Fidel Maldonado Jr. stops Nelson Lara

Fidel Maldonado (19-2, 16 KO's) stops Nelson Lara (15-6-4, 8 KO's) in Round 8 of their junior welterweight bout at the State Farm Arena, Hidalgo in Texas.

Dan Goossen passes away at age 64

[caption id="attachment_4229" align="alignnone" width="800"] Photo: Action Images/Reuters/Danny Moloshok[/caption]

Well respected boxing promoter Dan Goosen passes away at the age of 64, due to liver cancer.

Below is the statement from the Goossen Family.

Sharif "The Lion" Bogere faces unknown Aaron Melgarejo

Journeyman Aaron Melgarejo of Binan City, Laguna, Philippines is likely to be feed to Sharif "The Lion" Bogere. The two lightweights will meet on Thursday, Oct. 30, as the co-main event on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes' Golden Boy Live! series will be held at Plymouth, Massachusetts' Plymouth Memorial Hall.

Mayweather: Miss Pacman is broke and desperate for a payday

Floyd Mayweather Jr. went to Facebook and posted Manny Pacquiao's collage pictures. In the picture, Pacquiao is in different positions after he got knockdown and eventually got knockout by Juan Manuel Marquez on their fourth encounter in December 2012.

The pictures had a caption that said:

My new boxing DVD is coming soon and is called "3 Ways to Sleep". Back, Face and Butt and I'm Falling & I Can't Get Up. Miss Pac Man is broke and desperate for a pay day. Your Pay-Per-View numbers are a joke."

I think this is Mayweather's response to Manny Pacquaio's recent comment on his testimony on the Nevada State Commission.

Pacquiao went to Twitter on Wednesday and said that, "tells me everything I need to know".

.@FloydMayweather's testimony to the commission on All Access' authenticity tells me everything I need to know about his desire to fight me.

— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) September 24, 2014

On Friday also the American undefeated boxer posted picture (embedded below) of him on Facebook. In the picture, there were bulk load of money on his bed.

Mayweather won unanimous decision victory over Marcos Maidana in a rematch on September 13. He had guaranteed USD 30 M price money.

In that post it seems to me that Floyd Mayweather was teasing Pacquiao. Floyd was flaunting his millions whereas Pacman according to him is "broke" and is "desperate for a pay day"

But I don't how this response works well for Mayweather.  After his fight with the Argentinean slugger, Floyd told that he is willing to fight Pacquiao if that's what the fans want. This made the fans again excited and the talk of Mayweather-Paquiao re-surface again.

We know that he has millions and that Pacquiao might be "broke" and "needs for a payday". But how much money Floyd have, are coming from the fans that supported him throughout his career and I think he owes that to his fans.

The fans wanted Mayweather-Pacquiao to happen. So I think he should be bound to make that fight happen for the fans.

But is Floyd really to blame why this fight did not happen?

In an interview with FightHype, Alex Ariza talks about the why this fight will never happen.

I'm not a fan of Ariza, but the guy has a point. He did not blame Pacquiao or Floyd why this fight not happening. He blames Bob Arum solely.

In December 2013, Floyd also posted on social media the below photo.

I think this social media beef will continue, as Pacquaio is hyping also his fight against Chris Algieri on November in Macau.

Canelo Álvarez signs major agreement with HBO Sports

24-year-old light-middleweight inks exclusive long-term deal with
award-winning premium cable network

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 23, 2014)-Golden Boy Promotions Founder Oscar de la Hoya, HBO Sports PresidentKen Hershman, and superstar boxer Canelo Álvarez today announced a major new agreement to showcase the fan-favorite fighter's matches on HBO Sports.

"For all of my career, I have wanted to fight on HBO for one main reason-I believe it will allow more of my fans to see me in action," said Álvarez (44-1-1, 31KOs). "Today marks a huge milestone for me, and I look forward to a long and successful partnership with HBO."

Álvarez, a light-middleweight knockout artist known for his tremendous punching power, made his pro debut in 2005 at 15-years-old and quickly became one of the most popular prize fighters in the sport. His exciting fighting style and reputation for taking on all comers has captured the attention of fans all around the world.

"Everyone at HBO is excited to welcome back Canelo Álvarez to the HBO family, and we can't wait to re-introduce him to our subscribers," said Ken Hershman, president of HBO Sports. "At only 24-years-old, Canelo has already established himself as one of the boxing world's brightest stars, and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship as we embark on this new chapter together. We are delighted to partner with Oscar de la Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions in presenting Canelo's fights and events on our various platforms."

