Vasiliy Lomachenko has opportunity to reclaim belt after three-plus years

Vasiliy Lomachenko will have an opportunity to reclaim his place among the best when he faces George Kambosos Jr. on Saturday in Australia.

Vasiliy Lomachenko hasn’t worn a world title belt since he was upset by Teofimo Lopez in October 2020, which is hard to believe given his pound-for-pound ability and the glut of championship trinkets.

He’ll get a chance to reclaim a belt once more on Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, where he’ll face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title.

Lomachenko, 36, has said he’s not far from the end of his pugilistic road but he has plenty left to give. The oddsmakers have made him about a 5½-1 favorite to beat Kambosos on the latter’s home soil.

“I’m just looking forward to the IBF title,” the two-time Olympic champion said. “I need to take my title. And then after that, I can think about my future.”

Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) maintains that he deserved to get the decision in the Lopez fight, in which he started slowly – perhaps because he fought with a nagging shoulder injury – but rallied in the later rounds to make it a close fight.

However, it was too little too late for all three judges, who gave Lopez the nod and the Ukrainian’s championship belts.

Many believe that Lomachenko did enough to beat then-unbeaten and undisputed lightweight champ Devin Haney in May of last year, as he delivered a vintage performance.

Again, though, Lomachenko ended up on the wrong end of a close, but unanimous decision, which allowed Haney to retain his belts and left the loser frustrated one more time.

The fight on Saturday is different from the two mentioned above, at least on paper.

Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs) delivered a monumental upset when he outpointed Lopez to become champion in 2021. However, Lopez fought with a life-threatening condition in which air surrounded his heart, which presumably affected his performance.

And Kambosos has struggled since, losing back-to-back fights to Haney and then eking out a decision over journeyman Maxi Hughes.

Some believe Kambosos, a fiery, tough but limited boxer, is a one-hit wonder who will be in over his head against a master technician like Lomachenko.

Of course, Lomachenko has been around too long to take anything or anyone for granted. He repeatedly referred to the matchup as “interesting,” which apparently was his way of giving Kambosos his due.

“I’ve been in this sport a long time,” he said. “We are two professionals. We know boxing. It will be very, very interesting for both. It will be very, very interesting for all fans of boxing.”

Lomachenko sat atop some credible pound-for-pound lists before the setback against Lopez. That distinction will probably remain in his past as a new generation of stars make their way up the list.

That said, Lomachenko (ranked No. 13 by Boxing Junkie) could still make a significant move if certain things fall into place.

Promoter Bob Arum, who handles both Lomachenko and sublimely skilled Shakur Stevenson, said he wants to pair the two together if Lomachenko beats Kambosos and Stevenson gets past Artem Harutyunyan on July 6.

Then Lomachenko would have the opportunity to get back to where he and many others believe he belongs, among the best handful of fighters on the planet.

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Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. George Kambosos Jr.: Date, time, how to watch, background

Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. George Kambosos Jr.: Date, time, how to watch, background.

Vasiliy Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. will meet for the vacant IBF 135-pound title Saturday night (U.S. time) in Australia on ESPN and ESPN+.

VASILIY LOMACHENKO (17-3, 11 KOs)
VS. GEORGE KAMBOSOS JR. (21-2, 10 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, May 11 (in U.S.)
  • Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
  • TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
  • Division: Lightweight (135 pounds)
  • At stake: Vacant IBF title
  • Boxing Junkie Pound-for-pound: Lomachenko No. 13
  • Odds: Lomachenko 5½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): *****
  • Also on the card: Nina Hughes vs. Cherneka Johnson, bantamweights (for Hughes’ WBA title); Andrew Moloney vs. Pedro Guevara, junior bantamweights; Imam Khataev vs. Ricards Bolotniks, light heavyweights; Joe Goodall vs. Djanago Opelu, heavyweights
  • Background: Lomachenko, the 36-year-old boxing wizard from Ukraine, hasn’t held a major world title since he lost his 135-pound belts to Teofimo Lopez in 2020 yet is still considered one of the best boxers in the world. He bounced back from the loss by stopping Masayoshi Nakatani in June 2021 and then defeating Richard Commey by a one-sided decision that December. He has fought sporadically since Russia invaded his country in February 2022, entering the ring only twice. He easily outpointed Jamaine Ortiz in October of that year. Then the former three-division champion got his chance to regain past glory in a meeting with then-undisputed 135-pound champ Devin Haney in May of last year. Lomachenko gave a typically strong performance against his highly rated opponent but lost a disputed decision, 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113. He will get another crack at a belt against Kambosos in Australia. Kambosos shocked the boxing world by defeating Lopez to win a split decision and three 135-pound belts in 2021. It was downhill after that, as he lost back-to-back one-sided decisions to Haney. He rebounded to beat Maxi Hughes by a majority decision but he wasn’t convincing last July.

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Is George Kambosos Jr.’s showdown with Vasiliy Lomachenko his last stand?

Is George Kambosos Jr.’s showdown with Vasiliy Lomachenko on Saturday his last stand?

Could this finally be George Kambosos Jr.’s last hurrah?

The 135-pouind contender, who faces Vasiliy Lomachenko for the vacant IBF title Saturday in Perth, Australia (ESPN, ESPN+), had a major break through when he defeated Teofimo Lopez by a split decision 2021 to win three belts.

What has he done since? Lost back-to-back one-sided decisions to Devin Haney — losing his titles in the first fight — and then eked out a majority decision over journeyman Maxi Hughes last July in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

And now the tough, but limited fighter from Sydney is going to tangle with one of the most respected technicians in the world, one the oddsmakers have made about a 5½-1 favorite.

In other words, a victory over Lomachenko would be about as shocking as his upset of Lopez, who fought Kambosos with a dangerous condition in which air surrounded his chest wall and heart.

Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs) believes in himself even if few others do.

“That mentality has lit a fuse where they’re saying, ‘This is the end of Kambosos, this is going to be an easy fight for Lomachenko,'” he told journalist Sean Zittel in an interview.

“If they think it’s going to be an easy fight, no problem. We’ll see on May 12th.”

The losses to Haney can be explained. He was up against a big 135-pounder who was considered one of the best fighters in the world until he went down three times and lost a decision to Ryan Garcia on April 20.

However, the fact Kambosos could barely get past Hughes reinforced the notion that he was a one-hit wonder.

Kambosos told BoxingScene.com that he had trouble getting up for the fight, which affected his performance.

“When you’ve been with 10-out-of-10 Victoria’s Secret models and then you get the 2-out-of-10, a guy [like Hughes, who] is supposed to be a bump in the road, you sometimes don’t have that supreme motivation,” Kambosos said.

“I had to adapt a lot in the fight. He was at his best, and I was at my worst.”

He shouldn’t have trouble with motivation on Saturday because he knows what he’s up against.

Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) is coming off a disputed unanimous decision loss to Haney almost exactly a year ago but he clearly remains formidable at 36 years old.

“A hundred percent Lomachenko has a lot left in the tank,” Kambosos said. “But I don’t believe he has that dog inside of him anymore. I don’t think he wants it as bad as I do right now.

“You can never overlook a guy like Lomachenko. I’d be the biggest idiot if I were to do that. Lomachenko is an all-time great and a guy we have a lot of respect for. We are preparing for the best version of Lomachenko.

“Once that bell rings, the respect is out the door and it’s time to do the job.”

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Ryan Garcia still denies PED use but says he fought Devin Haney while ‘high as f—‘

Ryan Garcia still denies PED use after he tested positive but he says he fought Devin Haney while “high as f—” on April 20.

Ryan Garcia continues to serve up drama.

The 140-pound contender, who tested positive for a banned substance before his victory over Devin Haney on April 20, said on the Fully Tilted Podcast with Bob Menery that he was high during the fight.

And he again denied taking PEDs.

“If I were on steroids, I would’ve been in way better shape,” said Garcia, who confirmed that he has asked for his “B” samples to be tested. “I was literally drinking every day, smoking weed … every single day.

“I didn’t stop, not even until the f—ing day of the fight. And I got in there high as f— and I beat his ass.”

Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) created drama before, during and after the fight with Haney, a junior welterweight titleholder.

He came in three-plus pounds overweight, which meant he was ineligible to win the belt. He shocked Haney and the boxing world by putting the champion down three times and winning the decision.

Then came news of the positive drug test, which leaves the result of the fight and Garcia’s career in limbo.

If authorities confirm that he had the banned drug Ostarine in his system and his lawyers can’t clear him, he almost certainly will lose the victory and be both suspended and fined.

Garcia’s tests also showed signs of the PED 19-Norandrosterone. That was not confirmed in subsequent testing, according to boxing writer Dan Rafael.

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Report: Jermall Charlo arrested for DWI after crashing car

Report: Jermall Charlo was arrested for DWI, among other charges, after colliding with another car near Houston.

Jermall Charlo reportedly continues to have out-of-the-ring problems.

The 160-pound titleholder was arrested and charged with drunken driving after the Lamborghini he was driving collided with another car Tuesday evening in the Houston area, TMZ is reporting.

Charlo and the driver of the other car argued at the site of the crash, after which the boxer drove away, according to a Pearland Police Department spokesperson.

Officers tried to pull Charlo over but he ignored the sirens until they boxed him in at a red light about a mile from the collision site, the spokesperson said.

Charlo was then arrested. And sobriety tests at the police station indicated his blood alcohol content was above .15. He was booked for DWI, fleeing a police officer and leaving the scene of a crash in which more than $200 damage was caused.

The fighter’s attorney, Kent Schaffer, told TMZ that drugs were not involved.

“Jermall has been in training. He has not been using any type of drugs,” he said.

Shaffer added that he was told no one was injured in the crash.

Charlo was arrested this past December for allegedly assaulting a family member. ESPN reported that his wife, Chyane Westbrook, filed for a restraining order and a divorce.

He also was accused of assault in 2022, relating to an incident the previous year, but charges were dropped.

Charlo (33-0, 22 KOs) hasn’t fought since he defeated Jose Benavidez Jr. by a one-sided decision in November. He was believed to be the leading candidate to face Canelo Alvarez last weekend but the matchup never materialized. He has no fight scheduled.

Pound-for-pound: Did No. 2 Naoya Inoue do enough to supplant No. 1 Terence Crawford?

Pound-for-pound: Did No. 2 Naoya Inoue do enough in his breathtaking victory over Luis Ney to supplant No. 1 Terence Crawford?

Who’s truly the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound? Depends who you talk to.

Terence Crawford, No. 1 on Boxing Junkie’s list, and No. 2 Inoue are both unbeaten, near-flawless all-around fighters who have dominated almost everyone they’ve faced over an extended period of time.

Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) was at his glorious best in the early morning hours (U.S. time) Monday in Japan.

Luis Nery shocked everyone watching by putting Inoue down in the opening round but that only hardened Inoue’s resolve. The 122-pound champion responded by destroying a good opponent, putting him on the canvas three times and brutally stopping him in Round 6.

Inoue was nothing short of brilliant. It becomes more and more clear that he’s one of the best to ever do it.

And don’t count the knockdown against him when assessing his pound-for-pound credentials. Almost all the great ones have gone down. The important thing is they get up and  demonstrate who’s the better man, as Inoue did in spectacular fashion on Monday.

The question is whether he did enough — or is good enough — to supplant Crawford at No. 1. That answer is no, at least for now.

The resume of Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is roughly equal to that of Inoue. Both of them have faced a long list of top contenders but relatively few pound-for-pound-caliber foes, although Crawford is coming a ninth-round knockout of Errol Spence Jr. last July.

And Crawford has been as dominating as Inoue, unleashing an overwhelming combination of skill, speed and power on one opponent after another.

The knockout of Spence, a pound-for-pounder himself, was just as breathtaking as Inoue’s annihilation of Nery at the Tokyo Dome even though Crawford didn’t have to demonstrate that he could overcome adversity.

Crawford has been nothing short of brilliant his entire career, which is why he was Boxing Junkie’s top pound-for-pounder since this feature was initiated in 2019 and hasn’t budged.

How could we justify demoting him under those circumstances? We can’t.

Inoue could reach the top at some point in part because of their respective ages: He’s 31, Crawford 36. That time simply isn’t now.

Another pound-for-pounder was in action on May 4, No. 6 Canelo Alvarez, who defeated Jaime Munguia by a one-sided decision in Las Vegas.

The superstar looked sharp but he was never destined to leap up the list because Munguia was not ranked. However, sitting directly above Alvarez at No. 5 is fellow Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada.

Did Alvarez do enough to swap places with his countryman? That’s a matter of interpretation. We decided to leave Alvarez where he is in good part because Estrada is scheduled to face rising star and No. 10 “Bam” Rodriguez on June 29. Estrada’s fate is in his hands.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 13 Vasiliy Lomachenko is scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia..

Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – Scheduled to challenge 154-pound titleholder
    Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles.
  2. Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Fight against No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – Scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against No. 11 Jesse Rodriguez on June 29 in Phoenix.
  6. Canelo Alvarez – No fight scheduled.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to defend his 135-pound title against Frank Martin on June 15 in Las Vegas.
  9. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  10. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – Scheduled to face No. 5 Juan Francisco Estrada for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.
  11. Artur Beterbiev – Fight against No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
  12. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  13. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia.
  14. Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduld.
  15. David Benavidez – Scheduled to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15 in Las Vegas.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to face Fernando Martinez in a 115-pound title-unification bout in on July 7 in Tokyo); Teofimo Lopez (reportedly near a deal to defend his 140-pound title against Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami); Junto Nakatani (no fight scheduled).

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Naoya Inoue gets up from knockdown to stop overmatched Luis Nery in Round 6

Naoya Inoue got up from a first-round knockdown to stop overmatched Luis Nery in the sixth round Saturday in Tokyo.

We saw that Naoya Inoue isn’t perfect. And then we witnessed his greatness.

Luis Nery stunned Inoue and everyone watching by putting Inoue down with a perfect left hook in the opening round of their fight at the Tokyo Dome, the site of Buster Douglas’ historic upset of Mike Tyson.

Would we see another shocking result there? Uh, no.

Inoue, his otherworldly talents on full display, got up from the knockdown to put his Mexican opponent down three times before referee Michael Griffin stopped the fight at 1:22 of Round 6.

Thus, Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) retained his undisputed 122-pound championship.

“That happening gave me motivation,” Inoue said about the knockdown through a translator afterward.

Nery’s hook about a minute and a half into the fight — landed when Inoue’s right hand was down — genuinely rocked the champion, who had never been on the canvas in his decade long career.

He got up quickly but went into a defensive mode, perhaps a sign that he felt the weight of the blow. However, by the end of the round he seemed to be at 100%.

Then came the fireworks. Inoue, careful to avoid Nery’s left thereafter, proceeded to pick the slower, less skillful Nery apart from both the outside and inside until the Mexican challenger could fight no more.

Inoue put the challenger down with a short left hook as he was rushing in recklessly in the second round, although Nery wasn’t hurt.

The champion scored the second knockdown with the same punch in Round 3. This time Nery seemed to truly feel Inoue’s power.

And, after taking a fearful beating that broke him down over the next two-plus rounds, Nery went down once more from a right hand as his back was against the ropes.

Griffin had no reason to count as Nery sat on the canvas. He was done. Inoue had the 16th knockout in his last 17 fights.

It appears that unbeaten contender Sam Goodman might be Inoue’s next opponent. The Australian, Inoue’s mandatory challenger, was in the ring after the fight and called out the champion.

“Look, I’ve been mandatory for over a year. Either give up the belts or fight me. Let’s get it on,” Goodman said.

Inoue said he would open negotiations with Goodman for a fight in September.

Fight Week: Naoya Inoue vs. Luis Nery, Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. George Kambosos Jr. on tap

Fight Week: Naoya Inoue will take on Luis Nery in the early morning hours Monday. Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. George Kambosos Jr. is Saturday.

FIGHT WEEK

Naoya Inoue will face Luis Nery in the early morning hours Monday, U.S. time. Four days later, in Australia, Vasiliy Lomachenko is set to take on George Kambosos Jr.

NAOYA INOUE (26-0, 23 KOs)
VS. LUIS NERY (35-1, 27 KOs)

Editor’s note: Naoya Inoue got up from a knockdown to stop Luis Nery in Round 6 in the early morning hours U.S. time Monday.

  • Date: Monday, May 6
  • Time: 4 a.m. ET / 1 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+
  • Division: Junior featherweight (122 pounds)
  • At stake: Inoue’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles
  • Boxing Junkie Pound-for-pound: Inoue No. 2
  • Odds: Inoue 11-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): *****
  • Also on the card: Jason Moloney vs. Yoshiki Takei, bantamweights (for Moloney’s WBO title); Takuma Inoue vs. Sho Ishida, bantamweights (for Inoue’s WBA title); Seigo Yuri Akui vs. Taku Kuwahara, flyweights (for Akui’s WBA title)
  • Background: Four-division titleholder Naoya Inoue, arguably the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound (he’s No. 2 on Boxing Junkie’s list), is riding a streak of seven consecutive knockouts against top-level opposition. That’s why the near-flawless 31-year-old Japanese star is around an 11-1 favorite over Luis Nery on Tuesday in Tokyo, meaning oddsmakers believe Nery has next to no chance to win the fight. “The Monster” is coming off a 10th-round knockout of Marlon Tapales to collect all four major 122-pound titles in December. Nery has won four consecutive fights since he was knocked out by Brandon Figueroa in the seventh round to lose the WBC belt in 2021. The 29-year-old Mexican southpaw last fought in July, when he stopped journeyman Froilan Saludar in two rounds. He outpointed Carlos Castro and then stopped David Carmona and Azat Hovhannisyan before the fight with Saludar. Figueroa lost his title to Stephen Fulton, who then lost them to Inoue.
  • Prediction: Inoue KO 8

VASILIY LOMACHENKO (17-3, 11 KOs)
VS. GEORGE KAMBOSOS JR. (21-2, 10 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, May 11 (in U.S.)
  • Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: RAC Arena, Perth
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+
  • Division: Lightweight (135 pounds)
  • At stake: Vacant IBF title
  • Boxing Junkie Pound-for-pound: Lomachenko No. 13
  • Odds: Lomachenko  5½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): *****
  • Also on the card: Nina Hughes vs. Cherneka Johnson, bantamweights (for Hughes’ WBA title); Andrew Moloney vs. Pedro Guevara, junior bantamweights; Imam Khataev vs. Ricards Bolotniks, light heavyweights; Joe Goodall vs. Djanago Opelu, heavyweights
  • Background: Lomachenko, the 36-year-old boxing wizard from Ukraine, hasn’t held a major world title since he lost his 135-pound belts to Teofimo Lopez in 2020 yet is still considered one of the best boxers in the world. He bounced back from the loss by stopping Masayoshi Nakatani in June 2021 and then defeating Richard Commey by a one-sided decision that December. He has fought sporadically since Russia invaded his country in February 2022, entering the ring only twice. He easily outpointed Jamaine Ortiz in October of that year. Then the former three-division champion got his chance to regain past glory in a meeting with then-undisputed 135-pound champ Devin Haney in May of last year. Lomachenko gave a typically strong performance against his highly rated opponent but lost a disputed decision, 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113. He will get another crack at a belt against Kambosos in Australia. Kambosos shocked the boxing world by defeating Lopez to win a split decision and three 135-pound belts in 2021. It was downhill after that, as he lost back-to-back one-sided decisions to Haney. He rebounded to beat Maxi Hughes by a majority decision but he wasn’t convincing last July.
  • Prediction: Lomachenko UD

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

SATURDAY

  • Jessica McCaskill vs. Lauren Price, welterweights (for McCaskill’s WBA title), Cardiff, Wales (Peacock)
  • Eduardo Hernandez vs. Daniel Lugo, junior lightweights, Aguascalientes, Mexico
    DAZN
  • John Leonardo vs. Frank Gonzalez, junior featherweights, Atlantic City, New Jersey
    com

Weekend Review: Canelo Alvarez gave vintage performance. David Benavidez next?

Weekend Review: Canelo Alvarez gave a vintage performance in his unanimous decision victory over Jaime Munguia. Is David Benavidez next?

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER
Canelo Alvarez

Alvarez probably isn’t the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound, as he suggested after his one-sided decision over Jaime Munguia on Saturday in Las Vegas. That nod goes to Terence Crawford (Boxing Junkie’s No. 1) or Naoya Inoue these days.

The 33-year-old Mexican star is making a strong case that news of his decline is premature, however.

Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) looked like a fading fighter in his loss to Dmitry Bivol in 2022 and sluggish victories over Gennadiy Golovkin and John Ryder that followed. He looked a lot more like the old sharpshooting Alvarez in decisions over Jermell Charlo and now Munguia.

What was the difference? He’s healthy. His surgically repaired left wrist, which dogged him through is worst performances, is now 100%.

He certainly looked to be near his best against Munguia, who unloaded a lot of punches but couldn’t pierce Alvarez’s secure defense consistently enough to make the fight close. And Alvarez, who throws fewer punches but makes them count, landed almost at will. He landed 49.7% of his power punches, according to CompuBox.

The result was arguably Alvarez’s best performance since he dominated Callum Smith in 2020, one that certainly maintains his membership in the exclusive pound-for-pound club.

However, it’s important not to get carried away. Impressive victories over Charlo and Munguia carry limited weight because the former moved up two divisions for the fight and Munguia is still developing. Even Alvarez alluded to a glaring weakness on the part of the latter after the fight.

“He’s strong, but he’s a little slow. I can see every punch [coming],” Alvarez said.

Alvarez has one obvious way of proving beyond doubt that he is the same fighter who climbed to the top of many pound-for-pound lists and remained there for years: Beating David Benavidez, a formidable fighter many believe he has been ducking.

He was asked again after his victory over Munguia whether he’d be willing to finally face Benavidez, who is scheduled to take on Oleksandr Gvozdyk at 175 pounds on June 15.

Alvarez made it clear that he would do so if the money is right, meaning he demands that his payday be commensurate with the risk of facing his biggest threat at 168. And, while he was still inside the ropes, he saw Benavidez in the crowd, locked eyes with him and pointed to the ring as if to say, “I’ll meet you here.”

Let’s hope he’s serious. The fans want to see that fight, assuming Benavidez defeats the capable Gvozdyk. And Alvarez needs to make a better case that he really is the best.

 

BIGGEST LOSER
Jaime Munguia

Jaime Munguia left the ring a disappointed man. Christian Petersen / Getty Images

Munguia said his first setback was painful. Of course, it was. The 27-year-old from Tijuana had a chance to make history and fell short.

He shouldn’t be too hard on himself, however, He must remember who beat him, a future Hall of Famer with more experience in big fights than anyone else in boxing. A lot of good fighters have lost to Alvarez.

I believe the Munguia we saw on Saturday night could beat almost anyone else in the division. He might not be quick by Alvarez’s standards but he’s fast enough to land punches consistently against good opponents, as we saw in his victories over Sergey Derevyanchenko and John Ryder.

No one can dent the chin of Alvarez, it seems, but Munguia also has the power to hurt or at least gain the respect of any other opponent. He became the first to stop the rugged Ryder in January, which Alvarez couldn’t do.

And he showed a lot of grit. I thought the end might be near when he was knocked down by a perfect right uppercut in Round 4. Instead, he weathered the storm, continued to fight his heart out and never gave up even though Alvarez controlled the rest of the bout.

The point is that Munguia is an excellent fighter, especially after working with trainer Freddie Roach for his last two fights. It’s still too easy to hit him but he has and can continue to improve in that department.

In fact, he could follow the lead of Alvarez, who evolved from a solid defensive fighter into a one of the best in the world by working at it.

If Munguia maintains his confidence after the first loss of his decade-long career and continues to evolve, he could still become the dominating force he and his handlers have envisioned for him.

“It’s just like Floyd Mayweather versus Canelo,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Munguia’s promoter. “Canelo got schooled and then he became the face of boxing.”

Indeed, his time isn’t now but it could come soon.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

Welterweight contender Eimantas Stanionis made a strong statement in his unanimous decision victory over Gabriel Maestre on the Alvarez-Munguia undercard even though he was returning from a two-year layoff. The secondary titleholder used intelligent pressure to control the fight, attacking relentlessly behind his heavy jab while maintaining a strong defensive guard. Maestre (6-1-1, 5 KOs) had his moments but couldn’t cope long term. Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) looked like a bigger, perhaps better version of Isaac Cruz, another elite fighter who uses pressure to overwhelm opponents. I don’t know whether Stanionis can beat the gifted Jaron Ennis but everyone else in the 147-pound division should be wary of this fighting machine. Maestre? He clearly is a good fighter. I hope the 37-year-old gets at least one more big fight to prove what he can do. … Welterweight contender Mario Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs) and Fabian Maidana (22-3, 16 KOs) served up a dud on the Alvarez-Munguia card, with Barrios winning a unanimous decision. Blame Maidana, the brother of Marcos Maidana. He let his hands go here and there but largely came to survive and had the ability to do so, which made it difficult for Barrios to look good. Barrios obviously could’ve done a better job of cutting off the ring but he deserves a pass given his opponent’s tactics. …

