Canelo Alvarez Parts Ways with Premier Boxing Champions

Posted on February 27, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Canelo Alvarez has made an unexpected departure…

The 33-year-old Mexican professional boxer, one of the sport’s top stars, and Premier Boxing Champions have mutually agreed to part ways with two fights remaining on Alvarez’s three-fight deal signed in June, per ESPN.

Alvarez, ESPN’s No. 4 pound-for-pound boxer, defeated Jermell Charlo via unanimous decision in September to retain his undisputed super middleweight championship. That was the first fight of Alvarez’s PBC partnership.

The pact called for Alvarez to fight Charlo’s twin brother, Jermall, on May 4.

However, Canelo and PBC couldn’t agree to terms for the matchup on Cinco de Mayo weekend sources said, which allowed Alvarez contractually to explore other options going forward.

The third fight of the deal was set to take place against a mutually-agreed-upon opponent, sources said.

An Alvarez-Jermall Charlo event would have struggled to generate the sort of business that Canelo is used to. After all, Jermell put up a listless performance vs. Alvarez and never threatened to win the fight, killing any brotherly revenge angle.

Jermall didn’t help himself, either. In November, he failed to impress against Jose Benavidez Jr., a natural welterweight. The bout was Jermall Charlo’s first in 29 months as he dealt with personal issues.

It’s a big event anytime Alvarez fights, but there’s little commercial demand for a matchup with another Charlo. Jermell Charlo also didn’t appear at his brother’s comeback bout as Jermall said the relationship was fractured.

Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) will look for a new opponent and promotional partner for May 4 and beyond. Edgar Berlanga‘s manager, Keith Connolly, told ESPN on Sunday that he’s had preliminary talks with Eddie Hearn regarding a Canelo-Berlanga fight in 2024.

Connolly said Berlanga would be ready to fight Canelo as early as May 4 after last night’s sixth-round TKO win over Padraig McCrory in Orlando, Florida.

Another option for Alvarez is fellow Mexican Jaime Munguia, who scored a career-best win last month with a ninth-round stoppage of John Ryder. Alvarez could end up fighting Berlanga in May and Munguia in September.

There’s significant public demand for Alvarez, 33, to fight David Benavidez, who’s with PBC, or even Terence Crawford, but so far Canelo hasn’t shown interest. Regardless, his legacy is secure.

The all-time great’s résumé includes a pair of wins over Gennadiy Golovkin and titles in five weight classes.

His win over Charlo was preceded by a decision victory over Ryder in May in Mexico. Alvarez scored knockdowns in both fights.

PBC’s stable is led by star boxer Gervonta Davis, who is set to return vs. Frank Martin this summer. PBC’s first event with Amazon‘s Prime Video will take place March 30 in Las Vegas, a PPV headlined by rising star Tim Tszyu against Keith Thurman.

Crawford signed a one-fight deal with PBC to meet Errol Spence last July, and after “Bud” won the undisputed welterweight championship, Spence exercised the rematch clause.

However, Spence underwent cataract surgery in January and the scheduling window provided by the rematch clause has since expired, meaning Crawford, like Canelo, is also a network and promotional free agent.

Jose Pedraza to Fight Keyshawn Davis in 10-Round Lightweight Bout in December

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jose Pedraza has secured his next opponent…

The 34-year-old Puerto Rican professional boxer and former two-weight world champion has agreed to fight Keyshawn Davis in a 10-round lightweight bout on December 9 in Pembroke Pines, Florida, according to ESPN.

Pedraza (29-5-1, 14 KOs) is winless in his past three bouts, all of which took place at 140 pounds. A draw with Richard Commey was sandwiched in between close decision losses to junior welterweight contenders Jose Ramirez and Arnold Barboza.

Pedraza last competed at 135 pounds in May 2019.

The slick southpaw was a titleholder at 130 and 135 pounds. Both of his title defeats came against the sport’s elite. Pedraza lost his 130-pound title via TKO to Gervonta Davis in 2017.