The award-winning network has a 40-year history of presenting the best fights on television. Canelo has previously fought seven times on HBO platforms in his pro career; three times on the HBO Boxing After Darkseries in 2011 against Kermit Cintron, Matthew Hatton and Ryan Rhodes, and four on the HBO Pay-Per-View platform versus Jose Miguel Cotto (2010), Carlos "Tata" Baldomir (2010), Alfonso Gomez (2011) andSugar Shane Mosley (2012).

"I'm thrilled to be part of this historic agreement between Canelo Álvarez and HBO Sports, an agreement that marks another major step in Golden Boy Promotions' primary goal-to give boxing fans the fights they want to see," said Oscar de la Hoya, founder of Golden Boy Promotions. "Canelo is the best young fighter in the sport, and this move will help line him up to fight top opponents in the sport for many years to come."

A former world champion, Canelo is eager to once again hold a title belt. His record includes victories over some of the best fighters in the light-middleweight division including Austin "No Doubt" Trout, Alfredo "El Perro" Angulo, Sugar Shane Mosley and most recently the dangerous southpaw, Erislandy Lara. Canelo's lone blemish in 46 fights came in September 2013 against
Floyd "Money" Mayweather in the highest grossing bout of all time, further cementing Canelo's stature as boxing's next superstar fighter.

Saul Canelo Alvarez, GBP to announce deal with HBO

[caption id="attachment_4183" align="alignnone" width="800"] Hogan Photos[/caption]

Boxing superstar Saul Canelo Alvarez, Oscar de la Hoya of Golden Boy Promotion and HBO Sports President Ken Hershman will announce a newly signed deal. The deal was to air Canelo's future fights on HBO network.

Yes you read it right! Canelo Alvarez's upcoming fights will be back on HBO -- the network where Canelo (44-1-1, KO 31) started back in the day.

The announcement will be held at the Golden Boy Promotions headquarters that begins at 11:30 AM PT today, 23 September 2014.

After a divorce in 2013, HBO and Golden Boy Promotions got married again and will enter a "long-term commitment".

In 2013, HBO announced that they will no longer air fights promoted by Golden Boy Promotions. So, whatever differences the two companies had before finally ironed out and they will now work together again.

The 24 year old Canelo is the perfect fit as the new poster boy for HBO. And replace Manny Pacquaio who has few fights remaining in his career, as HBO's top fighter.

So, what do you think this announcement would mean for Showtime?

Floyd Mayweather's decision last year to signed a 6-fight mega deal with Showtime was a major hurdle of the network.

But Mayweather who is already 38 years old has few fights left also. He completed already four fights and has two fights left in the contract. He might consider it a career after his contractual obligation. A finale fight maybe possible or maybe two to four fights in my opinion before Floyd hang those gloves for good.

So, Showtime will no longer have their flagship fighter most probably in 2016. But that is still too far to figure out. And for sure there will be emerging stars out there.

But what is certain, in my opinion, is that: what will be left for Showtime is Haymon's "big-names-in-the-same card-different-opponents-bullshit".

Steve Cunningham returns on Oct 18 NBCSN Fight Night edition

Former cruiserweight champion Steve "USS" Cunningham (27-6, KO 12) of Philadelphia, PA is set to return on 18 Oct. against Natu Visinia (10-0, KO 8) of Lakewood, CA for a 10 Round heavyweight bout at the 2300 Arena, Philadelphia in Pennsylvania.

The card is presented by Main Events and Peltz Boxing in association with Final Forum Promotions and BAM Boxing. The NBCSN Fight Night telecast will begin at 9 PM ET. Doors open at 6 PM and the first fight will start at 7. The event is sponsored by Rocco's Collision.

Mayweather decisions Maidana in a much easier fight

[caption id="attachment_4160" align="alignnone" width="1800"] Photo : Esther Lin[/caption]

Floyd Mayweather Jr. had his undefeated record intact on Saturday night. He was able to secure a unanimous decision victory over Argentinean slugger Marcos Maidana during the rematch at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The scores were 115-112, 116-111 and 116-111 all for Mayweather.

The fight did not live up to the expectation that it will be as action packed as the first bout. Floyd learned a lot the first fight who received a certain degree of punishment we haven't seen in years.

Floyd adjusted well, not allowing Maidana to pin him towards the ropes. He moved and used the ring and landed the cleaner shots.

But what I don't like was Floyd's excessive holding. He held more than enough to avoid the massive overhand right from Maidana. The overhand right from Maidana was extremely effective in the first bout.

Referee Kenny Bayless separated the two fighters every time Floyd held. But there's no warning from the referee's end for that matter.

But Bayless took outright one point deduction from Maidana for pushing Floyd with his elbow.

Floyd has been warned for using an elbow to create punching room whenever they got tangled.

