LOS ANGELES (April 23, 2019): Rising star Vergil Ortiz Jr. (12-0, 12 KOs) will have the opportunity of a lifetime as his scheduled 10-round welterweight battle against Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera (24-8, 7 KOs) will now be the co-main event of Canelo vs. Jacobs. As previously announced, the night will also feature the likes of Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano, Lamont Roach Jr., John “The Gorilla” Ryder, Sadam “World Kid” Ali and Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. in separate bouts.The event will take place Saturday, May 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN.

“This will be a big test for Vergil Ortiz Jr.,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “This young man has all that it takes to become a dominant world champion, so it’s only fitting that a prospect like him gets the opportunity to be the co-main event of a Canelo fight. At the same time, we know the kind of fighter Mauricio Herrera is. He has a lot of experience and has been in close fights with the best of his division, including what we all know was a win against Danny Garcia. If Ortiz Jr. can look spectacular against Herrera, then he will demonstrate what we already know: that he is the real deal.”

Since debuting as a professional in 2016, Ortiz Jr. has never heard the final bell of a fight, and he hopes to retain his 100% knockout ratio in the toughest fight of his career. The native of Dallas, Texas, who has his roots in Michoacan, Mexico, will return after defeating Jesus Valdez in January of this year. Ortiz Jr. will move up to welterweight for this fight only, and he plans to make a statement to the fighters of the 140-pound weight division, where the 21-year-old plans to return after this tough test.

“This is a great opportunity for fans all over the world to get to know me,” said Vergil Ortiz Jr. “Everyone will be watching this event, so I look forward to showing boxing fans what I’m made of. It’s very hard to look good against Mauricio Herrera. World champions have fought him and have looked bad. If I can look good and be the first to ever stop him, then I’ll be making a big statement.”

Herrera, a former interim WBA World Super Lightweight Champion, is a longtime veteran of the sport. The 38-year-old of Riverside, Calif. has faced a veritable who’s who of the welterweight and super lightweight division, including fights against Ruslan “The Siberian Rocky” Provodnikov, Mike “Mile High” Alvarado, Danny “Swift” Garcia, Johan “El Terrible” Perez, and Jose “Merciless” Benevidez Jr., among others. Herrera will bring a world of experience against the young prospect.

“Everyone knows the kind of experience that I bring to the table,” said Mauricio Herrera. “Whether it’s against world champions, contenders or prospects, I bring a tough fight to anyone. Vergil Ortiz might have bitten off more than he can chew for this fight, especially now since we are the co-main event. I’m happy for yet another opportunity, and we look forward to stealing the show.”

Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano (32-7-1, 22 KOs) will defend his WBC International Silver Super Lightweight Title against Michael “The Artist” Perez (25-3-2, 11 KOs) in a 10-round fight. Cano will return after his dominant knockout victory against former three-division world champion Jorge “El Niño de Oro” Linares.

Lamont Roach Jr. (18-0-1, 7 KOs) of Washington, D.C., will unify his WBO International Super Featherweight Title in a 10-round battle against NABO Super Featherweight Champion Jonathan “Polvo” Oquendo (30-5, 19 KOs) of Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The winner of this bout will earn the No. 1 spot for the WBO Super Featherweight World Title.

Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. (28-1, 14 KOs) of South El Monte, Calif. will fight against Freddy Fonseca (26-1-1, 17 KOs) of Managua, Nicaragua in a 12-round battle for the vacant WBA Gold Super Featherweight Title. Diaz Jr. will return after a dominant victory against rugged warrior Charles Huerta.

Sadam “World Kid” Ali (27-2, 14 KOs) will return in a 10-round clash for the vacant USNBC Silver Welterweight Title against Anthony Young (20-2, 7 KOs) of Atlantic City, N.J.

London’s John “The Gorilla” Ryder (27-4, 15 KOs) will take on Bilal Akkawy (20-0-1, 16 KOs) of Sydney, Australia for the vacant interim WBA Super Middleweight World Title. Ryder was originally going to take on David Lemieux, though the fight was cancelled due to an injury Lemieux suffered in his right hand. Now, Ryder will now face a highly-ranked contender who is trained by Eddy Reynoso, the trainer of Canelo.

Alexis Espino (1-0, 1 KO) of Las Vegas, Nevada will participate in a four-round super middleweight fight against Billy Wager (1-0) of Great Falls, Montana.

Canelo vs. Jacobs is a 12-round fight for the WBC, WBA, Lineal, Ring Magazine and IBF Middleweight World Titles presented by Golden Boy in association with Matchroom Boxing. Ortiz vs. Herrera is a 10-round welterweight fight presented by Golden Boy. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING” and Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle.” The event will take place Saturday, May 4, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN.

Tickets for Canelo vs. Jacobs are on sale now and are priced at $2,505, $1,505, $1,205, $805, $605, $405, $305, and not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of 10 per person at the $2,505, $1,505, $1,205, $805, $605, $405, and $305 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com,
http://www.matchroomboxing.com, and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @DanielJacobsTKO, @MatchRoomBoxing, and @DAZN_USA. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing,
www.facebook.com/SaulCaneloAlvarez, www.facebook.com/MatchroomBoxing and
https://www.facebook.com/DAZNUSA/. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy, @Canelo, @DanielJacobsTKO, @MatchroomBoxing and @DAZN_USA. Follow the conversation using #CaneloJacobs.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link http://bit.ly/May4DAZN into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy for any photo and/or video usage.

After David Lemieux pulled out of his fight with John Ryder, Ryder will remain on the May 4 Canelo Alvarez – Daniel Jacobs card as he will face Bilal Akkawy for an interim super middleweight title, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

MONTREAL (April 17, 2019): An unfortunate hand injury has forced David Lemieux (40-4, 34 KOs) to withdraw from his 168-pound debut against London’s
John “The Gorilla” Ryder (27-4, 15 KOs) in what was going to be the scheduled 12-round co-main event of Canelo vs. Jacobs. Lemieux injured his right hand during a sparring session, and his doctor has recommended that he rest for eight weeks before returning to the gym.

Details for the new co-main event will be announced shortly. The Canelo vs. Jacobs will continue as planned on Saturday, May 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN.

Lemieux, a 30-year-old native of Montreal, Canada, is disappointed at his injury, but promises to return stronger than ever.

”Training camp was going really great,” said David Lemieux.”I felt in tremendous shape, the strongest I’d ever felt in my entire career. But, I will be back soon. Hopefully, the fans will understand. I promise I will make it up to them once I’m healed.”

“I’m very disappointed since he was in the best shape of his life both in the gym and in the ring,” said Camille Estephan, President of Eye of the Tiger Management. “We will take the time to heal his hand and get right back in the chase for a world title.”

“It’s very unfortunate that David Lemieux’s return has been postponed,” said Eric Gomez, President of Golden Boy. “But this is boxing, and these things happen. We wish David a speedy recovery and look forward to his return, so he can make big waves at 168 pounds.”

Canelo vs. Jacobs is a 12-round fight for the WBC, WBA, Lineal, Ring Magazine and IBF Middleweight World Titles presented by Golden Boy in association with Matchroom Boxing. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING” and Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle.”The event will take place Saturday, May 4, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN.

Tickets for Canelo vs. Jacobs are on sale now and are priced at $2,505, $1,505,
$1,205, $805, $605, $405, $305, and not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of 10 per person at the $2,505, $1,505, $1,205, $805, $605, $405, and $305 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

For more information,visit www.goldenboypromotions.com,
http://www.matchroomboxing.com, and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @DanielJacobsTKO, @MatchRoomBoxing, and @DAZN_USA. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing,
www.facebook.com/SaulCaneloAlvarez, www.facebook.com/MatchroomBoxing
and https://www.facebook.com/DAZNUSA/. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy, @Canelo, @DanielJacobsTKO, @MatchroomBoxing and @DAZN_USA. Follow the conversation using #CaneloJacobs.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link http://bit.ly/May4DAZN into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy for any photo and/or video usage.

SAN ANTONIO – While there is no promotional formula for rising from small and local shows to large and national ones, there is perhaps a timeline: suddenly. The incremental approach that works well in most of life’s worthwhile doings does not work nearly so well in prizefighting promotion, as so many other good ideas do not work nearly so well in prizefighting promotion – wherein shortsightedness rarely finds its match in anything but cupidity. “Go large, be bold, and expect to lose” is probably good a slogan as any, and Leija-Battah Promotions certainly understands those first two.

Saturday at Our Lady of the Lake University, Leija-Battah Promotions held its final sparring session before a championship match it will make, both as promoter and challenger, on April 20, when Mexican Saul “Canelo” Alvarez fights New Mexican Austin “No Doubt” Trout at Alamodome, in the biggest consequential fight of the first half of 2013.

Is this city ready? That is a question Saturday answered incompletely. The main event certainly was not ready, or anything local promoters had control over. Golden Boy Promotions was to blame for Omar Figueroa unmanning someone named Henry Aurad in a few punches, but only insofar as a promoter overextended with television dates and fighters can be. There’s an underexplored conundrum here, one that having too large a stable, usually required by too many television commitments, can bring. It’s a thing storied matchmaker Don Chargin shared: You run out of opponents. When you have too many good fighters and they must be kept active against fighters other than your other good fighters, when your responsibility is to build fighters, not fights, appropriate opposition goes missing.

Golden Boy Promotions now finds itself often putting men like Henry Aurad on television. Top Rank, in its overstocked past, did this lots, too, but Top Rank has stropped itself in the last four months – one is tempted to hear the starter’s pistol the night Juan Manuel Marquez recalled Top Rank’s signature brand though the downsizing began months earlier – and is on the verge of having its least-active Q1 in memory.

Our Lady of the Lake University’s gymnasium was filled Saturday. OLLU is a small, old, lovely place a couple miles west – just to the Mexican side – of this city’s downtown. Any town has its ethnic enclaves, and while this one is probably the most Mexican of our country’s largest, the west side of San Antonio is even more Mexican than other parts with their enclaves of Chicanos or African-Americans or German-Americans.

Founded nearly 120 years ago by the Sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence, a French order of Catholic nuns, OLLU is a school with a campus that is small but precious and home of its city’s most picturesque steeple, reminding students, or boxing aficionados as the case may be, their host is not secular. Catholicism is arguably a cultural artifact for Mexicans more than a religious one; the reevaluation of the Church the Irish, among others, now undergo is a thing Mexicans underwent in the late 1920s, when President Plutarco Elias Calles fired what might euphemistically be called a starter’s pistol of his own. Mexican Catholicism is a rich and irreverent species of Catholicism; its cultural tendency towards faith is leavened by a deeper indigenous recollection of how the faith was delivered by steel-bearing Spaniards the new God mysteriously chose as His emissaries.

OLLU is a local-knowledge spot Leija-Battah Promotions chose for a small show because it is a local promoter that understands the city in which it promotes because it is run by residents of the city. This month marks a year since Jesse James Leija, still a trainer and former prizefighter much more than a promoter, and Mike Battah, a local businessman, formed Leija-Battah Promotions and presented a Top Rank show that featured Kelly Pavlik in a corner of Alamodome called Illusions Theater.

