Mayweather-Alvarez Notes

CBS in Las Vegas is reporting that Floyd Mayweather Jr. may heve bet $5.9 million on the Miami Heat to win Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers.

Saul Alvarez’s manager Jóse Chepo Reynoso says Alvarez’ best strategy against Floyd Mayweather is to go to the body. “Everybody knows the speed of Floyd’s legs and waist, but I think it’s best to Saul is attack the body, don’t try to tear his head off as many others did.”

Darley Perez: I am prepared to go toe-to-toe with Gamboa

Photo: Mpsportimages.com

Gamboa has been trained under the reknowned Cuban boxing system and Perez expects to meet a precision fighter with world-class experience to back it up. “I have been sparring against many Cuban fighters because of their style of fighting is very similar to Gamboa’s fight style. They are great for sparring purposes,” said Perez, who has fought numerous times in North America but never Canada. “I have learned a lot by sparring with them. I feel comfortable going into the ring to battle it out against Gamboa.”

Mikey Garcia ready for Juanma test

By Miguel Maravilla
Photos: Chris Farina / Top Rank

Undefeated WBO featherweight champion Mikey Garcia (31-0, 26 KOs) looks sharp and ready. Garcia held an open workout for fans and media Saturday afternoon at the UFC Gym in Yorba Linda, California as he prepared for his upcoming featherweight showdown against former WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez (33-2, 30 KOs) on June 15 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas live on HBO.

“He has a lot of power a lot of heart it is definitely going to be a good fight, I think he is more determined and hungrier this time so that makes for an exciting fight,” Garcia told Fightnews.com. (more…)

Q&A: Pariyakorn Ratanasuban

By Damrong Simakajornboon

Ms.Pariyakorn Ratanasuban is the youngest daughter of legendary Thai promoter Songchai Ratanasuban of Onesongchai Boxing Promotion. After approximately 9 years working in boxing, she has successfully won many prestige trophies such as the WBC Asia female promoter of the year during 2008-2012 and the WBO Asia-Pacific promoter of the year during 2010-2012. She is now promoting former WBO bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu, former WBA featerweight title challenger Chonlatarn Or Piriyapinyo, WBO #3 flyweight Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym, WBC ABCO featherweight champion Bualuang Onesongchaigym and two-time WBO female 105lb champion Teeraporn Pannimit. This is the conversation between your Fightnews correspondent and this famous Thai female promoter. (more…)

Q&A: Donny “Golden Boy” Lalonde

By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing

Former WBC Light heavyweight champion Donny “Golden Boy “Lalonde talks to Fightnews abouts fights with Sugar Ray Leonard, Roddy MacDonald, Willie Edwards, Mustafa Hamsho, Eddie Davis and Leslie Stewart. Donny also talks about his trainers Teddy Atlas, Bobby Cassidy, Al Sparks, Tommy Gallagher and Hook McComb. In addition, he mentions what injuries he suffered injuries and how he treated those problems during his career and how he works today for ex-boxers through TKOOO (Taking Care Of Our Own) (more…)

Boxing Buzz

Amir Khan has revealed that he wanted to marry before he lost his looks. More in The Times.  Khan is also telling the press that he plans on moving up to welterweight.

Is Saul “Canelo” Alvarez going to be Floyd Mayweather’s toughest opponent to date? Uncle/trainer Roger says not. More

Could Tyson Fury and David Haye get it on? The Mirror thinks so.

Mikey Garcia hits ESPN

Photo: Chris Farina/Top Rank

Undefeated WBO featherweight champion Mikey Garcia of Oxnard,Ca. made a special guest appearance Monday at the ESPN studios on “ESPN Nacion” with hosts: David Faitelson and Adriana Monsalve. Garcia will make his first title defense against former world champion Juan Manuel Lopez of Caguas, Puerto Rico, Saturday, June 15 from the American Airlines Center in Dallas,Texas. Garcia vs Lopez, televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark will be promoted by Top Rank, in association with PR Best Boxing, Foreman Boys Promotions and Tecate. (more…)

Loyalty, the Most Sacred of All Principles

By José Sulaimán

There is not a more sacred feeling for me other than loyalty, while the most despicable is betrayal and treason.

Loyalty I have in my heart for all my life and I have given it all my life. Ingratitude, I usually stop hurting in about three days. But I have never been able to forget. Forgive: always. Forget: never. Based on the above, I would like to show my deepest feelings of gratitude and respect for both Floyd Mayweather and Saúl “Canelo” Alvarez. Their loyalty has always been unparalleled. (more…)

New opponent for Melendez

Super welterweight Jorge “Destroyer” Meléndez (26-2-1, 25 KOs) is now set to battle with Nick Brinson (14-1-2, 6 KOs) in a scheduled 10-rounder on Friday’s ShoBox. Brinson replaces Luis Grajeda who pulled out for undisclosed reasons. The card takes place at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, New York.

