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It was fitting that Terdsak Kokietgym (53-5-1 33KO) was wearing red and Orlando Salido (42-12-2 29KO) blue in their brawl for the interim WBO super featherweight title from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Appropriate because those are the same colors worn by the robots in the game Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots, as a real life version of the game broke out in this championship bout.

From the opening bell, which saw Salido dropped by a left hook and Kokietgym dropped by a low blow (which was called a knock down), you knew it was on.

Round two would be no different for Salido as he would hit the deck again courtesy of a chopping left to the chin by Kokietgym. Salido was up at the count of eight with the round ending a few seconds later.

Salido would return the favor in round four when he floored Kokietgym with a straight right to the body, this time legal. Kokietgym was up quickly and both fighters slugged their way to the bell. Salido came out with a rush in round five but didn’t guard his grill and tasted the canvas for a third time when Kokietgym landed a solid left cross. Salido was more surprised by the shot than hurt and was up quickly as he moved the remaining seconds of the round to get back to the corner at the bell.

Salido started the sixth round with a flurry and continued to dominate the round by landing body shots and combinations to the head. Towards the end of the round, Salido unleashed an assault that had Kokietgym in trouble. It appeared that the referee was jumping in to stop the fight as Kokietgym didn’t appear to be protecting himself amid the onslaught but that wasn’t the case. Both fighters were sent to their neutral corners and then the referee signaled for the fight to continue. Salido’s corner had actually climbed into the ring thinking their fighter had won and had to exit. The bell rang a few moments later ending the round. Hey, maybe the ref should have utilized a Standing-8. (Enter shameless website plug comment here).

Kokietgym begins the seventh a little wobbled and is trying to stay away but Salido cuts off the ring and traps him on the ropes. Salido lands a few clubbing shots and buckles Kokietgym who falls to his knees into the ropes. Another knockdown but Kokietgym is up quick and both fighters resume fighting in a phone booth for the remainder of the round.

The next few rounds are fought at close range with Salido landing the more effective combinations.  Signs that Kokietgym is wearing down are begining to show.

A slugfest starts the 11^th, but ends quickly when Salido lands a textbook left hook, right hook, left uppercut combination which knocks out Kokietgym and ends the fight.

Although Kokietgym had his moments, Salido was the more accurate puncher, and worked the body early and often which no doubt set him up for the success in the eleventh.

As the referee was waving off the fight, you could hear a voice faintly in the distance….”Hey!  You knocked my block off!”

Pound For Pound Lists Better Recognize
When you look at most boxing pound for pound lists, you are hard pressed to find a fighter in the less glamorous flyweight division anywhere near the top 10; however, that is all about to change. It’s not that there hasn’t been a little guy worthy of cracking the top 10, he’s been here all along and goes by the nickname of “Chocolatoto”.

Nicaraguan Roman Gonzalez (40-0 34 KO) defeated Japan’s Akira Yaegashi (20-4 10 KO) in Yaegashi’s backyard to take his WBA Light Flyweight title. With the win, Gonzalez captured his third world title in as many weight classes, shades of Alexis Arguello.

In the third round, Roman landed an uppercut that dazed Yaegashi but he was able to remain coherent enough to exchange with the Nicaraguan who obliged by landing a left hook dropping the champion. He was able to beat the count and survive the round.

Over the next five rounds there were some good exchanges but Gonzalez was the superior fighter boxing effortlessly while landing solid body shots, jabs, and left hooks. In the ninth round with his eye swelling, Yaegashi was again deposited on the canvas courtesy of a five punch combination from the challenger. This time he would not be able to get up causing referee Michael Griffen to stop the contest. At the time of the ninth round TKO, Gonzalez was leading on all three scorecards, 79-72 X2 and 80-71.

So what’s next for the new champion? Maybe he gets the winner of Giovanni Segura vs. Juan Francisco to unify the belts. No matter who his opponents are, they better be ready to face one of the top P4P fighters in the world.

Gonzalez had been on the Standing-8’s P4P list at eight since the inception of the site, he now moves to six.

(Portions of this snippet used in an article written for and contributed to Behind The Gloves.)

A No-Nonsense Problem
Adrien Broner (29-1 22KO) was uncharacteristically civil in defeating Emmanuel Taylor (18-3 12KO) by unanimous decision with scores of 116-111 on two cards and 115-112 on the third. Broner knocked down Taylor with a swift counter uppercut in the final round. Taylor wasn’t really hurt, but rather more surprised by the shot.

The fight was twelve rounds of some of the highest technical skill you will see in a fight by two fighters. Each combatant landed body shots by way of hooks or jabs, straight rights/lefts and hooks to the head, and moved and countered beautifully. No slight on Taylor, Broner was just a little bit quicker and slicker which allowed him to steal several close rounds.

After the fight, Broner stated he wanted Lucas Matthysse next. So, about Matthysse…..

A Well Oiled Machine?
Matthysse (36-3 34KO) had been a bit vulnerable in his last two fights, losing and hitting the deck against Danny Garcia and winning and again hitting the deck against John Molina Jr. On Saturday night, Matthysse was supposed to get a “test” from power punching Roberto Ortiz (31-1-1 24KO) but it was Ortiz who failed his own test.

Matthysse knocked out Ortiz with a wicked left hook to the body in the second round. Ortiz looked like he was going to be able to continue as he rested on one knee and listened to referee Benjy Esteves give the customary ten count. Concurrent with Esteves saying”ten”, Ortiz rose to his feet. Esteves then waived off the fight in a somewhat controversial stoppage. Not really a lot of answers here other than Oritz doesn’t take a great body shot.

So, like Broner, Matthysse also was thinking the same as he reciprocally stated that he wanted to face Broner next. In the words of legendary referee Mills Lane, “Let’s Get It On!!!”

The Other AB Also Wins In His Return Bout
Andre Berto (29-3 22KO) looked strong in winning a unanimous decision against a game Steve Upsher (24-4-1 6KO). Berto’s surgically repaired right shoulder was a non-issue. Berto landed power shots and looked as quick as he always has. One area of concern is that Upsher landed numerous power shots of his own. As Berto’s competition rises, he will not be able to withstand continued power shots from bigger punchers like the one’s he took form Upsher.

The Day Of The Jackal
Carl Frampton defeated Kiko Martinez in their rematch on Saturday. See story in preceeding article.

Back in early 2013, I stumbled upon an announcement for an event in Las Vegas called the Box Fan Expo. I was energized by the concept of the event, a chance to meet and greet with the biggest names in the sport, past and present. Unfortunately, the event never took place in 2013 but was rescheduled for 2014 and will occur in just over a week on Saturday September 13 at the Las Vegas Convention Center from 10-6.

Billed as the ultimate fan experience, all under one roof, the first ever event of its kind has confirmations from past greats like Mike Tyson, Leon Spinks, Roy Jones Jr., Riddick Bowe, James Toney, and current fighters, Juan Manuel Marquez, Sergio Martinez, Amir Khan, Robert Guerrero, Zab Judah, Mikey Garcia, and Shawn Porter just to name a few.

But it’s not just fighters that will be in attendance; there will be promotion companies like Dibella Entertainment, Iron Mike Productions, and Mayweather Promotions among others as well as gyms, Robert Garcia Boxing, Kronk Gym, and even announcers like Al Bernstein.

If there was a championship belt for event organizers, then Alonzo Benezra is the undisputed champ. Benezra is the brains behind the Expo and the person to thank for the opportunity to meet these icons of the sport and spend a day in the world of the sweet science. “There are few opportunities like this that allow the boxing fan to come face to face with their favorite boxers and other celebrities, which make the Box Fan Expo a truly unique and must see experience” said Benezra.

Yes, this event is going to be epic. I have my tickets, do you????

 

For more information contact the Box Fan Expo at: (514) 572-7222 or (702) 997-2099 or by Email:  info@boxfanexpo.com

 

 

“I’ll take Boxing for $200”

“Here is the clue; Unpredictable, Outrageous, Love/Hate, Talented”

“Who is Broner?”

“Correct, for $200!”

