World Boxing News 2010-2013

Phil D. Jay  WBN Editor As reported by WBN in December, Robert Guerrero looks set to earn a shot at WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 4th, beating Saul Alvarez for the privilege of challenging the greatest fighter of his generation. The 29 year-old has been slated to be the 44th foe to attempt to overthrow Mayweather in his sixteen-year career and could conceivably be formally announced next week. Rumours are now circulating that Saul Alvarez will be next in line for 'Money' once he makes a successful appearance as chief support. The card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is to be named ‘Cinco de Mayweather’ as it takes place on the same weekend as the Mexican holiday and will hold significance for both Guerrero and Jalisco-born Alvarez. The bout will be the first for Mayweather, 35, since his incarceration between June and August last year, with the touted second fight against 'Canelo' planned for September as the American looks to ce...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor Santos Saul Alvarez Barragan was born July 18th, 1990 in Guadalajara, Mexico and after just 20 amateur fights, made himself acquainted with the professional fight game as a fresh faced 15 year-old light-welterweight, knocking out 18 year-old Abraham Gonzalez in four rounds. With his pale complexion and ginger hair, a trait, which he gained from his mother, his was given the nickname “El Canelo”, which in English means Cinnamon and quickly gathered a fanbase due his distinctive looks. After three more victories, two by knockout, and now boxing at welterweight, Saul experienced his first setback in boxing, as Jorge Juarez held him to a draw in June 2006, in a decision that still hurts Alvarez to this day. He quickly got back in the ring three weeks later and took his frustrations out on Juan Hernandez, whom he knocked out in two rounds. That was the first of seven straight knockouts for “Canelo”, who was gathering a reputation for hurting his opponents a...

Phil D. Jay  WBN Editor Saul Alvarez early favourite for 154lb unification Floyd Mayweather’s recent announcement of a May 4 return to the ring could now mean that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez gets his wish to challenge for the pound for pound crown in the coming year. WBA light-middleweight champion Mayweather, through his advisor Leonard Ellerbe, has already named his next outing ‘Cino de Mayweather’ – a slant on the Mexican holiday ‘Cinco de Mayo’ and with Alvarez the current superstar of Mexican boxing, it seems a no brainer. Jalisco-born ‘Canelo’ currently holds the WBC version at 154lbs and has been eager to face the sport’s figurehead for some time after racking up an impressive 42-fight unbeaten record at the age of just 22. There is now a strong possibility that the unification bout could become a reality for the young pretender as both fighters have strong ties to Golden Boy, meaning the fight would be relatively straightforward to make. The only other ...

Canelo Alvarez knocked down Josesito Lopez three times en route to a dominating fifth round technical knockout defense of his WBC Super Welterweight World Championship in front of a sold out crowd of 14,275 fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in  Las Vegas ,  Nev.  on Saturday.  Canelo headlined the  SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING  Mexican Independence Day Weekend quadruple header and the undefeated Mexican star did not disappoint.  Dubbed “Knockout Kings,” the promotion lived up to its billing, producing three entertaining knockouts in which none of the scheduled 12-round bouts went past the eighth round.  In what surely will be considered a Fight Of The Year candidate, former world champion  Marcos Maidana  (32-3, 28 KOs), of  Santa Fe ,  Argentina , scored a knockout at 0:43 of the eighth round to defeat perennial contender  Jesus Soto Karass  (26-8-3, 17 KOs), of  Sinalo...

Saul Alvarez v Josesito Lopez WBC light-middleweight title MGM Grand, Las Vegas, USA 12x3                                                                                                    Alvarez                             Lopez              -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------                  Round 1                       10                               9             ...

