In the 89-year history of THE RING’s Fighter of the Year award, no boxer has ever earned the honor with as few fights under his belt as Vasyl Lomachenko has. Then again, few have achieved as much as the Ukrainian amateur star did after only 11 pro bouts.

Lomachenko (10-1, 8 knockouts) was selected as THE RING’s Prospect of the Year in 2013 after only one fight – his Oct. 12 pro debut against Jose Ramirez. Eight months after that impressive fourth-round KO, the wizardly southpaw won his first world title, the vacant WBO featherweight belt, by taking Gary Russell Jr. to school over 12 rounds. (Lomachenko’s boxing clinic against the highly touted unbeaten U.S. Olympian was performed in his third pro bout, just three months after he received his own education in gritty pro tactics via 12-round split-decision loss to grizzled veteran Orlando Salido.)

Two years and three title defenses later, he won his second world title in a second weight class, the WBO 130-pound belt, with a fifth-round KO of Roman Martinez. His first defense – an embarrassingly one-sided mastery of Nicholas Walters that forced the unbeaten former featherweight titleholder to pull a “No Mas” after seven rounds – was so impressive that he instantly jumped into the top half of most pound-for-pound lists by the end of 2016.

So, what made Lomachenko’s 2017 so special? Why was he selected as THE RING’s Fighter of the Year over worthy candidates such as Terence Crawford, Anthony Joshua, Mikey Garcia and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai?

For starters, he fought more than the other standouts in 2017 – three times – continuing to outclass and bewilder opposition to between-rounds retirements, but he also made large strides toward transitioning from a boxing-world phenom to the kind of general sports standout recognized by casual fans and mainstream media.

Lomachenko (left) tags Jason Sosa. Photo courtesy of HBO

Lomachenko’s humiliating brand of dominance was expected against his first two opponents of 2017, Jason Sosa and Miguel Marriaga, both solid contenders that will give any other world-class featherweight or junior lightweight a grueling night. Lomachenko forced the battle-tested scrappers to remain on their stools after nine and seven rounds, respectively, and he didn’t mind showboating as he gradually picked them apart from every conceivable angle.

Although Lomachenko was favored to beat his third opponent of 2017, fellow two-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux, he wasn’t expected to have his way with the counter-punching master.

Rigondeaux, who carried a 17-0 pro record into their anticipated showdown at The Theater inside Madison Square Garden, was the older of the two savvy left-handers (37 to 29) and moving up from the 122-pound division, but the Cuban also brought with him a style that many believed was impossible to dominate or look good against.

Lomachenko did both en route to Rigondeaux’s inglorious retirement after six rounds.

Lomachenko downplayed the victory during his post-fight interviews, basically stating that he did what he was supposed to do, but there can be no downplaying of his boxing ability or his rising stature in the sports world.

Lomachenko appears to be on his way to becoming a bona-fide attraction. It was literally standing room only inside the 5,000-seat Theater (with no space for comps or auxiliary media and tickets rumored to be going for three times face value on the secondary market prior to the ESPN-televised card). Promoter Bob Arum says the two-division titleholder will fight at least three times next year, perhaps once in the “big room” of Madison Square Garden. Lomachenko is clearly done with small venues and fighting in front of limited TV audiences.

Lomachenko (right) took Guillermo Rigondeaux apart. Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Lomachenko-Rigondeaux was watched by 1.73 million on ESPN (twice the number of viewers that tuned into a UFC offering on FS1 that was broadcast during the same time slot). It was ESPN’s highest-rated show on December 9, exceeding viewers for the Heisman Trophy presentation and the MLS Cup.

Lomachenko’s future fights will be televised on Top Rank’s new network partner, ESPN, which contributed to his crossover appeal in 2017 and will undoubtedly enhance his popularity in the U.S. in coming years.

For now, he’s the toast of the boxing world, where hardcore fans use his name as an adjective or verb when expounding on their favorite sport via social media. A talented prospect like Josh Kelly might be described as having “Lomachenko-esque” moves. A fighter who is bewildered into submission might be said to have been “Lomachenko’d.”

Lomachenko’s reputation has been established enough in 2017 that boxing geeks now argue how he would fare in a mythical matchup with a prime Floyd Mayweather Jr. at 130 pounds.

However, Lomachenko isn’t interested in the future hall of famer, but rather one of the standouts of Mayweather Promotions, former IBF 130-pound beltholder Gervonta Davis. His “call out” to Davis, which was directed at Mayweather’s official Twitter account, attracted a lot of attention and eventually pulled Mikey Garcia into the social media conversation.

Lomachenko eventually Tweeted a poll of four potential opponents – Miguel Berchelt, Garcia, Davis and Jorge Linares – which has garnered more than 40,000 votes. Garcia and Davis received the most votes, but if he can get any two of the four in the ring in 2018 he’ll likely be a strong candidate for back-to-back Fighter of the Year honors.

