Alvarado, Pavlik, and Top Rank loyalty
By Bart Barry
Colorado’s Mike Alvarado successfully continued his comeback Saturday. Ohio’s Kelly Pavlik will successfully continue his comeback Saturday. Top Rank continues to promote both. And American boxing aficionados who are not within driving distance of Southern California’s thriving gym scene continue to be nostalgic about better times.
Saturday’s Fox Sports Español telecast was a reminder of this. There was Alvarado, fighting in Denver at a venue called Softball Country Arena – which appeared to be a field with a set of tracks behind it where trains moseyed past. Rumor is, ticket sales went well. But Alvarado is in a much different place from where he once was.
Today he is 31-years old. He is fighting Off-Off-Broadway, to be charitable. Since his quick rise on the professional scene, one aided by Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo” (its invaluable predecessor, not the current imposter), he has fought in cities like Cicero, Ill., Gary, Ind., and Commerce City, Colo. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Sixty-two months ago, Alvarado fought in the co-main event of a Top Rank card in Tucson, Ariz., in a venue called Club Envy. The club itself was small, as I recall it. The parking lot was converted to a fighting venue. There were folding chairs and a chainlink fence and metal tubs of beers on the perimeter. The turnout was mediocre, as Arizona boxing was by then nine months into a cruel freeze – one our own Norm Frauenheim reports may just now be thawing.
Some of the usual characters were at Club Envy, though not as many. Phil Soto, Top Rank’s Arizona publicist, placed seat assignments on ringside tables and put me beside TheSweetScience.com’s Phil Woolever – arguably boxing writing’s most poetic soul. Woolever spoke his observations into a handheld voice recorder, and we shared a few jokes about the hot pink trunks one of the undercard combatants wore in the ring that night.
Alvarado was sharp, threw tight combinations, impressed observers with his right uppercut, and got hit plenty with right crosses. His opponent that night, Maximino “Holy Hands” Cuevas, boasted an 8-3-1 record that was headed for 10-11-1. He was there to lose and found his way out of the match with a left-eye injury after round 5.
Alvarado was disappointed the fight didn’t go longer, implying he would have been hit with fewer punches as it went on. Saturday’s junior welterweight fight against Gabriel Martinez showed that either Alvarado’s five-year-old claim was never particularly true, or he’s lost some of the fast-twitch from his reflexes. He still gets hit hard with right hands.
But he also shows the same impressive chin he showed in his youth, back when Top Rank very nearly called him a top prospect in its stable – before the arrests and private disappointments. Last June, as Top Rank spent a week in San Antonio to promote Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s match with John Duddy, Alvarado’s career had collided with another obstacle, and Top Rank personnel were not timid about expressing their displeasure with Alvarado.
Yet, there was Alvarado on a Top Rank broadcast Saturday – a marker we’ll return to.
Kelly Pavlik, too, has performed a sabotage of sorts on his prizefighting career, a career Top Rank’s Bob Arum once promised would eclipse in riches and acclaim Oscar De La Hoya’s. Pavlik was his hometown’s professional-sports franchise. Youngstown, Ohio, perhaps the closest thing boxing has to a sister city, rallied round its one excuse for optimism. Pavlik let the city down.
Talk to folks above the legal drinking age in Youngstown, and you’ll find most have a story or two about the hell-raising Pavlik brothers. A few weeks ago that hell-raising won national attention, as Kelly and his brother staged a sparring match to whose credentials list local police were belatedly added. Pavlik doesn’t want to talk about it. Boxing media, excepting only Michael Woods, were happy to comply with the fighter’s wishes during last week’s conference call.
You know who’s happy to talk about it, though? Guys in boxing gyms. In South Texas at least, where most heavybag habitués’ names end in an s or z, there’s a long-held suspicion Pavlik was the beneficiary of what President George W. Bush once called “the soft bigotry of low expectations.” Pavlik’s white skin lowered expectations, Pavlik sprang over the shortened hurdles, and Pavlik became far more famous than a Mexican or Puerto Rican might have for knocking-out middleweight champion Jermain Taylor.
