By Norm Frauenheim –

Mike Tyson has been making a fool out of himself and just about everybody around him for decades. Maybe, he’ll do it again, making a fool out of Jake Paul and the rest of us who believe he shouldn’t be in a traditional boxing ring against anybody anywhere.

Any more.

But, of course, he will be Friday night on the Cowboys home field in Texas in front of an expected crowd of 80,000 and who-knows-how-many from Netflix’s subscriber population of 287.2 million, millions more than the nearly 150 million who voted in the recent presidential election. 

Don’t call it a fight, although the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation elected to do so, but only after adding four ounces to the usual 10-ounce gloves while reducing the number of scheduled rounds from 10 to eight and subtracting a minute from each round, from three to two.

Texas, like Netflix, knows a money-maker when it sees one. In this transactional era, traditional rules and regs are just some of the numbers that can be adjusted if the projected financials are big enough. They are. 

Reportedly, Paul will walk away with $40-million, a purse that might make the accomplished Canelo Alvarez — the only traditional boxer left among the wealthy athletes near the top of Forbes’ annual rating — wonder if he’s in the wrong game.

But Tyson-Paul isn’t about boxing, although boxing surely wishes it was. Does anybody in the Tyson-Paul audience plan to watch the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury heavyweight rematch next month? Guess here: Very few. Truth is, very few probably even know it’s happening.

Usyk-Fury is a real fight. It’s intriguing, but only for a shrinking demographic that still enjoys a craft historically defined as The Sweet Science. Nothing about the 58-year-old Tyson versus a 27-year-old Paul figures to be sweet or scientific.

It’s spectacle, a Tyson speciality. It also happens to be the only thing about Tyson that hasn’t eroded over the decades. He’s feared for his punching power, and perhaps some of that is still there. It’s the last thing to go. 

But the real power, the most durable element in Tyson’s skillset — is his ongoing ability to create the kind of anticipation that precedes a spectacle and sometimes an accident. A crowd will gather for both. 

Tyson’s career as an active fighter is remembered more for what happened in defeat than victory. The infamous Bite Fight — Evander Holyfield lost part of his ear and won the fight in a DQ — defines him. It shut down the MGM Grand and the city of Las Vegas on a hot night in June 1997. 

Cabbies still driving Vegas streets tell stories about it to this day. Meanwhile, Holyfield, one of history’s great heavyweight champions, occupied an almost forgotten role in one of boxing’s most unforgettable moments, infamous because of Tyson and the genuine unpredictability he brings to any event.

Then.

And now.

Twenty-seven years later, that unpredictability is still centered around Tyson. He’ll be 60 in a couple of years. Texas regulators and Netflix can alter the length of rounds and the amount of padding in the gloves. It can tamper with a lot of the numbers. But not that one. 

Father Time doesn’t negotiate. 

On the scale Thursday, Tyson, reported to be at 233 pounds, looked good, especially for a man moving from middle age into old age. Some of the photos posted on social media included one word: SCARY.

Yeah, scary for him.

I’ve been asked to pick the fight. The sure winner, of course, is Netflix. But there’s another pick, really more of a hope. Here’s hoping Tyson emerges unhurt. Guess is, he will. For all of his trash-talk, Paul, reported to be at 220 pounds, is smart enough to know that his fellow Millennials in the crowd and audience are cheering for Tyson. 

They remember him like kids remember their favorite comic-book SuperHeros. They never get old. But Tyson has. 

Father Time beats us all, perhaps because of an unforeseen injury or just because of exhaustion, or an erosion in reflexes, or some problematic pre-condition. Remember, this fight was postponed in May because of an ulcer, which Tyson said was bleeding. Tyson told New York Magazine that he was spitting up blood. He was quoted as saying: “I said to the doctor: ‘Am I going to die?’ ‘’

Scary.

A hint at what might happen, perhaps, comes from his greatest rival, Holyfield. 

Twenty-four years after The Bite Fight, a 58-year-old Holyfield lost to a mix-martial-arts fighter, Vitor Belfort, who agreed to do an exhibition just eight days before the show in 2021. 

Within two minutes of opening bell, Holyfield went down, falling to the canvas in a chaotic crash of uncoordinated legs and limbs. Holyfield got up, but without any of the instinctive reflexes he possessed a couple of decades earlier. They were gone, washed away by the years. He was finished at 1:49 of the first round. It was sad, yet inevitable.

Then. 

And probably now.

By Norm Frauenheim

He’s a little guy about to embark on a second chapter, also a significant one with the potential to be the biggest in the history of fighters at the bottom — the forgotten — end of boxing’s scale.

Jesse Rodriguez’ emergence over the last year is impossible to ignore. His popularity, perhaps, is best defined by his nickname. Bam, it’s simple, descriptive and easy to remember in just about any language. Bam, it could be in a super-hero cartoon or a TV ad for some new household product. But these days it sums up a fighter whose dynamic skillset can put some rare bam into a sport in desperate need of some.

Increasingly, today’s boxing is about fights that don’t happen. Anyone interested in more exasperating speculation about Canelo Alvarez-versus-David Benavidez or Canelo-versus-Terence Crawford? Didn’t think so. Anybody interested in more dreary news about the IBF, Irrelevant Boxing Federation, stripping another fighter of another title? Didn’t think so.

There have been lots of headlines this week, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Muhammad Ali’s iconic stoppage of George Foreman in then Zaire. The stories are terrific. But, mostly, they fill a void. Nostalgia is about all boxing has these days. 

Baseball celebrated its rich history this week  with another compelling World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees while boxing remembers its colorful past while wondering whether there’s much of a future.

Increasingly, I fear, boxing’s biggest moments will be the circus-like exhibition that we’re about to witness in the 57-year-old Mike Tyson against the 27-year-old Jake Paul. A big crowd figures to gather November 15 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Tex. A big Netflix audience is likely. 

But they’ll be watching for the same reason people stop to watch a car wreck. In Tyson-Paul, there’s a chance an accident is about to happen.

It’s a dreary landscape, mostly devoid of promise. But there is Rodriguez, unbeaten (20-0, 13 KOs) and a reason for optimism. He just renewed his deal with Matchroom, the opening step in the 115-pound fighter’s move up the pound-for-pound scale. 

Next up: A date against a so-called mandatory challenger, Mexican Pedro Guevara (42-4-1, 22 KOs) on Nov. 9 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on a card featuring welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis against Karen Chukhadzhian.

Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn added Bam to the card after hearing complaints about Chukhadzhian in a rematch. Ennis scored a one-sided decision — 120-108 on all three scorecards —over the Ukrainian in January 2023.

Hearn countered the complaints with his newly-minted star, Rodriguez, a small fighter who figures to be a big draw for Philly’s Puerto Rican audience. In part, the Philadelphia fight is a chance for Rodriguez to further affirm the stardom he established in entertaining fights in Phoenix, the best market for little guys in the United States since Hall of Fame junior-flyweight Michael Carbajal’s memorable run in the 1990s.

The milestone moment was Rodriguez’ masterful seventh-round stoppage of Juan Francisco Estrada last June in front of a roaring crowd of about 10,000 at Footprint Center, the Suns home arena in downtown Phoenix. It was a Super Fly fight that included power — three knockdowns — two by Bam and one by Estrada. Mostly, however, it was an almost artful exhibition of boxing skill from both. 

If boxing passed out an award for Most Skillful Fight Of the Year, Rodriguez-Estrada would be this corner’s choice with light-heavyweight Artur Beterbiev’s majority decision over Dmitry Bivol on Oct. 14 in Saudi Arabia a close second. Rodriguez-Estrada was fought at the craft’s highest level.

Initially, the proud Estrada talked about a rematch. After thinking about it, however, he decided no and announced he would move up in weight. In effect, it was an affirmation of just how good Rodriguez is. 

And will be. 

The best guess is that Rodriguez will beat Guevara, a 35-year-old former champion who is perhaps best known for beating former featherweight and junior-lightweight champion Oscar Valdez Jr. as an amateur.

Then, there’s a move to unify the 115-pound title. For now, it’s not clear where that takes him. There had been talk about a fight with the winner of a projected rematch between Kazuko Ioka and Fernando Martinez, an Argentine who scored a decision over Ioka in Japan in July. 

There have confusing reports this week about whether the Irrelevant Boxing Federation had stripped Martinez of its 115-pound title. At last report, the acronym said Martinez had relinquished the belt because he wanted to proceed with the Ioka rematch instead of a so-called mandatory. I don’t know. I don’t care.

The only significant scenario here is a path for Rodriguez to secure a shot at another belt — against Ioka or Martinez or whoever — in an effort to unify one title in perhaps another step toward Naoya Inoue, maybe the most popular Japanese athlete not named Shohei Ohtani. 

For now, Rodriguez-versus-Inoue is a dream fight. Inoue, a former junior-flyweight champion, is currently fighting at junior-featherweight, 122 pounds. There’s been talk about him at featherweight, 126. Weight might be a hurdle, although  the 24-year-old Rodriguez is expected to mature. His body type suggests he can carry more weight. 

There’s also Junto Nakatani. Nakatani, unbeaten with dangerous power, is fighting at bantamweight. He looms as the most immediate threat to Inoue’s Japanese reign.

Still, Rodriguez-versus-Inoue — a cross-cultural, world-wide clash between a Mexican-American and a Japanese star — is still the Dream.

Boxing needs one. 

By Norm Frauenheim

An old line is as current as ever this week because of the acronyms, which continue to prove that the only thing killing boxing is boxing itself.

The IBF is redefining itself. Call it the Irrelevant Boxing Federation. The latest move dropped Thursday with news that defies common sense. Business sense, too. Then again, the IBF is in the business of collecting sanctioning fees.  But there won’t be too many more of those if the IBF continues to make baffling moves that can only shove the acronym into further obscurity.

The latest: A threat to strip Artur Beterbiev of the IBF piece of the light-heavyweight title within a week after he retained it, two other belts and added a fourth in a controversial scorecard decision over Dmitry Bivol in Riyadh. 

You didn’t have to watch the fight to know that a rematch had to be next. I didn’t watch because of another acronym, DAZN, which advertised that the undercard’s live stream would be free in the US and Canada, yet then charged $19.99. Frustrated, I just decided to say no. It was just the latest example of how boxing conducts itself. Only in boxing can a circular firing squad become a business agenda.

According to many accounts in the post-fight scuffle on social media, Bivol got robbed. Maybe. Maybe not. However, at least one of the scorecards in the majority decision says that Bivol did enough to get a rematch. One judge scored it a draw, 114-114. The other two cards favored Beterbiev, 115-113 and 116-112, a score that managed to generate a lot of the outrage. 

Whatever you think, the fight and subsequent debate left a question. The only way to get an answer is with a rematch. For a few days, at least, that seemed to be what everyone wanted.

Beterbiev, who says little, said enough to indicate he’s willing.

With Bivol and his corner, there was never much doubt. Many in the Bivol corner were shouting robbery. An attorney for Bivol petitioned the acronyms Wednesday, asking for a rematch. 

For once, there seemed to be some consensus. But — surprise, surprise — it didn’t last. The familiar chaos was back with news from the IBF that it would order Beterbiev to fight somebody named Michael Eifert. It could have ordered him to fight the Eiffel Tower for all that it mattered. Does anybody know who Michael Eifert is? Didn’t think so.

Then again, does anybody know William Scull? He’s a good name for Halloween, but as a champion, or challenger he is as unknown as Eifert (13-1, 5 KOs), an IBF challenger living in Germany who is best known for scoring a decision over a faded Jean Pascal in March 2023. 

By coincidence, perhaps, Scull (22-0, 9 KOs), a Cuban also living in Germany, fights for the first time Saturday since the IBF elevated him to the top of super-middleweight ratings after stripping Canelo Álvarez of its 168-pound belt. 

Scull fights for Canelo’s former piece of the undisputed title against an unbeaten Russian named Vladimir Shishkin, (16-0, 10 KOs) in Falkensee, a town west of Berlin. Will anybody see it? Put it this way: There won’t be any speculative stories about the pay-per-view count. No television or streaming is planned.

In effect, the IBF stripped Canelo of the belt and itself of his drawing power. The numbers are smaller, but the IBF could be taking a similar step in a baffling move, a so-called order that Beterbiev fight an unknown or risk losing his 175-pound belt. 

Common sense dictates that the IBF — or any other acronym arrogant enough to issue orders, designate mandatories and call itself a ruling body  — threatens to strip Beterbiev of only if he declines to do an immediate rematch.

Anything else is a down payment on irrelevancy.

NOTES

Speaking of rematches, a couple of them were formally announced this week. Top Rank will stage Emanuel Navarrete-versus-Oscar Valdez Dec. 7 in Phoenix in a rematch of Navarrete’s punishing decision over Valdez in a dramatic junior-lightweight title bout August, 2023 at Glendale’s Desert Diamond Arena. 

The card, aptly called Scores 2 Settle, will also include Rafael Espinoza versus Robeisy Ramirez in a featherweight rematch of Espinoza’s majority-decision victory in December.

The ESPN card has been in the news for months. The only difference will be the site. Initially, it was believed that Navarrete-Valdez would go back to Glendale. But it was announced this week that they’ll do the sequel at Footprint Center, the NBA Suns home in downtown Phoenix. 

By Norm Frauenheim

Power and perfection define Artur Beterbiev. Truth is, that’s about all we really know about him. The two elements are linked like numbers in an astonishingly simple equation, a record that says a lot about him and perhaps says everything he wants to say about himself.

Twenty fights, twenty victories, twenty knockouts. 

Challenge that one at your own peril. Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) will, of course, Saturday (main event, DAZN/ESPN+, 6 pm ET) in Saudi Arabia in a light-heavyweight fight as significant as any in the division since the first Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev bout eight years ago.

Yet, Ward-Kovalev 1, marketed as Pound For Pound, was different on so many other levels. Mostly, there was personal enmity, even before Ward won a hotly-debated decision — 114-113 on all three cards — over Kovalev in November 2016. 

It was as controversial as any over the last decade. But the controversy was fitting. Ward and Kovalev didn’t like each other. Actually, like is a polite way of describing it. But it is a four-letter word. 

The hostility, marked by equal amounts of contempt and abundant suspicion, helped make the fight marketable. Seven months later, it also spawned a rematch, which ended with Ward winning an eighth-round TKO in a sequel as forgettable as the first was memorable.

On the insult scale, Beterbiev-Bivol isn’t even close, although Bivol promoter Eddie Hearn tried to change that this week. First, Hearn insulted Beterbiev, calling him “arrogant.’’

At an earlier newser, Hearn told TNT Sports, “Beterbiev said about three words, I found it quite arrogant.”

Beterbiev, Hearn then added, limited his answers to the media to about one word.

“I think he just went ‘good,’ ‘’ Hearn said. “You’re getting paid an absolute fortune, the entire world’s media here, you owe us a little bit more than that. He couldn’t care less. In a way I respect it, but in a way, I think it’s a little disrespectful.”

At the final newser Thursday in Riyadh, Hearn continued the theme, all in an apparent attempt to break through Beterbiev’s taciturn defense.

For a moment, it looked as if Hearn was getting through.

Beterbiev looked at Hearn and said during the live-streamed newser:

“You talk a lot.”

Hearn’s quick counter:

 “It’s my job. You should try it.”

End of conversation. 

It wasn’t surprising. Statues are more quotable than Beterbiev. But we knew that. He’s memorable more for how he fights than anything he’s ever said. But here’s another number: 39. He’s within four months of turning 40. That includes recent injuries. A knee injury forced Beterbiev to postpone the original date with Bivol, June 1.

He’s beyond prime time, and time might be the only thing that can undo his reign of perfection. He’s the favorite to leave Riyadh with the undisputed light-heavyweight title. Then, it’s back to Montreal and quiet anonymity. 

However, there’s a sense that Father Time’s arrival at Beterbiev’s doorstep will come in the form of the 33-year-old Bivol, a fellow Russian who is given a real chance at an upset in a fight noteworthy for how it sets up the 175-pound division.

It was announced this week that David Benavidez, a Phoenix-born fighter, and David Morrell, a Cuban living in Minnesota, have agreed to fight. When and where, however, aren’t certain. January 25 or a date in February are mentioned. But time and place are subject to what happens in Riyadh. 

Benavidez holds an interim belt at 175 pounds, which makes him a mandatory challenger — whatever that means — for the Beterbiev-Bivol winner. Benavidez would have to beat Morrell to keep his place in line. 