RUNNERS UP:
Anthony Joshua
Terence Crawford
Mikey Garcia
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai

Following “Fighter of the Year” tradition, Vasyl Lomachenko will feature as cover star in the next issue of RING Magazine.

 

Vasyl Lomachenko named 2017 RING Magazine Fighter of the Year

 

 

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By Salvador Rodriguez –

WBO super featherweight champion Mikey Garcia (34-0, 28KOs) is planning to move up in weight to the lightweight division. Garcia is still involved in a legal tussle with promotional firm Top Rank. Garcia claims that his promotional contract expired and Top Rank believes they still have him under contract.

Garcia last fought on January 25th in New York City, when he won a twelve round unanimous decision over challenger Juan Carlos Burgos.

“I have no date yet. I’m like everyone else, waiting for a date and an opponent, [waiting] to see what Top Rank says. Right now there has been nothing,” Garcia siad.

“I was waiting for a unification with Takashi Miura (WBC) or Takashi Uchiyama (WBA), but there was nothing [from Top Rank], so I’m going to look for more challenges at 135-pounds.”

http://www.boxingscene.com/mikey-garcia-planning-move-up-lightweight–80798

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By Jake Donovan –

Ask any fighter in the game what’s in store for the future while they are training for a fight, and the answer most likely given is that they’re focused solely on their next opponent and not anything else.

Orlando Salido didn’t have that luxury heading into his vacant featherweight title fight with Orlando Cruz last October. The veteran cult favorite already knew his destiny; worse, it was literally in front of him, dangling like a carrot on a stick. An hour or so before he would step into the ring with Cruz, Salido couldn’t help but look up and observe his future opponent on screen while in the dressing room.

Vasyl Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and one of the most successful amateur boxers in the history of the game, appeared on the same Vegas card as Salido, with both fighting in separate supporting bouts to Tim Bradley’s pay-per-view headlining win over Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas. In his pro debut, Lomachenko starched veteran Jose Ramirez in four rounds, with talks immediately turning to his next fight – a title shot in just his second pro fight.

“I knew why we were both on the card,” Salido recalls of the night. “I saw him in his fight with Ramirez and knew he’d be my next opponent.”

Salido did his part, destroying Cruz in seven rounds to reclaim the featherweight belt he lost earlier in the year to Mikey Garcia. In both fights – which comprised of his entire 2013 campaign – Salido was forced to play the role of afterthought in the pre-fight build-up.

The discussion heading into last January’s showdown with Garcia weren’t focused on making his third title defense, but that he was being served up to a rising young star. Even entering as the prohibitive favorite in his showdown with Cruz last October, the main pre-fight story line was how a win by Cruz would make him the first openly gay boxer to win a major title.

That never came close to happening, as Salido remained focused on becoming a three-time featherweight titlist. The 33-year old Mexican warrior has long ago grown used to taking the back seat, and expected it to be the case the moment his fight with Lomachenko was made official.

“It’s just that much more motivation to me,” Salido (40-12-2-1NC, 28KO) insists. “I go into most big fights as the underdog and have to prove the so-called experts wrong. Whether it was Garcia, (Yuriorkis) Gamboa, JuanMa (Juan Manuel Lopez, whom Salido knocked out twice, both times in Puerto Rico), Cruz and now this guy (Lomachenko), I get talked about as the other fighter. That’s fine, I’m used to it and only work that much harder.”

As evidenced by his not-so-glossy ring record, he doesn’t always manage to win ‘em all. Now 18 years into the fight game – having turn pro at aged 15 – Salido truly came up the hard way before finally rising towards the top of the featherweight mountain late in his career. His loss to Gamboa in their featherweight unification bout in Sept. ’10 was his 11th career loss, but hardly the end of his career.

Salido has since won six of his last seven heading into his title defense versus Lomachenko, which takes place March 1 in San Antonio, airing live on HBO. Not only has Salido seen his opponent steal the majority of the headlines, but the fight also has to share news space with the show’s accompanying bout, a rematch between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Brian Vera.

At the very least, he heads into the fight with momentum. That same luxury was lacking prior to his bout with Cruz, as he was forced to sit for nine months on his worst loss in years.

“Mikey Garcia is a heck of a fighter, and I hope to one day get a rematch with him before he moves up in weight again,” Salido says of last conqueror, who has since won a title at 130 lb. “Going into that fight, I just felt like something was wrong that night. It happens to all fighters. I picked the wrong night and fighter to not be at my best, but I had to rebound and move on from it.”

Salido did just that, calming concerns that he was at the end of his career. Cruz was unproven at the championship level, but was the younger fighter and also at the hottest point of his career. Whether or not the extra attention that came with his “outing” himself a year prior impacted him any outside of the ring, he was in way over his head once the opening bell rang. Cruz never stopped trying, but his problem that night was that Salido never stopped charging forward.