Is this accurate? Not really. Boxing gyms are often racially fixated and cruel places, and Pavlik deserves better than the “white hope” and “middleweight drunk” titles his name now triggers.
Just the same, by now, Pavlik was supposed to be a pay-per-view mainstay, selling-out edifices like Ohio State’s Horseshoe or Cleveland Browns Stadium. Instead, Pavlik now hopes for a “walk-up” crowd in Youngstown’s Covelli Center on Saturday. He’ll be fighting someone named Darryl Cunningham on Showtime’s “ShoBox” program, one whose subtitle is “The New Generation.”
Top Rank will promote that show, too. Just like Alvarado’s show Saturday. Why is this worth mentioning? Because it tells you something about the fabric of Bob Arum’s company.
Contrary to general impressions, Arum engenders loyalty by showing loyalty. He may bark at his fighters. Hell, he may even crow about them in the press. But Top Rank always answers the phone when one of its stable calls. It finds a place for tough action fighters, regardless of their private mistakes. People, it seems, like Arum more the better they know him.
If Oscar De La Hoya is the future of boxing promotion, this is a trait he should learn from his former promoter. De La Hoya has an opposite track record: He is most beloved by those who are farthest from him.
Meanwhile boxing’s own comeback remains in neutral, exactly between first gear and reverse.
Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry
Jordan stop Tellez in Two
Dante Jordan scored a second round stoppage over Adrian Tellez in round two of a scheduled twelve round Jr. Lightweight bout in Mexico.
Jordan dropped Tellez one in the first round from a hard combination. Tellez was clearly still shaken as he started the second and was dropped just seconds into the frame. Jordan finished the fight with a vicious upper the put Tellez down for a third and final time.
Jordan, 130 lbs of Mexico is now 18-1 with sixteen knockouts. Tellez, 130 lbs of Mexico is now 15-6-1.
Hector Morales scored an upset second round stoppage over Josue Veraza in a four round Featherweight bout.
Morales landed a big left that opened up a cut over the left eye of Veraza and the fight was stopped.
Morales, 125 lbs of Mexico is now 8-4-2. Veraza, 125 lbs of Mexico is now 12-2-1.
Jesus Faro scored a stoppage Mario Andrade after four rounds of a scheduled six round Jr. Flyweight bout.
Faro battered Andrade for the duration of the fourth frame and Andrade had taken enough for the night.
Faro, 108 lbs is now 6-5 with five knockouts. Andrade, 108 lbs is now 3-5-1.
Carlos Alberto Berraza and Salvador Juarez battled to a four round draw in a Light Flyweight bout.
Berraza, 108 lbs is 3-2-1. Juarez, 108 lbs is 1-1-1.
Shumenov stops Santiago in nine to retain Light Heavyweight crown
Beibut Shumenov defended his WBA Light Heavyweight championship with a ninth round stoppage over Danny Santiago at The South Point Hotel in Las Vegas.
Shumenov showed the faster hands and was more active throughout the bout. In round nine, the champion came out and landed twenty unanswered shots on Santiago and referee Tony Weeks stopped the bout at forty-six seconds of round nine.
Shumenov, 175 lbs of Las Vegas is now 12-1 with eight knockouts. Santiago, 173 lbs of Ocala, FL is now 31-5-1
I didn’t count the punches,” Shumenov said after the fight, “but I could have thrown more.”
“Fire& Fury” was promoted by KZ Event Productions (the Shumenov brothers –Beibut and Chingis – own and operate the Las Vegas-based KZ Event Productions) in association with Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, GuiltyBoxing and South Point Hotel Casino, and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and AT&T.
Former world light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal watched the fight from ringside.“He said he wanted to fight me in Canada,” Shumenov said after speaking with Pascal in the ring. “I said he was from Canada, I’m from Kazakhstan, so let’sfight in Las Vegas where all champions dream of fighting. Pascal, Cloud, Dawson……I’m ready for anybody!”