Then again, Canelo Alvarez could always cut in line. Canelo, who Benavidez has been been pursuing for years, began talking about Bivol in September, before and after his one-sided decision over Edgar Berlanga in a solid defense of the undisputed title at 168 pounds. Bivol beat Canelo a couple of years ago.

The potential scenarios provide several talking points for what Beterbiev-Bivol means. One Example: Beterbiev, still aggressive and powerful at 39, beats Bivol with a stoppage, another notch in his perfect record. Then, Benavidez beats Morrell with his trademark energy and volume punching. Next, Beterbiev-Benavidez, a fight with the kind of fireworks that could ignite a classic. It would be an instant talker, which for now Beterbiev-Bivol is not.

Even Bivol, a pragmatic and patient tactician,  is careful not to speculate about anything beyond Saturday. Beterbiev, of all people, spoke for both of them Thursday.

“It’s not my business,’’ he said when asked for his thoughts about possibilities beyond Bivol.  “I have a fight this Saturday. I’m only focused on this fight.”

A fight that’s bound to generate lots of talk, no matter what anybody says.

Or doesn’t say.

By Norm Frauenheim (Ringside)

LAS VEGAS –On the scorecards, there was no upset.

But in the court of public opinion, there was a big one.

From pillar to post — sports book to social media, Edgar Berlanga had been mocked, dismissed and damned. The consensus was that Berlanga had no chance against Canelo Alvarez.

But Berlanga was there in the twelfth and final round, trading punches and more than a few words in a pay-per-view fight Saturday night in front of an announced crowd of 20,312 at T-Mobile Arena. Berlanga went the distance. Before opening bell, his chances at that were about as good as the Chicago White Sox winning the World Series.

At 27, Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) managed to surprise Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs), who promised a knockout before the eighth round. Early on, however, Berlanga displayed something Canelo didn’t expect. The younger man was– is –durable. Above all, he can take a punch.

In the third round, Canelo landed his best, a counter left that has stopped so many other Canelo challengers. It dropped Berlanga, flat on his rear end. But Berlanga did what so many have failed to do. He got up.

Canelo attacked, almost in a desperate pursuit to end it, then and there. But Berlanga had the presence of mind to elude those assaults and then to attack in his own right.

In the end, Canelo, still the unified super-middleweight champion, walked away with a solid decision, 118-109 on two cards and 117-110 on the third. But he didn’t fulfill his promised knockout, which means he didn’t dispel questions about how he’d do against David Benavidez or Terence Crawford. More on them later.

“No, I did good,” he said to a roaring crowd of Mexican partisans.. “Now, what are they going to say.”

There will be doubts. That’s a safe bet. He hasn’t scored a knockout in almost three years. Canelo has his critics and they will be out in force after going the distance against the underrated Puerto Rican. Canelo seemed to know that. Still, his confidence remains unshaken.

“I’m the best fighter in the world,” he said.

Dispute that claim, and many will.  But his dominance at the box office remains unchallenged. He jammed T-Mobile with a crowd that was called a sellout. This side of Japan’s Naoya Inoue, what other boxer in the world can do that these days? Dumb question.

Boxing has its own way of saying: Follow The Money. Follow Canelo. That won’t change, tomorrow or until he retires, perhaps when the 34-year-old fighter turns 37..

But his challengers are younger and only getting better. Berlanga was evidence of that.

“I’m upset because at the end of the day I’m a winner,” Berlanga said.

He was Saturday and he will be again.

Meanwhile, questions about Canelo’s future remain unanswered Crawford at a 168 pounds? Benavidez?

“I”m going to rest and then I’m going to decide what’s next,” he said.

Garcia takes knee, Lara retains title

Danny Garcia apologized.

But an angry crowd booed.

Forget apologies, a near capacity crowd at T-Mobile Arena wanted a fight and it didn’t get one in an advertised middleweight title fight between Garcia and a defending belt-holder, 41-year-old Erislandy Lara Saturday night in the final bout before the Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga main event.

Garcia, a former junior-welterweight and welterweight champion fighting at 160 pounds for the first time, took a knee in the final second of the ninth round and then surrendered on his stool seconds before the 10th.

“I’m sorry,” Garcia (37-4, 21 KOs) said. “I tried. You can’t succeed if you don’t try.”

Garcia wasn’t able to do much of anything against the middle-aged Lara (31-3-3, 18 KOs), who claims to be the oldest champion in Cuban history.

Presumably, Lara will schedule a few more title defenses. He’ll be 42 in April. It wasn’t clear what Garcia or his volatile father trainer Angel will do next. But the boos included an unmistakable message:

Retire.

Caleb Plant stops McCumby for TKO win

Caleb Plant and Trevor McCumby exchanged insults. They mocked each other in word and gesture. But this was no clown show.

Not in the end.

Plant and McCumby settled their difference along the ropes, boxing’s trenches where blood and bruises are more decisive than words can ever be.. That’s where Plant was at his brutal best. That’s also where he won, pounding McCumby with an avalanche of punches that rained off him from round to round.

At 2:59 of the ninth round of the  contentious super-middleweight fight on the Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga card at Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, it was over. That’s when the referee stepped in and halted the brawl.

Plant (23-2, 14 KOs) was the TKO winner, leaving McCumby, a former prospect, to ponder what he’ll do next after his first loss, yet only his fourth fight since 2018 .

McCumby (28-1, 21 KOs), a Chicago native now living in Glendale AZ, scored a knockdown in the fourth, although it looked as if a push instead of a punch sent Plant backpedaling into the ropes onto the canvas. McCumby danced after that one. He shook his hips at Plant.

As it turned out, however, Plant was just warming up. He began to pin McCumby on the ropes, punishing him with successive blows from the fifth until the inevitable end. 

“It was a pretty tough fight,” Plant, a former super middleweight champion, said.  “I was just easing in. I proved that I can fight on the inside tonight and I did what I had to do.

“He caught me pulling out and hit me in the shoulder, but that’s part of the game. He came in with wild punches and I just had to stay focused. That’s what champions do..”

Romero wins one-sided decision, hopes for title shot

Rollie Romero wanted a steppingstone.

He got one, scoring a unanimous decision over Manuel Jaimes in junior-welterweight bout Saturday on the Canelo-Bernlanga card at Mobile Arena Saturday night. 

“I needed a tough 10-round fight against someone hungry and that’s what I got tonight,” Romero (16-3, 13 KOs), a Las Vegas fighter said. “I was doing a lot of stuff tonight that I should have done in my earlier fights.

“Jaimes was coming forward a lot, but I was controlling the pace. The fight was going how I wanted it to. In the later rounds I started coming forward more and landing more body shots. 

“Hopefully I’m fighting for a title next.

“I have my eye on any of the champions.”

Jaimes (16-2-1, 11 KOs), of Stockton CA, simply couldn’t keep up with Romero, who simply outworked him.

“The judges saw what they saw”  he said.  “I’d have to watch the tape to be able to score it myself. I could have been more active, that would have helped me land more.”

Fulton scores controversial decision over Carlos Castro

Carlos Castro got the knockdown.

Got the loss, too.

For Stephen Fulton, there were boos. 

“A shout out to the boos,” Fulton said.

Fulton accepted the booing, because he got the win too, a controversial split decision Saturday over Castro, a resilient Phoenix featherweight whose bid for a significant upset was denied by some debatable scoring.

Lisa Giampa had it 95-94, for Castro. On David Sutherland’s card, it was 96-93 for Fulton. On Don Trella’s card, it 95-94, also for Fulton

Castro (30-3, 14 KOs), a skilled boxer, pursued Flulton early and often with a slick mix of head shots and body punches. The early attack seemed to surprise Fulton (22-1, 8 KOs), who hadn’t fought since getting knocked out by pound-for-pound front-runner Naoya Inoue in Tokyo in July 2023.

There were moments when it looked as if Fulton underestimated Castro, especially his power. In the fifth, however, Castro delivered an overhand right that stunned Fulton. It also might have awakened Fulton to a threat he might not have foreseen in his first fight in more than a year. 

It knocked him down. 

For the next couple of rounds, Fulton was cautious. And Castro was aggressive. moving forward with quick hands to the body and head. In the seventh and eighth, a still-arriving crowd for the Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga main event began to chant:

“Castro, Castro.”

By then, Fulton had begun to rally. landing repeated head shots, all powered by the realization that the fight was up for grabs.

Again in the ninth and the 10th, it looked as if Castro had begun to tire. Yet, he answered Fulton’s punches with some of his own, especially in the fight’s final, furious seconds.

“Castro, Castro,” the crowd chanted.

Apparently, Sutherland and Trella didn’t hear them

Boom, one big counter from Ricardo Salas scores a stoppage

One counter was enough.

Ricardo Salas, a Mexico City welterweight, threw it.

It floored Venezuelan Roiman Villa, draining him of any motivation to continue. He stayed down, wiping blood away from a wound beneath one eye and waving one hand in apparent surrender midway through the third round.

Salas (20-2-2, 15 KOs) threw it – a straight right hand, — just as Villa (26-3, 24 KOs) missed wildly with a lunging punch. Sala followed with a glancing left. But the counter did the job, finishing Villa at 2:06 of the third. 

Eddy Reynoso-trained Goe Lopez wins decision

Geo Lopez had power, hand speed and quick feet.

Only a stoppage was missing.

It eluded Lopez (17-0, 12 KOs), a junior lightweight from Orlando,  in the eighth and furious final round Saturday. A powerful left hand sent Ricky Mediana down and tumbling onto the canvas. 

Somehow, however, Medina (15-3, 8 KOs) scrambled to his feet. He survived. But Lopez , who had Canelo trainer Eddy Reynoso in his corner, won, scoring a one-sided decision Saturday on the Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga card at T-Mobile Arena

Canelo-Berlanga Undercard: Middleweight suffers scary KO

Three fights, three second-round stoppages.

But this one was devastating, momentarily scary.

Cuban middleweight Yoenli Feliciano Hernandez‘ perfect record (5-0, 5 KOs) suggests world-class power. It was more than just a suggestion Saturday in the third fight on a card featuring Canelo Alvarez-versus-Edgar Berlanga Saturday at Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Hernandez’ power put Jose Sanchez Charles down, flat on his face midway at 1:47 of the second. Charles (21-6-1, 12 KOs), of Mexico, stayed on he canvas,  motionless and face down, for several long moments before he was able to climb to his feet and onto a nearby stool.

Eventually, he stood up and seemed to say he was OK to medical personnel who had rushed to his side. Then, he waved at a sparse crowd of fans.They applauded, relieved to see the fighter walk out of the ring under his own power. 

Canelo-Berlanga Card: Second fight delivers another second round stoppage

Two fights, two stoppages, both in the second round.

Lawrence King (17-1, 14 KOs) delivered an encore of the Canelo-Berlanga  card’s opening salvo, scoring a second-round stoppage of Vaughn Williams Saturday at Vegas’ T- Mobile Arena.

King, a light-heavyweight from San Bernardino CA., dropped Williams (12-2, 8 KOs), of South Carolina, twice in the second. It was over at 2:15 of the round.

First Bell: Canelo-Berlanga show opens with quick KO

The doors opened, the first bell sounded and Bek Nurmaganbet took care of business before anybody among a handful of early arrivals could get to their seats.

That’s how fast the Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga card  got underway Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

Nearly eight hours before the main event and about an hour after high noon, Nurmaganbet ((12-0, 10 KOs) a super-middleweight from Kazakhstan, wasted little time and not much energy, overwhelming Joshua Conley (17-7-1, 11 KOs) within two rounds.  Conley, of San Bernardino CA, never had a chance. Nurmaganbet stopped him in the closing seconds of the second. 

By Norm Frauenheim –

Canelo Álvarez, who often acts like a Prince, and Turki Alalshikh, who is one, are engaged in a contentious face-off, emphasis on face. It’s messy, then again most things are in boxing.

This one has been brewing for a while, but it escalated in the wake of Terence Crawford’s solid, yet pedestrian decision over Israil Madrimov, who was known more for his amateur accomplishments than his pro resume. Crawford was supposed to be sensational. That expectation was built into his unbeaten record, his history as a two-division undisputed champion and his reign as the  consensus pound-for-pound No. 1. 

The Madrimov fight last Saturday was seen as a step toward bigger things, specifically a fight with Canelo. Instead, it left questions about what’s next for  Crawford. In retrospect, it’s no surprise. Crawford was attempting to make one the riskiest moves in boxing. He was jumping up in weight, from welterweight to junior-middle. 

Perhaps, it was a jump too far. Crawford looked tentative early and beatable later. Only a furious burst of energy and uppercuts over the final two rounds saved him from a scorecard upset. He won on all three cards. He won on this one, 115-113. But not everybody agrees, including Canelo. He told media that, on his card, Madrimov won.

Fair enough. In the end, however, the close fight is a sign that Crawford should stay at welterweight, Reportedly, that won’t happen. Boxing Scene reported Thursday that he intends to relinquish his World Boxing Organization version of the 147-pound belt. 

The consensus is that he’ll stay at junior middle, defend the 154-pound belt he took from the unappreciated Madrimov, whose up-and-down,  side-to-side movement was a defensive puzzle that the calculating Crawford could not solve.

Still, it was Crawford’s debut at a heavier weight. It was a new beginning for a fighter known for his smarts. Perhaps, he learned from it and will be more effective against Tim Tszyu, Sebastian Fundora, or Vergil Ortiz Jr. in his next date at junior-middleweight. Ortiz faces Serhii Bohachuk Saturday in an intruding 154-pound belt for an interim title at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay.

There are still options for Crawford. But the close decision over Madrimov — Crawford’s first victory after an eight-year run of 11 straight stoppages — eliminated one. For now, there’s no immediate chance of him facing Canelo, unified champion at 168 pounds. 

Throughout the buildup to Crawford-Madrimov, that was the talk. It was the one fight that Prince Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, seemed to want more than any other. Crawford insisted that he wasn’t listening, that he had only Madrimov on his mind. But it was impossible to ignore. 

If it was ever real, however, is another question for one reason: Canelo. He never seemed to exhibit any interest, perhaps because he knew that he wouldn’t get any credit for beating a smaller man. For whatever reason, Canelo continued to rebuff any and all attempts by Alalshikh to put together the fight. Tension was evident when Canelo continued to sidestep David Benavidez and  chose to fight over-matched Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14. The Canelo-Berlanga  fight at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on the same night Al Sheikh will work a UFC event at the brand new Sphere.

“We will eat him,’’ Alalshikh said of Canelo.

That’s one way of saying Alalshikh promises to destroy Canelo’s live gate on Sept. 14.

It was also a comment that offended Canelo, who has a history of getting angry at anything said that he views as disrespectful. After Gennadiy Golovkin trashed him for a positive test for clenbuterol, GGG offended him enough for their third fight to be delayed. Trash talk from Benavidez and his father, Jose Benavidez, is one reason there’s been no Benavidez-Canelo fight, despite a widespread demand for one. Now, it looks as if he won’t do business with Alalshikh, at least not for awhile.

“I don’t like the way (Alalshikh) talks,’’ Canelo told Boxing Scene this week.

He didn’t like the way Golovkin talked.

He didn’t like the way Benavidez and his dad talk.

Nevertheless, the Prince kept talking, countering in his own way on social media . “I have no desire in discussing another conflict,’’ he said.

Amid it all,  he did something else. He called himself “the face of boxing” in a social-media post that included his photo. Other than spending lots of money, it’s hard to know what he exactly thinks qualifies him to be the so-called face of anything other than perhaps a bank. Face-of-Boxing is one thing he can’t buy. 

It’s not in the purse.

It’s in the heart. 

It might be an ill-defined title, but only a face that risks lifetime scars qualifies. In saying he’s the face, Alalshikh tries to puts himself alongside Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Cesar Chavez, Floyd Mayweather and so many others. There’s a debate today about whether the current face is Canelo, or Crawford, or Naoya Inoue, or Oleksandr Usyk. But neither Alalshikh nor any other promoter, matchmaker or sportswriter is in the argument. Or should be.

Alalshikh has access to unprecedented bills of currency that include the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Hamilton, Jackson, Grant and Benjamin. It was hard to ignore — I tried —  that many in boxing were willing to get on bended knee to acquire as many of those Benjamins as they could Saturday. Repeatedly, broadcasters called Saturday’s card at BMO Stadium “the best ever.’’ Was that before or after Ali-Frazier? Before or after Duran-Leonard? Before or after Leonard-Hearns?

