Photo Credit: Joe Tarlecky/ King’s Promotions/ Premier Boxing Champions
Former junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia hosteda canned food drive yesterday for his hometown of Philadelphia. The charity/meet and greet event is a precursor to Garcia’s in-ring return on November 12 at Temple University against Samuel Vargas.
The fight will air on Spike TV at 9 p.m. and feature and undercard of Jarrett Hurd vs. Jo Jo Dan and Javier Fortuna vs. Omar Douglas.
Photo Credit: Stephanie Trapp/Showtime
LAS VEGAS — Tonight’s Showtime card is headlined by Erislandy Lara defending his WBA 154 pound title against Vanes Martirosyan in a rematch, and the Charlo twins in undercard bouts. Onto the predictions…
LARA: 153.5
MARTIROSYAN: 153.8
PREDICTION: When I went over my wish list of fights for 2016, this rematch was not one that made the cut. Lara and Martirosyan’s first bout was filled with awkward exchanges and clinching that made rounds difficult to score simply from boredom.
There’s no reason to think the rematch will be any different. Lara will be on the move and landing accurate, laser-sharp lefts hands whenever he decides to throw. Martirosyan will be stalking and hold an edge in the later rounds with a higher workrate. Don’t be surprised by wildly different scores, but Lara is a step above Martirosyan and should win this rematch by majority decision.
JERMALL CHARLO: 153.2
TROUT: 154
PREDICTION: Trout is a very capable fighter, but he’s outgunned in this one. He gets caught in every fight and in this case he’s facing the harder punching and more aggressive Charlo. To date, Trout has always got up from his knockdowns, but I feel his soft competition since losing to Lara means Charlo is catching him at the right time. Charlo KO somewhere in the middle rounds.
JERMELL CHARLO: 153.8
JACKSON: 153.5
PREDICTION: This is a solid fight for both guys. Jermell is the more technical boxer of the twins and will hold the advantage in most rounds. Jackson has good power, but not the otherworldly power of his father that he’d need to hurt Charlo with one shot. He’ll need an accumulation to get the job done, and Charlo will be a bit too elusive for him to pull it off. CHARLO WIDE UD.
JUNIOR WRIGHT: 199.6
SHUMENOV: 199
PREDICTION: This a cruiserweight title matchup that’s fallen under the radar (probably because it’s for the WBA strap). Shumenov is more experienced, hits harder, and been in with the better competition. Yes, Shumenov is still crude, but Wright has a tendency to go to the ropes too easily and that’s where we’ll see his undoing. SHUMENOV KO4
Photo Credits: Hogan Photos
LAS VEGAS — Canelo-Khan fight week officially kicked off yesterday afternoon with the fighters making their “grand arrivals” at the MGM Grand. A large turnout of fans were on hand, which bodes well for the card’s gate and may be an indicator of good pay-per-view sales.
Make sure to check back here on BeatsBoxingMayhem later today at 3:30 p.m. ET for a live stream of the main event final press conference.
Here’s what the fighters had to say to gathered media.
CANELO ALVAREZ:
There is a difference between wanting and doing. On Saturday night, we will see who will give who a boxing lesson. I want to thank all of my fans for the support. I am very honored to be celebrating on Cinco de Mayo, and I hope to put on a great show on Saturday night. I’m training hard for twelve rounds, I’m ready to go all of those rounds, and if the knockout presents itself—I’m ready to take it.
AMIR KHAN:
All the hard work and training has been done. I have a great team, and I am conditioned and ready to fight and represent my country of England. Mentally, I have prepared by praying, being with my beautiful family, and the support from my fans. Even though Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday, we are going to see a lot of British flags come Saturday night. This is a huge fight, as Canelo is a star in Mexico and America. I know I’m here as the underdog, but I’m ready to win and take this WBC belt back to my home in England. I wouldn’t have taken this fight if I didn’t think I could take it. I have trained for everything and worked on my speed and my power. A win against Canelo would be one of the biggest wins of my career because he is a superstar, especially on this Cinco de Mayo weekend in front of everyone. I have trained and worked on my speed and my power. The fans will be very happy on Saturday night. I will be the new world champion. I think it will be difficult to knock Canelo out, but I know I can give him a boxing lesson.
DAVID LEMIEUX:
It feels great to be back here in Las Vegas, and I am excited for a great night of boxing. There is no more rest, it is all business. I am here to give a great show and win some fans. After this weekend, everyone will know the name David Lemieux. I am excited for a great night of boxing come May 7. I am here to give a great show and win some fans. I’m happy he [Glen Tapia] is confidant and 100 percent secure he’s going to win. But, that night the fans are going to be the winners. I am going to be more than ready to win. First, I know I need to take care of Glen Tapia properly. After that, I am going to be more than ready to take on Canelo or Khan.