Nine months after picking the wrong night to be at less than his best, Salido finally landed in the right place at the right time. Garcia was forced to vacate the belt last June, showing up over the 126 lb. limit for his intended title defense versus Juan Manuel Lopez, whom Salido knocked out to win the belt in 2012. Garcia would blast out the Boricua southpaw in four rounds, but not before conceding his title at the scales.

Five months later, the title was returned to its prior owner, though immediately followed by the suggestion that his role was to simply keep the belt warm for boxing’s next young featherweight star. Even with just one pro fight to his name, big plans are already in store for Lomachenko.

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, never one to pass on an opportunity to oversell any occasion, was talking about the path the Ukrainian wunderkind could travel even before his first pro fight. A win in October would lead to the title shot he receives in March. A win there could lead to a showdown with current undefeated 122 lb. king Guillermo Rigondeaux, with Arum’s vision that it would mark the first time in boxing history pairing two fighters who each won two Olympic Gold medals.

As for Salido’s future? For now, all roads lead to and end with March 1. Where he goes from there entirely depends on his performance.

“None of that bothers me,” Salido says of the one-fight-at-at-time approach taken with his career. “I’m boxing for the long haul and still have a lot to offer the sport. That’s all that matters to me. They can plan whatever they want for this kid. It won’t mean anything when I beat him on March 1.”

Though always confident of victory no matter whom the opponent, it’s not to say that a win is always automatically assumed.

“When (Lomachenko) fought Ramirez, that was the first time I ever really paid attention to him. I don’t really follow amateur boxing, but knew his name. I paid attention when he fought before me, knowing that he would be my next opponent. He has a great amateur pedigree. I’d be foolish to underestimate him just because he hasn’t been in the pros that long.

“This will be a very tough fight. I’m training for a very tough fight, which is why I’m confident I will win. A lot has been said about Lomachenko, and he says he’s ready for this fight. Now he’ll have to go in there and try to prove it.”

http://www.boxingscene.com/orlando-salido-finds-added-motivation-underdog-role–74647

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Photo:  Getty Images/googleimages/-

By Miguel Rivera –

Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum, and Zanfer Promotions President Fernando Beltran, are discussing the possibility of a fight between Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7-1, 40KOs) and Mike Alvarado, which is being targeted for May 17th at The Forum in Los Angeles, California. The co-feature would see a lightweight bout between Mikey Garcia and Yuriorkis Gamboa. Marquez lost a twelve round split decision to WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley in October, and then a week later Alvarado (34-2, 23KOs) was stopped by Ruslan Provodnikov.

“A few minutes ago I just spoke with Fernando Beltran [who handles Marquez]. Juan Manuel Marquez, maybe he will go against Mike Alvarado. And then the winner? Although not officially, [the winner] would face the winner of the rematch between Pacquiao and Bradley. This is what might happen here. We are thinking about [doing that fight] at the new Forum in Los Angeles,” Arum stated to Carlos Narvaez.

http://www.boxingscene.com/marquez-alvarado-arum-beltran-discussing-5-17–74595

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Image by:  Ringmagazine on Twitter /

Tim Smith –  NEW YORK – Mikey Garcia had hoped for dynamite, but he had to settle for dominance as he pounded out a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Burgos to retain the WBO junior lightweight title at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Garcia looked completely unmarked after the fight. He said it was not the type of fight that he expected. He expected fireworks from a hungry challenger.

“He wasn’t engaging like I thought he was going to do,” Garcia said. “He might have felt my power and respected that. He might have decided to box and try to come out with a decision.”

Once Garcia (34-0, 28 knockouts) got his rhythm going, he just walked Burgos down and came away with a very easy decision.

Much of the electricity had been drained from The Theater by the time Garcia and Burgos got to the ring. The place had been charged up by several Polish fans who came cheer for Artur Szpilka, who was stopped on a 10th round TKO by Bryant Jennings in the co-feature.

It was going to be up to Garcia and Burgos to re-energize the place. As they settled into a tactical boxing match with few fireworks, that seemed like an uphill battle. Garcia’s slow burn style is not conducive to the kind of instantaneous combustion the Garden boxing crowd craves.

But Burgos (30-2-2, 20 KOs) threw a brief thrill into the fans when he pulled a page from the Rocky Martinez playbook, landing a solid shot on Garcia’s chin that buckled his knees and sent the champion sailing backwards. But Garcia didn’t hit the deck like he did against Martinez. This time he steadied himself before his backside or gloves could touch the canvas, sparing himself a knockout. As he did against Martinez, Garcia remained poised and came back firing.

“It was a left hook,” Garcia said. “I caught him with a good right hand and he came back with a left hook. He wobbled me a little bit, but I wasn’t hurt.”

