Boxing
Jose Ramirez wants Arnold Barboza to win over Teofimo Lopez
Published
1 month agoon
LOS ANGELES — Jose Ramirez sees Latino Night rival Arnold Barboza as a stepping stone to an even bigger fight with Teofimo Lopez in the near future.
“My dream has always been to become undisputed champion,” Ramirez told World Boxing News and other media outlets this week. “Barboza is standing in the way of me getting my titles back.”
Both Ramirez and Barboza are recent additions to Golden Boy Promotions, with founder Oscar De La Hoya and president Eric Gomez lined up the fighters on the company’s Nov. 16 card, sponsored by Riyadh Season. While the belt is not a foregone conclusion, the winner will likely receive a shot at the championship.
Ramirez and Barboza came face-to-face at the opening press conference WBN attended on Wednesday at the Mayan Theater in downtown Los Angeles, and it quickly became clear to us that there was hostility between the fighters dating back to when both were at the top of the rankings.
“I respect Jose Ramirez as a player and I respect Jose Ramirez as a person,” Barboza said. “But it’s personal… I’ve wanted this fight since 2019, but for some reason it never happened.”
Barboza said he had been calling on Ramirez to fight for years, but only managed to secure the fight when he signed with de la Hoya’s Golden Boy. “I want to acknowledge and thank Oscar,” he said.
In response, Ramirez pointed to his record as unified world boxing champion. “As a fighter, I fight whoever is in front of me,” said the 32-year-old.
Barboza, nicknamed Jaguar, fought many top opponents at 140 pounds, including Jose Zepeda, Maurice Hooker and Jose Pedraza. A victory over Barboza would be the best victory of his career to date. Likewise, Barboza’s victory would also be his greatest victory.
Ramirez told WBN and other media outlets that he would not be impressed by The Venue in Riyad. He has become accustomed to boxing on the international stage as an Olympian, amateur and even professional, defeating Ryusei Yoshida at the Cotai Arena in Macau in 2015.
Therefore, he will “want to make a statement” against Barboza as he looks to regain the WBC and WBO titles currently held by Alberto Puello and Teofimo Lopez respectively.
“As a fighter, I fight whoever is in front of me,” Ramirez said, dismissing any suggestion by Barboza that he was being shunned. He then said he moved to Golden Boy from Top Rank because he “wanted even bigger fights,” and now he faces Barboza in only his second appearance for the De La Hoya brand.
As for why he took this fight, he said it “excites him” because he wants to remind the world who Ramirez is. Barboza, he said, is merely a vehicle to demonstrate this.
But one thing is clear. Barboza may be the WBO No. 1 contender to challenge Lopez for the championship, but Ramirez wants to take that spot and fight for himself.
“I want to take his No. 1 spot and then challenge Teofimo Lopez,” Ramirez said. “This is what I have to do. My goal is to become world champion and I will work demanding to achieve it.”
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Boxing
Deontay Wilder has only one option left or his career is over
Published
4 days agoon
November 1, 2024Deontay Wilder continues to deny that he has the only real chance to win another world title.
Wilder has a sedate chance of becoming a two-weight world champion after losing for the fourth time in his career.
The American was dominated by Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia before being knocked out by Zhilei Zhang.
Wilder remains adamant that he can still become a two-time ruler of the weight class, despite the obvious possibility of being relegated to the bridge division.
“I need to get my killer instinct back. I’m too composed; I’m too joyful. When I had this dog inside me, no one had a chance. I will be a two-time heavyweight champion of the world,” Wilder told 78SPORTSTV.
At just Parker’s 213 pounds, Wilder was eleven pounds under the bridge weight benchmark. He could enter the rankings right away at 224 pounds and finish high in the rankings.
Due to his standing in the World Boxing Council, which means he is ranked in the top 15 despite one victory in five years, World Boxing News understands that Wilder could even be rated number one if he ever decides to cut weight.
He had previously ruled out fighting at super cruiserweight, but that was before he lost three times in his last four fights.
The “Brown Bomber” can’t cope with bigger heavyweights who operate the right tactics. Therefore, his fixation on the world champion may finally cause Wilder to swallow his pride and go down.
If he ever did, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman would undoubtedly rate the huge boxer as capable of immediately fighting for the belt.
For now, Wilder still believes he can compete in the top flight.
“I want to give the fans what they want to see,” Wilder added, before delving into Joshua’s career. “There is a difference between being born a champion and becoming one.
“Once you become one, you are very selective about who you choose. You move carefully through the jungle.
“When you are born a King, you don’t give because you are a King. I am a born king. He is [Joshua] became king, and if not, then [the fight] would happen.”
The current bridgeweight champion is Łukasz Różański. The undefeated Pole in his current form would still be a complex proposition for Wilder.
But Wilder will never lose his punching power. This means he will always have a chance to continue his legacy as the ruler of the two-weight boxing world.
It all comes down to pride.
Boxing
Canelo vs Chris Eubank Jr fight falls apart after ‘completely false’ claims
Published
5 days agoon
October 31, 2024Canelo Alvarez fighting Chris Eubank Jr. is out of the question as coach Eddy Reynoso claims the Briton missed his chance.
Reynoso was reacting to claims by Eubank and his team that the fight could take place at Wembley Stadium in England next May. According to Reynoso, who told former World Boxing News chief writer Dan Rafael, Canelo is looking in a different direction.
Eubank said before rejecting Reynoso Heavenly sports“This fight could happen within the next year. There is no available fighter pool and no more names that fight fans want to see.
