Photo: Top Rank –
Former world champion Nicholas Walters was mobbed by the media at Top Rank Gym. Walters is preparing for his fight against Vasyl Lomachenko on Saturday. The fight is for the WBO World super featherweight title and will be at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
By Ryan Burton
In just two days, boxing’s only eight division world champion and the reigning Fighter of the Decade Senator MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO (58-6-2, 38 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, collides with World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight world champion JESSIE VARGAS (27-1, 10 KOs), of Las Vegas. Pacquiao and Vargas will go mano a mano and toe-to-toe in a high-stakes welterweight showdown. Photos by Mikey Williams/Top Rank.
While Pacquiao will be looking to become a three-time WBO welterweight champion as well as the first senator to win a world title, Vargas will be resolute in enforcing a term limit on the future Hall of Famer’s boxing career.
Pacquiao vs. Vargas takes place This Saturday! November 5 at the Thomas & Mack Center, on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Pacquiao vs. Vargas and its three co-main event world title fights will be produced and distributed live by Top Rank® Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT, and will be available on all conventional platforms, including all major cable and satellite systems, as well as Top Rank’s digital distribution via www.TopRank.tv and mobile devices.
The three additional world championship fights on the pay-per-view telecast include: four-division world champion NONITO “The Filipino Flash” DONAIRE (37-3, 24 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, defending his WBO junior featherweight title against undefeated No. 1 contender JESSIE MAGDALENO (23-0, 17 KOs), from Las Vegas; and newly-minted WBO featherweight champion and two-time Mexican Olympian ÓSCAR VALDEZ (21-0, 18 KOs), from Nogales, Mexico, making his first title defense, against No. 1 contender HIROSHIGE OSAWA (30-3-4, 19 KOs), from Osaka, Japan.
The pay-per-view telecast will open with the rematch between top-rated contenders Chinese Olympic icon ZOU SHIMING (8-1, 2 KOs), from Guizhou, China, and PRASITAK PAPOEM (39-1-2, 24 KOs), of Buriram, Thailand, battling for the vacant WBO flyweight world title. Zou a two-time Olympic gold medalist trained by Freddie Roach, will have his hands full against Prasitak, who enters this fight riding a two-year, 12-bout winning streak, with all of his victories coming by way of knockout.
www.boxingscene.com/video-wbo-prez-on-canelo-saunders-parker-ruiz-more–110392?print_friendly=1
A few days away from the biggest fight of his career, Jessie Vargas is supremely confident he will pull off an upset against former eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao and become boxing’s next big star.
“I’ve prepared for this moment for so long. It’s the only thing on my mind, every day when I wake up and when I go to sleep,” Vargas, 27, said by phone. “I have a great team behind me, and things could not be any better.”
Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs), the WBO welterweight champion, and Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs), the first-term Filipino senator who is coming out of a short retirement, are promoted by Top Rank, which, in addition to marketing the fight, is handling its own pay-per-view telecast (Saturday, 9p.m. ET) from Thomas & Mack Center in Vargas’ hometown of Las Vegas.
Despite the fact that Pacquiao, 37, is a 7-1 favorite, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum thinks Vargas, a decade younger than his opponent and several inches taller, has a great chance to defeat Pacquiao, who has not won by a knockout in seven years.
“The reason is that Manny has been consumed by all of this talk that he has to become a knockout guy again, he has to go all out to sustain his popularity,” Arum said, “so Manny will go after Jessie and be very, very careless. … If Manny is going to go in there with the intention of knocking out Jessie and being very aggressive, that gives Jessie the best opportunity to win the fight.
“He becomes not just a champion but a superstar. I will deny to him that I said that because I will have to negotiate his next fight,” Arum said, laughing. “He would be a superstar, there is no question about that, if he were to beat Manny Pacquiao.
“I don’t know who is going to win, but I’m confident it’ll be by knockout. Jessie has a hell of a shot to win.”
If that happens, Vargas says, a star will be born. “That’s what’s going to make me into a household name and Top Rank’s main guy in the stable,” he says.
Vargas’ confidence comes from his newfound power, which the fighter credits to the training methods of his new team, led by head trainer Dewey Cooper.
Until his last two fights, Vargas was considered a light-hitting boxer with a low knockout rate.
But in June 2015, after getting outboxed most of the way by Timothy Bradley, Vargas connected with a right hand late in the 12th round that seemingly had the former champion wobbly and out on his feet. Vargas went for the kill, but referee Pat Russell mistook the 10-second warning for the final bell and ended the fight eight to 10 seconds early. Thinking Russell had stopped the fight and he had won, Vargas celebrated. He thought he could’ve been the first to stop Bradley with the extra time but ended up losing a unanimous decision for his only career loss.
In April in Washington, D.C., Vargas fought undefeated former Olympian Sadam Ali for the vacant WBO belt. With Cooper in his corner for the first time, Vargas stopped Ali in the ninth round, and suddenly people began talking about Vargas’ power.
Yet few give him a chance against future Hall of Famer Pacquiao, who will try to win back the belt he once held. Many experts, including those in the media, think Vargas has little or no shot.
“People are underestimating my power, and possibly if Manny underestimates my power it’s going to backfire on him,” Vargas said. “Everybody got a taste of the new and improved Jessie Vargas early this year when I captured my second world title and will see an even better Jessie Vargas Nov. 5. Not even I have seen myself this strong and this fast. And it all has to do with my team.”
Pacquiao, who trained for the fight around his Senate sessions, is not taking Vargas lightly.
“Vargas is a world champion, and you can never underestimate a boxer who is a champion,” Pacquiao said. “He is good. I just have to make sure that I am 100% ready for the fight”.
August 1, 2016
Frank Warren, Queensberry Promotions
Bob Arum, Top Rank, Inc.
Re: Negotiations for Mandatory WBO Lightweight Title Bout Between Terry Flanagan vs. Felix Verdejo
Gentlemen:
Please be advised the parties have 20 days to negotiate an agreement for the Mandatory WBO Lightweight Championship bout between Terry Flanagan and Felix Verdejo. If an accord is not reached within the time frame, a Purse Bid will be ordered.
The minimum acceptable bid for the Lightweight division is $150,000.00 (One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars).
Any one of the parties involved may call for a Purse Bid at any time during the negotiation process.
Yours truly,
Luis Batista Salas, Esq.
C/c: Francisco Valcarcel
Photos: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
By Bill Dwyre –
As of mid-afternoon Tuesday, Oscar Valdez knew he was fighting Saturday night in the co-main event of the Terence Crawford-Viktor Postol boxing card. What he didn’t know was exactly what he was fighting for, other than a nice paycheck and another step forward in his career.
His was the World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight (126 pounds) title fight that maybe wasn’t going to be a title fight. And maybe it was. With three days to go before the event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, there was a hint of Abbott and Costello and “Who’s on First.”
Valdez will fight Matias “La Cobrita” Rueda immediately before Crawford and Postol vie for the 140-pound WBO and World Boxing Council (WBC) title unification belts, and advance publicity material had listed the Valdez-Rueda bout as a title fight. Except one thing stood in the way.