But never had I heard Bayless warned Maidana for elbows, but then he decided to deduct points from the challenger. I have great respect for referee Bayless but the deduction doesn't just seem right at that point. If that was a close fight; that one point deduction would really matter.

In Round 8, maybe out of frustration, it seemed that Maidana bit Floyd's left hand. Based on Floyd's reaction and the replay it seemed Maidana did bit Floyd.

But if Maidana did bit Floyd, the question is; at what degree damage could a bite may had?  Given the fact that Maidana had his mouth piece on and Floyd had gloves on his hand. Maybe Floyd just exaggerate to get Bayless' attention?

Jim Gray of Showtime asked Maidana if he did bit Floyd after the fight. Maidana told that if he was a dog, he will bite him (Floyd).

 If he thinks I’m a dog, (laughs) … I never bit him,” Maidana said. “I bit him with a mouthpiece? He was rubbing my eyes with his gloves. Maybe his glove was in my mouth but I never bit him … It was a childish ploy by him.”

It's funny that the talking point after this fight might be: Maidana "bite-or-not-bite" Mayweather.

Before Maidana's interview with Gray the fans got excited. Gray asked Floyd about a possible fight with Manny Pacquiao. And here's Floyd's answer:

I’m going to go back with my team and reassess things,” he said. “If the Manny Pacquiao fight can happen, let’s make it happen. But Manny Pacquiao needs to focus on the fight that he has in front of him. If he can get past that fight, let’s make it happen.”

Really?

Leo Santa Cruz stops Manuel Roman

[caption id="attachment_4157" align="alignnone" width="1800"] Photo: Esther Lin[/caption]

If referee Tony Weeks had a hard time separating Mickey Bey and Miguel Vazquez, referee Robert Byrd had quick job done on Santa Cruz-Roman bout.

As expected, Leo Santa Cruz made a quick work over the extremely over-matched Manuel Roman. He successfully defended the super bantamweight title, stopping Roman in Round 2 with a short right hand that landed on the button.

Roman went down, although he was able to got up, but he's in no position to continue the fight. Referee Byrd did the mandatory ten count and eventually stopped the fight.

Santa Cruz told Showtime's Jim Gray that he is not afraid to fight Guillermo Rigondeux. Rigo is the Transnational Boxing Ranking Board's champion at the super bantamweight division.

Mickey Bey wins SD in an ugly fight

[caption id="attachment_4150" align="alignnone" width="1800"] Photo: Esther Lin[/caption]

This is a fight wherein the referee is busier than the fighters.

Referee Tony Weeks earned his paycheck the hardest way. It's a boring fight. I think many would agree with that claim.

In Round 9, I decided to count how many times referee weeks says "stop! stop! stop!..." He said the word "stop" 50 times and he separated Mickey Bey and Miguel Vazquez 15 times.

Both fighters were hesitant to get countered. Every time Vazquez throws a punch, either it landed or not, he'll go for a clinch. The same goes for Bey, who tried to counter punch. Every time Vazquez lunged in, he'll immediately go for a clinch too. And then the referee jumped in to separate them. This has been the pattern of the fight from Round 1 to 12.

Capping the awful fight is the outrageous judging. The scorecards were 113-115, 119-109 and 115-113. Mickey Bey for the split decision victory taking the lightweight title.

Mayhem weigh in results: Mayweather 146.5, Maidana 146

The official "Mayhem" weigh in results:

• Floyd Mayweather Jr. 146. 5 lbs. vs Marcos Maidana 146 lbs.


• Leo Santa Cruz 121 lbs. vs Manuel Roman 122 lbs.


• Miguel Vazquez 135 lbs. vs Mickey Bey 134.5 lbs.


• Alfredo Angulo 162 ibs. vs James De La Rosa 161.5 lbs.


• Humberto Soto 140 lbs. vs John Molina Jr. 139.5 lbs.

The rise and fall of Juan Manuel Lopez

I've been following the career of Puerto Rican boxer and former two-division champion, Juan Manuel Lopez. He's one of my favorite fighters. Every time the 31 year old, Lopez fights I'll try to make sure not to miss it.

Winning or losing, he's entertaining to watch. He will come forward and throw vicious punches aimed to knock opponents out.

Lopez's 34 victories consist of 31 by way of knockout. Only three opponents heard the final bell. No draws. And his five defeats were all from knockouts. His fighting style: knock me out or I will knock you out.

He was a feared fighter from 122 to 126 pound range during the pre-Orlando Salido time of his career.

Lopez groomed by Top Rank to receive the torch from Puerto Rican blood line of great fighters.

