- Sep 28, 2003
- 28,232
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GGG might beat Martinez now. The Martinez of three years ago would crush GGG.
Official 2013 Boxing Thread: Year is over, please lock.
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by proshares,
- Start date
- Status
- Nov 4, 2003
- 29,630
- 1,863
Awesome fight. impressed with Alvarado's strategy.
Is boxing the best it's been in a while? Or am I just paying more attention? Maybe I'm just hyped off Provodnikov/Bradley and Pac getting knocked out, and both rios Alvarado fights, and Hopkins doing it at his age.... But it's been pretty damn good
Is boxing the best it's been in a while? Or am I just paying more attention? Maybe I'm just hyped off Provodnikov/Bradley and Pac getting knocked out, and both rios Alvarado fights, and Hopkins doing it at his age.... But it's been pretty damn good
- Sep 28, 2003
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- 12,585
I am eagerly waiting for Alvarez vs Trout.
- Nov 8, 2004
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Thanks for posting the GGG fight.
That overhand right........:x
GGG's jab work........
That overhand right........:x
GGG's jab work........
- Sep 28, 2003
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I think Quillen beats GGG.
- Feb 17, 2013
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Great fight last night. Alvarado got caught early but was able to establish his game plan and box Rios all night. I didn't think Mike would be able to pedal that bike all night but he pulled it off. On the other side of that, Mikes face looked terrible after the fight. He had the worst of both worlds, a deep cut over the left eye and a swollen right side. I'm looking forward to a third fight between the two but not immediately. I'd like to see them both have a tune up between the 2nd and 3rd fight. GGG looked outstanding once again. At first I thought this kid would crush Martinez at his age but if Sergio can pick his shots and move all night long like he did against JCC jr it could make for a very good fight.
- Jan 26, 2010
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- Jul 22, 2012
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Watched the fight again, its crazy that mikes eye wasn't bleeding.
- Apr 4, 2003
- 4,984
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GGG looks small for 160. Amazing how he can generate so much power
- Jan 23, 2008
- 3,540
- 4,280
pretty disappointed in bam bam, dude pretty much gave away the last 4 rounds, he only had one way to fight and it wasnt working for him as it did the first fight. 
at his post fight interview, dude was a sore loser but at the same time 
at his post fight interview, dude was a sore loser but at the same time 
- Mar 6, 2004
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When Rios told Max to check his eyeballs.
- Mar 4, 2013
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I think Rubio gets Martinez next
- Apr 15, 2007
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The Alvarado Rios fight was very entertaining. I thought Alvarado controlled the later rounds but i still thought Rios could knock him out at any minute if he landed. I mean after staggering him with a jab i was worried for alvarado. His face at the end though :x
It was funny because when Alvarado was moving away Rios would attack but when he stopped and stood toe-to-toe he could land whatever he wanted. Its as if rios was waiting for him to come in like he did in the first fight but Mike kept his distance well for the most part all fight.
I would love to see GGG vs Sergio. I am a big Sergio fan but i wouldn't want any part of GGG right now I think sergio could out maneuver GGG for a full fight and win a decision. But if he got caught....could be lights out
It was funny because when Alvarado was moving away Rios would attack but when he stopped and stood toe-to-toe he could land whatever he wanted. Its as if rios was waiting for him to come in like he did in the first fight but Mike kept his distance well for the most part all fight.
I would love to see GGG vs Sergio. I am a big Sergio fan but i wouldn't want any part of GGG right now
I think sergio could out maneuver GGG for a full fight and win a decision. But if he got caught....could be lights out
- Sep 28, 2003
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Abraham vs GGG at catchweight.
- Jan 1, 2009
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They got me bros... It was an April Fools joke. SMDH.
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- Dec 1, 2009
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Rios and Alvarado. Beasts. Mayfield vs Alvarado and Rios vs Prov hopefully
Golovkin's power is crazy
Julio Ceja vs Jamie McDonnell should be good, Ceja's just 20 yrs old wuth a 24-0 22KOs record but it's in England
The Macau card>
Golovkin's power is crazy
Julio Ceja vs Jamie McDonnell should be good, Ceja's just 20 yrs old wuth a 24-0 22KOs record but it's in England
The Macau card>
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Weekend wrap up:
A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
Saturday at Las Vegas
Mike Alvarado W12 Brandon Rios
Wins a vacant interim junior welterweight title
Scores: 115-113 (twice), 114-113.
Records: Alvarado (34-1, 23 KOs); Rios (31-1-1, 23 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward trilogy in 2002 and 2003 -- especially the first and third fights -- have become the standard by which modern action classics are measured. But the truth is that as great as the first fight was, it really didn't heat up until around the fourth round. The second fight, while also was a good one, paled in comparison to the first. It was just a solid fight, nothing special. The third fight was also a classic. Now Alvarado and Rios must be spoken of in the same breath as Gatti and Ward after the incredible rematch they waged inside the same Mandalay Bay Events Center ring (and featuring the same referee, Tony Weeks) as this generation's No. 1 action fight, Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo I.
In October, Rios and Alvarado put on one of the best fights of 2012, trumped only by the fourth fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez for ESPN.com fight of the year honors. But in many other years, Rios-Alvarado I would have been the clear winner. It was a blazing back-and-forth battle that Rios, 26, of Oxnard, Calif., won by stopping Alvarado, 32, of Denver, on his feet in the seventh round.
