The Boxing Truth®: November 2023

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Gonzalez Pounds Out Majority Decision Over Castaneda In War

Press Release: November 30, 2023 By ProBox TV- ProBox Promotions continues to be the number one destination for mid-week boxing as the card from Wednesday, November 29 delivered, which streamed live on the ProBoxTV YouTube page and app. This week’s bouts saw another war during the main event, a junior middleweight prospect being tested, and a boxing lesson from a welterweight prospect.

Credit: ProBox TV

Orlando Gonzalez goes to war and comes out with a majority decision victory

The main event delivered big time as Orlando Gonzalez (22-2,12 KOs) earned a majority decision victory over Jorge Castaneda (16-3, 12 KOs) in an absolute war. The judges saw this one: 95-95 (Castaneda), 97-92 (Gonzalez) & 96-93 for Gonzalez.

Gonzalez started quickly in the first round, and towards the middle of the round, he landed a straight left down the middle, which buckled Castaneda and had him visibly hurt. Castaneda started to bleed from his nose during the second round, but it didn’t bother him. Gonzalez landed a devastating right hook and followed it with a left hook, knocking down Castaneda for the first time in the fight. Castaneda would beat the count and survive the round.

Castaneda had a bounce-back round in the third, but Gonzalez’s footwork and counter hooks were too much to handle. Castaneda looked visibly frustrated as he could not get going. Castaneda landed a huge one-two combination that rocked Gonzalez in the fourth round, and the momentum quickly shifted back to him.

The fight was fought in a phone booth in the fifth round, and Gonzalez’s body shots were adding up. The crowd at this point were loud and cheering on their respective fighter. Castaneda landed a clean double left hook in the sixth round, while Gonzalez’s check right hooks kept Castaneda honest. Gonzalez would control the seventh round with his level-changing shots, but Castaneda deflated Gonzalez with a left hook to the body and a triple left uppercut in the eighth. Although Gonzalez showed his warrior spirit by coming back, he was clearly hurt.

Castaneda stalked Gonzalez in the ninth round and hurt him with a left hook to the body. Although Castaneda hurt Gonzalez, he couldn’t put enough together for a knockdown, so Gonzalez survived the round. In the tenth and final round, both men emptied their tanks, hoping to sway the judges in their direction, but in the end, Gonzalez did a little more to secure the victory.

Tarik Zaina easily outboxes Marcelino Nicolas Lopez

Tarik Zaina (13-0-1, 8 KOs) had no trouble with scoring a unanimous decision (97-93, 98-92 & 99-91) victory over Marcelino Nicolas Lopez (37-4-1, 22 KOs) as the card’s co-feature.

Zaina showed good lateral movement in the opening round, while Lopez established his left jab and scored with an overhand right. Throughout the first half of the fight, Lopez threw the overhand right, which landed at times but missed most of his attempts. Midway through the fight, Lopez started to chase Zaina, which didn’t work out for him as he was on the receiving end of a left jab.

At the start of the seventh round, Zaina switched to southpaw, and Lopez could not make any adjustments to counter the punches he was receiving. Zaina dictated the pace with his right jab for the rest of the fight, which helped secure the unanimous decision.

Marques Valle scores a tough unanimous decision

Undefeated super welterweight Marques Valle (10-0, 7 KOs) scored a unanimous decision over Farid Ngoga (10-1, 6 KOs). The judges saw this one 77-75, 78-74, 78-74 for Valle, who had his hands full all night.

Ngoga was dictating the pace with a left jab in the first round. Valle was stalking but not landing too many punches. In the second round, Valle landed his left jab and finished it with a right uppercut. Ngoga seemed fatigued, which allowed Valle to get some big shots off. Ngoga did land some combinations of his own, which created some swelling on Valle’s face.

In the third round, Ngoga found a home for his overhand right, but Valle was determined to apply as much pressure as possible, and towards the end of the round, he landed a triple right uppercut, which stunned Ngoga. After more of the same in the fourth round, Ngoga switched to southpaw in the fifth round and landed a ton of right jabs, which gave Valle something to think about.

Ngoga stayed in the southpaw stance throughout the rest of the fight, which saw him succeed with the right jab. Valle looked confused, and towards the end of the sixth round, Ngoga created a cut under Valle's left eye. Both men finished the final round strong, but the judges liked the cleaner, harder shots from Valle, which resulted in him earning the unanimous decision.

A competitive bantamweight fight that resulted in a draw

“This is the kind of fight that if you are a judge, what do you like?”- Chris Algieri

In the night's opening fight, Joahnys Argilagos (9-1-1, 4 KOs) & Jose Lopez (4-2-3, 0 KO) fought to a draw in a competitive bantamweight battle. The judges saw this one 78-74 (Lopez), 77-75 (Argilagos) & 76-76, which resulted in the fight being a draw.

In the first round, Argilagos started fast with combinations, while Lopez dedicated his offense downstairs to the body. Lopez then started to see Argilagos hands come down a bit, leading Lopez to start landing big right hands. Argilagos wasn’t as active in the second round, but he had the flashier combinations. Lopez continued his workman-like style and kept pressure on Argilagos with the left jab and overhand right.

Rounds three to seven were more of the same. Argilagos would throw the showy punches in spurts while Lopez kept coming forward while landing a ton of punches to the body and an overhand right that landed throughout the fight. In the last round, the fighters went toe-to-toe as they knew the fight was still up for grabs. Although there were no knockdowns, the crowd roared as the fight concluded.

About ProBox TV:

ProBox TV is a digital subscription service which gives fans exclusive access to ProBox TV content including live streaming of fights, on-demand videos, and news. It is a one-stop shop for all things boxing, and ProBox TV can be accessed using your favorite streaming devices, including mobile devices, or any personal computer. For more information, visit: https://proboxtv.com/

Material and Photo Courtesy of: ProBox TV Used with permission.

For more information about ProBox TV including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, Full event archive and additional programm6,and to subscribe please visit: www.ProBoxTV.com.

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

The Rebuilding Of Ryan Garcia

It may seem like a cliche for some and a subject that gets discussed in several different variations, but for most fighters, a career can be divided into chapters or stages. If the premise of the opening of this column sounds familiar, dear reader, and sounds like something this observer has said before, it's because it is probably true. Nevertheless, for the purposes of this column, the stages that we will focus on are “The Rise" and “The Rebuild."

First, “The Rise." The rise of current Jr. Welterweight contender Ryan Garcia was one that did not see him win a world championship, but did see him placed on what seemingly was a fast-track towards that eventual goal. In some ways, it was a similar rise at least in terms of the popularity Garcia was able to garner as his longtime promoter Oscar De La Hoya enjoyed during his days as a young fighter before he went on to win many world championships in multiple divisions in what became a Hall of Fame career.

Perhaps because of the differences in eras and the advent of both social media platforms and video streaming sites like YouTube, Garcia’s popularity seemingly skyrocketed to the level of near superstar status before he became a contender as a Lightweight before eventually moving up to the Jr. Welterweight division. The difference in the way Garcia built his fan base notwithstanding, he did amass an impressive and undefeated record on his rise and also showed that he could get up when knocked down as he did in his 2021 battle against former world title challenger Luke Campbell. A fight that Garcia got up off the canvas to score a knockout win, in what to that point was a career-defining moment for him.

While it may have appeared that Garcia's rise was smooth and without bumps in the road, he saw his progress stalled shortly after his victory over Campbell as he took time away from his career to address ongoing struggles with his mental health. A subject that he has been very open about and should be commended for. Nevertheless, the time away from active competition did stall the momentum he appeared to have built for himself. After a lopsided, but less than dominant performance over former world champion Emmanuel Tagoe in his first fight in over a year following his victory over Campbell, Garcia scored a knockout win over Javier Fortuna in July of last year, which set up what was a highly anticipated bout between himself and fellow undefeated star Gervonta Davis.