GLEN “JERSEY BOY” TAPIA:
I feel so good to be here in Las Vegas, I have trained hard, and I couldn’t feel better about this fight. I know Lemieux comes in as a great fighter, he has a better record than me, and I have a lot of respect for him. The only thing on my mind in the future is fighting David Lemieux.
MAURICIO “EL MAESTRO” HERRERA:
Frankie Gomez and I are going to create something very special in the ring on Saturday night. Get your tickets because nobody is going to take this fight from me. Training camp has been tough; like every camp it is the toughest part but all my training will make it an easy night for Saturday. I’m not burned out – I’m hungry to win. Frankie Gomez is undefeated and has everything going for him. He wants to take my spot and everything I have built. I respect him as a fighter, but it is my time. He will get his chance later.
FRANKIE “PITBULL” GOMEZ:
I’m ready and Mauricio is a great fighter with a lot of experience but so am I. I’m going to show everyone I am not going here to lose on May 7. Training has been great, and I’ve been getting ready for 12 weeks. I’m 100 percent focused on the sport and ready to go. Herrera is very crafty with great experience and has fought many fighters, but I know I’m better.
PATRICK TEIXEIRA:
I’m ready and prepared. Good luck to Curtis on trying to knock me out. I will put on a good show, especially for my Mexican friends.
CURTIS STEVENS:
This has been my dream all my life and the next step is to be a world champion. I’m going to keep the fans real excited on May 7!
Photo Credit: Amanda Westcott/Showtime
NEW YORK — Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter are officially back on the schedule. The two young welterweights are (hopefully) set to clash June 25 at the Barclays Center. Originally scheduled for March, a Thurman car accident forced the new date. Let’s hope everything goes smooth over the next two months — the PBC brand has a strong list of upcoming and potential matchups in the 147-pound division.
Thurman and Porter had the below comments at today’s presser. Televised coverage begins June 25 on CBS at 9 p.m. ET. On the undercard is Abner Mares vs. Jesus Cuellar.
KEITH THURMAN
I made you wait. But it’s worth it. This is a tremendous fight. Arguably the best matchup of the year. We’re going to work our butts off to make it the Fight of the Year.Our two teams go way back. This is the most beautiful moment of my professional career and I’m about to compete with somebody I grew up with. I’m happy for my success and I’m happy for Shawn’s success. We come from the same boat. When you’re a young kid in the gym training and then you’re here today, that takes a special kind of person. Shawn and I are both that kind of person.We took six weeks off after my accident, with three days a week of physical therapy. I was relaxing at home. I didn’t like it. As a fighter, I wanted this fight as bad as the fans wanted this fight.This isn’t just the biggest fight of my career. But it’s the most anticipated fight of my career. Sometimes it pays to add some drama to the game. It wasn’t our intention, but I think it worked out.Barclays Center makes this a big fight. We get to promote here in New York City. New York is a fight town. My favorite fighter of all time, Mike Tyson, is from Brooklyn. This just happened to work out for the best.I anticipate most of the welterweight division being in attendance on June 25. The situation that division is in right now is that we’re all in a frenzy. Everyone wants the spotlight and everyone wants to be the top dog. We all have that opportunity.I want to have two titles by the end of this year. People talk about replacing Floyd Mayweather, but you can’t become the man without beating all the people in front of you. One fight at a time. I want to stay at the top by grabbing another belt. I’m going to show that I’m the big dog at 147 pounds.June 25, my friend is about to become my enemy. I’m going to treat him like any other enemy.Get your tickets. Get your seats. Get your popcorn. Whatever you need to do. This is going to be a fight you don’t want to miss. This is going to be a knockout you don’t want to miss. I love you Shawn, but I’m doing my best to put you to sleep.