It was so good that a rematch was obviously going to happen. So five months later they did it again -- this time in a 12-round bout for an interim title rather than a scheduled 10-round nontitle bout -- and to nobody's surprise, Rios and Alvarado produced another classic that was just as good, and maybe even a little better than, the first fight. The year is still young, but there's a very good chance that this bout will stand up as fight of the year, edging past the March 16 slugfest between welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley Jr. and Ruslan Provodnikov. No less an expert than Bradley himself, who was ringside, said that Alvarado-Rios II trumped his fight with Provodnikov.
As expected, Alvarado and Rios produced another intense brawl with tons of clean punching, ebbs and flows. How this thing went the distance will forever remain a mystery, because the fighters were crushing each other as 5,418 cheered wildly throughout. Alvarado was nearly knocked down and was badly hurt by a left jab, of all things, in the second round. But he rallied and they finished the round in a ferocious exchange. The round was so good that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who promoted the all-time classic Marvelous Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns middleweight championship fight, said at the Alvarado-Rios II postfight press conference that "the second round, in truth, was the best round I have seen since Round 1 in Hagler-Hearns." Perhaps that was a little bit over the top, but by Arum's loose standards, it's not a whopper. It was a great round. Even Mike Tyson, who was ringside, was jumping up and down and cheering.
Alvarado buzzed Rios in the third round with a brutal right, and they continued to trade shots round after round. Alvarado had promised to box more on Saturday than he had in the first fight, and he was able to do it just enough in the second half of the bout to stay ahead of Rios, whose constant pressure was something to behold. Alvarado fought most of the night with a bad cut over his left eye, which cutman Rudy Hernandez did a masterful job of dealing with between rounds. Alvarado's face was a wreck when the fight was over and certainly didn't look like that of the winner. Rios, only slightly swollen, looked pretty clean after the battle he had just been in. But Alvarado was clearly the heavier puncher and deserved this victory, which will obviously set up a rubber match.
Arum rightfully said the third fight won't be next. These guys need a little break from each other. Alvarado probably will go home to Denver to defend his belt, and Rios will also do something else next. Arum would like to let them each have perhaps two interim bouts before he makes the third fight. That's a reasonable plan, and it won't even matter much if either fighter loses in the meantime because the third fight is always going to be something fans will want to see.
Terrence Crawford W10 Breidis Prescott
Junior welterweights
Scores: 100-90, 99-91, 97-93
Records: Crawford (20-0, 15 KOs); Prescott (26-5, 20 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: A week ago, Crawford was known only to the most ardent fans, the sort who follow prospects who have never appeared on television. That's a very, very small group. But now Crawford is a bright new face to watch after he took apart Prescott in the co-feature of a major card -- a fight that was cobbled together at the last minute.
Originally, junior welterweight titlist Khabib Allakhverdiev of Russia was supposed to make his first defense against Prescott, but he injured his elbow a week before the fight. Hoping to salvage HBO's televised co-feature, Top Rank proposed that Crawford, a good prospect fighting a nobody on the untelevised undercard, fill in and face Prescott. The network accepted the fight because it has been watching Crawford develop, and the fighter and his team jumped at the chance despite the dangers that Prescott, 29, a native of Colombia living in Miami, presented. After all, Prescott, who owns a memorable first-round knockout against Amir Khan and was easily beating Mike Alvarado until getting stopped in the last round, is far more experienced than Crawford. He is also a bigger man and a heavy hitter.
But Crawford -- getting a fat raise from the $15,000 he was going to make for the untelevised fight, up to $125,000 for facing Prescott -- took the challenge and put his better skills and speed to work for him. After a couple of rounds to feel out Prescott, the 25-year-old Crawford, a former amateur standout from Omaha, Neb., took over. It was not an exciting fight, but Crawford, in his first scheduled 10-round bout, easily boxed Prescott's ears off. He gave him angles, repeatedly cracked him with looping right hands, puffed up his left eye midway through the fight and generally kept him off balance and frustrated by his inability to catch Crawford clean.
Crawford made a good impression and although he handled Prescott with ease, he is likely to drop down to his more natural 135 pounds and fight at lightweight, where he probably can do some damage and collect titles if he gets the opportunities.
Jose Ramirez KO1 Charles Dubray
Junior welterweights
Records: Ramirez (2-0, 2 KOs); Dubray (1-1, 1 KO)
Rafael's remarks: Ramirez, 20, of Avenal, Calif., had a tremendous amateur career that culminated with a berth on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. He was highly sought after when he decided to go pro after the Olympics and signed with Top Rank, which put him in his first pro fight in a prime slot on the Juan Manuel Marquez-Manny Pacquiao IV undercard. Ramirez blasted out his opponent in the first round and then did it again in his second pro fight.
Ramirez has size, speed and power, especially with his left hook. Like any prospect, he needs to work on a few things and gain experience. Dubray, 24, of Hastings, Neb., was simply fodder. He had no prayer, but Ramirez did what he was supposed to do, which is blast him out and do it quickly. He dropped Dubray twice, including with a punishing body attack before referee Robert Byrd waved it off at 1 minute, 6 seconds following the second knockdown.