“Shumenov is a great fighter,” Santiago remarked. “He has a good, sound technique. My eye swelled and got worse and I had trouble seeing the punches at the end. I thought I could have gone longer but, you live by the sword, you die by the sword.”
Lonnie Smith scored an impressive stoppage over Eduardo Arcos after round three of their scheduled six round Jr. Lightweight bout.
It was a very exciting bout while it lasted as Arcos landed some heavy bombs during some furious exchanges in round one. In round two, Smith gained control as he ripped some hard power shots that was showcased by some thumping uppercuts.
It was more of the same in round three, as Smith landed some hard shots and opened a cut on the left eyebrow of Arcos and the bout was stopped before round four could commence.
Smith, 130 lbs of Las Vegas is now 14-2-2 with ten knockouts. Arcos, 129 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 16-5-1.
Joel Diaz Jr. dropped Esteban Nichol twice in round one en route to a stoppage in the opening frame of a scheduled four round Jr. Lightweight bout.
The time of the stoppage was 2:20 For Diaz Jr., 127 1/2 lbs of Palmdale, CA and is now 5-0 with four knockouts. Nichol, 127 1/2 lbs of North Denver, CO is now 3-2
Juan Suazo scored a six round unanimous decision over Ramon Montano in a Jr. Welterweight bout.
Scores were 60-54; 59-55 and 58-56 for Suazao, 137 1/2 lbs and is now 8-4-3. Montano 139 lbs is 17-10-2.
Weights from Kickboxing at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas
The following weights are from the weigh-in for tomorrow’s (Saturday, July 30) Martial Arts Association in conjunction with Kickboxing Empire of Las Vegas event at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Alain Ngalani 248 vs. Dzevad Poturak 227
(IKA Super Heavyweight Championship)
Denis Goncheronok 196 vs. Sergio Cairo 197
Edwin Aguilar 184 vs. Chidi Njokuani 183
Pavel Turuk 176 vs. Shawn Yarborough 176
Tim Thomas (NA) vs. Tony Hervey (NA)
Sofie Bagherdai 135 vs. Jessica Bartness 133
Doors open 6:30 pm (Pacific)
Action starts at 7:30
Tickets: $35, $50, $75, $100 and $125 (All seats reserved)
General Admission: $25 are available at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Box Office or by calling Ticketmaster at 702.474.4000
www.kickboxingempire.com
Peterson earns shot with Khan by stopping Cayo in twelve
Lamont Peterson secured a future date with IBF/WBA 140 lb champion by stopping Victor Cayo in round twelve of their IBFelimination bout at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas.
Peterson was very solid thoughout the fight as he dictated the fight at his geography by forcing Cayo to fight on the inside where he could effective with good body work. Cayo had some moments by landing some good long right hands.
In the final round, the fruits of Peterson’s labor came to fruition as a worn down Cayo could not withstand the infighting of Peterson and he was dropped after a flurry of punches. Cayo could not beat referee Kenny Bayless’ count and the fight was stopped at 2:46 of round twelve.
Peterson, 140 lbs of Washington, DC is now 29-1-1 with fifteen knockouts. Cayo, 139 1/2 lbs of the Dominican Republic is now 26-2.
Yordenis Desaigne scored a fifth round victory over former two-time world title challenger Edison Miranda after referee Vic Drachulich disqualified Miranda due to low blows.
Despaigne hurt Miranda with a big right at the end of round one. At the end of the second frame, Miranda was docked a point for the first time as he tapped Despaigne low for the first time. Just seconds into round three Miranda was docked for a second time for a low blows. Round four saw Despaigne landed a six punch combination to the head of Miranda as Miranda invited Despaigne to hit him as he kept his gloves at his side.
In round five, another of Miranda’s punches strayed low and Drachulich was quick to pull the plug on the fight just forty-five seconds into the round.
Badou Jack remained perfect by scoring a second round stoppage over Timothy Hall in a scheduled six round Super Middleweight bout.
Jack dropped Hall with a body shot early in round two. Jack finished Hall off with a flurry of punches that sent Hall down and referee Kenny Bayless stopped the bout at 1:31 of round two.