SHAWN PORTER
I’m very excited about this fight. I’m blessed to have this opportunity. Not only to go for this title but to be a part of a record-breaking show at Barclays Center. This night is going to be memorable.Keith Thurman is bringing out the competitiveness in me to a level I’ve always wanted. It’s a level I expect. I have a guy next to me who is challenging me more than ever. Me and Keith Thurman are going to put on a show. Everything you talked about, you’re going to get it.It is amazing to be a part of something great like this. I’ve always considered myself to be a very good fighter and a very good athlete, but I’ve always wanted something like this and to have it is very humbling.I wasn’t surprised that Keith said he would knock me out. He has to pump himself up and be confident. When he looked at me I think he was trying to convince me that he was being real and I was looking at him to find out if he was convinced. He thinks he’s going to knock me out, I say he’s not. I’m going to do everything it takes to beat him and make it look easy.This is forming to be a big fight, one of those fights that we’ve looked forward to since we were kids.This is my second time fighting at Barclays Center. I’m 1-0 with a championship so now I’m looking for another one. I’ve been to some of the other fights at Barclays too and it is really an electric atmosphere. People are coming out to see something great and that’s what I’m going to give them.I’m not changing anything in camp because of how familiar Keith and I are with each other. I have to do it at the right time in the ring. We’re going to do everything we do to prepare for a world championship fight.Thurman is a little unorthodox at times so we’re prepared for that. It’s about going 12 rounds or less and looking good doing it. We’ve done a little sparring as pros but nothing as competitive as I’m expecting on June 25.I have a feeling Keith is going to say he’s knocking me out a lot. I want to know if he believes that. He’s a cutthroat kind of fighter. I know that. The hands will be up, the defense will be taken care of, and we’re taking care of business.
Photo Credit: Ed Diller/ Dibella Entertainment
BROOKLYN – Headliners Errol Spence and Chris Algieri are phenomenal shape for tomorrow’s NBC clash for Premier Boxing Champions. Spence weighed in at 146.4, his lowest tally since 2013. He’s coming off a fifth round stoppage of Alejandro Barrera last November. Algieri, who took a 10 round unanimous decision over Erik Bone in December, tipped the scales at 145.6.
Rounding out the TV card are Krzysztof Glowacki (199) vs. Steve Cunningham (199.2) for the WBO cruiserweight title, Marcus Browne (174.6) vs. Radivoje Kalajdzic (173.6), and an opener featuring Mario Barrios (135.6) vs. Edgar Gabejan (132.2). Also in action will be local favorite Heather Hardy (123.2) taking on Anna Hultin (123).
The card airs Saturday on NBC at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Berto had an off night. I wasn’t at my best either, but I destroyed him regardless. This time we’ll both be at our best. – Victor Ortiz
Video Credit: Jeandra LeBeauf/BadCulture.net
Photo Credit: Idris Erba/Premier Boxing Champions
CARSON, California — Former welterweight titlist Victor Ortiz met the media today as he put in the final work before an April 30 rematch with Andre Berto. Aside from promising to “end” Berto and create another Fight of Year like their 2010 encounter, Ortiz delivered candid comments about his fellow PBC welterweights.
The card airs on Fox (8 p.m.) with an undercard of Thomas Williams Jr. vs. Edwin Rodriguez and Jorge Lara vs. Fernando Montiel.
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Photo Credit: Golden Boy Promotions
The countdown to May 7 is on now that Canelo Alvarez and Amir Khan have opened training camps for their Cinco de Mayo weekend matchup in Las Vegas.
Canelo, whose camp is being held in San Diego, emphasized his serious approach to the contest despite being an overwhelming favorite.
“I train hard to fight hard, and I am focused this training camp to be prepared to win on May 7 and maintain my status as the champion,” said Canelo. “Amir Khan is a talented fighter and though I know I will be triumphant as the victor on May 7, I will not underestimate the challenge he poses to me in the ring.”
“Training for this fight is off to a great start,” added Eddy Reynoso, Canelo’s trainer. “We have been in camp for a few weeks and actually started in Mexico before the press tour. We are taking the fight against Amir Khan very seriously and want to be prepared for anything on May 7. We expect Canelo to train very effectively as he always does. He is very dedicated and serious about the sport.”
Hundreds of miles away in Oakland is the camp for Amir Khan, who was beaming with confidence after a day’s work.
“Camp is going great and I’m feeling really good,” said Khan. “I’ve exceeded a lot of the targets that I set myself at this stage and am well on course. Virgil Hunter is happy with how things are going, and comeMay 7,I’m going to be in the best condition, physically and mentally, that I can be.
“I’m getting ready to give the fans a very exciting fight at the T-Mobile Arena. We’re working on the perfect game plan for this fight and that is what is going to win it for me. I don’t put too much emphasis on one individual thing, whether that’s speed or power, it’s about having all the boxes ticked going into the fight. I know what Canelo does well, and his key attributes, so we’ll be looking to nullify those. I’m going to keep pushing myself hard in training and will be ready to give everything come fight night.”
Trainer Virgil Hunter will be getting his second view of Canelo. In 2014, he was in the corner of Alfredo Angulo, who was stopped in the 10th round of Canelo’s debut as a pay-per-view headliner.
“Amir is very focused, and he is aware of the challenge that lies before him,” Hunter explained. “We have seen a lot of Canelo and know what to expect so we’ll have the right game plan to overcome him.”
Canelo vs. Khan will air live from the T-Mobile Arena on HBO pay-per-view.