Vasyl Lomachenko.
Lomachenko has quickly become the Manny Pacquiao of the 126 and 130-pound divisions. When he knocked out Roman “Rocky” Martinez June 11, he became the WBO junior lightweight (130 pounds) champion. That was in his seventh professional fight. He was already the WBO’s 126-pound champion. So, with a record of 6-1, the Ukrainian had become the fastest ever to win two world titles. His success was no surprise, just the speed of it. As an amateur, he had won World Championships in 2009 and 2011 and Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012.
His victory over Martinez presented him with a dilemma. Would he stay at 126 pounds or vacate that title and keep the 130 pound belt?
His Lithuanian manager, Egis Klimas, was at Top Rank Promotion’s gym Tuesday afternoon, watching another of his fighters. He said Lomachenko was undecided, but had been given 60 days before announcing what he would do with his 126-pound title. That would take decision time into early August, and leave the Valdez-Rueda fight as a match made in Limbo.
“I don’t know what will happen,” Klimas said, “but I think we will likely go to the 130-pound division. More big names there.”
That was just before 2 p.m.
Shortly after, Valdez was interviewed and had no idea himself. He was asked if it wasn’t a tough dilemma, going into a fight not knowing exactly what was at stake.
“Not at all,” he said. “I’m here to fight. I take it all very seriously. I expect a war every time I go out there. That’s all I’m thinking about. I’ve heard a lot of things about how this will surely be a title fight, but a lot of that comes from people who really don’t know.
“I just want to fight. That’s all that’s on my mind.”
Of course, a few minutes later in the interview, Valdez said, “My dream is to become a champion.”
So, Lomachenko’s manager didn’t know. Valdez didn’t know. Presumably Rueda, himself in line to win a title by beating Valdez, didn’t know.
But somebody in a high place did.
At 3:30, Bob Arum, Top Rank’s chief executive, in response to a phone call, said, “It’s a title fight. All set. Lomachenko is vacating to 130 pounds.”
There was no desire to hear of the politics and arm-twisting that achieved that. Watch the Netflix series “House of Cards” and you’ll get the picture. This is boxing. Knowing too many details means somebody might have to kill you.
The good news is that, at least by Wednesday’s final press conference, Valdez, Rueda and even Lomachenko’s manager, Klimas, will know, and the world of boxing, like the soap opera, will keep turning.
The best part of that is that Valdez, an unbeaten 25-year-old with a 19-0 record that includes 17 knockouts, will be in a spotlight he deserves.
Like Lomachenko, he is a two-time Olympian and as popular in Mexico as he is fast-rising in his division. When he lost to Lomachenko in the semifinals of 2009 World Championships in Milan, Italy, it got him a bronze medal and made him the first from his country to get a medal in that event. When he lost to Irishman Johnny Joe Nevin in the London Olympics, in a match that would have achieved at least a bronze medal with a victory, he wanted that so badly for his country that he was devastated.
“My world fell on me that day,” Valdez said. “I thought I had won. When the fight ended, I went to my corner and looked at my trainer. He is an honest guy. He tells me when he thinks I have lost. I could see it in his face. He thought we won a bronze medal.”
Valdez had missed the opening ceremonies because he had to fight the next day. He missed the closing ceremonies “because I was too sad.” He also missed both in Beijing, for similar reasons.
“I regret that now,” he said. “You cannot be a sore loser.
He said two things really picked him up in the aftermath of that near miss at an Olympic medal in London.
“When we got back to Mexico City,” he said, “the people just lifted me. Mexicans can be tough critics, but they seemed to understand that I had done my best and they treated me so well.”
The reaction of his opponent, Nevin, after that bronze-medal match, also helped.
“He sent out a tweet,” Valdez said, “that said: ‘It is an honor to win over a future pro world champ.’ ”
Valdez said he will watch the Rio Olympics with great interest, “because I have friends on the boxing team who wanted to make it in 2012 and now are there.”
But first things first. He has a big fight Saturday night. It will be on the HBO Pay-Per-View telecast. A victory will mean an impressive 20-0 start as a pro.
And, oh yes. How could we forget? It is for a world title.
By Steve Kim
Back in March of 2014, in what was just his second professional outing, former two-time Olympic gold medal winner Vasyl Lomachenko (6-1, 4KOs) was out-pointed over twelve rounds by then WBO featherweight titlist Orlando Salido (43-13-4, 30KOs).
It was a fight not only marred by numerous low blows that were landed by the Mexican, but Salido failed to make the 126-pound weight limit and lost his belt on the scales.
Three months later in his very next fight, Lomachenko captured the vacant WBO championship with a twelve round majority decision over Gary Russell Jr.
Salido on the other hand moved up in weight to capture the WBO title at super featherweight with a knockout of Orlando Cruz in October of 2013. He would go on to lose that title to Roman Martinez last April.
Lomachenko on June 11th impressively halted Martinez to win the WBO 130-pound title.
And if it were up to Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum, Lomachenko would be getting another crack at the wily Salido (who’s coming off a memorable slugfest against WBC featherweight champion Francisco Vargas – that was ruled a draw).
Salido himself is pushing for the fight and Lomachenko hungers to avenge the only defeat of his professional career.
”We’re looking to bring (Lomachenko) back in October and we’re looking at – among others – Orlando Salido as a big possibility,” said the veteran promoter, who mentioned that HBO has promised him another date from the Ukrainian stylist.
“Orlando wants to fight him, Orlando has a victory over him. That should be a terrific fight, say for StubHub (Center).”
www.boxingscene.com/arum-looks-make-lomachenko-salido-ii-possibly-stubhub–106862?print_friendly=1
Félix Verdejo sacude a Juan José Martínez con un derechazo al rostro durante si combate celebrado el 11 de junio de pasado en el Teatro del Madison Square Garden. (Archivo / GFR Media)
Ricky Márquez no es de los que cruza el río antes de llegar al puente.
Pero parece que -en el caso de su pupilo Félix Verdejo-, ya Márquez puede ver el puente en el horizonte.
El puente se llama Terry Flanagan.
“Ya estamos hablando con el promotor de Flanagan (Frank Warren) y está muy receptivo a nuestra propuesta”, dijo anoche a El Nuevo Día Bob Arum, fundador de Top Rank, la empresa que tiene a Verdejo bajo contrato promocional, agregando que no tienen fecha para el encuentro, preliminarmente proyectado para principios del 2017.
El británico Flanagan es campeón mundial de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB) en las 135 libras y un púgil muy popular en su país natal, Reino Unido. Tiene marca de 30-0, con 12 nocauts. Su victoria de más relieve fue el 10 de octubre pasado en Manchester, Inglaterra. Esa noche noqueó aparatosamente al cotizado contendiente Diego Magdaleno, (28-2, 12 nocauts) en el segundo round.
El mexicoamericano llegó a la pelea con Flanagan cargando solo un revés profesional, vía cerrada decisión dividida ante el entonces campeón boricua Román “Rocky” Martínez.
Flanagan también noqueó en dos asaltos al mexicoamericano José Zepeda, quien llegó a esa pelea con marca de 23-0 y 20 triunfos por nocauts.
