The Best Match-Ups That Can Be Made Today: From Heavyweight To Bantamweight!

09/29/201209/28/2012 ESB

By James Slater: Wanna see a good fight? We’ve seen some great, dramatic fights this year (think Martinez-Chavez, Maidana-Karass, Brook-Jones, Garcia-Khan to name but a few) and 2012 has more promising action still in store. But next year, 2013, could be even better – in fact a whole lot better.

How? By making these fights become a reality.

This is the way I see it, anyway: from heavyweight on down, the best match-ups that can be made next year……..

continue

Has Canelo Alvarez arrived?

09/14/201609/21/2012 ESB

Has Canelo Alvarez arrived? By Robert Jackson: With his dominating 5th round TKO win over Josesito Lopez, most would say that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez has arrived. But has he?? His latest win over Lopez though credible comes against a smaller opponent that until 2 fights previous campaigned at 140lbs where he was a contender. Prior to Lopez, Canelo fought and beat a 40 year old Shane Mosley, who had lost 3 out of his last 5 fights; Mosley RETIRED shortly after that loss.

Brought along slowly Canelo has feasted on journeyman fighters including Lovemore N’Dou, Matthew Hatton, Jose Miguel Cotto, Carlos Baldomir and Alfonso Gomez along his path to becoming champion. MOST of the BIG name fighters today are brought along slowly so they can learn how to fight as professionals and remain undefeated, maximizing their earning power. Fighting SKILL however is developed by fighting different styles AND fighters that CHALLENGE a prospect on his way to contending. STIFF challenges NONE of the aforementioned fighters were for Canelo. Is he just THAT good?

IT is now ASSUMED that Canelo is seasoned and PREPARED for the ELITE fighters in the division, including Floyd Mayweather Jr, and Miguel Cotto or even Sergio Martinez. Canelo himself has said as much. Canelo fights with patience, a command of the ring and a disciplined style albeit against C and B level fighters. He’s very linear in his fight style and stands tall and rigid while fighting.

continue

Don “War a Week” Chargin: “Canelo Alvarez is ready to fight the best in boxing”

09/14/201609/19/2012 ESB

Don “War a Week” Chargin: “Canelo Alvarez is ready to fight the best in boxing” (Photo credit: Adrian Hernandez) By Joseph Herron: While many fight scribes and boxing fans have criticized Canelo Alvarez’s seemingly soft road to the World Boxing Council (WBC) Junior Middlweight Championship, Hall of Fame matchmaker and promoter Don “War a Week” Chargin claims that the careful matchmaking of Golden Boy Promotions has been a necessary part of the young fighter’s maturation process.

As a special adviser to Golden Boy Promotions, the great Don Chargin was authorized to oversee any and all opposition placed in front of the 22 year old phenom. And after many cautious maneuvers to properly cultivate Canelo’s confidence and skill level, the legendary boxing pundit has finally deemed Saul Alvarez fit to wreak havoc on the entire Junior Middleweight division.

“Sometimes you have to protect a fearless fighter like Canelo from himself,” professes the six decade boxing proponent. “He wants to fight the best fighters available. Canelo has stated adamantly that he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto; and up until September 15th, I was always very hesitant about it…but not anymore.”

continue

Maravilla or Canelo?

09/14/201609/17/2012 ESB

Maravilla or Canelo? by Robert Jackson,y photo: Alma Montiel: 2 champions were on full display this past Saturday night and neither one disappointed. Except for a glitch in the 12th round, Sergio ‘Maravilla’ Martinez was dominant, except for a stubborn Josesito Lopez, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez was dominant. A case can be made for either man to be the next opponent for one Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather.

With Canelo we have a 22 year old WBC 154lb champion whose skillset improves each fight. Facing Jose Lopez in the place of an injured Victor Ortiz, Canelo was supposed to win. Lopez who’d previously campaigned at 140lbs moved up to 154lbs to try and take Canelo’s WBC strap. If Lopez thought that lightning would strike twice as it had struck when he faced Ortiz, he was in for a rude awakening. Extremely focused, conditioned and strong Canelo took nothing for granted and made an early night of it for himself by taking Lopez out in 5. The moments that the always game Lopez had were few and Canelo always had an answer for them. After 4 knockdowns referee Joe Cortez had seen enough and stepped in to protect the overmatched Lopez from himself.

