Tag: Eleider Alvarez

Joe Smith Jr. outboxes, then lowers boom on Eleider Alvarez

Joe Smith Jr. stopped Eleider Alvarez 26 seconds in the ninth round Saturday in Las Vegas.

Joe Smith Jr. worked on his technique in preparation for his meeting with Eleider Alvarez on Saturday night in the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas. And he took his time in the fight, focusing on volume punching to wear Alvarez down.

However, in the end, it was the one quality most associated with Smith that ended matters: power.

Smith dropped a weary Alvarez with a brutal straight right hand, followed by a left, early in the ninth round of a scheduled 12-round bout and the former 175-pound titleholder was unable to get up. Referee Tony Weeks stopped the fight 26 seconds into the round.

With the victory, Smith is expected to face the winner of the Maxim Vlasov-Umar Salamov fight for the vacant WBO light heavyweight title.

“I feel this one is a big one,” Smith said of the victory. “I really needed it. I wanted to prove I’m not just a knockout guy. I proved my boxing ability, too, and I showed that tonight.”

Eleider Alvarez wasn’t able to get up from a brutal knockdown in the ninth round. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

Smith (26-3, 21 KOs) more or less chopped down the 36-year-old Alvarez (25-2, 13 KOs), who couldn’t keep pace with his fresher, 30-year-old opponent.

Alvarez had his moments, including a few solid right hands that got Smith’s attention in the eighth round. However, by the ninth, Smith had pounded most of the fight out of the former champion. He was ripe for a knockout.

Smith then did what he does best, deliver a decisive blow.

“Coming into this camp, I knew I had to work on my boxing,” Smith said. “I wanted to be sharp, throw a lot of straight punches. I watched his fight with [Sergey] Kovalev, and Kovalev kind of set the way to beat him. So we watched that and worked off of it.

“I knew coming in today I had to box a little more because he’s got that great right hand. He caught me with it a couple times, but I can take a punch, too. Every time he hit me, I wanted to come and stop him in his tracks, and I did that. I stuck to my game plan, and it was a great fight.”

Smith made a name for himself in 2016, when he knocked out Andrzej Fonfara and Bernard Hopkins in succession. He had a bad stretch after that – losing to Sullivan Barrera and Dmitry Bivol for a title in a span of three fights – but he has now beaten Jesse Hart and Alvarez back to back.

As a result, the union worker from Long Island, New York, is once again in thick of the title picture.

In preliminarys, Rob Brant (26-2, 18 KOs) stopped Vitaliy Kopylenko (28-3, 16 KOs) in the fifth round of a scheduled 10-round middleweight fight.

Junior welterweight prospect Julian Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) knocked out Anthony Laureano (13-1, 4 KOs) only 2:50 into their scheduled 10-round bout.

And the popular Clay Collard (9-2-3, 4 KOs) continued his winning streak, stopping Maurice Williams (7-2, 3 KOs) at 1:54 of the second round of a scheduled eight-round middleweight fight.

 

Joe Smith Jr. outboxes, then lowers boom on Eleider Alvarez

Joe Smith Jr. stopped Eleider Alvarez 26 seconds in the ninth round Saturday in Las Vegas.

Joe Smith Jr. worked on his technique in preparation for his meeting with Eleider Alvarez on Saturday night in the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas. And he took his time in the fight, focusing on volume punching to wear Alvarez down.

However, in the end, it was the one quality most associated with Smith that ended matters: power.

Smith dropped a weary Alvarez with a brutal straight right hand, followed by a left, early in the ninth round of a scheduled 12-round bout and the former 175-pound titleholder was unable to get up. Referee Tony Weeks stopped the fight 26 seconds into the round.

With the victory, Smith is expected to face the winner of the Maxim Vlasov-Umar Salamov fight for the vacant WBO light heavyweight title.

“I feel this one is a big one,” Smith said of the victory. “I really needed it. I wanted to prove I’m not just a knockout guy. I proved my boxing ability, too, and I showed that tonight.”

Eleider Alvarez wasn’t able to get up from a brutal knockdown in the ninth round. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

Smith (26-3, 21 KOs) more or less chopped down the 36-year-old Alvarez (25-2, 13 KOs), who couldn’t keep pace with his fresher, 30-year-old opponent.

Alvarez had his moments, including a few solid right hands that got Smith’s attention in the eighth round. However, by the ninth, Smith had pounded most of the fight out of the former champion. He was ripe for a knockout.