Jack, 170 lbs of Las Vegas is now 7-0 with six knockouts. Hall, 168 lbs of Athens, GA is now 6-12.
Despaigne, 176 lbs of Miami is now 9-1. Miranda, 174 lbs of Carolina, PR is now 34-6.
Rodriguez decisions Hackett in Philly
By Marc Abrams (Ringside)
PHILADELPHIA– Undefeated Juan Rodriguez survived some tense moments to score a closer then the cards six round unanimous decision over Greg Hackett in a Welterweight bout that headlined a six bout card at The Asylum Arena in South Philadelphia.
It was a close and action filled bout from the opening bell as Hackett was effective with his right hand against the southpaw Rodriguez. Round two saw Rodriguez become more aggressive and start working the body of Hackett. The two fought at close quarters in round three with Hackett moving his hands more in tight while Rodriguez continued to work the flanks of Hackett.
The best action of the fight happened in round four as Hackett rocked Rodriguez with a big right that had Rodriguez staggering around the ring. Hackett did his best to try to capitalize and even end the fight but Rodriguez not only survived the round but got in a couple hard shots of his own.
Hackett started off round five by landing three more hard shots which included a good right and a a nice right on the ropes. Rodriguez went back to the body and two fighters thrilled the crowd with some furious exchanges.
Both guys went for it in the final round as Hackett tried to counter the oncoming Rodriguez. there wasn’t much to choose from with the possible exception of Rodriguez work rate against the gaudier punches of Hackett.
Rodriguez Jr., 147 lbs of Union City, New Jersey got the verdict by 60-54; 59-55 and 58-56 to remain perfect at 7-0. Hackett, 149 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia again fought much better then his record indicates and is now 2-9.
Much has been made about scoring after the recent Paul Williams – Erislandy Lara fight a few weeks back in Atlantic City and this fight, while not questioning the winner because Rodriguez fought well enough to win or at worst have a draw but Hackett clearly won one if not two rounds and to have a judge score the fight 60-54 for Rodriguez is a bit dubious. Rodriguez was clearly rocked and hurt in round four which should have been a no-brainer round for Hackett.
In the six round co-feature, Ardrick Butler scored a six round unanimous decision over William Wilson in a Welterweight bout.
Butler dropped Wilson with a right hand in round two. Earlier in the round, The product of Butler’s right hand produced blood from the nose of Wilson. Butler was very effective with the right hand as he used his length to land that shot and come behind it to set up his flurries.
Butler was in control into round six when Wilson, knowing he was behind, went for a big finish by stalking Butler and landed some good body shots.
Butler, 148 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia held on and won by scores of 59-54; 58-55; 58-55 to go to 7-4. Wilson, 148 lbs of North Carolina is now 8-8.
Jose Luis Roque scored a pedestrian four round unanimous decision over durable Taffo Asongwed in a Heavyweight bouts.
Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Roque, 263 lbs of Miami and is now 4-0. Asongwed, 233 lbs of Montreal is now 2-8-7.
In an entertaining Heavyweight bout scheduled for four rounds, John Lennox got tagged time and time again for the first four plus minutes of his bout with John Paulet but came back to stop Pauley at 2:10 of round two.
Pauley continuously landed thudding shots off the head of of Lennox and the feeling of an upset was in the air. Pauley dominated round one and was on his way to taking round two until Lennox landed a hard combination that sent Pauley to the canvas. Pauley got to his feet but stumbled around the fight was stopped with fifty seconds to go in the freame.
Lennnoz, 219 lbs of Carteret, NJ remains unblemished at 6-0. Pauley of Canin Creek, WV is now 5-5.
Georgiy Guralink scored a stoppage at the end of round one of his scheduled four round Heavyweight bout with Damian Richardson.
Guralink landed about fifteen hard body shots in close on Richardson and when the bell rang at the end of the stanza, Richardson seemed spent.
Richardson must have felt the effects of those shots as he could not answer the bell of round two.