While Canelo was making easy work for himself; a few blocks down the Vegas strip Maravilla stayed true to his pre-fight admonitions to punish Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and that he did, winning rounds 1 – 10 in a workmanlike fashion taking a few from his opponent while giving many more to his foe. In the late rounds of the fight Maravilla with victory all but his began to slow down while also using less movement then he had during the fight. Maravilla was also taunting the youngster – sticking his chin out with his hands down daring his opponent to hit him. In the 12th round Chavez Jr finally caught up to the 37 year old and unleashed the fury he was unable to throughout the fight and down went Maravilla seriously hurt. If only Chavez Jr had more time, maybe he could’ve taken Maravilla out and pulled the upset ,but the master boxer Maravilla used all of his tricks to stay upright, finishing the fight and getting his hand raised.

continue

Alvarez stops Lopez; Maidana TKOs Soto-Karass; De Leon defeats Gonzalez

09/14/201609/15/2012 ESB

Alvarez stops Lopez; Maidana TKOs Soto-Karass; De Leon defeats Gonzalez (Photos: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME) By Rob Smith: In a positively sick mismatch that should have never been made in the first place, WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) absolutely annihilated welterweight Josesito Lopez (30-5, 18 KO’s) by a 5th round TKO on Saturday night in one of Alvarez’s easier title defenses at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Alvarez knocked Lopez down three times, once in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds from body and head shots. Lopez, who looked soft in the midsection, had problems with Alvarez’s body shots. Alvarez obviously spotted the the coat of fat that Lopez had put on around his waist in moving up from welterweight in three months.

In the 5th, Alvarez finished off the hapless Lopez and referee Joe Cortez stepped in to halt the slaughter at 2:55 of the round.

continue

Josesito Lopez might be too heavy to beat Saul Alvarez tonight

09/14/201609/15/2012 ESB

Josesito Lopez might be too heavy to beat Saul Alvarez tonight (Photo credit: Tom Casino/Showtime) By Marcus Richardson: Josesito Lopez (30-4, 18 KO’s) might very well have kissed goodbye his only chance of winning tonight agaisnt WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (40-0-1, 29 KO’s) by coming in a flabby looking 153 lbs during Friday’s weigh-in for tonight’s bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Before this fight, the heaviest that the 28-year-old Lopez had ever come in was 144 3/4 lbs for his fight against Victor Ortiz last June. Lopez appears to have power feeding in the past couple of months and has put on a lot of weight.

That weight, a lot of it ending up on his abdomen, will likely see him in the 160s tonight against Alvarez and that’s probably too much for Lopez to be carrying around. What Lopez should have done is stay as light as possible because his speed was his main asset against Alvarez. Lopez was never going to able to bulk up in three short months and compete with the stronger, younger and better skilled Alvarez in a toe-to-toe battle.

That’s just not going to happen. Lopez was never a big puncher, and just because he bulked up with a little muscle as well as fat it doesn’t mean that he’s going to be able to beat Alvarez at his own game. This weight that Lopez has put on is going to hurt him in a big way by preventing him from being able to box properly. He’s going to have problems when it comes to being able to move like he’s done in the past, and without his movement he’ll be a sitting duck against Alvarez.

continue

Canelo vs. Lopez: “A for Effort”

09/14/201609/12/2012 ESB

Canelo vs. Lopez: "A for Effort" (Photo credit: Ester Lin/Showtime) By Marc Livitz: Hardcore fans and the so-called purists alike may feel themselves a bit torn this upcoming Saturday evening. Contrary to popular American belief is the fact that Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. There’s always been a reason why the weekend which most closely precedes or follows the sixteenth of September is a hot date for the sweet science and the old lady will be wearing her finest pearls this weekend.

Sadly and to the disappointment of many of her loyal and regular suitors, she’s in a bit of a huff over the idea that a few knuckleheads have intentionally thrown some mud upon her nicest dress. The cleaning bill once again has inexplicably been chucked in the direction of the fans.