When the two met in April of this year, the fight was competitive for a time, but it would be Davis who would emerge victorious, dropping Garcia with a body shot in the seventh round where Garcia,on one knee, stayed down for the ten count. The defeat signaled the first loss of Garcia's career and thus ended the stage of his career known as “The Rise."

Now, dear reader, we come to a stage almost all fighters come to at some point in their careers. “The Rebuild.”

First, before we can talk about “The Rebuild," we need to talk about “The Defeat," or to be more specific, what led to it. Was Gervonta Davis simply the better fighter on that particular evening when he and Garcia shared the ring, or was there another reason for the outcome?

For his part, Garcia has claimed that a rehydration clause in the contract for his fight with Davis in some way hindered his performance. This observer will not waste time trying to prove or disprove that claim because ultimately, the only one who really knows is Ryan Garcia himself. What I can say is having seen the knockout, Garcia was hit with what by all accounts appeared to be a perfectly placed body shot.

As is the case when it comes to body punches, it is not always how hard the punch lands, but the position where it lands that often determines how much damage is done. Because the body is one of the more sensitive parts of the human anatomy, often when a punch lands to the body in a perfect spot, it causes a delayed reaction from the fighter on the receiving end and simply not only saps the fighter of whatever energy they might have as well as affect their ability to breathe, but more specifically, it takes the fighter's legs away from them where more often than not, it becomes very difficult for the fighter to get up from a knockdown resulting in a scenario like the one Garcia found himself in where he watched himself be counted out.

Obviously, there have been those who have taken a more cynical viewpoint of what happened to Garcia in that fight and feel that he quit when faced with an adverse circumstance. It should be pointed out however, that Garcia did get up off the canvas to knockout Luke Campbell, ironically with a body shot similar to the one that Davis knocked him out with. Whatever the case might be, if nothing else, the way those two fights ended should serve as an illustration to all fighters on the benefits of a consistent body attack as well as the obvious dangers taking body punches presents.

While the memories of what happened to him against Davis are likely to stay with him for a time, now Garcia must focus on the task of trying to bounce back. A process that is simply known as ”The Rebuild.” Step one in that process in terms of competition will take place on December 2nd in Houston, TX at the Toyota Center when Garcia returns to the ring and the Jr. Welterweight division when he faces contender Oscar Duarte in a twelve round bout that can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN.

The question I have going into this fight centers on Garcia and whether or not he is prepared mentally. For any fighter looking to bounce back from a loss there is a mental block that the fighter has to deal with that is not always easy to overcome. In this case, Garcia is not only coming off of the first loss of his career, but also the first time he was knocked out. There are also the distractions that are a factor going into this fight. Shortly after his loss to Davis, Garcia cut his ties to trainer Joe Goosen and took on a different opponent in his promoter Oscar De La Hoya in an attempt to free himself from his promotional agreement.

Thus far, De La Hoya remains Garcia’s promoter, but the fact that there was and may still be an ongoing litigation between the two has to be at least on some level a distraction unless things have been resolved behind closed doors and simply not made public as of yet. At minimum, it suggests a less than friendly relationship between fighter and promoter. It was however, not long ago that Garcia was viewed as one of the hottest rising stars under De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions so one would think that it would be in the best interest of both to unite in an attempt to get Garcia back on track.

In terms of his corner, Garcia will be working with his third trainer in a handful of fights by bringing in the highly regarded Derrick James, trainer of former unified Welterweight world champion Errol Spence among others. A criticism that some fighters deal with that ironically Oscar De La Hoya dealt with during his in ring career is by going to several different trainers over the course of a career, it can have a negative impact on a fighter’s style as well as strategies going into a fight. Although there was a mix of good and bad throughout De La Hoya’s career as he was guided by numerous trainers, many of whom are Hall of Famers, the counter argument is by opening yourself up to different philosophies that a new trainer/coach brings with them, it may allow a fighter to see things from a different perspective as well as improve in various areas in terms of technique. Whether or not the addition of James to his corner will be beneficial is something that remains to be seen, but it should also be noted that it is not uncommon for a fighter to switch trainers after suffering a loss.

Garcia's opponent on December 2nd in Oscar Duarte is a fighter with a respectable record of 26-1-1, with 21 Knockouts. A criticism that has surrounded this fight at least in the eyes of some is that Duarte has not defeated a notable fighter on his way to compiling that record. What Duarte does have going for him is he has been unbeaten since 2019 and his lone defeat to a fighter named Adrian Estrella was a ten round split decision loss. Since then, Duarte has run off eleven straight wins, all by knockout. While his resume might lack notable names, that is a statistic that should be viewed with a serious mindset by Garcia and those in his camp.

Garcia is coming off of a knockout loss and the fight plan for Duarte will likely center on trying to test Garcia early. It will be interesting to see if Duarte looks to establish an attack to the body of Garcia. Although sometimes all it takes is for one punch to land in a sensitive spot, the potential perception going forward could be that Garcia does not take body punches well and thus for any future opponents, the body could be an obvious target.

It would not be surprising to see Garcia approach this fight with caution and try to protect his body as much as possible, especially if it becomes clear early on in this fight that it is the intended target for Duarte. Conventional wisdom would suggest that Garcia’s claims of the knockout at the hands of Davis, which was fought at a catchweight of 136lbs., one pound over the 135lb. Lightweight limit and four pounds under the Jr. Welterweight limit where he had fought his previous two fights, was somehow attributed to the rehydration clause, which stipulated that neither fighter could not weigh more than ten pounds heavier than the 136lb. limit on the morning of the fight, is likely going to be tested here. Despite the caliber of competition going into this fight not being at the highest level, Duarte does have all the momentum in his favor and has demonstrated in previous fights that he does have power in both hands.

While this may have the appearance of a bounce back or “Comeback Fight" for Garcia, who is currently rated number seven in the world in the Jr. Welterweight division by the World Boxing Council (WBC), this should be viewed as a dangerous fight. If he is not mentally and physically prepared, a loss in this bout could set his career back significantly, if not put his Boxing future in doubt.

“And That's The Boxing Truth."

Garcia vs. Duarte takes place on Saturday, December 2nd at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX. The fight as well as its undercard can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT.

(*U.S Times Only*)

(*Card and Start Time Subject To Change*)

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com.

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Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Paul-August Card And Broadcast Team Announced December 15th On DAZN

Press Release: November 28, 2023 By DAZN- NEW YORK, NY – November 28, 2023 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced the broadcast team and main card additions for the Jake Paul vs. Andre August and Most Valuable Prospects IV event taking place on Friday, December 15 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL live on DAZN as a part of its subscription package. Paul vs. August, presented by CELSIUS Essential Energy Drink, will feature famed voices in combat sports including Ariel Helwani, Todd Grisham and Dan Canobbio as the night’s commentators and ringside analysts, with YouTube boxing commentator Wade Plemons serving as host. The Most Valuable Prospects IV main card will feature two additional action-packed bouts between light middleweights Yoenis Tellez (6-0, 5 KOs) vs. Livan Navarro (15-1, 9 KOs) for the WBA Continental Latin Americas title and heavyweights Lorenzo Medina (8-0, 7 KOs) vs. Joshua Temple (12-2, 10 KOs).

Tellez vs. Navarro and Medina vs. Temple will precede MVP’s 10-round special championship feature of Shadasia “The Sweet Terminator” Green vs. Franchón Crews-Dezurn for the WBC super middleweight title and headliners Jake “The Problem Child” Paul vs. professional boxer Andre August in an 8-round cruiserweight fight. Tickets for Paul vs. August, Green vs. Crews-Dezurn and Most Valuable Prospects IV are available now at https://www.ticketmaster.com/most-valuable-promotions-jake-paul-vs-orlando-florida-12-15-2023/event/22005F67C7631182 starting at just $75.