Phil D. Jay  WBN Editor Saul Alvarez prepares for another defence of his WBC belt Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is hoping a victory over Josesito Lopez on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas will set him up for some huge unification bouts in 2013. Alvarez, who at 22 is already a veteran of more than 40 professional contests, faces blown-up light-welterweight Josesito Lopez this weekend and knows he has to look good to keep himself in the frame for fights against the likes of WBA ‘super’ champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. The WBC belt holder was due to meet Victor Ortiz on the September 15 bill until Lopez stunned the former world champion by breaking his jaw in June and now steps up two divisions in the space of a year. Unbeaten Alvarez is now just days from his fifth defence of the green belt he currently holds and knows he can’t afford to take a win over the Californian for granted, given the challenger's performance at the Staples Center earlie...

Phil D. Jay  WBN Editor ‘Canelo’ ready to end ‘Rocky’ dream on September 15 Oscar De La Hoya described Josesito Lopez’s victory over Victor Ortiz as the young fighters ‘Rocky’ moment and WBC 154lb title holder Saul Alvarez will be out to avoid a case of ‘Rocky II’ on September 15 at the MGM Grand. The Mexican superstar has come of age now at 22, but with 41-fights already behind him, is a seasoned campaigner despite his tender years and participates in his sixth world title bout against the surprise opponent. ‘Canelo’ was visibly shocked when sitting ringside for Ortiz v Lopez last month as the fight was stopped in the ninth round and won’t be taking the challenger lightly, even though he could only scale 144lbs for a welterweight contest. “I think everyone watching was surprised that Lopez was that good.” Alvarez told World Boxing News. “Ortiz hit him with lots of hard punches and he just kept coming. It was a great fight to watch and just the kind of fights...

Phil D. Jay  WBN Editor ‘Chino’ advised against 154lb bout Rumours of a possible September 15 bout between Golden Boy stablemates Saul Alvarez and Marcos Maidana have been swiftly quashed by the Argentinian, who admits that the Mexican superstar is a bridge too far weight-wise. Maidana, 28, is pencilled in to face unbeaten Keith Thurman Jr. on July 21 at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio and seems likely to stick with the welterweight bout, rather than twist with another jump in weight. “Clarifying the rumours - One week ago I asked for Canelo Alvarez as a foe since I have faith in myself, but Golden Boy never offered it. That's all,” stated Maidana. “I am a person who listens to advice and many told me Canelo is too big for me and I have accepted it. End of the story.” 21 year-old WBC light-middleweight champion Alvarez (41-0-1) is currently on the lookout for a new challenger to his crown after losing three of his first choice opponents in the past f...

Phil D. Jay  WBN Editor Lopez claims hollow victory in California Victor Ortiz’s mental strength is under question yet again as the former WBC welterweight champion quit on his stool after nine rounds, despite being ahead 87-84 on my scorecard and with all three judges at The Staples Center. The 25 year-old, who has had his attitude quizzed on more than one occasion, claimed a broken jaw at the beginning of the round and may now see his WBC light-middleweight title bout against Saul Alvarez on September 15 scrapped. Ortiz had been on top for the most part in the fight and clearly had the superior power of the two fighters, with Lopez only having sparing success as the Riverside fighter clinched when hurt up close on many occasions. A punch to the back of the head by Ortiz saw the bout halted for a couple of minutes in the fifth and at that point it looked like the ‘Vicious’ one would take Lopez out in the mid-to-late rounds until the injury ended the fight prem...

Phil D. Jay  WBN Editor PPV event set for September 15 WBC light-middleweight champion Saul Alvarez has finally found a replacement for Paul Williams and James Kirkland for his maiden pay-per-view event on September 15th at the MGM Grand as Victor Ortiz will move up from 147lbs to face him in Las Vegas. The 21 year-old Mexican was forced to find an alternative on two occasions following a tragic motorcycle accident ruled out Paul Williams, who now faces a wheelchair bound future, and James Kirkland pulled out days after agreeing with a shoulder injury. The left Golden Boy with few options and they have now turned to former WBC welterweight king Ortiz, 25, who will have to come through Josesito Lopez on June 23rd in what could be his final fight at welterweight to finalize the deal with ‘Canelo.’ ‘Vicious’ Victor himself had to scout for a new foe after Andre Berto failed a drugs test earlier this year and the Kansas-born fighter now competes in h...