From Felix "Tito" Trinidad to Miguel Cotto and to Lopez, but the hard-nosed veteran from Mexico, Orlando Salido derailed the plan.

In 2011, Lopez needed to get past Orlando Salido to position himself in a mega fight with fellow undefeated (at that time) Yuriorkis Gamboa, the following year.

But the veteran Salido (perceived to be an easy fight for Lopez)  taught Lopez how it feels like down on the canvas, counted out by a referee. Salido stopped Lopez in Round 8.

Lopez got the chance to prove, Salidos' fight was just a bad night. A rematch set up in his native Puerto Rico. Winning the rematch would eventually regain his footing for mega fight opportunity.

He had the chance to prove it in front of his strong supporters at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico. But Salido once again, knocked Lopez out in Round 10.

The opportunity to regain glory turned terrible and Lopez never the same fighter he was after the Salido horror.

Lopez moved on after the horrible rematch. He won his next two fights via knockout. His confident came back and thought he was ready to take on the number one fighter in the featherweight division in Mikey Garcia.

Garcia needed just four rounds to finish Lopez. I'm convinced my favorite fighter, Lopez not belong to A level competition.

After that fight, I thought that was it for Lopez. He needs to call it a career. There was report of him having "memory loss" after a fight.

After the Salido rematch, Juanma conceded not remembering the "gambling comments" he said to Roberto Ramirez Sr. and his son Roberto Ramirez Jr. He further admitted that it was not the first time that he had suffered a memory loss after a fight.

Lopez might suffer from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or pugilistic dementia.

However, Lopez fights on and knockout former champion Daniel Ponce de Leon in a rematch. He knockout De Leon in the first bout in Round 1, in 2008. But on his next fight he retired in Round 3 against Francisco Vargas.

On Thursday, Lopez was again knocked out in Round 2, at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas on Fox Sports.

It was a brutal knockout. Lopez went down after receiving series of power punches from Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar. Lopez fell on his knees, and then he bent down, his face followed kissing the canvas. Referee Tony Weeks immediately stopped the fight. Lopez stayed in that position for a while.

It was a horrible sight, from one of the most feared punchers in the game, taking the dose of his own medicine.

During the final press conference of this fight, Lopez told that he want to retire after getting one big payday. But it seems that payday may never come.

I want to go for one big payday and retire. That's every fighter's dream, to get the biggest payday and retire. I always said at 32 I'd like to retire, but things happened to stall that a little bit. But I'm not going to go past 34. I want to retire before then."

Easy work, hard work: Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana II preview and prediction

Undefeated boxer and Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB) number one welterweight, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will fight in a rematch against the hard-hitting Argentinean Marcos Maidana (TBRB's number 5 welterweight) on Saturday night, 13th September, at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the first bout, Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31 KO's) gave everything the man called himself "the best ever" could handle. He provided Mayweather a competitive fight -- a task that the previous opponent failed doing so. But, back in 2001, many believed Jose Luis Castillo did enough to keep his title.

Mayweather had tough fight against Castillo and Maidana the first time they met. Both men gave the swarming style that Mayweather is uncomfortable with. Many Fighters, coaches and experts believed that the swarming is the style that will give Floyd a lot of trouble. But so far, all the fighters that fought Floyd that has the swarming style, fell short.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (46-0, 36 KO's) gave Castillo a rematch. And he will gave Maidana too this Saturday. For the record, Castillo and Maidana are the only fighters that Mayweather gave a rematch.

Floyd defeated Castillo with extreme ease in the rematch. Are we about to see the same on Saturday night?

Mayweather vs. Castillo I

Many believed that Castillo won that fight. He had the weight and experience advantage over Mayweather. He weighed 147 lbs. during fight night. Mayweather was the smaller man. He weighed 138 lbs. during the fight night. He moved up to the lightweight division to challenge Castillo's title.

Mayweather landed clean jabs that the judges may put too much weight. On the other end, the judges did not give Castillo so much credit on body punching. The scorecards read: 116-111, 115-111 and 115-111 all in favor of Mayweather for the unanimous decision victory. The fight was controversial.

"Not the fight we saw" said Lampley after Michael Buffer announced the score.

But, the fight statistics showed Castillo out-landed Floyd. Castillo had thrown a total of 506 punches and landed 203 -- 40 percent connected. Whereas, Floyd had thrown 448, landed 157 -- 35 percent connect rate.

Mayweather vs. Castillo rematch

In the rematch, Floyd won with ease. The rematch was not that difficult to score. Floyd easily won the first four rounds as he did in the first fight. But in the 5th, 6th, 7th round, Castillo clearly won as he started to throw combinations.