Lorenzo Medina vs. Joshua Temple will kick off the Most Valuable Prospects IV main card with a 6-round heavyweight bout on Friday, December 15th. Medina, the 19-year-old heavy hitter and Most Valuable Prospects fan favorite, returns to Most Valuable Prospects IV from Hialeah, Florida to continue testing his 8-fight undefeated professional record against the more experienced Temple. The St. Louis, Missouri native Temple, a twelve-time national amateur champion, comes to the ring off a five-fight win streak ready to test his early-round knockout power on Medina.

Following the bout will be the highly-anticipated 10-round light middleweight Cuban battle between star prospect Yoenis Tellez vs. Livan Navarro for the WBA Continental Latin Americas title. Tellez (6-0, 5 KOs), from Stafford, Texas by way of Santiago, Cuba, made a name for himself in the opening PPV bout of the Terrence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. welterweight championship unification showdown, in which Tellez took on the far more experienced Sergio Ramos and dealt Ramos a brutal 3rd round knockout, the seasoned Garcia’s third loss in 37 professional matches – and his first loss by TKO. Tellez spent most of his youth in Cuba as an amateur boxer, winning national youth titles in 2017 and 2018 before moving to Russia in 2020 to make his pro debut. Tellez eventually moved to Texas in 2022 to begin training with Ronnie Shields. He is managed by Eduardo Perez and promoted by BoxLab Promotions and Warrior’s Boxing.

Livan Navarro (15-1, 9 KOs), the Miami-based fighter out of Havana, Cuba, is on a four fight win streak and will take the ring against Tellez following a strong 15-1 start to his professional career and following an impressive 306-20 amateur record. Navarro made his pro debut at age 24 and secured an 11-0 record within his first three years as a professional, before suffering a hard loss to Justin DeLoach in 2020. Navarro enters the ring vs. Tellez coming off a four-fight win streak, seeking to put his name back at the top of the rankings. He is trained by Jorge Rubio.

Providing commentary on these fights will be an all-star broadcast team consisting of Todd Grisham, Wade Plemons, and Dan Canobbio. Beloved YouTube boxing commentator Wade Plemons will serve as host of the show, while Dan Canobbio, Fox Sports’ boxing regular and host of Pluto TV’s Inside Boxing Live returns to serve as analyst and commentator. ESPN veteran and DAZN combat sports reporter Todd Grisham will provide commentary and call the fights throughout the Paul vs. August and Most Valuable Prospects IV main card. Famed combat sports reporter Ariel Helwani will serve as the ringside reporter. The full main card will be offered on DAZN subscription to ensure accessibility to fans worldwide.

“We built the Most Valuable Prospects series on the foundation of giving young and upcoming talent a platform to display their skills and build their names on our stage. As we close out this year’s Most Valuable Prospects series on Friday, December 15th, we are proud to welcome back Lorenzo Medina, who alongside Yoenis Tellez, Livan Navarro, and Joshua Temple personify the skill and energy Most Valuable Prospects represents,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of MVP. “With Shadasia Green battling for the WBC super middleweight championship and Jake continuing on his journey to being world champion, this is not only a card every boxing fan can enjoy, but is exactly what we envisioned when we launched this series. Thank you to DAZN, Caribe Royale Resort, BoxLab, and CELSIUS for this incredible year of partnership. We look forward to unveiling our next six installments in 2024 showcasing more of the young, rising athletes around the world.”

Fans will also get the opportunity to witness four additional preliminary bouts during the Paul vs. August fight. Cruiserweight Zachary Randolph (9-3-1, 3 KOs) out of Fairmont, WV will take on Pittsburgh, PA fighter Michael Manna (7-5, 4 KOs) over six rounds, and 19-year-old welterweight prospect Elijah Flores (6-0, 2 KOs) will put his undefeated record on the line against Javier Mayoral (6-3-1, 1 KO). Bantamweight Alex Gueche (2-0, 2 KOs), the 18-year-old out of Long Beach, CA will also take the ring for a four round bout, ahead of Xavier Bocanegra (3-0, 2 KOs)’s featherweight four round battle.

Jake Paul vs. Andre August fight week events will be free to the public and will kick off Wednesday, December 13 at the Caribe Royale Resort with doors opening at 12 PM ET, with the fighters facing off at the final press conference before the big event. The press conference will begin at 1 PM ET and will be moderated by Todd Grisham and presented by Celsius Essential Energy Drink. The special championship feature fighters Shadasia Green and Franchón Crews-Dezurn will kick off the event, and then the main event fighters Jake Paul and Andre August will join them on the stage. The event will be broadcast across DAZN’s YouTube channel, MVP’s YouTube channel, and Jake Paul’s YouTube channel.

The public weigh-ins will also be free to the public and will be taking place on Thursday, December 14 at the Caribe Royale Resort at 5 PM ET, with doors opening at 4 PM ET. The weigh-ins will be shown live again on DAZN’s YouTube channel, MVP’s YouTube channel, and Jake Paul’s YouTube channel.

The Most Valuable Prospects series is produced and promoted by MVP, with Boxlab Promotions serving as the official licensed promoter and is distributed by DAZN. The fourth event in the series will continue the commitment from MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian to highlight the world’s best up-and-coming boxing talent. All events within Most Valuable Prospects will take place on Friday nights in 2023 and will be hosted by Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL. The series has been renewed for six installments in 2024 and DAZN will air the series globally across its platforms as a part of its subscription package. CELSIUS Essential Energy Drinks, maker of lifestyle energy drink, is the exclusive energy drink sponsor of the Most Valuable Prospects series. Digital sports, entertainment, and gaming company DraftKings will serve as the Official Sports Betting Partner of Paul vs. August and Most Valuable Prospects IV.

For more information, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @MostVPromotions, and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @JakePaul, @MostValuablePromotions, and @DAZNBoxing.

How to watch DAZN

Visit DAZN.com and follow the steps to sign up now

Once signed up, download the DAZN app to watch on any device

Go to the app store on your chosen device, search ‘DAZN’ and download the DAZN app

DAZN is available on your phone, tablet, smart TV, streaming devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and gaming consoles.

Connect multiple devices to your account to watch at home or on the go

About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)

Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP have produced Jake Paul’s last five global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Diaz match. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.

About DAZN

DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US and the UK.  Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world - Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC. 

DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match through the NFL Game Pass International add-on subscription. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.  DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans. 

DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialize, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN. 

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to a ground-breaking rights catalog and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including PlayStation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and can find the app on their iPhone, iPad, and android mobile devices. DAZN is available as an Amazon Channel on Amazon Prime TV and can be viewed on Channel 429 on Sky in the UK and Ireland.

DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit www.dazngroup.com.  

Material and Photo Courtesy of: DAZN Used with permission.

Chris Algieri: When you look at records you lean towards Orlando Gonzalez, but don't sleep on a guy like Jorge Castaneda

Press Release: November 28, 2023 By ProBox TV- Orlando Gonzalez will collide with Jorge Castaneda on ProBox TV's Wednesday Night Fights in two days time. The pair will clash over 10 rounds at super featherweight as the main attraction in Plant City, Florida.

Credit: ProBox TV

Gonzalez (21-2, 12 KOs) took part in a Fight of the Year contender defeating Ramiro Cesena on points this past July. Castaneda (16-2, 12 KOs) comes off a late knockout victory against Nestor Medellin in August.

Former world champion and WNF commentator Chris Algieri previewed the upcoming bout.

"Castaneda is a tough guy, an upset minded guy." Algieri said. "He beat the very highly touted Otha Jones III. Gave him his first loss, he was a really good amateur, who I think was signed right away to Matchroom. There was a lot of hype behind him and Castaneda beat him. A couple of fights ago he had a shootout that did not go his way, with Eduardo Hernandez who just had an incredible fight with O'Shaquie Foster. He's got some losses on his record but he's fought some stiff competition. Those are the types of guys we always get here.