If Ramirez gained anything from this blowout it was learning to control his nerves. He admitted that he was very nervous for his pro debut, but he said he was a lot more calm getting into the ring for his second pro fight. Ramirez will stay busy like most Top Rank prospects, which means fighting roughly every month for the near future. His next date is April 27 in Austin, Texas.
Saturday at Monte Carlo, Monaco
Gennady Golovkin KO3 Nobuhiro Ishida
Retains a middleweight title
Records: Golovkin (26-0, 23 KOs); Ishida (24-9-2, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The good news for Golovkin, 30, of Kazakhstan, is that he dominated and finished the fight with a massive, one-punch knockout that will be in the discussion for KO of the year come December. The bad news for Golovkin, who already has a hard time finding top opponents to fight, is that he looked so good that he probably made matters worse for himself when it comes to enticing an elite opponent to fight him.
Golovkin, who says he will fight anyone from 154 to 168 pounds, retained his 160-pound title for the seventh time and did so in devastating fashion. He dominated the fight and then landed a crunching overhand right that knocked Ishida out cold. Ishida was out when he got hit and came to rest on top of the bottom ring rope, with his head and back on the ring apron and his lower body still inside the ring. It was the epitome of a highlight-reel knockout, and referee Stanley Christodoulou immediately called it off at 2 minutes, 20 seconds.
Golovkin was only fighting Ishida, 37, of Japan, in order to stay active. Golovkin defended his title against Gabriel Rosado in January and HBO has him set for a return in June, but Golovkin and his team wanted to keep busy. Ishida, known for his huge first-round knockout upset of James Kirkland in April 2011, was stopped for the first time in his career and has now lost three in a row -- this blowout and lopsided decisions to Paul Williams and Dmitry Pirog (in a middleweight title fight).
Some criticized Golovkin for taking on Ishida, who didn't merit a title shot. But the fact is that by staying busy and putting guys to sleep in such sensational fashion, Golovkin can put his name in the headlines and keep people talking about him. The question now, however, becomes: What man dares to face him in June?
Edwin Rodriguez W10 Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna
Super middleweights
Scores: 96-92 (twice), 95-92
Records: Rodriguez (23-0, 15 KOs); Maderna (19-1, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Rodriguez, 27, of Worchester, Mass., advanced to the final of the four-man "Monaco Million Dollar Super Four" to face light heavyweight Denis Grachev, who upset former titlist Zsolt Erdei on the same card. They will meet at a catchweight of 171½ pounds -- between super middleweight and light heavyweight -- on July 13, also in Monte Carlo, with the winner getting $600,000 of the $1 million purse and the loser earning $400,000.
Rodriguez got there by taking care of Maderna, a 2008 Olympian from Argentina, in a competitive, but not especially entertaining, fight. There was far too much holding. Rodriguez pressed the action, for the most part, and appeared to be the heavier hitter while Maderna, 26, countered. It was Maderna's lack of offense that cost him. In the eighth round, referee Daniel Van de Wiele deducted a point from Rodriguez for an egregious low blow. Rodriguez lost another point in the ninth round for hitting Maderna with a right hand behind the head that dropped him. Van de Wiele properly called the foul rather than crediting Rodriguez with an official knockdown. Later in the round, however, Rodriguez scored a clean knockdown when he dumped Maderna with a straight right hand as the round was coming to an end.
Both men were fighting outside of their home countries for the first time. This is a very solid victory for Rodriguez, whose July fight with Grachev looks like it should be a considerable challenge against a bigger man.
Denis Grachev W10 Zsolt Erdei
Light heavyweights
Scores: 96-94 Grachev (twice), 96-94 Erdei
Records: Grachev (13-1-1, 8 KOs); Erdei (33-1, 18 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This matchup was ripe to produce an upset. You had Grachev, who lost a competitive decision to former super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute in December but pushed him to the brink of defeat in the fight. Grachev, 30, who is from Russia but lives in San Diego, also knocked out red-hot contender Ismayl Sillakh last April in a big upset. And then you had the favored Erdei, the former light heavyweight and cruiserweight titleholder, a very skilled fighter. But Erdei, of Hungary, is 38 and was coming off an injury-riddled 22-month layoff.
Erdei looked good early on, despite the long layoff. He controlled the action from a distance with a smooth jab and good boxing skills while Grachev appeared lost trying to find a home for his harder shots. But Grachev eventually found a rhythm and forced Erdei into more of a high-contact fight. This was a good one. The action steadily built until the final round, when the fighters engaged in some heated exchanges. Ultimately, Grachev's pressure in the second half of the fight was too much to overcome for Erdei, who suffered the first loss of his 13-year career.
With the win, Grachev advanced to the final of the four-man Monaco Million Dollar Super Four to face super middleweight Edwin Rodriguez at the agreed-upon catchweight of 171½ pounds. They will meet on July 13, also in Monte Carlo, with the winner getting $600,000 of the $1 million purse and the loser getting $400,000. Although Erdei lost, he was invited to be on the July 13 card.
Sergei Rabchenko KO2 Adriano Nicchi
Retains European junior middleweight title
Records: Rabchenko (23-0, 17 KOs); Nicchi (20-4-2, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Rabchenko, 27, of Belarus, is trained and promoted by former junior welterweight champ Ricky Hatton, who didn't have much work to do as the trainer in this one. That's because it was all Rabchenko. He dominated the first round and then punished Nicchi, 32, of Italy, in the second round before scoring a highlight-reel one-punch knockout to retain the European title for the second time.