Guralink, 225 lbs of Philadelphia is now 2-0. Richardson, 225 1/2 lbs of Washington, DC
The opening bout saw Josh Bowles fight through a cut over his right eye to score a shutout unanimous decision over Cyprian Khumalo in a Featherweight bout.
Bowles was cut early in round one as the two clashed heads. Bowles was effective by mixing up combinations and lead right hands.
Bowles, 126 lbs of Harrisburg, NJ won by 40-36 scores on all cards and is now 2-0. Khumalo, 127 lbs of Maryland is 0-2.
It was announced that Khumalo’s wife was in labor during the fight.
The show was promoted by KEA Boxing
Weights From Brooklyn, NY
RED CORNER BLUE CORNER
8 ROUNDS – JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS
Gabriel Bracero vs. Danie Van Staden
Brooklyn, NY Key West, FL
16-0, 2 KO’s 8-6, 2 KO’s
Weight: 141lbs. Weight: 140lbs.
8 ROUNDS – NEW YORK STATE FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Keisher McLeod-Wells vs. Melissa McMorrow
New York, NY San Carlos, CA
4-1, 1 KO’s 5-2-3
Weight: 109lbs. Weight: 111lbs.
6 ROUNDS – LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Seanie Monaghan vs. Brian Bernard
Long Beach, NY St. Joseph, MO
7-0, 4 KO’s 10-8-2, 6 KO’s
Weight: 175lbs. Weight: 175lbs.
6 ROUNDS – MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Jonathan Cepeda vs. Rahman Yusubov
West Palm Beach, FL Dallas, TX
10-0, 9 KO’s 10-2, 8 KO’s
Weight: 158lbs. Weight: 156lbs.
4 ROUNDS – LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Joe Smith Jr. vs. Santos Martinez
Mastic, NY Adrian, MI
6-1, 6 KO’s 2-1, 2 KO’s
Weight: 179lbs. Weight: 179lbs.
4 ROUNDS –LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Travis Peterkin vs. Damion Reed
Brooklyn, NY Reidsville, NC
2-0, 2 KO 2-6-1, 1 KO
Weight:175lbs Weight: 172.25lbs.
Tickets for Broadway Boxing are priced at $125, $75, $55 and are on sale now by calling DiBella Entertainment at 212-946-2577. More information can be obtained by visiting DiBella Entertainment on the web at www.dbe1.com or the Aviator Sports & Events Center on the web at www.aviatorsports.com.
Weights for Denver
Mike Alvarado 140 – Gabriel Martinez 140
Roberto Marroquin 123 – Jose Angel Beranza 123
Abie Han 159 – Justin Williams 157
Terrance Crawford 139 – Derrick Campos
Javier Molina to star in Movie
BORN AND BRED
A Film by Justin Frimmer
Wednesday, August 3 at 11am
The Downtown Independent 251 S. Main St. – Los Angeles
(213) 617-1033 www.downtownindependent.com
This potent story of a new generation of young boxers in East Los Angeles, the capital of American boxing, chronicles (in a raw verité style) the lives of three teenage boys – the fierce 12 year old, Victor Pasillas, and the 15 year old twins Oscar and Javier Molina, their trainers, their families and their years in the tough ranks of amateur boxing-where boys are made into men and Olympic dreams are made and broken. Shot over a period of four years and amid the immigration protests of 2006, the film tells a definitive story of immigration in a city where the new Latino population is surging. BORN AND BRED illustrates how the sport of sports-boxing-can lift the persistent few out of poverty as it did for so many other American ethnic groups. But, the stakes are high and these young champions know it. Says Paisllas, who has not lost a fight in three years, “When I get in that ring, I look across it to see if my opponent has any heart. If he doesn’t, I take him out right away. If he does…I take it away from him. I make sure he has no heart.”
Travis Kauffman to fight Bert Cooper
Travis is making his road back through Virginia Beach and by way of avoiding the heavy hands of Bert “Smokin” Cooper.
That’s right the man who just about KOd one of the best Heavyweights of all time. (Evander Holyfield)
Aug. 20th. Reading Pa. Heavyweight Travis Kauffman plans to go after the exposure that he wants so bad by taking on the Heavy Hitters. We can all say that yeah he is 45yrs. of age, but so is Bernard Hopkins and in the Heavyweight division the power never leaves them, look at George Foreman.
