Linares vs Crolla rematch preview and prediction

Is it revenge or repeat? Can Crolla get the win this time to even the score? Or can Linares prove again supremacy at the lightweight division?

Jorge Linares (41-3-0, 27KOs) will hit the road again to defend his lightweight title against Anthony Crolla (31-5-3, 13KOs) in a rematch on Saturday night at the challenger's home turf at the Manchester Arena (formerly M.E.N Arena), in Manchester, UK.

Well, it's somehow easy to write a preview about this fight because we do have a reference point. Re-watching the first fight that happened on 24th September last year is the best, to begin with. So I re-watch the first match on Youtube.

Linares vs Crolla I

Based on the previous outing it is safe to say that Linares has the edge over Crolla with regards to overall boxing skills and techniques. But of course, boxing can not be won in the ring over those advantages alone. A lot of things are there to consider. In the first bout, Linares was the one who makes use of the entire ring with his footwork.

In the first bout, Linares was the one who made use of the entire ring with his footwork. He was able to maintain the necessary distance he needed to threw in combinations making it difficult for Crolla to mount counters.

In the first six rounds, Linares was able to rack up points and even hurt Crolla at the end of Round 6. But Crolla, as the fight went on to the second half was able to make every round closer, landing significant punches that take a toll on Linares. Crolla's body works made a telling effect as Linares started to show fatigue. It was Linares' first time to go full 12 rounds. Well, Linares was able to pass the test and went home with a unanimous decision victory.

Power, Stamina, and Durability

Although it is obvious that Linares has the edge with regards to overall boxing skills, let us see other factors to consider. If we look at the ledger of each fighter, it looks like Linares has the upper hand with regard to power. He had 27 KO's in 41 fights, whereas Crolla had only 13 in 31 fights. That's a 66% KO rate for Linares to only 33% on Crolla per Boxrec. But it is exciting to see because, although Linares had more power on his hands, he tends to lose steam in the later rounds.

Crolla, on the other end, seemed to be more durable and has more gas in the tank. He took Linares' best shots. Well, except in Round 6 where he wobbled.

Adjustments and keys to victory

Since this is a rematch, It boils down to adjustments to make the difference in the second fight. It will depend on how each fighter learned the first bout and make the necessary adjustment tonight. If I will see Round 13 instead of Round 1 in the rematch, I think, we will see the same ending. But if we see a different fight tonight due to drastic adjustment on both fighters, well that remains to be seen.

In my opinion, if Linares will show up with the same movement and improved on his stamina he'll get the repeat of what happened in November. But without that extra mileage put on Linares' gas tank, a more aggressive Corolla (with more jab and head movement moving forward) might even the score and see you again in the ring for the third time.

Prediction

Well, my prediction is that I saw Linares this time being prepared to go full 12 rounds, so he has more oxygen in the tank and will execute the same game plan -- Linares UD 12.

Golden Boy Promotions signs Pinoy boxer Romero Duno

LOS ANGELES (March 22, 2017) - Golden Boy Promotions today announced that it has signed WBC Youth Intercontinental Lightweight Champion and knockout artist Romero Duno (13-1, 12 KOs) to a multi-year promotional contract. Duno, of General Santos City, Philippines, was last seen in the ring at the March 10 edition of LA FIGHT CLUB where he scored a second-round knockout of Christian "Chimpa" Gonzalez (16-1, 14 KOs) to claim the WBC Youth Intercontinental Lightweight title in his U.S. debut before a sold-out crowd at the Belasco Theater and televised live on Estrella TV's Boxeo Estelar.

"I am very thankful to Golden Boy Promotions for giving me a chance to showcase my talent on the big stage," said Duno. "I also want to thank my team Sanman Boxing for believing in me. I still can't believe that this is happening to me, God is good."

"We saw Romero's power in the ring-he is the real deal," said Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. "He has exceptional power, along with the talent and desire to be a great fighter. He could be the next big boxing star from the Philippines as time is on his side, and I'm pleased he chose Golden Boy to introduce him to a wider audience in the U.S."