Rabchenko, who fights with a bit of an unorthodox, herky-jerky style, pinned Nicchi against the ropes in the second round and unloaded with more than 20 unanswered blows, including numerous uppercuts. Nicchi, his right eye swelling from the shots, managed to stay on his feet through the hail of punches. But moments later, Rabchenko landed an overhand left that flattened Nicchi in the center of the ring, prompting referee Terry O'Connor to immediately waved off the fight at 2 minutes, 15 seconds.
Saturday at Liverpool, England
Tony Bellew D12 Isaac Chilemba
Light heavyweight title eliminator
Scores: 114-114, 116-115 Bellew, 116-112 Chilemba
Records: Bellew (19-1-1, 12 KOs); Chilemba (20-1-2, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In October 2011, Bellew, 30, of England, lost a disputed majority decision challenging light heavyweight titleholder Nathan Cleverly in a terrific fight. Bellew won his next three bouts in a row to set up this elimination fight with Chilemba, 25, of South Africa, for the right to become the mandatory challenger for world champ Chad Dawson.
Chilemba went to Bellew's hometown and came away with a draw in a nip-and-tuck fight that, if you had to pick somebody to win, it would probably have been Bellew. Afterward, Bellew was disgusted, insisting that he had won at least nine rounds. But neither fighter put on all that great of a performance in a fight that featured uneven action. Bellew himself admitted that he had made a "stupid" mistake by taking off a round or two in the middle of the fight, which allowed Chilemba to gain some momentum. But Chilemba was nothing spectacular either -- and Buddy McGirt, his trainer, let him know about it in the corner, especially after the sixth round. There were no knockdowns, no memorable exchanges and a lot of tit for tat to go with some holding and fouling as neither man did enough to really seize control of the fight.
Because Dawson is tied up with an optional defense on June 8 against Adonis Stevenson, it's possible there will be a rematch between Bellew and Chilemba to again attempt to determine Dawson's mandatory challenger. But if it doesn't happen, don't expect too many fans to be upset about it. Does anyone really want to see this again?
Saturday at Guasave, Mexico
Katsunari Takayama W12 Mario Rodriguez
Wins a strawweight title
Scores: 119-109, 117-111, 115-113
Records: Takayama (25-6, 10 KOs); Rodriguez (15-7-4, 11 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Takayama, 29, of Japan, a former titlist, won a belt in 2005 and held it for just four months before losing it in his first defense, to Eagle Kyowa. Since then, Takayama has won an interim title but has gone 0-3 with a no-contest in full world title fights, losing decisions to Yutaka Niida (2007), Roman Gonzalez (2009) and Nkosinathi Joyi (2012), plus fought to a no-contest with Joyi in 2011.
But now Takayama has a title again after going on the road to Rodriguez's turf in Mexico to claim a belt in the 105-pound weight class, boxing's smallest. Rodriguez, 24, was making the first defense of the belt he won in September by stopping Joyi in the seventh round. Takayama boxed his way to the wide decision on two of the three scorecards.
Friday at Verona, N.Y.
Brian Vera TKO7 Donatas Bondas
Middleweights
Records: Vera (23-6, 14 KOs); Bondas (17-4-1, 6 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Vera, 31, of Austin, Texas, knew coming into the fight that he needed to win to preserve the possibility of big opportunities. He looms as a mandatory challenger for titlist Peter Quillin and has also been prominently mentioned as a possible June opponent for former titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and titleholder Gennady Golovkin.
With those prospects on the line, Vera got the job done against Bondas, 33, a native of Lithuania living in Chicago, in a good fight with an odd and disappointing end. Vera and Bondas put on a spirited fight in which they each had their moments. Bondas came into the bout with nasty looking scar tissue built up on the bridge of his nose that appeared ready to break open at any moment. Sure enough, it did early in the fight and continued to bleed throughout. But Bondas, also with a small cut over his left eye, wiped away the blood and pursued Vera as he connected with several solid rights hands.
It was more or less an even fight when it came to an end after the seventh round. Bondas returned to his corner with blood in his eyes from the cuts, and during a brief exchange with referee Charlie Fitch, who was checking on him, seemed to say he couldn't see very well. There may have been a language barrier because Bondas's English is limited. Fitch nonetheless called off the fight and awarded Vera the TKO win.
Bondas and his team weren't happy, and the blood didn't seem bad enough to stop the fight. While Bondas, whose five-fight winning streak ended, and promoter Bobby Hitz protested, Vera celebrated. Vera likely will move on to something far more significant.
Taras Shelestyuk KO1 Kamal Muhammad
Junior middleweights
Records: Shelestyuk (1-0, 1 KO); Muhammad (0-1)
Rafael's remarks: Shelestyuk, 27, had a star-studded amateur career in which he went 195-15, won a 2012 Olympic bronze medal for Ukraine and earned three Ukrainian national championships and a 2011 world amateur championship. His pro debut came against Muhammad, 26, who had nine amateur fights and works full time at Starbucks. What do you think was supposed to happen? If you guessed Shelestyuk by blowout, you were right. Shelestyuk scored two knockdowns, first forcing Muhammad to take a knee after a four-punch combination. Moments later, he unleashed another flurry of punches that drove Muhammad to the canvas, convincing referee Richard Pakodzi to wave off the blatant mismatch at 1 minute, 39 seconds. No shock here at all.
