Tag: junior welterweight

Jose Zepeda cruises to unanimous-decision victory over Kendo Castaneda

Jose Zepeda did what he was supposed to do on Tuesday in Las Vegas, dominate an inferior opponent.

Jose Zepeda did what he was supposed to do on Tuesday in Las Vegas, dominate an inferior opponent.

Was it thrilling? Not at all. Was it convincing? Absolutely. He probably won’t frighten any of the best 140-pounders with his unanimous-decision victory over Kendo Castaneda in the bubble at the MGM Grand but maybe he should.

Zepeda (32-2, 25 KOs) was machine-like, almost robotic in his attack. The Southern Californian didn’t throw an abundance of punches but made the ones he unloaded count. They were accurate and hard, although Castaneda was never hurt.

Meanwhile, for the most part, Castaneda (17-2, 8 KOs) couldn’t land consistently. The tough, but limited late replacement from San Antonio was either beaten to punch or couldn’t catch Zepeda, whose slick footwork kept him out of trouble.

Castaneda came on to some degree in the later rounds, fighting with more urgency and finding the target enough to win a few rounds, but it wasn’t enough.

Zepeda did what it took down the stretch to preserve his victory but failed to shift into another gear, which might’ve allowed him to make a statement to those in his division and the fans.

In the end, he was happy with the victory. He has now won two in a row (not counting a no-contest) since he lost a close, majority decision to unbeaten junior welterweight titleholder Jose Ramirez in February of last year.

“He was a late replacement, but he was tough in there,” Zepeda said of Castaneda. “I didn’t take Kendo lightly because I knew what he was capable of. He had only one loss by decision coming into tonight.”

Zepeda is laser focused on getting another title shot. He was asked afterward which of the 140-pounders he wants. He responded by simply listing the names of the four major sanctioning bodies.

Ramirez holds two of the belts, Josh Taylor the other two.

“Anybody with a belt at 140 pounds is who I want to fight,” he said. “A championship fight is my goal, and that is what I am working towards.”

Jose Ramirez wants to clean house at 140 before moving to 147

Jose Ramirez, who holds two of the four major 140-pound titles, said he wants to unify all the belts before leaving the division.

Junior welterweight titleholder Jose Ramirez will move up to welterweight sooner or later. Emphasis on later.

Ramirez, who holds two of the four major 140-pound titles, said in a recent Top Rank interview that he wants to unify all the belts before leaving the division. That means he’d have to fight Josh Taylor, who holds the other two titles.

A title defense against mandatory challenger Viktor Postol has been postponed twice because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think I owe I to myself to fight for all the belts,” Ramirez said. “If I were to move up to the next weight class [without doing so], there will always be that doubt because there is another guy with two belts. And there are some other fighters that I did not get to face at 140.”

Ramirez also has a mandatory defense against Jack Catterall due on his other title. And Taylor is scheduled to defend against his own mandatory challenger Apinun Khongsong.

So it would appear that the earliest a Ramirez-Taylor fight could take place is next year. Ramirez is willing to wait.

“I really want to prove a lot of people wrong,” Ramirez said. “I want to do it to myself. I know I can be the best 140 in the world. I know I can see myself with all four of those belts, and it’s a matter of time.

“Once I do that, it’s going to put my name worldwide. It is definitely going to make a stronger impact when I do move to 147 knowing that the undisputed world champion is moving up to 147. I think that’s going to make more noise.”

Mikey Garcia says he matches up better with Manny Pacquiao

Mikey Garcia said he matches up better with the smallish Manny Pacquiao than he did against Errol Spence Jr.

Money is a powerful incentive to pursue a fight with Manny Pacquiao. However, for Mikey Garcia, there’s more to it than that.

The former four-division titleholder told BadLeftHook.com that he also likes the fact that Pacquiao is a small welterweight, as he is. Both of them could fight at 140 pounds but chose to fight at 147 because of the more-lucrative fights at that weight.

Garcia is coming off a fight with a big, talented welterweight in Errol Spence Jr., who dominated the bout from beginning to end to win a shutout decision in March of last year.

“I think styles make fights,” Mikey said. “He’s not a tall, lanky fighter who can complicate things like Errol Spence did. He’s shorter in height, doesn’t have the reach like some of these other welterweights do. That fits much better to give an entertaining fight with me.

“I remember sparring with him years ago, and I was able to fight similar to what [Erik] Morales and [Juan Manuel] Marquez did. It was only sparring, but I did well.”

Garcia reportedly on the short list of prospective opponents for Pacquiao, who outpointed Keith Thurman to win a title in his last fight.

Jose Ramirez’s title defense vs. Viktor Postol rescheduled for May 9

Jose Ramirez’s junior welterweight title defense against Viktor Postol has been rescheduled for May 9 in Fresno, ESPN reported Monday.

Jose Ramirez’s junior welterweight title defense against Viktor Postol has been rescheduled for May 9 in Fresno, California, ESPN reported Monday.

The fight had been scheduled for Feb. 1 in Haikou, China. But Top Rank was forced to move the bout out of China because of coronavirus, a respiratory infection that has led to 1,018 deaths, according to latest news reports.

Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs) was scheduled to leave for China on Jan. 23, the day it was decided that the bout against Postol (31-2, 12 KOs), a challenger from the Ukraine, would have to be re-scheduled.

The mandatory bout for two of Ramirez’s 140-pound belts is now scheduled for the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Ramirez’s hometown, according to ESPN, which will televise the fight.

Teofimo Lopez plans to move up to 140 pounds this year

Teofimo Lopez won’t be long for the lightweight division. 2020 is all about unifying first, then moving up to junior welterweight.

Undefeated lightweight sensation Teofimo Lopez wants to become the undisputed champion of the 135-pound division, but he has no plans to remain as such for long.

Once he has unified the titles — or at least has attempted to do so — it’s on to a new weight class.

“I’m trying to get all the belts before I go to 140,” the 22-year-old Lopez told Boxing Junkie.

Lopez was crowned lightweight titleholder by knocking out Richard Commey in the second round last December at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Asked if the plan is to move up later this year, Lopez responded, “Absolutely.”

Of course, as it pertains to the immediate future, the Brooklyn-born Honduran-American has his hands full. He is slated to take on fellow titleholder Vasiliy Lomachenko, who owns two lightweight belts, in the spring.

The Ukrainian is widely considered one of the great talents of this era, a natural 126-pounder who has won titles at 126, 130 and 135 with a rare combination of finesse and offensive firepower.

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters, said he is vetting site offers from Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center in Brooklyn and a delegation from Saudi Arabia. When asked which venue was the front runner, Lopez elected to stay mum on current negotiations.

“We’re trying to have it happen at the Garden, but I’m going to be political,” Lopez said. “My team and I are working on it. I’m letting them handle it. We’re trying to have it happen at the Garden. Some people want it in certain areas. … We’ll see.”

Lopez, who grew up in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn and now lives in nearby Bushwick, believes New York is the right place for the fight given the large Latino and Ukrainian constituencies.

“Of course [I want it at MSG],” Lopez said. “BK all day. That’s my people.”

Teofimo Lopez puts Richard Commey away in second round

Jose Ramirez’s manager explains why next defense is in China

Jose Ramirez will be fighting in Hainan, China for his next junior welterweight title defense against Viktor Postol. The question is why?

Jose Ramirez, a proven ticket seller in California’s Central Valley, will be defending his two junior welterweight titles against Viktor Postol on a Chinese resort island called Hainan on Feb. 1.

All good. The question is why?

Increased exposure, says Ramirez’s longtime manager Rick Mirigian.

“There was a possibility that the fight did end up in Central Califronia and we made a case for it,” Mirigian told Boxing Junkie. “Looking at the bigger scope of things, we know that if we want to make him a bigger superstar, we have to get him worldwide exposure. We’ve got to get him to places like China. As a team, we talked and it was OK with us.”

It’s not just about introducing the Mexican-American slugger to a country with about 1.4 billion people. In a somewhat roundabout way, it’s also about exposing Ramirez to a greater swath of the American public. The fight is scheduled to air on ESPN the day before the Super Bowl, the most watched sporting event in America, giving it incomparable exposure. The fight could have taken place in Tasmania and it wouldn’t have mattered.

“(The Super Bowl date) was the prime factor for the doing the deal,” Mirigian said. “It was a huge negotiating point. I know how valuable that date is. To me it is more important than any date in the year just because of the eyeballs (in the U.S.). That ESPN channel is on around the spectrum. That’s a heaven-sent date.”

Should Ramirez defeat Postol, Mirigian will work to showcase Ramirez later in the year in front of his hometown fans, hopefully against Scotland’s Josh Taylor for a full unification bout of the junior welterweight titles. Mirigian expects Ramirez to fight twice in 2020.

“I’m looking at a football stadium,” Mirigian said. “Fresno State University holds 40,000 people. The next time he comes back home I’ll probably target that arena. I think a Josh Taylor fight could produce that.”

Regis Prograis buys mother new house for Christmas

Some fighters buy jewelry after a big fight. Some, like Regis Prograis, buy their mother a new house.

Regis Prograis had a special surprise for Mom on Christmas Day.

The junior welterweight contender gave his mother a key to a new home.

“Just bought my momma a brand new house from the ground up,” Prograis wrote on Twitter. “She had no idea what kind of Christmas gift she was getting. We made her go through a few loops but she finally got her key.”

The New Orleans native is coming off a close decision loss to Josh Taylor in a thrilling World Boxing Super Series final in London. Despite the loss, which also cost him his title, Prograis significantly raised his profile and earned a career payday.

He is expected to be back in the ring in the spring, according to his handlers. 

Jose Ramirez vs. Viktor Postol set for Feb. 1 in China

Junior welterweight titleholder Jose Ramirez will take on Viktor Postol in the main event of a boxing card to take place in Hainan, China.

The pride of California’s Central Valley is taking his high-octane act to China.

Junior welterweight titleholder Jose Ramirez will defend his belts against mandatory challenger Viktor Postol on Feb. 1 at the Mission Hills Haikou in the port city of Haikou, Hainan, Top Rank announced earlier this week. The fight will be broadcast live on ESPN.

Ramirez (25-0, 17 knockouts) is coming off a career-best win over Maurice Hooker to unify two of the four major belts in the division. He had surgery on his left hand following the fight. Ramirez, of Avenal, won his first title against Amir Imam at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in 2018.

“I am excited to defend my belts against Viktor Postol to kick off my 2020 schedule,” Ramirez said. “I am a world champion, so it is my honor to defend my titles in front of the great fans in China. It is going to be a great experience, and I am glad that my fans back home will be able to watch me live on ESPN. As a unified champion, I am hungrier than ever.”

A former titleholder, Postol (31-2, 12 KOs) emerged on the world scene in 2015 when he knocked out Lucas Matthysse in the 10th round to win a vacant title. He lost it to Terence Crawford the following year and later came up short against Josh Taylor, the division’s other partially unified champion, in the World Boxing Super Series. Postol became the mandatory challenger for Ramirez’s WBC belt after his points win over Mohamed Mimoune in April.

“It’s a big opportunity for me and a big honor to share the ring with one of the best fighters in my division,” Postol said. “I know Ramirez, as we sparred together in the past. I’m looking forward to a great fight in China.”

Top Rank has staged fights in China in the past, most notably with Zou Shiming and Manny Pacquiao in the Chinese outpost of Macau.