Other shows followed, and while announced gates were encouraging, other elements were not. After Alamodome, there was a show at a dancehall followed by a pro-am at Alamodome, followed by a Freeman Coliseum show and a late-December card in an assembly hall. Throughout, there were rumblings of Leija-Battah wanting to bring Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to San Antonio. When Saturday’s show got announced in January with Henry Aurad in the main event of a card at a university wellness and activity center, though, well.

Then last week brought news Canelo was in fact en route, and not as a showcase talent against a designated opponent – the way Manny Pacquiao visited this city in 2007 and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. came in 2010 and 2012 – but in a legitimate title-unification match against a fellow champ with good a chance of winning as losing, if every scorecard were in an honest hand. Alvarez will fight Trout on the third evening of Fiesta, this city’s annual and colorful 10-day celebration of Texas independence – contextualized regularly by San Antonians as “our Mardi Gras,” which means plenty, from a live-gate perspective, when one considers Alamo City has about 400 percent New Orleans’ population.

Will Alvarez-Trout break the record set at Alamodome by Pernell Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. 20 years ago this September? No, but an attendance number above 25,000 is not out of the question. And when did those words last appear in a sentence about American-venue boxing outside Lone Star State?

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

Opponents are like employees to Floyd Mayweather Jr. He talks as if he hires and fires them in his role as boxer, promoter, matchmaker and candlestick maker. But before Mayweather could tell Canelo Alvarez how much his purse would be and what would floors he’d have to sweep to earn it, Alvarez told him to take this job and shove it.

In a sure sign that Canelo has arrived as a star in his own right, he decided not to fight on the May 4 undercard of Mayweather’s bout against Robert Guerrero at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

According to various reports, Canelo’s bout against Austin Trout was moved to April 20 in San Antonio because Mayweather would not guarantee him that he’s next, the second act in Mayweather’s new Showtime deal.

Speculation still has Canelo-Mayweather happening on Sept. 14. Part of that, however, had included an assumption that Canelo would appear on the May 4 undercard as part of Mayweather’s supporting cast. But when Mayweather said no to the guarantee, Canelo made other plans.

Somebody more unsure of his credentials and unproven as an attraction might have accepted the denial and quietly resigned himself to a preliminary role. After all, Mayweather’s claim on power has been emboldened by a Showtime contract that, according to some reports, could be worth $250 million. A fraction of Mayweather’s potential income from Showtime could fund a nice retirement. Why offend him?

But Canelo’s move off Mayweather’s card and onto his own indicates that the Mexican junior-middleweight has begun to see himself as an equal. The guess from this corner is that’s how he will negotiate. To wit: Canelo will demand a lot more money that Victor Ortiz and Guerrero ever did. Forget all the predictable trash talk after contracts are safely signed. Guerrero, like Ortiz, is happy for the opportunity.

Unlike any proposed opponent other than Manny Pacquiao on the list of Mayweather possibilities, Canelo has drawing power. He proved at home in Mexico. He confirmed it on Sept. 15 with a record rating for Showtime in a victory over Josesito Lopez at the MGM Grand on the same night that Sergio Martinez beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center on an HBO pay-per-view telecast.

Mayweather has said often and in so many words that he has no equal. In the ring, maybe he doesn’t. But it will be interesting to see if Canelo’s box-office power makes negotiations as futile as they were with Pacquiao. Mayweather likes to dictate more than negotiate. But Mayweather also endangers potential revenue stream for himself and Showtime if he ignores Canelo and the big Mexican audience that he brings to the table.

After his upset of Miguel Cotto, Trout might prove to be a bigger challenge to Canelo than expected. If Canelo prevails, however, the television numbers will be the biggest factor to emerge from April 20.

If they continue to multiply, Mayweather might have to deal with a dangerous business partner, instead of just another carefully-chosen employee.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com the much talked about Super Welterweight unification bout between WBC champ Saul Alvarez and WBA champ Austin Trout is just about finalized to take place on April 20 in San Antonio at The Alamo Dome and will be broadcasted on Showtime.

“It’s the biggest fight for Canelo, a big step up for him and a world title-unification bout,” said Richatd Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, who promotes Alvarez. “It’s two undefeated fighters against each other, two of the best in their weight class.

“Austin Trout is coming off the big win against Miguel Cotto and can get another big win. Canelo wants to shut up all of the doubters. He wants to show he is the best at 154 pounds.”

“I was trying not to get too excited about the possibility of the fight,” Trout said when a reporter broke the news to him that the fight had been set. “Not Canelo personally, but his handlers were 100 percent against a fight with Austin Trout. Canelo would go out there and say this was the fight he wanted, but [Golden Boy promoter Oscar] De La Hoya would shoot the fight down.

“Canelo put his foot down and said this was the fight he wanted. He said he was ready. God bless him. I’m here to show the world he’s not. But he made the people who work for him make it happen, and boxing and the fans thank him.”

“I’m not worried about what he will do,” Trout said. “If I beat his brother or not, it doesn’t matter to me, but it was something I was using to entice him to fight me. But I am after his name and legacy. I got my own legacy to push out.”

“Canelo’s not making it to a Mayweather fight,” Trout said. “Our fight is a great matchup not just for me, personally, but for boxing. I know it won’t be easy, but we’re not here for easy. We’re here to be the best. The harder the challenge, the greater the victory. This is the ‘Cinnamon’ test.”

“I would have fought on the Floyd undercard because I’m happy for the opportunity, but I’m also happy that we have our own card and venue,” Trout said.

“I kept saying all along that I would work on it and see if it can be done,” he said. “People were saying it was done, but I never said that. But I’m not disappointed. I am happy for the sport of boxing to have Floyd Mayweather back against Guerrero, a guy I consider the most dangerous guy out there. I’m happy for Robert to get this opportunity against Floyd and I am happy for Canelo and Trout, as well.

“Canelo will have his own date and fight in Texas, which he has wanted to do for a long time because he has so many fans there, and he’s in a huge fight. So I have Floyd Mayweather fighting a Mexican-American on Cinco De Mayo and I got Canelo-Trout done. Hallelujah for fight fans. So the two fights will be spread out a little bit. The [Mayweather-Alvarez] fight eventually is going to happen, but right now, let’s enjoy two unbelievable fights.”

ST. LOUIS (November 20, 2012) – The freakish physical attributes of North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Super Welterweight champion Willie “The Great” Nelson presents a clear and present danger, as well as a totally unique challenge, for World Boxing Council (WBC) 154-pound king Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0, 30 KOs).

Nelson(19-1-1, 11 KOs), the top-ranked American in the WBC ratings at No. 6, stands 6′ 4″ and has an 81″ reach. The 5′ 9″ Alvarez has never fought anybody even remotely close to Nelson’s size. In fact, in his six world title fights, the popular Mexican fighter’s opponents have averaged 5′ 9″ with a 70 3/4″ reach. The 5′ 11″ Kermit Cintron with his 74″ reach is the tallest and longest-reaching foe Alvarez has fought to date.

Rumble Time Promotions president Steve Smith, who co-promotes Nelson along with Lou DiBella (DiBella Entertainment), believes Nelson is ready to make some noise. “Willie’s willing to fight the top super welterweights in the world. He is done ruining the dreams of top prospects, as he did in his last two fights, and is ready to wake-up the boring 154-pound division. Willie can deliver to the networks what boxing fans really want to see – excitement and action! He can be a fresh face for the public to enjoy, replacing the same old faces of recycled fighters that fans are tired of watching. This is Willie Nelson’s time.”

Neither No. 1 ranked Erislandy Lara (17-1-2, 11 KOs) nor No. 2 Vanes “Nightmare” Martirosyan distinguished themselves as viable title contenders in their recent WBC title eliminator. The only thing more disappointing than it ending in a nine-round draw, due to a cut over Martirosyan’s left eyebrow, resulting from an accidental clash of heads, was their overall lack of action.

Lara and Martirosyan have been awarded a rematch by the WBC to determine its mandatory challenger for Alvarez,whohas been granted a voluntary defense option. Although Alvarez is reportedly eying a mega-fight in May against Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto or Sergio Martinez, if none of those fights are made, Nelson is ready, willing and able to accept that challenge.

“If ‘Canelo’ was going to fight the winner of Martirosyan and Lara,” Nelson’s head trainer Jack Lowe said, “hands down, Willie would give him a much better fight than either of those two guys. That fight was disgusting, the most boring title eliminator I’ve ever seen. Neither kid wanted it. They were fighting for a big payday and world title shot but neither of them wanted to really fight. ‘Canelo’ is the champ and I’ll give him his props, but Willie is next in line in the junior middleweight division. I’ve looked across the board, at all of the top boxing organizations, and there isn’t a world champion or top 5-fighter we wouldn’t fight right now. If not Alvarez, I’d like to see Willie in against Cotto, who has had his day, and I’d put him in against (Austin) Trout tonight. (Alfredo) Angulo, (James) Kirkland…those are the type of guys we’d like to fight.”

Nelson is coming off of impressive back-to-back victories by 10-round decisions over a pair of previously unbeaten prospects, two-time Cuban National champion Yudel Jhonson (12-1) on ShoBox, and WBC Youth champion John “Dah Rock” Jackson (13-1, 12 KOs), for the vacant NABF super welterweight title, on the September 15th Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. HBO Pay-Per-View event.

The only fighters ranked ahead of Nelson in the WBC ratings, other than Lara and Martiosyan, are virtually unknowns in North America: 3. WBC Baltic champion Damion Jonack (34-0-1, 21 KOs), of Poland; 4. WBC International titlist Emanuele Della Rosa (30-1, 8 KOs), of Italy; No. 5 European and WBC Silver champ Sergey Rabchenko (21-0, 16 KOs), of Bellarussia.

Cleveland-native Nelson, who trains in Youngstown, Ohio with Loew, has a rich amateur pedigree having had nearly 250 matches, including title-winning performances in the PAL Nationals twice and Under-19 Tournament, and only 22 losses.

Because of his freakish size for a junior middleweight, Nelson has been favorably compared to a right-handed Paul Williams, or a young Tommy Hearns. Nelson may not be as famous as his singing namesake, but Alvarez has never fought anybody like him, and boxing fans most certainly would be entertained by their contrasting styles and divergent body stature.

“What’s very interesting is that ‘Canelo’ was supposed to fight Paul Williams (who was paralyzed in motorcycle accident),” Loew added. “So, it’s not like Alvarez won’t take a fight against a guy with Willie’s freakish stature. I thought Paul would have had an excellent shot of beating Alvarez, as long as he didn’t get hit by a shot over the top. ‘Canelo’ is improving each fight but I don’t think he is a superstar. If he’d fight Paul Williams with his style, why not give us a shot? If Willie had only 15-20 amateur fights, I wouldn’t say he’s ready for ‘Canelo’ right now, but Willie had more than 200 amateur fights and 21 in the pros. He’s ready for Alvarez and confident.”

Go online to www.RumbleTimePromotions.com for more information about Nelson or any of his Rumble Time Promotions stable-mates.