Yes, Cincinnati’s “Problem” Adrien Broner (28-1 22KO), love him or hate him, the kid’s talented and you never know what he will do next. You’ll get another chance to see exactly what that may be this Saturday night on Showtime Championship Boxing from the US Bank Arena in Broner’s hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. The tripleheader card will also feature Argentine Lucas Matthysse (35-3 33KOs), and the return of former IBF/WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto of Winter Haven, Florida (28-3 22KO) in separate bouts.

When we last saw Broner, he was back to his old self in a unanimous decision win against Carlos Medina. There was Broner attempting bolo punches, body slamming his opponent, dancing and taunting, and who can forget the infamous post fight interview? Medina did well in the fight as he tried his best to employ the Marcos Maidana blueprint but was mostly overmatched in a fight that was closer than the score cards indicated.

Enter Maryland’s Emmanuel Taylor (18-2 12KO’s), Broner’s opponent this Saturday. Taylor beat Karim Mayfield by unanimous decision in his last fight but thoroughly lost to Chris Algieri in the fight prior. In the fight against Algeri, Taylor struggled to find an answer to Algieri’s quickness which is something that he will again have to contend with in Broner. While a decent puncher, Taylor’s strength is his fast hands and his ability to counter. If he is going to upset Broner in his backyard, he will need to get past Broner’s reach advantage and quickness, which is easier said than done. If Taylor is able to land a big counter shot early in the fight similar to what Medina was able to do and make the fight dirty at times, he may be able to make things interesting. As Taylor stated, “This is the biggest fight of my career, and I won’t let it get away from me,” “All of those hours in the gym were for a moment like this, and I can’t wait to show the world what I can do in the ring.”

When fighting in front of his hometown fans, Broner aims to give the judges the night off as ten out of his eleven fights in The Queen City have not gone to the scorecards. He can make it eleven out of twelve if he establishes his jab early and often and follows it with blazing combinations, works the body, and keeps the clowning to a minimum. “It’s always good to fight at home. It is overdue and I will never disappoint my Cincinnati fans. I’ll make sure to put on a good show for them” Broner said.

When you think about fight of the year candidates this year, you have to put Matthysse vs. John Molina Jr. in the discussion. Although Matthysse was able to stop Molina in the eleventh, he was there to be hit and was dropped twice, not exactly what was expected of him after losing to Danny Garcia in his previous fight which also saw him hit the canvas.

On Saturday, Matthysse will face WBC Silver Lightweight Champion Roberto Ortiz of Mexico (31-0-1 24KO). “I respect Lucas Matthysse and know how dangerous he is, but this is my time to make a statement, and I will on Sept. 6,” said Ortiz. “I see holes in his game, and I think I’m the better all-around fighter. The world will see that very soon.”

Countered Matthysse, “The title is my only goal, and to get there, I have to beat Ortiz, I’ve heard that he’s a tough fighter, but I’m not worried about him. I just have to make sure I’m ready”  Matthysse has generally not fared well against boxers as evident by his losses to Zab Judah, Devon Alexander, and Garcia but Ortiz is going to put him in his comfort zone; however, questions are beginning to surface about his beard. Ortiz is taking a big step up in class but it’s evident that he can bang. This fight has all the makings of classic brawl, fasten your seatbelts.

Rounding out the card will be the aforementioned Berto vs. Philadelphia’s Steven Upsher Chambers (24-3-1 6KO). Berto will be in the ring for the first time since losing to Jesus Soto Karass fourteen months ago and having surgery to repair a damaged shoulder. Regarding the shoulder, Berto stated, “The shoulder is feeling good and we’ve had a tremendous camp. I was able to get out here really early for this fight and train with all the great champions in our gym. I’m just excited to get back under the lights and perform on September 6,” Berto is a stablemate of Andre Ward, Alfredo Angulo and Amir Khan in trainer Virgil Hunter’s Bay Area gym.

Chambers (“brother” of heavyweight Eddie) has been out of the ring over a year and enters this fight having lost his last two. The tale of the tape will favor Chambers over the former champion and he is looking to exploit it saying, “I look forward to using my height and reach advantage and, believe it or not, I don’t know how people rate my speed or whatever, but I think I will be the faster fighter”.

Berto is never in a dull fight and this one should be no different, he will bring out the best in Chambers and in doing so may bring out the best in himself.