Mayweather came back strong in the eighth round landed clean lead right hands. In the championship round Floyd just did enough to win by playing it safe; box-and-move. The rematch scorecards were close compared to the first fight that reads 115-113, 116-113 and 115-113. There's no controversy. Mayweather clearly won.

Why Floyd clearly won? What adjustment he made?

I think the major adjustment Floyd did was fighting in the middle of the ring. In the first fight, Castillo pinned Floyd more often and connected more to the body. Floyd later admitted that he suffered two broken ribs. Floyd maneuvered to fight the center of the ring where he had the clear advantage.

My prediction

What adjustment Floyd will do against Maidana?

Well, I think Floyd will do the same adjustment he did against the Castillo rematch. He will not allow Maidana to pin him against the ropes and give away the first four rounds. As usual, the key is distance. Don't expect Floyd to stand there again.

Although, it will be impossible for Floyd to completely avoid the ropes. I expect Maidana to put a ton of pressure to put Mayweather's back against the ropes. That is where his chances are to land cracking shots to the body.

I believed that the rematch will boil down to how often Maidana corners Mayweather, land meaningful punches that will register in the judges' scorecards. And how well Mayweather keeps the distance and fight Maidana in the center of the ring.

Yet, I think and I believed that even if Maidana can constantly pin Mayweather towards the ropes in every rounds, it doesn't mean that Maidana will win all those rounds. Mayweather knows how to fight from the inside too. And he proved it the first match. Whereas, if Floyd can maintain the distance throughout the fight; I expect Floyd will harvest all those rounds with ease.

My final verdict: Floyd will win this fight easily, via unanimous decision.

Mayweather vs. Castillo I full fight

Mayweather vs. Castillo rematch

Mayweather vs. Maidana I

Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana II Grand Arrivals quotes and photos

Photo Credit: Stephanie Trapp/Mayweather Promotions and Esther Lin/SHOWTIME

LAS VEGAS (Sept. 9, 2014) - "MAYHEM: Mayweather vs. Maidana 2" fight week is officially here as Floyd "Money" Mayweather, Marcos "El Chino" Maidana and all the fighters in the SHOWTIME PPV® and SHOWTIME® televised action Saturday made their grand arrivals at a jam-packed lobby at MGM Grand this afternoon. 

Here is what the fighters had to say upon their arrivals in Las Vegas Tuesday:

FLOYD MAYWEATHER, 11-time, Five-division World Champion

"It's all about excitement. Saturday is about giving the fans what they want to see. It could be round one or round 13, but it's all about the fans.

"I'm pretty sure Maidana is going for the knockout. I'm going for the knockout so this is going to be an amazing show. I have a brilliant game plan and we'll see how it plays outSaturday.

On what the fans should expect Saturday: "Blood, sweat and tears."

MARCOS MAIDANA, Former Welterweight World Champion

"It feels great to be back here. I'm planning on winning on Saturday and I'd like to dedicate my future victory to all my fans out there, especially to all my Latino fans. "I have 12 more rounds to finish the job, that's what I'm here for. I'm well prepared and ready to show that Mayweather isn't all that everyone thinks he is.

"When I first analyzed Mayweather I thought he would be too fast to hit. But that wasn't the case during the fight, I was able to hit him and keep him against the ropes and I plan on doing the same thing again.

"I'm definitely going to look for the knockout like I always do but I will take the victory any way I can."

LEO SANTA CRUZ, Two-Division World Champion

"I know Roman is a great fighter and he throws good punches. I can't look past him and we had one of the hardest camps I've had and are very ready.

"Fighters like Roman are dangerous. They come with everything and sometimes they surprise you. We don't underestimate anybody and we always come ready. We train harder and for longer and with more routines than ever.

"I know Roman boxes very well and has good defense. It might be hard to knock him out but we train very hard to stop him before the 12th round.

"Hopefully we get the victory and we can fight Rigondeaux and make that happen. If not, hopefully Frampton or Scott Quigg."

MANUEL ROMAN, Super Bantamweight Contender

"We're here to try to disappoint Leo Santa Cruz on Saturday. I've been working out very hard three times a day and also focusing on strength and conditioning.

"Nothing worries me. I know myself, I'm ready. He's just a great fighter who throws a lot of punches, but I'm a better boxer.

"I've known Leo for a while, we used to train together and that builds my confidence up. I'm a great counter-puncher and he's a slugger and I think that works to my advantage."

MIGUEL VAZQUEZ, IBF Lightweight World Champion

"I'm very happy and excited to be on such a big important card and I'm ready to get the win.

"I'm the champion and this is my night. I'm here to win and they will have to take it from me. I don't care who I fight, I'm going to win.

