Antoine Douglas & Michel Soro Fight To Majority Draw In Main Event Of ShoBox 200

07/28/201407/26/2014 Showtime Boxing

Antoine Douglas and Michel Soro fought to a majority draw (96-94 Soro, 95-95 twice) in a bout that was a tale of two halves in the main event of Friday’s ShoBox: The New Generation, live on SHOWTIME® from Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, Calif.

The undefeated Douglas (14-0-1, 9 KOs) dominated the first half of the fight, controlling the action with a plethora of jabs against the vastly experienced former world title challenger. A rip in Soro’s gloves caused a halt in the bout midway through the fourth, but it was more of the same once the bout restarted with Douglas controlling the action.

Soro (23-1-1, 13 KOs) had a solid sixth that gave him a bit more confidence, but as he took more risks it allowed Douglas to land his power shots. A right hand followed by an onslaught of punches from Soro had Douglas dazed in the seventh, but the Frenchman stepped off the gas and allowed Douglas to escape the round. Douglas was still struggling as he entered the ninth for the first time in his career and stayed in survival mode for the remainder of the fight.

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Guillermo Rigondeaux destroys Sod Kokietgym inside a round (with a little controversy thrown in!)

07/20/201407/19/2014 James Slater

Today in Macao, WBA and WBO super-bantamweight king Guillermo Rigondeaux scored a devastating 1st-round KO over the experienced and usually very durable Sod Kokietgym of Thailand. The incredibly gifted 33-year-old Cuban southpaw improved to 14-0(9) with the quick, 1-minute 44-seconds win. 37-year-old Sod, also a southpaw, fell to 63-3-1(28).

Expected by just about everyone to win either late on or via somewhat dull decision (the knock on Rigondeaux is that he is defensive minded and boring to watch), the former two-time Olympic gold medallist instead put on a show of power punching. Before today’s fight – perhaps angry at having been rejected by a certain cable T.V giant who refused to take his most recent fight – Rigondeaux promised he’d be more explosive against Sod. The Cuban delivered.

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Canelo Alvarez scores close win in brilliant fight with Lara; three names being mentioned for the Mexican star’s next fight: Golovkin, Cotto, Kirkland!

07/13/201407/13/2014 James Slater

The usual debates that take place after a close fight has been awarded to the “house” fighter, or the big star, over the lesser name with less promotional clout on his side, have already begun. Some say Saul Canelo Alvarez was a worthy winner over slick southpaw Erislandy Lara in Las Vegas last night, while others claim the Cuban talent was robbed of a deserving win. The split decision proved one thing: it’s never easy being a boxing judge.

But whatever you think of last night’s scoring, it has to be agreed by everyone how the 155-pound catch-weight battle was a terrific, engrossing fight. A clash of styles that resulted in some excellent action, Alvarez-Lara was thoroughly entertaining. Talk has also begun of the possibility of a rematch – something Team-Lara obviously and understandably want – but Canelo’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya – who was proven to be correct in his thinking that his fighter would win the risky, some said foolishly taken fight with Lara – has said his warrior is “moving on,” and that no-one wants to see a return of last night’s fight.

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Canelo defeats Lara via split decision

07/13/201407/13/2014 Michael Montero

A sellout crowd of 14.239 passionate fans rocked the MGM Grand Garden Arena for tonight’s main event. It was a mostly Mexican, pro Saul “Canelo” Alvarez crowd that came to cheer their man on as he took on the highly skilled Cuban southpaw Erislandy Lara.

The scene was tense in the opening round. Lara landed the first solid blow of the night, a straight left hand right down the pike that drew an “ahh” from the crowd. The Cuban was more active and more accurate and clearly took the first.

Through the second round Alvarez dug some nice lefts hook to the body, but the jab was nonexistent from the Mexican. Both fighters had their moments, but the Mexican’s shots were much harder. You could hear the thud from Canelo’s punches ringside, while Lara did a lot of running. In the closing seconds of the third round Lara landed another flush straight left. Alvarez walked through it, but the speed difference was telling.

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Showtime PPV Results: Vargas blasts out JuanMa Lopez!

07/13/201407/12/2014 Michael Montero

Fight number two of Showtime’s PPV broadcast was a classic boxing adage of youth versus experience. Even though the two combatants were close in age, Juan Manuel Lopez turned 31 last month and Francisco Vargas is 29 years old, the former champion Lopez has been in numerous ring wars over the years and the undefeated Vargas hasn’t taken much punishment in his 20 pro bouts. Would championship experience reign victorious, or would the fresher, stronger fighter have his way?

These two wasted no time and immediately went to work in the opening round. The crowd was into it right away as both men threw haymakers; yet it was the Mexican Vargas who got the better of it. The same scenario played out in the second round as Lopez was caught clean several times. Although the veteran never stopped punching, it was clear that the shots he was taking were affecting him.

