Tag: Jessie Vargas

Manny Pacquiao: Boxing’s first four-decade champion

Manny Pacquiao, 41, is believed to be the first boxer to hold major titles in four decades.

Only Manny Pacquiao can make boxing history without lifting a hand.

Pacquiao is believed to be the first fighter to hold major titles in four decades. The Filipino icon, who turned pro at 16 in 1995 and is now 41, won his first world title (flyweight) when he stopped Chatchai Sasakul in eight rounds in 1998 and his most-recent belt (welterweight) when he defeated Keith Thurman by a split decision this past July 20.

Here are Pacquiao’s major titles by decade:

1990s

WBC flyweight (1998) – KO 8 Chatchai Sasakul

2000s

IBF junior featherweight (2001) – TKO 6 Lehlo Ledwaba

*-Featherweight (2003) – TKO 11 Marco Antonio Barrera

WBC junior lightweight (2008) – SD 12 Juan Manuel Marquez

WBC lightweight (2008) – TKO 9 David Diaz

*-Junior welterweight (2009) – KO 2 Ricky Hatton

WBO welterweight (2009) – TKO 12 Miguel Cotto

2010s

WBC junior middleweight – UD 12 Antonio Margarito

WBO welterweight – UD Tim Bradley

WBO welterweight – UD Jessie Vargas

WBA welterweight – SD Keith Thurman

2020s

Holds WBA welterweight title

2030s?

Anything is possible when it comes to Pacquiao.

 

*-The Ring Magazine titles

Mikey Garcia upbeat, confident coming off loss to Errol Spence

Mikey Garcia said he was “slow, sluggish and tired” in his shutout loss to Errol Spence in March.

Mikey Garcia seems to be as upbeat as possible going into his fight against Jessie Vargas on Feb. 29.

The one-sided loss to Errol Spence last March? It’s like it didn’t happen, according to a report on BoxingScene.com. Garcia insists he believes in himself as much now as he did before Spence shut him down and out.

Garcia (39-1, 30 KOs) went into that fight undefeated.

“My mind is not on the loss,” he told BoxingScene. “It’s to keep moving forward in a positive direction. Losses are a part of boxing. You lost. So what? I fought the best guy in the division and moved up two weight classes. Why should I be sad and crying? If I keep dwelling on the past, then I’ll be depressed. That’s not who I am.

“Fast forward to now, I’m f—— excited! I’ve been on a high hitting on everything that I wanted. This is f—— badass. I can’t believe how I took that loss; it’s like nothing ever happened. I keep going, and I’m doing very well.”

Garcia said he simply had an off night against Spence.

“There’s a lot more I can deliver that wasn’t shown in my last fight,” he said. “I know that for a fact. My fans know that I can provide more, but for whatever reason, I just wasn’t able to. I was slow, sluggish and tired versus Spence.

“Everything that could have went wrong, went wrong, and there was nothing else I could do. I want to prove that I am faster, smarter and stronger.”

Garcia will face Vargas (29-2-2, 11 KOs) at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas on DAZN.

Roman Gonzalez could face Kal Yafai on Mikey Garcia-Jessie Vargas card

Promoter Eddie Hearn told iTV Monday that he is trying to put together a fight between Roman Gonzalez and Kal Yafai.

Román Gonzalez’s plans for 2020 already appear to be coming together, just one week after scoring a second-round stoppage of Diomel Diocos in his first bout in more than a year in Japan.

Promoter Eddie Hearn told iTV Monday that he is trying to put together a fight between Gonzalez and Kal Yafai in a junior bantamweight bout on a DAZN card featuring Mikey Garcia vs. Jessie Vargas on Feb. 29 in Frisco, Texas.

Hearn is looking at Gonzalez as a leading possibility for Yafai in the wake of news that Juan Francisco Estrada suffered a hand injury in training. Estrada, who holds a 115-pound belt, is scheduled for surgery. He is expected to be out until at last May.

“Now, this is the fight that I’m trying to make for Feb. 29 on the Mikey Garcia (card),’’ Hearn said.

Hearn still hopes for an eventual Yafai fight against Estrada. If Hearn is able to negotiate a deal with Gonzalez’s promoter,

of Teiken, Yafai would first have to beat Gonzalez, a former pound-for-pound champion nicknamed Chocolatito.

“If he can beat Chocolatito, then he goes into the Estrada fight in great shape in terms of his earning potential and star power,’’ Hearn said.

Upon his return to Nicaragua last week, Gonzalez (47-2, 39 KOs), the lightest fighter to ever be voted No. 1 in the pound-for-pound debate, named Yafai as somebody he would like to fight next. He also mentioned Kazuto Ioka and Estrada.

Yafai (26-0, 15 KOs), of the U.K., has made five title defenses of a 115-pound belt he won when he beat Luis Concepcion on Dec. 10, 2016.

Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. defends Junior, others rip him for quitting

Hall of Famer Erik Morales was critical of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for quitting and his father for defending him.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been criticized in Mexico over his decision to quit after the fifth round because of a broken nose suffered against Danny Jacobs.