Burgos tried to press his height advantage. But he found it difficult to get inside of Garcia’s tight defense to land anything telling after that shot to the chin that nearly decked Garcia in the second round.  Meanwhile Garcia effectively used his jab as a range finder and landed his combinations with pinpoint accuracy. Garcia hurt Burgos in the third round with a body shot and that seemed to push Burgos into a more conservative mode.

“He probably felt my power and respected my power,” Garcia said. “I felt that as he was getting a little hurt he decided that he didn’t want to engage.”

By the seventh round Garcia was in full stalker mode, urged on by his brother and trainer, Robert. The constant pressure was draining Burgos and you could see him begin to wilt in the ring. Burgos punches had lost their snap and his feet were moving across the canvas as if there was lead in his shoes.

Entering the match, Garcia had called Burgos a dangerous fighter because the challenger from Tijuana, Mexico had come up short in his two previous world championship matches and had to deal with Garcia being considered one of the top boxers in the game. Burgos had fought to a draw against Martinez for the same title and in the same ring that he challenged Garcia on Saturday night. To add to the injury, Garcia had won a featherweight world title in the main event that night and went on to defeat Martinez by TKO for the junior lightweight title.

Garcia defused any danger that Burgos posed after that second round near knockdown. By the 10th round Burgos was as dangerous as a toothless tiger and in the end that world title had eluded him again.

“I feel good. We did a good job,” Burgos said. “I hurt him but he recovered well. He was prepared. I know I have to work harder. He has a lot of ability. He’s fast and strong. Luck was not with us tonight.”

Bob Arum, Garcia’s promoter at Top Rank, has an ambitious plan for Garcia, wanting to move him from 130 to 135 to 140 pounds and eventually up to 147 pounds to face Manny Pacquiao. Garcia said he is comfortable at 130 pounds – this was just his second match at the weight. And he probably should stay there for at least one more fight before considering moving up to lightweight.

Yuriorkis Gamboa made a cameo at the fight, even climbing into the ring after the fight with his promoter, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson to press for a match with Garci. Garcia-Gamboa is an attractive match at 130 pounds. Now it’s a matter of whether it makes dollars and sense.

“Gamboa knows what to do. Sit down at the table and negotiate and if all parties can come to an agreement, then good,” Garcia said. “He can put on a pair of gloves and we can finish it right now. But it’s yet to be determined.”

Photo gallery / Naoki Fukuda –

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http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/315161-mikey-garcia-does-get-fireworks-but-dominates-juan-carlos-burgos#/slide/1

Date:  Saturday, January 25, 2014

WBO Jr. Lightweight Championship

Location:  New York’s Madison Square Garden

Promoter:  Top Rank

Supervisor:  John Duggan, Esq.

Referee:  Harvey Dock

Judges:  Julie Lederman 118-110, Michael Pernick 118-110 and John Poturaj 119-109

Result:  Garcia won 12-round bout by unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Burgos.

 

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Mikey García se declara listo para defender su cinturón (Top Rank)

Su oponente, Juan Carlos Burgos busca por tercera ocasión un título mundial; perdió contra Hozumi Hasegawa en el 2010 y empató con Román Martínez el 19 de enero de 2013

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO –  El actual campeón de peso súper pluma de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (WBO por sus siglas en inglés), platicó con La Afición de la pelea que sostendrá con el mexicano, Juan Carlos Burgos.

‘Mikey’ está consciente de que Burgos llega con una motivación extra, después de que ha perdido dos de su peleas para obtener un campeonato mundial: “él ya tuvo en dos ocasiones la oportunidad de disputar un título del mundo y no ha podido lograrlo, esta será su tercera oportunidad, y por eso pienso que va a venir con más ganas. Pues ya sabe cuanto esfuerzo cuesta llegar a disputar un título mundial. La vez pasada se quedó un poco corto y se puede pensar que se la robaron, entonces él puede sentir que su lugar es donde yo estoy y quiere cobrarse lo que le pasó el año pasado, por eso yo espero que venga con muchas ganas, pero yo también estoy listo para el mejor peleador”.

Platicó sobre las sorpresas que se han visto en el cuadrilátero y está preparado para que no le pase esto: “esto es boxeo y cualquier cosa puede pasar, en cualquier pelea puede suceder que lo derroten a uno. Un mal golpe, un error que cometa yo, no pienso en perder, pero sé que puede pasar. Si pasa, quisiera volver al campeonato de forma rápida. El invicto sólo demuestra que soy buen peleador, si fuera fácil todos serian invictos”.

Sobre su preparador físico Alex Ariza, que últimamente ha estado inmerso en polémicas en el boxeo, comentó que no le interesa lo que digan de su entrenador y este, ha estado haciendo muy buen trabajo: “Yo estoy contento con el trabajo de Alex, me siento muy bien. Físicamente fuerte y rápido y no siento que me castigó tanto para dar el límite de peso. El se encarga de todo eso. El me hace trabajar fuerte y mejor. Ya de las críticas que la gente opina, reporteros en contra de Alex no me molesta. Cada quien da su opinión y si no reconocen su trabajo o no lo conocen o simplemente no les gusta su trabajo es válido. Eso es una parte del trabajo necesaria. No quiero cambiar de equipo”.