There’s going to be “Mayhem” in Las Vegas in a week but no worries; Showtime Championship Boxing has you covered this week. Yes, Queen City, we need a few answers out of you this Saturday night. Is Broner truly at home in the junior welterweight division? Is Matthysse still the knockout destroyer who walked through Lamont Peterson or the fighter who showed vulnerability in a loss against Danny Garcia and in winning his last fight against John Molina? And finally, is Berto totally recovered from shoulder surgery and capable of making a sustained run back to a title shot?

We may not get the complete answers we are looking for as the matchups may not be conducive to our quest but it’s the small answers we could get that will allow us to see what the future may hold for these warriors going forward.

 

Article contributed to Behind The Gloves.com

It is a lonely time for a boxer when they hit the canvas, their mind suddenly trying to process why the crowd is blurrily at eye level, their sounds muffled. Everything is in slow motion as the referee comes into focus, their voice counting numbers. J’Leon Love from Inkster, Michigan 18-1, (1 No Contest 10KO) was in such a position on Saturday night after being crushed by a devastating left hook at the hands of Rogelio “Porky” Medina 33-6 (27 KO) of San Luis, Sanora Mexico and was knocked out in the third round in Saturday’s ShoBox Main Event from the Pearl at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Love was headlining a ShoBox card which was showcasing three highly touted super middleweights with something to prove and all promoted by Floyd Mayweather and Mayweather Promotions, Love, Badou Jack, and Ronald Gavril.

In the first round, Love used his 4 ½ inch reach advantage and jabbed Medina while landing a few body shots. Love was using a lot of movement as Medina stalked him and landed a few power shots of his own. Love had been down in his last fight against Marco Antonio Perriban so it was wise to jab and move away from the power punching Medina. In the second round, Medina landed the stronger shots and continued stalking Love as Love continued to use his jab and move while trying to land his right. 

In previous fights, Love had shown a weakness to keep his chin straight up during exchanges and Medina was there to exploit it in the third. Medina stalked Love into the corner and landed a picture perfect left hook that had Love out on his feet. As Love was falling, Medina landed a small left uppercut as Love fell face first into the mat, his legs twitching as he lay on the canvas. Love tried to get up stumbling into the ropes from his knees causing Referee Tony Weeks to wave the fight off at 39 seconds of round three.

This is a devastating setback for Love who had hoped to be in line for bigger fights. He must now pick up the pieces and start his journey over again after a knockout loss. He doesn’t have to go far to find guidance on what that will take. He need only go back to the gym and consult with his stablemate Badou Jack who did just that on Saturday night.

Badou Jack 17-1-1 (11 KO) from Stockholm, Sweden had experienced what happened to Love in his last fight. Not comparable in the brutality of how it happened but in tasting the canvas and losing by knockout. Jack needed to prove in this fight against Jason Escalera 15-3-1 (12KO) of Union City, New Jersey that he wasn’t the fighter who lost to Derek Edwards by KO but more so the fighter who beat the aforementioned Medina by TKO.

Jack fought the first round like he had one goal in mind, survive the round. Although Jack fought very cautious, he exhibited a good jab, worked to the body, and used lateral movement.  Escalera was just looking for one shot trying to repeat what Edwards had done. Round one to Jack, mission accomplished.

Jack controlled the early rounds by utilizing his jab to the body and then to the head while landing timely counter rights. He wobbled Escalera in round three but Escalera recovered quickly and made it a non-issue. Jack picked up the pace and pressed the action in the middle to late rounds as he began to get more confident that Escalera could not hurt him.  He continued to lad his jab and landed a few body shots from time to time. Jack showed good speed and lateral movement on his way to earning a dominant unanimous decision with scores of  100-90 X 2 and 99-91  Escalera actually threw 177 more punches than Jack but Jack was far superior in connection rate landing 158 more.

In the first bout of the night, Ronald Gavril of Bacau, Romania raised his record to 10-0 (8KO) by defeating Thomas Falowo 12-3 (8 KO) of Pawtucket Rhode Island by seventh round TKO.  

In the seventh round, Gavil landed a right to the temple of Falowo’s head sending Falowo to the ropes. Gavril observed that Falowo was dazed by the shot and unloaded with right and left hooks and body shots causing Referee Robert Byrd to stop the fight at two minutes fourteen seconds of the seventh round. Falowo, who also was dropped in the third round, was game but clearly overmatched.