Featherweight contender Brandon Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KOs) got off to a slow start against a surprisingly effective Jessie Magdaleno (29-3, 18 KOs) but found his rhythm by mid-fight and then ended matters with a brutal left to the liver in the ninth round after 14 months out of the ring. I don’t know what was going on in the first third of the fight. Maybe it was rust. Maybe it was Magdaleno, whose stick-hold-and-move strategy worked well for a while. Maybe it was something else, maybe Figueroa was trying to prove in the first few rounds that he’s not a mere brawler, that he can box too. Obviously, he can box. It takes skill to build a successful record even if you’re a pressure fighter. He doesn’t need to prove that. He should stick with what woks from the opening bell, which is to smother his opponents in punches. … News broke on Wednesday that samples provided by Ryan Garcia before his victory over Devin Haney on April 20 tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine. Garcia said he would never knowingly take steroids, which is the standard line in such a situation. Doesn’t matter. I’ve said this a million times: Fighters are responsible for what goes into their bodies. If an investigation confirms that he had PEDs in his system, it’s on him.

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Canelo Alvarez shows Jaime Munguia that he’s still top dog in Mexico

Canelo Alvarez showed Jaime Munguia that he’s still the top dog in Mexico, winning a one-sided decision Saturday in Las Vegas.

It’s still Canelo Alvarez’s time.

The undisputed 168-pound champion dropped and defeated a determined, but overmatched Jaime Munguia by a unanimous decision to retain his title in an all-Mexican battle Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The official scores were 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112. Boxing Junkie also had it 117-110 for Alvarez, nine rounds to three.

“I take my time,” said Alvarez, 33. “… I have a lot of experience. Jaime Munguia is a great fighter, he’s strong, he’s smart. I take my time. I have 12 rounds to win he fight and I did.

“I did really good, and I feel proud about it.”

The fight followed a pattern from the early rounds on. Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs) threw more punches than Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) but landed at a relatively low percentage, a result of the champion’s superb defensive abilities.

Meanwhile, Alvarez, who values accuracy over volume, consistently landed the harder, cleaner shots. He seemed to pick the challenger apart at times.

One of Alvarez’s clean shots came in Round 4, resulting in the most dramatic moment of the fight. He landed a perfect, head-snapping right uppercut that put Munguia on the canvas for the first time in his career and had viewers wondering whether they were about to see an early knockout.

Munguia wouldn’t allow that to be the beginning of the end, however. He continued to fight his heart out, staying busier than Alvarez and finding the target on many occasions.

The problem for the younger fighter was that the pattern continued until the final bell, Munguia connecting on one in four punches while Alvarez landed almost one of two. And the latter’s punches were more punishing.

According to CompuBox, Alvarez landed 234 of 536 punches overall, 43.7%. He connected on 49.7% of his power shots, a number that makes it extremely difficult for an opponent to win.

Munguia landed 177 of 663 punches, 25.6%, which isn’t disgraceful given the opponent but not high enough to win the fight.

“He’s strong, but he’s a little slow,” Alvarez said of Munguia. “I can see every punch. Sometimes he got me because I get so confident. But, you know, like I say .. I have this kind of experience. That’s why I’m the best.”

The best?

“I’m the best fighter right now, for sure,” he said.

Munguia might not dispute that.

The 27-year-old from Tijuana was proud of his effort but he seemed to recognize that he didn’t do enough to have his hand raised.

“I think at the beginning I was winning some of those rounds,” he said through a translator.” It was going well. I let my hands go. But he’s a fighter with a lot of experience, obviously.

“Unfortunately he beat me. The loss hurts.”

What’s next for Alvarez? The fans would suggest longtime 168-pound rival David Benavidez, who some believe the champion is avoiding.

Benavidez is scheduled to fight Oleksandr Gvozdyk at 175 pounds on the Gervonta Davis-Frank Martin card on June 15 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

However, he made it clear in an interview before the fight on Saturday that he’d be more than happy to move back down to 168 to take on the undisputed champion if things go well against Gvozdyk.

Alvarez said it could happen if he’s paid enough. And, then again, maybe not.

“I don’t know right now,” he said. “I’m going to rest, I’m going to enjoy my family. … But if the money is not right, I can fight right now. I don’t give a s—t.”

It’s only a matter of money?

“Yeah,” he said. “… At this point everybody is asking for everything, right? When I fought with [Erislandy] Lara, [Austin] Trout, Miguel Angel Cotto, Mayweather, … Billy Joe Saunders. They said I didn’t want to fight them and I fought all of them.

“Right now I can ask for whatever I want, and I can do whatever I want.”

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