Arum excited about a Chavez Jr-Martinez rematch, sees it doing big business

Arum excited about a Chavez Jr-Martinez rematch, sees it doing big business By Michael Collins: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum sees nothing but dollar signs in proposed rematch between former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1, 32 KO’s) and Sergio Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KO’s) for early next year at the Cowboys Stadium in Texas. The pay per view numbers haven’t yet been released for last Saturday’s Chavez Jr-Martinez PPV fight but the word is that the fight did better than what the promoters Arum and Lou Dibella had hoped for.

Arum said to Examiner.com “They want to do an immediate rematch. This fight did unbelievable business. The next fight will do even bigger business.”

I don’t see it quite like Arum. I think the rematch will do well because Chavez Jr. is a popular fighter, and he’ll no doubt he able to pack the Cowboys Stadium with his devoted boxing fans from around the Texas area. However, I don’t think the Chavez Jr-Martinez rematch will do huge business on PPV, because the asking price was steep last Saturday night with a price tag of $49.99 for a card that was pretty much empty of big names and competitive fights.

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Maravilla or Canelo?

by Robert Jackson,y photo: Alma Montiel: 2 champions were on full display this past Saturday night and neither one disappointed. Except for a glitch in the 12th round, Sergio ‘Maravilla’ Martinez was dominant, except for a stubborn Josesito Lopez, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez was dominant. A case can be made for either man to be the next opponent for one Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather.

With Canelo we have a 22 year old WBC 154lb champion whose skillset improves each fight. Facing Jose Lopez in the place of an injured Victor Ortiz, Canelo was supposed to win. Lopez who’d previously campaigned at 140lbs moved up to 154lbs to try and take Canelo’s WBC strap. If Lopez thought that lightning would strike twice as it had struck when he faced Ortiz, he was in for a rude awakening. Extremely focused, conditioned and strong Canelo took nothing for granted and made an early night of it for himself by taking Lopez out in 5. The moments that the always game Lopez had were few and Canelo always had an answer for them. After 4 knockdowns referee Joe Cortez had seen enough and stepped in to protect the overmatched Lopez from himself.

While Canelo was making easy work for himself; a few blocks down the Vegas strip Maravilla stayed true to his pre-fight admonitions to punish Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and that he did, winning rounds 1 – 10 in a workmanlike fashion taking a few from his opponent while giving many more to his foe. In the late rounds of the fight Maravilla with victory all but his began to slow down while also using less movement then he had during the fight. Maravilla was also taunting the youngster – sticking his chin out with his hands down daring his opponent to hit him. In the 12th round Chavez Jr finally caught up to the 37 year old and unleashed the fury he was unable to throughout the fight and down went Maravilla seriously hurt. If only Chavez Jr had more time, maybe he could’ve taken Maravilla out and pulled the upset ,but the master boxer Maravilla used all of his tricks to stay upright, finishing the fight and getting his hand raised.

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20 Years Ago Next Month, UK’s ‘Dark Destroyer’ Nigel Benn Wins WBC Crown

By Rick Murray – Doesn’t time fly. It was early October 1992, and Nigel Benn -long-time labelled on both sides of the Atlantic as boxing’s most exciting fighter- is preparing to face awkward, cagey Italian spoiler and WBC 168lb. ruler Mauro ‘Rocky’ Galvano. Known for his smothering, ring movement, clinching and countering, as well as being a former light-heavyweight (Benn was a former middleweight), Galvano started as the betting favourite and pre-fight tip by all pundits.

Benn, known for his aggressive power-punching and bob-and-weave style, ripped up the odds sheets and tore into the Champ relentlessly for four rounds, cutting off the ring and landing body shots and right hands. Tough man Mauro was breathing heavily and bleeding profusely and the fight was halted. New WBC King, Nigel Benn -who would hold the crown for a further 10 (often-exhilarating) defenses.

