four weeks later, Golovkin on May 16 will defend his middleweight championship when he tangles with Willie Monroe Jr. at the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood (on HBO). Golovkin, of Los Angeles via Kazakhstan, is 32-0 with 29 knockouts. Monroe, of Rochester, N.Y., is 19-1 with six knockouts.

Directly underneath Golovkin-Monroe, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (42-0, 36 KOs of Nicaragua will defend his flyweight world title when he squares off against Edgar Sosa (51-8, 30 KOs) of Mexico. Gonzalez has also held world titles in the strawweight and light flyweight divisions.

 

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Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. leaves no doubt this time in victory over Bryan Vera

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. of Mexico on Saturday night won a unanimous decision over Bryan Vera in the super middleweight main event at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Former middleweight champion Chavez won the 12-round bout televised by HBO by scores of 117-110 (Ruben Carrion), 117-110 (Max DeLuca) and 114-113 (David Sutherland). The fight came about six months after their first fight, where an out-of-shape Chavez was scored a unanimous-decision winner of a 10-round fight at StubCenter Center that most fans and reporters thought should have gone to Vera.

Chavez, who turned 28 on Feb. 16, is now 48-1-1 with 32 knockouts. Vera, 32, of Austin, Texas, is 23-8 with 14 knockouts.

Orlando Salido of Mexico won a 12-round split-decision over Vasyl Lomachenko in the semi-main event. Salido (41-12-2, 28 KOs) was scored the winner by judges Jack Reiss (116-112) and Oren Shellenberger (115-113). The other judge – Levin Martinez – gave it to Lomachenko by a 115-113 count.

Salido lost his featherweight title on the scales when he did not make weight Friday. He was not eligible to win it back Saturday. Only Lomachenko (1-1), of Ukraine, could have left with the belt. As it stands, that title will be vacant.

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Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. promises to be different fighter in March 1 rematch with Bryan Vera

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has the reputation of being a talented fighter not willing to train hard enough to be all he can be in the ring. His most recent fight was a classic example.

That was Sept. 28 at StubHub Center in Carson against Bryan Vera. Chavez told his promoter – Bob Arum – the week of the fight that he would not be able to make the 168-pound super middleweight limit contracted for the fight. Since Arum is Arum and Chavez is the son of the legend, they proposed to Vera and his team that the fight take place at 173 pounds.

Vera (23-7, 14 KOs), of Austin, Texas, was not about to say no. Arum and Chavez had to know that, because then the little-known Vera would not get the chance to upset Chavez, who is world-renowned whether he deserves to be or not.

Vera gave Chavez (47-1-1, 32 KOs) all he could handle over 10 rounds, with the majority of fans in the stands believing he won the fight, based on their reaction when it was announced Chavez was the winner by two, four and eight points. Those last two scores – by judges Marty Denkin and Gwen Adair – were out of line, and an uproar ensued.

Fast forward to present day. Chavez, the 28-year-old former middleweight world champion from Mexico, is preparing to take on Vera in a March 1 rematch at the Alamodome in San Antonio (on HBO). This week, he vowed things will be different.

“I owe the fans a great performance and that is what they will get on March 1 at the Alamodome,” he said Wednesday from his training camp in Mexico. “I have had a lot of success in San Antonio and I look forward to going there and putting on a good show for them.”

There will be no weight issues this time, Chavez said, and he believes that will help him show what he can really do.

“I will make the 168-pound limit with no problem and I will be able to do the things I could not do in the first fight,” Chavez said. “I will have better movement, I will be more consistent and I will fight 12 hard rounds if that is what it takes to win this second fight.”

 

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Promoter Bob Arum not sure what to think when it comes to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s weight

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. of Mexico on March 1 will fight a rematch with Bryan Vera at the Alamodome in San Antonio (on HBO). The fight is slated to take place at the 168-pound super middleweight limit.

Therein lies the intrigue. For their first fight, Chavez informed his promoter – Bob Arum – the week of that Sept. 28 bout at StubHub Center that he would not be able to make 168 pounds. The new weight was contracted for 173 pounds, two under the light heavyweight limit.

We asked Arum on Wednesday if he has heard any news out of Chavez’s camp regarding his weight and how he’s doing with it. Arum came with an interesting response.

“It’s like dealing with North Korea,” Arum said. “You don’t know what to believe.”

Chavez (47-1-1, 32 KOs) won an unpopular unanimous decision over Vera (23-7, 14 KOs) the first time. Vera is from Austin, Texas.

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It’s good to see that Bryan Vera is getting another shot at Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Monday’s news that a rematch between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Bryan Vera is a done deal for March 1 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas (on HBO) was good.

The two tangled Sept. 28 at StubHub Center in Carson with Chavez coming away with an unpopular unanimous decision. Vera fought the fight of his life, and Chavez was taken to task in a big way. Vera was the busier of the two, Chavez landed the harder blows.

What really steamed many was two scorecards that seemed well out of line. Carla Caiz had Chavez winning 96-94. But Marty Denkin and Gwen Adair had Chavez winning by scores of 97-93 and 98-92, respectively.

This was on the heels of Chavez being so unprofessional as to tell his camp the week of the fight that he could not make the 168-pound limit. Just like magic, Chavez and his team – including co-promoters- Bob Arum and Fernando Beltran – came up a new weight of 173. (Only in boxing, right?). Vera did make extra cash for agreeing to the change. But whatever joy he might have gotten from that quickly turned to misery when the scorecards were read following his gallant effort.

Glad this rematch is happening because Vera deserves it. By the way, the contracted weight for this fight is again 168, the super middleweight limit. Let’s see if Chavez, the former middleweight champion from Mexico, can train hard enough so we don’t have to see boxing embarrassed again when he comes up with another new weight.

Vera, 32, is from Austin, Texas. He is 27-3 with 14 knockouts. Chavez, 27, is 47-1-1 with 32 knockouts.

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