Abel Sanchez: Canelo will have GGG in front of him, not Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

No one likes him: Gennady Golovkin slams 'boring' Canelo Alvarez after Chavez Jr win

HBO broadcaster Max Kellerman (center) speaks to Gennady Golovkin (left) and Canelo Alvarez after the Sept. 16 fight between Golovkin and Alvarez was announced following Alvarez’s victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. this past Saturday. Golovkin’s trainer, Abel Sanchez, stands between Kellerman and Golovkin/Photo by Getty Images

 

Trainer Abel Sanchez had just watched Canelo Alvarez of Mexico out-box and out-punch countryman Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Sanchez then sat on a makeshift dais inside the ring to discuss the Sept. 16 bout between his fighter – middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin – and Alvarez, which was announced immediately after Alvarez defeated Chavez by three scores of 120-108.

Sanchez was impressed with Alvarez’s work, but he reminded a reporter that Alvarez will be in with a different kind of beast when he challenges Golovkin at a site still to be determined.

“I think Canelo displayed great boxing skills,” Sanchez said. “But he’s not going to have Chavez in front of him (in September), it’s going to be Gennady Golovkin.”

Golovkin, 35, is 37-0 with 33 knockouts. He was on a string of 22 consecutive knockouts that was snapped in March when Daniel Jacobs went all 12 rounds with Golovkin in a hotly contested bout won by Golovkin by scores of 114-113, 115-112 and 115-112.

Alvarez, a former junior middleweight and middleweight champion, is 49-1-1 with 34 knockouts. At 26, he is nine years Golovkin’s junior.

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail

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.

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail

Anthony Joshua, Wladimir Klitschko spread their news in old New York

Anthony Joshua, left, and Wladimir Klitschko were in New York City on Tuesday to promote their April 29 heavyweight title fight in London/Photo by Ed Mulholland

 

Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua of England has an objective – to be the best ever.

“That’s my obsession,” he said Tuesday in New York City, where he and former champion Wladimir Klitschko hosted a news conference promoting their April 29 fight at Wembley Stadium in London, where a sellout crowd of 90,000 is expected.

“I’m a man who likes to perform and entertain and that’s always been there. I’ve always wanted to take on the best,” Joshua said.

Since Klitschko will be 41 by the time this fight happens – his birthday is March 25 – Klitschko may not be “the best” at this point. That’s not to mention he’s coming off a loss to Tyson Fury that took place in November 2015. That’s another thing. Klitschko will have some 17 months out of the ring by fight night.

“I believe this man has a lot of skills,” Klitschko said of Joshua. “Maybe yes, maybe not he will be the biggest star in boxing. I know there are plans to fight (Deontay) Wilder after me.

“It’s good to be young and ambitious, but I believe this fight has a lot of questions. Is it too early for him, too late for me?”

Joshua, 27, is 18-0 with 18 knockouts. Klitschko, of Ukraine, is 64-4 with 53 knockouts.

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail

‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, Gennady Golovkin once again paired on a card

Roman Gonzalez, left, of Nicaragua, lands a punch on Mexican champion Carlos Cuadras during a WBC super flyweight championship boxing match, Saturday, Sept. ...

Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, left, lands a punch to the face of Carlos Cuadras in their super flyweight world-title fight in September at the Fabulous Forum/AP photo by Richard Vogel

 

Roman “Chocolatitio” Gonzalez fighting underneath a Gennady Golovkin main event has become a regular thing of late. It has been the case in three of their past four respective championship bouts.

They’ll do it again when Gonzalez defends his super flyweight world title against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand on March 18 at Madison Square Garden, where that night middleweight champion Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) will take on Daniel Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs) in the main event (on HBO pay-per-view).

Gonzalez (46-0, 38 KOs), of Nicaragua, believes Rungvisai is capable of giving him some grief in the ring.

“Rungvisai is a very tough fight for me,” said Gonzalez, who has won titles in four weight classes. “I know that he has fought many other great fighters, including Carlos Cuadras. But with my training and the blessing of God, I plan to come out victorious.”

