Tag: boxing news

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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Mario Barrios drops, defeats reluctant Fabian Maidana by unanimous decision

Mario Barrios dropped and defeated a reluctant Fabian Maidana by a unanimous decision on the Canelo Alvarez-Jaime Munguia card Saturday.

Mario Barrios wasn’t great, but he was good enough.

The welterweight contender dropped and defeated a defense-minded Fabian Maidana by a unanimous decision in a 12 round fight on the Canelo Alvarez-Jaime Munguia card Saturday in Las Vegas.

All three official judges had the same score, 116-111, eight rounds to four.

Neither fighter was particularly active. Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs) stalked Maidana (22-3, 16 KOs) for most of the fight but his feet were busier than his hands, as he threw mostly single punches.

The winner also fought with a right eye that was swollen shut by the end of the fight, which didn’t help his cause.

Meanwhile, Maidana, the brother of Marcos Maidana, fought only in shot spurts. He spent the majority of the time in survival mode instead of taking the risks necessary to win the biggest fight of his career, which made it difficult for Barrios to look good.

The most dramatic moment came in Round 3, when Barrios poked out a weak jab and then followed with a perfect right that put Maidana on the canvas.

The 31-year-old Argentine, who wasn’t seriously hurt, got up quickly and resumed fighting. However, that experience might’ve contributed to his reluctance to mix it up.

The result was a boring fight.

Barrios has won three consecutive bouts since he lost back-to-back outings against Keith Thurman (UD) and Gervonta Davis (TKO 8). He was coming off a strong performance in September, when he easily outpointed former titleholder Yordenis Ugas.

Barrios was defending his WBC “interim” title.

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Brandon Figueroa knocks out Diego Magdaleno with body shot in Round 9

Brandon Figueroa knocked out Diego Magdaleno with a body shot in Round 9 on the Canelo Alvarez-Jaime Munguia card on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Brandon Figueroa took some time to get rolling. Once he did, he rolled over Jessie Magdaleno.

Figueroa, the volume-punching featherweight contender, knocked out  Magdaleno with a single left to the body in the ninth round of their scheduled 12-round fight on the Canelo Alvarez-Jaime Munguia card Saturday in Las Vegas.

The skillful Magdaleno (29-3, 18 KOs) got off to a strong start, striking quickly when he had openings and then either holding or using his quick feet to prevent a strangely inactive Figueroa from getting into a rhythm.

Figueroa hadn’t fought in 14 months, which might’ve created rust he had difficulty shedding.

However, by around the fourth or fifth round, Figueroa began to pick up his work rate and land more consistently. Magdaleno remained competitive but he also started to slow down, the obvious result of Figueroa’s pressure.

The ending was brutal. Figueroa was pounding Magdaleno against the ropes when he slipped in a perfect left to the gut in the final seconds of Round 9, which forced Magdaleno to drop to his knees in pain.

He was counted out with one second remaining in the round, giving Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KOs) a successful defense of his WBC “interim” title and his third consecutive victory since he was narrowly outpointed by Stephen Fulton in 2021.

Magdaleno came in 2.6 pounds over the division limit on Friday. However, neither that nor his skill set could overcome Figueroa’s relentless attack.

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Eimantas Stanionis defeats Gabriel Maestre by a one-sided decision

Eimantas Stanionis defeated Gabriel Maestre by a one-sided decision on the Canelo Alvarez-Jaime Munguia card Saturday.

Two years away from the sport hasn’t hurt Eimantas Stanionis.

The 147-pound contender, who had three fights with Vergil Ortiz fall out since he last fought, defeated Gabriel Maestre by a one-sided unanimous decision in a 12-round fight on the Canelo Alvarez-Jaime Munguia card Saturday in Las Vegas.

The official scores were 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111.

Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) used intelligent pressure, a punishing, busy jab and hard, accurate power shots to get the better of his amateur rival in a brutal give-and-take fight.

The Lithuanian star and Maestre (6-1-1, 5 KOs) threw about the same number of punches. However, the winner clearly landed the cleaner shots to both the head and body.

Stanionis last fought in April 2022, when he defeated Radzhab Butaev by a split decision in a tougher fight.

Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia: LIVE round-by-round updates, results, full coverage

Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia: LIVE round-by-round updates, results, full coverage.

Canelo Alvarez dropped and defeated a determined, but overmatched Jaime Munguia by a unanimous decision to retain his undisputed 168-pound championship.

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

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 defensive abilities.

Meanwhile, Alvarez, who values accuracy over volume, landed the harder, cleaner shots.

One of those clean shots came in Round 4, a right uppercut that put Munguia on the canvas for the first time in his career.

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 younger fighter just wasn’t able to do so enough to win the fight.

You can read a  full report here.

ROUND 12

Munguia had demonstrated so much heart and determination that I thought he would come out with his hands flying. Didn’t happen, which probably sealed the victory for Alvarez. Munguia must be exhausted. It’s been a grueling fight. Typical effort from Alvarez, good effort from Munguia.

ROUND 11

Neither guy got much done that round. A lot of missed punches. Munguia was busier, as usual. Alvarez landed in spots but hardly dominated a close round. Alvarez has to be leading on the cards but Munguia has made it a genuine fight.

ROUND 10

Munguia might not be winning these rounds but he’s definitely competitive. He’s throwing more punches than Alvarez and some are getting through, including a memorable left hook. Again, Alvarez is more accurate with his shots. Hard to score?

ROUND 9

Another solid round for Munguia, who’s busy and landing some eye-catching shots. No one is going to question his heart, fitness or chin. Alvarez is still the more accurate puncher, though. And his shots obviously hard harder than Munguia’s. The challenger hasn’t hurt Alvarez at all.

ROUND 8

Somewhat better round for Munguia, who a threw a lot of punches. I’m not sure how many landed but that kind of volume doesn’t give Alvarez the opportunity to fire back. When Munguia took breathers, Alvarez got some good work done.

ROUND 7

Masterclass from Alvarez. His punches are remarkably accurate, regardless of the target. Give Munguia credit for taking the best Alvarez is dishing out but he has to be wearing down. A body shot from Alvarez seem to hurt Munguia to some degree.

ROUND 6

Munguia is fighting hard. He’s simply overmatched, like so many of Alvarez’s previous opponents. Munguia looks a little lost, like he really doesn’t know how to proceed. Alvarez is picking him apart and taking little in return. The end may come sooner rather than later.

ROUND 5

Alvarez is in charge. Munguia, recovered from the knockdown, went back to work by punching in high volume. The problem for him is that he can’t land cleanly because of Alvarez’s defense. Meanwhile, the champion is picking his spots beautiful, landing hard, clean shots.

ROUND 4

Down goes Munguia! Alvarez put him down with a perfect right uppercut with about 40 seconds remaining in the round. He didn’t seem to be hurt badly but it was difficult to tell. They had engaged in good back-and-forth action before that dramatic moment.

ROUND 3

Wow! The ending of that round was wild, as Munguia landed a number of big, clean shots. He came out firing that round, having some success early. Alvarez, more concerned with accuracy than volume, responded by landed a number of eye-catching shots before the entertaining ending.

ROUND 2

They mixed it up that round. Munguia continued to jab but he also stood his ground, which resulted in some entertaining exchanges. The problem for Munguia is that Alvarez seemed to avoid most of his punches while landing a number of his own, including body hard body shots.

ROUND 1

Not much happened until late in the round. Munguia probably won the round with his jab, although not that many landed cleanly. Alvarez landed a few lefts to the body. They opened in the final exchanges, perhaps giving us a preview of what is coming.

***

The fighters are in the ring, about to be introduced. We’re only a few minutes away from Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia.

***

Welterweight contender Mario Barrios dropped and defeated a defense-minded Fabian Maidana by a unanimous decision in a 12 round fight. All three official judges had the same score, 116-111, eight rounds to four.

Neither fighter was particularly active.

Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs) stalked Maidana (22-3, 16 KOs) for most of the fight but his feet were busier than his hands, as he threw mostly single punches periodically..

The winner also fought with a right eye that was swollen shut by the end of the fight, which didn’t help.

Meanwhile, Maidana, the brother of Marcos Maidana, fought only in spurts. He spent the majority of the time in survival mode instead of taking the risks necessary to win the biggest fight of his career.

The most dramatic moment came in Round 3, when Barrios poked out a weak jab and then followed with a perfect right that put Maidana on the canvas.

The Argentine, who wasn’t seriously hurt, got up quickly. However, that experience might’ve contributed to his reluctance to mix it up.

The result was a boring fight.

Barrios has won three consecutive bouts since he lost back-to-back outings against Keith Thurman (UD) and Gervonta Davis (TKO 8). He was coming off a strong performance in September, when he easily outpointed former titleholder Yordenis Ugas.