Spending money to change today’s game doesn’t include the right to rewrite its rich history 

Canelo, I think, knows that . Often, he’s easy to dislike. Money has turned him into a diva. When he says he wants $150-to-$200 million to fight Benavidez and $150 million to fight Crawford, he’s only saying he won’t fight either. If he is in fact the Face of Boxing, it’s blemished for as long as doesn’t fight Benavidez. 

But he’s proud and he also understands history. He’s always saying he wants to make history. This time, he is. In his stand against Prince Alalshikh, he’s saying that not everything can be bought.

By Norm Frauenheim –

LOS ANGELES — It was a ceremonial weigh-in, which is another way of saying it was phony. But there was nothing phony about the look. From Terence Crawford, it never has been.

Crawford looked at and through Israil Madrimov the way he has throughout a career introduced and defined by unblinking, unforgiving eyes impossible to ignore and intense enough to fear. Crawford doesn’t say much. He doesn’t have to. Those eyes say it all. They have throughout a career without a loss and never a sign of hesitancy or self-doubt.

Errol Spence has seen it. Shawn Porter, and so many more, have seen it. It was Madrimov’s turn at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles Friday about 24 hours before their junior-middleweight title fight at BMO Stadium just a few miles of roadwork down the freeway.

They had already made weight earlier in the day behind closed doors for the California State Athletic  Commission. Crawford (40- 31 KOs) was at 153.4 pounds. Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) was at the 154-pound limit. A ceremonial version in front of fans and cameras was next. It’s one way to sell the pay-per-view for a card scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. PT (4:30 ET). It’s mostly theater, rehearsed and packaged. 

But for Crawford it was one more chance to unleash a look seen for the first time for the fighter standing across from him. We’ve seen the look on video and in photos. For those last few moments on a stage in downtown LA, however, it included more than just ceremony. There was chaos. At least, that was the promise, the forecasted threat, on the night before the first jab ignites the controlled violence.

Did it affect Madrimov? We won’t know until opening bell in a soccer stadium built on real estate that once included the old Sports Arena, a cornerstone to LA’s rich boxing history. But the look was a sure sign that the fight was already underway in the minds of both Crawford and Madrimov.  

“I was already the best at 154 when I stepped into this division,’’ said Crawford, a former undisputed champion at welterweight and junior-welter, who will fight for the first time at junior-middle against Madrimov, the champion about to make a first-time defense.

Madrimov is given a chance because of his familiarity at the weight. He’s a natural junior-middleweight. Then again, Crawford might be a natural force-of-nature. He’s on a roll, including a streak of 11 successive stoppages. 

The argument is that eventually a move up the scale will stop Crawford, end his pound-for-pound reign. Madrimov appeared to be unshaken by a look that has left a lot of Crawford opponents beaten before the first counter lands.

“I have a plan,’’ said the unbeaten Uzbek, who has been training in the desert east of Los Angeles under veteran trainer Joel Diaz’ guidance. “I have a plan to showcase my skills and prove I’m the best in this division.’’

Madrimov, mostly unknown among Mexican-American fans in Southern California, possesses athleticism and two-fisted power. Like Crawford, he’s versatile, able to switch from southpaw to orthodox and back.

A former gymnast, his footwork includes angles that could give Crawford problems. He’s an educated fighter, one who learned the craft through a decorated amateur career that includes more than 300 bouts. 

Translation: He knows what he’s doing. But, Crawford said, he’ll have to know a lot more than just that.

Crawford says he has beaten a lot of fighters whose resume includes trophies and medals.

“They all left the ring the same way, and I look for him to leave the same way,’’ Crawford said moments after a stare down that has always included an unmistakable look at him.

And what he intends to do. 

On The Undercard 

Former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. (35-2, 22 KOs), who is coming off a 23-month layoff,  faces Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller (26-1-1, 22 KOs). Miller was at 305.6 pounds, the lightest Miller has weighed in six years. Ruiz was at 274.4 pounds, the heaviest he’s been since his rematch loss to Anthony Joshua in December 2019. “This is everything for me, of course it is,’’ said Ruiz, remembered for his huge upset of Joshua in New York. “I had everything in the palm of my hand. Then, it just went away. I want to be a damn champion again.’’

In another heavyweight fight,  promising Jared Anderson (17-0, 15 KOs) is in for his toughest test against Martin Bakole (20-1, 15 KOs). Anderson was at a career-high 252.4 pounds. Bakole also came in at a career-high weight, 284.4 pounds.

Mexican junior-welterweight champion Isaac Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) got huge cheers from Mexican fans  He was at 140 pounds against Jose Valenzuela (13-2, 9 KOs), who was at 139.8.

David Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs), a Cuban living in Minneapolis, looks as if  he’s a possibility at light-heavyweight for David Benavidez, the Phoenix fighter who has decided to stay at 175 pounds. Benavidez relinquished his spot as the WBC’s so-called mandatory challenger to Canelo Alvarez’ super-middleweight title. Instead, Benavidez, who hopes to resume his career later this year, has a so-called mandatory shot at the 175-pound winner of Dmitry Bivol-versus-Artur Beterbiev in October. Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs) will be at light-heavy for a vacant title against Radivoje Kalajdzic (29-2, 21 KOs). Morrell, who has scored seven successive stoppages, was at 174.8 pounds Friday. Kalajdzic was at 174.4.

Andy Cruz (3-0, 1 KO), an Olympic gold medalist from Cuba, was at 134 pounds for his lightweight bout against Antonio Moran, who came in at 134.8. Cruz is a Boots Ennis stablemate. “Boots will be here, at ringside,’’ Cruz said of Philadelphia’s welterweight champion. Ennis wants to fight Crawford, who instead might be in line for a big-money bout against 168-pound Canelo. 

By Norm Frauenheim –

Jesse Rodriguez, whose simple nickname is synonymous with his power in the ring, is putting some of that Bam into the pound-for-pound debate.

His thorough seventh-round stoppage of accomplished Juan Francisco Estrada last Saturday is prompting a shuffle in some ratings, yet not all.

From this corner, Rodriguez’ comprehensive performance – he scored two knockdowns and got up from one – puts him in the top five.

On this list, Rodriguez is No. 4, behind Terence Crawford at No.1, Naoya Inoue at No. 2 Oleksandr Usyk at No. 3 and one spot ahead of Tank Davis at No. 5. Shuffle them anyway you like. After all, it’s only an argument.

That said, the 24-year-old Rodriguez delivered an argument hard to ignore. Some of the prominent ratings weren’t convinced. They kept him in the second five, behind Canelo Alvarez, Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev, Tank and – in some cases – Shakur Stevenson.

The pound-for-pound debate is political, meaning that evidence gets ignored and opinions are rooted in stubborn ego. Conclusion: They’ll never change.

Still, it’s hard to understand how any fair-minded rating can keep Rodriguez out of the first five. To do so is a little bit like scorecards turned in by judges Javier Camacho and Robert Tapper. Through the sixth round, Camacho had Estrada winning, 57-56. On Tapper’s card, it was even, 56-56.

What were they watching?

Not what a roaring crowd of 10,000 at Phoenix’s Footprint saw. Not what I saw either. I was there.

I suspect the controversial cards wouldn’t have mattered had the fight gone the distance. Rodriguez’ dominance was evident in the opening rounds with agile footwork that seemed to confuse Estrada.

His dominance was more evident throughout the next four-plus rounds with knockdowns in the fourth and the finishing blow – a paralyzing body shot — in the seventh.

It also was evident in the unshakeable poise he showed in getting up from a knockdown – the first in his career — in the sixth.

Over the final rounds of the fight, he would have convinced Tapper and Camacho that their rounds were just wrong. Guess here: He would have won a one-sided decision.

But he wound doing a lot more than just that: In a further expression of his nickname, he proved he had the power to take it out of the judges’ hands. Bam, he scored an astonishing knockout of a fighter who had never been stopped. That’s what pound-for-pound contenders do.

In part, I suspect some of the pound-for-pound ratings didn’t jump him into the first five because of traditional bias against the little guys. The flyweight categories – 108 to 115 pounds – have always been ignored.

But there have been exceptions. Bam is just the latest and perhaps the biggest. What’s intriguing is the terrific way in which Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has moved him up a scale from anonymity to prominence.

Hearn has done it at the right time and mostly in the right place. Phoenix has been the launching pad for the San Antonio fighter’s ascendant career.

Phoenix is an emerging boxing market, yet with one aspect missing in many cities. It grew up with a fundamental appreciation of the lightest weight classes. A personal story: I spent much of my newspaper career covering Hall-of-Fame junior-flyweight Michael Carbajal for The Arizona Republic.

About three decades later, I meet fans in their 30s and 40s. They tell me that their dad used to read my stories about Carbajal in The Republic. They say they’re fans today because their dads were.

I think of them when I hear Hearn say that Phoenix fans “are very educated.’’ They are, especially about the flyweights. Today’s growing generation of Phoenix fans learned about the little guys from their dads.

Move the clock forward to today, to Bam.

It’s no coincidence that he won his first title at Footprint, a downtown Phoenix arena that Carbajal helped open in 1992 with a junior-flyweight title defense. Thirty years later, Bam won his first major title there, the then vacant World Boxing Council’s 115-pound belt, with a unanimous decision on Feb. 5, 2022.

He defended it a couple of times, relinquished it and then won a vacant 112-pound title against Christian Gonzalez at home in San Antonio in April 2023.

Then, it was back to Phoenix at Desert Diamond Arena in suburban Glendale where he retained the 112-pound title by punishing the entertaining Sunny Edwards, forcing the UK fighter into a ninth-round surrender in front of a lively crowd of about 5,000. That performance put Rodriguez into pound-for-pound ratings – at ninth or 10^th — for the first time.

Next stop: A return to Phoenix, this time back to Footprint against the 37-year-old Estrada, one of the best little guys in his flyweight generation. This time, the crowd doubled, jamming the lower bowl for a chance to see a pound-for-pound star’s coming-out party.

After the concussive conclusion, Hearn stood in the ring and thanked the crowd.

“Thank you, Phoenix,’’ he said.

Hearn also said that Phoenix and Japan share a rare appreciation for the smaller weight classes. It’s a reason, in part, that some Phoenix fans will pay attention to Kazuto Ioka’s fight against Argentine Fernando Martinez bout for two 115-pound belts Saturday in Japan.

After taking the WBC title from Estrada, Rodriguez said he wanted the winner in a bout that might represent another step up in the pound-for-pound debate and toward a showdown that has already entered the public imagination:

Bam-versus-Inoue.

“Right now, it’s a fantasy fight,’’ Bam said with wisdom not often heard from somebody still in his early 20s.

It is fantasy. Inoue, a former junior-flyweight and super-fly champion, is fighting at junior featherweight.

“I got to work my way up,’’ Rodriguez said.

He does.

But his victory over Estrada is a further testament to the Bam who gets up, works his way up, on many scales, including one that turns fantasy into reality.

By Norm Frauenheim and David Galaviz

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Only SuperFly could crash the top of the pound-pound debate.

Jesse Rodriguez did that and maybe more with a definitive seventh-round knockout of Juan Francisco Estrada Saturday night in front of a roaring crowd at Footprint.

Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs), the World Boxing Council’s new SuperFly champion, did it by knocking down Estrada (44-4, 28 KOs) in the fourth round and finishing him with a body shot in the seventh. He also did it by showing some of his own grit. He got up from the first knockdown in his career.

“Damn, that was crazy,” Rodriguez said.

Damn that was a good fight, a leading contender for Fight of the Year in 2024.

Estrada, down in the fourth round from a Bam uppercut, came roaring back in the sixth, knocking down Rodriguez with a right hand. What would follow in the seventh was — to use Bam’s word — crazy.

He threw a left hand to Estrada’s body.When it landed, it seemed to paralyze Estrada. He hit the canvas, rolled around in pain. In the final second of the seventh, he was finished, a loser by knockout.

“I made a lot of mistakes,” said the 37-year-old Estrada, who was fighting for the time in about 19 months.

He’s hoping to correct those mistakes in a rematch. Estrada said his contract included a clause for a rematch,perhaps later in the year.

For the 24-year-old Rodriguez, just about anything seems possible. There was even talk about a fight with Japan’s Naoya Inoue. That’s a pound-for-pound possibility, one created when Rodriguez crashed the top of the debate.

Bloodied Sunny Edwards wins technical decision

Sunny in Arizona? More like Scarred.

In his second straight fight in the Phoenix area science a bruising stoppage loss in December to Bam Rodriguez, UK flyweight Sunny Edwards sustained a nasty wound near his right eye in a fight eventually stopped because of a cut caused by a head butt.

This time, Edwards won, scoring a 90-82, 88-84, 87-85 technical decision over Adrian Curiel Saturday night at Footprint Center.

“I’m leaving Arizona a lot uglier than I was when I came here,” Edwards (21-1, 4 KOs) said after the flyweight bout.

The clash of heads came in the sixth. It caused a cut, a long deep gash from the inside of Edwards right eye and up along his forehead. Early in the ninth, referee Mark Nelson ended it on advice of the ringside physician.

The crowd booed.

“I’m not any happier than you are,” Edwards said.

Edwards, of the UK,  came out fast, moving side-to-side and forward behind a jab moving at a rapid-fire rate. Curiel (24-6-1, 5 KOs), a former champion from Mexico, didn’t seem to notice, or care. He moved laterally, kept his gloves up in a defensive posture and seemed to wait for an opportunity. It didn’t come.

 Edwards mocked him in the second, pushed him to the canvas with one hand in the third and mocked him again in the fifth. The crowd whistled, then booed. Then, there was the head butt. Edwards immediately responded, going straight at Curiel with a jab and long right hand. But the blood continued to pour from the cut and into his eyei, a sure sign that the fight would be stopped.

Mercado Decisions Ali To Retain Super Bantamweight belt

In the first of two world tittle fight we had Yamileth Mercado (23-3,5kos) of Ciudad Cuauthemoc, Chihuahua, Mexico taking on Ramla Ali (9-1,2kos) of London, United Kingdom. This will mark the first time fighting in the State since 2021 when she took on Amanda Serrano. This marks her 7th tittle defense of her WBC Super Bantamweight belt. Ramla is coming off a win in the rematch with Julissa Guzman last November. Both coming in at weight limit 

In the opening round was not much action with each filling out one another. However Yamileth pulled away with a few more effective punches. Ramla came out more aggressive to start the 2nd round landed a straight left flush to Mercados face. Mercado got her revenge at the end of the round as she appeared to hurt Ali but it was too late as the round ended. 

The fight picked up as both came out swinging and the continued through out the round with both landing good shots. Effortlessly getting the crowd excited in this tittle fight. 

Ali is finding a home with her Jab continuing to land it, as in the fifth it caught Mercado. 

The middle rounds of the fight had bits and pieces of action, no significant punches landing. 

Much of the same as we entered the championship rounds of the fight, Ali did land an over and right and a left hook to edge out the round. 

Yamileth came out swinging for the final round, but ali had an answer for the aggression once again with her neutralizer the left jab. Effectively halting Mercados offense. As the round continued both fighter put it in over drive and gave the fans in the Footprint Center a well deserved ending to the fight. 

Going to the judges as each having Yamileth Mercado winning 98-92, 98-93, and 97-93 getting the unanimous decision. Successfully defending her tittle for the 8th time Mercado stated she now wants to unify the titles. —-David Galaviz

Cardenas escapes with a majority decision

A slow start. A furious finish.

Arturo Cardenas (14-0-1, 8 KOs) opened the DAZN show featuring Bam Rodriguez-Juan Francisco Estrada Saturday looking tentative. He appeared unsure of himself and perhaps his opponent, Phoenix Mexican junior-featherweight Danny Barrios (15–1, 5 KOs).

But he quickly overcame his slow start and, in the end, overcame Barrios.

Midway through the 10-round bout, the Robert Garcia-trained Cardenas began to find his range and used his superior power. Repeatedly, he caught Barrios with left hands and short right-uppercuts. The crowd roared. Then, it booed as Barrios began to retreat, back away from the increasingly aggressive Cardenas in the ninth and 10th.

In the end, Cardenas escaped with a majority decision. He won on two cards, 97-93 nd 96-94. But on the third, it was a draw, 95-95

Gabriel Muratalla stays unbeaten 

Gabriel Muratalla, a workman-like bantamweight from Fontana CA, was all business.