Travis was offered a fight on HBO Aug. 27th. against the rising prospect Seth Mitchell who is a Heavy Hitter and has won 8 straight by KO and is also advised by Al Haymon. Travis excepted the fight instantly and even took it for $15,000 less than what was offered to Chazz Witherspoon out of Philadelphia. Well after taking the fight and accepting it on their terms Golden Boy immediately changed their mind and asked veteran matchmaker Mike Marchante to look for an easier opponent. Seth Mitchell is now fighting Mike Mollo on HBO who does not offer much in return and will also make the Haymon prospect and former Michigan linebacker to look very impressive on HBO.
Travis did not lose his focus on wanting to fight the bigger names and especially those that carry a big punch, so he decided to take on the veteran Bert Cooper who was on a 2 fight win streak until he just recently met former Cuban star and got KOd in 2 on what I was told was an early stoppage.
With Bert Cooper Travis will experience what it is like to be in with a pure puncher and one with lots of experience.
We can all say that he is 45yrs. of age, but so is Bernard Hopkins and in the Heavyweight division the power never leaves them, look at George Foreman and what he did at 45.
Come Aug. 20th. will the youth and amateur experience be too much for Cooper or would the power of Cooper and the inexperience of being in the big fights be too much for this Reading Pa young Heavyweight?
We will all know come Aug. 20th. when the 2 collide!
ESPN News- Pacquiao, Roach rip Mayweather, back Bradley February 21, 2012Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley Jr. both realize almost every boxing fan wishes Floyd Mayweather Jr. had been standing next to Pacquiao at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Tuesday. […]Associated Press
- HBO PPV secures rights to Pacquiao-Bradley February 21, 2012HBO made it 2-for-2 in securing the rights to the first two major pay-per-view fights of the year on Tuesday, announcing that it had finalized an agreement to produce and distribute Manny Pacquiao's defense against Timothy Bradley Jr. […]Dan Rafael
- V. Klitschko says still owes Chisora a knockout February 21, 2012WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko wants to fight Britain's Dereck Chisora again -- so he can knock him out. […]Associated Press
- Chisora apologizes 'wholeheartedly' for brawl February 20, 2012Dereck Chisora apologized "wholeheartedly" Monday for the brawl with David Haye that followed his loss to WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko. […]Associated Press
- V. Klitschko tore shoulder ligament vs. Chisora February 19, 2012Heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko suffered a torn ligament in his left shoulder during his unanimous decision win over Dereck Chisora on Saturday in Munich, Germany, but he will not require surgery. […]Dan Rafael
- Stars honor Ali at 70th birthday gala in Vegas February 19, 2012President Barack Obama lauded Muhammad Ali Saturday as he joined some of the world's most famous people in a birthday celebration for the boxer known simply as "The Greatest." […]Associated Press
- Esparza, Underwood, Shields win boxing trials February 19, 2012Claressa Shields screamed, sidestepped and finally hopped around the ring, unable to contain her glee when she was named the outstanding fighter at the first U.S. Olympic team trials for women's boxing. […]Associated Press
- Gamboa, Rios agree to April 14 bout in Vegas February 17, 2012Former unified featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa will jump up two weight classes and face former lightweight titleholder Brandon Rios in a fight that matches two of boxing's most crowd-pleasing fighters. […]Dan Rafael
- Boxer banned for threat, sparking ring riot February 17, 2012The IBF on Thursday banned former junior flyweight titlist Luis Lazarte from participating in any fight the organization is associated with following Lazarte's actions during a bout last Friday. […]Dan Rafael
- Ward cleared for training as long as hand OK February 16, 2012Unified super middleweight champion Andre Ward has received medical clearance to resume using his left hand, as long as it feels OK, after fracturing it in two places. […]Dan Rafael
- Pacquiao, Roach rip Mayweather, back Bradley February 21, 2012