"I'm motivated because I know all the Mexicans are here to support me and it's going to be a great fight."

MICKEY BEY, Lightweight Contender

"I take each fight one at a time, that's how boxing is. Even once this huge fight is over, I'm focusing on my next fight the following day. Boxing is fight to fight and you must be focused for every opponent; each fighter is its own experience.

"The preparation for this fight has been night and day different than from my loss [against John Molina Jr.]. The stuff that Floyd Mayweather Sr. had me doing was crazy. Floyd Sr. has trained plenty of champions and comes from the Ray Robinson and Joe Louis school of training.

"Training for a championship fight is different than training for any fight I've had in the past. You have everything at your disposal, including numerous sparring partners. I probably sparred with eight different fighters for this camp.

"I just need to do what I've been doing in the gym. If I fight the way I've been looking in the gym, then Miguel Vazquez won't have a chance against me. Honestly, I think I'm better than him at everything. He's a smart good fighter but he can't match anything that I can do. He has experience, but none of his wins have been impressive. I have more speed, power and defense."

ALFREDO ANGULO, Middleweight Contender

"I am ready to be back in the ring and I am happy to see all these people and to be back in Las Vegas.

"It's a very important and dangerous fight for me. De La Rosa is a good fighter but I will fight anybody they put in front of me.

"I'm going to stay focused on this fight. It's one fight at a time. I'm focused on Saturday and then we'll see what comes after."

JAMES DE LA ROSA, Middleweight Contender

"I feel really good and ready to put on a show Saturday night. It's really important for me to boost back up my career and get back to where I want to be.

"There's no pressure on me at all. I'm just going to go up there and give him his third straight loss.

"Training camp is going very well. This fight could not have come at any better time. There are a lot of things that I can do to pull off the upset. His style is slow so I just need to have the higher output. He's there to get hit."

HUMBERTO SOTO, Junior Lightweight Contender

"I'm very happy to return to Las Vegas and to represent Mexico here.

"I'm calm and relaxed because of my preparation. I'm always the underdog but I end up winning.

"Like all true Mexicans we always fight with our heart and give our all. I'm going to do my part and make sure all the fans get a great fight."

JOHN MOLINA JR., Junior Lightweight Contender

"I'm looking forward to going out there and giving the fans a great show.

"It's a beautiful feeling to be here and I'll never let my fans down. Come Saturday night you will see another great fight.

"Soto demands my undivided attention. I think the fans already know that me and Lucas Matthysse have to do it again."

Broner looks stronger at 140, defeats Taylor in 12

[caption id="attachment_4044" align="alignnone" width="600"] Image by Hogan Photos[/caption]

When Adrien Broner (29-1, 22 KO's) lost to Marcos Maidana in December last year, most boxing experts has the same opinion. Broner needed to go back down at 140 pound division.

But Broner's initial decision was to pursue a rematch with Maidana. But the rematch did not materialize because Floyd Mayweather Jr. chose Maidana as his opponent last May 2013.

Broner heeded to the popular opinion and moved back down to the light welterweight division. It was a wise decision.

He fought Carlos Molina in the undercard of Mayweather-Maidana I. And he won.

Broner first fight at welterweight was in June 2013, against light-fisted Paulie Malignaggi. It is a fight many believed Malignaggi won.

When Broner fought Maidana, a legit welter, he got no power to hang in there without visiting the canvas.

Maidana floored Broner twice. Broner was not able to carry his own power too, at the welterweight division. Broner do not belong yet, in the welterweight division.

On Saturday night, the 25 year old Broner fought for the second time as a light welter at his hometown in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Although I'm not that impressed with his showing, it was a convincing victory for Broner since moving up from lightweights.

He punctuated the somewhat close fight, when he scored a knockdown, few seconds left in the fight. I've got the fight a draw, if Broner didn't score the late knockdown. Broner won via scores of 116-111 twice and 115-112.

Before the fight, many believed Broner will win against Taylor easily. But the massive underdog from Maryland gave everything to win the fight.

Inspired by Maidana's game plan, Taylor (18-3, 12 KO's) started strong in the early rounds. He was able to pin Broner towards the ropes and unloads overhand right upstairs and left hand to the body.

But later in the fight, as Taylor energy tapered, Broner was able to tag Taylor with hooks behind the gloves. In Round 12, Broner ultimately scored that defining knockdown that sealed his victory.

After the fight, Broner called out Lucas Matthysse.

Matthysse won a controversial second round stoppage against formerly unbeaten Roberto Ortiz.

I came from the bottom so I know what it feels like to be there. We're still pushing to get back to the top. I said my next fight should be Matthysse and he can get it. If it was up to me I'd fight him with this cut on my head tonight."