In the end, that’s what he got, a business-like decision, over Carlos Fontes (23-4-1, 5 KOs), a well-conditioned Phoenix fighter,  who lacked enough hand speed to match Muratalla (12-0, 5 KOs) on the scorecard in the third bout on the Bam-Rodriguez card at Footprint Center..

Muratalla, who had Bam trainer Robert Garcia in his corner, scored often, winning a 99-73, 78-74, 77-75 decision 

AZ welterweight Fabian Rojo scores powerful stoppage

Fabian Rojo‘s left hand left no doubt.

No doubt about why he’s unbeaten.

And, on Saturday, it left Daniel Gonzalez with no chance.

Rojo (9-0, 7 KOs), of Glendale AZ, dropped Gonzalez (5-2,2 KOs), of Albuquerque, three times within two rounds, all with his left hand, in the second bout on a card featuring Juan Francisco Estrada versus Jesse “Bam Rodriguez at Footprint Center.

It ended with successive lefts, each moving like pistons in an engine. They landed like pistons, too, finishing Gonzalez at 1:13 of the second round. The crowd, already gathering in Footprint, roared. Even Gonzalez applauded. He got off the canvas and lifted Rojo up in celebration of a fighter who had just overwhelmed him.   

To get the night started Leonardo Rubacalva (7-0 3Kos) of Teocaltich, Jalisco Mexico took on William “Double barrel” Flenoy (3-3-1) of Fresno, CA. The first round was all Leonardo landing at will, stunning flurry a few times. Things picked up in the 2nd with the fight and the crowd, as Leonardo started to put more pressure on his opponent. Midway through the fight Leo landed s very effective punch combination. Not to stay quiet William came with some shots of his own as to say my double barrel is not empty to which earned the respect of Rubacalva. 

Half way through the fight both fighters showed the mutual respect and not much action happen. With 20 seconds in the 3rd, Rubacalva put it in another gear and landed a left hook that took Williams balance away and having going to the neutral corner with Leonardo following him and landing a few more punches before the bell rang to end the round. 

An over hand right that caught everyone by surprise in the arena by Rubacalva other than the big right the 4th round was not much action. 

The fifth round to which the fight lasted this long to many surprised was more of the same as the previous couple rounds a lot of respect and save the action till the last part of the round

The last round both fighters came out trading punches as if both needed to win the round. The way the round started is the way it ended with both fighters leaving it all out in the ring, not saving nothing for tomorrow. All 3 judges scored it for Leonardo 60-54, the other two having it 59-55 earning a unanimous decision improving to 8-0(3Kos). —-David Galaviz

By Norm Frauenheim –

PHOENIX, AZ — On the scale, there was no difference between them. Not even a single ounce.

In a weigh-in that might be a hint at how close a DAZN-streamed fight for the almost mythical  SuperFly title might be Saturday night at Footprint Center, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Juan Francisco Estrada were at the limit, 115-pounds each.

The only surprise, perhaps, was the crowd Friday night for a so-called ceremonial weigh-in at a re-done old building in the city’s warehouse district a couple of miles south of Footprint.

The official weigh-in, conducted by the Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission behind closed doors at a downtown hotel, happened about nine hours earlier.

The ceremonial version was for show, and sure enough Mexican and Mexican-American fans showed up, most of them for Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs), the World Boxing Council’s

defending champion.

They chanted his nickname.

El Gallo filled the old room as he stepped on to the scale.

El Gallo echoed through the place as he stepped off.

“They are here for me and more will be Saturday night,’’ said the accomplished Estrada, the son of a Mexican fisherman  who grew up about 215 miles south of Phoenix in a town, Puerto Penasco,  located at the top of the Gulf of California.

Despite the title belt, Estrada goes into the bout as betting underdog. The odds are dictated by time. Estrada hasn’t fought since a narrow decision over iconic Ramon Gonzalez 19 months ago in Glendale, a Phoenix suburb.

More significant perhaps are the years not included on a traditional tale of tape.

The 34-year old Estrada is a decade older than Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs), an emerging 24-year-old Mexican-American from San Antonio.

Rodriguez heard the chants and smiled at Estrada as they stood across from each other and stared into each other’s eyes during the ritual face-off for the cameras.

“This is another day for me, a day at the office’’ Rodriguez said. “I’ve been getting ready for this moment for a long time.’’

Still, Rodriguez’ deep-seated respect for Estrada was also evident. For years, Rodriguez looked at Estrada and saw a hero.

Now, he sees a rival.

“This the biggest fight of my life,’’ Rodriguez said. “It’s also a fight I’ve been preparing for for most of my life.’’

By Norm Frauenheim –

PHOENIX, AZ — Eddie Hearn foresees the Bam Rodriguez-Juan Francisco Estrada bout Saturday night as a potential Fight of the Year, one that could have pound-for-pound implications. 

“Going into Saturday, I’d say this the best fight so far this year,” Hearn, of Matchroom Promotions, said Thursday at a news conference featuring Rodriguez and Estrada at a redone old building in a warehouse district south of Footprint Center. “Bam is in for a big test. Estrada is proven. He looks fresh.”

The 34-year-old Estrada is a decade younger than the emerging Bam, a Mexican-American from San Antonio who is fighting in Phoenix for the second straight time after his pound-for-pound attention-getting victory over Sunny Edwards last December at Desert Diamond Arena in nearby Glendale.

A big victory over the accomplished Estrada could vault Rodriguez into the top of the pound-for-pound debate alongside Naoya Inoue, Oleksandr Usyk and Terence Crawford, according to Hearn.

“He’s only 24 years old,” the promoter said. “He’s just beginning. A phenomenal performance here against Estrada would set up some enormous fights.”

Phenomenal probably means a stoppage. Bam sounded confident that he could pull one off against the tactically-skilled Estrada, the son of a Mexican fisherman who grew up 215-miles south of Phoenix in a town named Puerto Penasco..

“I think I have the skills to stop any one,” Bam said.

But he also knows he never faced anybody better than Estrada, the World Boxing Council’s 115-pound champion.

“This is my biggest fight ever,” Bam said.

Estada, nicknamed El Gallo, says he stands in the way of Bam’s bold ambitions.

“It’s going to be a real good weekend, especially for the Mexican people,” Estrada said. “It’s a chance to show that El Gallo still has things to do in this sport.” 

By Norm Frauenheim –

PHOENIX – Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez once looked at Juan Francisco Estrada and saw an idol

Now, he sees a rival.

“The first time I saw him, I wanted to be like him,’’ Rodriguez said.

Now, he wants to beat him.

Rodriguez will get that chance on June 29 at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix.

It’s an intriguing fight, junior-bantamweight according to some of the acronyms. But there’s nothing junior about it. It’s Super Fly, 115 pounds loaded with a chance to be as compelling as any fight up and down boxing’s scale.

“It’s what I think will be Fight of the Year,’’ Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn said at a news conference Wednesday on a stage located just off the Phoenix Suns home floor.

Hearn is expected to say those kinds of things, of course. He’s a promoter, after all. Hyperbole is part of the job. But he’s right-on this time. It’s hard to overstate this fight’s potential.

It matches tested experience against a younger man’s bold confidence.

Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs), the defending champion, is a 34-year-old tactician from a Mexican fishing village, Puerto Penasco, about a five-hour drive south of Phoenix. He’s got some scars and lots wisdom to go with his proven ring IQ.

Then, there’s Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs), a 24-year-old from San Antonio with a cartoon-like nickname. Bam, it’s a word straight out of a comic book. But that power is no joke.

Just ask Sunny Edwards, who suffered from it in losing a violent beatdown — a ninth-round stoppage — in Bam’s last visit to the Phoenix area in December at Desert Diamond Arena in nearby Glendale.

“I’m a different breed,’’ said Rodriguez, who will be fighting for the third time in Arizona. “I’m a different animal. Come June 29, expect fireworks.’’

Rodriguez might need fireworks and more against Estrada, whose skillset was enough to score a majority decision over the accomplished Roman Gonzalez in a second rematch about 19 months ago, also at Desert Diamond.

It’s not clear how the long stretch between bouts will affect Estrada. An idle champion is a vulnerable one. At least, that’s the theory.

In his long career, however, he’s encountered some of the best, including three fights against Roman Gonzalez, the lightest fighter to ever be voted No. 1 in the various pound-for-pound ratings.

It’s no wonder, perhaps that he and his management look at Rodriguez and question his experience, if not his maturity.

“We’ll see if Bam is still in diapers or is potty-trained,’’ Estrada promoter/manager Juan Hernandez said Wednesday. “…Perhaps, he’s being fed leftovers.’’

That made Bam trainer Robert Garcia smile. It also prompted a counter from Bam, who mostly is known for letting his punches do the talking.

“People didn’t think I could stop (Srisaket Sor) Rungvisai,’’ Rodriguez said. “They probably didn’t think I could stop Sunny Edwards. They probably don’t think I can stop Estrada.

“But I’m here to shock the world.’’

LAS VEGAS–The face of Mexican boxing has aged.

But it hasn’t changed.

It’s still Canelo, now bearded, yet still proud and stubborn That inexhaustible streak of stubborn pride was there, a force that withstood a younger man’s challenge throughout 12 rounds Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Canelo Alvarez won it, scoring a unanimous decision over fellow Mexican Jaime Munguia.

“It means a lot,’’ Canelo (61-2-2, 3 KOs) said moments after the 117-110, 116-111, 115-112 scores were announced. ‘’I like this guy a lot. He is gentleman.”

But, he went on to say: “I’m the best. I’m the best fighter right now.’’

He might get an argument from Terence Crawford or Naoya Inoue. David Benavidez, who was in the T-Mobile crowd, might want a chance to prove him wrong. But on this night, there was no argument, especially from the 27-year-old Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs).

In the fourth, Canelo began to exert control. The spring in Munguia’s opening step was gone. He dropped his left hand.

Canelo saw it and capitalized with predatory instinct. He landed a wicked uppercut, followed by a body shot. Suddenly, Munguia was down on the canvas, his eyes empty of an earlier confidence.

For the next couple of rounds, Canelo ruled, patiently and thoroughly. By then, Munguia knew there was still power in the older man’s hands. He was wary. He was smart.

He knew what he had seen in Canelo’s last several fights. He had studied the video. Munguia would wait until the seventh to re-assert himself in an effort to test the theory that Canelo tires in the second half of fights.

In the opening moments of the seventh, Munguia backed Canelo up and into his corner.

But Canelo didn’t stay there. He stepped forward and broke through Munguia’s up-raised gloves with punches accented by deadly power.

It was a pivotal moment, a sure sign that Canelo was there to go the distance. He stood his ground in the eighth, the ninth and the 10th. He took punches. Landed punches.

“I took my time,”

Canelo said. “I have a lot of experience. Munguia is a great fighter. He’s strong and smart. But I have 12 rounds to win the fight and I did. I did really good, and I’m proud of it.

“He’s strong, but he’s a little slow. I could see every punch. That’s why I’m the best.”

At times, it looked like a standoff. But Canelo went into the final two rounds with a key edge. He had that fourth-round knockdown in the bank and he would fight to protect it with experience, tactical knowhow and stamina not often seen in the super-middleweight champion over the last couple of years.

In the first round, Munguia’s length and quick hands seemed to surprise Canelo.

On young legs, Munguia moved side to side, again seemingly surprising Canelo with his athleticism.

In the second, a wary Canelo began to look for a way to slow down Munguia. He landed a couple of warning shots, first a body blow and then a quick combo.

But Munguia, looking like a tireless kid on the playgrounds, responded by bouncing on his toes and firing straight shots at a backpedaling Canelo.

“I came out strong and was winning the early rounds,” Munguia said. “I let my hands go, but he’s a fighter with a lot of experience. The loss hurts because it’s my first loss and I felt strong.” 

The announced crowd of more than 17,000 was divided. For some, the young Munguia has a working-class appeal no longer there in the wealthy, celebrated Canelo.

Munguia’s entrance was cheered by folks in cheaper seats in T-Mobile’s upper deck.

Then, there was Canelo, cheered by folks in expensive seats on the floor and in the lower bowl.

At opening bell, the arena was a clash of chants.

First, Munguia, Munguia.

Then, Canelo, Canelo.

In the end, there was only Canelo.

Still Canelo.

Marios Barrios wins unanimous decision

Mario Barrios, a junior-welterweight champion and an emerging welterweight, scored a knockdown, but not a knockout out of a name synonymous with resilience.

Fabian Maidana is not as well-known as his brother, Marcos Maidana.

But the name sticks around mostly because the brothers know how to. Marcos did it against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Fabian did it against a bigger, stronger Barrios in a. fight for an interim 147-pound title in the last boutt before the Canelo Alvarez-Jaime Munguia main event at T-Mobile Arena Saturday night.

Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs), of San Antonio, put Fabian (22-3, 16 KOs), of Argentina, on

to the canvas with a straight right hand in the second round. Then, it looked as if the end was near. But it was not. Fabian kept coming back, kept rocking Barrios’ head with piston-like pouches that started with an accurate jab. By the end of the 12-round bout, Barrios’ right eye was an ugly welt, swollen shut

Barrios had trouble seeing.  But not winning. On the judges cards, it was unanimous, 116-111 on all three, for Barrios. He won, but not as easily as expected because of another Maidana

Figueroa knocks out Magdaleno

Jessie Magdaleno had no chance at winning the title. Turns out, he didn’t have much of a chance against Brandon Figueroa either.

Magdaleno (29-3, 18 KOs), who forfeited his eligibility for a World Boxing Council’s interim belt when he failed to make weight, was simply no match for the busier, stronger Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KOs), of Weslaco TX.

In the opening rounds of the featherweight bout on the Canelo-Munguia card, Magdaleno tried to smother Figueroa. Instead, he often smothered any potential excitement. In the fifth, however, Figueroa delivered a low blow, a painful uppercut. Magdaleno fell. He was on hands and knees. His face was flat on the canvas. He was in evident pain. Somehow, he recovered, but not enough to give him a shot at victory.

In the ninth, Figueroa finished him, first with a sweeping right hook and then body shot. At 2:59 of the round. referee Allen Huggins counted Magdaleno out.

Stanionis retains welterweight title

Eimantas Stanionis, cool and efficient throughout 12 rounds, controlled pace, distance and — in the end — the World Boxing Association’s welterweight title.

In only his first title defense, Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOS) fought with the authority of a longtime champion, leaving challenger Gabriel Maestre (6-1-1, 5 KOs) few opportunities in a one-sided display of patience and tactical skill. 

Maestre, of Venezuela, was never off his feet. But he never had much of a chance either, losing a unanimous decision to the unbeaten Lithuanian on the Canelo-Munguia card.

Jesus Ramos back with a knockout

It was the right way to end a comeback.

Jesus Ramos (21-1, 17 KOs), a junior-middleweight prospect from Casa Grande AZ,  punctuated his  with a stoppage, a technical knockout of a tough Venezuelan, Johan Gonzalez (34-3, 33 KOs) Saturday on the card featuring Canelo Alvarez-Jaime Munguia at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Ramos, fighting for the first since his lone loss — a controversial decision to Erickson Lubin in September, began to take control of the fight in the fifth. He was moving forward, stubbornly forward, with powerful shots that drove Gonzalez into the ropes. In the sixth, however, a head butt left Ramos with a nasty cut over his left eye. 

The bloody gash seemed to take away much of Ramos’ momentum. But he regained it with heavy-handed shots delivered from a crouch.. His hands were down. 

But the power was deadly. In the ninth, it finished Gonzalez, first with a left-handed counter that put him on his back. Then there was a succession of blows, including a big right hand that knocked Gonzalez again. At 2:56 of the ninth, it was over, Ramos a TKO winner and and presumably on his way back to being a young fighter with championship potential  

BELOW BOUTS BY MARC ABRAMS

World-ranked junior middleweight Vito Mielnicki Jr. hammered out a 10-round unanimous decision over Ronald Cruz.

At the end of round three, Mielnicki dropped Cruz with a left hook just as the bell sounded. Mielnicku dumped him again with the same punch just before round four concluded.

Mielnicki landed 187 of 605 punches. Cruz was 143 of 460.

Mielnicki, 153.6 lbs of Roseland, NJ won by scores of 99-89, 98-90 and 96-92 and is now 18-1. Cruz, 153.2 lbs of Los Angeles is 19-4-2.

Alan David Picasso remained undefeated by stopping former world title challenger Damien Vazquez in round five of their 10-round super bantamweight bout.

Picasso, 121 lbs of Mexico City is now 28-0-1 with 16 knockouts. Vazquez, 122.2 lbs of Las Vegas is 17-4-1.

William Scrull scored a knockdown en-route to an eight-round unanimous decision over Sean Hemphill in a super middleweight bout.

Scrull dropped Hemphill in round five in the fight which eventually led to scores of 79-72, 78-73 and 76-75.

Scrull, 167.2 lbs of Matanzas, CUB is now 22-0. Hemphill, 167.4 lbs of New Orleans is now 16-2.

Lawrence King won a six-round unanimous decision over Anthony Holloway in a light heavyweight contest.

King, 181.2 lbs of San Bernadino, CA won by scores of 59-55 on all cards and is now 16-1. Holloway, 177.4 lbs of Peoria, IL is 7-4-3.

Adrian Torres won a six-round unanimous decision over Arsen Poghosyan in a lightweight bout.

Torres, 136.6 lbs of Tijuana, MEX won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 8-0. Poghosyan, 126.2 lbs of Yerevan, ARM is 3-2-1.

Julian Bridges won a six-round unanimous decision over Jabin Chollet in a battle of undefeated super lightweights

Bridges, 138.4 lbs of Antioch, CA won by scores of 59-55 on all cards and is now 5-0. Chollet, 139.8 lbs of San Diego is 9-1.

By Norm Fraueneim –

LAS VEGAS – David Benavidez is ready to move on from years of waiting on Canelo Alvarez, yet he still hasn’t eliminated the chance that one day he might fight the celebrated Mexican.

Just hours before Canelo faced super-middleweight challenger Jaime Munguia Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena, Benavidez said he was poised to go his own way, upscale and away from his frustrating pursuit of Canelo.

“I want to make my own lane at 175 pounds, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,’’ Benavidez said at a news conference announcing his light-heavyweight date against ex-champ Oleksandr Gvozdyk on a June 15 card featuring Tank Davis-Frank Martin at the MGM Grand. “I’ve done everything I can at 168 pounds.

“The only thing was a fight for the unified title, but Canelo wouldn’t give me the fight.’’

Throughout the days before opening bell for Canelo-Munguia, there were mixed messages from boxing’s pay-per-view star about whether he might agree to fight Benavidez in September.

Yes?

No?

Let’s just say Canelo is a definite maybe.

But the 27-year-old Benavidez can’t wait around. He’s entering his prime. His body is maturing, which inevitably will force him out of the junior-middleweight division. Saturday, Benavidez, a former two-time 168-pound champion, even mentioned cruiserweight.

There are many in the media who think the Phoenix-born fighter will eventually fight at heavyweight.

“If Canelo was there for us in September, yeah, we’d consider it,’’ Benavidez father and trainer Jose told 15 Rounds after the formal part of the news conference. “We could go back down to 168. But whatever Canelo decides, we’ve got to move forward.’’

Against Gvozdyk, the unbeaten Benavidez has a chance to move into position for a 175-pound title. But even that wasn’t as clear Saturday as it had been a few days ago because of a knee injury suffered by Artur Beterbiev.

Beterbiev was scheduled to fight Dmitry Bivol on June 1 in Saudi Arabia. It’s not clear whether another opponent will be found for Bivol or the date with Beterbiev will be postponed to later in the year.

The plan was for the Benavidez-Gvozdyk winner to fight the Beterbiev-Bivol winner for a unified light-heavy title.

“If I can’t be a unified super-middleweight champ, I want to be unified at light-heavy,’’ Benavidez told 15 Rounds. “I want to create my own legacy.

“I just think that Canelo is leaving a great fight, a historical one, on the table.’’

It’s no surprise that the Tank-Martin part of the newser was contentious. Tank tried to slap Martin. He screamed insults at him. It wouldn’t be Tank without trash talk.

“You ain’t nothing, you’re from the suburbs,’’ Tank said to Martin, born in Detroit and now a resident of Indianapolis

Davis, the reigning lightweight champion and a leading pound-for-pound contender, hasn’t fought in more than 12 months, a stretch that included some time behind bars in Baltimore. His last fight was an April, 2023 stoppage of Ryan Garcia, boxing’s undisputed KingChaos. The Ryan reign has become a controversial circus.

“I’m just happy to be back,’’ said Tank, who was nearly an hour late for the news conference. “I’ve been in jail, been on house arrest.

“Things like that.’’

By Norm Frauenheim –

LAS VEGAS – It was a so-called ceremony, meaning there was no controversy until Ryan Garcia showed up.

Canelo Alvarez and Jaime Munguia made weight early Friday, Canelo at 166.8 pounds and Munguia 167.4, behind closed doors and for the regulators at the official weigh-in.

Hours later, they repeated the performance, this time for a roaring crowd on a pavilion in front of T-Mobile Arena where they’ll finally fight Saturday (Amazon Prime/pay-per-view card/5 pm PT, 8 pm ET). Neither the plot nor the weights changed.

“I feel very good, like I’m in my prime,’’ said Canelo (60-2-2, 34 KOs), the undisputed super-middleweight champion whose readiness has been evident throughout a week that included an edgy confrontation with promoter Oscar De La Hoya.

De La Hoya was there, ceremonial in his presence and also wearing a T-shirt with a message that at least hinted at some controversy.

Eat More Meat, the shirt said.

Clearly, it was a reference to his furnace blast full of insults at Canelo during a news conference Wednesday at the MGM Grand. That’s when De La Hoya reminded Canelo of his positive test for Clenbuterol, a steroid found in Mexican beef, in March 2018.

Canelo responded angrily. He got out of his chair and walked toward De La Hoya with some evident menace in every step. He alleged that De La Hoya wasn’t paying his fighters what they were promised.

The next day, their attorneys exchanged letters. They weren’t menacing. The words belonged on a legal brief instead of a T-shirt. Still, they were just another sign of how wide and deep the divide is between Canelo and De La Hoya, his former promoter.

Lost amid it all: Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs), the 27-year-old challenger from Tijuana who will be fighting at 168 pounds for only the second time.

The Canelo-De La Hoya rancor and Ryan Garcia’s PED controversy has almost turned him into a footnote.

But this footnote promises to upset Canelo, the proud face of Mexican boxing for years.

“Tomorrow, I will be the new world champion,’’ Munguia said after he appeared to nod at Canelo in a gesture of respect at the end of their ritual face-off for the cameras.

By then, the weigh-in was over. But Ryan Garcia was just getting started. He showed up in the crowd of about 3,000 and immediately attracted a crowd of reporters. That’s when he continued to say that his positive test for Ostarine, an anabolic derivative, before his upset of Devin Haney on April 20, was fraudulent.

“I don’t cheat, bro, this is God given,” Garcia said. “Of course, I’ll take (the ‘B’ sample). But who’s to say if they tainted the ‘A’ sample that they won’t taint the ‘B’ sample?

“At the end of the day, this is an inside job.”

At the end of the day, Ryan Garcia has turned the Canelo-Munguia promotion into his own bully pulpit.

He won’t answer an opening bell Saturday. But it’s safe to say he’ll continue to dominate the media.

Jesus Ramos, back after his first loss

Jesus Ramos (20-1, 16 KOs), a promising junior-middleweight from Casa Grande AZ, will fight on the untelevised portion of the card.

He faces Venezuelan Johan Gonzalez (34-2, 33 KOS). The bout is Ramos’ first since his lone loss to Erickson Lubin in a controversial decision in September.

“I learned from my first defeat,’’ Ramos said. “I learned a lot. It was really hard. But I’m hungrier than ever now.’’

By Norm Frauenheim –

LAS VEGAS – Ryan Garcia, self-proclaimed royalty, has been KingRy. Then, KingFly

These days, call him KingChaos.

The chaos, a kingdom seemingly without borders, continued to spread this week amid an explosive report Wednesday that he tested positive for a banned performance-enhancer days before his stunning upset of Devin Haney.

The news, first reported by longtime boxing journalist Dan Rafael, broke within hours after the King’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya got into a profane, edgy exchange with Canelo Alvarez at a newser just a few days before Canelo’s super-middleweight fight against fellow Mexican Jaime Munguia Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

But the De La Hoya-Canelo confrontation was quickly pushed aside, if not exactly forgotten, by Garcia, who increasingly dominates and disrupts all the oversees.

About twelve hours after the PED story hit amid the usual collection of allegations, denials, conspiracy theories and ominous questions, there was another news conference at the MGM Grand, this time for the Canelo-Munguia undercard. 

The room was full. The undercard fighters were on stage, front and center. But the talk was all about the King’s latest episode.

For now, we only know that, according to a letter from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), Garcia tested positive for Ostarine, an anabolic derivative twice in the days before opening bell against Haney on April 20 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

A second banned substance, 19-norandrosterone, was also reported, but still not proven, according to reports. Further tests are planned.

In other words, this story is just developing.

De La Hoya’s company, Golden Boy Promotions, issued a statement:

“Ryan has put out multiple statements denying knowingly using any banned substances—and we believe him. We are working with his team to determine how this finding came to be and will address this further once we conclude that process.”

The New York State Athletic Commission (NYAC) also said it will investigate.

‘The Commission is in communication with VADA and is reviewing the matter,’’ it said in a statement.

Even Canelo — composed instead of angry — peached patience.

“Let’s wait,’’ he said Thursday in an interview along radio row.

Canelo has been there, of course. The Nevada Athletic Commission suspended him for six months in 2018 after he tested positive for clenbuterol, a steroid found in contaminated Mexican beef.

He was branded a cheater then. De La Hoya reminded him of that Wednesday, saying he tested positive twice.

That was wild, but not as wild as the ongoing controversy surrounding Garcia, who said he never cheated and that the story was a fabrication.

“Fake news,’’ Garcia posted, using a well-worn term so often heard from a former President and presumptive nominee for another term, running this time – pundits say – as a wannabe King.

Garcia’s posts were met with some inevitable skepticism by a social media population that only Gallup can count. Garcia followers had watched him produce countless bizarre posts over the weeks since the Haney fight was announced in late February.

To wit: There’s Garcia, apparently posing with a joint. There’s Garcia, posing with an empty bottle of alcohol.

Even on the day before overwhelming Haney, Garcia stepped on the scale for a mock weigh-in after coming in 3.2 pounds above the mandatory 140 at the real weigh-in.

On the scale, he grasped what looked to be a beer bottle. Maybe, it was Pale Ale. Maybe, air. Maybe, apple juice. Whatever was in that bottle, he chugged.

It’s no wonder there’s skepticism on social media. His followers would have been surprised if he had not tested positive for something.

For now, however, only the process can play out. If it proves the PED abuse, then it’s time for the next step. The UK Anti-Doping Agency suspended Amir Kahn for two years after he tested positive for Ostarine after a loss to Kell Brook in March 2018. Khan never fought again.

It’s just one precedent. But, for now, let’s heed Canelo’s wisdom.

Let’s wait.

By Norm Frauenheim –

Ryan Garcia, the actor, chugged like it was last call at a crowded bar before stepping onto a scale at a weigh-in before his dramatic upset of Devin Haney.

It’s not clear what was in the brown bottle. Could have been beer. Could have been air. Garcia later said it was apple juice

By now, of course, we know that Garcia says a lot of things. To wit: He also said he drank, fully fermented and aged, throughout training camp. Only Haney suffered the hangover.

It doesn’t matter. The bottle was a prop. So was the scale.

The weigh-in was a show.

A sham, too.

It was one of those so-called “ceremonial” weigh-ins. It’s not clear how they became ceremonial.

Nothing about a weigh-in resembles a graduation, or a wedding, or an anniversary. Those are holidays, celebrations. But there’s nothing to celebrate in scripted weigh-ins, staged hours after the real thing happens behind closed doors on the morning the day before opening bell the following night.

Increasingly, however, the staged weigh-in is becoming part of the process before major fights.

Early on, it looked as if it was a way for commissions to do their work away from crowds and chaos interfering with regulatory procedure.

The staged version later in the afternoon, open to the public, retained the theatrics, including the face-to-face stare down for the cameras. That sells tickets and pay-per-view. It keeps the promoters, networks and book keepers happy.

More and more, however, the process has been manipulated in ways that rob fans of transparency.

When the morning weigh-ins were first introduced a couple of years ago, media were notified and often able to witness them.

But, now, they’re closed and seldom announced, leaving reporters to get the weights through sources who were there.

Meanwhile, many fans are just discovering that there’s nothing real about what they’re seeing in the afternoon.

There was some surprise among many that the live-streamed weigh-in for Garcia-Haney was fake, perhaps as phony as whatever was in that bottle Garcia brought to the stage.

It was announced that Garcia was 3.2 pounds heavier than the 140 mandatory. In fact, we only know that he was 3.2 too heavy five-to-six hours earlier.

No telling how much heavier he was at the staged weigh-in. Then, he was announced to be at 143.2, give or take a bottle. But that was just part of the show.

It’s fair to say he already had begun to put on pounds. He blew off making weight intentionally. That was part of the game plan.

The World Boxing Council belt didn’t matter. Only the victory did, which might have been worth $50 million for him.

That’s the number Garcia posted on social media this week. He also posted $35 million for Haney. He didn’t provide any proof, 180 or otherwise.

Haney, too, blew up in weight. He always has. But the weight – 10, 15 maybe 20 additional pounds — has always been speculation.

Weight at opening bell for Garcia and Haney for last Saturday’s fight in New York are closely-held secrets and will continue to be.

On any scale, however, it’s dangerous business. A radical overnight loss and gain in weight isn’t exactly a health plan.

Yet, it’s a tactic, a way to augment power, and a rehydrated Garcia had plenty of that in his three-knockdown scorecard victory.

Rehydration is more than a contract clause. Increasingly, It’s a weapon for any fighter in divisions other than heavyweight. A rehydrated fighter is a better fighter. That’s a theory, subject to time and physical differences.  But by how much? Plug in your guesstimate here.

Yet, it clearly worked for Garcia, and it has increasingly become an ominous practice, one that erodes the credibility of victories and creates the potential for dangerous mismatches.

The ceremonial weigh-in, five to six hours after the real one, has only provided more time to rehydrate. It’s an enabler.

From this corner, there’s only one real solution: Go back to weigh-ins on the day of the fight.

That one, however, is not realistic, at least not now. There have been too many years of weigh-ins with all of the trash talk, threats and face-to-face drama. They are a well-rehearsed ritual, as fundamental to the scarred business as a cheap shot.

Now, however, fighters — always in search of an edge — have a few more hours to gain one. Or several.

But there is a way to limit that edge. Eliminate the ceremonial, which Ryan Garcia celebrated with a powerful shot of mockery.

By Norm Frauenheim –

It was a moment that summed up a fight that is interesting, even intriguing for reasons still hard to read.

Ryan Garcia threw away a book.

It was a response to a mocking gesture, a paper-back from Bill Haney.

The title: Psychology For Dummies.

Garcia flung it into an audience full of dummies at the final news conference for the contentious Devin Haney-Garcia fight Saturday (DAZN, 5 pm PT/8 pm ET) at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

Garcia, who was wearing what looked to be a flak jacket throughout the live-streamed newser, didn’t smile. It’s safe to say he didn’t get the joke.

There haven’t been a whole lot of laughs throughout the build-up before the bout for Haney’s junior-welterweight title.

Garcia has been throwing away a lot of proverbial books in an erratic path to opening bell. The book on trash-talk-at-its-best is to do it with a wink and a clever smile.

Bill Haney, Devin’s father and trainer, might have had that in mind when he arrived at the podium and delivered the sly punch-line, perhaps as a way to take off some of the anger on the fight’s sharpening edge

But it looked as if Garcia didn’t get the message. He still looked angry, a fighter fighting himself with a look he’s had throughout a bizarre succession of taunts, threats and temper tantrums posted on social media.

There’s no shortage of opinions about what he’s doing. From crazy to calculated, everybody has one, including this corner. We’re all dummies. Maybe, that’s why Garcia tossed that book into the crowd. Only he knows.

“Something is wrong with this m-effer,’’ Haney said Thursday at the end of the newser, which did not include the traditional face-to-face ritual for the cameras.

But Haney, whose eyes were hidden by sunglasses throughout, couldn’t say exactly what was wrong. Maybe, his dad should have given his son a copy of that book, too.

The prevailing diagnosis is that Garcia’s wild, often dark rants are in fact a tactic – his way of confusing and angering Haney so much that he’ll make mistakes –leave himself open for a big left hand — in a foolish pursuit of an early stoppage.

By when has Haney ever fought that way? At 25, he’s already known as cerebral. The book on Haney is that he’s guided by poise and discipline.

There was a sign, perhaps, that Garcia was getting to him earlier this week when both faced off for the media at the top of the Empire State Building. Haney appeared to reach for Garcia’s throat. Then, he shoved him.

But Haney did the same thing against the accomplished Vasiliy Lomachenko at the weigh-in before their fight last May in Las Vegas. He nearly shoved Lomachenko off the stage.

The next night, Haney’s poise prevailed in scoring a unanimous decision over the skilled Ukrainian. The scorecards were debatable. But Haney’s discipline was not.

Against Garcia, Haney faces a different dynamic. His hands are fast. The power in his left is lethal. He’s explosive. But what happens if Haney’s disciplined defense eludes his early assaults? What does Garcia do next? More anger won’t get it done.

Garcia’s posts have been condemned and countered, evaluated and analyzed. You see the anger, but no patience.

Whatever the conclusions, it’s beginning to look as if Garcia is performing for his social media universe, a place never known for patience or accountability.

Only Gallup can count the number of Garcia followers. They’re hard to ignore, especially for any promoter. But they’re even harder to control. Garcia used to run them, but increasingly it looks as if things have switched. They’re running him, demanding more and more, all in the blink of virtual time.

“Social media and reality are two different things,’’ Garcia promoter Oscar De La Hoya said in a DAZN interview before Garcia and Haney arrived for Thursday’s newser.

They are, or at least they should be.

But the reality is also this: Without some newfound patience in Garcia, Haney will teach him that social media is not a skill set.

By Norm Frauenheim –

It’s hard to keep track of Ryan Garcia. A fighter, often called one-dimensional within the ropes, is a personality with multiple dimensions outside of them.

From crazy to common sense, there’s no end to Garcia’s many roles. He’s got more of them than he’s had trainers.

One day, funny.

One day, frightening.

Maybe it’s schtick. Maybe, it’s strategy. Maybe, it’s social media.

In a sport built on feints, however, it could just be boxing’s familiar pre-fight plot — a mix of taunts, trash talk and threats.

Psychology-followed-by-a-punch has always been the game’s best combo.

If Garcia can distract Devin Haney with shifting rhetoric before opening bell for their compelling junior-welterweight fight on April 20, maybe he can land that big left hand after it begins.

The latest version of Garcia, perhaps at his mercurial best, showed up Tuesday at a media workout in Dallas, looking and sounding a lot different than the weary and distracted Garcia who appeared at a disturbing news conference in Los Angeles in late February.

Then, Garcia arrived at the newser on a horse. After it was over, there were bets that the horse had a better chance at making it to the ring at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center than Garcia did.

For the next several days, there were dark social-media posts that suggested Garcia needed a clinical psychologist more than a ringside physician.

In one, he’s smoking a joint. In another, he finishes off a bottle of wine, talks about the devil and angrily tells his population of followers that he’s only doing what they do.

Then, it sounded as though the fight within himself was a lot more dangerous than a fight with Haney ever could be.

But on Tuesday we saw a composed, focused Garcia, seemingly ready to fight. He ended opening remarks in a DAZN interview with a pointed message for the favored Haney and his father/trainer, Bill Haney.

“You thought I wasn’t going to make it to the fight,’’ he said. “I bet that you hoped I got pulled out. I bet that you hoped it was some kind of mental-health issue.

“But guess what? I’m right here, I’m right here. I’m going to see you in about a week-and-a-half, and I’m going to knock you the eff out in front of the world.’’

Just another line from an accomplished actor? Or a fighter poised to deliver on a promise in what would be a defining confirmation of evident boxing potential?

Against Haney, Garcia can answer both.

Be both, actor and fighter.

NOTES

-RIP, Gary Shaw: Boxing lost one of its true characters, former regulator and promoter Gary Shaw. He died at 79. He promoted Timothy Bradley, Shane Mosley, Winky Wright and Diego Corrales.

He put together the 2005 classic between Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo, perhaps the best bout in boxing’s modern era.

“I was sad to learn today about the passing of Gary Shaw,’’ Hall of Fame promoter Don King said through a publicist. “Gary’s contributions to the world of boxing were immense, and his passion for the sport was truly inspiring.

“He will be remembered not only for his expertise as a promoter but also for his dedication to the athletes he represented.

“Gary was always a stand-up guy who kept his word, and his spirit will live on. I loved him and we are going to miss him. My thoughts and condolences go out to his family.”

-Oscar Valdez, title favorite: Odds are that Oscar Valdez Jr. will have another belt before spring turns into summer.

The odds are about 5-1, the betting number attached to Emanuel Navarrete’s chances at beating Denys Berinchyk for a vacant World Boxing Organization lightweight title on May 18 in San Diego.

Navarrete, who is pursuing a fourth division title, is expected to relinquish the WBO’s junior-lightweight belt if he wins. Then, the acronym is expected to make Valdez its 130-pound champ. Valdez is coming off an impressive stoppage of Aussie Liam Wilson for an interim 130-pound title March 29 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale AZ.

By Norm Frauenheim –

Finally, David Benavidez is poised to take his first real step away from Canelo Alvarez in a move to re-define himself on his own terms with a light-heavyweight debut against Oleksandr Gvozdyk.

There’s yet to be a formal announcement, but Benavidez said Wednesday on a Fresh and Fit podcast that he expects to face Gvozdyk on June 22 instead of June 15, possibly in Houston at the Toyota Center.

The bout, he said, is expected to be on a PBC/Amazon Prime card featuring Gervonta Davis’ in his first fight in more than a year against Frank Martin.

Benavidez, a Phoenix-born fighter currently training in Miami, hasn’t exactly given up on the Canelo possibility.

But Canelo’s decision to fight Jaime Munguia on May 4 in Las Vegas and subsequent comments about a Benavidez fight, possibly in September, have left him without many options.

“We’re still trying to look for that Canelo fight,’’ said Benavidez, who at 27 will move up and out of the super-middleweight division in June.

But, he also said, “I don’t think that Canelo fight is gonna happen, so I’ve got to move on.’’

Canelo sent him that message a couple of weeks ago when he said he would only fight Benavidez for a prohibitive purse – “$150 million to $200 million.’’

That sounds as if it was just another way for Canelo to say it’s just not going to happen.

Initially, however, Canelo’s price tag fueled speculation that the Saudis would be interested. But apparently Canelo’s demands were even too rich for them.

Instead, Saudi Prince Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the oil-rich country’s General Entertainment Authority, said he’d be interested in the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol winner for the undisputed 175-pound title against Benavidez, if Benavidez beats Gvozdyk. Beterbiev-Bivol is set for June 1 in Riyadh.

Benavidez, who first indicated he was ready to move beyond Canelo last year, is still frustrated with Mexico’s pay-per-view star.

In deciding to fight Munguia in May, Canelo called Munguia “respectful’’ – a shot at Benavidez, who is not.

Over the last couple of years, Canelo has been angered by trash talk from Benavidez and his father/trainer Jose Benavidez Sr.

“Canelo,” Benavidez said, “is with this bull—-, ‘He needs to be respectful.’ 

“I’m not going to bow my knee to nobody, because I’ve earned my shot for the belts.’’

Benavidez is the World Boxing Council’s mandatory challenger to Canelo, the undisputed 168-pound champion. But the WBC has done nothing to enforce that so-called mandatory.

Instead, the WBC took the unusual step of announcing plans for Benavidez-Gvozdyk, a light-heavyweight eliminator for a fight with the Beterbiev-Bivol winner.

Usually, fights are planned and announced by the promoter, in this case PBC (Premier Boxing Champions). 

It was as if the WBC was offering Benavidez an alternative in an attempt to sidestep any controversy that would surround a threat to strip Canelo of the belt if he did not agree to face the unbeaten fighter from Phoenix.

“I try not to say too much,” Benavidez said, “because if I say he’s scared, people say I’m a hater. ‘What have you proved?’

“I’m the No. 1 contender. I don’t need to prove s—. I have beat the people they have told me to beat so I can fight for the title.

“I’ve done that over and over again. I’ve been his mandatory challenger for three years. That has never happened. Canelo is the money man right now.’’

Money equals power, and Canelo has plenty of both.

He’s already on record as saying he makes his own decisions.

“I will do what I want to do,’’ he told LA Times-Espanol in a video interview Thursday — a comment that will force Benavidez to do what he has to.

GLENDALE, Ariz. –Never count out Oscar Valdez Jr.

That’s been the story of his career, one that has included broken jaws and busted eyes.

But that will is still there, still unbroken

Add another chapter to the Valdez edition, an ongoing example of resilience.

If somebody was to ever write a song about Valdez, the lyric would be Never Quit.

It was there all over again Friday night with a seventh-round stoppage of Australian Liam Wilson in a victory at Desert Diamond Arena that puts Valdez at the brink of re-claiming a junior-lightweight world title.

“People say you’re 30-something, they say this, they say that,’’ said Valdez, who won an interim 130-pound title and may be elevated to the World Boxing Organization’s real champion if Emanuel Navarrete wins a lightweight title in May and vacates the junior-lightweight version. “But I always come back. I always want to come back.

“In life you lose. It happens. But you have an obligation to come back.’’

This time, he did just months after a punishing loss to Navarrete last summer, also at Desert Diamond. That loss resurrected the familiar doubts about Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs).

The end is near they said, especially against Wilson, who knocked down Navarrete last summer. Arguably, Wilson was of robbed of a victory, a huge upset, on that controversial night,

But the Wilson we saw against Navarrete may have been a mirage. Now, you can wonder whether Navarrete took the then unknown Aussie seriously.

But Valdez did. Very much so.

Seconds after opening bell, the chants started, from a Desert Diamond Arena crowd of 7,102, which was populated by much of Nogales, a Mexican town south of Tucson where Valdez grew up.

Oscar, Oscar.

But the taller Wilson silenced them, at least for a few minutes. Wilson came out aggressively, trying to employ his advantage in height and reach with a long jab.

Initially, it worked. But Valdez quickly adjusted, almost as if he knew what was coming.

In the late seconds of the opening round, he slowed down Wilson with a couple of wicked body shots.

A more tentative Wilson came out for the second round. Valdez’ bodywork was an effective warning. Wilson’s forward progress stalled.

Valdez went on the attack, stepping inside and landing blows that appeared to bloody Wilson’s nose.

There was blood at his nostrils. In the third, however, there was also more aggression in the Aussie’s tactics.

Suddenly, he was willing to step inside and trade with Valdez. That, too left a mark, this time on Valdez. Suddenly there was swelling beneath his right eye.

But Wilson’s move inside proved to be his biggest mistake. That’s where Valdez is at his best. He brawls. He battles. The inside is his turf. By the fifth round, it was clear he had declared ownership of the bloody real estate.

In the seventh, he stunned a tiring Wilson with a big left hand. That was the beginning of the end.

“He caught me,’’ said Wilson (13-3, 7 KOs), who before opening bell vowed that he would knock out Valdez. Valdez saw Wilson stagger. Then, he capitalized, swarming him with punches. Wilson leaned on the ropes, looking defenseless.

Referee Mark Nelson had seen enough. He ended the fight at 2:48 of the with a stoppage that proved be a new beginning, another one, for Oscar Valdez Jr.

History; Made!

The build up to this fight was nothing short of fire works, as it should be. This one is for all the minimum weight belts (105llbs) and the chance to become the first ever Undisputed Women’s minimum weight champion. Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada 25-0(9KOs) out of East Los Angles, CA took on Yokasta Valle 30-2(9KOs) fighting out of San Jose, Costa Rica. Estrada having the WBC, WBA and Ring belts, and Valle with the WBO and IBF titles. 

In a surprise to most in the audience, Estrada was escorted to the ring by the phoenix and boxing legend Micheal Carbajal. Who is the fore father of boxing in Arizona with the linage of his talents some would say this is why boxing is here tonight. Another reason one would have to think is it mind games to have  the AZ fans on her side giving her one advantage.

Both fighters came in at a ready 104.2 lbs and ready to go at it. With the first round going a little less than exciting then the lead up. Valle came out of the round with a cut over her right eye from a accidental head butt. Estrada also did some work with landing some over hand rights to Valles head

Perhaps tasting blood estrada came out with more intensity looking to capitalize on the cut. Maybe a little too aggressive Estrada took some clean shots 

The third was the most exciting round of the night it is too bad that the rounds only last 2 minutes. Each fighter having their moments landing significant punches in a good ole fashion brawl. Picking up where they left off in the forth it was all action, estrada looking like the better boxer jabbing and moving and Valle the more of the power puncher. 

In the fifth round Valle once again proved to be the stronger fighter taking over as she stunned estrada with a right, left combo to the head. Valle did not let off the gas as she pressed estrada till the end of the round. After the mid way point of the fight estrada was still trying to out box her opponent but Valle had different plans landing some crowd pleasing punches. With a lot of fight in her, estrada landed a strong left hook of her own. 

The next following round were just unbelievable each fighter going back and forth with their best game plan Estrada with her boxing skill going to the body most often and Valle using her power against her. So far the crowd has been on their feet in the sold out Desert Diamond Arena. 

Round 9 seniesa came out with a little bull fighting antics, baiting Valle to come and fight. As the old saying goes mess with the bull, get the horns. Valle took her up on that and went after estrada, both going at until estrada went back to boxing. 

The 10^th and final round was nothing short of fireworks, from beginning to the end both leaving it all out in the ring. As the blood of Valle started to trickle down her face again but did not play a role in the fight, As it went to the score cards. With all 3 judges scoring it the same 97-93 in favor of “Super Bad” Seniesa Estrada becoming the first Undisputed Minimum Weight champion. 

This will be one the best women’s fights not only for the significance but the action inside the ring. They gave the fans a fight possible the fight of the night. —-DAVID GALAVIZ

Muratalla wins decision over Ndongeni in awkward fight

Skillset versus puzzle.

Raymond Muratalla, an unbeaten lightweight trained by Robert Garcia, had all the skill, enough of it to win a unanimous decision over South African Xolisani Ndongeni on the Valdez-Wilson car at Desert Diamond.

But Muratalla (20-0, 16 KOs) didn have an answer for Ndongeni’s mix of awkward athleticism and resilient energy. Muratalla just couldn’t finish him. He tried repeatedly, with head-rocking shots throughout the late rounds of a 10-rounder. 

But Ndongeni (31-5, 18 KOs)  answered each challenge with a wild hook, foot speed and — in the end — gestures that said he would not fall. Repeatedly, he shook his head at Muratalla. He lost, 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93. But, in the end, he survived.  

Delgado scores seventh-round KO

Lindolfo Delgado turned boos into cheers.

Delgado (20-0, 15 KOs), booed loudly for a dull performance in his last visit to Desert Diamond Arena about a year ago, brought the  crowd to its feet with a two-knockdown stoppage of fellow Mexican Carlos Sanchez (25-3, 19 KOs) on the Valdez-Wilson card.

In the fifth, Delgado knocked down Sanchez, his former teammate on the Mexican National Team, with a left-right combo. In the seventh, the former Mexican Olympian finished the job with a short hook to the chin that put Sanchez onto the canvas — flat on his face — for a knockout at 48 seconds of the seventh.

Richard Torrez goes to 9-0, all by KO

 Richard Torrez Jr. a fan-friendly heavyweight, says he doesn’t pursue knockouts.

Don’t tell that to his opponents.

There have been nine. Torrez (9-0, 9 KOs) stopped all of them. The latest was Don Haynesworth (18-9-1, 16 KOs), a North Carolina heavyweight who was finished within three minutes on an ESPN card featuring Oscar Valdez Jr. and Liam Wilson at Desert Diamond Arena. 

Torrez (9-0, 9 KOs), a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, unleashed more than 20 successive punches at a whirlwind rate. It looked as if most of them landed. At 2:19 of the first, referee Raul Caiz had seen enough. He ended it, a TKO. 

“I go in there to box,” Torrez said. “If a punch lands, it lands, I landed a body punch and I could kind of hear the air go out of him.” 

Sergio the home town attraction earned a unanimous Decision 

In what was a tall order before the fight having been sandwich between 2 of the top prospects on Top Rank Emiliano Vargas and Olympian Richard Torres. Sergio “Checo” Rodriguez in his return to the Desert Diamond Arena as he took on Sanny Duversome 12-6-2 (1KO) of Avon Park, Florida. Sergio stated earlier in the week he wanted to give the fans that came early a show.