Saturday at Las Vegas
Mike Alvarado W12 Brandon Rios
Wins a vacant interim junior welterweight title
Scores: 115-113 (twice), 114-113.
Records: Alvarado (34-1, 23 KOs); Rios (31-1-1, 23 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward trilogy in 2002 and 2003 -- especially the first and third fights -- have become the standard by which modern action classics are measured. But the truth is that as great as the first fight was, it really didn't heat up until around the fourth round. The second fight, while also was a good one, paled in comparison to the first. It was just a solid fight, nothing special. The third fight was also a classic. Now Alvarado and Rios must be spoken of in the same breath as Gatti and Ward after the incredible rematch they waged inside the same Mandalay Bay Events Center ring (and featuring the same referee, Tony Weeks) as this generation's No. 1 action fight, Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo I.
In October, Rios and Alvarado put on one of the best fights of 2012, trumped only by the fourth fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez for ESPN.com fight of the year honors. But in many other years, Rios-Alvarado I would have been the clear winner. It was a blazing back-and-forth battle that Rios, 26, of Oxnard, Calif., won by stopping Alvarado, 32, of Denver, on his feet in the seventh round.
It was so good that a rematch was obviously going to happen. So five months later they did it again -- this time in a 12-round bout for an interim title rather than a scheduled 10-round nontitle bout -- and to nobody's surprise, Rios and Alvarado produced another classic that was just as good, and maybe even a little better than, the first fight. The year is still young, but there's a very good chance that this bout will stand up as fight of the year, edging past the March 16 slugfest between welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley Jr. and Ruslan Provodnikov. No less an expert than Bradley himself, who was ringside, said that Alvarado-Rios II trumped his fight with Provodnikov.
As expected, Alvarado and Rios produced another intense brawl with tons of clean punching, ebbs and flows. How this thing went the distance will forever remain a mystery, because the fighters were crushing each other as 5,418 cheered wildly throughout. Alvarado was nearly knocked down and was badly hurt by a left jab, of all things, in the second round. But he rallied and they finished the round in a ferocious exchange. The round was so good that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who promoted the all-time classic Marvelous Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns middleweight championship fight, said at the Alvarado-Rios II postfight press conference that "the second round, in truth, was the best round I have seen since Round 1 in Hagler-Hearns." Perhaps that was a little bit over the top, but by Arum's loose standards, it's not a whopper. It was a great round. Even Mike Tyson, who was ringside, was jumping up and down and cheering.
Alvarado buzzed Rios in the third round with a brutal right, and they continued to trade shots round after round. Alvarado had promised to box more on Saturday than he had in the first fight, and he was able to do it just enough in the second half of the bout to stay ahead of Rios, whose constant pressure was something to behold. Alvarado fought most of the night with a bad cut over his left eye, which cutman Rudy Hernandez did a masterful job of dealing with between rounds. Alvarado's face was a wreck when the fight was over and certainly didn't look like that of the winner. Rios, only slightly swollen, looked pretty clean after the battle he had just been in. But Alvarado was clearly the heavier puncher and deserved this victory, which will obviously set up a rubber match.
Arum rightfully said the third fight won't be next. These guys need a little break from each other. Alvarado probably will go home to Denver to defend his belt, and Rios will also do something else next. Arum would like to let them each have perhaps two interim bouts before he makes the third fight. That's a reasonable plan, and it won't even matter much if either fighter loses in the meantime because the third fight is always going to be something fans will want to see.
Terrence Crawford W10 Breidis Prescott
Junior welterweights
Scores: 100-90, 99-91, 97-93
Records: Crawford (20-0, 15 KOs); Prescott (26-5, 20 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: A week ago, Crawford was known only to the most ardent fans, the sort who follow prospects who have never appeared on television. That's a very, very small group. But now Crawford is a bright new face to watch after he took apart Prescott in the co-feature of a major card -- a fight that was cobbled together at the last minute.
Originally, junior welterweight titlist Khabib Allakhverdiev of Russia was supposed to make his first defense against Prescott, but he injured his elbow a week before the fight. Hoping to salvage HBO's televised co-feature, Top Rank proposed that Crawford, a good prospect fighting a nobody on the untelevised undercard, fill in and face Prescott. The network accepted the fight because it has been watching Crawford develop, and the fighter and his team jumped at the chance despite the dangers that Prescott, 29, a native of Colombia living in Miami, presented. After all, Prescott, who owns a memorable first-round knockout against Amir Khan and was easily beating Mike Alvarado until getting stopped in the last round, is far more experienced than Crawford. He is also a bigger man and a heavy hitter.
But Crawford -- getting a fat raise from the $15,000 he was going to make for the untelevised fight, up to $125,000 for facing Prescott -- took the challenge and put his better skills and speed to work for him. After a couple of rounds to feel out Prescott, the 25-year-old Crawford, a former amateur standout from Omaha, Neb., took over. It was not an exciting fight, but Crawford, in his first scheduled 10-round bout, easily boxed Prescott's ears off. He gave him angles, repeatedly cracked him with looping right hands, puffed up his left eye midway through the fight and generally kept him off balance and frustrated by his inability to catch Crawford clean.