Erik Morales, one Mexico’s greats, ripped Chavez Jr. and his iconic father, Julio Cesar Chavez, who defended him in the wake of widespread outrage at the abrupt end to the fight Friday night at Talking Stick Arena on DAZN.

Angry fans at the arena booed and tossed debris at Chavez after the fight.

“When you are hurt or suffer a fracture you can fight,” Morales said Sunday on Twitter. “The decision not to fight should be respected, but the decision of those who paid to see a show must also be respected.

“You cannot disrespect the fans and journalists with loud words because they think differently. The fans should be respected.”

Within hours after fans in a crowd of about 12,000 threw cups full of beer, plastic water bottles and assorted other garbage at the ring, Chavez Sr. took to social media in defense of his son.

Chavez Jr. said his injures were the result of dirty tactics – head butts and elbows – although video clearly shows that a right hand from Jacobs broke his nose and cut him above the left eye.

“With all due respect to the fans of Phoenix, Arizona, right now I disagree with you, my son was making a competitive fight and was winning,” wrote Chavez, who appeared in a photo next to his son in a hospital bed. “Unfortunately, a head clash and an elbow comes and my son has a broken nose and will now undergo surgery.’’

His son had surgery for fractures in his nose and had 10 stitches for the cut above his eye.

Another notable fighter, Mikey Garcia, also criticized Chavez Jr., according to promoter Eddie Hearn. Garcia was seated at ringside next to Hearn and near Jessie Vargas. They were there to help promote their fight Feb. 29 in Frisco, Texas. The welterweight bout on DAZN was announced last week.

When Chavez Jr. said he would not continue, Hearn said Garcia turned to him and said:

“You can’t do that.”

Mikey Garcia joins forces with Matchroom Boxing and DAZN

Mikey Garcia has agreed to a deal with Matchroom Boxing and DAZN, and is expected to return to the ring on Feb. 29.

Mikey Garcia celebrated a birthday Sunday with an announcement that he has a deal with Matchroom Boxing and DAZN that will include his return to the ring on Feb. 29.

Garcia, now 32, did not disclose the terms of the deal or who he will fight, although multiple media reports indicate that former junior welterweight and welterweight titleholder Jessie Vargas is a leading candidate.

“I am happy to announce my return to the ring for February 29,” Garcia said in a statement. “I am eager to make my return and grow my legacy. I look forward to working with Matchroom Boxing USA and DAZN, and I want to thank all my fans for the continued support. Fight details will be announced soon, and I can’t wait to be back in the ring.”

Garcia (39-1, 30 KOs) hasn’t fought since he jumped up to welterweight and lost a one-sided decision to Errol Spence Jr. on March 16 at AT&T Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys’ home field in Arlington, Tex.

Garcia has held belts in four divisions – featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight. He was leading pound-for-pound contender before the Spence loss.

The younger brother of veteran trainer Robert Garcia had been a free agent since he and former promoter Top Rank agreed to split in April 2016.

Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn and Garcia are expected to talk about the deal at a news conference Wednesday in Los Angeles.

“I’ve been talking to Mikey for over a year now, and I’m so happy to welcome him to the team,” Hearn said. “Mikey is a standout star, and I’m looking forward to working with him on big fights moving forward. He will return to the ring on Feb. 29, and we will be announcing the opponent and venue shortly.”

Mikey Garcia vs. Jessie Vargas? A few thoughts on that concept

Does talk of a fight between Mikey Garcia and Jessie Vargas on DAZN mean Manny Pacquiao plans to fight Danny Garcia?

A welterweight fight between Mikey Garcia and Jessie Vargas for the first quarter of next year has been discussed, according to The Athletic. The fight would be streamed on DAZN.

Promoter Eddie Hearn, who works with DAZN, has been courting Garcia for some time in hopes of signing him to a multi-fight deal, The Athletic reported. If he’s successful, a meeting with Vargas could kick off the relationship.

Two takeaways from that report:

One, Garcia told me a few years ago that he had no interest in signing a long-term deal with anyone after his relationship with then-promoter Bob Arum soured. Garcia sat out 2½ years waiting for his contract with Arum to end and become a free agent.

Of course, things change. The guaranteed money might be too tempting to resist now for whatever reason. We’ll see.

Two, Garcia has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Manny Pacquiao. I’m guessing that Pacquiao has decided to keep it in the PBC family and fight the other Garcia, Danny, a legitimate 147-pounder who might be seen as a more legitimate threat than Mikey. Mikey Garcia is coming off a one-sided loss to Errol Spence.

Again, we’ll see.

Floyd Mayweather is a wildcard. If he’s serious about a comeback, a rematch with Pacquiao would be a bonanza for both fighters. Pacquiao certainly would jump at the opportunity.

Would Mayweather, 42, really risk his perfect record? Doubtful. Exhibitions or another “fight” against an MMA star, maybe; a sanctioned boxing match, no.

That said, “Money” loves money. Anything is possible.