One of the biggest sins of the sponsor and spawn is to put the paying customer in a corner. The old goat has been in a face-off with the younger brood for a long while, as we all know. Of course, there are and continue to be stumbling blocks to the fights which we all want to enjoy. The one placed before us was however arguably avoidable. It’s still in the nature of people, particularly men, to go ahead as planned without clear regard to the consequences of their actions.

continue

Josesito Lopez: I’m going to be strong at 154 lbs for Saul Alvarez fight

09/14/201609/07/2012 ESB

Josesito Lopez: I'm going to be strong at 154 lbs for Saul Alvarez fight By Dwight Chittenden: #4 WBC Josesito Lopez (30-4, 18 KO’s) says he feels stronger now that he’s moved up from 140 pounds to fight. In his last fight, the 28-year-old Lopez moved up to 147 lbs and defeated former WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz after breaking his jaw in two places last June in a back and forth fight. Lopez, 5’11”, now will be moving up to 154 lbs to take on WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (40-0-1, 29 KO’s) at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Lopez said to RingTV “Having to make 140 pounds is a struggle for a guy my height. There were ties when it was tought to make and I couldn’t give 100 percent in those fights. But I felt completely different in the Ortiz fight, especially in the middle and late rounds. I didn’t have to take any rounds off. I feel even stronger for this fight.”

It did look like Lopez took some rounds off in the Ortiz fight. I thought Lopez. He says he didn’t, but I thought Lopez fought hard in spurts and rested in some rounds.

Regardless of how strong Lopez says he’s feeling for the Alvarez fight it’s still going to be awfully difficult for him to compete in this fight. He looks kind of frail and doesn’t possess the same kind of thudding power that the 22-year-old Alvarez possesses.

continue

Alvarez-Lopez: What chance does Josesito have?

09/14/201608/30/2012 ESB

Alvarez-Lopez: What chance does Josesito have? By Robert Jackson: Longtime 140lb contender Josesito Lopez will be facing 154lb champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez on September 15, 2012; so what are his chances of the fight ending in victory for him??

Coming off of a 9 round stoppage of Victor Ortiz in his first BIG fight at 147lbs it would seem as if the Riverside, California native has a good chance to dethrone Alvarez. But if you look a little deeper, Lopez’ record, it is littered journeyman fighters, and, other up-and-comers that unlike himself haven’t separated themselves – haven’t yet arrived. It can also be speculated that Ortiz dismissed and underestimated the very determined Lopez, after all Lopez said the same in the build up to their June 2012 fight.

What doesn’t need to be said is that Lopez DID defeat Ortiz in dramatic fashion when Ortiz failed to answer the bell for the 10th round after suffering a broken jaw in two places during the fight. A testament to Lopez punching power or poor boxing fundamentals by Ortiz who fought that night with his mouth open for many rounds of the fight?

continue

Josesito Lopez given high ranking by WBC at 154 for Alvarez fight

09/14/201608/28/2012 ESB

Josesito Lopez given high ranking by WBC at 154 for Alvarez fight By Rob Smith: The World Boxing Council recently pushed welterweight Josesito Lopez (30-4, 18 KO’s) to number #4 in the 154 pound rankings just as Lopez heads into his September 15th fight against WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (40-0-1, 29 KO’s) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Why the WBC decided to give Lopez a high ranking in the junior middleweight division is the big question. Lopez has never fought at 154 before and he only recently moved up to 147 lbs to fight Victor Ortiz in his last fight.

Going from light welterweight to welterweight for one fight and then being pushed to the #4 spot by the WBC at 154 is kind of baffling to me. What did Lopez do to get ranked so high other than signing to fight the WBC’s champion Alvarez? Stuff like this just makes me feel distrustful of the sanctioning bodies. When they take a fighter and push him to a high ranking in a division that they don’t fight in it seems wrong. I hate the idea of Alvarez a welterweight, if you want to call him that, in the first place. Why couldn’t Alvarez at least fight someone in his own division.

I know the WBC has now taken care of all this by giving Lopez an inflated ranking in the junior middleweight division, but it’s disappointing that Alvarez is being matched up against what is really a light welterweight for this fight. I thought it was really bad that Alvarez picked up the vacant WBC junior middleweight title last year by fighting a welterweight Matthew Hatton, who wasn’t even ranked in the junior middleweight division. But now Alvarez is making things look even worse by taking on a fighter from a division below him Lopez.

continue