The following year, Pedraza dropped his 135-pound title via decision to Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Davis, an Olympic silver medalist, will be stepping way up in competition for his first bout against a former champion. The 135-pound bout will take place on the ESPN undercard of a featherweight title fight between WBO titleholder Robeisy Ramirez and Rafael Espinoza, sources said.

Davis, 24, is coming off the toughest fight of his career, a majority-decision victory over Nahir Albright earlier this month.

The matchup with Pedraza will be the fourth fight for Davis (10-0, 6 KOs) this year as the prospect looks to become a contender with a victory over the 34-year-old gatekeeper.

Davis, one of the sport’s best prospects, competed at the Olympics in 2021. The Norfolk, Virginia, native is trained by Brian McIntyre, who also guides Terence Crawford.

Junior middleweight prospect Xander Zayas will also fight on the undercard, sources said.

Seniesa Estrada’s Return to the Ring Moved Up By a Day

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Seniesa Estrada is headed to the ring sooner than originally anticipated…

The 30-year-old Mexican American WBA and WBC strawweight champion’s next fight is on the move again — this time a shorter journey than before.

Estrada will now headline an ESPN+ card on July 28 at The Palms in Las Vegas, the night before the Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr. megafight in the same city, ESPN reports.

The fight had been planned for July 29, but the announcement of Spence-Crawford meant it made sense to push it up if possible, especially with both bouts taking place in Las Vegas.

The opponent for Estrada (24-0, 9 KOs), who is ESPN’s No. 8 pound-for-pound fighter and the WBA and WBC strawweight champion, is still being finalized. It is the first headliner appearance for Estrada since she signed with Top Rank last year.

Estrada last fought in March, when she beat Tina Rupprecht by unanimous decision to unify the WBA and WBC belts. It’s the second time in three fights that Estrada will be fighting in Las Vegas at The Palms; her first Top Rank fight, a win over Jazmin Gala Villarino, was held at the site in November.

WBO Orders Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford to Fight Alexis Rocha in Mandatory Defense Bout

Posted on March 1, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alexis “Lex” Rocha will have get his title chance…

The WBO has ordered its welterweight champion, Terence Crawford, to start negotiations for a mandatory defense against the 25-year-old Latino boxer, who is ranked No. 3 by the organization.

In a letter sent to both sides Monday, the WBO stated that the parties have 20 days to “reach an agreement” for the bout. If no agreement is reached, the fight will go to a purse bid.

“Terence Crawford’s mandatory defense window has expired, he needs to do his mandatory [fight], since he hasn’t done one since he fought against Shawn Porter [in November 2021]. Crawford fought [David] Avanesyan, but that wasn’t a mandatory defense,” Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel, the WBO president, told ESPN on Tuesday.

Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs), a promotional free agent after leaving Top Rank when his contract expired following the Porter fight, defeated Avanesyan by sixth-round KO on December 10. Crawford has fought only two times since he defeated Kell Brook by fourth-round TKO in November 2020.

Rocha (22-1, 14 KOs), promoted by Oscar De La Hoya‘s Golden Boy, stopped George Ashie in the seventh round on January 28. He has accumulated six straight victories — four by stoppage — since suffering the only defeat of his career, a unanimous decision to Rashidi Ellis in October 2020. His best win was a ninth-round KO victory over then undefeated Blair Cobbs in March 2022.

With Vergil Ortiz Jr., the WBO No. 1 challenger, scheduled to face Eimantas Stanionis on April 29, and Keith Thurman, No. 2, attached to a possible fight against unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. at junior middleweight, Rocha was the next opponent in line for Crawford.

“Rocha is our NABO champion and he’s a great fighter. Don’t believe for a second that he’s a soft opponent [for Crawford],” Valcarcel said. “People talk, but Rocha is a tremendous fighter, he’s young and he’s learning fast. Crawford is a super-gifted athlete, but in boxing nothing is written in stone.”

Crawford and Spence have been circling for years to fight for the undisputed championship — one of the best and biggest fights boxing can offer — but that mega-event never materialized and with Spence moving up in weight, chances are, we won’t see Crawford-Spence anytime soon.

ESPN was unable to obtain a comment from either Golden Boy or Crawford on Tuesday morning.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. Defeats Michael McKinson via Technical Decision

Posted on August 7, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Vergil Ortiz Jr. has registered another knockout.