Gonzalez in September became the first from his country to win titles in four weight classes when he took a unanimous decision over then-super flyweight champion Cuadras at the Fabulous Forum. Cuadras in May 2014 took the title from Rungvisai via eight-round technical decision in Cuadras’ native Mexico.

That’s the same belt Gonzalez took from Cuadras, and Rungvisai (41-4-1, 38 KOs) wants it back.

“I respect Roman Gonzalez,” he said. “He is a legend. He has done great things for boxing, especially by showing the world how talented and exciting smaller-weight fighters can be. I am happy for Nicaragua to have such a great hero.

“However, super flyweight is my weight. And the … belt is my belt. I will do whatever it takes to win my belt back and I am confident I can do it.”

 

 

 

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail

Gennady Golovkin on the way to again selling out Madison Square Garden

Gennady Golovkin celebrates his fifth-round TKO of Kell Brook in September in London/Photo by Associated Press

 

Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin sold out Madison Square Garden when he stopped David Lemieux in the eighth round in October 2015 before 20,548.

Golovkin on March 18 will square off with Daniel Jacobs in a title fight at MSG (on HBO pay-per-view). Although exact numbers weren’t available, a spokesman associated with the promotion said Tuesday that ticket sales for it were ahead of those for Golovkin-Lemieux.

Golovkin’s ever-rising popularity is partly responsible. Another factor is that Jacobs is from Brooklyn.

Golovkin, of Kazakhstan, is 36-0 with 33 knockouts. He is on a string of 23 consecutive knockouts. Jacobs, at 32-1 with 29 knockouts, is a very hard puncher in his own right.

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail

Tyson Fury relinquishes remaining major belts he won from Wladimir Klitschko

Challenger Tyson Fury, right, and world champion Wladimir Klitschko, left, stand on the podium after the Official Weigh-In in Essen, Germany, prior their heavyweight boxing fight, Friday, Nov. 27, 2015. The title clash will take place in Duesseldorf's LTU arena on Saturday. (AP Photo/Martin Meissne

Tyson Fury, right, and Wladimir Klitschko pose after weighing in for their heavyweight title fight this past November in Germany/Associated Press photo by Martin Meissner

 

The much-maligned Tyson Fury on Wednesday gave up the two remaining major heavyweight championship belts he won from Wladimir Klitschko this past November in Germany.

Fury since has twice pulled out of scheduled rematches with Klitschko, and recently Fury admitted to doing cocaine. He is also reportedly suffering from depression.

His promotional company, Hennessy Sports, released a statement. It read, in part, that Fury was giving up his titles “to fully focus on his medical treatment and recovery.”

Fury said, “I feel that it is only fair and right and for the good of boxing to keep the titles active and allow the other contenders to fight for the vacant belts that I proudly won and held as the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world when I defeated the long-standing champion Wladimir Klitschko. I won the titles in the ring and I believe that they should be lost in the ring, but I’m unable to defend at this time and I have taken the hard and emotional decision to now officially vacate my treasured world titles and wish the next in-line contenders all the very best as I now enter another big challenge in my life which, I know, like against Klitschko, I will conquer.”

Fury, 25-0 with 18 knockouts, won three major titles from Klitschko. Fury, 28, had already been stripped of one of them for agreeing to fight Klitschko in a rematch rather than his mandatory challenger – Vyacheslav Glazkov.

 

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail

Tyson Fury for the second time pulls out of rematch with Wladimir Klitschko

Tyson Fury/Photo courtesy of Hennessy Sports

 

The heavyweight championship rematch between Tyson Fury of England and Wladimir Klitschko of the Ukraine on Friday was called off for the second time. The two were to tangle Oct. 29 in England, but a statement from Hennessy Sports, which promotes Fury, indicated it won’t happen.

The two first fought this past November in Germany, Fury winning a unanimous decision and Klitshcko’s three belts. They were slated to go at it again in July, but Fury claimed to have a sprained ankle.

Here is the today’s statement, verbatim, from Hennessy Sports: “It is with the deepest regret that we have to announce that the World Heavyweight Championship rematch between Tyson Fury and Wladimir Klitschko, scheduled to take place on the 29th October 2016 at the Manchester Arena, will not be going ahead.