A Miguel le gustaría enfrentar a Manny Pacquiao en un futuro pero no lo ve en un futuro próximo: “a mi si me gustaría Manny pero tendría que ser en el futuro, cuando yo esté listo. No pienso subir de peso asi nada más, tengo que crecer y embarnecer el cuerpo para estar satisfecho y fuerte y así poder competir con alguien como Manny. Tal vez en el futuro lo haga”.

Debutó como peso pluma y el 19 de enero del 2013, en este mismo peso, le ganó al entonces campeón Orlando Salido el título de la WBO. En su siguiente combate, perdió este mismo campeonato en la báscula contra Juan Manuel López y en la siguiente, subió de peso y noqueo a Román Martínez en el octavo round, y así, tuvo el vacante de peso súper pluma que defenderá el próximo sábado.

http://laaficion.milenio.com/box/Miguel_Angel_-Mikey-_Garcia-Juan_Carlos_Burgos-Alex_Ariza-OMB-Boxeo_0_231577210.html

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New York, NY   — “GARCIA READY TO GO” —  Undefeated WBO Jr. Lightweight champion and 2013 Fighter of the Year nominee Mikey Garcia shadow boxes during media day in New York City for his first defense of his new world title against  two-time world title challenger and current No. 1 contender Juan Carlos Burgos of Tijuana,Mexico.  Garcia vs  Burgos will take place on Saturday, January 25 and will be televised live from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, on HBO Boxing After Dark®. The Garcia – Burgos world championship event will be promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Banner Promotions, Thompson Boxing Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions, Warriors Boxing Promotions, Madison Square Garden and Tecate. Remaining tickets, priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online atwww.ticketmaster.comandwww.thegarden.com. Photos by Chris Farina/Top Rank.

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 http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-mikey-garcia-juan-carlos-burgos-media-day–73863

Jan. 20, 2014, New York,NY   --- "GARCIA HITS NY" ---  Undefeated WBO Jr. Lightweight champion and 2013 Fighter of the Year nominee Mikey Garcia arrives in New York City for his first defense of his new world title against  two-time world title challenger and current No. 1 contender Juan Carlos Burgos of Tijuana,Mexico.  Garcia vs  Burgos will take place on Saturday, January 25 and will be televised live from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, on HBO Boxing After Dark®. The Garcia - Burgos world championship event will be promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Banner Promotions, Thompson Boxing Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions, Warriors Boxing Promotions, Madison Square Garden and Tecate. Remaining tickets, priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (86 -858-0008), and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com.     --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2014             

By Chris Farina/Top Rank

Undefeated WBO Jr. Lightweight champion and 2013 Fighter of the Year nominee Mikey Garcia arrives in New York City for his first defense of his new world title against two-time world title challenger and current #1 contender Juan Carlos Burgos of Tijuana, Mexico. Garcia vs Burgos will take place on Saturday, January 25 and will be televised live from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, on HBO Boxing After Dark. The Garcia-Burgos world championship event will be promoted by Top Rank, in association with Banner Promotions, Thompson Boxing Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions, Warriors Boxing Promotions, Madison Square Garden and Tecate. Remaining tickets, priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com.

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La Academia de Boxeo Robert García en Oxnard, California abrió sus puertas a la prensa especializada para que “Mikey” García brindará entrevistas rumbo a la primera defensa de su título mundial superpluma avalado por la OMB, contra el primer retador, el mexicano Juan Carlos “Mini” Burgos que se llevara a cabo el próximo sábado, 25 de enero en el Teatro del Madison Square Garden en la Gran Manzana de Nueva York. El monarca de los superplumas fue de pocas palabras, y prefirió mostrar en el ring las armas que porta salir avante en la contienda contra Burgos un peleador de vasta experiencia pero que vio pasar sus mejores años el pugilismo rentado.

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http://boxeodenocautinforma.blogspot.com/2014/01/mikey-garcia-convivio-con-la-prensa_14.html

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By Salvador Rodriguez

WBO super featherweight champion Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28KOs), and his trainer/brother Robert Garcia, are taking no chances with the challenge of top contender Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-2, 20KOs). They are set to fight on January 25th at the Theater in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Garcia will be making the first defense of his WBO crown after winning the title from Roman Martinez in November. Burgos had a controversial draw with Martinez in January and then came back to a surprising lackluster draw with Yakubu Amidu in July.