Crawford made a good impression and although he handled Prescott with ease, he is likely to drop down to his more natural 135 pounds and fight at lightweight, where he probably can do some damage and collect titles if he gets the opportunities.
Jose Ramirez KO1 Charles Dubray
Junior welterweights
Records: Ramirez (2-0, 2 KOs); Dubray (1-1, 1 KO)
Rafael's remarks: Ramirez, 20, of Avenal, Calif., had a tremendous amateur career that culminated with a berth on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. He was highly sought after when he decided to go pro after the Olympics and signed with Top Rank, which put him in his first pro fight in a prime slot on the Juan Manuel Marquez-Manny Pacquiao IV undercard. Ramirez blasted out his opponent in the first round and then did it again in his second pro fight.
Ramirez has size, speed and power, especially with his left hook. Like any prospect, he needs to work on a few things and gain experience. Dubray, 24, of Hastings, Neb., was simply fodder. He had no prayer, but Ramirez did what he was supposed to do, which is blast him out and do it quickly. He dropped Dubray twice, including with a punishing body attack before referee Robert Byrd waved it off at 1 minute, 6 seconds following the second knockdown.
If Ramirez gained anything from this blowout it was learning to control his nerves. He admitted that he was very nervous for his pro debut, but he said he was a lot more calm getting into the ring for his second pro fight. Ramirez will stay busy like most Top Rank prospects, which means fighting roughly every month for the near future. His next date is April 27 in Austin, Texas.
Saturday at Monte Carlo, Monaco
Gennady Golovkin KO3 Nobuhiro Ishida
Retains a middleweight title
Records: Golovkin (26-0, 23 KOs); Ishida (24-9-2, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The good news for Golovkin, 30, of Kazakhstan, is that he dominated and finished the fight with a massive, one-punch knockout that will be in the discussion for KO of the year come December. The bad news for Golovkin, who already has a hard time finding top opponents to fight, is that he looked so good that he probably made matters worse for himself when it comes to enticing an elite opponent to fight him.
Golovkin, who says he will fight anyone from 154 to 168 pounds, retained his 160-pound title for the seventh time and did so in devastating fashion. He dominated the fight and then landed a crunching overhand right that knocked Ishida out cold. Ishida was out when he got hit and came to rest on top of the bottom ring rope, with his head and back on the ring apron and his lower body still inside the ring. It was the epitome of a highlight-reel knockout, and referee Stanley Christodoulou immediately called it off at 2 minutes, 20 seconds.
Golovkin was only fighting Ishida, 37, of Japan, in order to stay active. Golovkin defended his title against Gabriel Rosado in January and HBO has him set for a return in June, but Golovkin and his team wanted to keep busy. Ishida, known for his huge first-round knockout upset of James Kirkland in April 2011, was stopped for the first time in his career and has now lost three in a row -- this blowout and lopsided decisions to Paul Williams and Dmitry Pirog (in a middleweight title fight).
Some criticized Golovkin for taking on Ishida, who didn't merit a title shot. But the fact is that by staying busy and putting guys to sleep in such sensational fashion, Golovkin can put his name in the headlines and keep people talking about him. The question now, however, becomes: What man dares to face him in June?
Edwin Rodriguez W10 Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna
Super middleweights
Scores: 96-92 (twice), 95-92
Records: Rodriguez (23-0, 15 KOs); Maderna (19-1, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Rodriguez, 27, of Worchester, Mass., advanced to the final of the four-man "Monaco Million Dollar Super Four" to face light heavyweight Denis Grachev, who upset former titlist Zsolt Erdei on the same card. They will meet at a catchweight of 171½ pounds -- between super middleweight and light heavyweight -- on July 13, also in Monte Carlo, with the winner getting $600,000 of the $1 million purse and the loser earning $400,000.
Rodriguez got there by taking care of Maderna, a 2008 Olympian from Argentina, in a competitive, but not especially entertaining, fight. There was far too much holding. Rodriguez pressed the action, for the most part, and appeared to be the heavier hitter while Maderna, 26, countered. It was Maderna's lack of offense that cost him. In the eighth round, referee Daniel Van de Wiele deducted a point from Rodriguez for an egregious low blow. Rodriguez lost another point in the ninth round for hitting Maderna with a right hand behind the head that dropped him. Van de Wiele properly called the foul rather than crediting Rodriguez with an official knockdown. Later in the round, however, Rodriguez scored a clean knockdown when he dumped Maderna with a straight right hand as the round was coming to an end.
Both men were fighting outside of their home countries for the first time. This is a very solid victory for Rodriguez, whose July fight with Grachev looks like it should be a considerable challenge against a bigger man.
Denis Grachev W10 Zsolt Erdei
Light heavyweights
Scores: 96-94 Grachev (twice), 96-94 Erdei
Records: Grachev (13-1-1, 8 KOs); Erdei (33-1, 18 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This matchup was ripe to produce an upset. You had Grachev, who lost a competitive decision to former super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute in December but pushed him to the brink of defeat in the fight. Grachev, 30, who is from Russia but lives in San Diego, also knocked out red-hot contender Ismayl Sillakh last April in a big upset. And then you had the favored Erdei, the former light heavyweight and cruiserweight titleholder, a very skilled fighter. But Erdei, of Hungary, is 38 and was coming off an injury-riddled 22-month layoff.
