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Bob Arum says Naoya Inoue has a talent unlike any other

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Bob Arum says Naoya Inoue has a talent unlike any other

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum spent some time talking to the media about a number of topics, including Vasiliy Lomachenko’s signs of slippage, his plans for Shakur Stevenson now that he’s nearing the end of his contract, and why Naoya Inoue is such a special talent. You can check out some excerpts from what Arum had to say below.

Arum on Lomachenko has not been doing well in the most crucial fights lately

“I believe Loma is still a great fighter. His fight with Haney. I watched this fight and I like Devin. He’s a great fighter, but I thought Loma won that fight. But again, the judges decided differently and you have to respect their decision.

“Did Loma slip a bit? Yes, at 36 he’s not that aged, but he’s had a long, long amateur career spanning almost 400 top-level fights. So he’s probably not as good as he was maybe five years ago. George Kambosos is a lively fighting dog, he is a very good fighter, always in very good shape. It will be a tough fight and we will see who will come out on top.

“I loved having Loma at Top Rank, I have great affection for him. I think he’s a great guy, great family, great father, just everything you could want in a player. But he’s in a very, very tough situation with Kambosos – he couldn’t handle Devin Haney, Kambosos couldn’t handle it, but he certainly could handle Teofimo.

Is the plan for the winner of Lomachenko vs Kambosos to face Shakur Stevenson

“Well, Shakur will fight on July 6 in Recent Jersey at the Prudential Center. We will announce the opponent relatively soon. We had a great time working with Shakur, he’s an amazing fighter with amazing skills, but our contract expires with the fight on July 6. Hopefully we’ll maintain a relationship with Shakur and continue that, but he’s a free agent after the July 6 fight, so we’ll see how it all works out. For me, watching Lomachenko vs. Shakur, because I’m a boxing maniac and I love boxing, it would be such a pleasure to see two such talented guys fight each other.

“But this is the future again. Loma has a tough fight against Kambosos and his opponent. The guys told me in the office that they chose Shakur, who is a really good fighter. So after July 6, we will look at it and see if we can fight a unification fight.

On where Naoya Inoue ranks among all the players he has promoted

“It’s terrifying what I see. He so overwhelms his opponents, really good opponents. I’ve never seen a player of his size perform like this. Maybe Salvador Sanchez had that ability, but even then, he didn’t win all his fights by knockout. Inoue goes into these fights, boxes these guys, and then he knocks them out. What we see in Inoue is something truly special. He is as special in boxing as Otani is in baseball.”

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Analysis

Noela Mikaelian vs Ryan Rozicki fight has been postponed to September 28 on PPV

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Noela Mikaelian vs Ryan Rozicki fight has been postponed to September 28 on PPV

Don King’s only champion, WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian, will meet Ryan Rozicki at the Sept. 28 event at King’s usual haunt, Casino Miami Jai Alai.

Future viewers will be able to watch the show “on Pay Per View via Triller TV, DonKing.com and Itube247.com”

Mikaelian (27-2, 12 KO) has fought just four fights since an extremely questionable decision defeat to Mairis Briedis in the WBSS tournament in 2018. After two victories over restricted opponents, he outclassed faded prospect Youri Kayembre Kalenga and earned a shot at champion Ilunga Makabu, whom he then brutally knocked out in three last November.

A June date with Rozicki (20-1, 19 KO) fell through after Mikaelian suffered an injury, making it his first fight in almost 11 months.

Canadian Rozicki has won seven in a row since losing to Oscar Rivas in 2021, but on paper his streak is better than it actually is. His biggest victory, a split decision over challenger Yamil Alberto Peralta, was such an egregious blowout that the WBC outright refused to let Rozicki hang on the alphabet trinket. He was last seen handing an exceptionally overcooked Olanrewaju Durodola his eighth stoppage-time defeat in December.

Pay-per-view worthy? Not at all, but at least the truly talented Mikaelian was back in action.

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Analysis

Oscar De La Hoya thinks the Canelo vs. Berlanga marketing is a bit off

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Oscar De La Hoya thinks the Canelo vs. Berlanga marketing is a bit off

Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya takes some time to answer a few questions about the recent major event of the season in Riyad, headlined by Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov, the upcoming Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga fight, and his desire to making a Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda fight. Below you can read some fragments of his speech.

De La Hoya at Crawford vs. Madrimov

“Too bad for Jared, who got knocked out fighting the beast. This kid reminded me of George Foreman – a gigantic kid with weighty hands. I feel like Jared will be back. It was a great fight, there is no shame in his game, he is a great fighter.

“Pitbull, low end. It happens. He fought strenuous, but overall, I think Crawford closed out the show with a great victory. It was a tough fight that may require a rematch. We’ll see, but you know. I’m looking forward to Saturday’s fight against Vergil Ortiz because maybe the winners will fight each other, Crawford and Vergil.

“It could happen. We hope that Vergil will win this Saturday, he will be able to face Tim Tszyu at the end of this year, and then the winner of the Tim Tszyu vs Vergil Ortiz fight will face Terence Crawford.

Canelo vs. Berlanga fight

“I think one thing that’s not true that I feel is that they’re building this fight as Mexico vs. Puerto Rico. I don’t know. I don’t know if this is true because the last time I checked Berlanga was in Novel York. Last time I checked, I think I’m more Puerto Rican than Berlanga. I lived there for six years, so I know. I know what people love, I know who they will support… I think yes, it will be a good fight, but don’t make it a Mexico vs. Puerto Rico match.”

On if he believes Eddie Hearn is standing in the way of Shakur Stevenson fighting William Zepeda

“Oh well. I don’t think anyone will stand in the way of this fight. Look, I’m Zepeda’s promoter and I really want to do this fight. I think Shakur, skill-wise, is probably the best fighter in the world right now. Great, great skills, but he has to be able to sell tickets. His boxing style isn’t very genial to sell tickets, but I think the William Zepeda vs. Shakur Stevenson fight is a gigantic fight that will happen, but no, Eddie Hearn is not on track to fight that fight.

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Analysis

“I’ll put him on…”: Berlanga challenges Canelo to come out swinging

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“I'll put him on…”: Berlanga challenges Canelo to come out swinging

Edgar Berlanga gets the opportunity he’s been hoping for as he faces Canelo Alvarez in the pay-per-view main event on Saturday, September 2. 14 in Las Vegas.

Canelo, who made headlines this week for being the first major boxing fighter not to immediately bend the knee to the whims of Saudi promoter Turki Alalshikh, is the clear favorite in this fight, currently valued at -1400 by DraftKings Sportsbook.

However, Berlanga (22-0, 17 KO) feels that he can continue his winning fight in his first professional fight as an underdog, and an extremely essential one at that.

“Tell him to come out swinging in the first round,” Berlanga told Matchroom cameras. “Look what will happen to him, I will put him on his ass. I give it six. It’s a fact.”

“I’ve already learned, he likes to run for the first two or three rounds to get a feel for you,” he continued. “But then let him try to open up. Let him try to open up and see what happens to him. You heard me, I’ll tell him I’m nasty.

Berlanga obviously gained momentum on ESPN and Top Rank when he started his career with 16 straight wins before first-round stoppages, but as soon as that streak inevitably came to an end in 2021, most of the hype rose with him.

He won five straight fights by decision before stopping Padraig McCroy in February this year, and along the way he parted ways with Top Rank to sign with Matchroom, with the Canelo fight his main goal.

That time has come for him and he will get what he has been talking about since he came to prominence a few years ago.

Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KO) will defend the WBC, WBA and WBO super middleweight belts in this fight. He has never been stopped in his career.

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