Benn switched over in January 1987 after beating every man he faced in the amateur ranks as an Army boxer and ABA competitor. This included future pro prospect Rod Douglas -ranked in the top-five in the World amateurs- and other very good amateur stand-outs in Mark Edwards, Roy Andre and Johnny Melfah. He had 24 knockouts in 28 fights for the West Ham ABC in 1985 and 1986, and in the early eighties won every tournament he entered in the Army ranks.

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Dibella: Boxing deserves a Chavez Jr-Martinez rematch

By Michael Collins: Lou Dibella, the promoter for WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, feels that the sport of boxing needs a rematch between Martinez and former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. after last night’s one-sided 12 round decision win by the 37-year-old Martinez over Chavez Jr. at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las, Nevada.

Dibella said to the LA Times “Boxing deserves a rematch. My philosophy is when you have lightning in a bottle, don’t let it go. A rematch probably sells out Cowboy Stadium.”

So let me get this straight. Chavez Jr. loses 11 rounds plus the fight, and then gets a rematch out of this? There’s something wrong with this picture because that doesn’t make sense at all. I don’t care that Chavez Jr. knocked Martinez down in the 12th. The fact of the matter is he couldn’t finish him off and it was Martinez who was pummeling Chavez Jr. at the time the 12th round ended.

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Chavez Jr-Martinez could fight rematch in Cowboys Stadium: Anybody want to see another mismatch?

By Michael Collins: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is considering a rematch between his popular fighter Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1, 32 KO’s) and newly crowned WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KO’s) at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. However, if the rematch comes off it will likely have to wait until 2013, because Martinez suffered a cut over his left eye that required 8 stitches to close as well as possible torn ligaments in his right knee after falling to the canvas after getting knocked down by Chavez Jr. in the 12th. The torn ligaments may require surgery to heal. The rehabilitation will almost surely keep Martinez out of action for the remainder of 2013.

Martinez and his promoter Lou Dibella are both understandably eager to face Chavez Jr. again. Martinez received $1.4 million for the fight, and he’ll likely get a nice extra chunk of cash on the pay per view upside. A rematch in Texas would likely mean another nice payday for Martinez, although it’s hard to understand why boxing fans would want to pay to see Martinez add Chavez Jr. fight again after last night.

It was completely one-sided until the 12th round when Chavez Jr. was able to hurt Martinez with a right hand and then put him down with a left. Chavez Jr. couldn’t finish the job, however, and actually ended up taking more shots than he was landing after he had Martinez hurt. That was the sad part. Even with Martinez hurt, he was still able to out-land Chavez Jr.

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Marcos Maidana Stops A Game Jesus Soto Karass In Drama-Filled Slugfest – “El Chino” Back To His Entertaining Best!

(Photo: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME) By James Slater – Who doesn’t love Argentine banger and all-round warrior Marcos Maidana? Well, aside from the passionate, in-the-mood-to-celebrate Mexican fans who roared on their countryman Jesus Soto Karass inside a half-full MGM Grand last night, almost every fight fan loves “El Chino.”

Excitement personified, the 29-year-old did it again in halting a game Karass via 8th-round TKO. Last night’s win, which improved Maidana to 32-3(29), was actually a must-win fight for the slugger from Carlos Monzon country, as Maidana had looked quite poor last time out, in losing a wide decision to the slick Devon Alexander in a fight that saw the former WBA 140-pound champ make the move up to welter. But that loss came against a classy boxer/mover – Maidana’s worst nightmare. Put “El Chino” in with a man who will stand and go to war with him, however, and Maidana has a shot of both winning and thrilling the crowd.

It’s not clear how long Maidana – who was last night somewhat dwarfed and pushed around as a result of his size disadvantage – can hang with the elite at 147 (can he still make 140?), but one thing is sure: it will be value for money all the way for as long as Maidana continues to rumble. Last night’s performance was typical Maidana: he fought hard, he fought dirty and he fought like a man obsessed with scoring the KO. Chucking bombs from the get-go, Maidana showed he does have power at 147. The right hand a formidable weapon against the determined Karass, Maidana’s left hand was also effective.