“After [David] Benavidez, there are no other boys. Maybe [Artur] Beterbieva and [Dmitry] Bivol, but they’re not in his weight class and he probably wouldn’t defend these guys.
“Me and Canelo would be a damn good combination. Two very different personalities and very different backgrounds. That would be great fun. This will be great fun.”
. @Canelo he doesn’t talk @ChrisEubankJr According to Canelo’s manager, there are no plans to meet with him @CANELOTEAMwho spoke to Fight Freaks Unite and dismissed the comments made by @boxxerBen Shalom. Read my story and sign up for mine #box bulletin: https://t.co/5pBHOLKluW pic.twitter.com/7robTlh0y1
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) October 30, 2024
In an interview with Rafael for his daily newsletter, Reynoso firmly stated that the fight would never happen and that Eubank would no longer be considered.
“It’s completely false. Eubank had his chance to fight Canelo in September. All he did was complicate the negotiations. We will not contact him again before a future fight.”
When asked if they had a successor in line, Reynoso replied, “Anyone but Eubank,” to make sure the son of a legend knew his place in line.
Eubank may turn to Conor Benn again after his recent clash with his nemesis in Saudi Arabia. Promoter Ben Shalom also spoke to Sky Sports about Canelo before Reynoso ended the fight.
“The two fights for me are Canelo and Conor Benn. We have already started brief talks about fighting Canelo,” Shalom told Sky Sports.
“Of course [Canelo] last time it was close. I believe this is a fight that interests Canelo. You can imagine a press conference in the UK and the US. It would be absolutely huge.
“I think Canelo needs dance partners, but he also needs stars. I don’t think his last few opponents were the biggest stars. Chris Eubank Jr. he is definitely a large star.
“If he ever fights in the UK it will be a sell-out fight at Wembley Stadium. For me, that’s number one on the list.”
Judging by Reynoso’s comments, Benn is taking the reins again as Eubank’s next opponent.
Boxing
Manny Flores scores a 110-second KO at Golden Boy Fight Night
Published
1 week agoon
October 26, 2024The final installment of Golden Boy Fight Night on DAZN in 2024 ended with absolute fireworks, with Coachella Valley hometown hero Manuel “Gucci Manny” Flores (19-1, 15 KO) ending the fight at 1:50 of the first round when he faced from Sonora, Mexican Victor Olivo (21-5-1, 9 KO).
The 10-round super bantamweight fight ended with a massive punch to the body from which Olivo was unable to recover. The event took place live at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino and was broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“I feel good,” said Manuel Flores. “It was only one round, so I feel good, I can start again. Today I give myself a B. I should have stopped it sooner.
During the co-main gala organized in cooperation with Miguel Cotto Promotions, Tito Sanchez (14-0, 8 KO) from Cathedral City electrified the audience with a stunning knockout victory over the tough Edwin “Pupo” Palomares (18-5-3, 9 KO). The 10-round featherweight fight began with fierce action, with Palomares’ right eye being cut in the second round and Sanchez’s left eye being cut by an accidental headbutt in the third. It was at the end of the eighth round that Sanchez landed a series of punches with his right hand, ending the fight at 0:53, securing the victory by KO.
“I feel really great,” said Tito Sanchez. “My performance wasn’t great in the earlier rounds because I wasn’t letting go yet, but when I threw with my right hand it worked and that’s what we were waiting for, that moment. Palomares kept throwing; he wouldn’t let me put my foot down so I could catch him with my right. His condition was excellent. Today he was in the right place.”
Maintaining his undefeated record, Coachella Valley’s Grant Flores (7-0, 5 KO) defeated Karolina and Luis Ramos (7-5-1, 7 KO) in a six-round middleweight fight. The back and forth action kept fans on their feet; Flores received a warning in the third round for a low punch, and Ramos went to a knee in the fifth round. The judges scored the fight unanimously in Flores’ favor with scores of 60-53, 59-54 and 60-53. Also at the DAZN gala, in a super-lightweight fight scheduled for six rounds, Daniel “Junebug” Garcia (10-0, 8 KO) from Denver defeated Jorge Villegas from California (14-3, 13 KO) from Oxnard by knockout in the second round. Villegas succumbed twice to Garcia’s power and did not survive the 10-count.
Also representing Coachella Valley, Cayden Griffiths (2-0, 2 KO) dazzled the audience by knocking out Markus Bowes (3-7, 2 KO) of Roxboro, North Carolina, in the third round in a welterweight fight scheduled for four rounds. Opening the DAZN broadcast, Johnny “Sugarcane” Cañas (6-0, 2 KO) from Santa Ana defeated Pedro “Zurdo de Oro” Cruz (3-6, 2 KO) from San Jose. The six-round lightweight fight was controlled largely by Cañas, with Cruz suffering a cut to his right eye from an accidental headbutt and a cut to his left eye from a tough blow to the head. All three judges scored the fight 60-54 for Cañas.
In the preliminary fights, Daniel “Ikaika” Luna (5-1, 5 KO) of Victorville added another knockout to his resume, defeating Caracas, Giovanna Gonzalez (2-6, 2 KO) of Venezuela in the second round. Scheduled as a four-round lightweight match, Luna sent Gonzalez to the mat twice in the second round and the referee waved off the fight at 2:44. Kicking off the fight night with a four-round super bantamweight bout, Kevin Gudiño (1-0, 1 KO) of West Covina made a successful professional debut, defeating Bryan Cox (0-2) of Cedar Hill, Texas, by technical knockout. Cox was knocked to the mat in the first round, and his corner kick stopped the fight after the first round.
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