Flanagan tiene señalada una defensa titular este sábado en Cardif, Gales, ante Mzonke Fana (38-9, 16 nocauts).
Por su parte, a Ricky Márquez, entrenador y manejador de Verdejo, le gusta la idea de que la primera cita titular de Verdejo sea con el campeón mundial de Manchaster.
“En mi pensar, (Verdejo) está listo. El pollito está curtido, está ‘ready’ para las peleas grandes, las de título mundial. Y definitivamente en las 135 (libras”, sostuvo Márquez.
“Flanagan es un buen peleador, zurdo, de buenos recursos técnicos. Aunque no tiene record de pegador, a Diego Magdaleno lo noqueó feo temprano en la pelea. Pero para ese tipo de reto nos estamos preparando”.
Contra Juan Díaz la próxima
Antes de retar a Flanagan, el peleador de Las Gladiolas deberá vencer al rudo veterano tejano Juan Díaz (41-4, 20 nocauts), quien fue el campeón mundial unificado en las 135 libras de 2007 a 2008. “Esa pelea será parte de la cartelera de Manny Pacquiao en octubre”, explicó Arum.
Por su parte, Márquez dijo que mucho depende de cómo luzca su pupilo ante Díaz. Tras evaluar su desempeño ante Díaz, podrían optar por otra pelea preparatoria para Félix, antes de la oportunidad titular ante Flanagan.
Local o visitante
Márquez también expresó que están dispuestos a viajar a Inglaterra para retar a Flanagan.
“Todo es negociable. El campeón es él . A nosotros nos encantaría que fuera acá. Pero si esa es la única manera de ganar el campeonato vamos a donde sea”, aseveró el entrenador y manejador. “Yo estoy seguro de que mi gallo no extraña gallinero. Félix pelea bien aquí en Puerto Rico o donde sea”.
Sin embargo, Arum indicó que retar al campeón en su cancha no es la única opción.
“En las conversaciones que hemos tenido al respecto, Frank Warren ha lucido muy interesado en la pelea, y dispuesto a enfrentar a Verdejo en Estados Unidos”, sostuvo Arum.
Para la pelea con Díaz, la idea de Márquez es que Verdejo (22-0, 15 nocauts) se acuartele de nuevo, tal y como lo hizo para su parada pelea, contra Juan José Martínez, a quien noqueó en 5 asaltos en su última salida, el 11 de junio en el Teatro del Madison Square Garden de Manhattan.
http://www.elnuevodia.com/deportes/boxeo/nota/conelojopuestoenelviejomundoverdejo-2220728/
Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
WBO junior welterweight world champion Terence Crawford was joined by Top Rank’s Carl Moretti and co-manager and head trainer Bryan McIntyre in a roundtable with reporters. Here’s what he had to say in advance of his world title clash against WBC champion Viktor Postol on July 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The bout will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View.
What did you think about Viktor Postol’s performance against Lucas Matthysse and did it surprise you at all?
I feel as though Postol did what he needed to do to win. I think he did a lot of holding and using his elbows that the ref didn’t see. But all in all he did what he had to do to get the job done. I picked him to win in that fight anyway so it was a good victory.
There have been stories about Manny Pacquiao coming back and you were mentioned as an opponent recently. Does it up the stakes for you since he may return?
I am not thinking about Manny Pacquiao at all. I am focusing on Viktor Postol and that’s it – that is all.
There were blogs that went out on Tuesday where you were complimentary of Postol but he was not of you. Going as far as saying Matthysse was better than you…
Well, that’s what he is supposed to say. He is supposed to say he is going to destroy anybody that he is going to step in the ring with, but to my knowledge, I don’t care what he says because come July 23rd he is going to have to show me, he is not going to just be able to tell you. He knew who to fight. He had the option of fighting either me or Matthysse and he thought Matthysse was the easier fight because he knew if he was going to fight Terence Crawford he knew what was going to happen.
You two have a common opponent – Hank Lundy. You stopped him and Postol beat him by decision – does that give you any more confidence coming into the fight?
No, styles make fights. That was a few years back and I don’t look at it as a confidence booster. I just know my skills and my ability in the ring – I believe that I am going to get the job done on July 23rd.
You have 20 knockouts to his 12 – do you feel you have the advantage in power?
I feel, all around, I can do whatever I want in there. If I have to box, I box. If I have to brawl, I brawl. If I have to trade, I trade. In those types of fights, I have the power to back you up. All in all, I feel like my IQ is what takes me to the next level.
Does the rough type style, like Yuriorkis Gamboa and like Postol, bother you and how do you overcome it?
Not at all. I just be myself and stay relaxed. Stay composed and do what I came to do. Do what we’ve been working on in camp and everything else will fall into place. The approach is to go in there and do what we have been working on. Each fight is different and every fighter is different. Gamboa was a real crafty fighter and so is Postol, but Postol poses a different threat than Gamboa so we will have to see what he poses on fight night.
Do you plan to go southpaw often and how do you prepare for his jab?
We just have to see how the fight goes. It’s funny how all of the people are giving Postol all of the credit for his jab but nobody is talking about how good my jab is. So I’m loving it. I’m loving it. I’m loving it how everyone is talking about how good his jab is.
Why are you training in Colorado Springs. Is it to get away from home?
We have been training in Colorado Springs for about four years – so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We have been having good success out there. You get away and we get to have a great camp. Plus the high altitude gives us a little edge.
When you go to that altitude for camp, how long does it take for you to adjust? Those are serious runs at serious altitude?
I adjust real quick since I am used to going out there. The first couple of days and the first couple of workouts you feel it but then your body gets acclimated to the climate.
Are you worried about Postol’s grabbing, holding tactics?
That’s not my problem and I can’t be concerned about it. I can just hope the referee notices it and does something about it.
Would you say Postol is a dirty fighter?
I wouldn’t say that he is dirty. He fights to win. He is trying to do whatever he can to win. Some things are not allowed and some things some referees let you do more than others.
Pacquiao coming back…last year it was mentioned you were not well known enough to fight Pacquiao on pay-per-view. What do you think this fight will do for you?
It will help me tremendously, but again, I am not thinking about that fight right now or whether I may be fighting him or if I put on a good show. My main focus is Viktor Postol.
Carl Moretti: It is the meaning of when you get the best two guys fighting each other the winner comes out as the best in the division and unfortunately in boxing we don’t get that a lot. So you have a unified champion who is clearly the best fighter in the division and I think what you’ll see is a lot of talk about Terence being in the top three pound-for-pound after this, because of the accomplishment. It’s not just to unify the title or to try to unify the title. If the title-holder is kind of weak – and I don’t mean to put down other fighters or other champions – but there are champions out there that really, from talent, just aren’t that good or as good as they can be. With Postol, everybody’s eyes opened up when he knocked out Matthysse, who apparently was the second coming of Carlos Monzon – I don’t know where that came from, but that ended quickly, and if Crawford does what he is capable of doing, I think his value clearly skyrockets by beating another champion that is well-respected. You hear other champions say “I want to unify” and you don’t even know who the other champion is in the division. Take the same meaning here – Crawford-Postol means a lot. If Crawford beats Postol it means a lot.
