The Boxing Truth®

On September 13th the Boxing world will converge on Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas,NV for the biggest event in the sport of Boxing in 2025 as two-time Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez will make the first defense of his crown since regaining undisputed champion status in May of this year against undefeated multi-division world champion Terence Crawford. An encounter eagerly anticipated and in some ways mythical in the sense of it being a mythical fantasy fight in the minds of fans and experts alike not long ago. The reason for that is largely rooted in the fact that Crawford, a former four-division world champion, who became undisputed world champion in both the Jr. Welterweight and Welterweight divisions, has only competed as high as the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division. While he most recently won the WBO Jr. Middleweight world championship in August of last year with a twelve round decision over previously unbeaten Israel Madrimov, Crawford is at...

  A challenge that can occur from time to time when a fighter is coming off of a loss for that fighter's handlers is to determine not only what type of opponent that the fighter will face coming off of a loss in terms of style, but also to decide what the purpose of that opponent will be at least in theory. Will the intention simply be to provide the fighter with an opponent that from a stylistic standpoint as well as overall experience, the fighter should beat without much risk, or will the intention be to match their charge against a dangerous fighter in an attempt to get them back into position to potentially fight for a world championship. In other words, to throw them back into the deep end where the fighter has to for lack of a better term, *Sink Or Swim” For the former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia, his bout against undefeated Erik Bazinyan on September 20th in Glendale,AZ would prove to be the latter. Not only was this an encounter between a fighter comi...

Most Boxing fans are familiar with the rise a fighter goes through  from prospect, to contender status, to finally a world champion, along the way, also building a fan base. One subject this veteran Boxing scribe has made a point to cover over the many years I have covered the sport as well as other combat sports is a stage that many fans should also be familiar with. It is a stage that this observer has called “The Rebuild" in the past, some may call it a “Fresh Start," but it can also be referred to as "The Next Chapter.” The latter might be the most appropriate of the aforementioned descriptions because all of the above can easily be used to describe former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia. A fighter who was truly dominant and scary as a 154lb. Jr. Middleweight due to his punching power, Munguia chose to vacate his world championship 2019, choosing to seek greener pastures and more world championships, first in the 160lb. Middleweight division and the...

The central question that was asked of the unbeaten WBA number one Super-Middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga prior to his challenge of unified WBC/WBA/WBO Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez on September 14th  at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV was whether he was ready for the occasion. To take it a step further, would he freeze under the pressure of the “Big Fight Atmosphere?"  It is a question that there is not a simple answer. Berlanga did after all enter his challenge of Alvarez with a record of 22-0, with 17 Knockouts, and as this observer pointed out in previewing this fight, the development of a young fighter, specifically when decisions are made by a fighter’s handlers to step up in caliber of opposition is not an exact science and should be viewed on a case by case basis. With his first sixteen fights ending in first round knockouts, however, and with Berlanga remaining unbeaten since that streak came to an end, it was perhaps inevitable tha...

With the focus of the Boxing world continuing to be on unified Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez, who will next defend his crown against undefeated Super-Middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga on September 14th, unbeaten WBO number one Super-Middleweight contender Dirgo Pacheco chose not to sit on the sidelines and wait patiently for an opportunity to face the winner of that upcoming fight, but instead to take a risk by facing former world title challenger Maciej Sulecki on August 31st at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA. A battle of youth versus experience, what stood out to this observer was the patience of the twenty-three year old Pacheco as he simply took his time and studied what Sulecki brought with him into the fight. What was also noticeable was Pacheco’s ability to take the punches that Sulecki threw at him, which often came off of faints and were difficult to time. As the fight progressed, however, Pacheco was able to use his seventy-nin...

In the present day in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division, every fight outside of those that are contested for a world championship, which in present context is the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world, held by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, is essentially an audition for potential challengers to show why they should be the next challenger for Alvarez. When one also factors into the equation that Alvarez is also one of the biggest draws in the sport of Boxing, there is also plenty of financial incentive in addition to the chance to fight for an undisputed championship. One such audition took place on January 27th when undefeated former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia squared off with former two-time world title challenger and recent Alvarez opponent John Ryder in Phoenix, AZ. The story of this fight in the lead up was simple. One fighter was seeking an opportunity for what would be the biggest fight of his career due to the aforementioned elements, the o...

There are numerous stories throughout Boxing history where world champions in one weight division in seeking a challenge will opt to move up in weight to fight for another world championship. While the fact that there are multiple world sanctioning organizations and thus, multiple world championships per weight division has made the process of a champion moving up to challenge for another world title a bit easier, it is still an accomplishment that can prove difficult to pull off.  In the case of former Undisputed Jr. Middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo, he is preparing to take what some would call a bigger risk as he will move up in weight by two weight divisions to challenge Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world on September 30th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight, which can be seen here in the United States on Showtime Pay-Per-View , has been marketed as the f...