LAS VEGAS – Two major cards separated by a short ride looked like an accident about to happen. Look again. Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at Thomas & Mack Center and Canelo Alvarez-Josesito Lopez at the MGM Grand were a lot of things. It was a good night to wear a sombrero. It was a long night in line for a cab and a longer line at the bar.

It was one shot of Pancho Villa, a shot of Peron, another shot of soccer and endless shots of tequila. Above all, it was thoroughly Vegas, at least Vegas before the recession. It was also boxing at its best, which also means some of its worst. Nothing can be so irresistible and so distasteful at the same time.

But there it was Saturday night, a double shot and 180 proof of what is so compelling about a sport that just won’t die no matter how hard it tries to kill itself.

It was impossible to see the depth of its unique resiliency Saturday. I tried. But there was just too much to see. My night started at the MGM Grand. It ended at Thomas & Mack with a brilliant victory by Sergio Martinez, who survived a wild 12th-round comeback from Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.

My cab driver predicted the winner. But not the drama.

“Martinez by knockout,’’ the driver said beneath an old cowboy hat that he had to have been wearing 25 years ago when he collected fares from fans who watched Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin, Hagler, Robert Duran and Thomas Hearns.

But it was Chavez who almost won by knockout. Chavez sent Martinez spinning down and onto the canvas in the 12th round, immediately conjuring up memories of how his dad, Julio Cesar Legend, beat Meldrick Taylor with two seconds left so long ago.

An encore for the Chavez family didn’t happen, not even on a weekend celebrating Mexican Independence. Chavez blamed himself after losing a unanimous decision. He said he started his stubborn assault too late. Martinez, a proud Argentine, also put himself in harm’s way when he didn’t have to. In the end, however, Martinez wouldn’t let Chavez steal a victory or the middleweight title he had ensured himself on the scorecards. Argue with Chavez’ early rounds. Argue with Martinez’ last round.

But don’t argue with the climactic finish. A record crowd of 19,187 at Thomas & Mack loved it. Mexicans and Argentines, alike, cheered loudly, filling the old basketball arena with chants that echoed down the aisles and through time.

Boxing isn’t back. It never left.

Not long after leaving the MGM Grand, super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez scored a fifth-round KO of Josesito Lopez in a bout that was probably more significant for the number of people in the seats than it was for the victory. The undersized Lopez was overmatched. Canelo had been favored by odds as big as 14-1. Yet, a capacity crowd of 14,275 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena showed up. There’s been a nasty debate between Golden Boy Promotions and rival Top Rank about how many tickets were sold and at what price. Yet on a night when Canelo was a laughable favorite in a Golden Boy promotion up against Top Rank’s intriguing Martinez-Chavez Jr. showdown, Canelo filled the seats.

“That underlines just how big an attraction Canelo is,’’ Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said.

It underlines much more than that. Two cards within a couple of miles of each other drew a total of 33,462 fans. That’s no accident.

Saul Alvarez defended the WBC Super Welterweight championship with an action filled fifth round stoppage over game Josesito Lopez in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

After a good round one, Alvarez started to open up with ripping combinations to the head and body. Lopez was able to get in some decent shots, especially when Alvarez was on the ropes. Alvarez landed a thunderous left hook to the body that sent Lopez to the canvas late in the second. In round three, Alvarez continued scoring and then landed another left to the body that deposited Lopez to the canvas for a second time. That did int deter Lopez as he tried to stand toe to toe but Alvarez had more dynamite in his hands. Lopez was bleeding from his nose and mouth After Lopez landed a nice flurry, Alvarez landed a wicked five punch combination that sent Lopez to deck for a third time. Alvarez started round five with a huge body assault that had referee Joe Cortez looking closely but Lopez fired back. Lopez continued to get in some solid shots and showed a championship heart. In the last ten seconds of the round, Alvarez anded four more hard shots that forced Cortez to step in and save Lopez from further damage

Alvarez, 154 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is now 41-0-1 with thirty knockouts. Lopez, 153 lbs of Riverside, CA is now 30-5-1.

“I’m not always looking for the knockout, but this was perfect tonight,” Canelo said. “I had a big responsibility fighting for my fans around the world this weekend and I think I made them happy. I want the big fights now – (Miguel) Cotto and (Floyd) Mayweather.”

“I knew he was a tough fighter and he proved he’s a better fighter,” Lopez said. “He was smarter, stronger and patient. I felt good going in but there was a big size difference. I was hoping to land a good punch to change the momentum.”

Daniel Ponce De Leon wrestled the WBC Featherweight championship belt away from Jhonny Gonzalez when a cut over the right eye of Gonzalez via an accidental headbutt forced the bout to be stopped in round eight.

In the early going it was Gonzalez who was landing the better punches. In round three, a cut formed around the left said of Ponce De Leon’s hairline. That seemed to inspire De Leon as he started landing some good lefts’s. The two boxed evenly over the next couple rounds until De Leon landed a straight left that sent Gonzalez through the ropes and down on the canvas in round six.

The volume of De leon started taking affect in round seven as he began to back Gonzalez up with lefts and rights. A clash of heads opened up a big cut over the right eye of Gonzalez and the fight was stopped at 2:36 of round eight.

De Leon, 125 1/2 lbs of West Covina, CA won by scores of 77-74, 79-72 and 79-72 and is now 44-4. Gonzalez, 125 lbs of Mexico City, MX is now 52-8.

Former 140 lb world champion Marcos Maidana scored a eighth round stoppage over Jesus Soto Karass in a Welterweight war scheduled for ten rounds.

The fight was fought at a high rate as Maidana uncharacteristically started boxing and featuring the jab on the first round. In round two, the continued landing good shots with Maidana landing some hard left hooks. The animosity started in round three as at the end of yet another action filled round, the two sot in each other’s face and had to be seperated. Referee Kenny Bayless took a point from each man in round four as the two continued to be unsportsmanlike. Soto Karass was fueled by that as he landed some hard shots before a big left from Maidana was landed just before the bell. Soto Karass picked up where he left off in round five and yet again the two needed to be separated as Soto Karass would not let Maidana get to his corner. In round six, Soto Karass landed some huge shots and landed body shots on Maidana against the ropes. Maidana spent alot of the round against the ropes.

Maidana was docked another point in round seven but he more then made up for it as he launched a big right hand that sent Soto Karass to the deck. Maidana came out firing in round eight as he landed a some booming shots on the ropes and after a few right hands, Bayless stopped the bout at forty-three seconds of round eight.

Maidana, 147 lbs of Margarita Santa Fe, Argentina is now 32-3 with twenty-nine knockouts. Soto Karass, 147 lbs of North Hollywood, CA is now 26-8-3-1.

Leo Santa Cruz scored an impressive stoppage over former Flyweight champion to retain the IBF Bantamweight title after Morel’s corner stopped the bout after five rounds.

It was an extremely fast paced fight from the outset with with guys meeting in the center of the ring and wailing away on each other with Santa Cruz getting the better. It was evident that Santa Cruz was not only quicker but had more thump in his punches as he landed many body shots, sometimes doubling and tripling with the flank shots and then coming with hard over hand rights and uppercuts. Morel put up a valiant effort but he kept taking hard shots and his corner had seen enough and stopped the bout after the fifth frame.

Santa Cruz, 117 lbs of Rosmead, CA is now 21-0-1 with twelve knockouts. Morel, 118 lbs of Madison, WI is now 46-4.

Good looking nineteen year-old Andres Gutierrez pounded out a six round unanimous decision over Carlos Valcarcel in a Jr. Featherweight bout.

Gutierrez was more active and landed the harder punches. He featured some solid uppercuts and had Valcarcel against the ropes on several occasions.

Gutierrez, 124 lbs of Quertiaro, MX won by scores of 60-54, 59-55 and 59-56 and is now 23-0-1. Valcarcel, 123 lbs of Catano, PR is now 12-6-4.

Francisco Vargas remained undefeated with a four round unanimous decision over Alan Sanchez in a Jr. Featherweight bout.

Both guys threw a high volume of punches but Vargas threw more and landed the much harder blows.

Vargas, 131 lbs of Mexico City, MX is won by scores of 40-36, 40-36 and 39-37 and is now 13-0-1. Sanchez, 127 1/2 lbs of Houston, TX is now 3-4-1.

LAS VEGAS – News conferences came like a one-two punch Wednesday and Thursday for dueling promotions Saturday night featuring Sergio Martinez-versus-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at Thomas & Mack Center and Canelo Alvarez-Josesito Lopez at the MGM Grand.

It’s been a rhetorical food fight, boxing’s version of Republicans and Democrats after back-to-back conventions. First, it’s Top Rank to the bully pulpit. Then, it’s Golden Boy’s turn. It’s Home Box Office- versus-Showtime. Ego-against-ego. An insult-fest. But should it be?

After widespread criticism for scheduling two major cards on the same night and amid all the ongoing negativity, there’s a chance at some numbers that might put a surprising spin on the business. Attendance at each could provide a powerful counter to an epitaph so often repeated, yet never proven.

If boxing is really dying, then a lot of people – maybe more than 30,000 at two venues within a couple miles of each other – have yet to hear the news.

There’s plenty of debate about box-office numbers promised by Golden Boy for Alvarez-Lopez in a 154-pound bout televised by Showtime. Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya said Thursday at the Canelo-Lopez news conference that 13,000 tickets had been sold.

“We are expecting a sellout,’’ De La Hoya said of a weekend celebrating Mexican Independence.

Top Rank doesn’t believe it. On the surprise meter, that ranks somewhere between zero and yawn. If the situation was reversed – and it will be one day, Golden Boy wouldn’t believe it either. Remember, Republicans and Democrats trust each other more than Top Rank and Golden Boy do.

For Martinez-Chavez, Jr., in a HBO pay-per-view bout for the middleweight title, Top Rank already has a sellout, 19,186, a boxing record at Thomas & Mack. Even if a sellout is announced for Alvarez-Lopez, there will be suggestions that Golden Boy gave away tickets to get there.

As of Thursday, it wasn’t clear what number Golden Boy needed for a sellout. Seating capacity at The MGM Grand Garden Arena has been 14,800. But Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said 2,000 seats can be added before Saturday’s opening bell. If there’s time to construct the addition and the seats are filled, the crowd would be announced at 16,800. Add the Thomas & Mack sellout, and the total would be 35,186.

“That would tell you a lot about the sport,’’ Schaefer said.

With apologies to Mark Twain, t would tell you that all those dire warnings of imminent death are greatly exaggerated.

It might also tell you what could happen if Golden Boy and Top Rank made peace and did business together. But that’s another story, if not a miracle. It didn’t sound as if peace were even a remote possibility Thursday. The irony is that the fighters were the diplomats. Canelo and Lopez praised each other. The only real trash talk came from Keith Kizer, the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s executive.

In an apparent reference to the controversy over the judging of Tim Bradley’s decision over Manny Pacquiao in June at the MGM Grand, Kizer seemed to take exception at HBO’s criticism of judges Duane Ford, CJ Ross and Jerry Roth.

“There was another fight here in June, but some of the veterans at ringside that felt badly that night won’t feel so bad this time, because HBO, (Jim) Lampley and (Harold) Lederman won’t be there,’’ Kizer said. “I like the Showtime announcers much better.’’