Before this fight was made, was it a priority for you to unify the titles? Some want to fight the best, some want to unify…where do you stand?
I just want to fight and be recognized as the best in my division. That’s it. So if going through Postol means that’s how I get there, then so be it. But from the standpoint of my division, I want to fight all of them, until I move up.
Do you feel like you would want to continue to unify or is it not a big deal to you?
Well, I don’t know. Right now it is not. All of my focus is on Postol. I don’t worry about all of the extra things that is around the division right now.
Do you worry about Postol’s height advantage? It is about three inches and that plus the reach could be concerning…
I have fought a lot of tall opponents in my career. This is not the first tall opponent that I have ever fought and it’s not going to be something new to me. It’s not going to be something that I have never seen before. So I am not concerned about his height or his jab or anything because I have seen it before.
Do you view this fight as the biggest of your career so far?
Of course – this is a very big fight for me at a very critical time of my career. This fight is more meaningful than the Gamboa fight, at the moment, because this fight can take me to that next level beyond the level that I’m on right now. This fight means a lot and I do look at it as the biggest fight of my career to date.
Did you have any reaction when you heard that Manny Pacquiao was coming back?
No, not at all. I didn’t even worry about it and I didn’t care and I didn’t even know because that’s not my main focus.
Since this is your first fight on pay-per-view, do you feel like your name is getting out there more?
I don’t really know how to answer that because I feel like my name is out there already, but I do feel like my name could be bigger than it is. But at the same time, that is not something that I focus on, that is something that will develop in time. I promote my self as well as my promoters who promote me.
In the documentary you mentioned how you got a second chance after being shot in the head. Is that something you think about all the time?
Yes, of course. I don’t think about it a lot, because I like to put it in the past and put it behind me and move on with my life. But sometimes I do think about how I got a second chance and make the best of it.
How did it feel having HBO follow you around Omaha and talk to your family, something that a lot of fighters don’t have happen to them?
It was pretty cool to see myself on HBO and to see all the things that they do in making the special and I was happy to be a part of it.
Do you have a new hope of getting in the ring with Manny Pacquiao if you defeat Postol?
I’m not worried about that now so I don’t think about it.
How do you think your mother and grandmother did on the HBO show? They didn’t seem to be camera shy at all…
They did good (laughing).
Bryan, we have spoken to Terence about Postol’s antics – holding and elbows…do you do anything in preparation for that or do you just overlook it?
Bryan McIntyre: Me and the other coaches (Coach Saul and Red), we sat down and talked about it and we are going to let referee Tony Weeks know that we are very concerned about whet he does in the ring.
With boxing being so heavily localized in major urban areas, Terence Crawford‘s rise out of Omaha, Nebraska, is frankly remarkable. Even more impressive, though, is Crawford’s commitment to his home city and state, which have hosted a slew of his fights and impressed the larger boxing community with their devotion to their most famous pugilist.
This summer, Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who promotes Terence Crawford, decided to gamble. Arum, who desperately and correctly wanted to see Crawford in a major unification fight, will take the Pay-Per-View plunge because HBO’s standard operating budget could not accommodate the price tag for Crawford’s fight against WBC 140-pound champion Viktor Postol.
Arum is banking on the fact that at this juncture, boxing fans have seen enough impressive performances from Terence Crawford to justify Pay-Per-View, but more importantly, it allows the most intriguing fight at junior welterweight to take place.
But with Terence Crawford as a Pay-Per-View novice, and Viktor Postol as a relative unknown outside of hardcore boxing circles, HBO will have to utilize all of their marketing savvy to sell the fight. And given that Crawford has such an intriguing backstory, he’s an ideal place to start.
“Terence Crawford: My Fight” will premier on Saturday, July 9. Here are some details, which The Living Daylights received via press release from HBO Sports:
Three years ago, Terence Crawford was a largely unknown prospect. Born and raised in the hardscrabble section of Omaha, Neb., the emerging fighter was a last-minute replacement to face Breidis Prescott in a junior welterweight showdown. Since winning that match in impressive fashion, “Bud” Crawford has experienced nothing but success, capturing world titles in two weight classes and developing into a star performer.
On July 23, he risks his undefeated record (28-0, 20 KOs) against battle-tested Viktor Postol (28-0, 12 KOs), who is also unbeaten, in a junior welterweight unification title clash.
The special visits Crawford’s hometown, where the devoted family man is idolized by fans.
Credit: Photo by Getty Images
And here’s some information about the various playdates:
Other HBO playdates: July 10 (10:45 p.m.), 11 (1:00 a.m.), 15 (3:30 p.m.), 17 (1:00 p.m.), 19 (8:45 a.m., 3:30 p.m.), 21 (6:00 p.m., 12:35 a.m.) and 23 (5:15 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 12 (12:40 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), 15 (1:00 a.m.), 16 (1:25 p.m.), 20 (10:45 a.m.), 22 (5:15 p.m., 12:45 a.m.) and 23 (12:30 p.m.)
www.theliving.daylights.co/2016/07/04/terence-crawford-my-fight-trailer-and-episode-details/
Andy Lee hasn’t fought since December, but the former middleweight titlist is ready to get back in the ring this fall. Chris Farina/Top Rank
A few notes from around the boxing world:
www.espn.com.au/blog/dan-rafael/post/_/id/16209/notes-andy-lee-eyes-fall-return-and-big-names
Photos: Mikey Williams / Top Rank –
In just his seventh pro fight, WBO featherweight world champion Vasyl Lomachenko (6-1, 3 KOs) became a two-weight world champion by dethroning WBO junior lightweight world champion Rocky Martinez (29-2-2, 17 KOs) with spectacular five round KO on Saturday night at the Theater at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Lomachenko demonstrated his superb speed and movement as he dominated Martinez before knocking him out with a left uppercut / right hook combination. Time was 1:09.
By Chris Williams: Top Rank will be sending their light welterweight champions Terence Crawford (28-0, 20 KOs) and Viktor Postol (28-0, 12 KOs) into the ring next month in their first headlining fight on HBO pay-per-view at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Crawford will be defending his WBO title and Postol have his WBC belt on the line for the fight.
You can argue that neither of these fighters is even remotedly popular enough to be headlining a PPV event on HBO. However, there were not available dates on regular HBO for them to fight this year, so Top Rank promoter Bob Arum chose to put the fight on PPV.
Crawford, 28, is hoping to become the next superstar in the sport. The bad news is that Crawford probably won’t able to become a super star in the Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao sense if he’s stuck fighting at 140 against the guys he’s been facing in the last two years.
I think it’s going to be very hard for Crawford to become a superstar fighting the likes of Hank Lundy, Dierry Jean and Thomas Dulorme. I think Crawford can become the next Ruslan Provodnikov or Lamont Peterson type star, but not a superstar if he’s limited to fighting lesser fringe level opposition.
“This is just the beginning. It’s my first pay-per-view and I want to put on a great performance. I want to be the next superstar,” Crawford said to fightnews.com.