But Lucas Mathysse has another fighter in mind. After his fight he called out Danny Garcia.

Who do you want Broner fight next if Matthysse is not available?

Roman Gonzalez stops Akira Yaegashi in Round 9

Roman Gonzalez not just picked up his third world championship by knocking out Akira; he also knocked down referee Michael Griffin.

Although it appeared to be a slipped, but it seemed Gonzalez has thrown a punch before Griffin went down.

That's how action packed, the fight between Nicaragua's Roman Gonzalez and Japan's Akira Yaegashi that even the referee went down.

Boxing fans at the Yoyogi #2 Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan were at the edge of their seats most of the time. But the excitement was not culminated by a victory from their countryman. Yaegashi was dethroned in Round 9.

The fight

In the Round 1, the fighters underwent the so-called feeling out round. Akira used his footwork and hand speed, which is his advantage, to move around, box Gonzalez. But in Round 2, the action immediately picked up and Gonzalez got the better.

Although the 31 year old champion Akira was quick on his feet, he was not doubling up to defend counters. He was tagged often with Gonzalez's counters. He tends to put his guard too low.

In Round 3, Gonzalez landed a short left hook to Akira's unfortified face. Akira went down butt-first! There were 32 seconds left. Akiras's right eye swollen and almost shot, he got up and beat the count. He fought back strong in the remaining seconds but it was a clear cut 10-8 round for Gonzalez.

In round 4, Akira came out smoking and put Gonzalez on his heels. But it is obvious that Gonzalez punches were heavier than that of Akira. Akira would immediately stop on his track when Roman retaliates.

In round 8, the 27 year old Gonzalez pummeled Akira to the corner. Akira was able to move to his left, backpedaling. Gonzalez was stalking him. Gonzalez threw a punch that put down the referee. I'm not sure if Griffin got hit with that punch. But Griffin did hit the canvas.

In Round 9, Akira's both eyes swollen shot. Sensing he's way behind on the scorecards, Akira mounted the final push that was short lived. Gonzalez retaliated with powerful combinations that sent down Yaegashi to the corner of the ring. Badly beaten, the spirit broken, Akira did not resist as the referee stopped the contest. The official time: 2:24 in Round 9.

With the win, Gonzalez maintained an undefeated record of 40 wins, that's 13 more wins compared to Andre Ward's 27. Ward is currently number 2, on most pound-for-pound lists. Gonzalez's victories include 34 by way of knockouts -- a stunning 85 percent knockout ratio.

Now, where do you think "Chocolatito" stand in your pound-for-pound ranking?

Peter Quillin dumps WBO title for no reason?

When I first read the press release saying that Peter Quillin relinquished his WBO title, I thought it was a random let-go-the-belt, move-up-in-weight decision.

A move we used to hear, when a fighter moved up in weight. But he is not moving away from middleweight division. My confusion started...

Quillin relinquished the title for no reason? That makes no sense.

Why the hell he let go of that title? Well I know that the some boxing media, that including me, if you consider, not happy with these alphabet gangs.

And you know the obvious reason why. But boxers do appreciate alphabet belts. It's more of a hardware they can hold feel and see after a hard won battle.

I just don’t understand why he let go of that title and yet he stayed in the same division. I see something strange about it. I made a couple of digging in the biggest library in the world -- the World Wide Web.

I found Kevin Iole's post. It gives enlightenment to my confusion.

According to Iole "It's most likely that Quillin dropping the title was a move orchestrated by Haymon to keep Jay Z out of his business. That, more than ducking any fighter, is almost certainly what this is about."

Although Iole put it like more of a theory but it makes a lot of sense why Quillin relinquish the title.

So, if Iole's theory is correct. So Haymon don't want to get involve with Jay Z. He's a rapper right? What is he doing in boxing? Ah! Because Haymon has issues with Jay Z.

But let us not stop from there. Let us look at Quillin statement.

I'd like to thank WBO president Paco Valcarcel and his organization for their support throughout the years," said Quillin. "Winning the WBO world championship was a highlight in my career and something I'll never forget, this is a difficult decision, but in order to make the fights the fans and I want against my fellow middleweights at the top of the division, I needed to relinquish the title. This is an exciting new chapter in my life, and I'm looking forward to cementing my spot as the best middleweight in the world."

So, Quillin believed that Matt Korobov is not at the top of the middleweight division. And I agree with Quillin.

Korovov is not rated in the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board middleweight rankings. The ranking body that I believed. Because it has one champion in each division, unlike the alphabet gangs.

So, Korobov, as not "a fellow middleweight a top of the division".

What about the money?