“I think Burgos is a great fighter, a true warrior, and he’s has shown that in the ring, demonstrating that against ‘Rocky’ Martinez. No one deserves this fight more than him.  He is also a fighter who’s had a long journey where for many he’s wanted to be a world champion. And certainly [fighting at] junior lightweight is more complicated and therefore we will prepare thoroughly without taking anything for granted,” Robert Garcia said.

http://www.boxingscene.com/garcia-take-no-chances-with-juan-carlos-burgos–72921

Date:  November 9, 2013

Title:  WBO Jr. Lightweight Championship

Location:  Corpus Christi, Texas, USA

Promoter:  Top Rank

Supervisor:   Richard De Cuir

Referee:   Laurence Cole

Judges:   Oren Shellenberger , David Iacobucci, Levi Martinez

Results:    Mikey Garcia landed an eighth-round body-shot knockout against Rocky Martinez and won the WBO Junior Lightweight Title.

 

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Corpus Christi, Texas  —  “TRIPLEHEADER” —  Two-time WBO junior lightweight champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez, and undefeated challenger Mikey Garcia, work out during media day for their upcoming world championship tripleheader fight on Saturday, November 9.

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Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Foreman Boys Promotions, PR Best Boxing, Arthur Pelullo’s Banner Promotions, Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and Tecate, this world championship tripleheader will also feature 2012 Fighter of the Year and former world champion Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire ,former two-division world champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan , undefeated former U.S. Olympians — Vanes “The Nightmare” Martirosyan and Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade.

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All three fights will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.  — Photos by Chris Farina/Top Rank.

http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-mikey-garcia-roman-martinez-media-workouts–71362

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Photo: Chris Farina / Top Rank –

Undefeated former WBO featherweight champion Mikey Garcia poses at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy Tuesday in preparation for his upcoming world championship fight against two-time WBO junior lightweight champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez, Saturday, November 9 from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/mikey-garcia-update-3-230031

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Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios talks with undefeated former WBO featherweight champion Mikey Garcia and Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy Tuesday. Rios is preparing for his upcoming mega fight against superstar Manny Pacquiao at The Venetian Macao Resort in Macau, China which will be televised live in the US, Saturday, Nov. 23, 9pm ET/6pm PT on HBO Pay-Per-View. Rios will hold his only U.S. media workout this Thursday, October 31, at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, beginning at Noon PT. Photos by Chris Farina/Top Rank.

Garcia takes on two-time WBO junior lightweight champion ROMAN “Rocky” MARTINEZ while Donaire battles Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan, Saturday, November 9 from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

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http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-rios-donaire-garcia-preparing-bouts–71124

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By Ryan Burton –

BoxingScene.com recently spoke to former featherweight champion Orlando “Siri” Salido.  The Sonora, Mexico native is just days away from facing Orlando Cruz for the vacant WBO featherweight title.  Salido said that he had a great camp and is looking forward to returning to the ring.

“We had a great training camp.  I had to really work on my legs in camp.  I am not getting any younger and I have been through some difficult fights so I wanted to make sure I was ready.  My legs are ready to go and I feel great,” Salido explained.

Salido last fought in January when he lost a technical decision to Mikey Garcia. Salido was knocked down four times but was having his best round when the fight was stopped when Garcia’s nose was broken by an accidental headbutt.  After the fight Salido said that he planned on testing the waters at 130 pounds but said that this opportunity was too good to pass up.

“I wanted to move up to 130 but when this opportunity to fight for another title at 126 came up it was just to good to pass up.  If everything goes well we will move up after this fight,” Salido said.

The 32-year-old Salido feels like he has unfinished business with Garcia and would like to face him again in the future.  Garcia will make his debut in the super featherweight division when he faces Rocky Martinez for his WBO title on November 9th.

“I definitely want a rematch.  It has been on my mind.  Things like that (headbutts) happen in fights.  They are accidents.  I would definitely like to face him again at 130 pounds,” Salido told BoxingScene.com.

http://www.boxingscene.com/orlando-salido-wants-rematch-with-mikey-garcia-130–70424

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Carson, Calif.  —  (L-R) Undefeated former WBO featherweight champion Mikey Garcia, former world champion Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios and undefeated WBO World Welterweight  champion Timothy Bradley attend the Chavez Jr-Vera fight Saturday night at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank.
Garcia takes on two-time WBO junior lightweight champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez as part of an exciting HBO world championship tripleheader on Saturday, November 9 from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. Rios battles superstar Manny Pacquiao at The Venetian Macao Resort in Macau,China and which will be televised live in the US, Saturday, Nov. 23 on HBO Pay-Per-View®. Bradley goes up against four-division champion Juan Manuel Marquez also on HBO Pay-Per-View® , Oct 12 from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas,Nevada.

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El campeón junior ligero de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), Román “Rocky” Martínez y el ex monarca pluma de la OMB, Miguel Ángel “Mikey” García se vieron las caras esta tarde cuando se oficializó su choque del 9 de noviembre en el American Bank Center de Corpus Christi, Texas, en una presentación en Top Rank en asociación con PR Best Boxing Promotions, que será transmitida a través de la telecadena HBO.