I wish I could agree with Crawford that the Postol fight was the beginning of him becoming the next superstar. I don’t see that being the reality for Crawford. For him to become the next star in boxing along the lines of Mayweather or even Gennady Golovkin, I think he would need to fight ALL of these fighters and beat them all:
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez
Adrien Broner
Danny Garcia
Keith Thurman
Amir Khan
Shawn Porter
Tim Bradley
Kell Brook
Gennady Golovkin
Jermall Charlo
Jermell Charlo
Erislandy Lara
David Lemieux
Billy Joe Saunders
Lamont Peterson
Liam Smith
Errol Spence
The basic problem Crawford has is he’s probably not going to ever fight any of those guys. I honestly cannot see Crawford ever fighting any of the above mentioned names from my list, and that’s too bad because if Crawford could sweep through that entire list, he would be a star, a huge star. It’s one those things where Crawford would need to beat 17 top fighters before his career finishes up before he can become a star. I do not see Crawford’s promoter Bob Arum being able to negotiate fights with the promoters for those fighters.
Golovkin probably would never agree to fight Crawford in the first place because it would be a stiaution where he would get no credit for beating up in a 140lb fighter that looks as thin as Crawford. But for the sake of argument if a fight did take place between Golovkin and Crawford, I think it would be a pure wipeout with Golovkin destroying Crawford. The same if Crawford got put in with the Charlo brothers. Crawford doesn’t have the blinding hand speed and defensive skills of someone like Mayweather to beat guys in divisions above his natural weight class at 140. So if you throw Crawford in with the Charlo brothers, Canelo or even someone like Lemieux, I think it would end badly for Crawford.
In getting back to my point about Crawford wanting to become the next superstar in the sport, I do not think he’s going to get the chance to make that happen in the present climate in the sport. If all the promoters were willing to work with one another, then maybe Crawford could become a superstar, but only if he beat all the guys on my list.
Do I really think a slender fighter like Crawford can beat the likes Thurman, Canelo, Golovkin, Errol Spence, the Charlo brothers, Lara and Lemiuex? No, I don’t think so. I think Crawford would be beaten by most if not all of them. I think Crawford is a very good fighter at light welterweight, but asking him to beat bigger fighters with a more solid build and superior punching power would be too much to ask. I think Crawford would get destroyed by all of them. We kind of got a hint at Crawford’s limitations in his fights against Yuriorkis Gamboa and Thomas Dulorme. Both fighters were working Crawford over pretty well and even had him hurt. The question you have to ask is how can Crawford become a superstar if he can’t even dominate the likes of Dulorme and Gamboa?
www.boxingnews24.com/2016/06/terence-crawford-vs-viktor-postol-battle-stardom/
Vasyl Lomachenko is chasing a world title in a second weight division
The Ukrainian amassed a freakish amateur record of 396-1 before turning professional in 2013 at the age of 25.
Having won the WBO world featherweight title in his third fight in the paid ranks, Lomachenko is moving up to challenge the same governing body’s 130lb champion Martinez (29-2-3-KO17).
Roman Martinez is the man defending against Lomachenko
If Lomachenko justifies favouritism and seizes the Puerto Rican’s crown in New York, he will have a short timeframe to decide which division he wishes to compete at for the foreseeable future.
In an interview reported on boxingscene.com, his promoters at Top Rank said: “Vasyl Lomachenko is the featherweight champ. He will enter the ring as champ.
“If he is victorious in challenging Rocky Martinez and winning the WBO 130lb title, he’ll have 10 days to decide what weight he will be campaigning at. If he loses or fights to a draw, he’ll return to his featherweight reign.”
Lomachenko, 28, said: “I’ve never had a problem making featherweight. Of course, it wasn’t easy but it also was never an issue. As far as moving to 130, I got tired of waiting for the other champions, none of whom wanted to fight me.
“I’m hopeful that with the move to 130lbs will come better fights, particularly against the other champions so we can make our dream of becoming undisputed champion.”
Besides Martinez, the super-featherweight champions are Panama’s WBA king Jezreel Corrales, Mexico’s WBC holder Francisco Vargas and Puerto Rico’s IBF champion Jose Pedraza, who recently defended his title against Liverpool’s Stephen Smith.
The sensational crowd of over 23,000 who watched WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire successfully defend his title with a dominating 3rd round TKO over No. 4 ranked former Hungarian Olympian Zsolt Bedak and the huge 25.4 TV ratings on ABS-CBN Channel 2 has attracted the attention of Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who had to skip the fight because of a bad back but sent executive producer Brad Jacobs to represent him and saw how ALA Promotions and ABS-CBN combined to present a world class event.
The result is Top Rank wants to continue to relationship in staging Donaire’s next title defense also at the sprawling Cebu Sports Center or in Dubai where ALA Promotions and ABS-CBN have staged highly successful “Pinoy Pride” events in the past at the International Trade Center.
However, if the next title defense of the five division world champion is staged in Dubai it will be at one of the larger venues in the United Arab Emirates.
The two possible opponents are both handled by Top Rank – WBO No. 1 ranked super bantamweight, unbeaten Jessie Magdaleno or undefeated featherweight Oscar Valdez who has a fight lined up for him on July 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena possibly against WBO featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko which leaves Magdaleno as the possible challenger especially after he told Steve Kim of Boxing Scene “I would love a crack at Donaire next, “who’s record now stands at 22-0(16 KO’s).
Magdaleno said “I’ve been waiting for awhile and now that he (Nonito) has a WBO title, I want it even more.”
Magdaleno’s complemented Donaire as “a great fighter, I feel like he did what he did in boxing already and he put on a great show Friday night (when he beat Cesar Juarez to win the vacant title but I feel like his time is done and it’s time for the new generation to make their mark in the history books and in boxing and feel like that fighter who can do that.”
Magdaleno’s manager Frank Espinoza told BoxingScene.com that he and promoter Bob Arum had spoken about a possible title fight and they both liked the idea saying” I think Jessie is more than ready to step up at this point.”
Both Donaire and Magdaleno are promoted by Top Rank but Arum said that while he is more than willing to make the fight he has one condition that “We have to have a clear understanding and a program that (Jessie) is going to be able to make the 122 limit because his last three or four fights he’s been way over the limit and we can’t tolerate that.”
In his last fight on October 17th Magdaleno came in at 127.5 pounds stopping Filipino Vergel Nebron in one round and Arum insisted “I’m not going ahead with that fight unless I have complete assurances plus a plan, a nutritionist, that he’s going to make the fight.”
But the veteran promoter likes the idea of this match-up saying “I like the fight because it’s a fight that resonates in Las Vegas, both of the guys live in Vegas.” As for when Magdaleno fights again the 24-year old southpaw explained, “It’s in the works, right now.“
“I moved up to 130 because nobody at 126 wanted to fight me,” WBO featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko told Crystina Poncher of Top Rank.
Credito Fotos por Ed Mudholland/Top Rank –
Los monarcas mundiales Román “Rocky” Martínez de Puerto Rico, y Vasyl Lomachenko, de Ucrania, se vieron cara a cara por primera vez hoy en ruta a su combate del sábado, 11 de junio, en el Teatro del Madison Square Garden de Nueva York en una trasmisión de HBO.
Martínez (29-2-3, 17 KOs) expondrá su título junior ligero de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB) ante el campeón pluma de la OMB, Lomachenko (5-1, 3 KOs), en el turno estelar del programa que oficializó esta tarde la compañía Top Rank en conferencia de prensa efectuada en La Gran Manzana. La cartelera, que cobrará vida en la víspera de la tradicional Parada Puertorriqueña en Nueva York, tendrá además al clasificado mundial peso ligero Félix “Diamante” Verdejo (21-0, 14 KOs) defendiendo su cetro Latino de la OMB ante el mexicano Juan José “Piquet” Martínez (25-2, 17 KOs) en el choque coestelar.
“Tengo un gran reto con Vasyl Lomachenko el 11 de junio. Sé que es una pelea difícil, pero no imposible y estoy haciendo los ajustes necesarios para propinarle la segunda derrota como profesional a Lomachenko”, dijo Martínez, quien estuvo acompañado por Peter Rivera, vicepresidente de PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP).
El tres veces monarca de la OMB en las 130 libras de Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, peleó en dos ocasiones el año pasado, ambas frente al mexicano Orlando “Siri” Salido, a quien derrotó por decisión unánime en Puerto Rico el 11 de abril para arrebatarle el cetro junior ligero de la entidad y después terminaron en un empate el 12 de septiembre en Las Vegas, reteniendo el cinturón.
Por otro lado, Martínez, quien verá acción por segunda vez en el Madison Square Garden, preguntó al grupo de Lomachenko si aún estaba sobre la mesa la oferta que le había lanzado el ucraniano a Nicholas Walters (a quien se iba a enfrentar) de darle $300,000 de su bolsa si éste lo vencía.
“Si la oferta de $300,000 todavía está yo la acepto”, manifestó Martínez.
Mientras, Lomachenko, natural de Ucrania y dos veces medallista de oro olímpico y doble medallista dorado Mundial como aficionado, también vio acción dos veces el año pasado, venciendo en ambas ocasiones por la vía rápida. En mayo se impuso sobre el puertorriqueño Gamalier Rodríguez en el noveno round y en noviembre derrotó al mexicano Rómulo Koasicha en el décimo asalto.
“Estoy muy contento porque es mi primera pelea estelar y vamos a ganar el título mundial en un segundo peso. Ambos peleamos contra Orlando Salido, él tiene una victoria, yo una derrota, así que estoy preparándome para una gran pelea”, sostuvo Lomachenko.
Entretanto, Verdejo, que peleará por séptima ocasión en su carrera en Nueva York, expresó en inglés que “estoy emocionado de representar a mi gente de Puerto Rico en el ring y porque estaré peleando nuevamente en la semana de la Parada Puertorriqueña”.
En el cartel también estará en acción el medallista de oro olímpico de China, Zou Shiming (7-1, 2 KOs), quien se medirá al húngaro Jozsef Ajtai (15-2, 10 KOs) a 10 asaltos en el peso mosca.
La trasmisión de HBO el 11 de junio comenzará a las 10:00 de la noche con el pleito Verdejo-Martínez, seguido por el encuentro Martínez-Lomachenko.
www.notifightcom/rocky-martinez-y-vasyl-lomachenko-cara-cara-en-nueva-york/
By Rick Reeno –
Super bantamweight contender Jessie Magdaleno (23-0, 17KOs), 24-years-old, is going to apply pressure to secure a mandatory shot at WBO world champion Nonito Donaire (37-3, 24KOs).
After a brief stint at featherweight, Donaire dropped back to 122-pounds and captured the vacant WBO title last December in Puerto Rico with a very hard-fought decision win over Cesar Juarez.
He returned to the ring on April 23rd and made his first defense with a third round stoppage of Zsolt Bedak.
Magdaleno picked up three wins in 2015 and fought back in February, when he stopped Rey Perez in seven rounds.
Magdaleno has a tentative return date of July 16th and hopes to face Donaire in the fall. Both Magdaleno and Donaire are promoted by Top Rank.
While Magdaleno is ranked at number one under the WBO, four of his last five fights have taken place above the super bantamweight limit. Magdaleno has not weighed at 122 since January of last year. He fought at featherweight for his last two contests.
There have been concerns about Magdaleno’s ability to make the super bantamweight limit.
The fighter’s manager, Frank Espinoza, is confident his boxer’s issues with weight are a thing of the past.
“He’s working really hard right now. He’s very motivated. There were some issues outside of the ring, but all of that has been resolved. He’s very hungry, he looks great and he wants that shot at Donaire. Weight is not an issue. If the fight gets made, he’s making 122 no problem,” Espinoza told BoxingScene.com.
“Jessie will fight in the summer, but then he wants that Donaire fight in the fall. He’s ready to make a statement. Both guys are with Top Rank and there shouldn’t be any issues with making this fight happen. I heard Bob Arum wants to make another ‘No-Trump’ pay-per-view in the fall, with the pay-per-view fights involving Mexicans and world titles. A Magdaleno vs. Donaire fight would be perfect for that show. Jessie is ready to fight him anywhere…in Las Vegas, in California, at a senate rally for Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines. Wherever Top Rank wants it to happen, Jessie is ready to fight him and beat him.”
www.boxingscene.com/magdaleno-apply-pressure-nonito-donaire-title-shot–104122?print_friendly=1
By Miguel Rivera –
World Boxing Organization super middleweight world champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (34-0, 24KOs) will defend his belt for the first time on the 23rd of July at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, as part of the HBO Pay-Per-View undercard to Terence Crawford vs. Viktor Postol.
Ramirez captured the world title at the same venue on April 9th with a twelve round decision over longtime champion Arthur Abraham on the Pacquaio-Bradley undercard.
According to Ramirez’s co-promoter, Jesus Zapari – he really wants to get in the ring with WBA/IBO/IBF middleweight champion Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin (35-0, 32KOs).
Ramirez’s other promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, is fully on board to make that fight.
“We just need to see the opponent, but the date is July 23 in the co-feature of Crawford and Postol on HBO Pay-Per-View,” said Zapari to ESPN Deportes. “I think there’s enough time for a good preparation. I think 12 to 13 weeks is a good timeframe, and we’re expecting nothing other than Bob Arum telling us the opponent.”
Golovkin is the mandatory challenger to the WBC middleweight title held by Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. If Canelo defeats Amir Khan on May 7th, and the refuses to fight Golovkin, then Ramirez is ready to step in there for a fight.
Golovkin says Ramirez needs to raise his profile with a few more fights. The upcoming July date will be Ramirez’s second fight on HBO PPV.
“If he wants it. We’re ready to go ahead. We are ready to fight him and right here is a true Mexican,” Ramirez said.
Zapari says Ramirez will raise himself to a new level by facing someone like Golovkin.
“We like that fight, it is what we want. I definitely do not see it as an easy fight for Golovkin. I think which it is one of those fights that would launch Ramirez to great heights,” Zapari said.
www.boxingscene.com/gilberto-ramirez-golovkin-right-here-true-mexican–103903?print_friendly=1
By Ronnie Nathanielsz –
Two weeks after eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao scored an impressive unanimous twelve round decision in his trilogy with Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley and announced he was hanging up his gloves to pursue his mission of public service through election to the Senate in next month’s elections, Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire stepped up to assume Manny’s mantle of national sports hero by crushing former Hungarian Olympian and world No. 4 ranked Zsolt Bedak in three rounds before an ecstatic crowd of 25,000 supporters at the sprawling Cebu City Sports Center on a hot and humid Saturdaynight.
After an initial feeling-out round, Donaire connected with his lethal left hook to send the challenger who is himself known as “Mr. Left Hook” crashing to the canvas midway in round two.
With blood dripping from his battered nose, Bedak gamely got up only to be deposited on the seat of his trunks with another vicious left hook that had “no mercy” written all over it.
The bell mercifully saved the Hungarian Olympian who had lost only once before in his career as a pro in a title fight against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr who won by a 10th round TKO after Bedak who suffered a broken jaw in round two survived in a gallant effort for eight more rounds before he called it quits. Vasquez himself was dropped and beaten in lopsided fashion by Donaire who won the super bantamweight title at the Alamadome in San Antonio Texas some years ago.
It was clear the end was near as Donaire, cheered on by fight fans who had embraced him after his heroic battle against an unbelievably strong Cesar Juarez of Mexico to win the 122 pound crown for the second time following his crushing 6th round stoppage against the bigger, stronger Nicholas “Axe Man” Walters, chased the wobbly challenger and ripped into him this time with a cracking right hand that dropped Bedak for a third time giving renowned referee Russell Mora no choice but to call a halt to the massacre at 2:44 of the third round.
Despite a battered, bloodied face with blood dripping from his nose and mouth, Bedak assured media that he was fine.
Donaire won the hearts of the hometown crowd by speaking in Bisaya since the island of Cebu is proud of its language and boxing heritage. With this memorable performance, Donaire showed that he is indeed worthy of the monicker “Flash”, a name that was worn by Cebu’s favorite son and legendary boxer, Gabriel Elorde, the son of a poor farmer from the town of Bogo who was the longest reigning Filipino world champion until WBO light flyweight Donnie Nietes punched his way to surpass the record in January last year.
ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer who teamed up with lead promoter Top Rank and the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN told The Standard that the plan is to see whether Donaire’s next title defense could also be staged in the Philippines in the face of the massive support from Filipino fight fans looking for someone to carry the torch for Philippine boxing.
By Ryan Burton –
As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, Jose Luis Rodriguez (17-6-1) came in on late notice to face blue chip lightweight prospect Felix Verdejo (20-0) on April 16th at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Verdejo was originally scheduled to face Daniel Evangelista who pulled out of the fight with an injury last week. The fight will headline an UniMas Solo Boxeo card. Featherweight prospect Christopher Diaz (15-0) will face an opponent to be determined in the co-feature bout.
Assuming Verdejo defeats Rodriguez and escapes the fight injury free, he is scheduled to return to the ring on June 11th at Madison Square Garden in New York in a HBO telecast that will possibly be against Jose Felix Jr. (33-1-1) of Mexico.
The fight will be Verdejo’s second HBO appearance on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City. Verdejo’s promoter Top Rank previously used the June dates to help build the career of Puerto Rican superstar Miguel Cotto.
Top Rank is trying to finalize a deal for former featherweight champions Vasyl Lomachenko and Nicholas Walters to face each other in a bout at 130 pounds to serve as the main event. WBO super featherweight champion Rocky Martinez has also been mentioned as a possible opponent for Lomachenko who currently holds the WBO featherweight title if an agreement with Walters cannot be reached.
www.boxingscene.com/photos-felix-verdejo-shredded-ready-san-juan-return–103361?print_friendly=1
Credit: Photos Mikey Williams Top Rank. –
Hollywood, California – 8-time Division Champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao held his media day inside the world famous Wild Card Gym Wednesday afternoon as he prepares to face 5 time world champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley April 9 at MGM Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs) and Bradley (33-1-1, 13 KOs) are less than two weeks away from their date with destiny — their 12-round welterweight battle for pound for pound supremacy. This fight will also mark the first time Roach and Atlas have ever faced each other from opposite corners — an amazing fact considering they have a combined 70 years of training experience between them and scores of world champions to their credit.
Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with MP Promotions, the Manny Pacquiao – Tim Bradley championship event will take place on Saturday, April 9, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.
The NoTrump pay-per-view undercard will feature World Boxing Organization (WBO) super middleweight world champion “King” ARTHUR ABRAHAM defending his title against undefeated No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger GILBERTO “Zurdo” RAMIREZ, undefeated No. 1 WBO featherweight contender and two-time Mexican Olympian ÓSCAR VALDEZ defending his NABO featherweight title against former International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight world champion EVGENY GRADOVICH and 2012 U.S. Olympian JOSE RAMÍREZ defending his World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas super lightweight title against MANNY PEREZ. The Abraham vs. Ramirez world championship fight is co-promoted by Sauerland Event and Zapari Boxing Promotions.
www.boxingscene.com/photos-manny-pacquiao-ripped-ready-bradley-trilogy–102927?print_friendly=1
WBO welterweight world champion Jessie Vargas celebrates with Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, Top Rank President Todd duBoef, and manager Cameron Dunkin at Top Rank headquarters in Las Vegas on Monday.
Mikey Williams/Top Rank
Terence Crawford showed exactly why he’s been earmarked as America’s next great prizefighter.
The unbeaten Omaha native defended his junior welterweight championship on Saturday night with a scintillating fifth-round TKO of Hank Lundy before a sellout crowd of 5,092 at the Theater of Madison Square Garden.
Crawford’s New York City debut wasn’t the step up in competition that he will ultimately need to reach the stardom he appears bound for. Lundy, who went off as a 10-1 underdog, was not the first or third or even fifth pick for Saturday’s B-side, only getting the call when initial invitations to better credentialed candidates were spurned.
But Crawford (28-0, 20 KOs) shined against the opponent in front of him, showing the rare blend of power, speed and tactical aptitude that’s vaulted him from obscurity into the pound-for-pound mix over the past two years.
“I told everyone I’ve got power in both hands,” he said afterward. “The boxing ability that I have, it’s going to take me a long way in this game.”
Lundy (26-6-1, 13 KOs) enjoyed his best success in the opening round, using his formidable hand speed and constant in-and-out movement to tag the champion with punches while making him miss. It was an awkward formula tailor-made to confuse the switch-hitting Crawford – who came out in an orthodox stance and briefly shifted to southpaw before switching back – but a frenetic pace that seemed impossible for Lundy to sustain for another 11 rounds.
Crawford relied on the jab to greater effect in the second and third rounds, controlling the distance and pace of the fight as Lundy began to slow. To the credit of the challenger, beset with disadvantages in size, power, speed and reach, he kept moving forward and gave a good accounting of himself.