Quillin will receive 1.4 million dollars for Korobov fight. The biggest purse so far in his career. Is this still small for him? Okay.

But who he will fight next'? It is a lot bigger money? Then who?

If Quillin wants the biggest, then that’s Gennady Golovkin as what Iole suggested. But Golovkin engaged with Rubio.

So another Haymon fighter? Maybe Danny Jacobs. At least he ranked as top ten on the Transnational Rankings. But this could be lesser money than Korovob. Then how he could considered this as a big fight.

Then, it boils down that Quillin's move is to suffice the wants of his adviser -- the great Al Haymon.

Mayweather: Intelligence and education are two different things

[caption id="attachment_4014" align="alignnone" width="1800"] Photos From Esther Lin/Showtime[/caption]

Few weeks ago, social media and some various boxing websites has been talking about Floyd Mayweather Jr's. literacy issue. 50 Cent, Floyd's former buddy, brought up the issue. He posted a video on Instagram challenging Floyd to read "Harry Potter" book.

At first, the best boxer on the planet has been so quiet about it. Later on Floyd went to social media and posted two pay checks. The post has a caption that said: “Read this $72,276,000.00. God bless,” Floyd's reply bragging his money, was not the reply most people wanted.

During the media conference call, half of the questions asked to Floyd Mayweather Jr. were about the literacy issue. This time, the undefeated boxer made his answers clear. He downplayed 50's allegation that he has trouble reading.

"You guys don't know when you're dealing with pay-per-view you have to read at least 60 to 70 teleprompters, and I don't think they could choose a better person for the job than myself. I go out there and I do it with no problem."

Floyd said that intelligence and education are two different things.

"I just feel like basically I'm not judged by a person, I'm judged by God. Reading does not define my place in boxing history. Will God not let me in heaven because I didn't read like a news anchor? Me, myself, I would be perfect at reading if it was how I made my living and fed my family. Once again, intelligence and education are two different things."

Floyd draws a clear line between intelligence and education. Floyd has great ability in boxing and he understands boxing inside out -- that's intelligence at one focus. But I believed that intelligence can be limited without education.

Floyd added that "making fun of person who can't read is not funny. It's tragic".

Mayweather fired back also back at 50 hinting that he don't understood what craft 50 is doing. "I don't know if 50 Cent is a boxing promoter, I don't know if he's making music; I really don't know."

 

Broner vs. Taylor, Matthysse vs. Ortiz - Weigh-In Live

Pinoy Pride 27 in Dubai featuring Servania, Villanueva and Bautista

The highly successful Pinoy Pride series takes a giant hurdle this weekend. Pinoy Pride 27th installment will takes place in the international stage. The first of its kind and it will be in Dubai.

ALA Boxing mainstays Genesis Servania, "King" Arthur Villanueva and Rey Boom Boom Baustista will be up against their Latino counterpart.

This boxing event dubbed "Duel in Dubai" will be held at the Dubai World Trade Center. The Filipino Channel (TFC) has been promoting this card in the Middle East. TFC is part of ABS-CBN TV network, the biggest TV network in the Philippines. Through its vast subscribers, this event gets a lot of leverage in exposure.

There are around 2.5 million Filipinos around the Middle East especially in the GCC area.

In Dubai, there are 931, 562 Filipinos.

If Mr. Tony Aldequer's venture in Dubai will come out successful, I think there will more boxing card coming up in the future. As a boxing fan, I'm willing to spend my hard earned dinar. And I will travel to Dubai if world class fights will be staged there.

Well, for the first Pinoy Pride International show in Dubai gives us world rated boxers. And here they are: The Pinoy Pride 27 fight card in Dubai.

Genesis Servania (24-0-0, 10KO) vs. Jose 'Matador' Cabrera (22-4-2, 10KO) 12 Rounds Super bantamweight as the main event.

"King" Arthur Villanueva (25-0-0, 14KO) vs. Henry 'El Crespo' Maldonado (19-3-0, 14KO) 12 Rounds, junior bantamweight, as co-featured bout.

Rey 'Boom-Boom' Bautista (35-3-0, 25KO) vs. Juan Jose 'Piquet' Martinez (19-1-0, 15KO) 10 Rounds super featherweight.

[Video] Floyd Mayweather Jr. media workout

Undefeated 11-Time, five-division world champion and perennial pound-for-pound king Floyd "Money" Mayweather (46-0, 26 KOs)participated in a media workout Tuesday, 11 days before his rematch with exciting Argentine slugger and former welterweight world champion Marcos "El Chino" Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs) in the main event of "MAYHEM: Mayweather vs. Maidana 2" on Saturday, Sept. 13 live on SHOWTIME PPV® (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena.