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Wainwright rates Canelo vs. Berlanga

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News broke in midweek that Canelo Alvarez would be taking a chance on his WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight title fight with Edgar Berlanga on Mexican Independence Day weekend, September 14, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

It was almost universally met with derision. Most believe that the Ring’s No. 9-ranked super middleweight (although he’ll move up when David Benavidez and David Morrell leave for featherlight heavyweight) is completely undeserving of it, and, well, they’re not wrong.

I live in the UK and I ask myself, would I stay for this fight? No. Would I set an alarm to get up and watch it early in the morning? No. I’ll watch it the next day and even then because I can’t completely miss it because writing about boxing is my job. I hope there are one or two notable fights on the preliminary card. The co-main event, Erislandy Lara-Danny Garcia, could be a good fight but it seems a few years too delayed.

Berlanga (22-0, 17 knockouts) enters with an unblemished record and Puerto Rican heritage that will no doubt be utilized. Berlanga, who won his first 16 fights in the first round, drew attention before going the distance in four more fights and looking less resolute. It should be noted, however, that he did not fight in Puerto Rico and is not a huge draw.

Berlanga caused quite a stir some time ago, but ever since he became a promising prospect he has started to resemble a factory-made product.

He was treated so cautiously by his management that Top Rank decided to remove him from their roster because he did not want to appear in the ring and also because he was on a six-month suspension for biting Roamer’s opponent Alexis Angulo during their June 2022 fight.

Eddie Hearn seemed to have slipped in and signed a free agent deal, given his close working relationship with Canelo. Sign Berlanga, check, put him up against a handpicked opponent, check, then enter the competition for Canelo, check.

The fight was believed to be between Canelo and either Berlanga or Chris Eubank Jr., a middleweight contender who had previously tried his hand at super middleweight. Truth be told, Eubank Jr. didn’t deserve it any more than Berlanga. Ultimately, Berlanga won.

Canelo has the deepest resume in boxing, but the recently 34-year-old is facing low-hanging fruit. This is no Gennadiy Golovkin, Billy Joe Saunders, Dmitry Bivol, etc. This is much more Rocky Fielding or Avni Yildirim.

Will Berlanga be crushed like Anvi Yildirim in 2021? Photo: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom.

David Benavidez has long been a fan favorite, but he got tired of waiting for his deserved chance to fight Canelo and announced last week that he would be permanently retaining his featherlight heavyweight spot. It’s a similar story with the threatening but unheralded David Morrell. If Canelo didn’t fight Benavidez, to paraphrase Muhammad Ali, “Morrell has two chances: Slim and none, and Slim just left town.”

There are other contenders for Canelo, but unless you get particularly artistic looking at 160 or 175 (and after the loss to Bivol, we know Canelo won’t be returning to featherlight heavyweight anytime soon). Truth be told, there aren’t many options. He already has wins over the respected Caleb Plant and Jaime Munguia.

With Benavidez and Morrell gone, the most deserving contender is Christian Mbilli, The Ring’s No. 2 super middleweight who has made quite a splash in Canada. He’ll face Sergey Derevyanchenko in what’s shaping up to be the potential fight of the year on Aug. 17.

Meanwhile, Mbilli’s promotional teammate Osleys Iglesias has caught the eye with two devastating knockouts this year but currently finds himself in the high-risk, low-reward category. The Cuban will face Morrell’s former victim Sena Agbeko and is doing everything he can to promote his claim by staying busy and turning heads when he fights.

William Scull is the undeserved IBF mandatory and was hoping to play that card, but when it became clear that Canelo would face Berlanga, the IBF stripped the Mexican star of his title. Scull will likely face the equally unknown Vladimir Shishkin.

I think if Terence Crawford is successful in his junior middleweight fight with Israil Madrimov this Saturday, it will have a massive impact on the possibility of a Canelo-Crawford fight next year.

Canelo earned the right to decide a long time ago. He’s very stubborn and likes to remind us of that from time to time, and I think that’s part of the reason he hasn’t shown any desire to fight Benavidez. He’s been snubbed by a younger, bigger fighter and he doesn’t want to give him a payday (along with the fact that the more people ask him about the fight, the more he refuses to bow to peer pressure).

If he continues on his current trajectory (which will last a few more fights before he retires), his PPV stats could start to plummet.

Maybe Berlanga will be a little better than I give him credit for, but Canelo will have to physically fall off a cliff after 65 fights and countless rounds of sparring to be in any real danger.

The future Hall of Famer has not scored a knockout in five fights in three years. That needs to change, or the jeers will only get louder, as will suggestions that Canelo has slowed down accordingly.

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The fight between Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel will take place on December 14 at the Toyota Arena

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Rocha vs Curiel

In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).

The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”

Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00

“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”

Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.

“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.

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George Kambosos moves up to 140, adds Eddie Hearn to team

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George Kambosos beats Teofimo

Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.

Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.

The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.

Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.

The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.

“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.

“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.

“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”

Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.

“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].

Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.

“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.

Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.

“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.

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Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul

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Mike Tyson comeback black

One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.

WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.

Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.

“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.

“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.

“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.

He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”

Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.

Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.

Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.

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