Tag: Mikey Garcia

Joseph Parker’s trainer: Fight with Oleksandr Usyk unlikely

Joseph Parker trainer Kevin Barry is less confident that the former titleholder will fight Oleksandr Usyk anytime soon.

The options change almost daily. One day it’s Oleksandr Usyk. The next day it’s not. The dizzying merry-go-round of speculation leaves heavyweight contender Joseph Parker with only one sure thing. He waits.

Parker trainer Kevin Barry is less confident that the former titleholder will fight Usyk anytime soon.

“It’s looking least likely now that fight is going to happen,” Barry told Sky Sports.

Instead, Barry said Parker will look for other possibilities, including a bout with Derek Chisora. Parker, who is training in Las Vegas for a fight Feb. 29 against a still unknown foe on a DAZN card featuring Mikey Garcia vs. Jessie Vargas in Frisco, Texas, appeared to be in line for a title fight against Usyk.

But recent talks between Usyk promoter and Anthony Joshua, Barry said, indicate that Usyk will probably wait for Joshua’s expected mandatory title defense against Kubrat Pulev in the spring. Negotiations are ongoing.

If Joshua wins as expected, Usyk would be next in line for a shot at one of Joshua’s belts, Barry said. Joshua has shown no willingness to relinquish any of his belts. Likewise, there’s been no move from any of the acronyms that they plan to strip him. Instead, there has been talk that Joshua is trying to swing a deal that he’ll fight Deontay Wilder after his rematch with Tyson Fury Feb. 22 on Fox/ESPN+ pay-per-view.

“I honestly believe what we’re going to see is Usyk (wait) and he will fight Joshua in the summer, providing Joshua blows out Pulev, which he should look spectacular doing,’’ Barry said. “I would love nothing more than the opportunity for us to fight Usyk. But the reality of it is, I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

Pound-for-pound: The fall of Julian Williams

Julian Williams’ knockout loss to Jeison Rosario on Saturday put a damper on his pound-for-pound hopes.

Julian Williams had said that his goal was to become the No. 1 fighter pound-for-pound. Well, that’s going to be a lot more difficult now.

Williams, who had been an honorable mention on the Boxing Junkie list of best fighters, was knocked out in five rounds by relatively obscure Jeison Rosario to lose his junior middleweight titles Saturday in Philadelphia.

“JRock” probably will get another crack at Rosario because of a rematch clause. However, even a victory would only be a small step toward pound-for-pound supremacy.

Williams rebounded from disappointment before, climbing back to elite status after he was knocked out by Jermall Charlo. But coming back from two knockouts? That’s not easy.

Alas, Williams is off our list after his setback Saturday. Replacing him as an honorable mention is Teofimo Lopez, the unbeaten lightweight titleholder who is coming off a sensational second-round knockout of Richard Commey in December.

Lopez, 22, could face his own Waterloo soon; he’s negotiating to meet Vasiliy Lomachenko, Boxing Junkie’s No. 1 fighter. Of course, a victory would catapult Lopez into the Top 10.

You just never know. Ask Williams.

Check out our pound-for-pound list below. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Vasiliy Lomachenko
  2. Terence Crawford
  3. Canelo Alvarez
  4. Naoya Inoue
  5. Oleksandr Usyk
  6. Gennadiy Golovkin
  7. Errol Spence Jr.
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada
  9. Mikey Garcia
  10. Artur Beterbiev
  11. Josh Taylor
  12. Manny Pacquiao
  13. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
  14. Leo Santa Cruz
  15. Kosei Tanaka

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Tyson Fury, Teofimo Lopez, Shawn Porter

Roman Gonzalez gets his wish, will face Kal Yafai for title

Roman Gonzalez, the lightest fighter ever ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound, will face junior bantamweight champion Kal Yafai on Feb. 29.

The second step in Roman Gonzalez’s path back to the top is official.

Gonzalez, who fought for the first time in more than a year last month, returned to Nicaragua after a victory over Filipino Diomel Diocos on Dec. 23 in Japan saying he wanted a shot at a world title in his next fight.

Wish granted.

Gonzalez (48-2, 40 KOs), the lightest fighter ever ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound, faces junior bantamweight champion Kal Yafai (26-0, 15 KOs) on the Mikey Garcia-Jessie Vargas card Feb. 29 in Frisco, Texas on DAZN.

Matchroom Boxing made the announcement on Thursday.

“God has responded to my prayers once again,’’ said Gonzalez, who scored a second-round stoppage of Diocos in his first bout in 15 months since knee surgery. “I want to thank God and Teiken [Promotions] foremost. Also, the champion, Kal Yafai, for giving me the opportunity to fight for the championship once again.”

Gonzalez got the title shot instead of Australian Andrew Moloney despite a formal objection from attorney Pat English. English argued that Moloney had earned the title shot. He scored an eighth-round stoppage of Miguel Gonzalez on Mar. 22 in Chile in what was designated as a fight for the right to be the mandatory challenger.

For Yafai, the bout against Roman Gonzalez represents an opportunity to enhance his record against a big name.

“Chocolatito is someone that I have idolized as I worked my way up to become world champion myself,’’ Yafai, a U.K. fighter, said. “So, it doesn’t get much bigger than this, and it will bring out the best in me. I can’t wait.

“It is a case of when idols become rivals.’’

Julio Cesar Martinez to defend flyweight title on Feb. 29

Julio Cesar Martinez will make his first title defense against Jay Harris on a Feb. 29 card featuring the Mikey Garcia-Jessie Vargas bout.

Julio Cesar Martinez didn’t celebrate for long. He introduced himself as a flyweight champion in December and he will fight to validate his sudden place alongside the other 112-pound champs with a title defense in February.