“Tyson has, this week, been declared medically unfit to fight. Medical specialists have advised that the condition is too severe to allow him to participate in the rematch and that he will require treatment before going back into the ring. Tyson will now immediately undergo the treatment he needs to make a full recovery.

“We and Tyson wish to express our sincerest apologies to all those concerned with the event and all the boxing fans who had been looking forward to the rematch. Tyson is understandably devastated by the development.

“We will be making a further statement in due course. Until then, we ask that Tyson and his family be given the privacy and the space he needs to recover during this difficult time.

 The statement did not include what is wrong with Fury. A story on ESPN.com that cited sources suggested mental health issues might be at the forefront.
Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail

Tom Loeffler speaks in prideful tones about K2 Promotions’ big night

Gennady Golovkin

Gennady Golovkin/Photo courtesy of K2 Promotions

 

K2 Promotions will have the lead fighter in Saturday’s co-promotion with Matchroom Boxing, which will feature K2’s Gennady Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs) defending his middleweight championship against Matchroom’s Kell Brook (36-0, 25 KOs) at O2 Arena in London (on HBO). On the same night, K2 Promotions will be the lead promoter for the super flyweight title fight between champion Carlos Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KOs) of Mexico and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (45-0, 38 KOs) of Nicaragua at the Fabulous Forum.

It, too, will be televised by HBO. Tom Loeffler, general manager of K2 Promotions, speaks in prideful tones about K2’s big night.

“I think it’s the first time two fights of this magnitude have been put together by a promotional company on two different continents (on the same night)”, Loeffler
said.

It wasn’t easy getting it all done, he said.

“We had to get the Triple G (Golovkin) fight done first, and then I had been pushing HBO for Chocolatito’s own HBO date,” Loeffler said.

Gonzalez, who has won titles in three weight classes and is considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world by some, will be looking for a fourth when he moves
up in weight to challenge Cuadras.

Cuadras believes he can hand Gonzalez his first loss.

“He’s going to come right at me,” Cuadras said at Tuesday’s final news conference. “I’ve gotta counterpunch him, counterpunch him, counterpunch him. He’s going to come
with a lot of pressure and I just have to be ready for that. And I think I am.”

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail

Kell Brook’s seven-day weigh-in tells a big story his about fight with Golovkin

FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2014, file photo, Kell Brook, right, hits Shawn Porter during their IBF welterweight title boxing bout in Carson, Calif. Gennady Golo...

Kell Brook of England is shown here taking care of Shawn Porter in their welterweight title fight in August 2014 at StubHub Center/ Associated Press file photo by Chris Carlson

 

Kell Brook might be the biggest welterweight ever. At Friday’s mandated seven-day weigh-in for his fight next Saturday against middleweight champion Genady Golovkin from O2 Arena in London, Brook came in at 167.8 pounds, nearly five more pounds than Golovkin’s 162.9.

Brook, of England, holds a world title in the welterweight division, which is 147 pounds, and will be moving up two  weight classes to challenge Golovkin. The middleweight limit is 160.

The bout will be televised by HBO. Chances are, Brook will be the bigger man the night of the fight. By all accounts, he had been having to kill himself to make 147.

 

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail

Liam Smith believes he has a better chance against Canelo Alvarez than Kell Brook does against Gennady Golovkin

Liam Smith/Photo courtesy of Queensberry Promotions

 

Two British boxers are coming up on the biggest fights of their respective careers. Welterweight champion Kell Brook will move up in weight and challenge middleweight Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan on Sept. 10 in England (on HBO). A week later, on Sept. 17, Liam Smith will be defending his junior middleweight title against Canelo Alvarez of Mexico at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (on HBO pay-per-view).

Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) believes he’s the Brit with the best chance to emerge victorious.

“Yes, 100 percent,” Smith said Thursday during a conference call. “I like my chances because I’m 100 percent confident I’m going to win this fight, and Canelo’s the favorite to win the fight. And I’ll be rooting for Kell Brook, but I think it’s a step too far for him. But I don’t think it’s a step too far for myself.”

 

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail