The Emergence of Canelo Alvarez

It's been awhile. I know my last blog I promised to continue to say active. Well, things have changed drastically for me since my "All-Star Selection" post. I'm a full-time reporter for the Daily Press now but it has nothing to do with writing about sports, but I'm not stopping until I am a sports writer one day.

Let's cut the crap and get into what's been on my mind for weeks. I wanted to write about this last week but  didn't have the time. Here I am with an hour to spare so I can write and let the world know just how badass Saul "Canelo" Alvarez really is.

Alvarez is coming off a dominating and easy win over Austin Trout on April 20. Heading into the fight I expected it to be slugfest. I expected Alvarez to possibly even stop Trout. But what happened was a more technical fight with Alvarez not allowing Trout to fight as the "taller" fighter. Trout was kept in check after the first round when Alvarez was getting a feel for what Trout was doing. Trout was dictating the fight in the first round by staying active and keeping his distance with the jab. 

After the first round I anticipated a Trout victory just as he was successful against Miguel Angel Cotto back in December. I didn't expect Alvarez to adjust and become a more sound fighter that night. He was brawling but he was smart about it this time. He may have got tagged by a few of Trout's punches, but Alvarez has a chin that can withstand the blow of a sledgehammer from Triple H.

Alvarez showed his ability to counter Trout and surprisingly beat him to the punch throughout the fight. He was landing solid and effective 1-2 combinations. None better than the left-right combo that floored Trout in the opening seconds of the seventh round.

The right looked as if it was shot out of a Colt-45 landing making Trout do the hammerdance, similar to what Kostya Tszyu made Zab Judah do back in 2001. Trout got up valiantly and came back and won the round in my opinion. I'm not sure what the judges scored the round because frankly, I don't give a shit about any judge's scorecards. I can make a whole blog entry on what the sport of Boxing can do to improve the scoring system. Judges should come with an expiration date. There should be a new wave of judges every so often. But like I said, I can write a complete blog about that, but ain't nobody got time fo dat.

Back to Alvarez, he was a bit disappointing as he couldn't KO Trout. But to Alvarez' credit Trout is no slouch nor is he not a walk in to the park. He certainly lacks power but his unorthodox approach to a fight will keep Trout around for a long time. Not to mention he has a size advantage over most Junior Middleweights/Super Welterweights.

Alvarez was impressive in the ninth round when he seemed to tire down. He dropped his hands and bobbed and weave everything but the kitchen sink that Trout threw in the final 24 seconds of the round. Alvarez toyed with Trout then threw another successful combo that made the pugilist laugh after connecting on his foe.

The open scoring system that the Texas state commission uses, took away from the drama of the "championship rounds". Trout knew he needed to score a knockdown to win, and Alvarez knew he just had to finish the fight on his feet. Would we have had a different outcome if the fight took place on it's original May 4 date on the Floyd Mayweather/Robert Guerrero undercard  If the fight took place in Nevada would Alvarez have turned on the burners in the "championship rounds" and stopped Trout via knockout? We don't know!

All the hell I know is, I'm tired of seeing fights take place in Texas. If it's not one thing with them, it's another. The most notable occurrence was back in 09 when Paulie Malignaggi went into the Juan Diaz' hometown and outclassed him only to be screwed the judges who gave the victory to Diaz. Malignaggi would have the last laugh when the rematch took place in Chicago and Maligaggi breezed to a W.

I'm sick of seeing prizefights in Texas, If there is a fight that will take place on Texas, make sure it's a fight that will end up on ESPN Friday Night Fights or Fox Sports Net. Prizefights should be held in Nevada, New York or California. Connecticut has become a nice spot for fights recently, as Atlantic City seems to have become an obsolete destination for prizefights these days.

We saw some more hometown judging in Argentina ;last weekend, when Sergio Martinez successfully defended his Middleweight crown against Martin Murray via unanimous decision. The fight was immensely boring. Martinez looks like a shell of what he used to be and has drastically lost a step. Martinez wasn't effective, Murray started connecting shot after shot as Martinez fought with his hands down, in typical Martinez fashion. Martinez was dropped and if Murray had a bit more of a true Middleweight's power, he would have probably upset the hometown favorite. He suffered a broken hand in the fight and will be out of action for the rest of the year. An anticipated rematch with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is put on the shelf for now as we wait and see what the future has in store for Maravilla.