Kizer’s shot followed one at Showtime from Top Rank’s Bob Arum.

“Half the people who’ve got Showtime don’t know they have it,’’ Arum said.

Shot, counter-shot. The beat goes on.

But if predictions are fulfilled and the numbers add up Saturday night, there won’t be an argument about whether the business still has a heartbeat.

Las Vegas (September, 12) – “Knockout Kings,” this Saturday’s Mexican Independence Day weekend quadruple-header headlined by WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez facing upset-driven Josesito Lopez, just got more interesting with the addition of a $100,000 bonus being awarded to the fighter who registers the best knockout of the night.

Fans will have the opportunity to text to vote for their choice immediately following the end of the Canelo vs. Lopez bout. The winner will be announced in the ring and live during the telecast on SHOWTIME® from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The eight fighters featured on the telecast have a combined 206 knockouts.

“These four fights all have the ingredients to end in a spectacular fashion,” said President of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya. “Knockout Kings is the perfect title for this fight card because you have current world champions, former world champions and aspiring world champions all striving for a win this Saturday night. All the fighters are known for their power and none can be counted out or overlooked. This is a unique way to engage the fans watching around the country. I am hoping to see four knockouts so that the decision is that much tougher and the winner is that much more deserving of the prize.”

TEXT TO VOTE GUIDELINES

Following the conclusion of the main event, fans in the arena and at home will have five minutes to vote for the “Knockout of the Night” by texting 74669 from their mobile devices. If there are no knockouts, there will no winner and if there is one knockout, that fighter is the automatic winner of the $100,000 prize. Should there be more than one knockout, the votes will be tallied in those five allotted minutes to vote and the $100,000 winner will be announced in the ring prior to the conclusion of the SHOWTIME telecast.

# # #

“Knockout Kings,” headlined by Canelo Alvarez defending his WBC Super Welterweight World Championship against breakout star Josesito Lopez, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions and Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools, AT&T and O’Reilly Auto Parts. In the co-featured attractions, WBC Featherweight World Champion Jhonny Gonzalez defends his crown against former World Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon in fight presented in association with Promociones Del Pueblo, former World Champion Marcos Maidana faces perennial contender Jesus Soto Karass in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBA Intercontinental Welterweight Title presented in association with Universum Box-Promotion and Leo Santa Cruz defends his IBF Bantamweight World Championship against former Two-Time World Champion Eric Morel. The Saturday, Sept. 15 quadruple-header, packed with Mexican pride and power, will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be televised live on SHOWTIME Saturday, Sept. 15 at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT with preliminary fights to air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $400, $300, $150, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges and taxes, are on sale now and available for purchase. Ticket sales are limited to 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

It’s hard to know whether September’s promise is a new dawn or just a familiar set of oncoming headlights in another head-on collision with a demise predicted and heightened by August’s doom and gloom.

No matter how you look at Andre Ward-versus-Chad Dawson Saturday in Oakland, Calif., and a dueling Las Vegas’ twin bill on Sept. 15 featuring Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at Thomas & Mack Center and Canelo Alvarez-Josesito Lopez at the MGM Grand, however, it is hard not to see potential for a comeback that is a boxing specialty. No business does it better.

Reliable resiliency is there in a shifting alignment that offers a way out of the never-never land of talk and only talk about Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Yeah-yeah, it could still happen. But a generation of lost fans doesn’t care anymore. The good news is that there is always a new one. In part, chances at winning over generation-next rest in what happens with fighters poised to succeed Pacquiao and Mayweather.

For now, the intriguing battle is for No. 2 spot in the pound-for-pound debate. The fading Pacquiao, second on most lists behind Mayweather, is in jeopardy of falling to third or even fourth after evidence of decline in his last two fights, controversial decisions over Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley.

“Me, I believe I’m No. 2 at this moment,’’ Martinez said Wednesday in a conference call for his showdown with Chavez Jr. in a HBO pay-per-view bout for the middleweight title.

A better argument might come from Ward, if he remains unbeaten (25-0, 13 KOs) Saturday in a HBO-televised bout against light-heavy champion Dawson (30-1 17 KOs), who agreed to come down in weight for a 168-pound fight in Ward’s hometown. Mayweather stays at No. 1 because of his perfect record (43-0, 26 KOs). Martinez can’t make that claim. Even if he beats Chavez Jr., there are still losses to Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams and two draws on his resume (49-2-2, 28 KOs).

Predictably perhaps, the more circumspect Ward isn’t as bold about his place in the pound-for-pound debate as Martinez, who has become more outspoken in an escalating exchange of trash talk with Chavez Jr.

For the most part, Ward’s attention isn’t easily diverted by anything beyond the challenge immediately in front of him. That means the dangerous Dawson. Everything else is just talk that would take him away from the task at becoming an equal of fighters he admires, including Mayweather and Sugar Ray Leonard.

“They’re masters,’’ Ward said. “I’m trying to be a master.’’

The guess is that Ward will never quit trying. The goal will be there for as long as he is fighting. It’s a motivational piece to a Ward persona that in a couple of years could put him at the top of the pound-for-pound crowd.

Even in the build-up for Dawson, he seemed to look for something that would drive him to knock out slights, imagined or real. Dawson’s camp praises him. But the skeptical Ward deflects it.

“I think they’re giving us some superficial credit because they have to,’’ he said. “…To listen to them tell it, they have every advantage in the book. I think they’ll discover that isn’t the case.’’

Ward’s insightful trainer, Virgil Hunter, had his own spin.

“Our advantage is being at a disadvantage in their eyes,’’ Hunter said.

If there’s a disadvantage during the next nine days, it is expected to be in betting odds against Chavez Jr. and Dawson. But even those are slim. Spring an upset, and one or both will suddenly leap to the front of a line in the fight for spots at the pay window long occupied by Pacquiao and Mayweather.

Bob Arum, Chavez Jr.’s promoter, said an earlier opportunity for big money against Martinez was resisted precisely for the moment that will transpire on Sept. 15.

“We could have taken a chance against Martinez a year ago,’’ Arum said. “If he wins – and we believe he will, he will become an attraction on the level of Pacquiao, Mayweather.’’

Meanwhile, a hint at Mayweather’s immediate future could unfold at the Canelo-Lopez fight at the MGM Grand. Canelo keeps talking about how he wants to fight Mayweather. His representatives at Golden Boy Promotions have advised caution. At least, Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya did on May 5 in the wake of Canelo’s victory over Shane Mosley. But an impressive victory over a smaller Lopez on Showtime might sweep aside concern that Canelo is getting ahead of himself.

If Mayweather decides he wants to fight the popular Mexican redhead now instead of later, there’ll be no waiting.

Another future will have arrived.

In a segment from the documentary series All Access: Canelo vs. Lopez, the cameras of SHOWTIME Sports follow Josesito Lopez to the gates of the federal prison where his father is currently incarcerated. Lopez opens up about the impact of his father’s absence before what may be the fight of his

The dog days of August, an unexpected offseason, is full of more idle speculation than medal winners among the American men at the London Olympics. There’s little to celebrate and much to anticipate before it starts all over again next month. A busy September includes one night — the 15th — with two good cards: HBO’s telecast of Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center and the Showtime telecast of Canelo Alvarez-Josesito Lopez down the street at the MGM Grand. A couple of miles of Vegas neon will separate the two. After a barren August, an embarrassment of riches awaits. Or maybe just embarrassment. Until then, it’s just a guessing game.

A few more guesses:

Manny Pacquiao. Further uncertainty is about the only way to interpret his latest decision. Reports about him moving his next bout from Nov. 10 to Dec. 1 seem to say he doesn’t really know what he wants. Advisor Michael Koncz says the new date is a political necessity. It eliminates a potential interruption of training by allowing Pacquiao time in October to refile his candidacy for re-election to the Filipino Congress, according to Koncz, who was quoted as saying he has to be in the Philippines to file the documents. But Filipino media reports that he does not have to be there. He can mail in the documentation, according to the reports. The contradictions only muddy uncertain waters. Just who does he plan to fight? Reported options are Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto and Timothy Bradley. There would be a lot less uncertainty about Pacquiao if he had announced the opponent along with the new date. As it is, there are questions about whether retirement is another option.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. It’s been three weeks since he walked out of a Las Vegas jail after serving about two months for domestic violence. There’s still no word on what his plans are. Pacquiao doesn’t seem to be among them, at least not during the final months in 2012. Keep an eye on Twitter, Mayweather’s favorite way to communicate. Also keep an eye on Canelo-Lopez. It’s not the biggest fight on Sept 15. Martinez-Chavez is. But Golden Boy Promotions has dropped hints that Canelo might be Mayweather’s next opponent if Lopez doesn’t score an encore of his upset of Victor Ortiz.

50 Cent. Keep another eye on the rapper whose birth name, Curtis Jackson, is included on the promotional license that sets him up as a potential rival to Golden Boy and Top Rank. He might have some very different ideas about who Mayweather, his friend and confidante, should fight next.

Juan Manuel Marquez. He plans to write a book. At least three of the chapters figure to be about how he says he got
robbed against Pacquiao, who won two disputed decisions after a draw against the tactically-skilled Mexican. A fourth chapter looks doubtful, if only because the proven risk isn’t worth an iffy reward for Pacquiao

Ricky Hatton. Yeah-yeah, we read the rumors about a Hatton comeback, possibly against Paulie Malignaggi. Can another Oscar De La Hoya rumor be far behind?

Andre Ward and Chad Dawson. It looks like the best of September. Martinez-Chavez Jr. is getting most of the attention, which also means all of the expectations. Those might be very hard to fulfill. Ward-Dawson on Sept. 8 in Oakland, Calif., isn’t surrounded by all of the hype, in part because neither fighter engages in much braggadocio. But the fight, an All-American bout, might introduce a new argument to a pound-for-pound debate grown stale by the unresolved blather about when or whether Pacquiao and Mayweather will fight. Ward-Dawson “sells itself,” Ward told the media Thursday in hometown Oakland. It does.

Gennady Golovkin. Never heard of him? That’s a question Golovkin, an unbeaten middleweight and Olympic silver medalist from Kazakhstan, hopes to quit hearing in the U.S. sometime after he fights for the first time in America on Sept. 1 when he kicks off next month’s schedule on HBO After Dark against Grsegorz Proksa at Turning Stone Resort in Verona, N.Y. “We’ve made it clear we’ll fight anybody in the middleweight division,” Tom Loeffler of K2-Promotions said of Golovkin. In a month that includes middleweight Chavez Jr. and Martinez, Golovkin needs to make his American debut a memorable one.

Devon Alexander and Randall Bailey. Showtime and HBO will stage a preliminary Sept. 8 to their Sept. 15th duel for viewers. That’s when Showtime will televise the Bailey-Alexander welterweight at Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on the same night as HBO’s telecast of Ward-Dawson. Alexander-Bailey has the makings of a classic boxer-puncher confrontation. Bailey already is making it fun. Bailey, who says his one-punch KO power makes him the last of a kind, has little patience for Alexander’s speed and boxing skill. “Everybody gets hit with that right hand,” Bailey said during a conference call. “Question is, when you get hit with that right, what are you gonna do?”

In September, at least, we’ll get the chance to find out.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that Jr.Welterweight beltholder Marcos Maidana will give up his title to face Jesus Soto Karass as part of the Saul Alvarez – Josesito Lopez Super Welterweight title card on September 15th in Las Vegas.

The show will be a quadruple header televised by Showtime.

“Well, Maidana is definitely not making 140 pounds anymore,” said Maidana’s manager Sebastian Contursi. “He is just too big for it now after years of making the 140 limit. That’s why we decided to give it a shot at 147 pounds and thought that Jesus Soto Karass is a very good opponent since he just fights. Could be a war.

“Golden Boy Promotions thought that adding Maidana to the Sept. 15 card would improve it, so they offered us that fight and we took it. This time Maidana would have proper time to adjust and to improve under (new trainer) Robert Garcia.”

“We speculated until now about keeping the title but we will give it up,” Contursi said.

You know the cliché. It’s trotted out after nearly every controversial decision. Yeah-yeah, reasonable people can disagree. Trouble is, that’s all they ever seem to do in boxing.

As the business approaches a potential fiscal cliff of its own making on Sept. 15, however, there’s an opportunity for reasonable minds to actually work in behalf of the customers who just seem to be in the way of promoters hell-bent on destroying each other with dueling cards — the Golden Boy-promoted Canelo Alvarez-Josesito Lopez at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand and Top Rank’s Julio Cesar-Chavez Jr.-Sergio Martinez just a fast-break away at Thomas & Mack Center.

Here’s a way out of the conflict: The Grand Garden Arena at the MGM Grand is available Friday night, Sept. 14.

How hard would it be to re-schedule Alvarez-Lopez from Sept. 15 to Sept. 14 as a way to kick off a weekend celebration of Mexican Independence on Sunday, Sept. 16? First, Canelo-Lopez on Friday. Then, Chavez- Martinez on Saturday. Finally, Mana, a concert featuring the popular Mexican rock band scheduled for Sunday at the Grand Garden Arena.

The weekend-long fiesta sounds simple enough. Perhaps too simple. It hasn’t been suggested, at least not by the reasonable people who only know how to disagree. The topic dominated conversation before and after Danny Garcia’s stunning fourth-round stoppage of Amir Khan last Saturday at Mandalay Bay. From bar-tenders to serious fans, it was the same question: How come nobody is talking about making that move?

Above-all, it’s a win-win for fans, regardless of whether they prefer Canelo or Chavez Jr. They’ll have a chance to see each fight live, rather than being forced to pick one instead of the other. For the respective television networks, it’s a chance at attracting the biggest possible audience. Showtime will carry Canelo-Lopez. HBO plans a pay-per-view telecast of Chavez Jr.-Martinez for the middleweight title. If on the same night, each figures to lose some of its audience.

Then, there’s the MGM Grand and Wynn-Las Vegas, which will be the hotel site for news conferences and other pre-fight events in its role as a sponsor of Chavez-Martinez. All customers can’t be at both places at the same time.

There has been a suggestion that maybe one main event can be scheduled a few hours before the other. To wit: On Sept. 15, schedule Canelo-Lopez for 5:30 p.m. and Chavez Jr.-Martinez for 8:15 p.m. But that is fraught with potential headaches. Logistically, there might be an impossible crush to get a cab and rush hour-like traffic on the short road from one parking lot to the other. There’s also talk that Televisa, the Mexican network aligned to Canelo, wants the fight only at night instead of late-afternoon or early evening.

Even if that one doesn’t work, there’s still a way out of the dilemma. But so far a possible solution has been ignored and reason set aside for a winner-take-all confrontation that Golden Boy and Top Rank are promoting more than any fight and at any cost, even to themselves.

LOS ANGELES (July 11, 2012) – Mexican Independence Day weekend will come alive in one-of-a-kind fashion on Saturday, September 15 when “Knockout Kings” featuring undefeated Mexican sensation Canelo Alvarez taking on boxing’s breakout star and upset-minded Josesito Lopez for Canelo’s World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Welterweight World Championship, takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, live on SHOWTIME. Fans can expect fireworks all night long with the unparalleled quadruple-header, which also features WBC Featherweight World Champion Jhonny Gonzalez defending his title against former World Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon.

“Knockout Kings,” a tremendous evening of pure Mexican power and pride, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions and Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. The quadruple-header will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. and will be televised live on SHOWTIME. Additional co-featured fights will be announced soon.

SHOWTIME Sports will also produce a new edition of its ALL ACESS sports documentary series. ALL ACCESS: Canelo vs. Lopez will premiere on SHOWTIME, with multiple replays on additional SHOWTIME and CBS platforms. The exhibition schedule will be announced shortly.

“We know the exceptional talent we have in Mexican superstar Canelo, and certainly Josesito Lopez deserves the opportunity to face him after his stunning upset victory over Victor Ortiz on June 23,” said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “It is going to be another prideful Mexican Independence Day weekend for Mexican and Mexican-American fans having their most celebrated fighter, Canelo, fighting that night along with Jhonny Gonzalez and Daniel Ponce De Leon, who are going to deliver their own electrifying championship battle.”

“It is a great pleasure for Golden Boy Promotions to be working with MGM Resorts International and SHOWTIME Sports on this exciting night of boxing,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO, Golden Boy Promotions. “To be able to showcase top-caliber boxing talent in Canelo, Josesito Lopez, Jhonny Gonzalez and Ponce De Leon on the same show packs a lot of power and pride into a tremendous evening for attendees and viewers watching at home. It’s also a special gift for Mexican and Mexican American fans who have supported the sport for so long to have Canelo appear once again on Mexican Independence Day weekend. If there is anyone who deserves a shot at Canelo, it’s Josesito because he showed that heart and will can determine the outcome of any fight. I’ve never seen a fighter show that.”

“SHOWTIME has fully committed to promoting this tremendous night of boxing as if it were a pay-per-view, but instead is offering this quadruple-header to all boxing fans across the country,” continued Schaefer. “We are very pleased that CBS will also be committed to promoting this event on various platforms.”

“We are excited to be able to offer SHOWTIME subscribers a chance to see boxing’s newest star, Canelo Alvarez, in what promises to be a dramatic fight,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “Canelo’s talent and charisma has re-energized boxing and drawn legions of casual fans to the sport. Josesito Lopez may not be as well-known as Canelo, but he has already shown that it would be a mistake for any opponent to overlook Josesito Lopez. Many counted him out in his last fight against Victor Ortiz, but he stunned the SHOWTIME audience and boxing fans worldwide with his gutsy performance and earned his shot at Canelo. This match-up, and this entire card as a whole, promises to be non-stop action and we are proud to deliver explosive fights to our viewers.”

Richard Sturm, president of sports and entertainment for MGM Resorts International, said, “We look forward to celebrating Mexican Independence Day weekend with one of the most exciting events of the summer. There is no doubt that Golden Boy Promotions will deliver a fight that has a major impact on boxing fans worldwide.”

Already a phenom in his home country of Mexico, Canelo turned professional at the age of 15 and has amassed a record of 40-0-1, with 29 knockouts. Since 2008, he has knocked out 14 of 18 opponents and is coming off of a dominant unanimous decision win over future Hall of Famer and former Three-Division World Champion Sugar Shane Mosley in May. Now, the 21-year-old considered to be one of boxing’s fastest-rising stars will make his SHOWTIME debut on Mexico’s biggest holiday weekend of the year, Mexican Independence Day weekend. Canelo will look to continue his meteoric rise to international superstardom as he follows in the footsteps of De La Hoya, his childhood idol and current promoter.

“I am happy to be fighting Josesito Lopez on Mexican Independence Day weekend and to give all of our fans a tremendous battle,” said Canelo. “I was ringside for his fight against Victor Ortiz and saw the talent he possesses. It will be very competitive, but nothing can take away my desire to be the best in the sport. I am also excited to be fighting for the Mexican people and Mexican American fans on Mexican Independence Day weekend. I look forward to showing so many people who will be watching me across the United States that I love being a champion. I want them to think of me as one of the greatest fighters ever.”

In June, Lopez emerged from relative obscurity and scored the biggest win of his career over the heavily favored Ortiz in the main event of a SHOWTIME Championship Boxing. Lopez shocked the boxing world by stopping Ortiz, one of today’s most popular and talented fighters. Lopez (30-4, 18 KO’s) of Riverside, Calif., has the opportunity to recreate his “Rocky moment” on Sept. 15, when he challenges for his first world title against a man that many believe to be boxing’s next superstar.

“I am so happy to have the chance to continue my career fighting another great champion in Canelo Alvarez especially on such a big weekend like Mexican Independence Day,” said Lopez. “I know they put me in the ring with Victor Ortiz to have me beat and now they are doing the same thing with Canelo. I was a big underdog with Ortiz and now I’m a bigger underdog with Canelo, but I’m up for the challenge.”

Also featured on the SHOWTIME telecast will be reigning Mexico City’s Jhonny Gonzalez (52-7, 45 KO’s) who once ruled the bantamweight division with his iron fists, winning two world titles and defeating the likes of Fernando Montiel, Irene Pacheco and recently inducted Hall of Famer Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson. Reinventing himself at featherweight, where he has gone 12-0 with 11 knockouts, he won the WBC 126-pound title by stopping Hozumi Hasegawa in the fourth round in April 2011. Four title defenses, including an April 2012 decision over Elio Rojas, have followed, and on September 15, the 30-year old will seek a fifth successful defense against De Leon.

“This is a fight I have been wanting for a long time and now to have the opportunity to do it for my Mexican people is so great,” said Gonzalez. “That is a big weekend for everyone and I am going to show the world why I am still the best in the division.”

Power puncher Daniel Ponce De Leon (43-4, 35 KO’s) has long been one of boxing’s most dependable warriors. Former WBO Junior Featherweight World Champion De Leon defended his crown six times during his 2005-08 reign. After losing the title to Juan Manuel Lopez in 2008, he began the next chapter of his career, winning nine of his next 11 fights following that defeat. In 2012, wins over Omar Estrella (KO6) and Eduardo Lazcano (W10) at featherweight have put him in line for a shot at 126-pound gold, but to get it, he will have to beat countryman Gonzalez on the 15th of September.

“Gonzalez is a very good fighter, but I have the experience and ability to beat him and take his title from him,” said De Leon. “The Mexican fans will all be watching and there is going to be tremendous pressure on all of us to win our bouts and look great doing it. I will become the new champion that night and my career will move up to a new level.”

Tickets priced at $400, $300, $150, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges and taxes, go on sale Saturday, July 14 at Noon PT. Ticket sales are limited to ten (10) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Victor Ortiz has been tabbed to take on WBC Super Welterweight champion Saul Alvarez provided he wins his June 23rd fight with Josesito Lopez.

“These are two young fighters in the prime of their careers fighting each other,” Said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said of the match.

Should Ortiz lose or be unavailable for the September 15 bout, Schaefer has an unknown Plan B.