The 24-year-old Mexican-American boxer defeated Michael McKinson via technical decision with a ninth-round stoppage at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, extending his strong start to the year.

And with his 19th knockout in as many fights, Ortiz showed why he’s one of the top welterweight contenders in the world — even if he didn’t feel like he was at his best.

“The first seven rounds, I didn’t really do anything good,” Ortiz said in the post-fight interview with DAZN. “I had to adjust big time. I should have listened to my corner from the beginning. But I listened and we got it done.”

Ortiz and McKinson were initially scheduled to fight in March. The fight was postponed when Ortiz was hospitalized because of rhabdomyolysis.

Saturday’s bout, just a few miles away from Ortiz’s hometown of Grand Prairie, was considered a WBA eliminator. Ortiz (19-0, 19 KOs) will certainly maintain his status as the WBO and WBA‘s No. 1 contender in the 147-pound division.

But McKinson (22-1, 2 KOs) proved to be a tricky opponent. He was slippery around the outside of the ring and roughed Ortiz up on the inside as well.

Eventually, all the bodywork Ortiz’s corner asked for at the beginning of the fight manifested itself and paid dividends. In the final 30 seconds of the eighth round, Ortiz dropped the British fighter with a left hook to the body. McKinson went down in similar fashion at the beginning of the ninth round.

After he limped around the ring, his corner jumped to the top of the apron and threw in the towel.

Ortiz said his father, Vergil Ortiz Sr., yelled at him for three rounds for not following the game plan for the fight. The 24-year-old’s stubbornness eventually gave way to sound advice.

“You think you know everything, and you don’t,” Ortiz Jr. said.

A path to a title remains tricky because of the landscape within the welterweight division. Errol Spence and Terence Crawford, who was ringside Saturday, hold all four major belts and are in talks for a potential undisputed title fight. In his post-fight interview with DAZN, Ortiz acknowledged securing a title shot soon will be difficult because of that impending matchup.

But when it comes to taking on anyone else, he’ll fight whomever that opponent is.

Danny Garcia Agrees to Fight Jose Benavidez Jr. in Junior Middleweight Bout

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Danny Garcia is preparing to chase down a title in a third weight class.

The 34-year-old Puerto Rican boxer, a former two-division champion, has agreed to fight Jose Benavidez Jr. in a junior middleweight bout on July 30 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, according to ESPN.

The PBC on Showtime main event will mark Garcia’s debut at 154 pounds after he captured titles at 140 and 147.

The Philadelphian fighter hasn’t boxed since a December 2020 loss to Errol Spence Jr. in a welterweight title fight. The 19-month layoff is the longest of Garcia’s career.

Garcia (36-3, 21 KOs) was a unified junior welterweight champion who owns wins over Lucas Matthysse, Amir Khan, Zab Judah and Erik Morales. His other two losses came against Shawn Porter and Keith Thurman in 147-pound title fights.

Benavidez (27-1-1, 18 KOs) suffered the lone loss of his pro career in 2018, a 12th-round TKO loss to Terence Crawford in a 147-pound title fight. The 30-year-old from Phoenix has competed only once since then, a November draw with the unheralded Francisco Emanuel Torres.

The brother of former super middleweight champion David Benavidez, Jose was still dealing with the effects of a gunshot wound to his right leg suffered in August 2016 when he fought Crawford.

Yordenis Ugas to Face Errol Spence in Welterweight Three-Belt Unification Bout

Posted on February 9, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

It’s official… Yordenis Ugas is readying for a three-belt unification bout…

The 35-year-old Cuban professional boxer, who has held the WBA welterweight title since January 2021, and Errol Spence will unify welterweight titles on April 16 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Spence announced on social media.

The bout will be Spence’s third at the home of the Dallas Cowboys; he defeated Mikey Garcia and Danny Garcia (no relation) at the venue in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

The deal was being finalized in December, as previously reported, but the fight wasn’t announced until two months later as Premier Boxing Champions officials sought to lock in a date and venue.