Además de Martínez y García, también se presentaron los ex campeones mundiales Nonito Donaire y Vic Darchinyan, que estarán en el turno coestelar de la velada en un choque de revancha, durante una conferencia de prensa que se efectuó en la instalación tejana.

“Quiero agradecer a Top Rank y a HBO por la oportunidad y el 9 de noviembre subiré como campeón y bajaré del ring como campeón”, dijo Martínez. “Sé que la pelea contra Mikey García es difícil, pero voy a defender mi título y a demostrar que soy el campeón y que ese título se queda conmigo y con Puerto Rico”.

En su más reciente compromiso, Martínez (27-1-2, 16 KOs) defendió su cetro el pasado mes de abril en China con una victoria sobre el entonces invicto Diego Magdaleno. El púgil boricua ganó su correa en septiembre de 2012 al derrotar por decisión a Miguel Beltrán Jr., defendiéndolo en enero de 2013 cuando empató con Juan Carlos Burgos.

Mientras, García (32-0, 27 KOs) ganó su título pluma de la OMB en enero de 2013 con una victoria por decisión técnica sobre Orlan “Siri” Salido, pero cuando iba a su primera defensa, en junio, perdió el mismo en la báscula al no dar el peso para su pelea contra el ex monarca mundial Juan Manuel “Juanma” López, a quien noqueó en cuatro asaltos.

“Agradezco a Rocky Martínez y su grupo por darme esta oportunidad, que no pienso desaprovechar”, sostuvo García, primer clasificado de la OMB en las 130 libras. “Estaré en la mejor condición el 9 de noviembre para ganar mi segundo título mundial aquí en Corpus Christi”.

En el choque coestelar, Donaire (31-2, 20 KOs), ex campeón mundial en cuatro divisiones, se verá con el ex doble titular mundial Darchinyan (39-5-1, 28 KOs) en combate a 10 asaltos en el peso pluma. Hace seis años, Donaire noqueó a Darchinyan y le arrebató el cetro mosca de la FIB.

En otro interesante encuentro, el armenio Vanes Martirosyan (33-0-1, 21 KOs) y el estadounidense Demetrius Andrade (19-0, 13 KOs) se enfrentará por el título vacante junior mediano de la OMB. Martirosyan es el primer ranqueado y Andrade el segundo de la OMB en las 154 libras.

 http://boxaldia.com/2013/09/18/frente-a-frente-rocky-martinez-y-mikey-garcia-en-corpus-christi-texas/

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By Sharon Scrima –

Former WBO featherweight champion Mikey Garcia will be making his junior lightweight debut on November 9 in Corpus Christi, Texas to challenge Rocky Martinez for the WBO title, as reported by BoxingScene.com.

Garcia (32-0, 27 KO’s) attempts to make a run at junior lightweight after having been stripped of his featherweight title in June for failing to make weight for a title defense against Juan Manuel Lopez in Dallas. His struggle to make the 126-pound limit was well documented in the HBO coverage prior to the bout, a fight he won with ease by fourth round TKO over the poorly coordinated and shopworn Lopez.

Neither the move up in weight nor the opponent comes as a surprise, as Martinez (27-1-2, 16 KO’s) had been targeted as a potential future partner for Garcia even prior to the Lopez fight. Martinez retained the WBO junior lightweight belt with a disputed draw against Juan Carlos Burgos on the undercard of Garcia’s fight against Orlando Salido in January at Madison Square Garden, where the technically gifted and powerful boxer-puncher from Oxnard, California defeated Salido for the featherweight belt. The action was called to a halt in Round 8 after Garcia’s nose was broken by an unintentional headbutt, leading by a wide margin on all three scorecards to secure the victory.

This will be the third title defense for Martinez who beat Diego Magdaleno this past April in Macau by split decision. The 30-year old Puerto Rican champion possesses the straight ahead, come forward style that plays right into the hands of the talented Garcia and should make for an entertaining scrap while it lasts.

Martinez vs. Garcia is expected to be part of an HBO televised triple-header that will also feature the Nonito Donaire vs Vic Darchinyan rematch, plus Demetrius Andrade vs Vanes Martirosyan for the vacant WBO junior middleweight belt.

http://www.sportsmedia101.com/boxing/2013/09/09/mikey-garcia-to-return-on-november-9-against-rocky-martinez/

COMIENZAN LAS LABORES EN LA CONVENCION DE LA WBO 01

Por Carlos Narváez Rosario –

SAN JUAN — Luego de una jornada que culminó con un relajante paseo en la noche del miércoles por las riberas del Río Danubio, los directivos de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo se alistan para lo que será la sesión más activa y agitada de la Convención Anual que concluye el jueves en Budapest, Hungría.