"We've had Orlando Gonzalez on our air before, he was in a super exciting fight. He had an incredible fight with Cesena last time out. He's looking to keep that momentum going. He is going to be a third time ProBox participant, which I tip my hat to. Any fighter that fights more than once on ProBox is tough because our fights are really tough. There are no easy fights on our air. Anyone who comes knows they are stepping into the meat grinder. Gonzalez is willing to do it again and he's got a stiff challenge in front of him. Looking at records you are going to lean towards Gonzalez, but don't sleep on a guy like Castaneda. He's coming off a win, knocking out an undefeated opponent in his last fight which he rebounded from a first round knockout loss. He's a live dog, he's got a lot to prove. Both these guys do.”

Material and Photo Courtesy of: ProBox TV Used with permission.

For more information about ProBox TV including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, full event archive and additional programming, and to subscribe please visit: www.ProBoxTV.com.

Monday, November 27, 2023

Taylor Becomes Undisputed Champion In Two Weight Divisions, Benavidez Breaks Down Andrade

Thanksgiving weekend 2023 in the world of Boxing was highlighted by two marquee attractions on November 25th in the Women's Jr. Welterweight and Men's Super-Middleweight divisions. First, it was a highly anticipated rematch for the Undisputed Women’s Jr. Welterweight championship of the world as undefeated champion Chantelle Cameron attempted to score her second victory in a six month span by giving Undisputed Lightweight world champion Katie Taylor a second opportunity to become an undisputed world champion in two weight divisions.

In some ways, this rematch offered little upside for the defending champion beyond perhaps a good payday as well as a chance to prove that her victory over Taylor in the first fight was not a case of her catching Taylor on an off night. The second encounter would take place at the same location as the first fight, the 3 Arena in Dublin, in Taylor's home country of Ireland. As this observer pointed out in previewing this fight, despite Taylor having what amounted to a “Home Ring Advantage" in the first fight, Cameron was able to win under those conditions in what was a highly competitive and close fight.

The second fight was also competitive, but the difference between the two fights became the approach of Taylor. At her best, Katie Taylor is a combination puncher that attacks in short, but explosive spurts and uses lateral movement to control the tempo of the combat. In the first fight in May of this year, she had success in spots with this approach, but was unable to nullify Cameron's pressure as she was frequently pushed back against the ropes and not able to use her movement to her advantage particularly during the second half of that fight.

This time around, Taylor used her movement as well as a consistent jab to control the combat along with mixing in the short combinations that have been her trademark throughout her career. The primary difference throughout much of this rematch was Taylor's ability to turn Cameron whenever she got close to the ropes, which kept the champion from being able to get her punches off with consistency and also made the pressure that Cameron applied less effective as compared to the first meeting between these two world champions.

Cameron also suffered a deep gash on her forehead as a result of an accidental clash of heads in the third round. Despite a gash that yours truly felt was severe enough to warrant a stoppage of the the bout, which if it had been before the completion of the fourth round, it would have resulted in a no contest, Cameron showed why she is a champion by fighting through what had to be severe pain as well as the punishment Taylor was able to dish out. She was also able to come on as the fight progressed as she had done in the first fight.

In a scenario that was similar to their first encounter, Taylor seemed to struggle over the second half of the fight. While this could be attributed to the high pace in which the fight was fought, as was the case the first time around, Cameron seemed to land the harder punches of the two as Taylor fought the effects of fatigue. Unlike in the first fight however, just as it seemed as though she did not have much left to give, Taylor also showed the heart of a champion by gutting it out, continuing to avoid being put on the ropes as much as she could and trading punches with Cameron till the final bell.

At the conclusion of the ten round undisputed world championship bout, I felt that Taylor had done enough to win, but the rally that Cameron was able to put forth during the second half of the fight, as was the case the first time around, resulted in a close majority decision. The outcome of the second fight would be different as Taylor would be declared the winner making her the latest fighter, male or female to join an exclusive club as being an Undisputed world champion in multiple divisions.

The stage appears to be set for a third fight between Taylor and Cameron in 2024. Although Katie Taylor’s future place in any Boxing Hall of Fame is more than secure and regardless of what happens in a potential third fight, that will not change, the question now becomes how soon would that third bout between her and Cameron take place. At thirty-six years old, Taylor has been through a lot of grueling battles throughout her career and several in the last several years. There is no question that Chantelle Cameron deserves a rematch because after all, she gave Taylor a rematch that she did not have to give, but both fighters deserve significant time to rest and heal before considering a third fight.

This brings us to the second marquee attraction that took place on November 25th. A battle between two former world champions at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV as undefeated former world champions David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade met in what amounted to an elimination bout to determine the next mandatory challenger in the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) Super-Middleweight ratings for current Undisputed champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez.

The fight, which brought together arguably two of the most avoided fighters in and around the Super-Middleweight division due to the respective styles of Benavidez and Andrade, also holds the distinction of headlining the final pay-per-view produced by United States premium cable network Showtime, who will soon exit the sport after a thirty-seven year run as one of Boxing’s power players in broadcasting the sport. It was a main event that did not disappoint.

Benavidez is a fighter that typically starts slow, but gradually picks up his output as a fight progresses. For the first time in either fighter's career, they were faced with a scenario of facing a fighter with a style that was in some ways similar to their own, but one that they had not had to face themselves. Demetrius Andrade is a fighter that is very crafty, elusive, and has proven to be a difficult puzzle to solve. The first three rounds of this fight was largely dictated on Andrade’s ability to use angles, out throw, and land fast combinations on Benavidez.

Although this initially had the appearance of many of Andrade's previous fights where he seemed to be too quick and elusive and was beating Benavidez to the punch at this stage in the bout, what could not be ignored was the size difference between the two. Despite being similar in both height and weight, Benavidez appeared as though he had the body frame of a Light-Heavyweight or a Cruiserweight going against a fighter in Andrade, who won his first world championship as a 154lb. Jr. Middleweight. While this fight was fought in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division, it appeared that Andrade might have hit his ceiling in terms of moving up in weight standing in the ring with Benavidez.

It would not take long before the appearance of Andrade facing a naturally bigger fighter began to show itself in the fight as wherever Benavidez was able to land punches, it seemed to hurt Andrade. The turning point in the fight would occur in the fourth round when Benavidez connected with a right hand that landed high on the head of Andrade that sent the former two-division world champion down on his knees on the canvas. Although Andrade was able to get up from the knockdown, he was clearly hurt and the offensive rhythm that seemed to give him an early advantage in the first three rounds of the scheduled twelve round bout became less and less as Andrade went into survival mode in trying to get his bearings. In the process, Benavidez administered significant punishment to the body and head.

At the conclusion of the fifth round Referee Thomas Taylor walked with Andrade back to his corner and told him that he needed to show him something. This coincided with Taylor having Andrade examined by a ringside physician between rounds five and six. Despite looking like a fighter that was in the process of suffering what was becoming a one way beating, Andrade was given the chance to continue. In round six, Benavidez continued to batter Andrade, knocking his mouthpiece out twice. Although Andrade tried his best to fight back, there was not much force behind his punches.

As he had done after the previous round, Taylor followed Andrade back to his corner after round six and informed him that he could not see another round like what had just occurred. After a brief exchange between Taylor and Andrade’s trainer and father Paul Andrade, the fight was stopped giving Benavidez a convincing stoppage victory over a fighter regarded as one of the most defensively sound fighters in the entire sport.

Whether or not this victory, as convincing as it was for Benavidez will finally result in him getting an opportunity to fight Saul Alvarez for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world in 2024 remains to be seen. Unfortunately for Benavidez, it may depend on what happens with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters, who have promoted many of Benavidez’ bouts including his victory over Andrade as the PBC’s future remains uncertain as they continue to look for a new platform for their stable of fighters after losing broadcast homes with both Fox Sports and Showtime here in the United States over the last two years. With no new platform either traditional or streaming based announced to broadcast PBC promoted Boxing cards in 2024, as of this writing and Showtime and it's parent company Paramount Global preparing to exit Boxing before Christmas, it may be time for not only Benavidez, but all fighters currently competing under the PBC banner to not only explore other options, but to also come to the realization that if they want to compete on a regular basis, a problem that has become more and more frequent for fighters in the PBC’s stable in recent years as their network agreements have evaporated and both Fox Sports and Showtime have bowed out of the sport, the insistence on the pay-per-view model is not conducive to a successful career going into 2024 and is directly responsible for the state in which the PBC currently finds itself in.

