Upcoming Fights, Thoughts, And Boxing News:
Saturday, November 24
Hard Rock, Atlantic City, NJ (HBO)
- Dmitry Bivol vs Jean Pascal, light heavyweights, 12 rounds- Tough fight for both fighters, but I feel that Bivol will take it on activity.
Saturday, December 1
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA (PPV)
- Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury, heavyweights, 12 rounds- I tweeted earlier this morning that I’ll usually watch ANYTHING boxing, but this fight for some reason is not doing it for me. Light-heavyweight Trevor McCumby(25-0) then tweeted me back by saying that I will still watch it, hey no argument here, being the boxing junkie that I am, I’m sure that I will still end up watching. For now I have Wilder stopping Fury, I mean if Steve Cunningham who is really a cruiserweight was able to drop Fury, then no reason for me to think that one of Wilders windmill missiles wouldn’t do the same.
Centre Videotron, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada (SHO)
- Adonis Stevenson vs Oleksandr Gvozdyk, light heavyweights, 12 rounds- I really do not like Stevenson, so in saying that, I hope Gvozdyk ”nails” him.
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA (SHO)
- Julio Cesar Chavez Jr vs Alfredo Angulo, super middleweights, 10 rounds- File this one under fights that should have happened years ago, I mean YEARS ago. Give me the scale over both by unanimous decision.
Saturday, December 8
Hulu Theater, New York, NY (ESPN)
- Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Jose Pedraza, lightweights, 12 rounds- Lomachenko by murder!
- Isaac Dogboe vs Emanuel Navarrete, super bantamweights, 12 rounds- Dogboe inside of 8 rounds.
- Teofimo Lopez vs Mason Menard, lightweights, 10 rounds- TeoFORTNITE Lopez will box Menard silly and stop him in the 7th round. I don’t think that we’ll see Lopez vs. Lomachenko anytime soon, so can we at least see them face off in a back flip contest?
StubHub Center, Carson, CA (HBO)
- Cecilia Braekhus vs Aleksandra Magdziak-Lopes, welterweights, 10 rounds- Cecilia takes it unanimously.
- Roman Gonzalez vs Pedro Guevara, super flyweights, 10 rounds- Chocolatito will be too much for Guevara.
Sheffield Arena, Sheffield, England (DAZN)
- Kell Brook vs Michael Zerafa, junior middleweights, 12 rounds- Brook beats the trunks off of Zerafa.
Friday, December 14
Bank of America Center, Corpus Christi, TX (ESPN+)
- Gilberto Ramirez vs Jesse Hart, rematch, super middleweights, 12 rounds- First fight was very close, for this one I think Ramirez employs his jab a bit more to win a bit more comfortably than in their first clash.
Saturday, December 15
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY (DAZN)
- Canelo Alvarez vs Rocky Fielding, super middleweights, 12 rounds- Canelo in a new weight class, hmm, let’s hope Fielding doesn’t turn into Felix Sturm overnight. Alvarez by a brutal body shot.
- Tevin Farmer vs Francisco Fonseca, super featherweights, 12 rounds- Farmer is too skilled for Fonseca.
- David Lemieux vs Tureano Johnson, middleweights, 12 rounds- Tough tough fight and hard for me to call at this time.
- Sadam Ali vs Mauricio Herrera, welterweights, 10 rounds- Herrera can make Ali look bad, but I feel the best Sadam Ali can beat the best Mauricio Herrera at this time.
- Ryan “Kingry” Garcia (16-0, 13 KOs) of Victorville, Calif. will fight for the first time under the tutelage of Eddy Reynoso, head trainer of Canelo Alvarez, in a 10-round lightweight battle.
- Super lightweight knockout artist Vergil Ortiz (11-0, 11 KOs) of Dallas, Texas will return in a clash scheduled for 10 rounds – I am really big on this kid and have been so ever since I first laid eyes on Ortiz. When Vergil fights, I tune in.
- Opponents for Garcia and Ortiz will be announced shortly.
Saturday, December 22
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY (FOX)
- Jermall Charlo vs Willie Monroe Jr, middleweights, 12 rounds- Monroe can box but Mall can crack and box as well. Charlo takes it late.
- Jermell Charlo vs Tony Harrison, junior middleweights, 12 rounds- If Harrison shows up with his very best, man this fight could steal the show.
- Dominic Breazeale vs Carlos Negron, heavyweights, 10 rounds- Breazeale takes this one.
Manchester Arena, Manchester, England (ESPN+)
- Josh Warrington vs Carl Frampton, featherweights, 12 rounds- Warrington has a good fighting spirit but Frampton will slice him up and stop Warrington in the 9th stanza.
O2 Arena, London, England (DAZN)
- Dillian Whyte vs Dereck Chisora, rematch, heavyweights, 12 rounds- Prediction? PAIN!
Canelo Alvarez/Rocky Fielding To Hit The Big Screen!
Fresh off his middleweight victory over Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, WBC, WBA, Lineal and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KOs) steps up to 168 lbs. to face Rocky Fielding (27-1, 15 KOs) on Saturday, December 15. Broadcast live from the historic Madison Square Garden in New York City, boxing fans can catch all the action in their local cinemas as Canelo challenges Rocky for his WBA Super Middleweight World Title in what is certain to be a thrilling 12-round main event.
In the co-main event, middleweight knockout sensation David Lemieux (40-4, 34 KOs) will look to make a second potential Knockout of the Year performance before 2018 ends as he takes on Tureano Johnson (20-2, 14 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round battle.
Tickets for “Canelo vs. Rocky” can be purchased online at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices.
The live broadcast of “Canelo vs. Rocky,” presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Fathom Events, is set for Saturday, December 15 at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. CT/ 7 p.m. MT/ 6 p.m. PT/ 5 p.m. AK/ 4 p.m. HI. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in more than 500 select movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN). A complete list of theater locations is available on the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
A 31-year-old native of Liverpool, England, Fielding will be making his U.S. debut as he defends his title against one of the biggest names in boxing. Fielding has only suffered one loss in his career as he worked his way up the division through some of the toughest fighters in the U.K. Fielding’s last fight was in July, a victory over Germany’s Tyron Zeuge to capture the WBA Super Middleweight World Title.
“This is great way to watch Canelo make history as he steps up in weight to win a world title in a third division,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “I’m pleased that fans will be able to watch this event at local cinemas across the nation.”
“With each of his fights broadcast in cinemas, Canelo continues to enthrall boxing fans coast to coast,” said Ray Nutt, Fathom Events CEO. “We’re pleased to partner once again with Golden Boy, and for the first time with Matchroom and DAZN, to bring this highly-anticipated bout to fans nationwide.”
Canelo vs. Rocky is a 12-round fight for the WBA Super Middleweight World Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Matchroom Boxing. Lemieux vs. Johnson is a 12-round middleweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” and Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle.” The event will take place Saturday, December 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York City and will be streamed live on DAZN.
For artwork/photos related to “Canelo vs. Rocky” visit the Fathom Events press site.
Ray Beltran Holds Off Retirement, For Now:
About an hour after Beltran’s tough loss to Jose Pedraza back in August, Steve Feder (Beltran’s manager) was asked by Azcentral.com Greg Moore on what he feels will come next for Ray, Feder’s response was:
“I want him to rest, I told him I’m proud of him. The whole team is proud of him. He never quit. I don’t want to see him go out this way. If Ray wants to fight again, under the right circumstances … But Ray has nothing to feel bad about. He can walk away from boxing knowing that he served the sport well. But it’s up to him. I want him to make the decision for himself and his family. But that takes time.”
Three months removed from that tough loss, Beltran feels he now has had enough time to let the loss sit with him and digest a bit so in speaking to Ray earlier this morning, Ray has advised me that he along with his family and team have made a decision and plans to make his return to the ring in February or March at latest. Beltran went on to add that no names of possible opponents have been mentioned but would let me know when new details present themselves.
Creed II– The sequel to Creed just hit theaters and has now earned a blazing hot $3.7 million in preview screenings. According to Forbes that’s the second-biggest Thanksgiving preview haul ever and the biggest live-action preview gross. So yes folks, boxing is still very much alive and well.