At just the age of 21, Duno has accumulated an impressive record that represents his speed and skill as a knockout artist with three of his last four wins coming by way of stoppage. Having turned pro in July 2014, Duno has fought only twice outside in the native Philippines: Russia in May 2016 where he experienced his first career loss, and March 2017 at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Duno received a hero's welcome when he returned home to the Philippines from Los Angeles on March 22, with hundreds greeting and cheering him at the airport.

Golovkin wins UD over Jacobs, ends KO win streak

No knockout win this time for Triple G. Gennady Golovkin's 23 KO winning streak ended Saturday night after the final bell sounded at the Madison Square Garden, in New York.

Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs) just managed to escape with a unanimous decision victory over Daniel Jacobs (32-2, 29 KOs) of their middleweight matchup. The scores were: 114-113, 115-112, 115-112.

Well, those who knew pretty well the reputation of Golovkin were expecting another knockout ending. But, well, of course, everyone was at the edge of their seat when the Kazak knockout artist dropped Jacobs early in the fourth round. But then only to watch the entire 12 rounds. And again, as usual, most Sunday morning here in Kuwait, I'm late for work. Anyway, who cares.

Although the fight was worthwhile to watch from start to end, I feel like there's a lacking because you know, I'm expecting a KO. Jacobs was really disciplined and a calm fighter that night. He was mentally tough and not even showed signs of panic after the fourth-round knockdown. I hate to say this, but maybe the size disparity gave him also that confidence that he can take the best shot of Golovkin. And in fairness, he did take a solid shot from Golovkin pretty well.

It showed also that Golovkin's offense can be neutralized by a well-executed game plan. And Golovkin is just right there in front of you, for an opponent to hit. You can ask Kell Brook.

Well, the last two outings of Golovkin exposed a few of his flaws. For sure, the camp of middleweight (not really a middleweight, but fighting above middleweight) Saul Canelo Alvarez noted these flaws down. Gennady said he will be like an animal when he faces Canelo.

Of course, I want that fight," Golovkin said. "I am like an animal for that fight, but I will give Danny Jacobs a chance for a rematch."

Undercard

In the undercard, Roman Gonzalez was upset by his Thai opponent Wisaksil Wangek. The challenger dethroned the pound-for-pound king to the tune of 114-112, 114-112, and 113-113. Gonzalez went down once in the opening salvo and was plagued with cuts due to accidental headbutts. Gonzalez was a bloody mess most of the fight as the blood was oozing from a cut above the eye and hairline.

Carlos Cuadras also won a slim unanimous decision over David Carmona. What do you think of a Gonzalez-Cuadras rematch? Are you interested? Or a Gonzalez-Wangek rematch?

Watch: Romero Duno vs Christian Gonzalez full fight

Pinoy boxer Romero Duno (13-1, 12 KOs) of Jim Claude Manangquil's Sanman promotions upsets lightweight prospect Christian Gonzalez (16-1, 14 KOs) on Friday night at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles, California. It was Romero's debut fight in the United states. The lightweight fight was scheduled for eight rounds. Duno knocked down Gonzalez in the first round and ultimately knocked his guy out in the second round for the stunning upset.

Romero Duno knocks out Christian Gonzalez

LOS ANGELES (March 10, 2017) - Romero Duno (13-1, 12 KOs) knocks out Christian "Chimpa" Gonzalez (16-1, 14 KOs) in second round upset victory for the WBC Youth Intercontinental Lightweight title in front of a sold-out crowd at Belasco Theater live on Estrella TV's national Boxeo Estelar broadcast.

"In terms of the knockout, I was just listening to my coach and kept boxing," said Romero. "I fought hard and disciplined myself to not take any lucky punches. I based my strategy on seeing what my opponent was doing and adjusted whenever I needed to."