Spence, who will put his WBC and IBF titles on the line, will be making his second comeback from serious injury. The 31-year-old boxer was involved in a single-car accident in October 2019 that hospitalized him for days and sidelined him for months. A planned August 2021 fight with Manny Pacquiao was derailed after he underwent surgery to repair a detached retina.

Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) stepped in on 11 days’ notice and scored the upset of Pacquiao via unanimous decision. Now, Ugas will defend his WBA title in a three-belt unification.

The 35-year-old Cuban and Spence have one common opponent: Shawn Porter. Spence defeated Porter in a brutal September 2019 fight via split decision. Six months earlier, Ugas dropped a controversial split-decision to Porter.

Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) is rated No. 2 at 147 pounds by ESPN; Ugas is one spot behind. Terence Crawford, who holds the other welterweight title, is No. 1.

A fight between the winner of Spence-Ugas and Crawford would crown an undisputed welterweight champion, but there remains a roadblock. Eimantas Stanionis stepped aside from his mandatory title shot against Ugas to allow him to fight Spence. Stanionsis will fight Radzhab Butaev on the undercard, sources told ESPN. Both are rated in ESPN’s top 10 at welterweight.

Yordenis Ugas to Fight Errol Spence Jr in Welterweight Title Unification Fight

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Yordenis Ugas is ready for a unification bout…

will receive his shot at Errol Spence Jr. after all.

The 35-year-old Cuban professional boxer and reigning WBA welterweight champion will fight Errol Spence Jr. for a welterweight title unification fight that will take place in March or April on pay-per-view at a location to be determined, according to ESPN.

Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) had previously protested when the WBA mandated that he next defend his welterweight title against Eimantas Stanionis, but the latter boxer has agreed to step aside, WBA president Gilberto Mendoza told ESPN on Sunday, paving the way for Ugas to fight Spence.

Spence and Ugas, who are both aligned with Al Haymon‘s PBC, are in the process of finalizing a deal

Spence’s WBC and IBF titles will be on the line, while Ugas will put up his WBA belt at 147 pounds. The other division title, the WBO strap, is held by Terence Crawford.

“Thanks to the WBA for doing the right thing,” Ugas tweeted. “It is an award for my dedication, and for being a brave man in and out of the ring. I will be fighting one of the best [pound-for-pound]. I’m a warrior. First Cuban fighting [for] three belts [in] one night. Thanks [to] all the fans who asked for this fight.”

Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) was slated to fight Manny Pacquiao in August but withdrew after he suffered a detached retina in training. Ugas stepped in on 11 days’ notice and scored the upset of the future Hall of Famer, sending Pacquiao into retirement with a loss.

Ugas was in talks to fight Spence before Pacquiao accepted the assignment, and he hoped to reschedule the bout after the biggest win of his career (Spence was cleared to resume training on Nov. 1.) But the WBA planned to stick to its four-man box-off in an attempt to create only one champion at 147 pounds.

In one of those bouts, Butaev (14-0, 11 KOs) scored a ninth-round stoppage of Jamal James in October. Ugas and Stanionis (13-0, 9 KOs) were meant to fight each other in the other bout. Now, Butaev, a 28-year-old Russian, will meet Stanionis for the right to face the winner of Spence-Ugas after the WBA “agreed to modify the tournament from its original decision,” Mendoza said.

“Eimantas is looking forward to beating Butaev on the Spence vs. Ugas card and then fight the winner,” Schaefer said. “He is ready for anyone in the welterweight division.”

Stanionis, a 27-year-old Lithuanian, fought Luis Collazo in August, but the bout resulted in a no decision after a clash of heads resulted in a deep cut for Collazo.

Meanwhile, Spence, one of the biggest attractions in boxing, prepares for yet another comeback without a tuneup bout. The 31-year-old from DeSoto, Texas, was hospitalized with serious injuries in a single-car accident in October 2019.

He returned in December 2020 with a victory over Danny Garcia but hasn’t competed since.

Edgar Berlanga Returning to Ring for Next Boxing Match

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Edgar Berlangais heading back to the ring…

The 22-year-old Puerto Rican hard-hitting super middleweight boxer will be featured on the undercard of featherweight world titlist Shakur Stevenson‘s first defense, on March 14 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, according to Top Rank.