Erdei looked good early on, despite the long layoff. He controlled the action from a distance with a smooth jab and good boxing skills while Grachev appeared lost trying to find a home for his harder shots. But Grachev eventually found a rhythm and forced Erdei into more of a high-contact fight. This was a good one. The action steadily built until the final round, when the fighters engaged in some heated exchanges. Ultimately, Grachev's pressure in the second half of the fight was too much to overcome for Erdei, who suffered the first loss of his 13-year career.
With the win, Grachev advanced to the final of the four-man Monaco Million Dollar Super Four to face super middleweight Edwin Rodriguez at the agreed-upon catchweight of 171½ pounds. They will meet on July 13, also in Monte Carlo, with the winner getting $600,000 of the $1 million purse and the loser getting $400,000. Although Erdei lost, he was invited to be on the July 13 card.
Sergei Rabchenko KO2 Adriano Nicchi
Retains European junior middleweight title
Records: Rabchenko (23-0, 17 KOs); Nicchi (20-4-2, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Rabchenko, 27, of Belarus, is trained and promoted by former junior welterweight champ Ricky Hatton, who didn't have much work to do as the trainer in this one. That's because it was all Rabchenko. He dominated the first round and then punished Nicchi, 32, of Italy, in the second round before scoring a highlight-reel one-punch knockout to retain the European title for the second time.
Rabchenko, who fights with a bit of an unorthodox, herky-jerky style, pinned Nicchi against the ropes in the second round and unloaded with more than 20 unanswered blows, including numerous uppercuts. Nicchi, his right eye swelling from the shots, managed to stay on his feet through the hail of punches. But moments later, Rabchenko landed an overhand left that flattened Nicchi in the center of the ring, prompting referee Terry O'Connor to immediately waved off the fight at 2 minutes, 15 seconds.
Saturday at Liverpool, England
Tony Bellew D12 Isaac Chilemba
Light heavyweight title eliminator
Scores: 114-114, 116-115 Bellew, 116-112 Chilemba
Records: Bellew (19-1-1, 12 KOs); Chilemba (20-1-2, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In October 2011, Bellew, 30, of England, lost a disputed majority decision challenging light heavyweight titleholder Nathan Cleverly in a terrific fight. Bellew won his next three bouts in a row to set up this elimination fight with Chilemba, 25, of South Africa, for the right to become the mandatory challenger for world champ Chad Dawson.
Chilemba went to Bellew's hometown and came away with a draw in a nip-and-tuck fight that, if you had to pick somebody to win, it would probably have been Bellew. Afterward, Bellew was disgusted, insisting that he had won at least nine rounds. But neither fighter put on all that great of a performance in a fight that featured uneven action. Bellew himself admitted that he had made a "stupid" mistake by taking off a round or two in the middle of the fight, which allowed Chilemba to gain some momentum. But Chilemba was nothing spectacular either -- and Buddy McGirt, his trainer, let him know about it in the corner, especially after the sixth round. There were no knockdowns, no memorable exchanges and a lot of tit for tat to go with some holding and fouling as neither man did enough to really seize control of the fight.
Because Dawson is tied up with an optional defense on June 8 against Adonis Stevenson, it's possible there will be a rematch between Bellew and Chilemba to again attempt to determine Dawson's mandatory challenger. But if it doesn't happen, don't expect too many fans to be upset about it. Does anyone really want to see this again?
Saturday at Guasave, Mexico
Katsunari Takayama W12 Mario Rodriguez
Wins a strawweight title
Scores: 119-109, 117-111, 115-113
Records: Takayama (25-6, 10 KOs); Rodriguez (15-7-4, 11 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Takayama, 29, of Japan, a former titlist, won a belt in 2005 and held it for just four months before losing it in his first defense, to Eagle Kyowa. Since then, Takayama has won an interim title but has gone 0-3 with a no-contest in full world title fights, losing decisions to Yutaka Niida (2007), Roman Gonzalez (2009) and Nkosinathi Joyi (2012), plus fought to a no-contest with Joyi in 2011.
But now Takayama has a title again after going on the road to Rodriguez's turf in Mexico to claim a belt in the 105-pound weight class, boxing's smallest. Rodriguez, 24, was making the first defense of the belt he won in September by stopping Joyi in the seventh round. Takayama boxed his way to the wide decision on two of the three scorecards.
Friday at Verona, N.Y.
Brian Vera TKO7 Donatas Bondas
Middleweights
Records: Vera (23-6, 14 KOs); Bondas (17-4-1, 6 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Vera, 31, of Austin, Texas, knew coming into the fight that he needed to win to preserve the possibility of big opportunities. He looms as a mandatory challenger for titlist Peter Quillin and has also been prominently mentioned as a possible June opponent for former titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and titleholder Gennady Golovkin.
With those prospects on the line, Vera got the job done against Bondas, 33, a native of Lithuania living in Chicago, in a good fight with an odd and disappointing end. Vera and Bondas put on a spirited fight in which they each had their moments. Bondas came into the bout with nasty looking scar tissue built up on the bridge of his nose that appeared ready to break open at any moment. Sure enough, it did early in the fight and continued to bleed throughout. But Bondas, also with a small cut over his left eye, wiped away the blood and pursued Vera as he connected with several solid rights hands.