“We have contingency plans in place, which we have worked out with Showtime, because you never know what will happen,” Schaefer said. “Of course, Josesito Lopez would be part of those contingency plans.”

Golden Boy Owner Oscar De la Hoya Said: “This fight June 23 does concern me because Josesito Lopez is no walk in the park. It’s a huge opportunity for him and it puts more pressure on Victor Ortiz to go out there and prove he deserves to be in the same ring with Canelo Alvarez. This June 23 fight is very important and people are expecting a very difficult and tough fight at the Staples Center.”

“Victor is the kind of guy who wants to fight everyone,” Schaefer said. “He mentioned to us that he wanted to fight Canelo. That was always something on his mind and when the opportunity presented itself he jumped on it and he knows he needs to win (on June 23). Josesito Lopez also knows what’s at stake.”

“Canelo Alvarez is one of the most entertaining and charismatic fighters in the sport and there’s nobody better to headline the card on Mexican Independence Day,” Said Showtime Sports CEO Steven Espinoza. “Canelo is one of the biggest superstars in Mexico and we have full confidence he will develop into one in the United States.”

“That is the kind of relationship we look forward to developing with Canelo,” Espinoza said.

“After this weekend, we wanted to put together a fight card where we can leave the judges at home,” Schaefer said. “‘Knockout Kings’ is the perfect title. Every fight we put on TV, even off TV, there should be no judges needed.”

“Sept. 15 (I hope) you can leave you’re scorecards at home. (I hope) you won’t need them,” said Schaefer, adding that the card would also be available in movie theaters around the country like most of his company’s major pay-per-view cards.

Bethlehem, PA—Powerful junior middleweight contender King Gabriel Rosado, of Philadelphia, PA, says he should be the one to fight Saul Canelo Alvarez in September.

“Let Canelo step up to the plate and fight a real man,” Rosado (left) said after his impressive ninth-round knockout over world-ranked Sechew Powell, of Brooklyn, NY, on Friday night at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem (below right).

“They keep going over the same old names. Carlos Quintana? Please, give me a break. Carlos Molina? Get real! Those guys can’t hurt my sister. Maybe Canelo wants to play it safe for awhile.

Rosado’s win over Powell, which was televised as part of the NBC Sports Network Fight Series, should push Rosado to the top of the class at 154 pounds.

It was Rosado’s sixth straight win, fourth by knockout, and improved his record to 20-5, 12 K0s.

Going into the fight, Rosado was ranked No. 5 by the IBF, No. 9 by the WBC. He should also pick up a WBO ranking now that he has won the vacant WBO Inter-Continental junior middleweight belt.

“A lot of guys talk tough, but don’t back it up,” Rosado added. “I’ve fought tough guys every step of the way. My record may not be all that glittering to look at, but check out the guys I’ve fought. Name me another junior middleweight who came up the old-fashioned way like the old-timers did.

“Why should Canelo be afraid? He’s got one of those pretty records (40-0, 29 K0s). I should look like a piece of cake to him.

“If TV wants action, I’m their man. If they’re just looking for a pretty face with a pretty record, then they can choose one of those phony contenders. My day will come!”

Alvarez, the WBC champ at 154 pounds, was signed to defend against Paul Williams on Sept. 15 in Las Vegas before Williams was severely injured in a motorcycle accident last weekend in Georgia.

James Kirkland was the first choice to replace Williams, but that matchup fell apart.

“Stop playing around!” Rosado added. “I’m ready and I’m willing. Too many promoters play it safe with their fighters and want to keep everything in-house. That way they keep control, regardless of who wins. Let’s break that mold and make a real fight fans’ fight!”

Just a day after agreeing to a September 15th world title bout with Saul Alvarez, James Kirkland has bowed According to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“It was uncomfortable and he was concerned,” said Kirkland’s manager Cameron Dunkin said. he called me and said he wasn’t going to fight. The doctor said his shoulder was healing fine but James was afraid he was going to tear it again. He felt tightness and felt he shouldn’t fight. He said it feels bad, that he couldn’t use it properly. He said, ‘I can’t train right, so I won’t be ready by Sept. 15.’

“He is sick about it. He needs the money. He’s been doing rehab on the shoulder and the doctor said he was ahead of schedule, but the doctor also said you can’t tell how fast you’re going to heal. But he was ahead of schedule and his mobility was ahead of schedule. James told me how much he wanted the fight, the opportunity and the money.

“He’s been stretching it and doing his therapy, but when he began snapping punches, he said he felt a twinge and that it didn’t feel right and that he could tell it wasn’t right. That’s not going to change in a week or two. He said, ‘I can’t train 100 percent, and for a guy like this, I have to be 100 percent.’ He knew he was rushing it.”

“You have to trust the managers and doctors when they say he is OK to go,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said. “So now, he’s not going to be ready and the last thing we want is to start a promotion if the guy is not going to be 100 percent.”

Later on Thursday, however, Kirkland’s story began to change, according to Dunkin. Dunkin said he and co-manager Michael Miller were sent an email by Austin’s Curtis Meeks, a former professional fighter and friend of Kirkland’s who was 9-1-2 with three knockouts in his 2001 to 2008 career. Dunkin said Meeks recently began serving as an adviser to Kirkland and that in the email he told them that Kirkland “would sign the contract today for $2.5 million and that he is ready to go for the right money.”

“Our answer was that James is injured,” Dunkin said. “We won’t fight him if he’s injured, and said he’s obviously not going to be ready to fight Sept. 15. His answer was that James could fight later in the year, but that it would have to be for $2.5 million. This guy is obviously telling him he is getting screwed on the money, which is not the case.

“So James is out of the fight. I can’t get him $2.5 million. That’s ridiculous. I’d love to get him that much because I get a percentage, but it’s not reality. James is a great kid but he’s getting really bad advice. And if he can’t fight, he shouldn’t fight at any price. So it’s just crazy. It’s totally insane. We told James, ‘If you’re healthy, fight. If you’re not healthy, don’t fight.’ But don’t make it about the money because the money he was getting for the fight was very, very good money.”

“So Kirkland has a new adviser who told him not to take the fight unless he gets $2.5 million. That is what I was told. It is unbelievable,” Schaefer said. “I don’t get it. That’s not how we do business. We agreed to a deal with him and he was being paid very, very well.”

“Canelo is the big Mexican superstar and he will be fighting at the MGM Grand on pay-per-view and we will be looking at other names for him to fight,” Schaefer said. “The good news is there are other names out there. It’s a deep division.”

After the unfortunate accident to former two division champion Paul Williams, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will now take on James Kirkland on September 15th in Las Vegas for the WBC Super Welterweight champions that will be the headline bout of an HBO PPV card according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“That’s not the way you want to get the fight, but it wasn’t like James wasn’t in the running in the first place,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer. “You have to deal with injuries and setbacks even as severe and tragic as this one is for Paul.

“James Kirkland was always on the short list of potential opponents for Canelo Alvarez and it came down to two names, guys which are exciting and are known, and that was Paul Williams and James Kirkland,” Schaefer said. “When we were told James couldn’t fight until the end of September, that eliminated him as a potential opponent because it was important for Canelo and for us for the fight to be on Sept. 15, the Mexican Independence Day weekend, which is traditionally reserved for the biggest Mexican stars to fight on.”

“About a week ago, I was informed by (Kirkland co-manager) Michael Miller that James had made tremendous progress and that he could fight sooner than we originally thought,” Schaefer said. “But there was nothing I could do because we had already agreed to a Williams fight.

“When the tragedy happened with Paul Williams, I called Michael to see if James had been medically cleared and he was and he very much wanted the fight. It was a matter of working out the numbers, which we did in the last few days. I’m excited because it is one of those fights where you can leave the judges at home. I would bet anyone this will end in a knockout, one way or the other. This is not going to the scorecards, and that’s what fight fans like.”

Schaefer said the card will be called “Knockout Kings” — which he said he got clearance to use even though that it is the name of a popular boxing video game series — figuring that Alvarez-Kirkland and the potentially explosive co-feature — a featherweight title bout between Mexican countrymen Jhonny Gonzalez (52-7, 45 KOs) and former junior featherweight titleholder Daniel Ponce De Leon (43-4, 35 KOs) — would end in stoppages.

“Gonzalez-Ponce De Leon is another barnburner where you can leave the judges at home because you know it will end up in a knockout,” Schaefer said. “We will look to add other fights to the card that we think will end in knockouts.”

“Canelo was very saddened,” Schaefer said. “He couldn’t believe it and was in shock. God-permitting and health-permitting Canelo told me he would like to invite Paul to be ringside but we don’t know if it is going to be feasible. But Canelo was really shaken up. He was speechless. We had to explain what happened a couple of times. It was a nice gesture for him to offer to fly Paul and his family out for the fight. Canelo believes Paul will always be fighter and a champion and he told me he is going to dedicate the fight to Paul Williams.”

Popular WBC Super Welterweight champion Saul Alvarez will defend his title against the dangerous former world champion Paul Williams to help celebrate the Mexican Independence weekend on September 15th in a bout that is ticketed for Pay Per View according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

The bout will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“Canelo and Williams is done. Signed, sealed and delivered,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who got the deal done on Wednesday. “I think Williams is the biggest name in the division we could get and he has been known for years as one of the most avoided fighters in boxing. He’s awkward, he’s tall, he’s a dangerous fighter and that’s what you need on a pay-per-view. You need to give fans fights where they don’t know who’s going to win the fight.

“So, yes, it’s a risk for Canelo because Paul Williams is a terrific fighter. But it’s also a dangerous fight for Paul Williams. Some people still underestimate Canelo Alvarez but he can compete with anyone and he wants to compete with everyone. People have to remember that Canelo is still only 21 years old, but if you want to earn a shot at Floyd Mayweather, you need to be able to pass this kind of test, this tall test.”

Originally, Golden Boy had looked to James Kirkland, an exciting brawler whom it promotes, as Alvarez’s opponent and offered him the fight. However, Kirkland suffered a shoulder injury in a fight in March, had surgery and will not be ready to go by Sept. 15. So they looked to Williams (41-2, 27 KOs), 30, of Augusta, Ga.

“Kirkland is not going to be able to fight in September,” Schaefer said. “I want to make sure he is healthy and ready to go before a fight like this. So now people are saying, ‘Why are you putting Canelo in with Paul Williams?’ Some people think we are nuts. But I know one thing — it’s going to be a good fight. These guys both come to fight. I think one of these guys will get knocked out. If it’s an exciting fight I don’t think there are any losers.”

“We’ve been looking for something of this magnitude. We’ll be prepared for it,” said Williams trainer George Peterson. “He is going to put on a boxing clinic against Alvarez. This is what Paul has been wanting. We know Canelo is a good boxer. He has good footwork, good power and the will to win. That’s what I think about Alvarez. But Paul has been in the ring with the best and done really well. Paul can get up for this fight. There’s been one or two fights he couldn’t get up for.”