Yet Crawford finally connected flush with left hand in the fifth that short-circuited Lundy’s equilibrium and sent him careening into the ropes. The champion opened up and dumped Lundy to the canvas with another left. Referee Steve Willis appeared to waver on permitting the fight to continue after issuing the standing eight count. He allowed it, but Lundy was not long for the match. Crawford quickly closed the show with another flurry of punches as Willis put a stop to it at 2min 9sec of the fifth.
“Lundy came out very strong,” said Crawford, who connected with 89 of 247 punches (36%), compared to 47 of 411 for Lundy (22%). “He had a good rhythm and good timing. It took me a while to figure him out because he was strong initially in the fight. Once I got his rhythm and timing down I was able to hit him with some really hard shots.”
The champion was particularly effective with the jab, landing eight per round, more than double the division average. Those shots helped set up the hook that finished matters. As lamented the 32-year-old Lundy, now a loser in five of his last nine: “He caught me with a good shot.”
Crawford, who earned a career-high purse of $1.21m (compared to $150,000 for Lundy), was non-committal when asked which opponent he targeted next. There are no shortage of options: WBC titleholder Viktor Postol, Ruslan Provodnikov, Lucas Matthysse, Mauricio Herrera had all been in play for Saturday’s fight before each passed for varied reasons.
A unification fight with Postol would no doubt be the fans’ choice, a difficult task Crawford appears open to.
“I never duck anyone and I’ll fight anybody,” Crawford said. “My manager will make the fights happen and and I will train and fight.”
Félix Verdejo ha peleado en el Garden en cinco ocasiones en su corta carrera profesional Peter Amador/Top Rank –
SAN JUAN — El cotizado prospecto Félix ‘El Diamante’ Verdejo y su compañero de cuadra, Christopher ‘Pitufo’ Díaz, partieron en la tarde del lunes a la ciudad de Nueva York de cara a sus compromisos en el evento que tendrá lugar en el Teatro del Madison Square Garden.
Para Verdejo, el más adelantado de ambos, va camino a su tercera defensa del título Latino del peso ligero de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB).
El púgil de 22 años, enfrentará al también invicto peleador brasileño William Silva, en el choque que servirá de antesala a la defensa titular del campeón junior welter del OMB, Terrence Crawford ante Henry Lundy.
Verdejo está tercero en la OMB y una victoria podría acercarlo aún más a su anhelada oportunidad de título mundial, aunque tanto el púgil como su equipo de trabajo no han definido con exactitud si inclinarse por una correa en las 135 o en las 130 libras.
Ambas divisiones son viables para el exolímpico.
“Yo diría que eso es una oportunidad que vendrá en unos meses”, dijo con una gran sonrisa Verdejo. “Agarraremos ese título mundial porque nos estamos preparando para eso”.
Verdejo, que tiene marca perfecta de 19-0 y 14 KO, saldrá de Puerto Rico acompañado por su grupo de trabajo encabezado por el entrenador Ricky Márquez, el hijo de éste último, Jason Márquez.
Díaz, el otro gran prospecto de la cuadra, y que hace campaña en el peso pluma, tiene récord de 14-0 y 9 nocáuts. Recientemente, el llamado ‘Pitufo’, fue firmado por la empresa Top Rank con quien realizó la mayoría de sus primeros combates en profesional.
Para Verdejo ésta será su sexta pelea en la ciudad de Nueva York y su quinta en el Garden. Para Díaz, que ha formado parte de al menos siete eventos en los que ha estado activo Verdejo, está será su segunda pelea en la ‘Gran Ciudad’.
“Félix está listo y creo que el entrenamiento ha sido excelente”, reiteró Márquez. “Está rápido, contento y enfocado. Listo para dar una gran demostración. A este nivel ya todas las peleas son importantes. Todas marcan un paso importante, pero ésta en especial representa el potencia ascenso a esa pelea de título mundial que tanto esperamos”, aseguró el también manejador.
Díaz enfrentará al dominicano Angel Luna que tiene marca de 11-1-1 y 6 nocáuts.
También como parte del respaldo, otro de los llamados ‘Diamantes’ del club que lleva el mismo nombre, estará activo en la función.
Se trata del súper ligero Jean Carlos ‘Lobo’ Torres quien enfrentará en la pelea que abrirá la función a Miguel Gloria, natural de Albuquerque, Nueva México.
Félix Verdejo milita al presente en 135 libras, peso en el cual enfrentará al también invicto William Da Silva Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports –
SAN JUAN — El joven prospecto peso ligero Félix ‘El Diamante’ Verdejo está inmerso en una fase muy importante de cara a su combate del próximo 27 de febrero en el Teatro del Madison Square Garden en Nueva York: la etapa de fuerza y afinamiento corporal, la misma que a finales de año le revelará si se inclinará por una oportunidad titular en las 130 o 135 libras.
Ricky Márquez, entrenador y manejador del invicto peleador puertorriqueño, reveló que Verdejo comenzó hace unas semanas las sesiones de carga más duras de su preparación.
El resultado: mucho mejor que lo que pensaba el propio Márquez.
“Cada vez lo veo más fuerte. Más maduro físicamente. Estamos llegando a ese punto físico que precisamente queríamos ver”, comentó Márquez.
“Se está logrando ese desarrollo y todo va viento en popa. Estamos en la etapa de carga, la más fuerte de la preparación”.
Verdejo, de apenas 22 años, tiene récord de 19-0 y 14 nocáuts. En la ‘Gran Manzana’ enfrentará al también invicto peleador brasileño William Silva en un combate en el que
hará su segunda defensa del título Latino de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo del peso ligero.
Aunque actualmente pelea en las 135 libras, Márquez aseguró que no descartan incursionar en las 130, ya que los resultados, tanto en el gimnasio como en la nutrición les podría permitir buscar fortuna en cualquiera de ambas.
“Aquí lo que más sorprende es que a medida que su cuerpo se desarrolla, adquiere más velocidad y pegada. Además se ha mantenido bien suelto y hace el trabajo de fuerza sin problemas. Todo está en el plan de trabajo que hemos diseñado y en este momento puede hacer las 130 libras sin problemas. Claro que tendríamos que trabajarlo con un poco más de limitaciones en la comida. Ser más supervisado diría yo. Pero (pelear en 130 o 135 un título mundial) es una decisión que no hemos tomado todavía. Aún faltan ocho o nueve meses, y también habría que ver las posibilidades que se presenten en cualquiera de esos pesos”, añadió.
En el 2015, Verdejo compiló un total de tres victorias y vio detenida su carrera por espacio de seis meses tras ser sometido a una operación en la mano izquierda luego de su triunfo sobre Iván ‘Bam Bam’ Nájera en el mes de junio.
Regresó a los ensogados el pasado 11 de diciembre en Puerto Rico, para vencer al brasileño Josenilson Dos Santos por nocáut técnico en el segundo asalto.
Verdejo está sexto en el ranking de la OMB; octavo en la FIB; segundo en la AMB y décimocuarto en el CMB. El boricua es una de las principales figuras del joven establo de la empresa Top Rank en donde también se destacan el californiano José Ramírez y el sonorense Oscar Valdéz.