Looking calm as if he has done this before, as he walked to the ring greeting the fans with a smile on his face. From the opening bell the fans made it known who they came to see. In what was mostly a feel out round sergio made the most of what he could get landing some clean shot, more importantly he showcased his head movement and eluding his opponents punches. 

The next 2 rounds were much of the same, however at the end of the 3^rd round Checo landed a few combination while backing Sonny into the ropes and then throwing his combos. He landed the best of the night at that point a upper cut followed by a shot to the body that got the crowd back into the fight. 

In the fourth both fighters came out with more intensity, with Checo winning the exchanges. Landing another uppercut with the left Checo stunned sonny which led to him backing into the ropes and Checos continued punches. Once Sanny got his legs back he than gave Checo some of his one medicine. 

The fifth was Sanny’s best round in what was still not much action. He caught checo with a clean left to the face. As the fight went on the crowd started to get inpatient and started with the boos. The best action came in at the last 10 seconds of the fight with both fighters exchanging till the closing bell. It went to the judges score card with one having it 60-54, and other 2 scoring it 59-55 all for Sergio “Checo” Rodriguez improving his record to 11-0-1 (8Kos). This was a really good challenge for Sergio who proved that he can go the distance and show his ring IQ and not just knocking his opponents out. The future is bright for him and will be exciting.—DAVID GALAVIZ 

Emiliano Vargas wins shutout decision

There was no knockout, but there was a workman-like performance from lightweight prospect Emiliano Vargas, who did a little bit everything in an evolving skill set for a shutout decision over Nelson Hampton in the fourth fight on the Valdez-Wilson card at Desert Diamond.

Vargas (9-0, 7 KOs), wearing silver shoes as bright as his future, displayed agile feet, good head movement and solid combinations, especially to the body, in a thorough victory over six rounds.

Vargas, whose legendary dad — Fernando Vargas — was in his corner, appeared to hurt Hampton (10-9, 6 KOs), of McAllen TX, with a body shot in the sixth. But Hampton held on, taking the bout to the scorecards.

Kid Kansas impressive in Top Rank debut

Alan Garcia didn’t waste any time showing just why Top Rank signed him.

Garcia (12-0, 10 KOs), a lightweight nicknamed Kid Kansas, didn’t kid around, delivering a multi-punch combo that left Gonzalo Fuenzalida (12-4, 3 KOs), of Chile, exhausted and slumped along the ropes, a TKO loser at 1:58 of the second round in the third bout on the Valdez-Wilson card.

Art Barrera scores lethal, second-round KO

It was short.

And lethal

Art Barrera Jr., (4-0, 4 KOs, a Robert Garcia-trained junior-welterweight, unleashed a left hand that traveled a few inches, landed and dropped Keven Soto (5-2, 3 KOs), who was unconscious before he hit the canvas at 2:17 of the the second round in the second bout on the Valdez-Wilson card at Desert Diamond

First Bell: Knee injury forces TKO end to opener

There were empty seats and echoes. But there was nothing else ordinary about First Bell, the opening bout Friday on a card featuring Oscar Valdez versus Liam Wilson at Desert Diamond Arena.

It ended in a limp.

Avner Hernandez Molina had an iron chin, but a glass knee.

Molina (4-4), a stocky junior-welterweight from Mexico City, absorbed repeated right hands from a long, lanky Ricardo Ruvalcaba (11-0-1, 10 KOs), of Ventura, CA. But in the fifth round, he ducked a wide, looping attempt and suddenly came up lame. Immediately, he bent over and grabbed his right knee, his face twisted in  evident pain. He couldn’t continue. At 1:44 of the fifth,  the matinee bout was, Ruvalcaba a TKO winner because of a knee injury.

By Norm Frauenheim –

PHOENIX — Not much separated Oscar Valdez and Liam Wilson on the scale.

Not much figures to separate them in the ring either Friday at Desert Diamond Arena in nearby Glendale in an intriguing junior-light fight (8 p.m./PT), a potential stepping stone to a world title.

Both came in under the 130-pound mandatory Thursday, Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) at 129.7 and Wilson (13-2, 7 KOs) at 129.6.

“I saw somebody who’s ready for war,’’ Wilson said after the ritual face-to-face stare down in a ballroom and lobby crowded with fans from Valdez’ Mexican hometown in Nogales, south of Tucson.

The weigh-in, at a hotel in downtown Phoenix, also included Seniesa Estrada and Yokasta Valle, who will fight for an undisputed women’s minimum-weight title on the ESPN televised card.

Both came in under the 105-pound mandatory, Estrada (25-0, 9 KOs) at 104.2 and Valle (30-2, 9 KOs) at 104.3.

There were only unblinking stares and no words between Estrada and Valle as they posed for the cameras the day before a women’s fight that has generated plenty of trash talk and lots of attention, including media from Costa Rica, Valle’s home country.

By Norm Frauenheim –

PHOENIX — Super Fly.

Super fight.

Juan Franciso Estrada and Jesse “Bam’’ Rodriguez, little guys with a huge chance at making some history, will fight on June 29 at an arena appropriately named Footprint Center, Matchroom Promotions announced Thursday.

It’s not often that fighters in the smallest weight classes ever occupy the center of boxing or have an opportunity to leave an enduring footprint on the sport’s storied past.

But that rare moment, a potential classic, now looms with Estrada and Rodriguez in a fight for the 115-pound title. Some of the acronyms might classify the weight as junior-bantam.

Sorry, nothing junior about.

Only Super, as in Super Fly.

It was a good movie. A great sound track. Thank you, Curtis Mayfield

It could be a better fight, a master mix of technical skill and head-rocking power.

“What a fight this is,” said Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, who first disclosed his plans for Estrada-Rodriguez in late January. https://www.15rounds.com/2024/01/27/eddie-hearn-looking-at-az-for-projected-super-fly-showdown/ “When the best fight the best, excitement is guaranteed, and there’s no doubt that these are two of the best fighters on the planet.

“There are so many plot lines for us all to get our teeth into in the build-up to this incredible clash. But when the bell goes, the talking will stop, and we will be treated to something very special.’’

Hearn, a London promoter, made the announcement about an hour before the weigh-in for the Oscar Valdez-Liam Wilson junior-lightweight fight Friday night at Desert Diamond Arena in nearby Glendale.

The weigh-in was staged at a downtown Phoenix hotel, within a couple of blocks of Footprint, the Suns home arena.

Initially, there were reports that the Estrada-Rodriguez would go to Desert Diamond, where Rodriguez beat UK flyweight Sunny Edwards in a violent stoppage last December.

Desert Diamond was booked. But Footprint was available. As it turns out, the move — location, location, location – was like everything else about this bout: It fits.

Footprint is a couple of miles within flyweight Michael Carbajal’s home. He helped open the place early in his Hall of Fame career in 1992. He left his footprint there when it was named after an airline.

Hearn is staging Estrada-Rodriguez in Phoenix, in large part because of a growing city’s traditional enthusiasm for fighters in the lightest weight classes.

“There are a lot of educated fans here,’’ Hearn said in January while in Phoenix for super-middleweight Jaime Munguia’s stoppage of John Ryder.

There are, many fans and fighters say, because of Carbajal, who will have a street in his neighborhood named for him in late April. The Phoenix City Council approved a proposal to do so at a meeting on March 20.

“One-hundred percent, it’s because of Michael,’’ said Rodriguez trainer Robert Garcia, who will work the corners for lightweight Raymond Muratalla against Xolisani Ndongeni and for welterweight Lindolfo Delgado versus Curtis Sanchez on the Valdez-Wilson undercard. “These Phoenix fans grew up with Michael.

“They know who they’re watching, what they’re watching.’’

Rodriguez will be making his third appearance in Phoenix. In December, he beat UK flyweight Sunny Edwards, scoring a violent stoppage at Desert Diamond.  In February 2002, he beat Carlos Cuadras, winning a Super Fly title with a unanimous decision at Footprint.

Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) is from San Antonio, but there was never much of a chance that the fight would happen in his hometown, Garcia said.

“No,’’ said Garcia, who says Rodriguez had agreed to terms a couple of weeks ago. “We just couldn’t ask Estrada to fight Bam’s hometown.’’

Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs), the World Boxing Council’s reigning Super Fly champion, is no stranger to the Phoenix area. He scored a majority decision over legendary Roman Gonzalez at Desert Diamond 18 months ago. He hasn’t fought since.

He was born, the son of a Mexican fisherman, in Puerto Penasco, a town that is located at the top of the Gulf of California, about a five-hour drive south of Phoenix – the right place for the right fight.

By Norm Frauenheim –

PHOENIX – Liam Wilson is back in a city for the first step in a mission to reclaim what he says was taken from him more than a year ago.

“Unfinished business,’’ Wilson says of his junior-lightweight fight against Oscar Valdez Friday in an ESPN-televised bout that could put him in position to finally possess the belt he believes he should already have.

Wilson will return to the same arena, Desert Diamond in nearby Glendale, in an attempt to finish some messy business that erupted into controversy on February 3, 2023.

Then, at least, an angry Wilson described the ring as though the canvas should have been surrounded by yellow crime tape instead of traditional ropes.

Emanuel Navarrete, Wilson said, got away with one.

Wilson, an Australian, knocked down the unbeaten Mexican in the fourth round.

Navarrete clearly hurt, spit out his mouthpiece in an apparent attempt to gain some time to recover his consciousness and composure. As it turned out, he got plenty. It took the referee 27 seconds to retrieve the mouthpiece.

Five rounds later, Navarrete went on to win a vacant World Boxing Organization 130-pound title with a ninth-round stoppage

But it wouldn’t have happened without that long count, said Wilson, the only fighter to put Navarrete on the canvas.

“The whole world saw it,’’ Wilson said Wednesday at the final news conference at a hotel ballroom in downtown Phoenix. “I should have been world champion.’’

Wilson did not file a formal complaint with the WBO or the Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission. He said Wednesday that he only complained to the promoter. But he also said that the Long Count controversy motivated him to return for a second shot at a world title.

“Arizona, I’m glad to be back,’’ said Wilson, a road warrior from Brisbane who trained in Thailand and Las Vegas.

Another shot at a title, — the same title – was created Tuesday when the WBO ruled that Wilson (13-2, 7 KOs) and Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) are fighting for an interim belt. What happens next depends on Navarrete.

In pursuit of a fourth division belt, he’s fighting for a vacant lightweight title against Ukrainian Denys Berinchyk on May 18 in San Diego

If Navarrete wins, as expected, he could decide to defend the 135-pound title and vacate the 130-pound version.

If that happens, the WBO announced that the Wilson-Valdez winner will be elevated from interim to real. Inevitable controversy would follow. You can already hear the social-media mob screaming “e-mail champion.’’

But, at least, it wouldn’t be a Long Count.

That controversy left some angry echoes and lessons. To wit: In his AZ return, Wilson has no illusions. It’ll be hard to win a decision.

Valdez, a former featherweight and junior lightweight champ, is favored in part because the crowd promises to be with him. He’s popular in Arizona. The two-time Mexican Olympian grew up in Nogales, about a three-hour drive from Phoenix. He has roots in Tucson

Despite his punishing loss by decision to Navarrete at Desert Diamond last August, the crowd cheered him.

“They said thank you for your performance,’’ Valdez said. “At first, I wondered why they were thanking me for a loss.’’

Above all, it was a sure sign that Valdez has some very loyal fans. They’re expected to be there for him Friday

He’ll have the crowd, leaving Wilson with a pretty good idea of what he has.

“No options,’’ he said. “I’ve come here to knock him out.’’ 

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By Norm Frauenheim –

PHOENIX – Kids and fans stood and waited in a line that stretched out into a parking lot and almost onto a busy westside street just for a chance to say hello to Oscar Valdez Jr.

Champ, they called him.

He hasn’t been one for a while.

But a real chance to prove them right all over again opened up Tuesday when the World Boxing Organization ruled that Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) and Liam Wilson (13-2, 7 KOs) will fight for the acronym’s interim junior-lightweight title at Desert Diamond Arena Friday night in nearby Glendale.

“It’s added motivation,’’ Valdez said after signing autographs for a crowd of moms, dads, kids and fans at Old School Boxing, a gym in the industrial section of central Phoenix. “I always train like I’m fighting for a world title.

“But that chance is closer now than I thought it would be.’’

Valdez, a former featherweight and junior-lightweight champion, said the news surprised him.

“I had no idea this might happen,’’ said Valdez, a popular fighter in Arizona who was born in the border town of Nogales and has roots in Tucson.

It did because of Emanuel Navarrete’s pursuit of a fourth division title. He’ll fight for the WBO’s vacant lightweight title against Ukrainian Denys Berinchyk on May 18 in San Diego.

In its ruling, the WBO announced that the Valdez-Wilson winner would be elevated to champion if the favored Navarrete beats Berinchyk and then decides to defend the 135-pound belt instead of the 130-pound version.

The announcement was not without controversy. The WBO currently ranks Wilson No. 2 and Valdez at No. 4.

The WBO’s top-ranked contender is unbeaten Albert Bell (27-0, 9 KOs), a Toledo fighter who is coming off a first-round KO of Jonathan Romero. The No. 3-ranked contender is Andre Cortes, also unbeaten (21-0, 12 KOs).

Valdez is coming off a punishing scorecard loss to Navarrete in August, also at Desert Diamond.

“I have a tough battle facing me now,’’ Valdez said. “That’s my focus.’’

Valdez is the betting favorite, but Wilson represents a significant challenge in an EPSN-televised bout. Wilson, an Australian still pursuing his first world title, lost a controversial bout to Navarrete in February, also at Desert Diamond.

In a wild fourth round, Wilson knocked down Navarrete, clearly hurting him. In an apparent attempt to gain extra time to recover, Navarrete spit out his mouthpiece.

On the clock, it was 27 seconds before the referee retrieved the mouth piece. It was time enough for Navarrete to regain his consciousness and composure.  

Five rounds later, Navarrete won, scoring a ninth-round TKO over Wilson to take the WBO’s 130-pound title.

It was vacant then. It might be again, leaving it open for the winner of a Friday night fight that suddenly has some heightened stakes.

By Norm Frauenheim –

Canelo Alvarez threw out a couple of numbers that would seem to eliminate any chance he’ll ever fight David Benavidez

“One-hundred-and-fifty million dollars to $200-million,’’ Canelo said this week at a news conference formally announcing his May 4 fight with Jaime Munguia at Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena.

Not even Donald Trump can come up with that kind of money these days.

It’s hard to know whether Canelo is serious, but conventional wisdom

suggests that the prohibitive purse numbers are just another way of Canelo telling Benavidez that it’s just not going to happen.

But fantasy numbers have also ignited more Benavidez-Canelo trash talk, which seemed to enter another inflationary spiral this week.

Benavidez fired back from Miami, where the Phoenix-born fighter is training for a light-heavyweight fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk, projected for June 15.

“Hopefully, after you make that $150 million, you have enough left over to buy a pair of nuts,” Benavidez said on his Instagram account.

Presumably, he wasn’t talking about a couple of Pistachios.

Nobody has yet given up on a Benavidez-Canelo possibility in September. Even Benavidez mentioned it in an Instagram post early Thursday.

“Just wait on it,’’ Benavidez posted. “don’t be surprised when this fight happens in September.’’

First, however, a lot would have to happen. Canelo has to beat Munguia. That’s considered likely. From this corner, however, Munguia has a real chance to take Canelo’s undisputed super-middleweight title in what would be a huge upset.

The 26-year-old Munguia, who in January did what Canelo could not in stopping John Ryder in Phoenix, has young legs. If he can take the fight into the late rounds – say, the eighth — he’s got a shot.

It’s no secret that Canelo runs out of gas down the stretch.

Then, there’s Benavidez, who will get a look at his future at a heavier weight against the competent Gvozdyk, a former 175-pound champion.

As of Thursday, there was still no word on where Benavidez and Gvozdyk will fight on a card also expected to feature Tank Davis, who hasn’t fought since last April’s stoppage of Ryan Garcia.

Moving on up

Emanuel Navarrete’s move up to lightweight is official. He’ll fight Ukrainian Denys Berinchyk on May 18 for a vacant World Boxing Organization in San Diego, Top Rank announced this week.