“What has happened is a few people have written Paul off, have said that he’s on his last legs. We’re glad about that, or we wouldn’t get no activity at all,” Peterson said. “It’s gonna be a real interesting fight and Paul is excited about it. It’s an opportunity to show the boxing community that Paul Williams is back. He’s never ducked a fighter and when the bell goes ‘bing,’ the fans will see a very exciting fight. Boxing needs something like this where who the winner will be is a mystery.

“I wanted to get the fight done and now I’ll see what I will do as it relates to which network is involved in the pay-per-view,” Schaefer said.

Follow all the action from the MGM as Miguel Cotto defends the WBA Super Welterweight championship against Floyd Mayweather. The action begins at 7pm est/4pm Pac with a FIVE fight undercard featuring Canelo Alvarez defending the WBC Super Welterweight championship against the Legendary Shane Mosley. Jesse Vargas takes on former world champion Steve Forbes as well as DeAndre Latimore battling Carlos Quintana. Also bouts involving prospects Keith Thurman & Omar Figueroa Jr.

12 Rounds–WBA Super Welterweight title–Miguel Cotto (37-2, 30 KO’s) vs Floyd Mayweather (42-0, 26 KO’s)

Round 1 Trading body shots..Cotto lands a combo inside..Mayweather lands a couple body shots at the bell…10-9 Mayweather

Round 2 Right from Mayweather…Right from distance..Right from Cotto…Right from Mayweather…20-18 Mayweather

Round 3 Hard right from Mayweather…Right to body and head from Cotto..Jab..Counter right from Mayweather..lead right..Hard jab from Cotto..29-28 Mayweather

Round 4 Hard right from Mayweather…3 more sweeping rights…another right…2 shots from Cotto..39-37 Mayweather

Round 4 Great combos from Mayweather..Straight right hand…Right from Cotto..Mayweather lands a solid ..49-46 Mayweather

Round 6 Good right from Mayweather…jab from Cotto..another Jab..Left hook..Good right from Mayweather…58-56 Mayweather

Round 7 Uppercut from Cotto..2 body shots…3 punch combo from Mayweather…Left to the body for Cotto…67-66 Mayweather

Round 8 Body head combo from Mayweather…Cotto lands a right..Right to body..Uppercut from Mayweather…big uppercut..Good left from Cotto..Great action in the corner…77-75 Mayweather

Round 9 Right from Mayweather…Left hook and jab from Cotto,..Mayweather lands a body shot..87-85 Mayweather

Round 10 Cotto lands a left…right from Mayweather..left..Good uppercut from Cotto…97-94 Mayweather

Round 11 Straight from Mayweather..Good combination..quick left hook…107-103 Mayweather

Round 12 Hard combination from Mayweather…Huge upper cut wobbles Cotto another huge shot…117-112 Mayweather

117-111; 117-111; 118-110 FLOYD MAYWEATHER

12 Rounds–WBC Super Welterweight Saul Alvarez (39-0-1, 29 KO’s) vs Shane Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KO’s)

Round 1 Alavrez lands a body shot..Mosley lands a body…Jab from Alvarez..Left hook..Body shot…another body shot..Left hook…Mosley lands a right..Left hook from Alvarez…10-9 Alvarez

Round 2 Jab…left.Hook body then upstairs…body..20-18 Alvarez

Round 3 Good right from Alvarez..Headbutt causes cut over left eye of Alvarez…30-27 Alvarez

Round 4 Hard 3 punch combination from Alvarez…Hard right..40-36 Alvarez

Round 5 Hard left from Alvarez, snapped Mosley’s head back..50-45 Alvarez

Round 6 Right from Alvarez..Ripping 3 shots for Alvarez…60-54 Alvarez

Round 7 Hard head combo from Alvarez…70-63 ALvarez

Round 8 Mosley lands a combination on the ropes…Alvarez landing hard punches..79-73 Alvarez

Round 9 Short right from Alvarez…Hard body and head shots…right from Mosley..Wicked left from Alvarez…89-82 Alvarez

Round 10 Hard right drives Mosley back…4 punch combination…99-91 Alvarez

Round 11 Big Left hook from Alvarez…109-100

Round 12 Mosley trying…too little too late..Alvarez 3 punch combo…119-109

119-109; 118-110; 119-109 SAUL CANELO ALVAREZ

10 Rounds–Welterweights—Jessie Vargas (18-0, 9 KO’s) vs. Steve Forbes (35-10, 11 KO’s)

Round 1 Vargas lands a jab…10-9 Vargas

Round 2 Vargas lands a good left hook..20-18 Vargas

Round 3 Good combination work form Vargas…30-27

Round 4 Forbes sneaks in a right,,,39-37 Vargas

Round 5 vargas back to boxing…49-46 Vargas

Round 6 Good right from Forbes… 58-56 Vargas

Round 7 Trading body shots…Vargas lands a body shot and lead left hook…68-65 Vargas

Round 8 Forbes lands a looping right …Vargas 77-75

Round 9 Vargas landing good jabs,,,87-84 Vargas

Round 10 Vargas lands a jab…..97-93 Vargas

100-90; 97-93; 98-92 for Jesse Vargas

10 Rounds Super Welterweights–DeAndre Latimore (23-3, 17 KO’s) vs Carlos Quintana (28-3, 22 KO’s)

Round 1 Battle of Southpaws…Quintana working the body…10-9 Quintana

Round 2 Latimore lands a low blow…Right hook from Latimore..Latimore bleeding over left eyelid…20-18 Quintana

Round 3 Left from Latimore…Quintana lands a hard right..hard shots from Quintana against the ropes…30-27 Quintana

Round 4 Quintana lands a hard shot...40-36 Quintana

Round 5 Quintana lands hard shots on the ropes…50-45

Round 6 HARD STRAIGHT LEFT AND DOWN GOES LATIMORE….KENNY BAYLESS STOPS THE FIGHT

10 Rounds–Lightweights–Omar Figueroa (15-0-1, 12 KO’s) vs Robbie Cannon (12-6-2, 6 KO’s)

Round 1 Figueroa going to the body…BODY SHOT HURTS CANNON AND HE TAKES A KNEE…Nice 1-2…10-8 Figueroa

Round 2 Good body shot from Figueroa…Jab..Hard left..HUGE LEFT AND DOWN GOES CANNON…UP AT 9 AND FIGHT IS STOPPED BY RUSSELL MORA

8 ROUNDS–Super Welterweights–Keith Thurman (16-0, 15 KO’s) vs Brandon Hoskins (16-0-1, 8 KO’s)

Round 1 Thurman lands a left…right lead to the body…jab..Left hook to the body..Hard jab hurts Hoskins..Good body and head combo..Nice 1-2…10-9 Thurman

Round 2 Hoskins is hurt AND TAKES A KNEE…Nice left hook from Thurman..Left hook..Good right..20-17 Thurman

Round 3 BIG RIGHT HAND AND REFEREE RUSSELL MORA STOPS THE BOUT

LAS VEGAS – It sometimes sounds as if Mexico looks at Saul Alvarez’ red hair and sees a halo. Jose Suliaman, president of the Mexico City-based World Boxing Council, called the young fighter his Godson Thursday during a news-conference filibuster about a search for heroes in a nation known for drug violence. Suliaman sees the halo and thinks he has found one. A Mexican idol, the Godfather said. But halos can be targets, too. They get knocked off all the time.

Whether that halo is a real crown or just an illusion is the question at the center of a career crossroads for Alvarez Saturday night against Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand on the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Miguel Cotto pay-per-view card. Consider just two circumstances: There’s the date, May 5, Cinco de Mayo, a major Mexican holiday that celebrates the nation’s victory over the French in a battle, a fight. Then, there’s Mosley’s unbeaten record against fighters of Mexican descent.

There’s enough pressure there to turn an ordinary redhead gray. But Alvarez addresses it in a style straight out of Charles Barkley’s guide on how to make it work for you. Pressure, Barkley said, is for tires. Use it the right way, and you’ll reach your destination a lot faster.

“It’s a motivation,’’ said the 21-year-old Alvarez, whose confidence includes hopes of a bout against the Mayweather-Cotto winner some time next year. “On May 5, the only thing I want to end is that Mosley streak.’’

The guess is that Alvarez will do exactly that. A www.RingTV.com panel of writers, fighters and broadcasters pick Alvarez, 19-to-1. But there are a couple of assumptions baked into that one-sided cake. There’s Mosley age. He’s 40. Then, there are his last two fights, a dull draw with Sergio Mora and a loss by unanimous decision to Manny Pacquiao on a night when Mosley survived 12 rounds, yet did nothing dispel talk that he was shot.

There’s speculation that Mosley is fighting only for the money, because of an expensive divorce a couple of years ago. His purse is $650,000 before taxes and expenses. After the IRS and everybody else get their cut, there might not be much left. But there is his reputation, which was run through the media shredder after the Pacquiao loss.

“There’s motivation in showing the way Sugar Shane really fights,’’ said Mosley, whose son, Shane Jr., is the same age as Alvarez.

Mosley has no illusions about what he has to do. Alvarez’ popularity is evident in Suliaman’s remarks and even on the Ring Kings’ fight poster. There’s no mention of Alvarez. Just Canelo. That’s his nickname, which is Spanish for Cinnamon and universal for the halo that many of his countrymen see in his distinctive hair. Against the Word Boxing Council’s 154-pound champion, Mosley can’t risk a fight that goes to the scorecards. With widespread talk of Mosley being shot, he also says he can’t let Alvarez’ heavy hands get him into trouble with a knockdown or cut that might lead to a TKO loss.

“I’m not even thinking about a decision,’’ said Mosley, who has promised a stoppage.

Mosley’s quiet confidence suggests that he will re-enter the ring more Sugar than shot. He says there were injuries before his loss to Mayweather and distractions before Pacquiao. Against Mayweather, he said he suffered from blisters on his feet that were sustained while snowboarding. He didn’t elaborate about distractions before Pacquiao. Instead, he referred to a comment made by Steve Forbes, who faces Jessie Vargas in a welterweight bout on Saturday night’s undercard. Forbes has struggled. He’s 2-4 since losing a decision to Oscar De La Hoya in May, 2008.

“Glad to be back on the biggest stage,’’ Forbes said at Thursday’s news conference. “Had a lot of problems, but, thank God, she packed up and moved out.’’

Enough said.

LOS ANGELES, April 9 -The “Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto” pay-per-view card is set and some of the toughest competitors in boxing today will be featured when undefeated rising star Jessie Vargas faces-off against perennial contender Alfonso Gomez and, in the opening pay-per-view bout, exciting 154 lb. contender DeAndre “The Bull” Latimore takes on former World Champion Carlos “El Indio” Quintana. The two 10-round bouts will take place prior to the WBA Super Welterweight Championship between Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto and the Canelo Alvarez vs. Sugar Shane Mosley WBC Super Welterweight title bout Saturday, May 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Bet on this great fight

Twenty-two-year-old Las Vegas resident Jessie Vargas (18-0, 9 KO’s) is one of boxing’s fastest rising stars with notable wins over Arturo Morua, Walter Estrada and former World Champion Vivian Harris. Last September on the Mayweather vs. Ortiz card, Vargas proved that he is one of boxing’s top contenders with an exciting 10-round decision victory over fellow contender Josesito Lopez. Eager to keep his momentum going, Vargas scored a near-shutout win over Lanardo Tyner in February and is now hoping to add Alfonso Gomez to his collection of high-profile wins.