Phil D. Jay  WBN Editor Veteran ‘K9’ barks at Mexican youngster IBF light-middleweight champion Cornelius Bundrage has announced that he is now a free agent after leaving Don King and wants to negotiate a unification clash with WBC belt holder Saul Alvarez on the Mayweather v Cotto undercard in Las Vegas. The 38 year-old has held the red belt for almost 18 months now since dethroning Cory Spinks and has been calling out some of the biggest names in the fight game as he looks to seal a mega-fight before stepping away from boxing. The Detroit-native’s only previous defence was a mandatory points win over former foe Sechew Powell, in which the former Contender Series star avenged a 2005 first round knockout defeat to the ‘Iron Horse.’ ‘K9’ is now lined up to face another former opponent as Spinks has ironically, recently scored a victory over Powell to become Bundrage’s next mandatory, although the champion is hoping to meet ‘Canelo’ in May to avoid a less high-pr...

Phil D. Jay  WBN Editor First and second options may prove elusive for WBC champion Five-weight world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. is slowly running out of options for his upcoming fight on May 5 th at the MGM Grand as a fight against Manny Pacquiao slowly slips out of his reach. The 34 year-old, who tops the WBN Pound for pound rankings, is unable to commit to a multi-million dollar mega-fight with the Filipino Congressman as the WBO belt holder and his team eye an outdoor event at a later date. ‘Money’ Mayweather told waiting journalists at a recent charity donation that he is willing to back-up a fight with Pacquiao by agreeing to face former WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez at a catchweight of 150lbs, without thinking of the logistics of the Argentinian fighting on March 17 th in New York. The Pacquiao bubble seems on the verge of bursting for the American and if a bout between him and Martinez was to be organised, it would certainly have to co...

Phil D. Jay  WBN Editor Mexicans claim victories in WBC title bouts Erik ‘El Terrible’ Morales is the new WBC light-welterweight champion after a punishing ten round fight with Pablo Cesar Cano at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The 35 year-old started off slowly allowing Cano, 21, to get a foothold in the bout in the first two rounds. The Mexican legend then got into the fight in round three and hit the younger fighter with some hard right hands which visibly marked-up ‘El Demoledor’ around the left eye. In the middle rounds, the swelling opened up a cut on the eyelid which affected Cano’s vision and Morales teed-off with some vicious combinations that Cano had no answer to. The end came after the tenth with the number twelve ranked fighter a bloody mess and with next to no vision out of his left eye to which Morales picked off at will. Morales’ victory gives him his seventh world title and the title of the first Mexican to win four world titles in four weight-c...