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“Please Stand By” Sergio Wins but With Technical Difficulties!

by Paul Strauss: What a night for boxing fans. Between Showtime and HBO, there were more fights than you could shake a stick at. The big record setting one was of course at the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV. It was a grudge match pitting Sergio Gabriel “Maravilla” Martinez against the young title usurper with the bloodlines named Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.

Simply put, Martinez felt he was unfairly stripped of his middleweight title, and to make matters worse, it was given to this undeserving upstart who happened to be the son of a great fighter. Sergio was uncharacteristically vocal about what he thought was an injustice, and he was determined to set things right. Most of the experts and the odds makers agreed he was likely to be successful. On the other hand, JCC, Jr. was hurt and insulted by Sergio’s comments and determined to make him pay. Both promised knockouts.

Even with hall of fame trainer Freddie Roach’s help, it was thought to be unlikely that JCC, Jr. had the necessary skill and experience to pull off the upset, despite his father having done the seemingly impossible years ago against Meldrick Taylor. That was so long ago (1990), it seemed like a dream.
Critics of Sergio, including JCC, Sr. and Freddie Roach and other boxing purists don’t particularly care for Sergio’s style. When it comes to boxing technique, they feel he lacks fundamentals; although, they begrudgingly agree he is a superior athlete. Consequently, they believed he could be “gotten to” and that JCC, Jr. would be able to do so Saturday night.

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Macklin holds Alcine at ‘Knife’point

Padraig Ivory – Matthew Macklin deployed a controlled explosion at the Thomas and Mack on Saturday night and when the smoke settled former champ Joachim Alcine had taken shelter under the arm of referee Jay Nady. The left temple of the Haitian native duly played the role of the detonator as an invigorated Macklin claimed his 20th stoppage in sensational style.

The 30 year old Tipperary hurling fanatic, who was controversially denied world title honours against Felix Sturm in 2011, emphatically reinstated his status as the major threat to the middleweight crown. The first class surroundings of the new MGM gym may have aptly provided Buddy McGirt’s charge with the script to premiere an action packed Blockbuster in front of an energetic Las Vegas crowd.

‘Mack the Knife’ executed an overpowering assault on the former champ who twice came face to face with the heavily advertised canvas. Macklin was unrelenting and forged iron from leather as he cleverly switched attack between body and head. Alcine offered little in the way of return fire forcing the experienced referee to call a halt to the explosive action with only 2.26 registered on the clock.

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Alvarez stops Lopez; Maidana TKOs Soto-Karass; De Leon defeats Gonzalez

(Photos: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME) By Rob Smith: In a positively sick mismatch that should have never been made in the first place, WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) absolutely annihilated welterweight Josesito Lopez (30-5, 18 KO’s) by a 5th round TKO on Saturday night in one of Alvarez’s easier title defenses at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Alvarez knocked Lopez down three times, once in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds from body and head shots. Lopez, who looked soft in the midsection, had problems with Alvarez’s body shots. Alvarez obviously spotted the the coat of fat that Lopez had put on around his waist in moving up from welterweight in three months.

In the 5th, Alvarez finished off the hapless Lopez and referee Joe Cortez stepped in to halt the slaughter at 2:55 of the round.

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Martinez dominates Chavez Jr; Rigondeaux decisions Marroquin; Macklin crushes Alcine

By Dwight Chittenden: With the exception of the 12th round, Sergio Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KO’s) completely dominated a badly over-matched WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1, 32 KO’s) tonight in beating him by a 12 round unanimous decision at the Thomas & Mack Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Martinez, 37, had to climb off the deck in the 12th round to survive after getting hurt and knocked by a desperate Chavez Jr. However, Chavez Jr. was too slow and inaccurate to finish off Martinez when he had him where he wanted him. The final judges’ scores were 118-109, 118-109 and 117-110, all for Martinez.

Chavez Jr. couldn’t get into the fight in the first 11 rounds, as he was too slow and unable to get his shots off. With Martinez constantly moving, Chavez Jr. looked completely clueless with what to do. His past opponents had always been stationary for him to use his body attack on them while they stood against the ropes for him. But Martinez was going to play Chavez Jr’s game and stayed on the move the entire fight.

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