“And That's The Boxing Truth."

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Friday, November 24, 2023

DAZN Named Official Broadcaster For Day Of Reckoning Pay-Per-View Boxing Card December 23rd In Saudi Arabia

Press Release: November 1, 2023 By DAZN - LONDON AND RIYADH – 24 November 2023: Riyadh Season and DAZN, the sports entertainment platform, today announce that "Day of Reckoning" will be available globally on DAZN.

On 23 December, Boxing’s greatest champions will come head-to-head in what promises to be an action-filled night of entertainment. “Day of Reckoning” will be available on DAZN as a pay-per-view event* in the UK, US and over 200 markets worldwide. Fans will be able to watch live and on-demand from smart TVs, tablets, mobiles and games consoles.

In addition, this historic fight night will be made available on a range of domestic broadcasters in key markets, which are yet to be announced.

In an unprecedented card, former two-time Unified World Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua goes up against Otto Wallin in the Co-Main Event as the pair close in on challenging for world title honours.

In the other Co-main Event, former WBO World Champion Joseph Parker takes on the Bronze Bomber and former WBC world title holder Deontay Wilder.

Recent world title challenger Daniel Dubois will bid to put his name back up in lights when he enters into a battle of the giants against Big Baby Jarrell Miller and IBF No.1 contender Filip Hrgovic fighting Mark De Mori in another heavyweight shootout.

WBA World Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol will make an 11th defence of his title against Lyndon Arthur and IBF World cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia will take on Unbeaten British Cruiserweight Ellis Zorro.

Back with the heavyweights, the fearsome Arslanbek Makhmudov will face the European champion Agit Kabayel. and top heavyweight contender Frank Sanchez will close in on a world title shot if he can overcome Junior Fa in Riyadh.

His Excellency Advisor Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, highlighted the significance of the partnership with DAZN platform. He emphasised that the company's extensive expertise in sports streaming services, coupled with their professionalism and exceptional capabilities, make them an ideal partner for handling such significant events. This agreement also fulfils the long-standing demand of boxing enthusiasts to witness "The Day of Reckoning" with the highest quality and international standards.

Shay Segev, DAZN Group CEO, said “With over 100 fights this year, DAZN is the undisputed global home of boxing. We work tirelessly with our partners to deliver a great schedule of boxing entertainment and to grow the sport.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Riyadh Season is a valued partner of DAZN. Their incredible ability and determination to deliver top sporting events for fans in Saudi and around the world is unparalleled. It is nothing short of an honour to have been chosen as their global broadcast partner for this historic fight night. Putting the fan and their desire for quality entertainment above all else unites us. DAZN’s unmatched ability to stream content in over 200 markets made us the obvious choice for their ambitions.”

The "Day of Reckoning" comes after the "Battle of the Baddest", which was held on October 28 and saw record numbers of fans from around the world tune into DAZN to watch Tyson Fury defeat Francis Ngannou in a spectacle for the ages.

ABOUT RIYADH SEASON

Saudi Arabia's capital embraces one of the world's biggest entertainment events every year during winter. Since the launch of the Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting activities, and other unique cultural events.

ABOUT DAZN

DAZN is a global leading sports streaming service with domestic strong presence in Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Portugal, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, the US and UK. Its wide range of content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LALIGA, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world - Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC. DAZN is the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match outside North America.

DAZN is building the ultimate sports entertainment business where fans from across the globe can watch, read, bet, play, share, socialise, buy tickets and merchandise, all in one place, with one account, one wallet and on one app.

For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit dazngroup.com.

*The 23 December fight night will be charged as an additional pay-per-view (PPV) in certain key markets and included as part of a DAZN subscription in others.

US + Canada: 39.99 USD

UK: 19.99 GBP

Rest of the world: 21.99 USD in local currency

Prices include all tax (if applicable).

Full details of PPV markets will be provided on DAZN.com

Material and Photo Courtesy of DAZN Used with permission.

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Cameron-Taylor II: Repeat Or Redemption?

Women's Boxing has made significant strides over the last decade that has seen the sport for women receive long overdue recognition as well as mainstream attention. One of the most notable fighters that has led the charge in this era has been former Olympic Gold medalist and current Undisputed Lightweight champion of the world Katie Taylor.

Taylor has become one of the biggest stars in the sport both due to her dominance in the Lightweight division as well as her willingness to fight anyone in and around the division. Many likely remember Taylor taking part in a true groundbreaking moment for the sport when she scored a close decision victory over Undisputed Featherweight world champion Amanda Serrano in April 2021. A fight that was not only an all-time classic, but more importantly before a sellout crowd, one that marked the first time that a woman's bout main evented a Boxing card in the main arena in New York’s Madison Square Garden. As Taylor's dominance of the Lightweight division has continued, in search of a challenge, she moved up in weight to challenge undefeated Undisputed Jr. Welterweight world champion Chantelle Cameron earlier this year in her home country of Ireland.

Despite having what amounted to a home field advantage over the champion in May of this year, Taylor was unable to come away with a victory. In what was a close and competitive fight, it was Cameron who outworked Taylor over the course of the ten round world championship bout to retain her undisputed championship via majority decision. In doing so, Cameron not only scored what many felt was an upset given Taylor's standing in the sport, but also handed the Undisputed Lightweight queen the first loss of her career.

Rather than going back to the Lightweight division and look to continue her reign, Taylor will instead attempt to avenge her defeat when she faces Cameron for a second time. A rematch that will take place on November 25th in Dublin, Ireland and can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN.

The story of this rematch is simple, can Taylor avenge her first career loss or will Chantelle Cameron be able to get a second victory over a future Hall of Famer? A misconception that this observer believes was exposed in the first fight between these two world champions is that even though Katie Taylor had a considerably higher profile and what amounted to a home field advantage, Cameron was also an undefeated, undisputed world champion in her division going into that fight, and was able to show that she herself is a world-class boxer that belonged in the ring with someone of Taylor's caliber.

This time around, the scenario is almost identical to what it was like for Cameron going into the first fight. Despite her victory over Taylor, there are some that view her as an underdog going into the rematch, much like how even though she was the defending champion the first time around, there were some that did not think she had much of a chance. As was the case in the first fight, the rematch will also take place in Taylor's home country of Ireland giving her once again, the theoretical home field or to be more appropriate “Home Ring" advantage. Cameron proved however, she could win under those conditions and did win the first fight. With that knowledge, she is not likely to feel intimidated going into fight two.

What this will boil down to in my eyes is whether Taylor will be able to control the tempo of the combat and be able to use her lateral movement and combination punching, two cornerstones of her Boxing style, to try and out box Cameron. There were periods in the first fight where Taylor was able to implement this approach, but she could not sustain it for the duration, which allowed Cameron to come on in the middle and late rounds to secure the victory. Taylor must be elusive and be tactical in her approach in this fight because if she gives up any ground, Cameron will look to take advantage as was the case in the first encounter. Whether Cameron can limit Taylor's movement again as she was able to in the first fight and try to get a more conclusive victory remains to be seen.

2023 has been another year that has marked progress for Women's Boxing. Will Cameron-Taylor II be regarded as another classic in the continued progression for the sport and possibly lead to a third chapter? We will find out on Saturday, November 25th.

“And That's The Boxing Truth."

Cameron vs. Taylor II takes place on Saturday, November 25 at 3 Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 11:05AM ET/8:05AM PT with Before The Bell, which will feature preliminary bouts. This will be followed by the main card, which will begin at 2PM ET/11AM PT.