Saul Alvarez v Alfonso Gomez ( WBC light-middleweight title ) Staples Center, California, USA 12x3                                                     Alvarez                        Gomez              -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------                  Round 1                         10 (1)                            8              -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------                   Round ...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor All-Mexican WBC clash at the Staples Center Former Contender star Alfonso Gomez will challenge for a world title once again tonight as the Mexican takes on compatriot Saul Alvarez at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The 30 year-old took on Miguel Cotto for the WBA welterweight title in April 2008, coming up short over five rounds and now get a second shot, this time at 154lbs against the WBC champion. Jalisco-born Gomez has predominantly been campaigning at 147lbs in his ten-year career thus far although he did move up to middleweight briefly to take part in The Contender TV Series in 2004, where he lost to Peter Manfredo in the semi-finals. Gomez (23-4-2), who came out of the NBC show as a worldwide star, will now attempt to become the first fighter to beat the 21 year-old champion in his 39th fight and goes into the bout a huge underdog. ‘Canelo’ stopped mandatory challenger Ryan Rhodes in the twelfth and final round in June to succe...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor (Picture courtesy of Boxing Scene) Alvarez retains world title in dominant win WBC light-middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (37-0-1) showed maturity beyond his 20 years in a convincing twelve round stoppage over Britain’s Ryan Rhodes to successfully defend his belt for the first time. The unbeaten title holder was able to pick and choose his attacks throughout the fight as the challenger had no answer to his power and speed. The Mexican got into his stride after a tentative first round and seemed to be in full control of Rhodes, who found it hard to get his shots off and seemed worried about Alvarez’s power and rightly so. ‘Canelo’ put Rhodes down in fourth round after a three-punch combination and used his uppercut with great accuracy in the later rounds to wear Rhodes down. Alvarez was able to pick and choose his attacks at times and never seemed worried about what Rhodes had to offer. His combinations were sickening at times as he ground the Briton ...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor Mexican superstar claims WBC 154lb belt 2010 WBN Young Boxer of the Year Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez cemented his place among the elite boxers in the world, with a dominant twelve round decision victory over Britain’s Matthew Hatton at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California last night. The 20 year old, who was also named WBN’s 'One to watch' for 2011, became the youngest light-middleweight champion of all time in the process as he proved too big and strong for the 147lb European champion, with all three judges scoring the fight 119-108. Hatton, 29, drops to 41-5-2 after the one-sided defeat, in which he lost every round, with only Alvarez being docked a point for hitting on the break in the seventh, saving him from a total shutout on all three of the judges scorecards. The Manchester fought bravely though, taking heavy shots in the second round and having to deal with a cut that opened up in the fourth, but was never in with a chance of be...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor WBC title fight put on delayed broadcast as row over weight threatens fight Sky TV’s decision to show Matthew Hatton’s WBC 154lb title bout with Saul Alvarez is a further blow to a bout that is already skating on thin ice after the British fighter’s brother Ricky stated that if Alvarez comes in over 150lbs, then the fight is off anyway. This could have had a huge bearing on Sky TV pulling out of paying for the rights to show the fight live as they may not have wanted to gamble on shelling out for a fight that has more chance of being called off, than actually going ahead in the first place. The bout, between the two predominantly welterweight fighters, was originally signed at a catchweight of 10st 10lbs (150lbs) and was a non-title fight. Then the WBC announced that both boxers would fight for the 154lb title vacated by Manny Pacquaio, when he moved back down to 147lbs where he holds the WBO belt. Then less than two-weeks later, on March 1st,...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor Manchester fighter suffers blow as world title shot is shown on delayed broadcast When European welterweight champion Matthew Hatton steps into the ring at around 4am on Sunday morning, UK time, nobody in the UK will be able to see him in his quest to claim the WBC light-middleweight champion and become Britain’s fifth world title holder. Sky TV, who usually broadcast the younger Hatton’s fights, have chosen not to broadcast the fight live, when the 29 year-old faces his toughest test yet against undefeated Mexican Saul Alvarez at the Honda Center in California and instead will show the fight delayed on Sunday evening. It’s a huge blow for British fight fans who expected, maybe even took it for granted, that any British boxer fighting for the WBC title would be shown live, but as WBC super-middleweight champion Carl Froch has also learned in the past, its not always the case. It now seems that you have more chance of seeing a Briton fight a Mexican in ...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor WBC to insist on 154lb limit for title contest As Matthew Hatton prepares for his first world title quest on Saturday night, the World Boxing Council are expected to announce that his bout with natural Mexican superstar Saul Alvarez will be made at the full 154lb limit, therefore scrapping the proposed catchweight limit. The 29 year-old, who is natural at the welterweight limit seven pounds lighter than light-middleweight and was hoping that the WBC would agree to another 150lb weight contest as they did when Manny Pacquaio fought Antonio Margarito last November at the Cowboys Stadium in Texas. The European welterweight champion is now facing the daunting task of fighting over 151 pounds for only the second time in his career, with the first being a six-round middleweight contest in 2002 against Paul Denton, for which he weighted in at 157lbs. Since then, Hatton (41-4-2, 16 KO’s), has bounced between 146 and 151 pounds, whilst Alvarez (35-0-1, 26 KO’s) ...