Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions. Gabriel Rosado vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and Diego De La Hoya vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Roc Nation Sports.
The last 12 months have undeniably been great ones for British boxing. Going back to last September up to the present day, the world has seen some terrific performances from British fighters both at home and abroad. And next week sees the prestigious British Boxing Board of Control’s annual awards dinner. There is stiff competition this year as far as who will lift the British Fighter of The Year trophy.
Does a fighter, especially these days, have to go up through the weight classes, winning world titles in each one as he goes, to become a true great? It seems, with the vast number of weight classes there are in the sport today (certainly vast in comparison to the traditional 8 weight classes of yesteryear), fans have an urge to see a talented champion move up to try and conquer another weight class almost as soon as he has collected belt-one.
Case in point: middleweight king Gennady Golovkin. GGG has pretty much cleaned up the 160-pound division (save getting and winning the fight he, and we, want so much, in Canelo Alvarez) and there are cries for him to move up, not only to 168-pounds but also to 175-pounds. Is this asking too much of a fighter who is not that big for a middleweight in the first place? Golovkin has spoken of going up to super-middleweight himself, once he has collected all the middleweight titles (just the WBO strap to go) but does he need to do so to become a great, a legend?
The first Las Vegas born world champion, Ishe “Sugar Shay” Smith (29-8, 12 KOs) defeated Frank “Notorious” Galarza (17-2-2, 11 KOs) via majority decision in his hometown from The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC): The Next Round on Bounce TV.
“I had to dig deep. This was the first time in a very long time I had to dig deep,” said Smith of his victory. “They kept telling me in my corner that its was close. He came to win, but in the end I got the victory.”
Smith and Galarza used the first round to feel each other out, but the action picked up in the second as Smith threw a straight right hand that dropped Galarza to the canvas.
Another championship bout more than worth of note will take place in Poland, when Oleksandr Usyk challenges Krzysztof Glowacki this Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately Showtime International or PBC hasn’t picked up this superb matchup. Maybe this proves that Al’s investment money has dried because their just doesn’t seem to be a good reason why he hasn’t found a home for this fight. Go figure, the best fight on paper will get the least exposure. Luckily for us hardcores klowdtv.com will stream it live along with the Anthony Crolla vs. Jorge Linares next Saturday as part of a free offer in the month of September.
After a stellar weekend in the sport that featured two top-10 fights of the year in Gonzalez/Cuadras and Easter/Commey, this Saturday highlights the many issues in boxing. On one hand you have a pay-per-view bout not worthy of its price tag (64.99). On the other you have a great matchup with limited exposure in the U.S.
It’s never a good thing when fans are debating the number of potential PPV buys instead of the actual fight in the ring. For years now boxing fans have steadily been forced in to a corner with a feeling they have no other option but to stream. Can you blame them with all the mismatches on premium cable and PPV?
There were no issues at today’s official weigh-in for tomorrow night’s WBO 154-pound title clash between defending champ Liam Smith and challenger Saul Canelo Alvarez. Both men tipped-in at 154 pounds exactly and both fighters looks to be in great physical condition. Canelo was first to the scale and though he stripped naked to make 154, he made it at the first attempt; putting an end to this week’s rumours that he had been struggling with his weight.
Middleweight contender Willie Monroe, Jr. weighed in at a ready 158.75 lbs this afternoon at AT&T Stadium, while his opponent Gabriel Rosado tipped the scales at 159.25 for Saturday night’s WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight title bout. The fight will serve as the co-feature bout to the Canelo Alvarez – Liam Smith WBO Junior Middleweight title bout from AT&T Stadium and televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View.
“HE SHOULD BE ASHAMED TO CALL HIMSELF MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION!”
Since turning pro in July 2014, former Ukrainian amateur standout Sergiy Derevyanchenko (9-0, 7KO’s) (32-1 including the World Series of Boxing) has let his fists do the talking for him in the ring, as he has climbed the rankings of the middleweight division at a blistering pace. Already rated #2 in the IBF world ratings, Derevyanchenko has looked absolutely sensational with each passing performance and is honing in on the opportunity to fight for his first world title. Upon hearing recent reports that the winner of the Gabriel Rosado-Willie Monroe Jr. bout this Saturday on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez’s world title match against Liam Smith, the usually quiet and well-mannered Derevyanchenko couldn’t help but voice his disgust with Canelo.
Alexander Dimitrenko has arrived in New Zealand ahead of his October 1 fight against unbeaten Joseph Parker, and the experienced Ukrainian says that it will be just this, his experience, that sees him to victory over the current IBF number-one contender. But Dimitrenko, ten years the older man at age 34, says he does not look at Parker as an unbeaten fighter – Dimitrenko says he saw Parker’s big win over Carlos Takam and that he felt Takam won the bout.