(*U.S. Times Only.*)

(*Card and Start Times Subject to Change.*

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Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Benavidez-Andrade Take Boxing's Spotlight On Thanksgiving Weekend 2023

There are several weekends throughout the calendar year that Boxing fans look forward to every year. Whether it be on the fourth of July weekend, Cinco De Mayo, or Mexican Independence Day weekend to name a few, there is always at least one Boxing event that draws interest. One holiday weekend that is normally associated with great food, parades, NFL Football, and of course, shopping as the official beginning of the Christmas holiday season, is Thanksgiving weekend here in the United States. While the aforementioned activities will always be first in mind for many, one aspect of Thanksgiving weekend that at times can be overlooked is that it has periodically also been a destination for Boxing.

The 2023 Thanksgiving weekend will be headlined by a battle between two undefeated former world champions in an intriguing Super-Middleweight elimination bout. Former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion David Benavidez will meet former two-division world champion Demetrius Andrade in a WBC elimination bout to determine the next number one contender as far as the WBC is concerned for current Undisputed Super-Middleweight champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez. A fight that will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV that can be seen in the United States on Showtime Pay-Per-View in the main event of what will be the final pay-per-view card produced by Showtime Sports before the network exits the sport of Boxing at the conclusion of 2023.

In some ways, this fight, though not for a world championship, brings together two fighters who have each been regarded as both among the best in the sport and arguably two of the most avoided fighters as well. Fighters with styles like Benavidez and Andrade are indeed viewed by some as a high risk, low reward scenario. This is due to both being crafty, elusive boxers, each with the ability to box, but also having solid hand speed and punching power. Such attributes have rightfully earned both the label as a dangerous option for potential opponents to take and many including for the moment, Alvarez, have for whatever reason chosen other options rather than face either Benavidez or Andrade.

Thus, it has created a unique and somewhat rarely seen scenario where two fighters labeled as both “Dangerous" and “Avoided" have the option of facing each other in the hope that a victory will allow them not just an opportunity to fight for another world championship, but also the potential for a significantly lucrative payday by potentially facing Alvarez. Perhaps such a scenario points out a flaw that can unfortunately exist from time to time in the sport of Boxing in that, despite being a former world champion and being among the highest skilled fighters in the sport as both Benavidez and Andrade are, it does not necessarily equate to getting the most lucrative opportunities, at least without going through significant hurdles beforehand.

Nevertheless, the fight between the two does present what should be an interesting clash of styles where the question going into the fight might be who will take the initiative. Although both fighters can do many of the same things inside the ring, a small wrinkle that some might point to that could give Andrade an edge is that David Benavidez is traditionally a slow starter. While the counter argument is that by starting slow it allows Benavidez an opportunity to assess what his opponent has, against a fighter like Andrade, starting slow might ultimately work against him if Andrade is able to find his rhythm early and dictate the tempo of the combat.

Where Benavidez’ strength is, is as a fight progresses, he picks up his offensive output and tends to throw punches at a significantly high volume. This could be a key if the fight gets into the middle and late rounds because Demetrius Andrade has not to date faced a fighter with the type of hand speed or punching power that his opponent in this bout Benavidez has in his arsenal as he will likely be trying to apply pressure that Andrade has not experienced before in the middle and late stages of the fight. By the same token, Benavidez has not faced a fighter with either the hand speed or power that Andrade has and he has never faced a fighter with Andrade’s skill.

What this creates for the Boxing fan is a true case of the element of the unknown as there is a legitimate question as to what will happen when the two fighters get in the ring because for all intents and purposes, this looks to be an even fight at least on paper. As interesting as this fight appears to be, it will be taking place under the shadow of Showtime’s impending exit from the sport after thirty-seven years as one of the powerhouses in Boxing.

Although this observer will have more thoughts about that subject as we get closer to the end of 2023 in an upcoming column here on The Boxing Truth®️, one might wonder with the network having announced their impending exit in October, if that will hurt or perhaps help the potential pay-per-view buys for this bout. While there is significant evidence to suggest that the overuse of an outdated and overpriced model of pay-per-view has led to Showtime and to be more specific it's parent company Paramount Global seeking to leave the sport, it is still a shame that a fight like this, which deserves significant attention, has not been given the same type of promotional pudh as some previous Showtime Pay-Per-View events. Even if this fight as many others before it would likely have more eyes viewing it if it were available live on Showtime's cable network or even Paramount's streaming network Paramount+ than it probably will on pay-per-view, it nevertheless has the potential to be a great fight.

“And That's The Boxing Truth."

Benavidez vs. Andrade takes place on Saturday, November 25th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV. The fight can be seen in the United States on Showtime Pay-Per-View beginning at 8PM ET/5PN PT for $74.99. The pay-per-vieq broadcast will be available on traditional cable/satellite telco providers as well as streaming pay-per-view platforms such as FITE and PPV.com. Contact your local cable/satellite provider for more information.

To order and stream on the FITE app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs Click here to order and for additional instructions on how to download the FITE app.

To order and stream on the PPV.com app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs and for instructions on how to download the PPV.com app Click here.

(*Check your local listings Internationally.*)

(*Card and Start time Subject To Change.*)

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Sunday, November 19, 2023

Stevenson Wins Third World Championship, Fails To Make A Statement

The fight between undefeated former two-division world champion Shakur Stevenson and WBC number six rated Lightweight contender Edwin De Los Santos was not only for the vacant WBC Lightweight championship of the world, but some felt it could signal the beginning of what might be a new era in the 135lb. Lightweight division. A new era that seemingly has started with the former Undisputed Lightweight world champion Devin Haney choosing to roll the dice and move up in weight to challenge WBC Jr. Welterweight world champion Regis Prograis in a fight that will take place on December 9th in San Francisco, CA.

While Haney still holds three portions of the World Lightweight championship as of this writing, it is expected by many whether or not he wins that fight against Prograis that he will remain as a 140lb. Jr. Welterweight going forward, due largely to struggles he has had in making the 135lb. Lightweight limit in recent fights. Although there was little to say prior to Stevenson’s bout with De Los Santos beyond it being for a vacant world championship and thus an opportunity for Stevenson to become a three-division world champion, Haney by all accounts choosing to move on to a different chapter in his career also created an opportunity for Stevenson to make an argument for himself as being a fighter that could be viewed as the division’s new central figure.

A capacity crowd filled the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV on November 16th to see if Stevenson could make his claim for such a role. Whether it was because of a bad clash of styles between two southpaws or if Stevenson simply had an off night, what took place inside the ring was anything, but a fighter making a clear statement as emerging as the number one fighter in a division heading towards a period of transition.

For twelve rounds, Stevenson and Dos Santos engaged in a tactical battle where neither fighter seemed to take the initiative as an aggressor. Despite being a tutorial in some ways on the benefits of defense in a fighter's arsenal as both fighters were able to make each other miss with punches frequently, it was not the most entertaining bout to watch. Some might go as far as to describe the action or lack thereof as dull. While this observer will not go as far, as I believe in the old adage of ”Styles Make Fights” and will also point out the rarity of two southpaws being pitted against each other, some fights will simply be more entertaining than others.

An illustration of the lack of action in this fight can be seen in the CompuBox statistics for the twelve round world championship bout in that for the first time in history in the over four decades in which fights have been tracked statistically by CompuBox, neither fighter was able to land ten punches in a single round of the fight. From my perspective, I have seen worse fights on every level of the sport in my almost three decades covering Boxing and other combat sports, but this was one instance where I truly could not form an opinion as to who I believed may have had the upper hand.

This was due not only to the lack of action, but also neither fighter being able to hurt the other with the punches that did land or being able to score knockdowns. In all honesty, this was an instance where at the conclusion of twelve rounds, I could not see how a winner could be determined or at least determined clearly. Despite the view of yours truly, a decision was reached and it was unanimous with Stevenson winning the fight by margins of seven rounds to five or 115-113 in points, and eight rounds to four on two official scorecards or 116-112 in points making him the new WBC Lightweight champion of the world.