Navarrete, already a three-division champ, is expected to win. If he does, he figures to vacate the WBO junior-lightweight title.

That could open the door for the Oscar Valdez-Liam Wilson winner to land a possible shot at the vacated belt.

Valdez and Wilson, both beaten by Navarrete last year, fight March 29 – next week Friday — at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, AZ in the main event on an ESPN-televised card.

By Norm Frauenheim –

It looks as if stakes for the Oscar Valdez-Liam Wilson fight March 29 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, AZ have been heightened by news this week that Emanuel Navarrete and Denys Berinchyk are in negotiations for a vacant lightweight title.

The news, reported by ESPN Knockout Wednesday, could put the Valdez-Wilson winner in line for the World Boxing Organization’s junior-lightweight (130-pound) title if Navarette beats Berinchyk for the WBO’s 135-pound belt in a bout projected for May 18 in San Diego.

Navarrete retained the WBO’s version of the junior-lightweight belt in a punishing decision over Valdez last August, also at Desert Diamond. Navarrete, already a champion at three weights, has talked about moving up the scale in pursuit of a fourth.

He would be the likely favorite against Berinchyk. If he beat the Ukrainian, he’s likely to defend the new title and relinquish the old one, a potential scenario with immediate significance for Valdez-Wilson later this month.

Valdez, a former champion at featherweight and junior-lightweight, wants to regain a title.

“This is definitely a crossroads fight because it will determine who gets closer to a world-title opportunity,’’ he said this week from his training camp in San Diego. “My goal for 2024 is to be a world champion again. I miss being a world champion. Boxing is my life. If you are not striving to be the best, then what are you doing in this sport?

“I always train hard to be the best. So, this fight means everything because winning this will put me one step closer to a world-title shot.”

For Wilson, the unfolding story could lead to a second chance at his first world title. In a controversial fight in February 2023 at Desert Diamond, Wilson floored Navarrete in the fourth round. Navarrete, dazed, spit out his mouthpiece. Wilson, an Australian now training in Las Vegas, argued that Navarrete – with help from the referee — bought himself some extra time to recover. Navarrete went on to win the belt, then vacant, by a ninth-round TKO.

It’s expected that the Valdez-Wilson fight, initially called a special attraction by Top Rank, will be for the WBO’s so-called interim title.

In the WBO’s current 130-pound ratings, Wilson is No. 2 and Valdez No. 4. That reflects how they did against Navarrete. Wilson had a real shot at beating him. Valdez had no chance.

However, Valdez, a two-time Mexican Olympian with roots in Tucson, is about a 3-to-1 favorite over Wilson. The odds reflect his popularity in Arizona. He was born in Nogales, about 178 miles south of Desert Diamond.

The WBO will already have a role on the card. Yokasta Valle has the WBO version of the women’s minimum tile in a challenge for the undisputed title against three-belt holder Seniesa Estrada.

Bam-Estrada negotiations

15 Rounds confirmed Thursday that Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Juan Francisco Estrada are close to completing a deal for a Super-Fly showdown on June 29 at Desert Diamond.

News of the possibility first broke in Phoenix during the week before Jamie Munguia’s stoppage of John Ryder on Jan. 27 at Footprint Center.

That’s when Eddie Hearn, Ryder’s promoter, said he wanted to stage Bam-Estrada in Arizona, a boxing market known for its appreciation of fighters in the smallest weight classes.

“There are a lot of very educated fans here,’’ Hearn told 15 Rounds then.

Bam-Estrada has potential to be among the best in the history of divisions between 108 and 115 pounds.

“Estrada-versus-Bam is just a stunner,’’ Hearn said on Matchroom Promotions’ YouTube channel this week. “You keep seeing these small guys giving us unbelievable nights.’’

It looks as if both Bam and Estrada will make second straight appearances at Desert Diamond.

Bam, of San Antonio, blew out Sunny Edwards, scoring a ninth-round stoppage on Dec. 17 at 108 pounds. In his last fight, Estrada, son of a Mexican fisherman in Puerto Penasco south of Phoenix, won a second rematch, a majority decision over legendary Ramon Gonzalez at 115 at Desert Diamond on Dec. 3, 2022.

Bam-Estrada, Hearn said, has Fight-of-the-Year contender “written all over it.’’

By Norm Frauenheim –

Outrage is boxing’s oxygen. So, take a deep breath, because there’s plenty of it in the hours since Netflix announced Mike Tyson-versus-Jake Paul.

Give Netflix some credit. It didn’t call it a fight, which of course it is not.  Netflix is calling it a boxing event. It’s not exactly that either.

Tyson-Paul has about as much to do with boxing as Boxing Day does in the Commonwealth countries, where people box up food and other leftovers for the poor the day after Christmas.

That’s an act of mercy. But there’s none of that in what Netflix, Tyson and Paul are planning for July 20 at Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ big top in Arlington, Tex.

There’s only money.

They’ll grab what they can and move on, leaving only the usual outrage and absolutely no mercy for the crowd that always buys into these events. It’s happening because there’s a market for it and there always will be.

There are reasonable questions, of course. By now, most of them have already been posted on outrage media.

Will Texas regulators call it an exhibition or sanction it? Will Texas drug-test Tyson, a pot farmer and user, after suspending Keyshawn Davis for a positive test in October?

Then, there’s the age debate. Tyson will be 58, if in fact he doesn’t come up lame in the gym before the scheduled date.

Fifty-eight doesn’t exactly make him a senior citizen. He’s still seven years from qualifying for Medicare, which he might need after he subjects his aging, battered body to a workout regimen. But it’s his choice, his life. His payday.

Besides, the last I checked, two guys, one 81 and the other 77, are running for President. Maybe, the loser can face the winner, although I’m guessing only Netflix wins this one.

At the opposite end of the age scale, there’s the 27-year-old Paul. He wasn’t even around for Tyson’s memorable days as a feared heavyweight.

More than 11 years before Paul was born, Tyson, then 20, became history’s youngest heavyweight champ ever with a second-round stoppage of Trevor Berbick in November 1986.

On the street or in the ring, there’d be something unseemly about a young man against an aging one. If it were real, it’d be really wrong. But it’s really not. It’s a made-for-social-media event.

As a boxing writer and fan, I suppose I could join the outrage mob. But anger at Tyson-Paul would be as phony as calling it a fight. Prizefighting’s historical canvas includes lots of scars, yet not one draws a line between right and wrong.

George Foreman once fought five guys, all in one night. Ali once fought a Japanese wrestler to a draw in Tokyo.

Truth is, it happens throughout sports.

Jesse Owens once raced a horse. In the early 1970s, Evel Knievel rode his motorcycle in a jump over an Idaho Canyon, appropriately named Snake River. Bob Arum helped promote that one. ABC’s Wide World of Sports didn’t televise it, but it did televise Knievel jumping over 13 London buses before a crowd of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium in 1975.

Just last month, the East scored 211 points in an NBA All-Star Game devoid of anything resembling defense. In terms of competitive drama, it was about as real as Tyson-Paul will be.

I didn’t watch that.

I won’t watch Tyson-Paul, either. 

By Norm Frauenheim –

Francis Ngannou is no ordinary novice.

He’s been called one simply because of the numbers in his resume. They don’t add up to anything that would suggest he’s a champion, contender or journeyman

He’s a one-time heavyweight boxer. His heavyweight career is 10 rounds long. It’s the equivalent of a postage stamp on other heavyweight resumes.

Yet, it delivered a message, one that has made the top of boxing’s old flagship division very uncomfortable. Ngannou crashed the party in October, sending its lineal king tumbling onto the canvas like some eroding edifice.

Tyson Fury won a split decision in Saudi Arabia, but the scorecards’ inherent controversy has lingered with questions about the state of today’s heavyweight game.

It’s a question, one of many, seeking an answer Friday (main event at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT/DAZN PPV) when Ngannou enters the ring for the second time in his heavyweight boxing career against former champion and presumed Fury rival Anthony Joshua, also in Riyadh.

From personal reputations to promotional plans, the stakes are enormous, unprecedented for anything attached to a so-called novice.

Let’s start with the promotional plans. It was announced Wednesday that Queensberry Promotions wants the winner of Ngannou-Joshua to fight the winner of the rescheduled bout on May 18 between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

“There’s a lot on the line,’’ Fury said, stating the obvious.

The heavyweights, at least on the UK side of the division, have been waiting for a decisive Fury-Joshua confrontation for years. Few even knew Ngannou’s name when that wait began.

But here he is, a 37-year-old boxing novice and a Mixed Martial Arts veteran with the power to make everyone wonder why – why-oh-why — they waited.

“if in the coming months both Fury and Joshua win, it is on to the dream matchup in Wembley Stadium British boxing fans have dreamed of for years,” says Jim Lampley, HBO’s former ringside journalist who will co-host, real time, a live-stream chat for PPV.COM Friday. “If Usyk and Ngannou win, that is forgotten, and we keep moving into the brave new combat world.’’

The idea, at least from the UK perspective, is for Joshua to prove that Ngannou was simply an aberration last October.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Joshua looks as if he has restored his confidence. That was evident in his solid fifth-round TKO of Otto Wallin in December. Wallin is skillful, but don’t confuse him with Ngannou. He’s imposing, dangerous. This novice is a Goliath.

The guess is that Ngannou doesn’t have the endurance or the skillset to endure 10 rounds.  Joshua has an Olympic pedigree and a gold medal. But he also has a history of retreating after he gets hit by bigtime power.

That’s been the story line since he was knocked down by a huge shot from Wladimir Klitchsko in April 2017. Joshua went on to win an 11^th-round TKO. But the Klitschko knockdown seemed to replace the confidence with over abundant caution. He became beatable.

Ngannou is nothing if not powerful. Here’s another question: What happens to Joshua if he gets rocked by the kind of Ngannou shot that dropped Fury?

A Joshua advantage is that he knows all about Ngannou’s head-turning power. Against Fury, Ngannou delivered a timely alert, says Lampley in a pre-fight analysis.

“With his very near miss against Fury, Ngannou has supplied Joshua with a potentially vital wake-up call, a useful scouting report, and massive motivation to gain public-relations ground by indirectly embarrassing Fury.’’

Lampley has some advice for each corner.

For Joshua: “Make sure the boxing match is a BOXING match. Use your jab, stay out of clinches, don’t get into a wrestling match against the rarity of a larger, stronger man,’’ Lampley says to an ex-champ with plenty to lose

For Ngannou: “Shoot the moon. Take risks, swing big when you see the target, maybe this time the knockdown will stick,’’ he says to a novice with little to lose.

Novices never do

By Norm Frauenheim

It was part soap opera. Part outrageous. Often offensive. It was sometimes sad. Sometimes silly.

I’ll let somebody else decide what was real and what was fake. News conferences are always an impossible mix of fact and fiction.

Yet even by boxing’s over-the-top and off-the-rails standard, the Devin Haney-Ryan Garcia spectacle Thursday in Hollywood was bizarre.

Put it this way: It started with Devin Haney as the solid betting favorite for a junior-welterweight fight scheduled for April 20 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. It ended with a lot of people betting that Garcia just won’t show up.

Garcia was a man of many extremes throughout the second step of a coast-to-coast newser.

For a while, he turned it into a confessional. He said he smoked pot and drank alcohol. He said he didn’t use cocaine. He pleaded for some understanding.

“Guess what, we all have our flaws and we all have flaws as people,’’ said Garcia, who hours earlier posted a photo of him smoking what looked to be marijuana. “I’m 25 years old, you’ve got to remember. Sometimes, the weight of the world feels like it’s on my shoulders.

“I don’t know how many people have been 25-years-old and made $100 million in their life and can do what they want. I want to see what you would do in my shoes.

“Probably, a lot more than some weed.”

Then, he got angry, turning a boxing newser into a bully pulpit. He threatened somebody, who apparently doesn’t have much in common with Garcia other than alcohol.

“I’m going to beat the eff out of you,’’ Garcia shouted at a trash talker in the audience.

He was a man of many moods. He’s also a man with many followers, a social-media number that only a census can count. They’re always there, always demanding more from a personality always fearless and always willing to deliver a prayer, or a plea, or a punch. They follow him; he follows them.

Maybe, it was the setting. Like the stage at Hollywood’s Avalon, it was all Theater. That, at least, was the suggestion from many among Golden Boy Promotions. They argue that Garcia knows what he’s doing.

What he did Thursday, they say, was a calculated act, one designed to make Haney think he was in for an easy fight against his former amateur rival.

But after the newser, Haney had only one thought about a fighter he said he once respected.

“He’s not respecting himself,’’ said Haney, who might have summed up the news conference better than anyone.

NOTES

As The World Turns: Latest from Canelo-Benavidez

During a week dominated by Haney-Garcia, there was still some noise from boxing’s long-running saga, which continues to revolve around Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez.

For now, at least, it’s not happening. Not in May and probably not in September, although Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn continued to leave open the possibility of Canelo-Benavidez.

It all depends on Canelo’s next move. Reportedly, he has split with PBC after only one fight – a forgettable victory over Jermell Charlo – after signing a three-fight deal. Depending on the source, the money just wasn’t there to cover Canelo’s $35-million demand for a May fight. PBC said okay, but only if Benavidez was the third fight.

For whatever reason, however, Canelo has never wanted to fight the Phoenix-born Benavidez.

Here’s a theory:

Benavidez is to Canelo what Antonio Margarito was to Floyd Mayweather. Too much risk for the reward. Mayweather looked at the rugged Margarito and probably said to himself: “I’ll beat him, but I might pay a physical price.’’

The wisdom behind that risk-to-reward decision came in Manny Pacquiao’s victory over Margarito. Pacquiao was never quite the same after absorbing a brutal body shot midway through the fight on the Dallas Cowboys home field in November 2010.

It’s safe to say Canelo is confident he can beat Benavidez. At a point in his career when he’s been more vulnerable to injury, however, the risk is too high, especially against a tireless fighter with a gear few have in the later rounds. From the eighth to the 12th, nobody is as dangerous as Benavidez.

Meanwhile, Benavidez has begun training in Miami for a planned light-heavyweight bout against Oleksandr Gvoysk, possibly in June.

In media interviews from Miami, Benavidez said was willing to fight Canelo for $5 million, considered minimum wage for a Canelo opponent.

But Canelo’s minimum would have been at or near Benavidez’ biggest paycheck. It’s not clear what he collected for his decision over Caleb Plant in March 2023 in Vegas. The Nevada Commission no longer discloses purses. But it’s believed that it was a lot closer to $3 million than $5 million.

Oscar Valdez back in AZ in pursuit of another title

Oscar Valdez Jr, wants to knock out the former next to his name in his current resume.

“I’m hungrier than ever, because I’ve already tasted what it is to be a world champion,’’ Valdez said last week during a round of interviews for his March 29 bout versus Liam Wilson at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale AZ, where he lost a punishing decision for a vacant junior-lightweight title to Emanuel Navarrete in August.

Against Wilson, Valdez’ chances at another title will undergo a significant test. It’s a bout that puts the 33-year-old former two-time champion at a career crossroads.

Win, and he’ll be back in contention. Lose, and there’ll be talk of retirement.

Wilson, a 27-year-old Australian, is also returning to Desert Diamond. Wilson lost a controversial fight there to Navarrete in February 2023. In the fourth round, Wilson knocked down Navarrete, who bought himself some time to recover by spitting out his mouthpiece. Navarrete went to win a ninth-round TKO.

Wilson, Valdez said, “almost took that fight, almost won. There’s nothing easy about this fight. But I’m not looking for easy fights, I’m looking for challenges.’’

Olympic boxing needs help, yet says no to Pacquiao

The international Olympic Committee said no to Pacquiao’s petition for eligibility to box at the Paris Games this summer. He’s 45 — five years older than the boxing age limit and three years younger than Bernard Hopkins was when he won a major pro title at 48 in 2013.

He’s also nine years younger than Kelly Slater, who might be surfing’s best-known name since Duke Kahanamoku. At 54, Slater hopes to surf for the US at the 2024 Games.

The denial is just another reason not to watch Olympic boxing. Rhythmic gymnastics draws a bigger audience Pacquiao might be too old to answer an opening bell at any level these days, but he would have been a good ambassador for an endangered Olympic sport.

He might have generated some positive attention. Imagine that. These days, Olympic boxing gets headlines only for lousy decisions and gestures like Mick Conlan’s middle-finger salute to the judges in 2016. Olympic bureaucrats are threatening to eliminate it altogether.