Celebrities in attendance to watch the fight included Former Junior Middleweight Champion and Current Trainer Fernando Vargas, Metta World Peace and Golden Boy Promotions' stablemates Ronny Rios, Ivan "Striker" Delgado, Ryan "Kingry" Garcia, Edgar Valerio, Oscar "Jaguar" Negrete, David "Junebug" Mijares and Charles Huerta.

With the cheers of all his fans in attendance, Santa Ana, CA's Alexis Rocha (7-0, 5 KOs) entered the ring with full steam dropping Marcus Beckford (3-5-4, 1 KO) of Long Island, NY in mere seconds of the first round. At round two, Rocha crushed Beckford with a punishing body shot causing the Long Island native to take a knee. As the bout carried on, Rocha continuously demonstrated his power-causing Beckford's corner to end the fight at the beginning of the fifth round.

Opening up Estrella TV's Boxeo Estelar broadcast, East Los Angeles' Angel Bojado (1-1) faced powerful Bogota, Colombia fighter Jhon Leon (2-0, 1 KO) for a four-round middleweight bout. While both fighters exchanged a series of blocks and punches, it was Leon who came out on top winning by unanimous decision victory with all three judges scoring the fight at 39-37.

"I think I fought very intelligently," said Jhon Leon. "I roughed him up a bit here and there but stuck to my style of boxing and I'm happy to come out with the victory."

Hailing from Miami, FL, entertaining fighter Niko "Baby Face" Valdes (4-0, 4 KOs) added another knockout victory to his record when he took down Alejandro Osuna (4-3, 2 KOs) of Mazatlan, Mexico at 2:16 in the fourth round of this super middleweight match. Throughout the rounds, Valdes utilized his signature counterpunching style to effectively land crushing body shots to Osuna during the slugfest.

"My opponent was a very tough fighter," said Niko Valdes. "I was throwing a lot of hard punches, but the coach told me to start going to the body and that seemed to work moving forward in the fight."

Los Angeles local Marvin Cabrera (3-0, 3 KOs) came in the ring with a vengeance causing opponent Saadallah Al-Tameemi (2-0-2, 2 KOs) to stumble back on the ropes in the first round of this scheduled six-round middleweight fight. With no signs of slowing down, Cabrera continued to wreck Al-Tameemi-ultimately resulting in the judges stopping the fight in the third round at the 2:35 mark.

"I think I performed well for tonight's fight, focused on my combinations, and was happy to come out with the knockout victory," said Marvin Cabrera.

Kicking off this edition of LA FIGHT CLUB and the RingTV live stream of the night, Las Vegas' own Francisco "Alarcon" Esparza (6-0, 2 KOs) scored the first victory of the night with a unanimous decision victory with scores of 60-54, 60-54 and 59-55 over Los Angeles' Emmanuel Castro (2-4, 2 KOs) in this six-round featherweight bout. While the fight went the distance, both fighters gave the fans an all-out brawl with their relentless blocks, jabs, and combination punches.

"My opponent put a lot of pressure, it was a tough fight, but today I feel I grew as a boxer," said Francisco Esparza. "I did a lot of things in the ring I can learn from."

Watch: Thurman vs Garcia Highlights

Keith Thurman went home as the unified titlist Saturday night. He won via split decision against Danny Garcia at the Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, USA  after a 12-round welterweight fight aired on CBS.

Video Credit: Premiere Boxing Champions

Watch: Keith Thurman vs Danny Garcia weigh-in live streaming

Here's TBD #ThurmanGarcia preview: http://theboxingdiary.com/2017/03/keith-thurman-vs-danny-garcia-this-is-what-boxing-is-all-about.html

Watch: #ThurmanGarcia Final Press Conference: http://theboxingdiary.com/2017/03/watch-thurman-garcia-final-press-conference.html

Keith Thurman vs Danny Garcia: This is what boxing is all about

Wow! Two proud boxing champions. Two undefeated fighters lock horns at their prime. This is what boxing is all about. The best fighting the best!

