Canelo: All Lara does is cover up when cornered

(Photo credit: Hogan Photos) Former WBA/WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (43-1-1, 31 KO’s) will be able to take advantage of WBA junior middleweight champion Erislandy Lara (19-1-2, 12 KO’s) each time he corners him in their catch weight fight on July 12th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Canelo, 23, watched Lara’s recent fight against Alfredo Angulo and noticed that Lara mostly would just cover up each time that Angulo cornered him against the ropes.

Canelo thinks he can take full advantage of that if Lara makes that same mistake against him in their Showtime televised pay-per-view fight on 7/12.

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Floyd Sr. still convinced Mayweather would dominate Pacquiao

In his recent win over Marcos Maidana on May 3rd, Floyd Mayweather Jr. looked about as bad as he’s looked since his two life and death struggles against Jose Luis Castillo in 2002. Mayweather, for the first time in his career, looked his age, and didn’t seem to be the same guy that had dominated Robert Guerrero and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez recently.

That’s why it came across as kind of strange that Floyd Mayweather Sr. is still talking about how easily Floyd Jr. would beat Manny Pacquiao if that fight were to happen. It’s pretty much clear that Mayweather will never agree to fight the Filipino star for whatever reason. But it’s strange to see Floyd Sr. talking boldly about how Mayweather would dominate Pacquiao when he couldn’t even beat Maidana convincingly.

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Klitschko eager for fight against Stiverne

Congratulations to Bermane Stiverne for capturing the WBC-Title. It was a good fight against Arreola.

— Klitschko (@Klitschko) May 12, 2014

IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (62-3, 52 KO’s) sent out a congratulatory tweet to newly crowned WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KO’s) for his win over Chris Arreola last Saturday night in Los Angeles, California. Wladimir is hoping that Stiverne will now agree to a unification fight with him so that he can capture his Brother Vitali Klitschko’s old WBC title.

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Stiverne-Arreola II – post fight presser and analysis

Bermane Stiverne stopped Chris Arreola at 2:02 of the sixth round Saturday night to become the first heavyweight titlist of Haitian heritage. ESPN picked up the anticipated rematch and aired it live on the main network rather than ESPN2, which is the home of their popular “Friday Night Fights” series. Here’s a look back at a great event.

The Atmosphere:

It was a unique setting for a heavyweight world title bout, with the card taking place on the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles. By contrast, the first Stiverne-Arreola match last April was held in front of a larger audience at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California.

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Bermane Stiverne proves he’s for real, and now everybody wants to fight him!

If Haitian-born heavyweight puncher Bermane Stiverne didn’t prove he was for real in his last fight, when he out-pointed Chris Arreola over 12-rounds, he sure proved it last night in stopping Arreola in the 6th-round. Stiverne, a powerful counter-puncher, was losing the fight last night, yet he sensationally made the score-cards null and void courtesy of his right hand.

Almost instantly, the talk turned to who the brand new WBC king will fight next (or who his promoter Don King – who, with last night’s big win, made a comeback to the top of the heavyweight division – will allow Stiverne to fight next). King spoke of Stiverne’s right to box a voluntary defence, making it a real possibility that Stiverne will not face WBC mandatory and unbeaten KO artist Deontay Wilder next. King also spoke of taking Stiverne on a “world tour.”

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Stiverne stops Arreola in classic heavyweight battle

(Photo credit: Tiffany Lam) Tonight millions of boxing fans tuned into a heavyweight title fight live on primetime ESPN. A raucous crowd got their money’s worth at the Galen Center on the University of Southern California campus, just a couple miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Haiti native Bermane “B WARE” Stiverne, who now trains out of Las Vegas, squared off against Mexican-American Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola in a rematch for the vacant WBC title. Stiverne won their first bout last April via decision, but not before shattering Arreola’s nose at the end of the third round. As intense and bloody as the first contest was, fans eagerly anticipated the rematch.

The USC marching band played the national anthem in the ring, and then Chris Arreola made his ring walk, inciting a wild eruption from the partisan LA crowd. Next to the ring was Bermane Stiverne, who was serious as always as he shrugged off boos from Arreola supporters. Michael Buffer introduced the fighters and got the crowd pumped. The atmosphere was electric in anticipation for the opening bell.

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Stiverne Proves 1st Win No Fluke – Stops Arreola in 6th

(Photo credit: Tiffany Lam) Bermane “B Ware” Stiverne’s 24-1-1 (21KO) toughest task saturday night at USC Galen Center, Los Angeles, California seemed to be getting off the canvas himself. He put himself there collapsing, completely overjoyed with his 6th round stoppage of Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola 36-4-0 (31KO). The end came at 2:02 of the 6th round, when referee Jack Reiss stopped the fight.

The end came abruptly. Arreola had been doing a good job, winning rounds by being busier. Arreola was rocked in the early rounds by a left hook, but that seemed to wake him up, so he was a bit more cautious. But, it didn’t stop the ongoing chatter between the two. At one point, Chris smiled and raised his eyebrows in a gesture of confidence. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

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Stiverne stops Arreola in 6th

(Photo credit: Tiffany Lam) Chris Arreola (36-4, 31 KO’s) made the mistake of standing directly in front of the big hitting Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KO’s) and he paid for it tonight by getting stopped in the 6th round for their fight for the vacant WBC heavyweight title strap at the USC Galen Center, in Los Angeles, California, USA. Arreola was put on the canvas twice in the 6th, and the fight was stopped after Stiverne hit a totally defenseless Arreola with a couple of more shots. Referee Jack Reiss had seen enough and stepped in and stopped the bout at 2:00 of the round.

In the first knockdown in the 6th, Stiverne clipped Arreola with a tremendous right hand to send him down. It was a looping shot that Arreola didn’t seem to see until too late. As Arreola was picking himself off the canvas, Stiverne stood directly behind Reiss waiting to pounce on Arreola. Reiss turned around and gave Arreola a hard shove to get him to go to the neutral corner.

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Khan deserves the Mayweather fight, says Haye

David Haye feels that Amir Khan’s victories over Luis Collazo, Julio Diaz and Carlos Molina are the right stuff to get him a fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in late 2014 or in 2015. Haye believes that the way that Khan beat those three fighters was more than enough to show that he deserves to be in the same ring with Mayweather. Haye also has Khan rated as the number 2 welterweight in the division behind only Mayweather, and he sees Khan as being capable of defeating Manny Pacquiao right now.

“I think Khan deserves a fight against Mayweather. Maidana gave Mayweather a hell of a fight,” Haye said. “Khan smashed him [Maidana] before, put him down and dominated him. If anybody can beat Mayweather, its Amir Khan…He put him [Collazo] down multiple times, and he dominated him. That was a performance for me to say he is the best fighter on the planet behind Mayweather.”

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Canelo Alvarez vs. Erislandy Lara press tour finale in Puerto Rico; quotes

(Photo Credit: Gabriel Gonzalez – Hoganphotos) CANELO ALVAREZ

“Thank you all. Yesterday we arrived and the reception we got showed the quality of people you are, and I am very pleased.

“I’ve heard a lot about Puerto Rico. I’ve always wanted to come; that’s why I decided that we make a stop here during the press tour.

“I’m always working, I’m always training and this was the chance to come here. I hope to have the opportunity to come here on vacations.

“Puerto Rico is much more beautiful than I thought. I want to thank everyone for their support and I just want to say that I am always 100 percent prepared.

“He [Lara] is a great fighter, a great boxer, a tough fighter, but I have fought against all styles.

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