Barrios was defending his WBC “interim” title.

***

Featherweight contender Brandon Figueroa knocked out Jessie Magdaleno with a single left to the body in the ninth round of their scheduled 12-round fight.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:59.

The skillful Magdaleno (29-3, 18 KOs) got off to a strong start, striking quickly when he had openings and then either holding or using his quick feet to prevent Figueroa from getting into a rhythm.

However, by around the fourth or fifth round, Figueroa began to pick up his work rate and land more consistently. Magdaleno remained competitive but he also started to slow down, the obvious result of Figueroa’s pressure.

The ending was brutal. Figueroa was pounding Magdaleno against the ropes when he slipped in a perfect left to the gut in the final seconds of Round 9, which forced Magdaleno to drop to his knees in pain.

He was able to get up, giving Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KOs) his third consecutive victory since he was outpointed by Stephen Fulton in 2021.

Figueroa had to overcome more than just a capable opponent on Saturday. Magdaleno came in 2.6 pounds over the division limit, after which he and Figueroa made a deal that allowed the fight to go on.

And Figueroa hadn’t fought in 14 months, which might’ve played a role in his slow start.

***

Welterweight contender Eimantas Stanionis defeated Gabriel Maestre by a one-sided unanimous decision in a 12-round fight, retaining his secondary title.

The official scores were 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111.

Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs), who was returning from a two-year layoff, and Maestre (6-1-1, 5 KOs) threw about the same number of punches. However, Stanionis’ shots were more accurate and cleaner.

And Maestre had no answer for Stanionis’ stiff jab, which was in the loser’s face all night.

***

Junior middleweight contender Jesus Ramos stopped Johan Gonzalez in the ninth round of a scheduled 10-round bout.

Ramos (21-1, 17 KOs) put Gonzalez (34-3, 33 KOs) down with a hard left to the head and followed with a flurry of power shots, which convinced referee Harvey Dock to stop the fight.

Ramos was coming off a disputed unanimous decision loss to Erickson Lubin in September.

***

Junior middleweight contender Vito Mielnicki defeated Ronald Cruz by a unanimous decision in a 10-round fight. The official scores were 99-89, 98-90 and 96-92.

Mielnicki (18-1, 12 KOs) put Cruz (19-4-1, 12 KOs) down in the third and fourth rounds.

The New Jersey fighter has now won 10 consecutive fights since he was outpointed by James Martin in 2021.

***

Canelo Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) is scheduled to defend his undisputed 168-pound championship against Jaime Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) tonight (Saturday) on DAZN Pay-Per-View from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Also on the show:

  • Mario Barrios vs. Fabian Maidana, welterweights
  • Brandon Figueroa vs. Jessie Magdaleno, featherweights
  • Eimantas Stanionis vs. Gabriel Maestre, welterweights
  • Jesus Ramos vs. Johan Gonzalez, junior middleweights
  • Vito Mielnicki vs. Ronald Cruz, junior middleweights.

The featured portion of the show is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. (main event later in the show).

Boxing Junkie will post round-by-round analysis of the main event and results of the featured bouts, as well as a brief summary, immediately after the fights end. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes.

Full coverage – detailed fight stories, analysis and more – will follow on separate posts the night of the card and the following day.

Enjoy the fights!

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Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol fight postponed after Beterbiev injures knee

The June 1 Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol bout for the 175-pound championship was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee in training.

The fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship, scheduled for June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee in training.

The IBF, WBC and WBO titleholder ruptured his meniscus, Top Rank announced in a news release.

The promotional company plans to stage the light heavyweight showdown before the end of the year.

The 5 vs. 5 portion of the show, in which fighters from Matchroom and Queensberry Promotions will face one another, will go on as scheduled June 1 on DAZN.

These are the five fights:

  • Deontay Wilder vs. Zhelei Zhang, heavyweights
  • Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois, heavyweights
  • Raymond Ford vs. Nick Ball, featherweights (for Ford’s WBA title)
  • Austin Williams vs. Hamzah Sheeraz, middleweights
  • Craig Richards vs. Willy Hutchinson, light heavyweights

The Beterbiev-Bivol bout has been highly anticipated, as both fighters are unbeaten and on pound-for-pound lists.

Beterbiev, 39, has stopped all 20 of his opponents, including Callum Smith in seven rounds in January.

Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) is best known for defeating Canelo Alvarez in May 2022. He has since outpointed then-unbeaten Gilberto Ramirez and Lyndon Arthur by one-sided decisions.

The Arthur fight took place in in December, meaning Bivol will have been out of action for extended period of time in light of the postponement.

Watch it: Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia weigh-in in Las Vegas

Watch it: Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia weigh-in for their fight Saturday in Las Vegas.

Undisputed 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez and challenger Jaime Munguia are scheduled to weigh in today (Friday) for their fight Saturday on  DAZN Pay-Per-View from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The weigh-in will take place at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT at Toshiba Plaza, outside the arena.

You can watch it on the PBC YouTube channel.

Other matchups for which weigh-ins will take place: Mario Barrios vs. Fabian Maidana, 147-pounders; Brandon Figueroa vs. Jessie Magdaleno, 126-pounders; and Eimantas Stanionis vs. Gabriel Maestre, 147-pounders.

The featured portion of the card is scheduled to begin 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show) on Saturday.

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Canelo Alvarez has built a record of success that no one can touch today

Canelo Alvarez has built a record of success that no other active fighter can touch.

Canelo Alvarez certainly isn’t above criticism.

For example, the Mexican superstar has sometimes put winning titles ahead of facing the toughest opponents the past several years in a misguided attempt to enhance his legacy. The latter would have better served that purpose.

His inexplicable refusal to fight David Benavidez could haunt him if it never happens. I don’t think he’s afraid of Benavidez — or anyone else — but he has opened the door for such a notion.

And, heck, his decision to defend his 168-pound championship against Jaime Munguia – a fighter still in the process of proving himself – on  DAZN Pay-Per-View Saturday in Las Vegas is seen by some as a less-than-challenging matchup for a champion as accomplished as Alvarez, although he didn’t have many other good options.

Canelo Alvarez won his first major title by defeating Matthew Hatton in 2011. Action Images / Jason Redmond Livepic

We’re quibbling when you survey Alvarez’s career as a whole, however. He has the most robust resume in the sport, built with victories over one capable opponent after another over more than a decade in the brightest spotlight to not only collect belts but become a mainstay on pound-for-pound lists.

He’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer one day. And he has earned it.

Consider:

Alvarez has won major titles in four divisions.

He started as a 139-pounder when he turned pro at 15 years old in 2005 and has fought as heavy as 174½, losing only twice in 64 bouts – to Floyd Mayweather and Dmitry Bivol – and collecting major belts at 154, 160, 168 and 175. And he did so even though he probably isn’t a natural 168-pounder and definitely a small 175-pounder, meaning he has taken down a number of bigger men along the way.

He’s 19-2-1 against former or current world titleholders.

Think about that. That’s 19 victories in 22 fights against the best in the business over the past decade-plus, including wins over Shane Mosley, Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto, Gennadiy Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs and Sergey Kovalev. No one else can match that level of success at the highest level of the sport.

Twenty-four of his last 28 fights have been for a major world title.

Sanctioning body belts don’t carry the same weight they once did but those who fight for them are generally top contenders. The fact Alvarez has amassed 24 title fights beginning in 2011 – winning all but the two mentioned above — reflects both his remarkable talent and ability to remain at the pinnacle of the sport for so long. Pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford has taken part in 18 title fights, which is impressive. However, his level of opposition pales next to Alvarez’s.

He has defeated eight unbeaten opponents with 10 or more fights.

There are undefeated fighters who build their records by fighting pushovers. Others have a legitimate “0” in their loss column, those who meet serious challenges. Alvarez falls into the latter category if anyone does. He has taken down previously unbeaten Trout, Golovkin, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant, among others. All five of those fighters held major world titles at the time Alvarez defeated them. And don’t forget: Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) also is unbeaten.

He’s 2-1 against current Hall of Famers.

The ultimate test for any fighter is a bout with a Hall of Fame-caliber opponent. Alvarez failed in his first fight with an all-time great, Mayweather. However, he defeated Mosley and Cotto after they had lost a step but remained formidable fighters. Also, Alvarez has beaten other fighters who have a decent to good chance of being elected to the Hall one day: Triple-G, Kovalev and Jermell Charlo. Once again, Alvarez has had unusual success at the highest level of competition.

The theme here is this: Fans constantly clamor for fighters to face the best possible opponents. Alvarez doesn’t have a perfect record in that regard but he comes close, which is a testament to the belief he has in himself and the clout that makes it possible to make the biggest fights.

And the fact he has won consistently against that level of opposition can lead us to only one conclusion: He’s one of the best of his generation, possibly of all time.

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