Undefeated Danny Garcia (33-0, 19 KOs) faces another undefeated in Keith Thurman (27-0, 22 KOs) on Saturday night at the Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York for the 12-round welterweight title unification.

In this too commercialized boxing world, seldom come a time we will be able to watch what really boxing is all about. We find promoters, handlers, managers marinating a match-up for so long. Thurman-Garcia needs no marinating, it has the spice it needs.

Garcia and Thurman both age 28 and are in the prime of their career agreed to share inside a boxing ring. Although both men may not be sitting at the top of the welterweight apex, for sure they’re among the upper top 5 in the heavily infested with talent division. The top dogs are still there on the top, the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley. The winner of this match will certainly challenge the alpha lion.

Thurman-Garcia is a kind of boxing match that a fan should not be missed. This is the kind of matchup that you want to watch along with your football crazy buddy to make him convert to boxing. I don’t see any reason at all that it will not live to expectation. The fighters were too proud to be booed. They don’t like each other leading to the build-up of this fight. A lot has been said and Saturday night these guys will be out there throwing bombs.

“These are the type of fights that are going to bring boxing back to where it used to be,” Sugar Ray Leonard said. “It’s going to require these types of fights, these types of individuals, these types of athletes, these types of potential superstars, to really change and make boxing what it used to be.

“These two young men, these two champions, these undefeated fighters, they fit the mold. I talk to people all of the time about what fights they want to see and this is a fight that has star-quality to it.”

Although both men may over-analyze in the ring and may tend to counter-punch each other, but, believe me, man, once these fighters meet at the center unleash punch combinations as counters in anticipation to each other’s move… it is a beauty to watch. Who landed first on each other’s switch-off button wins.

I’m salivating in anticipation of the Thurman-Garcia fight while watching Thurman-Porter replay. I would love to see Thurman’s angles and lateral movements. He tends to sidestep to an angle before firing wherein an opponent is incapable to counter. On the other hand, Garcia loves to face an opponent straight up with his lethal overhand counter left hand. The overhand counter left hand is Garcia’s money punch that put down the likes of Amir Khan and Erik Morales.

On Saturday, the best out of these men is yet to seen as somebody’s “O” has got to go.

Boxing Records per Boxrec.

Pacquiao set to fight Khan in May

Contrary to earlier report that Pacquiao-Khan will be held in April 2017, Michael Koncz told Yahoo Sports that it is decided to move it to May 19 to have time to promote the fight properly. The decision was made after a two-hour meeting with promoter Bob Arum on Tuesday.

“We decided to move it to May 19 here and May 20 in the United Emirates so we’d have time to promote it properly and make it a huge success. I have to talk to both fighters to get them to approve going in May instead of in April. I don’t think that will be any problem," says Koncz.

I really have a gut feeling that the fight will not push through in April as there's not enough time to promote and prepare the fight.

Well, after waiting for years for this fight to happen in the Middle East finally it will be here. This is what exactly the OFW's, especially in the GCC area, happen. They wanted to see their kabayan and idol Manny Pacquiao fight against an equally prominent opponent in Amir Khan in the GCC.

Although it has to be known yet where exactly in the United Arab Emirates the fight will be held. Most likely, it could be in Dubai. In the past, most of the boxing matches were held there. Two of the popular Pinoy Pride series were successfully held in Dubai before.

If you are going to look at it, Pacquiao-Khan would really do well on PPV compared to earlier reported opponent Jeff Horn of Australia.

"This is what we are waiting for, to see Pacquiao fight in UAE. We are very excited! Hopefully, it will push through," says Alan, 38, OFW in Dubai.

Watch: Thurman vs Garcia final press conference

Video credit: Fight Hub TV.

Area fighters support Philly boxing March 10 at the 2300 arena

Philadelphia, PA—The boxing reputation in the City of Brotherly Love was built on being brought up the hard way, whether against a neighborhood rival or a tough guy from out of town.  It was the attitude of being ready to fight anyone, anywhere and at any time.