As a member of the cast in the hit boxing reality series “The Contender,” Alfonso Gomez (23-5-2, 12 KO’s) became the fighter to beat as he defeated the show’s top contenders, as well as other top-tier opponents such as Ben Tackie, Jesus Soto Karass and World Champions Arturo Gatti and Jose Luis Castillo. A two-time world title challenger who faced Miguel Cotto in 2008 and Canelo Alvarez in 2011, the 31-year-old from Guadalajara begins another quest for the title on May 5.

Twenty-six-year-old St. Louis-native DeAndre Latimore (23-3, 17 KO’s) now resides in Las Vegas and the change of scenery has done wonders for the aptly nicknamed “Bull.” As a former super welterweight title challenger who lost a highly controversial split decision to Cory Spinks in 2009, Latimore is looking to regain momentum and battle his way back into title contention. With three consecutive wins, including a memorable 10-round victory over Milton Nunez in February, he is closing in on another shot at 154-pound gold.

Moca, Puerto Rico’s Carlos Quintana (28-3, 22 KO’s) is a southpaw like the St. Louis native Latimore; however, “El Indio” is more matador than bull, with his excellent boxing skills, which led him to a world welterweight title win in 2008 over a then-unbeaten Paul Williams. With wins over top contenders including Joel Julio, Francisco Campos and Nurhan Suleymanoglu, the 35-year-old Quintana has won three of his last four bouts, most recently stopping Yoryi Estrella in nine rounds in February of 2011.

Latimore vs. Quintana is presented in association with DiBella Entertainment.

“Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto,” a 12-round fight for Cotto’s WBA Super Welterweight World Championship is promoted by Mayweather Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions. Also featured will be Canelo Alvarez vs. Sugar Shane Mosley, a 12-round fight for Canelo’s WBC Super Welterweight World Championship which is presented in association with Canelo Promotions and Sugar Shane Mosley Promotions. The mega event is sponsored by Corona, Hatfields & McCoys on HISTORY™, DeWalt Tools, AT&T, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Puebla-Cinco De Mayo and will take place Saturday, May 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Limited tickets for “Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto” are still available, with a total ticket limit of ten (10) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Three MGM Resorts International properties, Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo and The Mirage, will host live closed circuit telecasts of “Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto.” Advanced purchased tickets for the closed circuit telecasts are priced at $75, not including handling fees. All seats are general admission and are on sale now at each individual property’s box office outlets or by phone with a major credit card at 866-799-7711.

HBO’s Emmy® Award-winning all-access series “24/7” premieres an all-new edition when “24/7 Mayweather/Cotto” debuts Saturday, April 14 at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. The four-part series will air for three consecutive Saturday nights before the finale airs the night before the super welterweight championship showdown in Las Vegas.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that WBC Super Welterweight champion Saul Alvarez will take on future Hall of Famer Shane Mosley on May 5th in Las Vegas as part of the Floyd Mayweather – Miguel Cotto Pay per View undercard.

“This is more of a fight to prove myself. I know I didn’t look good in my last couple of fights and I really to make a statement in this fight,” Mosley told ESPN.com on Friday night. “I just want to get in the ring, fight a world champion and win another belt.

“I’m very excited and happy. It’s another chance for me to show that I still belong. He’s a young guy and it’s a tough fight, but I’m excited to get the fight. A lot of guys want to be in the position I am in to have this type of fight.”

Said Alvarez, “This is the fight I was looking for. Shane Mosley is a tremendous fighter with a lot of experience and big victories in his storied career. Even though I have enormous respect and admiration for Mosley, because he is a great person outside of the ring, my goal is to defeat him with a great performance.

“It’s Cinco de Mayo, so when you add Mexico’s biggest star to a card that already has Mayweather, the pound-for-pound king, and Cotto, Puerto Rico’s biggest star, and ‘Canelo’ is fighting Mosley, who is a legend, that is a huge night,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who had been working for weeks on the fight.

“It was not an easy fight to put together because it is really a main event on its own and could have sold out a venue on its own or even been its own pay-per-view,” he said. “But this takes a mega event with Mayweather and Cotto, which is a huge fight and didn’t need any help at all, and takes it to a totally different level. With these two fights on the card, it’s one of the biggest events we’ve ever promoted. It will be a celebration of the sport of boxing, a shining moment for the sport. To have Mayweather, Cotto, Canelo and ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley all on the same card, I get the chills thinking about it.”

“I have to give a lot of credit to Oscar,” Schaefer said. “He worked very hard on this to get this done. He did a terrific job. He pulled it together. He dealt with Canelo. It was challenging to secure the spot than getting the actual fight done. But Canelo knows it’s a big fight. When we met with him, he said he knows it’s a dangerous fight. Shane Mosley knows he has his back against the wall. He knows it’s do or be done and that makes a veteran that much more dangerous.” “Canelo said he’s going to go into the fight and make a statement and that would be to stop Mosley, because nobody has ever done that before.”

“I didn’t have any negativity about being the co-main event,” he said. “I know I am not a co-main event fighter, but I want to get in the ring. To fight someone like Canelo Alvarez will be tremendous for me at this stage of my career. I believe I’m a lot more experienced that he is. It’s youth against experience. It’s ‘Sugar’ against ‘Cinnamon.'”

“I have no grudges against Golden Boy, they’re a good company,” he said. “I can do business with them. I can do business with Top Rank, whoever is going to be fair. I wanted this fight, so we did what we had to do to get it. It would be great to beat somebody like Canelo to kind of show that the naysayers that say I’m old and can’t do it anymore and should retire are wrong. This will be the victory to show I am still here and I haven’t left yet.”

A year ends with memories of those who are gone, optimism for those who are emerging and hope for those who are back. There are lessons from unresolved controversies and controversy that never ends. Farewell Joe Frazier, Genaro Hernandez, Ron Lyle, Henry Cooper, George Benton, Nick Charles and George Kimball. It won’t be the same without you. Hello Andre Ward, Nonito Donaire, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Seth Mitchell, James Kirkland, Gary Russell Jr. and Jose Benavidez Jr. You’re the future.

Those new calendars in the mail are an empty canvas. Opinions and predictions are as irresistible as they are frivolous and about as forgettable as graffiti. Here are a few – the good, the bad and the tongue-in-cheek. But, first, a warning. For anybody who takes any of them seriously, remember that I picked Alfredo Angulo to beat Kirkland, who got up from a first-round knockdown and made the prediction game look foolish with a sixth-round stoppage.

Now, a look at what might – and might not — unfold:

Opinion: There’s a better chance of Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather in 2012 than there is of a fourth fight between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao-Marquez IV would look a lot like II and III. What’s the point? It would end in just another noisy controversy about who won. Fair or not, Marquez’ legacy rests on the brilliant way he made Pacquiao look beatable. In subtle adjustments from round-to-round last November, he forced Pacquiao to hesitate and think. It was enough to prevent Pacquiao, an instinctive fighter, from establishing a rhythm. Allow Pacquiao to get on a roll, and there’s no stopping him.

Prediction: Marquez, who keeps his promises, retires

Opinion: Somebody needs to convince Mayweather that his 90-day jail sentence on reduced charges for his role in domestic abuse is a chance to think about a legacy he has put in jeopardy. If he stays out of trouble and vows to devote the next few years to his evident talent, he still can achieve the respect he always believes has been denied him. That respect isn’t an entitlement. It’s won by fighting through adversity. For the first time in his career, he is facing some that he can’t trash-talk or side step. It’s the biggest fight of his life.

Prediction: Mayweather beats Lamont Peterson three months after his release.

Opinion: Mayweather advisor Al Haymon is the elusive powerbroker, whose influence is there, yet hard to quantify. There is power, perhaps, in the mystery. Mayweather has called the publicity-shy Haymon “The Ghost.’’

Prediction: Ghosts will get quoted more often than Haymon.

Opinion: Pacquiao will have to restore some lost confidence after getting a majority decision over Marquez in fight he halting called “not so happy.’’ He also has to find a way to solve troublesome leg cramps, which he says affected him in victories over Shane Mosley and Marquez. The fractured confidence should be easy enough to repair for the Filipino Congressman and lieutenant colonel. But the cramping is another issue. It might be a sign, an early symptom, of a fighter one step past his prime.

Prediction: Pacquiao beats Tim Bradley, then Miguel Cotto in a rematch and gets promoted to major general.

Opinion: World Boxing Council chief Jose Sulaiman is issuing statements and clarifications faster than interim titles. This time, he’s trying to say he didn’t really mean to tell the Filipino media that “beating a lady … it is not a major sin or crime.” In a subsequent statement, he said that he “developed female boxing.’’ Memo to women who hold one of the WBC’s lime-green belts: Do what Riddick Bowe did in 1992 and dump it in the nearest garbage can.

Prediction: Sulaiman will say something stupid.

Opinion: We’re just beginning to see how good Ward can be. With news that he beat a Carl Froch with a left hand fractured in two places, we’re also beginning to see how tough he is. A reported audience of fewer than 500,000 watched his victory on Dec. 17 over Froch in Showtime’s final of the Super Six Tournament. That was disappointing.

Prediction: After the hand heals, he’ll win two in 2012, pushing his record to 27-0. This time, more than 500,000 will watch his patient, yet sure path to pound-for-pound contention.

Opinion: Questions loom as to whether Canelo-Chavez Jr., will ever happen because Chavez Jr. a junior-middleweight, is said to be at about 180 pounds at opening bell. If Chavez Jr. is too heavy for Canelo, he’s too heavy for Miguel Cotto. The weight issue might force Chavez Jr. into a fight with Sergio Martinez late in 2012.

Prediction: Martinez wins a late-round stoppage.

Opinion: People close to Antonio Margarito have urged him to retire. Even if his surgically-repaired eye can withstand further punches, the tissue around it cannot. After years of sustained punishment, it doesn’t take much for it to lacerate and swell. That was evident early in his loss on Dec. 3 to Cotto.

Prediction: A defiant Margarito continues to fight, bleed and lose in Mexico.

Opinion: Referees struggled throughout 2011 to get it right. Russell Mora missed 11 low blows in Abner Mares’ first victory over Joseph Agbeko. Joe Cortez was looking away, toward the timekeeper, when Mayweather dropped Victor Ortiz, whose hands were down and his eyes on Cortez. Joe Cooper took two points from Amir Khan for pushing off Peterson. If Cooper warned Khan, it was only evident after careful review of the tape long after Khan’s loss on the scorecards was announced. Cooper’s penalties were the difference.

Prediction: More instant replay. It works in the NFL. Nobody has a tougher job than boxing’s lone ref. Let technology be his ally.

Opinion: Top Rank and Golden Boy, Bob Arum and Oscar De La Hoya, will continue to exchange insults instead of letting their respective fighters exchange punches.

Prediction: A year from now, we’ll be talking about whether Pacquiao-Mayweather will happen in 2013.