Amir Khan made a return to the UK against Julio Diaz and just like the hometown Martinez, was dropped in the middle rounds of the fight. Khan was clearly the better man but Diaz was tagging khan all night even wobbling Khan a few other times. Khan was in trouble but managed to withstand Diaz' punishment. Khan still looked lightning fast and solid with his combos, but the man has a chin made of china. Khan's hopes of jumping up to 147 pounds will be short lived as I don't see him withstanding the power of a Welterweight. Golden Boy could have had an easy route to a 147 title for Khan if they would have matched him up with Malignaggi, who currently holds the Welterweight WBA strap. But Malignaggi has his eyes set on Adrien Broner in June.

Judah made his hometown return to Brooklyn also Saturday night against Danny Garcia. The build up to the fight was superb, it had the bad blood we saw with Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis or Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas. These guys hated each other. Mostly it was Danny's father Angel who was the recipient of Judah's verbal lashes. Their initial press conference resulted in a brawl after the outspoken Angel insulted Judah. The fight was postponed after Garcia suffered an injury and was rescheduled for April. During a meet and greet, Judah bombarded the Garcia's event and caused a huge scene. The verbal exchanges led to the Garcia camp being escorted to the back of the store as Judah's camp taunted them chanting "Brooklyn, Brooklyn". The press conference was split, as Judah's camp was forced to sit "in the basement" waiting for Garcia to wrap up his media session. Judah apparently left the building in displeasure on to return and bad mouth Golden Boy Promotions, most notably De La Hoya. The tension was so high, a split weigh in was "necessary" to ensure the fighters would settle all their differences in the ring.

Garcia won the fight, but not without the resiliency of Judah. It was a beating up until the ninth round when Judah stepped on the gas and put forth a heroic finish. Garcia floored Judah and had him in trouble, but Judah managed to stay on his feet. Judah stunned and caught Garcia with power shots that wobbled him. It looked to be snooze fest of a fight but the drama in the final rounds tied in the the drama leading to the fight made it the most entertaining fight of the night. In a show of respect the fighters embraced one another and all the differences were out behind them as the post fight interviews took place. Garcia's future is bright, but I feel if he takes on the winner of the Lamont Peterson/Lucas Matthysse fight, he will be exposed as he was in the final rounds against Judah. I'm not sure what the future has in store for Judah, possibly more undercard bouts at the Barclays as he is an attraction and easy name to sell in his hometown.

- Jose

Boxing's Alive and Well

So did you hear about Manny Pacquiao? He got knocked out cold by a right hand from his arch nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez.

Of course you heard about it. It was literally the shot heard around the world. The fourth installment of the Marquez/Pacquiao saga was the most rewarding re-re-rematch we have ever seen. While most people complain about having to see the same guys fight for the fourth time, I was ranting and raving about it because I have never felt like I wanted my money back after watching one of their three previous fights. The two pugilists were made for each other just like peanut butter and jelly. The same way legions of fans were lined up for the fifth and final installment of the Twilight saga, I will line up and wait to see them go at it again.

It's a fight I will watch, even if they do it annually into their 70's, sure as night and day, you can expect fireworks when they meet. Marquez was determined to show the world he can beat Pacquiao, and Pacquiao was "determined" to prove to the world he hasn't lost a step. Has he lost a step? Sure he has, he has 17 years of professional bouts to his name, eventually skills begin to diminish. Not just is time a factor in Pacman's decline, but his focus is just so scattered around between being a congressman, his wife's political venture, his change on religion among other things. Now I'm not condemning Pacquiao for changing his ways for the sake of his family, but being a Boxer is a profession that requires undivided attention and dedication. He has seemed to have lost the fire in his eyes when he was mowing down fighters, pulverizing guys like my idol Erik Morales, Antonio Margarito, and Ricky Hatton.

As for the fifth fight, Top Rank Promoter Bob Arum has said there is a plan for another chapter to the rivalry in the works for possibly June or September.

June seems to be the more logical choice as Golden Boy Promotions and Floyd Mayweather have announced tentative dates for the Pound for Pound King to make his return to the ring in May and September. Top Rank can't afford to compete head to head with Floyd Mayweather's possible showdown with Saul Alvarez on one of Boxing's most important weekends, Mexican Independence weekend. Top Rank has also unofficially announced a September rematch between Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. There is too much going on in that month for a mega-fight between Pacquiao and Marquez to be showcased also, that is why the June date makes the most sense.

Pacquiao fought Tim Bradley in June this year and the PPV sold just under 1 million buys. There is no reason this fight can't hover around the 2 million buys after the world wants to see how Pacquiao will bounce back after brutally being knocked out. When Pacquiao was knocked out last week, so was everyone's hopes to see Pacquiao and Mayweather finally square off. The fight lost my interest years ago, it was clear the fight would never happen. I'm glad that can finally be laid to rest, well at least for the time being.

Back to Mayweather, the announcement of two fights in 2013 is odd to say the least. He hasn't fought twice in a year since 2007, let alone just four months apart. If the reports about this are true, I see an "eliminator" style card happening in May. Robert Guerrero will finally get his shot at Mayweather and on the same card Canelo will face somebody he can easily beat setting up the money showdown (no pun intended) in September between Mayweather and Alvarez.

Boxing is alive and well, Boxing will see a magnificent 2013. There are so many fights that we are primed to see. We will see a possible fight of the year candidate between Orlando Salido and up-and-coming Mikey Garcia, a heated showdown between Danny Garcia and Zab Judah, a likely rematch of the 2012 fight of the year between Mike Alvarado and Brandon Rios, Josesito Lopez is waiting in the wings for the winner of this week's bout between Amir Khan and Oscar Molina, and my favorite.... The return of the enigmatic Victor Ortiz and whomever he chooses to fight in his return to action since suffering a broken jaw at the hands of Lopez. Those are just the few fights or possible fights that come to mind now in anticipation of 2013.

2012 will end with a bang with a star studded Saturday afternoon and night of great fights.

As mentioned earlier, Khan will take on Molina is Khan's quest to bounce back after back to back losses to Lamont Peterson and being knocked out by Garcia this summer. Khan has since fired trainer Freddie Roach and has started working with Virgil Hunter (Hunter's most notable fighter is Andre Ward). Molina is a green unbeaten hometown fighter looking to make a name for himself when he will be on the big stage this Saturday on Showtime. Something tells me Khan will lose for the third time in the span of a full calender year as Molina drops him in the middle rounds, exploiting Khan's glass jaw and makes the Brit consider other options other than Boxing. Khan has his eye's on Paulie Malignaggi's WBA Welterweight championship, and may be looking past the hungry Molina. If Khan survives the fight a rematch for Malignaggi may be a reach with Malignaggi confirming that the rumors of a showdown against Shane Mosley are accurate and is being considered  for a April return to the Barclays in Brooklyn. Khan with a win on Saturday may find himself as a serious candidate to face Mayweather in May if Golden Boy chooses to skip on Guerrero.

Over on the HBO side of things, the replay of last week's Pacquiao/Marquez fight will air and so will the awaited bout between Nonito Donaire and Jorge Arce. We last saw Donaire in October and is making a quick return to fight the Mexican slugger "El Travieso". Arce's prime years are long behind him, but he is still a good fighter who has the will and courage to engage the Filipino Flash in a slugfest. Will Donaire masterfully outclass Arce? That seems likely, but I wouldn't be surprised if Arce gives him a run for his money in what could be a great bout.

Also on Saturday night, it will mark the end of an era. Longtime color commentator Larry Merchant will call his final fight for HBO. While the 81 year old Merchant didn't say he was retiring, rather he will take a break and consider other options. I have always liked Merchant's analysts, while sometimes quirky, but always on point with his words. He had a knack for bringing out the best of Mayweather as he did after his victory over Ortiz last year. How can we forget when he looked Mayweather in the eyes and said, "I wish I were 50 years younger, and I'd kick your ass". Merchant was great, and was a staple of my home on Saturday nights, but as we unfortunately lost another HBO voice in Emmanuel Steward, HBO will have an empty feel to it. That is not a knock on Max Kellerman, I love him, he is probably my favorite commentator, but I just grew up listening with Merchant, Steward, and Jim Lampley ringside.

Back in Action

"Camacho could fight. As a lightweight, he was blazing fast and he had great, great skills. People don't realize he was one of the signature guys that helped build the boxing brand back in the '80s. CBS loved him. Anybody he fought they put him on CBS, and he invariably got them good ratings." - Bob Arum (Source USA Today)

It's been a while since we here at TheSoCalSportsGuys have been active blogging. Truth be told I'm going through quick pace changes in my life. Started a new job, which is a challenge to say the least. I'm a new guy at a place with guys that have been there for years, and I have a bit of power over them. It's hard for them to take me serious only being there a couple weeks. Enough of that, I'm trying to escape all that by doing what I love. Write about sports. I'm still contributing my weekly fantasy column to the Daily Press, but this blog has taken a bit of a backseat to it all.

 

Since I last blogged, so much has happened in the world of Boxing. I might have last blogged when Emmanuel Steward passed. Since then, we have seen the tragic loss of one of the brightest and game changing individuals we have seen in the squared circle, Hector "Macho" Camacho. The former champion was wounded by a gunshot in his native Puerto Rico and had initially been expected to recover. Then we heard of spine damage and the chances of him being paralyzed. Then in a tragic turn of events we found out his own mother had to take him life support. 

A big loss to to the Boxing community, as he inspired so many of today's fighters. He was a cocky, arrogant, self centered, egoistical, flamboyant, the consummate guy you love to hate. Macho Camacho oozed of charisma, and it was evident when HBO aired clips of him as young champion on the broadcast of the Robert Guerrero/Andre Berto slug fest (which I will get to in a minute). Camacho's influence has been imprinted in guys like Roy Jones Jr, Naseem Hamed, Paulie Malignaggi, and hell even the ever so original Floyd "Money" Mayweather. It was one thing to be cocky and flashy with your craft in the ring, but Camacho had a swagger about him that you loved to hate. I for one didn't ever have the chance to see him fight, but I have seen enough videos of him on YouTube over the years to know he was one bad motherfucker. He was a tactician in the ring that wasn't afraid to brawl. He had heart, he had guts, he had the will to stare down somebody down and take whatever punishment they dished out. He was quick and effective with his craft, and had a chin that could withstand the blow of a sledgehammer. 

Steward said it best when he told Oscar De La Hoya he wouldn't knock him out when they fought in 1997 - "You are not going to knock him out, his chin is made of granite and his heart is twice the size."

That was Macho Camacho, the guy that people tuned into to see get his ass beat, but they wound up falling in love with after the show. Camacho was among the names in the 80's that boosted Boxing's popularity much like the UFC and MMA has experienced in the last decade. Boxing in the 80's was probably the best time to be a Boxing fan, Heavyweights weren't main attractions, guys like Camacho, Roberto Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez, Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler were gluing eyes to television sets across the world. What I would give to find Doc. Brown's Delorean and watch those prizefights in person. 

But Boxing is still alive and kicking. We have hit the final stretch of the year where great cards are on a week by week basis. Nov. 10 we were dazzled by Abner Mares' and Anselmo Moreno's display of courage in the ring. We saw the long anticipated showdown between them and it delivered and catered fans whom have been waiting for that fight to finally happen. It wasn't even the most anticipated Mares fight, we're still waiting for the day Mares and Nonito Donaire finally cross paths. And if De La Hoya (Mares' promoter) is sincere, we may just see this fight happen soon. He went to twitter saying that he is willing to work with long-time rival Bob Arum to make the fight happen. Keeping my fingers crossed on that one. 

November 17, we saw Adrien Broner take a leap in class and handles Antonio DeMarco with ease. Broner proved to the Boxing world he is for real, and much like people prayed to see Camacho get his arse kicked...... I'm waiting for the day somebody floors Broner. He has phenomenal talent, but has been sniffing too much of Mayweather's jock strap. His style in the ring is a come forward version of Mayweahter. Both use the same shoulder roll technique, both have quick hands, both have significant power, but Broner seems to love to brawl. His fights intrigue me, but his person is force fed as he tries way too hard to be a carbon copy of Mayweather, but this guy has what kids call "swag". 

This past weekend we witness the return of Ricky Hatton. Hatton made his return to the ring after a 3 and half year layoff riddled by drug and alcohol abuse and alleged suicide attempts. It was very heart warming seeing The Hitman get the kind of ovation he did in his hometown of Manchester. Listening to 20,000 Brits chanting in unison "There's only one Ricky Hatton" gave me goosebumps as Michael Buffer was doing the fighter introductions before his fight with Vyacheslav Senchenko. 

Hatton looked good for a pugilist that has been out of action for so long. He was quick and crisp with his combos, landing effective shots on Senchenko early. Hatton dictated the fight the first half of the 10 round bout. Then he seemed to hit a wall, the fatigue caught up to him, the long span of inactivity took a toll and Senchenko pulled up even in the second half of the fight. Then in the ninth round, Senchenko tagged Hatton with a liver piercing body shot that sent the former champion to his knees wincing in pain and could make the 10-count. After being counted out, he laid on the canvas still trying to recover from the picture perfect body blow by Senchenko. Hatton announced he was heading back to retirement after the fight, he said he felt he didn't have it anymore. I think that's crazy. He sure had it for five rounds. A tune up fight before a rematch against Malignaggi would certainly help him on his way back into the ring. I'm hoping Hatton fights again because he didn't look like just a fighter coming back for a paycheck. 

Later that night we saw Guerrero vs. Berto in what looked like a sure mismatch early in the fight. Berto was hurt, rocked, and hit the canvas twice in the first two rounds. It was a fight, the commentators said it reminded them of a street fight with the constant holding and semi-dirty antics each fighter used to gain the upper hand. Berto fought back valiantly also stunning Guerrero with heavy shots that didn't seem to phase his opponent. Berto's both eyes were swollen shut after being cut open in the second round but he willed his way through the fight. Guerrero himself had his lead right eye swollen shut also. This reminded me of a pit bull fight, as both mercilessly kept clawing until the end. If not for the Brandon Rios/Mike Alvarado fight from October, we might have called this the fight of the year. Guerrero proved he is a damn good Welterweight, he proved he has every right calling out Mayweather out by beating Berto. (I actually won a bet on this fight when I bet a certain someone that Guerrero would "whoop Berto's ass". I never win bets when it comes to Boxing. And to top it off, I still haven't collected my winnings.) Guerrero has been lobbying for a fight with the Pound for Pound Champ since early this year and was rumored to have his wish granted before Mayweather took the May showdown against Miguel Cotto. Guerrero cemented his status as a legit contender at 147 and has a bright road ahead of him. 

Speaking of Cotto, he is back in action this weekend against the up and coming Austin Trout. Trout is a young raw talent that pose a significant threat to Cotto. This is Trout's moment on the big stage as he has never been on HBO or Showtime, let alone a main event. Cotto had a small list of possible opponents after a very competitive fight against Mayweather in May. It seemed to be he would have his rematch with Manny Pacquiao, but negotiations fell through when an agreement couldn't be reached on the terms of weight. Cotto should win this fight at Madison Square Garden setting up a possible Cinco de Mayo weekend showdown against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Tune in this Saturday on Showtime and enjoy the fireworks. 

---- Jose

Erik Morales/Danny Garcia II

This weekend Erik "El Terrible" Morales (52-8; 36 KO) and Danny "Swift" Garcia (24-0' 15 KO) headline a star-studded card by Golden Boy Promotions.

WBA Welterweight Champion, Paulie Malignaggi (31-4; 7 KO) will make a homecoming title defense against the up and coming Pablo Cesar Cano (25-1-1; 19 KO) in a 12 round bout for Malignaggi's WBA Welterweight Championship. Malignaggi is coming off his finest moment as a professional, traveling to the Ukraine and beating Vyacheslav Senchenko vio TKO. Not many gave "The Magic Man" a chance against the undefeated Senchenko but Malignaggi dug down deep to shock the Boxing world. Malignaggi is not known for being much of a puncher with only seven knockouts of his 31 victories. But on that night Malignaggi was masterful with counter punches and combinations keeping Senchenko in check before finally ending the bout in the ninth round. Malignaggi was rewarded with his first title defense in his backyard of Brooklyn, NY at the brand new Barclays Center against Cano.

Cano burst on the scene on the under card of the Mayweather/Ortiz card when he took on Morales. Cano gave Morales trouble early in the fight but the veteran adjusted and taught the youngin' a Boxing lesson winning by decision. Cano comes into the bout looking to spoil a special night for Malignaggi. Cano is hungry and seems to have the fire and fight in his eyes. It's a tough one to call before the bout because we have seen what a determined young fighter can do to a experienced veteran in the past. But Malignaggi still has years of fights left in him at the age of 31 and I feel will start a lengthy title defense reign starting with Cano.

Randall Bailey (43-7; 37 KO) and Devon Alexander (23-1; 13 KO) will finally get it on after the original date of September 8 at The Joint in Las Vegas was scratched due to Bailey suffering a back injury while sparring in preparation for the fight. The Bout will be for Bailey's IBF Welterweight Championship as Alexander looks to win his second title in two different weight classes.

The challenger, Alexander is coming off a display of dominance over Argentinian Marcos Maidana in his first fight as a welterweight. Alexander overwhelmed Maidana with power and speed almost seemingly landing his lead right hook at will.

The last time we saw Bailey, he viciously knocked out Mike Jones in a snooze-fest of a fight, winning the vacant IBF Welterweight title. The two will finally get it on and Bailey is looking to add another KO to his record as Alexander is out to prove to the world that the win over Maidana at 147 pounds wasn't a fluke.
In the main event of the fight, Morales looks for a bit of revenge against Garcia. The two fought back in March 24, Garcia won the bout via unanimous decision. Morales had gallbladder surgery in December, forcing him to withdraw from the original date of January 28. El Terrible recovered, but didn't really look in the best of shape we have seen the fearless Mexican warrior in before. He weighed in two pounds over the the 140 weight limit the day before the fight. Since he failed to make weight, he was stripped of his WBC Junior Welterweight Championship.

The fight started slow and Morales was able to dictate the pace, even busting Garcia's nose and face with his trademark combinations of a stiff jab and straight right hand. But speed was in Garcia's favor the whole night, in the later rounds, Garcia would even keep Morales at bay by forcing him on the ropes and delivering shots that made us wince watching Morales taking the shots. Garcia went on to knocking down El Terrible, but he got back up and finished the fight on his feet. Garcia won the fight by landslide margins on the scorecards. I personally had the fight much closer than the judges did.

Garcia's performance earned him a shot at Amir Khan's WBA Super World Light-Welterweight Champion in a unification bout. Garcia was the underdog coming into the fight as many people gave the edge to Khan. Khan seemed to outclass Garcia in the first two rounds, utilizing his speed. Then late in the third round, Garcia caught Khan with a counter left hook, and knocked him down. Khan was able to survive the round as he was saved by the bell. In the next round, Garcia dropped Khan two times prompting the referee to step in and stop the bout.

This fight has a few implications that could affect the future of Boxing. If Garcia wins, that would be his third victory this year and would easily propel him into the marquee group of the Junior Welterweight division with names like Lucas Matthyse, Brandon Rios, and Juan Manuel Marquez. A big fight with any of those names could be on the horizon, with a fight against Matthyse the most likely as they share the same promoter. I wont even get into the Golden Boy/Top Rank fiasco.

If Morales wins, where does he go from here? Will he retire, and exit the sport on top and at his own will? Will he make one final championship run and fight somebody like Matthyse (whom he was supposed to fight, but injury forced him to fight Cano) or Marquez. A fight between the two has been rumored since their days of sharing the featherweight division during the glory days when Marco Antonio Barerra, Manny Pacquiao, Marquez, and Morales were the cream of the crop. Negotiations have broken off a few times before between the camps, and looks more difficult now with Marquez worrying about a December bout with Pacquiao and Morales' eyes set on Garcia this Saturday.

If you're a Boxing fan, you may not want to miss this fight. The action will certainly make this fight a Fight of the Year candidate and for all we know, it could be the last time we ever see Morales lace up the gloves in a Boxing ring.

My Predictions

- Devon Alexander will outbox the free swinging Randall Bailey and overcome a knockdown to win via unanimous decison.

-Paulie Malignaggi will retain his WBA belt by withstanding a young and hungry Pablo Cesar Cano. I want to say Malignaggi wiins via TKO, but I'll go the safe route and say majority decision.

- I'm really hoping Erik Morales knocks out Danny Garcia.