Gavril is a sound technical boxer and expends little energy as his economical style allowed him to pick his opponent apart. As Mayweather Promotion’s CEO Leonard Ellerbe stated to Showtime “In this gym, Gavril is the only guy nobody wants to spar with” 

Gavril has continued to get better; he has a vast amateur background with 180 fights and is a good pressure fighter who can cause damage wither either hand. Said trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammad of Gavril’s opponents, “If you’re hurt, you’re gone”

SHO Box The New Generation’s tagline is: Before Greatness…Before Glory…You Have To Prove Yourself Here…Tomorrow’s Champions Today.  On Saturday’s card we saw three fighters answer that call, two expected and one unexpected, a highly touted prospect continued his rise, one returned to exercise his demons, and one that no one saw coming. 

 

This article contributed to Behind The Gloves .com 

 

Awakening The Beast Without A Doubt

On Friday night, Austin Trout (27-2 14KO) was facing an opponent he was reportedly a 25-1 favorite against, Daniel Dawson (40-4-1 26KO). All seemed to go as planned in the first two rounds; but round three was a different story. Dawson knocked Trout down two times by landing straight counter rights over Trout’s noncommittal lefts. Trout may have been dazed but recovered nicely.  “They were two, quick flash knock-downs, but he was strong. But, at the same time, I just didn’t see them coming, he had to wake me up and I got woken up and the beast came out.” Trout went on to dominate the rest of the bout, and added a knockdown of his own, flooring Dawson in the 8^th.

So, where does Trout go from here, a rematch with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez or Erislandy Lara? Perhaps, but he must first tighten up his guard and work on his leg strength and balance. He has been dropped in three straight fights and in reviewing said knockdowns, his balance was not good and his legs appeared weak. Ring rust was expected here but Trout showed little.

In the end, Trout accomplished his mission; get back in the ring, get a victory, and start road back to elite level.

Freezin For A Reason

By now, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have seen or participated in an ice bucket challenge for ALS. Boxers and others involved in the sport have jumped right in to donate and be subjected to the cold shock. Iron Mike Tyson got into the action and challenged Jim Gray among one of his selections with Gray choosing Floyd Mayweather as one of his. At the end of the day, it’s all about giving back.

Not A Laughing Matter

During the ice bucket challenge, 50 Cent decided that he would change it up by challenging Mayweather to “read a page out of a Harry Potter book” and that he (50 Cent) would donate $750,000 to a charity of Mayweather’s choice if he completed the task. Once this hit social media, the comment and posts opened up the floodgates to the cesspool of hate.  It didn’t take long for the jokes to surface about Mayweather’s alleged inability to read, and they were brutal. Mayweather apparently countered by posting checks of his earnings with the caption “read this” which would imply to some that you don’t need to know how to read as long as you make millions. To the countless youth who look up to these men, the wrong message was sent that it’s ok to make fun of a disability or not bother to learn how to read as long as you make lots of money. These men are in a position to positively affect the youth who idolize them, sadly that wasn’t the case in this instance.

 

The Next Great Boxing Promoter??..Can I Get A What, What??

Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation Sports has ventured into the boxing arena and they aren’t coming alone.  The signing of well-regarded David Itskowitch to oversee operations is a strong indication that they mean business. While they haven’t inked any fighters as of yet, they plan to promote their first event by the end of the year.  Behind the scenes, they are strategizing on which fighters they will pursue and are on record saying that they will work with any promoter, manager, or network.  Jay-z has been successful as a rapper, music producer, and entrepreneur so there is no reason to believe that he does not have what it takes to succeed here. With the right team around him, he should be able to make things very interesting with Golden Boy and Top Rank.

 

Dr. Needs A Dr.

Wladimir Klitschko suffered a left bicep tear postponing his September 6 bout with Kubrat Pulev until November or December depending on recovery time. “I am very disappointed that the fight cannot take place as planned. I am in absolute top form and had a great training camp.” said Klitschko. Somewhere Shannon Briggs is thinking about his next stalking appearance.