Philly Fight Night returns Friday, March 10, at the 2300 Arena, and it appears that all 22 fighters in the 11 scheduled fights carry that tradition with them. They believe in themselves and are ready to prove it.

Even though fighters from the same city have grown to dislike each other, often fighting for bragging rights, there still appears to plenty of love, support and respect to go around.

Let’s look at what some of the locals say about their neighbors who are fighting March 10:

Junior lightweight Tevin Farmer on Anthony Burgin:

"Ant is ready. I think he's more ready than ever. I haven't seen him this focused in a long time. It's crazy because I'm the one who usually pushes all the guys. But lately it seems as Ant has been pushing me. The best Ant has yet to come; March 10 he will open a lot of eyes back up. I will be flying back in to Philly from Puerto Rico to see my li’l brother go to work!"  (Burgin meets local rival Avery Sparrow in the eight-round lightweight main event).

Lightweight Damon Allen on Avery Sparrow:

“Avery has been my boy since the amateurs and we have a mutual respect for one another. He's looking sharp from what I’ve seen and I think he's going to show it in this fight.”

Super middleweight Jesse Hart on Fred Jenkins Jr.:

"​Fred Jr. is working very hard in the gym.  He wants bigger fights and knows this is just one step towards getting them."  (Jenkins boxes Roque Zapata, of Culpeper, VA, in a six-round junior middleweight contest).

Junior middleweight Julian Williams on Isaiah Wise:

"He's a super nice guy extremely hard worker there's never a time when I'm in the gym and he's not there working. He kinda reminds me of Gabe Rosado when he was coming up not his fighting style but his blue collar hardworking mentality.”  (Wise boxes Jeffrey Wrightof Milwaukee, WI in a six-round junior middleweight fight).

Flyweight Miguel Cartagena on Crystian Peguero:

"I would say he is a young hungry kid with not much experience but is willing to learn daily and has the heart of a lion.  He is always in the gym and always watches out for his trainer or my reaction to anything he does. He was born in the struggles but in his mind he has it all, which makes him more fascinating to watch become a better fighter each day."  (Peguero boxes Alonzo Davis in a four-round super bantamweight fight).​

Super middleweight Christopher Brooker on Ernesto 'Pete' Almodovar:

"I would say he is just like me no amateur experience but has the will and the skill of a true fighter. I've seen him spar top level guys and look just as good even better on some occasions. I think his first fight he will make a statement."  (Almodovar boxes Steven Lopez, of Northeast Philadelphia, in a four-round super flyweight fight).

Hart on Marcel Rivers:

"Marcel is running and always working, going the extra mile. He works for PGW and comes right to gym after work and grinds like he doesn’t have a day job.  His work ethic is phenomenal.  What people don't know is that he came down from like 190 pounds.  He's for real!  When I saw how he works, it showed me he was for real." (Rivers boxes Brandon Bey, of New York, in a four-round welterweight fight.)

Junior lightweight Jason Sosa on Victor Padilla:

"It's an honor for me to watch a young man like Victor Padilla grow. I have a special love for that young man because we have similarity we come from nothing. I'm excited to see the future of Victor Padilla, it's a bright one."  (Padilla boxes Carlos Castillo, of Lindsay, CA, in a four-round lightweight fight).

Ex-welterweight Ronald Cruz on Joseph Adorno:

"I remember the Adornos coming into the Bethlehem Boxing Club where I first began training with his brother, Jeremy Adorno, and his father, Anibal. He was a little kid, around 8 years old, and he already had around 80 fights in Puerto Rico. His father was an outstanding amateur who beat Miguel Cotto in the amateurs, but then retired from fighting after an injury and became a great trainer. Joseph has "next Puerto Rican star" written all over him. A future world champion if he can keep himself focused and man that kid has a vicious left hook!"