While sometimes a win is still indeed a win and ultimately it was mission accomplished for Stevenson in becoming a three-division world champion, he has had better performances throughout his career. Although he may not have had the statement-making performance that he was probably looking for as the last kingpin of the Lightweight division appears to be moving on and up the weight scale, it should be noted that Stevenson did say in a post-fight interview with ESPN immediately following his victory over De Los Santos that he “Didn't Feel Good," which has fueled some speculation that he may have entered the fight either dealing with an illness or an injury and that may have played a role in his performance.

Whatever the case might be, it is important to remember that fighters like all of us are human and are going to have an underwhelming performance from time to time. Whether or not Stevenson was dealing with an illness, injury, or both is something that only he can answer. It will be what he does in his next fight however, whomever that bout might be against, that will probably determine if he will indeed be the new central figure of the Lightweight division. For now, the jury is still deliberating.

“And That's The Boxing Truth."

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Saturday, November 18, 2023

Exclusive Interview: Ricky Hatton

Press Release: November 18, 2023 By LuckyBlock.com - Former world champion Ricky Hatton was recently interviewed by LuckyBlock. com and covered a variety of subjects including Anthony Joshua,Tyson Fury, and former opponent Floyd Mayweather. Below are some of the subjects that were discussed in the interview.

Anthony Joshua will prove doubters wrong

Anthony Joshua has faced a barrage of criticism over since his defeats to Andy Ruiz and Oleksandr Usyk but Hatton is adamant that AJ still has the desire and ability to win back the heavyweight titles he lost in 2021;

Ricky Hatton: “A lot of people have written Joshua off a little bit, and I would say they are doing it at their peril. Take Tyson Fury for example - not many people would have expected him to struggle against Francis Ngannou. That might give AJ a little bit of confidence knowing that he could be there to be beaten, if he gets the chance.

“AJ's got fantastic boxing ability - he's got the size, the power, the strength. He's got that boxing pedigree, rising all the way from the amateurs and becoming heavyweight champion of the world.”

Fury will be motivated by poor performance vs Ngannou

Hatton thinks only Tyson Fury will know if it’s his time to retire and he also reckons the Gypsy King’s fortunate win over Francis Ngannou will serve to strengthen his resolve should he fight Usyk next year;

Hatton: “When I made my comeback fight, I knew after two rounds that my ability had gone. But if Tyson's the man I think he is, and clever as I think he is, I think he'll know more than anyone whether it's time to hang his gloves up.

“If he gets the Usyk fight sorted next, I think the best Tyson Fury will turn up. He'll want to bounce back from the Ngannou fight. He'll train hard, he'll put his foot down because of the last fight. It might not have been such a bad thing, having a bit of stinker just before the Usyk fight. It might force him to get back on track. Had Tyson had knocked him out in two rounds, he might have gone into the Usyk fight a bit complacent.”

Trashtalking Mayweather is the most arrogant celebrity

Hatton lost his undefeated status to Floyd Mayweather back in 2007 and revealed that the American never had a good word to say either before or after the fight, even behind closed doors;

Hatton: “Oh yeah, by far [Mayweather is the most arrogant person Hatton has met]. Even behind closed doors when the camera is off, he never had the decency to come up to me and go, how are you doing? You okay? All he does is talk about himself.

“Who calls themselves Money Mayweather? Where did he come from, the projects? I come from the same thing, a council estate. I speak to kids and say, listen, I come from the same place as you, if I can do it, so can you. Believe in yourself, you can get there.

“What will Floyd do? Go down there and show them his watch, his chain and his ring on his pinky. I think the people in the projects would be absolutely disgusted if he turned up.”

Tommy Fury should have wiped the floor with Jake Paul

Tommy Fury was the bookmakers’ favourite to beat Jake Paul and although he came away with a split decision win, the Hitman feels he should have put in a far more convincing performance;

Hatton: “Everyone expected Tommy to come out and wipe the floor with Jake Paul, and it ended up being decided on a split decision. No disrespect to Tommy, but it's only over the short format. You would have expected Tommy to win those fights a little bit more comfortably than he did.

“I think because the influencer boxers are all over the shop it might have been a bit more difficult for him to predict. But you've got to give credit to [influencer boxers], because they are out of their comfort zone, aren't they? It

's not their area of expertise, so fair play.”

Material Courtesy of LuckyBlock.com Used with permission.

For more information please visit: www.LuckyBlock.com.

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Stevenson-De Los Santos Preview

The career of undefeated former two-division world champion Shakur Stevenson thus far has been one of dominance. After winning world championships in both the 126lb. Featherweight and 130lb. Jr. Lightweight divisions, Stevenson in part because of difficulty making the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight limit prior to his last scheduled title defense of the unified WBO/WBC world championship against Robson Conceicao In September of last year, losing the championship on the scale prior to scoring a twelve round unanimous decision, Stevenson set his sights on the 135lb. Lightweight division where in his debut as a Lightweight, he scored a knockout of a “Game,” but overmatched previously undefeated Shuichiro Yoshino in an elimination bout to determine the number one contender for the World Boxing Council (WBC) Lightweight championship of the world.

As most Boxing fans know, the WBC world championship had been fully unified as part of the Undisputed Lightweight championship of the world held by Devin Haney. While it appeared as though Haney and Stevenson were on a collision course for what would be a highly anticipated showdown between two master boxers, Haney will be moving up to the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division to challenge WBC world champion Regis Prograis on December 9th in San Francisco, CA. Although Haney is still recognized as the Lightweight champion of the world by the WBA, IBF, and WBO as of this writing, the WBC opted to strip Haney of its world championship, which not only broke the undisputed championship at 135lbs., but also created an opportunity for Stevenson to fight for a vacant world championship.

An opportunity that will come on Thursday, November 16th as Stevenson will face WBC number six rated contender Edwin De Los Santos at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. A fight that can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+.

It is hard to ignore the perception of at least some that this fight may amount to little more than Stevenson, a potential all-time great fighter, being able to add another world championship to his resume against a relatively unknown opponent at least in some circles. This fight also comes as a result of the politics that be in the sport in that we have an undefeated former two-division world champion, who is the number one contender, facing the number six rated contender for a vacant world championship.

While this does in some ways put a spotlight on some of the flaws that come with the politics in the sport of Boxing in that number two rated contender Frank Martin is not in this fight, nor are contenders three, four, or five, Boxing is nevertheless as this observer has pointed out numerous times over almost three decades, a sport of opportunity. One has clearly presented itself for De Los Santos.

Who is Edwin De Los Santos one might ask? He is in fairness a top contender, who is the current WBC Continental Americas Lightweight champion, one of the regional championships in the WBC, which more often than not, serves as both an elevator for a fighter climbing the rankings, and a precursor for the fighter holding it to eventually challenge for a world championship. De Los Santos will enter this fight with a record of 16-1, with 14 Knockouts \, having scored knockouts in his last three fights. With a career knockout percentage of over 87%, De Los Santos should be viewed as a dangerous fighter with nothing to lose and everything to gain here.

The question going into this fight is whether De Los Santos will be able to solve the puzzle that is Shakur Stevenson's Boxing style. Stevenson is a crafty and slick boxer who has a good mix of hand speed and punching power. What has made him so dominant is to this point in his career, no opponent has been able to make him uncomfortable, much less hurt him or be able to win rounds during a fight. Although Stevenson has only ten knockouts in his twenty career wins, he is capable of scoring a knockout if the opportunity is there, though some might argue that there have been a few instances where Stevenson might have opted for decision victories rather than pressing to try and get knockouts in some of his previous fights.