It was more or less an even fight when it came to an end after the seventh round. Bondas returned to his corner with blood in his eyes from the cuts, and during a brief exchange with referee Charlie Fitch, who was checking on him, seemed to say he couldn't see very well. There may have been a language barrier because Bondas's English is limited. Fitch nonetheless called off the fight and awarded Vera the TKO win.
Bondas and his team weren't happy, and the blood didn't seem bad enough to stop the fight. While Bondas, whose five-fight winning streak ended, and promoter Bobby Hitz protested, Vera celebrated. Vera likely will move on to something far more significant.
Taras Shelestyuk KO1 Kamal Muhammad
Junior middleweights
Records: Shelestyuk (1-0, 1 KO); Muhammad (0-1)
Rafael's remarks: Shelestyuk, 27, had a star-studded amateur career in which he went 195-15, won a 2012 Olympic bronze medal for Ukraine and earned three Ukrainian national championships and a 2011 world amateur championship. His pro debut came against Muhammad, 26, who had nine amateur fights and works full time at Starbucks. What do you think was supposed to happen? If you guessed Shelestyuk by blowout, you were right. Shelestyuk scored two knockdowns, first forcing Muhammad to take a knee after a four-punch combination. Moments later, he unleashed another flurry of punches that drove Muhammad to the canvas, convincing referee Richard Pakodzi to wave off the blatant mismatch at 1 minute, 39 seconds. No shock here at all.
- Jul 23, 2007
- 31,964
- 1,056
No one watched "30 days in May" ?
- Sep 28, 2003
- 28,232
- 12,585
It didnt reveal much about him that we did not already know. But I enjoyed it.
- Jan 19, 2002
- 23,414
- 5,523
- Feb 17, 2013
- 486
- 115
It was ok. Looking forward to the All Access series for sure though. I found it funny that Showtime not only censored everything HBO (of course) but Floyd also had them censor 50's face during that ring walk lol.
- Mar 3, 2006
- 24,717
- 436
Wow, that HBO2 card was all over the place,
I want to get it off my chest that the exhibition between Zou Shiming and Valenzuela was atrocious. Zou was ridiculous out there, prancing and preening, with a ridiculous entrance. I have no idea why they headlined that as the main event, especially since the two fights they showed were infinitely better. Zou was sloppy, and Valenzuela was incredibly raw out there.
I'm not mad that they put someone in front of Zou who was we'll never hear from again, but I don't see the need to headline this card by putting someone who's never had a professional fight before in there, and that no one has ever heard of before.
Estrada/Viloria was fun. The first 4-6 rounds, Estrada respected Estrada too much, but after that he realized that Viloria couldn't hurt him, and dominated the latter rounds. I was impressed by Estrada, who took some good shots, but never was swayed from Viloria late in the fight. Estrada is a solid boxer with some decent power for someone his size.
The Rocky Martinez fight was also quite enjoyable, and thought Magdaleno put forth a game effort.
There was more body shots in those first two fights than I'd seen in all of 2012. . All four dudes were just throwing tons of body blows. It's good to see, both were very enjoyable fights.
Really looking forward to the rest of April's fights though.
Guillermo/Nonito.
Then Mares next month.
I want to get it off my chest that the exhibition between Zou Shiming and Valenzuela was atrocious. Zou was ridiculous out there, prancing and preening, with a ridiculous entrance. I have no idea why they headlined that as the main event, especially since the two fights they showed were infinitely better. Zou was sloppy, and Valenzuela was incredibly raw out there.
I'm not mad that they put someone in front of Zou who was we'll never hear from again, but I don't see the need to headline this card by putting someone who's never had a professional fight before in there, and that no one has ever heard of before.
Estrada/Viloria was fun. The first 4-6 rounds, Estrada respected Estrada too much, but after that he realized that Viloria couldn't hurt him, and dominated the latter rounds. I was impressed by Estrada, who took some good shots, but never was swayed from Viloria late in the fight. Estrada is a solid boxer with some decent power for someone his size.
The Rocky Martinez fight was also quite enjoyable, and thought Magdaleno put forth a game effort.
There was more body shots in those first two fights than I'd seen in all of 2012.
. All four dudes were just throwing tons of body blows. It's good to see, both were very enjoyable fights. Really looking forward to the rest of April's fights though.
Guillermo/Nonito.
Then Mares next month.
- Sep 28, 2003
- 28,232
- 12,585
Bob Arum is just trying to make a quick buck off Shiming and possibly break into China that's all.
- Sep 1, 2004
- 25,508
- 667
it was on HBO2 and Top rank paid for everythingWow, that HBO2 card was all over the place,
I want to get it off my chest that the exhibition between Zou Shiming and Valenzuela was atrocious. Zou was ridiculous out there, prancing and preening, with a ridiculous entrance. I have no idea why they headlined that as the main event, especially since the two fights they showed were infinitely better. Zou was sloppy, and Valenzuela was incredibly raw out there.
I'm not mad that they put someone in front of Zou who was we'll never hear from again, but I don't see the need to headline this card by putting someone who's never had a professional fight before in there, and that no one has ever heard of before.
- Status