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Showtime PPV Results: Mares beats Oquendo

07/13/201407/12/2014 Michael Montero

The crowd had filled in by the start of the third bout of Showtime’s PPV broadcast, as Mexican Abner Mares made his return to the ring after almost a year off against Puerto Rican Jonathan Oquendo. The last time we saw Mares in the right was last August at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, were he was stopped in the first round by veteran Johnny Gonzalez.

The “Mexico, Mexico” chants started seconds after the opening bell, as both fighters met in the center of the ring. Both men looked sharp and focused on their strategies, trying to set the pace. It was a close first round that could’ve went either way. It was more of the same through the early rounds, with Mares staying disciplined, keeping his hands up and working behind his jab. As the rounds progressed, Mares took advantage of Oquendo’s high guard and began to rip shots to the body.

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Showtime PPV Results: Herrera-Perez

09/15/201607/12/2014 Michael Montero

Tonight’s Showtime pay per view broadcast opened with a terrific matchup, as American Mauricio Herrera took on Johan Perez, of Caracas, Venezuela. The last time we saw Herrera was in Puerto Rico against 140 pound kingpin Danny Garcia, where many fans feel he was the victim of home cooking in favor of the champ. This time he felt more at home in Las Vegas, which is only about a four hour drive from his residence in Riverside, California. Perez held training camp for this bout in America for the first time in his career, where he benefited from great sparring at Daniel Ponce De Leon’s gym in California.

The opening rounds started with Herrera moving forward and Perez backing up, circling to his left, and attempting to counterpunch. Neither man could get land anything flush, causing a lot of tie ups as they slipped punches and jockeyed for position. Things were a bit messy and Herrera wasn’t cutting off the ring but rather following his opponent. It felt as though the Venezuelan fighter was doing the better work early on.

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Ruslan Chagaev wins “Regular” WBA heavyweight title with majority decision win over Fres Oquendo

07/07/201407/06/2014 James Slater

Tonight in Grozny, Russia, former WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev became a two-time champ, as he won a 12-round majority verdict over Fres Oquendo to pick up the “regular” WBA strap. The scores were 115-113 twice and 114-114. 35-year-old Chagaev is now 33-2-1(20). 41-year-old Oquendo, who felt he had won, fell to 37-8(24).

It was a bizarre night in many ways. The setting for the fight was quite impressive, as was the ring set-up and the pre-fight entertainment. The presence, too, of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov was quite unique. As for the fight itself, the action was intriguing enough in the early rounds, with southpaw Chagaev pressing the action in his usual bull-like fashion. Fast-handed, Chagaev out-jabbed the taller Oquendo, winning the early to middle rounds. Neither man was noticeably hurt, until Chagaev picked up a nasty cut above the left eye in the 7th.

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Terence Crawford KO’s Yuriorkis Gamboa

06/29/201406/29/2014 Paul Strauss

Terence Crawford not only transitioned from orthodox to southpaw, he pulled off a much bigger metamorphosis going from eastern Nebraska to the top of the world. That came as no surprise to the ten thousand plus fans on hand at the Century Link Center, Omaha, Nebraska. They already knew something that the rest of the world was only beginning to see. That pearl of knowledge is Terence “Hunter/Bud” Crawford is one helleva fighter!

If you watch the History Channel, you know Omaha is not only a good sized city on the banks of the Missouri River, it is also the name of the famous beach where allied troops landed on D-Day in June of 1944. It was the beginning of the end for the Axis Powers. Crawford pulled off his own D-Day when he transitioned from orthodox to southpaw in the third round of his battle with the undefeated Cuban sensation named Yuriorkis Gamboa.

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Terence Crawford takes a big step towards superstardom with sizzling stoppage win over Yuriorkis Gamboa

06/29/2014 James Slater

WBO lightweight king Terence Crawford looked superb last night in handing former amateur superstar Yuriorkis Gamboa his first pro defeat. Too big, tall and rangy he may have been for former featherweight Gamboa, but nothing should be taken from Crawford’s win. Looking for all the world like a Thomas Hearns clone, Crawford displayed power, accuracy, speed and, most of the time – barring the occasion in the 9th-round when he was hurt before turning things back around in his favour – patience.

Gamboa, at a major disadvantage in terms of reach, had to, as commentator Larry Merchant said, “try and make things happen,” and in doing so, by coming in and trying to land dome hurt on his taller opponent, the Cuban talent put himself at serious risk. Crawford of course took advantage of this and buzzed his challenger a number of times. Only Gamboa’s ridiculous heart and courage kept him in the fight, and Gamboa even stated post-fight that, after the second hurtful knockdown of the 9th and final round, he’d wanted to continue.

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