Quotes: Felix Sturm vs. Predrag Radosevic kickoff presser

Photos: Sturm Box-Promotion

Felix Sturm: “I’m glad to be back in Dortmund. I changed a lot of things in preparation for this fight and will be way more professional than I have been in the past. I thought my talent would get me through. Make no mistake, I always trained hard but I did some wrong things in between my camps. I enjoyed life a bit too much, even though I don’t drink or smoke. That has changed. You haven’t seen the true Felix Sturm recently but I promise you will on July 6 against an motivated and unbeaten opponent in Predrag Radosevic. If you want, you could say you are in for Felix Sturm 2.0.”

Fritz Sdunek, Trainer Felix Sturm: “We will work hard to get a big win against Radosevic. I have no doubt in my mind that Felix will show a master performance in Dortmund.”

Predrag Radosevic: “He is a big name but that does not scare me at all. I will use this opportunity to prove myself as an elite fighter. I’m unbeaten and I’ll stay so in July.”

Hartmut Schröder, Trainer Predrag Radosevic: “We are the underdog in Dortmund, there is no doubt about that. But we will use the little chance we have. You can’t guarantee a thing in boxing but I’m absolutely convinced that Predrag will stay unbeaten and defeat Felix Sturm in July.” photos

Gabino Saenz looks to extend unbeaten record

When unbeaten featherweight Gabino Saenz (9-0-1, 7 KOs) of Indio, California, checks into the Hard Rock Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas this week he will be carrying quite a few textbooks. His finals are scheduled in two weeks at Cal State-San Bernardino. If all goes well, Gabino will get his B.A. in Business.

“I’ve been studying for a long time for this,” he said from camp today. “But then I really have an amazing life when you consider all that I am doing.”

Gabino will be in the ring this Saturday, taking on Giorgio Mitchedishvili in a six round featherweight bout on Top Rank’s big fight card at the Hard Rock. (more…)

Doping test dispute could KO Klitschko-Povetkin

The heavyweight championship showdown between Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin is in jeopardy due to a dispute over drug testing. The Klitschko camp insists that the doping test results be evaluated by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) certified laboratory in Cologne, Germany. The fight is planned for October in Moscow. “Without this agreement, there is no fight,” Klitschko’s manager Bernd Bönte told the German news magazine Focus. “On this we will not move away. We insist that the NADA and German Boxing Federation are responsible as an sanctioning federation for the implementation and analysis of the drug tests.”

Humberto Soto targets Erik Morales

A historic clash is possibly brewing in Tijuana as former champion Humberto “Zorrita” Soto wants to be the one to face Mexican ring legend Erik “Terrible” Morales in his retirement match. Soto fights Hiroshi Nakamori on Saturday in Tijuana on a card promoted by Morales. The two are bitter rivals who have exchanged words in the past. Morales-Soto is a clash that fans wanted to see when both were at the top but for various reasons could not be made, now there are no obstacles.

Pedraza opponent named

Highly touted Puerto Rican boxer Jose “Sniper” Pedraza (12-0, 8 KOs) is fighting Mexico’s Sergio Villanueva (25-2-2, 13 KOs) on Saturday, June 8, as part of an HBO Latino special broadcast starting at 12:15am ET (Sunday) at the Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. “This is another great opportunity to showcase my God-given talent to those watching on HBO,” said Pedraza. “My goal is to come out victorious and use superior boxing skills to defeat my opponent. I’m looking forward to giving the fans a fan-friendly fight.” Pedraza represented Puerto Rico in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Top Rank inks Olympic Gold Medalist Ryota Murata

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum and Todd duBoef, CEO and president of Top Rank, respectively, will host a news conference next week in Beverly Hills to announce the signing and professional debut of 2012 Japanese Olympic Gold Medalist Ryota Murata. Murata who captured the Olympic gold medal in the middleweight division at the 2012 Olympics held in London. It was the first gold medal won by a Japanese boxer since Takao Sakurai in 1964, and also is the first-ever boxing medal in a weight class other than bantamweight or flyweight. Murata also became the 100th gold medalist in Japanese Olympic history. The six-foot orthodox fighter will campaign as a middleweight as a professional.