Smith then did what he does best, deliver a decisive blow.

“Coming into this camp, I knew I had to work on my boxing,” Smith said. “I wanted to be sharp, throw a lot of straight punches. I watched his fight with [Sergey] Kovalev, and Kovalev kind of set the way to beat him. So we watched that and worked off of it.

“I knew coming in today I had to box a little more because he’s got that great right hand. He caught me with it a couple times, but I can take a punch, too. Every time he hit me, I wanted to come and stop him in his tracks, and I did that. I stuck to my game plan, and it was a great fight.”

Smith made a name for himself in 2016, when he knocked out Andrzej Fonfara and Bernard Hopkins in succession. He had a bad stretch after that – losing to Sullivan Barrera and Dmitry Bivol for a title in a span of three fights – but he has now beaten Jesse Hart and Alvarez back to back.

As a result, the union worker from Long Island, New York, is once again in thick of the title picture.

In preliminarys, Rob Brant (26-2, 18 KOs) stopped Vitaliy Kopylenko (28-3, 16 KOs) in the fifth round of a scheduled 10-round middleweight fight.

Junior welterweight prospect Julian Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) knocked out Anthony Laureano (13-1, 4 KOs) only 2:50 into their scheduled 10-round bout.

And the popular Clay Collard (9-2-3, 4 KOs) continued his winning streak, stopping Maurice Williams (7-2, 3 KOs) at 1:54 of the second round of a scheduled eight-round middleweight fight.

 

Eleider Alvarez, Joe Smith Jr. to face off in crucial fight for both

Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr. are determined to get another shot at a title. They’ll have to go through the other to get there.

Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr. are determined to get another shot at a major light heavyweight title. They’ll have to go through the other to get there.

Alvarez and Smith are scheduled to fight in a title eliminator Saturday night in the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas. The winner will take a significant step forward, the loser possibly a step into oblivion.

“This fight is critical for both of our careers,” Alvarez said. “I respect Joe Smith, who has proven to be an elite fighter. However, I have all the tools to beat him, and that’s what I intend to do. My goal is to become a two-time light heavyweight world champion.”

Alvarez (25-1, 13 KOs) peaked in 2017 and 2018, when he beat in succession Lucian Bute, Jean Pascal and Sergey Kovalev. The Montreal-based Colombian stopped Kovalev in seven rounds to win a major title in August 2018.

Eleider Alvarez (left) and Joe Smith Jr. get one last good look at one another before they fight Saturday. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

Six months later Kovalev outpointed Alvarez to regain the title and he’s fought only once since, stopping Michael Seals with a single right hand in January.

Smith (25-3, 20 KOs) made a splash in 2016, when the relative unknown from Long Island, N.Y., stopped favored Andrzej Fonfara in the first round and then knocked Bernard Hopkins out of the ring to end his Hall of Fame career.

The 30-year-old union worker went to challenge Dmitry Bivol for one of the titles but lost a wide decision in March of last year, his only title shot. He bounced back to outpoint capable Jesse Hart in January to earn the fight with Alvarez.

Neither fighter can afford another setback.

“This fight means everything to me,” Smith said. “It’s my path to a world title fight, and I know this is my second chance to turn my dream into reality. Alvarez is a former world champion, and in my mind, I am treating this as a world title fight. To get there, I have to, and will win this fight.”

The card, which also features a middleweight fight between Rob Brant (25-2, 17 KOs) and Vitalii Kopylenko (28-2, 16 KOs), will be streamed on ESPN+.

[lawrence-related id=11551,5287,5004]

Eleider Alvarez, Joe Smith Jr. to face off in crucial fight for both

Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr. are determined to get another shot at a title. They’ll have to go through the other to get there.

Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr. are determined to get another shot at a major light heavyweight title. They’ll have to go through the other to get there.

Alvarez and Smith are scheduled to fight in a title eliminator Saturday night in the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas. The winner will take a significant step forward, the loser possibly a step into oblivion.

“This fight is critical for both of our careers,” Alvarez said. “I respect Joe Smith, who has proven to be an elite fighter. However, I have all the tools to beat him, and that’s what I intend to do. My goal is to become a two-time light heavyweight world champion.”

Alvarez (25-1, 13 KOs) peaked in 2017 and 2018, when he beat in succession Lucian Bute, Jean Pascal and Sergey Kovalev. The Montreal-based Colombian stopped Kovalev in seven rounds to win a major title in August 2018.

Eleider Alvarez (left) and Joe Smith Jr. get one last good look at one another before they fight Saturday. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

Six months later Kovalev outpointed Alvarez to regain the title and he’s fought only once since, stopping Michael Seals with a single right hand in January.

Smith (25-3, 20 KOs) made a splash in 2016, when the relative unknown from Long Island, N.Y., stopped favored Andrzej Fonfara in the first round and then knocked Bernard Hopkins out of the ring to end his Hall of Fame career.

The 30-year-old union worker went to challenge Dmitry Bivol for one of the titles but lost a wide decision in March of last year, his only title shot. He bounced back to outpoint capable Jesse Hart in January to earn the fight with Alvarez.

Neither fighter can afford another setback.

“This fight means everything to me,” Smith said. “It’s my path to a world title fight, and I know this is my second chance to turn my dream into reality. Alvarez is a former world champion, and in my mind, I am treating this as a world title fight. To get there, I have to, and will win this fight.”

The card, which also features a middleweight fight between Rob Brant (25-2, 17 KOs) and Vitalii Kopylenko (28-2, 16 KOs), will be streamed on ESPN+.

[lawrence-related id=11551,5287,5004]

Eleider Alvarez vs. Joe Smith Jr. rescheduled for next month: report

Light heavyweight contenders Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr. reportedly will fight late next month.

Light heavyweight contenders Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr. reportedly will fight late next month.

They were scheduled to meet on July 16 in the MGM Grand bubble in Las Vegas but Alvarez pulled out with an injury to his right shoulder. Yvon Michel, Alvarez’s promoter, told ESPN that his fighter has recovered and he’ll be ready to fight soon.

“I sent a medical report on Alvarez’s situation early last week confirming that the inflammation is gone after treatment, the pain is minimum,” Michel said. “He’s going to start sparring next week, everything is under control. He’s fit and ready to fight by mid-August.

“So the message I got from Top Rank is that the fight will be rescheduled for some time between Aug. 20 and Aug. 22, depending on the schedule.”

Smith and his handlers evidently are willing to fight regardless of the date.

“It’s not ideal, it’s not what we wanted,” Smith promoter Joe DeGuardia told ESPN. “We think it’s unfortunate it got pushed back in the first place. However, we’re realists. I just want this fight to take place, and we’re going to do what we have to do to get Joe ready and have this fight.”

Alvarez (25-1, 13 KOs) last fought on Jan. 18, when he stopped Michael Seals in seven rounds. The Montreal-based Colombian lost his 175-pound belt to Sergey Kovalev in February of last year.

Smith (25-3, 20 KOs) defeated Jesse Hart by a split decision in his most-recent fight, on Jan. 11.

Classic fight replays — led by Ali-Frazier trilogy — do strong ratings on ESPN

ESPN’s replay of the “Thrilla in Manila” was the sixth-most-watched sports-related show of the past week.

Fans are watching boxing even when there’s no boxing.

ESPN’s replay of the third fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1975 – The “Thrilla in Manila” – was the sixth-most-watched sports-related show of the past week, according to ShowBuzzDaily. An average of 699,000 people watched the fight, Forbes reported.

As Forbes pointed out, that figure is higher than the 683,000 who viewed the Wednesday episode of the new professional wrestling outfit AEW Dynamite.

Classic boxing shows made up eight of the 20 most-watched sports programs this past week. That also included Ali-Frazier I, Mike Tyson-Michael Spinks and Oscar De La Hoya-Julio Cesar Chavez.

An ESPN boxing analyst Tweeted: “Amazing numbers on ESPN Linear. … Boxing Library works amazing! Perhaps better than any other Sport.”

ESPN devoted 11 hours to boxing on Saturday, including the first time the first Ali-Frazier has been televised since 1991. That fight had an average audience of 641,000. The second Ali-Frazier fight averaged 607,000.

The only live card on ESPN this year — headlined by Eleider Alvarez vs. Michael Seals — averaged 704.000 viewers.

Live sports have been sidelined as a result of the corona virus pandemic.

Sergey Kovalev promoter Kathy Duva believes he has one more run

Promoter Kathy Duva believes Sergey Kovalev has one more shot at making a run in the sport before he calls it quits.

Promoters are experts at spotting silver linings. There’s usually a silver dollar behind each one.

Kathy Duva, president of Main Events, sees both gleaming in the future for Sergey Kovalev, the former light heavyweight titleholder. Future? Apparently Duva believes her veteran client can make one final run even though he’s coming off a particularly brutal loss at the hands of Canelo Alvarez in November.

Kovalev acquitted himself well for the majority of the fight before Alvarez cut him down in the 11th round, leaving the Russian slumped on the ropes with his head bowed. That was an unsettling image, yes, but Duva, the eternal optimist, sees a clear path forward.

“A lot of people had him beating Canelo going into the 11th round [and] I’m not sure that being competitive with probably the best fighter in the world means your career is over,” Duva said on the recent Everlast TalkBox Podcast. “People have a tendency to write people off very quickly.”

Kovalev has had to deal with such concerns in the past. He was knocked out in brutal fashion by Eleider Alvarez in 2018. Before that he was stopped, albeit controversially, by Andre Ward in 2017. The difference now, according to Duva, is that Kovalev firmly understands that he is in the twilight of his career.

“He knows his career is close to closing,” Duva said. “It’s close to an end, he acknowledges that. But he intends to maybe make another splash before he’s finished, and we’re going to help him do that.”

Part of that help consists of determining the weight at which Kovalev (34-4-1, 29 KOs) wants to fight. His next bout, against Sullivan Barrera (22-3, 14 KOs) on April 25 in Indio, California, will take place at a catch weight of 180 pounds, five over the light heavyweight limit.

Kovalev and Co. are undecided as to whether he’ll campaign at cruiserweight (200-pound limit) or move back down to 175, where he has spent his entire career.

“We’re going to do this at 180 because we want to find out if [making weight] is a problem and if we have to contemplate moving up,” Duva said. “He’s going in a little heavier, not so heavy that he can’t ever go back to 175, but he wants to just see what the difference is, because those last five pounds are the ones that kill ya.”

Kovalev concurs. He recently put up an Instagram post showing him pinching the fat on his body.

 

Weight gain isn’t the only thing on Kovalev’s plate these days. He’s battling disturbing allegations of sexual assault and recently made headlines after reportedly getting arrested for a DUI in Los Angeles.

“He’s a lot happier with the lawyers that he has now,” Duva said. “They’ve made him feel comfortable that this is all going to be OK.”

Duva hopes with a fight on the horizon that Kovalev won’t stray into more trouble.

“When you got something to focus on, you’re mind doesn’t stray into other things,” she said. “He’s not the first fighter who’s fought these problems, and he won’t be the last.”

 

Follow Sean Nam on Twitter @seanpasbon

Golden Boy signs heavy-handed heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov

Golden Boy and Eye of the Tiger Management will co-promote the Montreal-based Russian heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov.

Golden Boy apparently wants in on the heavyweight game.

The company announced Monday it signed Arslanbek Makhmudov, a Montreal-based undefeated Russian heavyweight prospect known for his ferocious power, to a multi-year co-promotional deal with the fighter’s Canadian handler Eye of the Tiger Management.

And the timing couldn’t be better, according to Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya.

“In recent years, we have had somewhat of a renaissance in the heavyweight division,” said De La Hoya, referring to the likes of Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua. “The big fights, heated rivalries and constant media exposure that the heavyweights are getting these days is very good for the health of the sport.

“By signing fighters such as Arslan Makhmudov, we are doing our part in continuing this momentum into the future.”

Makhmudov (10-0, 10 KOs) is the fifth fighter from Eye of the Tiger Management to enter into a co-promotional arrangement with Golden Boy. The others include David Lemieux, Yves Ulysses, Erik Bazinyan and Steven Butler.

“I’m confident that with my team. … I will reach my goal of becoming heavyweight champion of the world,” said Makhmudov, 30.

Said Camille Estephan, president of Eye of the Tiger Management: “I’m thrilled to bring the top heavyweight prospect in the world to the U.S. with Golden Boy Promotions. We plan to send a message to the heavyweight division with his performances…I believe we will have a heavyweight champion of the world together.”

The deal means Makhmudov will appear on the streaming service DAZN, the network with which Golden Boy has an output deal and where there is an abundance of heavyweight talent. Heavyweights aligned with DAZN includes Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, Michael Hunter, Filip Hrgovic, Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora.

Makhmudov is trained by Marc Ramsay, who also works with current light heavyweight titleholder Artur Beterbiev, Eleider Alvarez, Oscar Rivas and Lemieux.

 

Follow Sean Nam on Twitter @seanpasbon

Top Rank’s four-man light heavyweight tournament reportedly set

Top Rank’s light heavyweight tournament will pit Eleider Alvarez against Joe Smith Jr. and Umar Salamov against Maksim Vlasov…

A new light heavyweight titleholder will be crowned in the coming months.

A de-facto four-man tournament will soon take place featuring Umar Salamov vs. Maksim Vlasov on one side and Eleider Alvarez vs. Joe Smith Jr. on the other. The winners of each bout will face off later this year for the WBO title, which was relinquished by Canelo Alvarez shortly after he seized it from Sergey Kovalev.

All participants are associated with Top Rank, which reportedly just signed Salamov and Vlasov to promotional deals, so all bouts will be televised and/or streamed on ESPN/ESPN+.

The Athletic was first to report the news.

Absent from the tournament is the WBO’s No.1 light heavyweight contender Gilberto Ramirez, who was originally slated to be involved. The Mexican hasn’t fought since his he stopped journeyman Tommy Karpency last April. He reportedly is at odds with Top Rank over his purse for that fight and is trying to buy out his contract. Ramirez’s retreat essentially opened up a spot for Smith.

Russians Salamov (25-1, 19 KOs) and Vlasov (45-3, 26 KOs) are relatively unknown stateside, but both Alvarez and Smith are known quantities.

Alvarez (25-1, 13 KOs) won the WBO title when he upset Kovalev in the summer of 2018 but lost it promptly in the rematch.The Colombian is coming off a one-punch knockout of Michael Seals last month, his first fight since returning from an Achilles injury.

The week prior, Smith (25-3, 20 KOs) picked up a solid points win over Jesse Hart. Smith, who works full-time as a day laborer in Long Island, is best known for ending the career of Bernard Hopkins in 2016.

Top Rank also promotes Russian bruiser Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs), who defends two his light heavyweight belts against China’s Fanlong Meng (16-0, 10 KOs) on March 28 in Montreal. A potential unification bout between the winner of the WBO tournament and Beterbiev, should he remain undefeated, could conceivably be scheduled for the end of the year or the first quarter of 2021.

The lone light heavyweight titleholder that Top Rank does not control is WBA titlist Dmitry Bivol (17-0, 11 KOs), who is promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and the Russian outfit World of Boxing.

Joe Smith Jr. left out of light heavyweight title eliminator  

Joe Smith Jr. thought he was going to fight Eleider Alvarez for a shot at a vacant light heavyweight title, but that doesn’t seem likely.

When hard-hitting light heavyweight contender Joe Smith Jr. notched a solid decision over Jesse Hart last month, the expectation was that the Long Island construction laborer would get a chance to contend for a world title in his next bout. Or at least that’s what his people say they were told by the powers that be.

But Smith is now looking like the odd man out of a four-man light heavyweight eliminator for a shot at the WBO title. The participants are Eleider Alvarez Gilberto Ramirez, Umar Salamov and Maxim Vlasov. No Smith.

Jerry Capobianco, Smith’s trainer, was under the impression that his charge would fight the winner of the Eleider Alvarez-Michael Seals bout, which Alvarez won by an explosive seventh-round knockout. Yvon Michel, the co-promoter of Alvarez, was also informed by Top Rank, the promoter of both Smith and Alvarez, that a vacant title fight between the two would be next.

Capobianco expressed his disappointment with the development in a recent episode of the Everlast TalkBox Podcast.

“Joe beat the No. 3 contender in the world. Jesse Hart was a solid three,” Capobianco said. “And Eleider Alvarez fought Michael Seals. … (Seals) was rated on BoxRec, I’m pretty sure, at No. 65. So going into this fight, they were saying whoever wins this fight will fight Eleider Alvarez for the belt, the belt that Canelo [Alvarez] left behind.

“People were saying that this was the next fight. So Joe fought, he won and Alvarez fought and won. Now we hear that there’s an eliminator and Joe’s not in it.”

So what gives? More alphabet soup shenanigans? Capobianco doesn’t say, but he’s not happy. In the latest WBO rankings, Ramirez is No. 1, followed by Salamov, Vlasov and Alvarez.

“Joe was rated fifth with the WBO when he beat the No. 3 guy,” Capobianco said. “To me, that doesn’t make too much sense.”

A silver lining for Smith might be that Ramirez reportedly is trying to buy out his contract with Top Rank. That’s music to Capobianco’s ears.

“I’m reading that Gilberto Ramirez may not fight in the eliminator, which would automatically bring Joe up to the fourth spot,” Capobianco said.

A purse bid for Alvarez-Ramirez has been scheduled for Feb. 20 after the sides failed to reach a deal