Top Rank said Berlanga’s opponent for the scheduled eight-round bout will be finalized next week, but the fight will be one of the preliminary bouts that’ll be streamed live on ESPN+beginning at 7:00 pm ET, ahead of the main card on ESPN at 10:30 p.m. The main card includes the previously announced meeting between Stevenson and challenger Miguel Marriagaand former junior featherweight world titlist Jessie Magdalenosquaring off with Sakaria Lukasin a 10-round featherweight fight.

Berlanga (13-0, 13 KOs), who hails from New York, has won all of his fights by first-round knockout.

“Hopefully, I can get in some rounds on March 14,” said Berlanga, who turned pro in 2016. “I want to show everyone I’m more than a one-round fighter. This is my time to shine.”

Berlanga’s longest ring appearance came in his most recent fight, when he needed 2 minutes, 45 seconds to knock out Cesar Nunezon December 14 at Madison Square Gardenon the Terence Crawford–Egidijus Kavaliauskasundercard.

Orozco Knocks Out KeAndre Gibson

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Antonio Orozco is still unbeaten…

The 29-year-old Mexican professional boxer, a junior welterweight contender has positioned himself for a world title shot after knocking out KeAndre Gibson in the fourth round in a fight between unbeaten fighters on Saturday at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

Orozco (26-0, 17 KOs) lived up to his nickname of “Relentless” as he went right after Gibson (16-1-1, 7 KOs) in the main event of the “Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN” card. He backed him up throughout the bout and blasted away to the body.

In the second round, Orozco forced Gibson to the ropes and continued to pound his body. A couple of shots strayed slightly low, and referee Russell Mora warned Orozco about the infraction.

With a minute left in the third round, Gibson landed a very low left hand that badly hurt Orozco, and Mora issued him a stern warning. But Orozco shook off the low blow, and in the fourth round, they continued to battle at close range before Orozco flicked out a jab and followed with a right hand behind it that caught Gibson hard near the temple.

Gibson dropped to the canvas on all fours and was clearly hurt. Although he beat the count, he was unsteady and did not respond to Mora when asked if he wanted to continue, forcing Mora to wave off the fight at 1 minute, 31 seconds as Orozco leaped in the air and pumped his fist in celebration.

“My corner was telling me he’s got the jab [figured out], so hide it and follow with the right hand,” Orozco said. “They were telling me, ‘Follow up after the jab,’ and that’s what we did — double jab, right hand.”

Gibson, who was stepping up the level of his opposition, had no excuses.

“I tried to outbox him,” said Gibson, whose purse was $20,000 compared to Orozco’s $30,000. “Unfortunately, I got caught. It happens.”

According to CompuBox punch statistics, Orozco landed 81 of 248 punches (33 percent) and Gibson landed 62 of 185 punches (34 percent), though nothing appeared to remotely bother Orozco. Of Orozco’s 63 landed power shots, 43 were to the body.

It was a big turnaround for Orozco, 29, compared to where he was three months ago. He was preparing to fight Fidel Maldonado Jr. on December 16, knowing a win would send him into a world title elimination fight or perhaps directly to a shot at unified world champion Terence Crawford.

Two days before the fight though, Orozco was struggling to make the 140-pound weight limit. He was dehydrated and lethargic and ultimately passed out. He wound up in the hospital, and the fight was canceled. He had waited too long to cut weight, and it cost him the title eliminator.

He was deeply apologetic to his team and took responsibility for what happened. In preparation to fight Gibson, Orozco hired a nutritionist to help him make weight properly, and he weighed in at 139.6 pounds on Friday afternoon and looked very sharp in the fight.

“From start to finish, I stuck to the fundamentals in this fight,” Orozco said. “We knew he was quick, had good foot movement [and was] a great boxer. Patience was the key, and we prevailed. I’m very happy to have won this fight, and now it’s time to go home to my family.”

With the victory, Orozco put himself back on track for a shot at a world title.

“This is the goal,” he said. “This is the first step [after what happened in December]. We’re here to become world champion.”

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