EBU General Assembly in Vienna

More than 100 delegates from 32 countries were in attendance at the European Boxing Union General Meeting held in Vienna on June 1. Almost all the European countries were represented at the meeting organized by the Austrian Federation FVA.
During the meeting of the board of directors held May 30 (representing the major boxing nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France and Germany etc) it was decided unanimously, not to favour professional boxing taking place in the Olympic Games. This decision was supported almost unanimously by the representatives of 32 European countries during the General Assembly the following day. (more…)

Chad Dawson: I can say with absolute confidence that my power is back

Light Heavyweight kingpin Chad Dawson (31-2, 17 KOs) is ready to go on the road once again and defend his WBC title against top contender and dangerous power puncher Adonis Stevenson (20-1, 17 KOs) in Stevenson’s backyard of Canada at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The 12-round championship showdown is scheduled to take place Saturday, June 8th on HBO Boxing After Dark as part of a doubleheader featuring Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Darley Perez as the co-main event.

Dawson is a throwback fighter who is willing to give advantages to his opponents in order to make the best fights possible. This will be his third time going to Canada to meet an opponent on his home turf, the first time was back in August of 2010 against Jean Pascal and then again in May of 2011 against Adrian Diaconu. Now Dawson will fight Stevenson, who’s originally from Haiti, and makes no excuses for traveling to hostile territory.

“I expect the crowd to be against me, but I’m not worried about that because I know that I can win them over with my performance,” said Dawson. “Stevenson is a worthy opponent but he’s not on my level. I’ve fought and won over there before so I hope he’s not banking on home field advantage because it’s going to take a whole lot more to beat me. Once again I’m going to fight in someone’s backyard and I’m fully confident I’ll come out victorious.” (more…)

Wilson-Santos Full Report

By Phil Doherty

Six boxers entered the BB&T Center with undefeated records last night and all but one left unbeaten. Unfortunately for the Puerto Rican faithful in the sparse crowd, that lone blemish belonged to Braulio Santos (10-1, 9 KOs), the featherweight prospect backed by Miguel Cotto Promotions. He should feel no shame in his effort though as his unanimous decision loss to former and possible future prospect Derrick Wilson (10-4-2, 3 KOs) was beautifully fought from bell to bell.

Headlining the main event of Golden Boy Promotions’ Fight Series, Santos and Wilson went for broke early and often with the heavier-handed Santos keeping pace with the speedster Wilson. (more…)

Pinoy Pride 21 on July 6 in Manila

The latest installment of “Pinoy Pride” will take place July 6 at the Solaire Casino and Leisure Park in Manila, Philippines and feature a WBO minimumweight title clash between Merlito Sabillo (21-0, 11 KOs) and Jorle Estrada (16-6, 5 KOs). Also super flyweight Arthur Villanueva (21-0, 11 KOs) meets Arturo Badillo (21-4, 19 KOs), and AJ “Bazooka” Banal (28-2-1, 20 KOs) returns against Ramon Maas (26-3, 15 KOs).

AIBA boxer Clemente Russo targets Klitschko

Former amateur world champion and double Olympic heavyweight silver medallist Clemente Russo from Italy, who fights on the AIBA Pro Boxing circuit, a hated rival to the established boxing sanctioning bodies, says he wants to fight Wladimir Klitschko, suggesting that he would have the speed to beat the champ. “Currently we fight in different weight divisions, [...] but boxers like Klitschko, who compete in the super heavyweight division, have a really slow boxing style compared to me. This is why I am quite confident about my chances in such a fight.”

He also claims the AIBA offers security to boxers in an otherwise murky professional scene. “AIBA Pro Boxing appeared to be an excellent solution to me,” he said. “I find that it provides benefits in three areas: you retain your Olympic eligibility, you get an economic security and you realize your dream of pro boxing!”

Munyai retains WBA Pan African title on a controversial stoppage

By Ron Jackson

WBA Pan African junior featherweight champion Tshifhiwa Munyai retained his title when he stopped Emmanuel Quartey of Ghana on a controversial ninth round stoppage at the Katikati Hall in Cathcart, Eastern Cape on Saturday. The shorter Quartey 14-2; 14 attacked from the opening bell and dropped Munyai in the fourth round but referee Wally Snowball missed the punch and ruled it as a slip. Munyai arose on rubbery legs and was sent down again with an uppercut and just managed to beat the count. The Ghanaian continued to apply pressure but Munyai weathered the storm and began to fight back. The South African staggered Quartey with a big right hand to the head in the sixth round and picked up the pace through rounds seven and eight. In the ninth round after backing his opponent up against the ropes and landing a flurry of punches the referee waved the fight off. The Ghanaian’s corner complained bitterly about the stoppage which they felt was premature. (more…)