Tag: Michael Rosenthal

PBC fighters to share experiences during pandemic and more

Premier Boxing Champions has announced that its boxers will share their experiences during the coronavirus pandemic and more in the coming days. The PBC social media and digital team will provide five opportunities per week for fans to see, hear and …

Premier Boxing Champions has announced that its boxers will share their experiences during the coronavirus pandemic and more in the coming days.

The PBC social media and digital team will provide five opportunities per week for fans to see, hear and even engage with the fighters about social distancing, boxing, their plans once the crisis subsides and other topics.

On “Time Out with Ray Flores,” which appears Mondays, the ring announcer hosts a 30-45-minute live-stream interview with a different fighter each week on the PBC Instagram page. Errol Spence Jr. appeared with Flores today (April 6).

On The PBC Podcast, hosts Kenneth Bouhairie and Michael Rosenthal ask PBC boxers about their lives during these difficult times and their thoughts on what might be coming up for them. Former two-division titleholder Danny Garcia and former three-division champion Abner Mares will be interviewed this week.

The Podcast is available each Wednesday on the PBC website, iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spreaker and other outlets.

In the “At Home With …” series, each Wednesday and Friday, one fighter will take over the PBC Facebook page to host live “hangouts” from their homes. Fighters will share something topical and answer questions in a casual format. Middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo will appear on Wednesday (April 8) at 4 p.m. ET. Jermell Charlo, a junior middleweight champion, will be featured on Friday (April 10) at the same time.

Each Thursday on the PBC YouTube page, in “Going the Distance”, select PBC fighters will provide commentary on one of their fights. Super middleweight titleholder Caleb Plant will break down his title fight against Jose Uzcategui on Thursday (April 9) at 4 p.m. ET.

And, finally, every Saturday night on “PBC Replay”, entire classic cards from the PBC library will be aired on the PBC YouTube page. The epic battle between Errol Spence Jr. and Shawn Porter will replay this Saturday (April 11) at 8 p.m. ET.

Wish for 2020: A safer year for our fighters

Boxing Junkie staff members hope the powers that be do what’s right for the fighters and do even more to enhance safety as much possible.

The Boxing Junkie staff members decided weeks ago to put together a boxing wish list – one wish each – for the coming year.

The obvious ideas came to mind first: rival managerial/promotional companies working together more than they have (still hoping!), a Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr. showdown, more unified champions. That kind of thing.

Then staffer Norm Frauenheim sent over his wish for 2020.

The award-winning boxing scribe wrote: “A Wish For a Safer New Year:

“American Patrick Day, Bulgarian Boris Stanchov, Russian Maxim Dadashev and Argentine Hugo Alfredo Santillan. The bell tolls for them. They are all gone, dead from injuries suffered in 2019.

“As the year ends, remember them. As the new one begins, take their memory and use it to enhance safety in the ring.”

So much for our initial thoughts.

We at Boxing Junkie have tremendous admiration for anyone with the courage to step through the ropes and engage in combat. They risk their well being to pursue their dreams, feed their families and entertain us.

We don’t want to take them granted. As Frauenheim wrote, we hope the powers that be do what’s right for the fighters and enhance safety as much as humanly possible.

Rest in peace Patrick, Boris, Maxim and Hugo.

Fighter of the Year: Boxing Junkie staffers pick Canelo Alvarez 2-1

Two Boxing Junkie staffers picked Canelo Alvarez for their Fighter of the Year, one went with Naoya Inoue.

The process of selecting a Fighter of the Year comes down to two factors: level of opposition and results.

A number of elite fighters faced high-level foes and had favorable results. That would include Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao, Naoya Inoue, Errol Spence Jr., Josh Taylor and a few others. A case can be made for each.

For this post, Boxing Junkie staff members selected their personal Fighter of the Year. And if majority rules, we came up with a collective winner: Alvarez.

Here are our choices for Fighter of the Year and thoughts:

MICHAEL ROSENTHAL

Choice: Canelo Alvarez
Results: Daniel Jacobs (UD 12), Sergey Kovalev (KO 11)

Alvarez defeated Jacobs by a unanimous decision in May, although the fight was close. And he closed out the year by moving up two divisions and knocking out Kovalev in the 11th round last month.

That’s a strong year.

Alvarez’s performance against Kovalev wasn’t great – the fight was tight on the cards at the time of the stoppage – but the ending was spectacular.

I think Alvarez’s principal rival for the award is the ageless Pacquiao, who, at 40 years old, easily outpointed Adrien Broner and then defeated Keith Thurman by a unanimous decision.

That’s a fine year but, if we want to quibble, the smallish Broner has never performed well at welterweight and Thurman was still in the process of coming back from a long layoff, although the latter victory by Pacquiao was still special.

Canelo Alvarez moved up two weight classes to face Sergey Kovalev and stopped him. AP Photo / John Locher

SEAN NAM

Choice: Canelo Alvarez

Sure, Sergey Kovalev was past his prime, but how many fighters would skip two weight classes to challenge perhaps the most accomplished light heavyweight of the past half decade?

Alvarez did exactly that and did not disappoint, applying methodical pressure before scoring a vicious 11th round knockout last month.

And at middleweight Alvarez outpointed top contender Danny Jacobs.

Naoya Inoue of Japan (right) and Nonito Donaire turned in a classic last month, with Inoue emerging victorious. Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP via Getty Images

NORM FRAUENHEIM

Choice: Naoya Inoue
Results: Emmanuel Rodriguez (KO 2), Nonito Donaire (UD 12)

Inoue gets the nod over Alvarez because of just one fight. Inoue’s dramatic victory over Nonito Donaire was one for the ages, a Fight of the Year in just about any year.

Canelo had a good year, beating Danny Jacobs, who in retrospect might have been drained in his battle to make weight. On the morning of the bout, he missed a weight mandated by a dehydration clause. Against Sergey Kovalev, Canelo was a finisher – meaning he ended any debate in a 11th-round stoppage. Yet it often looked as if Kovalev was there only to pick up a paycheck.

In Inoue-Donaire, there were no questions, no doubt in either corner about what had transpired. On every level, it was a classic. Win it, and you are Fighter of the Year.