Perhaps one wrinkle that some might point to as this fight approaches is this is a rare instance where two southpaws will be facing each other for a world championship. This, at least in theory, removes the theoretical advantages that a southpaw has when they face a fighter that boxes out of an orthodox stance. Nevertheless, the fight plan for De Los Santos comes down to one thing. Pressure, Pressure, Pressure… De Los Santos must find a way to cut the ring off from Stevenson to try and nullify his ability to move and apply pressure on him to set up opportunities to land his power punches. Simply put, if De Los Santos allows Stevenson to be in a position where he can dictate the pace of the fight and find his rhythm early, this may end up as most of Stevenson's previous bouts have, where the only question might be whether he will box his way to a convincing unanimous decision victory or if he might be able to get a stoppage in the middle or late rounds if he presses the issue.

Even though this fight might indeed signal a period of transition for the Lightweight division as one former undisputed world champion might exit the division depending on what happens as he tests the Jr. Welterweight waters in a few weeks by challenging for another world championship, Shakur Stevenson should keep in mind, despite being the heavy favorite and appearing to at least be in a position to become the central figure of the Lightweight division, if he is in any way overlooking Edwin De Los Santos, it could prove costly because unlike his opponent, Stevenson may indeed have everything to lose both in terms of his standing in the sport as well as some potential lucrative fights that could be in store for him in the always talent-deep Lightweight division.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

Stevenson vs. De Los Santos takes place on Thursday, November 16th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 5:40PM ET/2:40PM PT.

ESPN+ is available through the ESPN app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs. For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com.

(*Check your local listings internationally.*)

(*Card and Start Time Subject to Change.* )

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Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Jimmy Kelly Jr Ready To Push Towards Janibek And Middleweight Names

Press Release: November 14, 2023 By ProBox TV- World title challenger Jimmy Kelly Jr is ready to push on to the big names at middleweight as he returns to the ring this Wednesday night on ProBox TV.

Credit: ProBox TV

Kelly Jr gave an insight into his year-ending ten-rounder against fellow world title challenger Juan Jose Velasco.

The Manchester native said, “I’m glad to be back on ProBox TV and ready to put on an explosive performance like people haven’t seen before.

“I’ve got different elements to my game. I can come forward and fight. I showed that against Jaime Munguia. I went in there and banged with a banger, and I’ll do it again if I have to.

“I’m planning on showing I’m excited and that I can compete with the best at middleweight. People around me know that I’m going to show it to everybody watching on Wednesday night.”

Kelly Jr has repeatedly called out unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, however, the Mancunian outlined his hopes for 2024.

The middleweight contender stated, “I’ve been calling Janibek out for years now. I’m more well-known in Kazakhstan than anybody he’s fought. I beat Kanat Islam and got ignored, but it is what it is. I can’t make him fight me. I’m happy to jump in with another Kazak if it means forcing a fight with Janibek.

“The likes of Elijah Garcia are on my radar, I’ll fight all of those types of guys. I’ve beaten undefeated hyped-up fighters before and I’ll do it again if it means getting to a world middleweight title fight in 2024. That’s what I want.”

WATCH JIMMY KELLY JR LIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT ON PROBOX TV LIVE FROM 7.30PM EST

Material and Photo Courtesy of ProBox TV Used with permission.

For more information about ProBox TV including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, full event archives and additional programming, and to subscribe please visit: www.ProBoxTV.com.

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Ajagba Makes His Case

There are many constants in the sport of Boxing. Constants such as rival promoters who seemingly at any cost will avoid working with each other even if it were not only to their benefit, but of the sport itself. Fighters for whatever reason choosing to sit on the sidelines rather than compete on a regular basis. Despite the detriment to their careers, the lure of sitting out for one significant payday more often than not, proves to be too great. The numerous sanctioning organizations in the sport that due to their own individual policies, at times end up standing in the way of fights that not only the public wants to see, but bouts that are held in such regard that many believe it will elevate Boxing to a higher level.

These constants for better or worse are among the things that many associate with the sport. Perhaps one constant that does not always get the attention that it deserves is the constant pursuit of the next contender for a world championship. In regard to Boxing's Heavyweight division, it is a pursuit that seemingly goes hand and hand with a contender being able to make the transition to world champion. After all, whenever a fighter wins a world championship, inevitably the first question that follows any questions regarding the fight they just fought is either What's next for you? or Who's next for you?

The recent years in the division has seen two undefeated world champions Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury emerge as the two central figures in the Heavyweight division. with Usyk and Fury continuing to do circles around each other as an encounter between the two for the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world remains ever elusive. With a fight between the two at least signed on paper to take place sometime in 2024, the scrambling of potential challengers to either face the winner of the potential Usyk-Fury fight or to potentially step in to face either champion, in the event of that potential fight falling through, is in full n

swing. One such fighter who is looking to emerge as a potential challenger is current WBC number seven rated Heavyweight contender Efe Ajagba.

Ajagba, a native of Ughelli, Nigeria, had worked his way to a record of 18-1, with 13 Knockouts. The lone blemish on his record came in October 2021 when he lost a ten round decision to fellow rising contender Frank Sanchez. Since the loss to Sanchez, Ajagba rebounded to win three straight bouts. This culminated in his fight against Joe Goodall on November 4th at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in Lake Tahoe, NV. Goodall, a native of Brisbane, Australia, emerged on the scene earlier this year by scoring an unexpected sixth round stoppage of Stephen Shaw, a fighter that Ajagba had also scored a victory over earlier this year. In that fight, Goodall showed impressive punching power in being able to drop and ultimately stop Shaw.

The unexpected, but impressive win for Goodall, opened the door for an opportunity for him to face Ajagba with the WBC's Silver Heavyweight championship at stake. In the overall picture however, the fight more importantly represented a chance to move into the top ten in the WBC's Heavyweight ratings for Goodall and for Efe Ajagba, the holder of the silver title, a chance to make a statement to try and drum up support for a potential title shot down the line.

What stood out to this observer was the sharp and consistent jab that Ajagba quickly established as a focal point of his offense. It was sharp, crisp, and used to create openings for his right hand and for hooks with either hand. For a short time, Goodall seemed to hold his own, did attempt to back Ajagba up, and did land some solid hooks to the head.

Goodall however, was unable to nullify Ajagba's ability to throw and land his jab, seemingly at will as he re-established distance between himself and Goodall and gradually began to break his opponent down. Ajagba's harder punches, and commitment to using a fundamental approach in his attack of Goodall created a barrage of unanswered punches in the fourth round, which forced the fight to be stopped.

Summed up simply, Goodall just did not have an answer to avoid Ajagba's jab, which served to set up effective combinations that only increased as the fight progressed. For Efe Ajagba, this proved to be the type of performance that a contender looks for as they aim to try and get an opportunity to fight for a world championship.

The obvious question is what is next? Obviously, the key for ant fighter that is looking to generate buzz for a potential challenge for a world title, the key is to try and stay active, but also do so strategically, which can prove to be a delicate balancing act between looking for opposition that will generate both interest and should the fighter be successful, only increase calls for that fighter to get that opportunity to fight for a world title, and the perceived element of what might be viewed specifically by a fighter's handlers as a fight that might be too risky. It certainly is not an exact science and the way a fighter is guided towards an opportunity at a world title will vary based on the fighter.

For now, Ajagba may look to fighter such as top contender Jonathan Guidry, who coincidentally also picked up a victory on November 4th in Miami, FL in scoring a second round knockout over previously undefeated Jesus Escalera, as a potential next opponent. Truth be told, anyone who is a top ten to top fifteen contender could be a potential opponent for a world champion based on their most recent performance. The question for Ajagba and Guidry, both top ten Heavyweight contenders, is if they see a potential fight between each other as potentially the quickest path to a potential title shot. Amongst the field of potential contenders that Ajagba could fight next, Guidry, a boxer/puncher with a good mix of hand speed and punching power, who narrowly lost a decision to former WBA number one contender Trevor Bryan in January 2022, his only career loss, might be the type of style challenge for Efe Ajagba to show he is ready for his shot at what could be at that time, the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

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