Martinez (15-1, 12 KO) will make his first title defense on Feb. 29 against Jay Harris (17-0, 9 KOs) of Wales on a DAZN card featuring the Mikey Garcia-Jessie Vargas welterweight bout in Frisco, Texas, it was announced this week.

Martinez got the only cheers on a card remembered for the debris tossed at Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Dec 20 in Phoenix. Martinez displayed power and poise, winning a ninth-round TKO of former champion Cristofer Rosales, a Nicaraguan who had never been stopped.

“I’m so happy to be back fighting so soon,’’ Martinez said. “It was a special moment to become world champion but now I must continue to work hard.’’

In part, the 24-year-old Martinez, of Mexico City, is staying busy in an attempt to gain some name recognition.

“It’s perfect to have Julio back fighting so quickly,’’ said Martinez trainer Eddy Reynoso, who also trains Canelo Alvarez. “It’s all part of developing him as a fighter.  He has so much potential, and I believe he is going to dominate and unify the division in time.’’

Despite Martinez’s new found title, Harris has a better record. The Welshman is unbeaten (17-0, 9 KOs). He scored a fourth-round stoppage of three-time Olympian and two-time bronze medalist Paddy Barnes on Oct. 11 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

“Julio is a great young fighter,” Harris said, “but I am feeling in the form of my life and this gives me the opportunity to shock the world.”

Joseph Parker expected to make return in February: report

Joseph Parker plans to resume training in Las Vegas with hopes of getting back into the heavyweight title mix with a fight in February.

Joseph Parker plans to resume training in Las Vegas with hopes of getting back into the heavyweight title mix with a fight in February.

Parker manager David Higgins told Sky Sports that he will leave New Zealand for Vegas within a few days for a fight against an opponent not yet announced by promoter Eddie Hearn.

“There are concrete plans, which it’s not my place to announce,’’ Higgins said. “But there is a date and a venue, and it’s the opponent we’re waiting on.

“We’ve just been told it will be late February and in the United States.’’

Hearn’s next major card in the U.S. features Mikey Garcia vs. Jessie Vargas in a welterweight bout on Feb. 28 in Frisco, Texas on DAZN.

Parker, who lost a heavyweight belt to Anthony Joshua on March 31, 2018, was scheduled to fight Dereck Chisora in October. However, he withdrew, reportedly from illness suffered from a spider bite.

Parker (26-2, 20 KOs) has fought three times since his loss by unanimous decision to Joshua in Cardiff, Wales. He won two and lost one, losing to Dillian White and beating Alexander Flores and Alex Leapai.

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.

Pound-for-pound: What will the list look like in 2020?

Nos. 1 and 2 Vasiliy Lomachenko and Terence Crawford are still amazing in their early 30s but many gifted fighters are hot on their heels.

The Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list has been fairly stable since its inception. That could change in 2020.

Nos. 1 and 2 Vasiliy Lomachenko and Terence Crawford are still amazing in their early 30s but a number of gifted fighters — some much younger — are hot on their heels.

No. 3 Canelo Alvarez is always a threat to climb higher if Lomachenko and/or Crawford slip. No. 4 Naoya Inoue, only 26, already is No. 1 on some lists. No. 5 Oleksandr Usyk, now a heavyweight, probably will rise if he takes down the giants in the sport.

No. 6 Gennadiy Golovkin still lurks but is 37. No. 7 Errol Spence Jr., recovered from his car accident, has No. 1 pound-for-pound written all over him. No. 8 Juan Estrada is probably underappreciated. No. 9 Mikey Garcia shouldn’t be dismissed because of his loss to Spence. And No. 10 Artur Beterbiev, an imposing brawler, is on the ascent.

That’s a strong Top 10.

Beyond them, our Nos. 11-15 are all poised to move up if the opportunities are there. And hot young fighters like Gervonta Davis, Jose Ramirez and Teofimo Lopez are knocking on the door.

Bottom line: There are many talented, hungry fighters who dream not only if winning titles but also gaining recognition as the very best in the sport.

Check out our final Top 15 list of 2019 below. Check back next year. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Vasiliy Lomachenko
  2. Terence Crawford
  3. Canelo Alvarez
  4. Naoya Inoue
  5. Oleksandr Usyk
  6. Gennadiy Golovkin
  7. Errol Spence Jr.
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada
  9. Mikey Garcia
  10. Artur Beterbiev
  11. Josh Taylor
  12. Manny Pacquiao
  13. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
  14. Leo Santa Cruz
  15. Kosei Tanaka

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Tyson Fury, Shawn Porter, Julian Williams

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.”

Adrien Broner ordered to pay woman $830,000 for sexual assault

Adrien Broner was ordered to pay $830,000 to a woman who accused him of sexual assault in a Cleveland nightclub in 2018.

Adrien Broner can’t keep his hands to himself outside of the ring if accusations are true.

The Cincinnati boxer’s latest alleged misstep has him on the hook for $830,000 to be paid to a woman who accused him of sexual assault in a Cleveland nightclub in 2018. An Ohio judge from Cuyahoga County delivered the verdict on Tuesday after Broner failed to show up to defend himself. Broner’s lawyers previously withdrew from the case.

Sound familiar?

In 2016, Broner choked a waitress at a nightclub, according to police. He was cited for that.

In 2017, he was accused of groping a woman at a shopping mall in Atlanta but charges were later dropped. That same year, he was arrested for failing to appear in court on charges of disorderly conduct and alcohol intoxication in 2014.

According to the lawsuit in his latest incident, Broner forced himself on the plaintiff while seated on a couch, kissing her without her consent. After initially denying the allegations, Broner pleaded guilty in April.

Broner also is dealing with another legal matter. His name reportedly was linked to a particularly dark drug and money laundering scheme.

Broner has claimed to be retired.