La OMB tendrá tres importantes decisiones en sus manos: determinar si el mexicano Juan Manuel Márquez podrá retener su cinturón de campeón junior welter hasta luego de su cita titular con Timothy Bradley en el mes de octubre; decidir si la alegada defensa mandatoria del campeón junior ligero Román ‘Rocky’ Martínez ante Miguel Angel ‘Mikey’ García llegará o no al punto de una subasta, y finalmente, resolver si permitirán que el ex campeón olímpico ucraniano, Vassyl Lomachenko disputará en su debut profesional el título Internacional del peso pluma a diez asaltos.

El Comité de Campeonatos y Clasificaciones que es presidido por el abogado Luis Batista Salas, será el ente que atenderá está titánica sesión que incluye además la discusión de otros temas de gran importancia y en los que están envueltos los campeones de ese organismo.

“Mañana (jueves) discutiremos lo de Márquez y lo de ‘Rocky’ Martínez. Son los asuntos principales que tenemos en agenda”, dijo el presidente de la OMB, Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcárcel, mientras disfrutaba de un paseo en barco por el afluente más extenso de la Unión Europea acompañado de un buen número de ejecutivos de su organismo, promotores y otras figuras del deporte.

“Será una reunión muy interesante y en donde esperamos ver más gente. Tenemos muchas cosas que discutir, entre ellas también estará la aprobación del título Internacional de las 126 libras para Lomachenko que iría directo a disputar un título en su debut profesional, algo que en el boxeo moderno sería histórico”, añadió Valcárcel.

Los representantes de Márquez, García y Lomachenko, están en Hungría. El vicepresidente de Top Rank, Carl Moretti, estará presente en la discusión de los tres casos. Y los manejadores de los tres púgiles también.

Márquez, que irá el 12 de octubre tras la corona welter de la OMB que posee Timothy Bradley, fue emplazado recientemente por ese organismo, quien le solicitó que dejara vacante voluntariamente su título de las 140 libras para poder ser clasificado en las 147 libras. El mexicano sin embargo pidió a la OMB que se le permitiera decidir qué hacer con su corona luego de su pelea con Bradley. Actualmente, Mike Alvarado, quien enfrentará el 19 de octubre a Ruslan Provodnikov en Denver, Colorado, es el campeón interino de la OMB en las 140. La OMB alegó que Márquez no podrá cumplir con su defensa mandatoria y por lo tanto deberá permitir que Alvarado se convierta en campeón en propiedad.

En el caso del puertorriqueño ‘Rocky’ Martínez, que ha defendido ya dos veces su corona de las 130 libras éste año, Valcárcel alegó que su pelea con Diego Magdaleno el pasado mes de abril en China no era mandatoria por lo que deberá enfrentarse al número uno de la división, ‘Mikey’ García, ex campeón pluma que perdió su corona sobre la báscula el pasado 14 de junio, el día antes de lo iba a ser su primera defensa titular. Aun con el mayúsculo traspiés, la OMB colocó a García número uno en las 130. Ahora los dos apuntan a un choque el 9 de noviembre en Texas, pero según Valcárcel, de ambos púgiles no llegar a un acuerdo económico, el pleito será subastado.

En tanto, Lomachenko, considerado el mejor boxeador amateur de ésta década, y un doble medallista de oro olímpico, espera porque el Comité de Campeonatos le permita convertirse en el primer púgil del boxeo moderno en dar el salto a profesional e ir directo a un combate de título mundial. Una decisión a su favor convertiría su caso en uno histórico en el deporte de los guantes. Lomachenko podría enfrentar en su primera pelea al puertorriqueño Jonathan Oquendo durante el respaldo del cartel del 12 de octubre en el Thomas & Mack y que será estelarizado por el choque entre Márquez y Bradley.

Oquendo es un boxeador de mucha experiencia que en su recorrer ha enfrentado a púgiles de la talla de Juan Manuel López y Wilfredo Vázquez Jr.

Finalmente, otros temas a ser discutidos serán los choques mandatorios de los campeones mundiales: Wladimir Klitschko (peso pesado), Robert Stieglitz (súper mediano), Peter Quillin (mediano) y Ricky Burns (peso ligero).

http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=1886578&s=box&type=story

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El presidente de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo, Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcárcel, se manifestó en su cuenta de twitter sobre la posibilidad de que el campeón mundial súper pluma del organismo, el boricua Román “Rocky” Martínez no realice su próxima pelea ante el invicto Mikey García.

 

“Rocky Martínez tiene que hacer su pelea mandatoria vs Mikey García a más tardar en Octubre. De no haber acuerdo, se ordenará una subasta”, publicó su cuenta oficial de twitter el presidente del organismo, @PacoValcarcel.

 

En los últimos días, circuló la posibilidad de que Martínez buscara una pelea unificatoria contra el monarca FIB, Argenis Méndez o frente al cotizado cubano Yuriorkis Gamboa.

http://www.notifight.com/artman2/publish/Reporte_7/OMB_ordena_que_Rocky_se_mida_a_Garc_a.php