Tag: Sampson Lewkowicz

Eddy Reynoso: No offer made for Canelo Alvarez to face David Benavidez

Eddy Reynoso: No offer was made for Canelo Alvarez to fight David Benavidez. Also, the Mexican star isn’t afraid of his rival.

Canelo Alvarez’s manager/trainer is setting the record straight.

Eddy Reynoso told ESPN Deportes in Spanish that he did not receive a $55 million offer for Alvarez to face David Benavidez, as Benavidez’s promoter Samson Lewkowicz reportedly suggested. And he dismissed the notion that the undisputed 168-pound champion is afraid of Benavidez as being “in very bad taste.”

Alvarez is expected to fight on May 4 but has not announced an opponent. And Benavidez reportedly is in talks to face 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in late spring or the summer.

“The reality is that none of the big promoters, not Al Haymon from Premier Boxing Champions, not Eddie Hearn from Matchroom, not Bob Arum from Top Rank and not even Oscar De La Hoya from Golden Boy have given me an offer to fight Benavidez … and certainly not …Terence Crawford,” Reynoso said.

He went on: “Canelo Team has a direct line with Al Haymon and I really doubt that anyone from PBC will come out to support what [Lewkowicz] is saying for wanting to save the way he has handled his fighter. It is not our fault that Benavidez has not had the opportunities that they shout so much about. Our job is for Canelo to shine and continue to shine as he has until now.”

And he doesn’t understand how anyone could question Alvarez’s courage given his deep resume.

“I find it in very bad taste that they say that Canelo is afraid of him,” Reynoso said. “I don’t know how they dare to classify as fearful a fighter who did not hesitate to take the opportunity against Floyd Mayweather, who has been the best boxer of the last 20 years, a fighter who faced the fearsome Gennadiy Golovkin who was about to set a new mark [for knockouts], of defenses at middleweight and had knocked out half the world, a fighter who rose to light heavyweight risking everything to face Dmitry Bivol, who faced Miguel Cotto, who beat the best super middleweights of his time to make history.”

Reynoso reportedly has said that Alvarez’s opponent will be announced within a week. Jermall Charlo had been rumored to be the leading candidate but now fellow Mexican Jaime Munguia is in the mix.

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Eddy Reynoso: No offer made for Canelo Alvarez to face David Benavidez

Eddy Reynoso: No offer was made for Canelo Alvarez to fight David Benavidez. Also, the Mexican star isn’t afraid of his rival.

Canelo Alvarez’s manager/trainer is setting the record straight.

Eddy Reynoso told ESPN Deportes in Spanish that he did not receive a $55 million offer for Alvarez to face David Benavidez, as Benavidez’s promoter Samson Lewkowicz reportedly suggested. And he dismissed the notion that the undisputed 168-pound champion is afraid of Benavidez as being “in very bad taste.”

Alvarez is expected to fight on May 4 but has not announced an opponent. And Benavidez reportedly is in talks to face 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in late spring or the summer.

“The reality is that none of the big promoters, not Al Haymon from Premier Boxing Champions, not Eddie Hearn from Matchroom, not Bob Arum from Top Rank and not even Oscar De La Hoya from Golden Boy have given me an offer to fight Benavidez … and certainly not …Terence Crawford,” Reynoso said.

He went on: “Canelo Team has a direct line with Al Haymon and I really doubt that anyone from PBC will come out to support what [Lewkowicz] is saying for wanting to save the way he has handled his fighter. It is not our fault that Benavidez has not had the opportunities that they shout so much about. Our job is for Canelo to shine and continue to shine as he has until now.”

And he doesn’t understand how anyone could question Alvarez’s courage given his deep resume.

“I find it in very bad taste that they say that Canelo is afraid of him,” Reynoso said. “I don’t know how they dare to classify as fearful a fighter who did not hesitate to take the opportunity against Floyd Mayweather, who has been the best boxer of the last 20 years, a fighter who faced the fearsome Gennadiy Golovkin who was about to set a new mark [for knockouts], of defenses at middleweight and had knocked out half the world, a fighter who rose to light heavyweight risking everything to face Dmitry Bivol, who faced Miguel Cotto, who beat the best super middleweights of his time to make history.”

Reynoso reportedly has said that Alvarez’s opponent will be announced within a week. Jermall Charlo had been rumored to be the leading candidate but now fellow Mexican Jaime Munguia is in the mix.

[lawrence-related id=40802,40773,40743,40515,39876]

Ryan Garcia pulls out of Javier Fortuna fight to focus on his mental health

Ryan Garcia has pulled out of his fight with Javier Fortuna to focus on his mental health.

Ryan Garcia, who has struggled with anxiety and depression, has pulled out of a planned fight with Javier Fortuna.

The unbeaten lightweight star was scheduled to face Fortuna on July 9 but he announced on social media that he will be taking some time off. He doesn’t know when he might return to the ring.

“I know this news may be disappointing to some of my fans but I am announcing today that I am withdrawing from my July 9th fight,” Garcia wrote. “At this time it is important to manage my health and well being. I have decided to take some time off to focus on becoming a stronger version of myself.

“I hope to be back soon and am looking forward to stepping back into the ring when I am my healthiest self. I want to Thank God, my family, my doctors and my supporters.”

Garcia has been open about the challenges he faces. He recently wrote on social media: “I still struggle everyday with anxiety and depression at times because of my anxiety. I’m here to tell you it’s still possible to reach your dreams.

“There is ways to cope, I know I look like someone who is happy all the time but inside I hurt at times struggling just to function but I choose to keep moving forward. I love you guys keep going.”

Fortuna’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, told RingTV.com that Golden Boy Promotions President Eric Gomez informed him that Garcia pulled out.

“Eric called me this morning and said [Garcia] has mental health issues and that he decided not fight,” Lewkowicz said. “I have a signed contract, but what do I do with a signed contract? The only thing I need is a solution.

“Maybe he changed his mind about fighting Fortuna. Whatever it is I wish him a speedy recovery.”

Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) got up from a knockdown to stop Luke Campbell with a body shot in the seventh round to win the WBC “interim” 135-pound title on Jan. 2.

Lewkowicz told RingTV.com that he hopes the WBC strips Garcia of the “interim” title and allow Fortuna to fight someone else for that belt, which would place the winner first in line to face secondary titleholder Devin Haney.

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Ryan Garcia pulls out of Javier Fortuna fight to focus on his mental health

Ryan Garcia has pulled out of his fight with Javier Fortuna to focus on his mental health.

Ryan Garcia, who has struggled with anxiety and depression, has pulled out of a planned fight with Javier Fortuna.

The unbeaten lightweight star was scheduled to face Fortuna on July 9 but he announced on social media that he will be taking some time off. He doesn’t know when he might return to the ring.

“I know this news may be disappointing to some of my fans but I am announcing today that I am withdrawing from my July 9th fight,” Garcia wrote. “At this time it is important to manage my health and well being. I have decided to take some time off to focus on becoming a stronger version of myself.

“I hope to be back soon and am looking forward to stepping back into the ring when I am my healthiest self. I want to Thank God, my family, my doctors and my supporters.”

Garcia has been open about the challenges he faces. He recently wrote on social media: “I still struggle everyday with anxiety and depression at times because of my anxiety. I’m here to tell you it’s still possible to reach your dreams.

“There is ways to cope, I know I look like someone who is happy all the time but inside I hurt at times struggling just to function but I choose to keep moving forward. I love you guys keep going.”

Fortuna’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, told RingTV.com that Golden Boy Promotions President Eric Gomez informed him that Garcia pulled out.

“Eric called me this morning and said [Garcia] has mental health issues and that he decided not fight,” Lewkowicz said. “I have a signed contract, but what do I do with a signed contract? The only thing I need is a solution.

“Maybe he changed his mind about fighting Fortuna. Whatever it is I wish him a speedy recovery.”

Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) got up from a knockdown to stop Luke Campbell with a body shot in the seventh round to win the WBC “interim” 135-pound title on Jan. 2.

Lewkowicz told RingTV.com that he hopes the WBC strips Garcia of the “interim” title and allow Fortuna to fight someone else for that belt, which would place the winner first in line to face secondary titleholder Devin Haney.

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Jeison Rosario: Humbling setbacks turned him into a beast

Jeison Rosario blossomed as a fighter after some humbling experiences and adopting an improved training regimen.

Jeison Rosario shared a dream with most children in his poor neighborhood in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic. He wanted to play baseball, which is akin to a religion in the Caribbean nation.

One problem: “I was scared of the ball coming at me,” he said through a translator on The PBC Podcast.

Scared of the ball? That’s ironic given that he is now one of the most-feared sluggers in boxing, a world champion who could climb onto pound-for-pound lists if he beats Jermell Charlo in a 154-pound title-unification bout on Saturday.

And for the sake of clarification: He was afraid of the ball, not the other kids. Rosario was a brash street fighter who thought he was indestructible until one day when he walked past a boxing gym.

It would be the first of several humbling experiences that would shape him as a fighter and a person.

“I liked to fight in the street,” he said. “I thought I was the best, the toughest in the street. One time I walked by the gym. Some kids with a little more experience were sparring. … I got permission to put the gloves on and I got my ass whooped really bad.

“My pride brought me back. And a couple of weeks after I started training, I went in with the same kid and whooped him.”

Jeison Rosario (right) overwhelmed Julian Williams in January. Stephanie Trapp / TGB Promotions

Rosario (20-1-1, 14 KOs) has been whooping people ever since. He won his first 12 professional bouts – 10 by knockout – to set up a fight with hard-punching middleweight Nathaniel Gallimore in April 2017 in Las Vegas, Rosario’s first fight outside the D.R.

The arrogant kid fought Gallimore that day, the kid who thought he was the biggest, strongest and baddest but turned out to be less than he thought. Gallimore put him down three times in Round 6, prompting the referee to stop the fight.

That was his second humbling experience.

“I had a big ego,” he said. “I thought I was stronger than anybody, bigger than anybody, a harder puncher than anybody. So my ego was up. God doesn’t see ego as a good thing. So God punished me for my ego.

“… You saw what happened. Actually it was perfect timing for me to get humble, to train the right way. It was a blessing for me.”

Rosario had to endure one more humbling experience for his career to take flight. He went 6-0-1 in his next seven fights – and avenged a draw with Mark Hernandez in the rematch – which set up a fight with tough Mexican Jorge Cota in April of last year.

Rosario eked out a split-decision victory that indicated to him and his team that changes were necessary. Manager Sampson Lewkowicz, well aware of his fighter’s potential, suggested he work with world-class trainer Luis “Chiro” Perez in Miami.

Rosario took two of the four major junior middleweight belts from Williams. Stephanie Trapp / TGB Promotions

It was a marriage made in boxing heaven. Turns out that Rosario, even though he was 18-1-1 and a contender, trained more like a journeyman than a contender. That changed with Perez.

“It was very hard,” he said. “My manager always told me that to cross over to the next level I need to come here to the United States, with my trainer Luis Perez. [Before] I was going from my house to the gym with my wife and kids. There was no proper [discipline], no proper anything.

“… Thank God I came here. You saw the result of my fight with Julian Williams.”

Indeed, Rosario went from relatively anonymous contender to an absolute sensation from one fight to the next. Williams, coming off a huge victory over Jarrett Hurd to win two major titles, didn’t last five full rounds with Rosario this past January.

The victory was both a stunning upset and the arrival of a potential star. If he beats Charlo on pay-per-view – particularly if he does it convincingly – he will be a prime candidate to be named 2020 Fighter of the Year.

That street kid has come a long way.

“We put our life in danger to improve economically for our families,” he said. “Other than that, what has changed for me is that people in my country didn’t believe I could compete at this level. Now they’re starting to believe.”

We all believe.

[lawrence-related id=5362,5288,13794,13706]

Jeison Rosario: Humbling setbacks turned him into a beast

Jeison Rosario blossomed as a fighter after some humbling experiences and adopting an improved training regimen.

Jeison Rosario shared a dream with most children in his poor neighborhood in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic. He wanted to play baseball, which is akin to a religion in the Caribbean nation.

One problem: “I was scared of the ball coming at me,” he said through a translator on The PBC Podcast.

Scared of the ball? That’s ironic given that he is now one of the most-feared sluggers in boxing, a world champion who could climb onto pound-for-pound lists if he beats Jermell Charlo in a 154-pound title-unification bout on Saturday.

And for the sake of clarification: He was afraid of the ball, not the other kids. Rosario was a brash street fighter who thought he was indestructible until one day when he walked past a boxing gym.

It would be the first of several humbling experiences that would shape him as a fighter and a person.

“I liked to fight in the street,” he said. “I thought I was the best, the toughest in the street. One time I walked by the gym. Some kids with a little more experience were sparring. … I got permission to put the gloves on and I got my ass whooped really bad.

“My pride brought me back. And a couple of weeks after I started training, I went in with the same kid and whooped him.”

Jeison Rosario (right) overwhelmed Julian Williams in January. Stephanie Trapp / TGB Promotions

Rosario (20-1-1, 14 KOs) has been whooping people ever since. He won his first 12 professional bouts – 10 by knockout – to set up a fight with hard-punching middleweight Nathaniel Gallimore in April 2017 in Las Vegas, Rosario’s first fight outside the D.R.

The arrogant kid fought Gallimore that day, the kid who thought he was the biggest, strongest and baddest but turned out to be less than he thought. Gallimore put him down three times in Round 6, prompting the referee to stop the fight.

That was his second humbling experience.

“I had a big ego,” he said. “I thought I was stronger than anybody, bigger than anybody, a harder puncher than anybody. So my ego was up. God doesn’t see ego as a good thing. So God punished me for my ego.

“… You saw what happened. Actually it was perfect timing for me to get humble, to train the right way. It was a blessing for me.”

Rosario had to endure one more humbling experience for his career to take flight. He went 6-0-1 in his next seven fights – and avenged a draw with Mark Hernandez in the rematch – which set up a fight with tough Mexican Jorge Cota in April of last year.

Rosario eked out a split-decision victory that indicated to him and his team that changes were necessary. Manager Sampson Lewkowicz, well aware of his fighter’s potential, suggested he work with world-class trainer Luis “Chiro” Perez in Miami.

Rosario took two of the four major junior middleweight belts from Williams. Stephanie Trapp / TGB Promotions

It was a marriage made in boxing heaven. Turns out that Rosario, even though he was 18-1-1 and a contender, trained more like a journeyman than a contender. That changed with Perez.

“It was very hard,” he said. “My manager always told me that to cross over to the next level I need to come here to the United States, with my trainer Luis Perez. [Before] I was going from my house to the gym with my wife and kids. There was no proper [discipline], no proper anything.

“… Thank God I came here. You saw the result of my fight with Julian Williams.”

Indeed, Rosario went from relatively anonymous contender to an absolute sensation from one fight to the next. Williams, coming off a huge victory over Jarrett Hurd to win two major titles, didn’t last five full rounds with Rosario this past January.

The victory was both a stunning upset and the arrival of a potential star. If he beats Charlo on pay-per-view – particularly if he does it convincingly – he will be a prime candidate to be named 2020 Fighter of the Year.

That street kid has come a long way.

“We put our life in danger to improve economically for our families,” he said. “Other than that, what has changed for me is that people in my country didn’t believe I could compete at this level. Now they’re starting to believe.”

We all believe.

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Julian Williams’ trainer: ‘He should be ready to go by August or September’

Stephen Edwards, the trainer of Julian Williams, believes his charge will be ready for a tune-up fight as soon as late summer.

It’s not if Julian Williams will fight Jeison Rosario again, it’s when.

Williams recently decided not to exercise his contractual right to an immediate rematch with Rosario, the Dominican contender who stopped him in five rounds in a significant upset on Jan. 18. However, Stephen Edwards, the trainer of Williams, says they have every intention of fighting Rosario again. Just not next. They need time to heal and regroup.

“Julian just had surgery [to repair damaged skin around] both of his eyes last week,” Edwards told BoxingScene.com. “He can’t even spar until May or June. We wouldn’t be ready for a rematch in a reasonable period of time.”

In the fight, Rosario (20-1-1, 14 KOs) opened up a large gash over Williams’ left eye, which immediately changed the tenor of the fight.

“It’s counterproductive to rush into a rematch without getting his eye fixed and his eye was a big reason he lost in the first place,” Edward said. “But Team Rosario has expressed to me personally that they are honorable and will give us the rematch very soon. Just not next because we won’t be ready.”

Sampson Lewkowicz, the promoter of Rosario, told Boxing Junkie that Rosario “100%” plans to give Williams a rematch whenever he is ready.

Edwards believes Williams (27-2-1, 16 KOs) should be ready for a tune-up fight by late summer.

“He should be ready to go by August or September,” he said.

Edwards does not know who the opponent will be yet. In the meantime, the trainers says Williams won’t be peddling any excuses.

“What I’ve learned is it’s no use talking about what went wrong publicly,” Edwards said. “It always sounds like an excuse and, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. The result is what matters.

“Julian just has to redeem himself. Jeison Rosario fought a great fight, and he got the win.”

 

Follow Sean Nam on Twitter @seanpasbon

Julian Williams won’t ask for immediate rematch with Jeison Rosario

Multiple outlets have reported that Julian Williams is not interested in pursuing an immediate rematch against Jeison Rosario.

The future appears to be wide open for Jeison Rosario.

Former junior middleweight titleholder Julian Williams is forgoing his contractual right to an immediate rematch against Rosario, the Dominican contender who scored a shocking stoppage of Williams on Jan. 18 in the latter’s inaugural title defense in his hometown of Philadelphia, multiple outlets have reported.

The reason? Williams (27-2-1, 16 KOs) needs to recover from surgery on the cut he suffered over his left eye in the Rosario fight. Provided Rosario is still a titleholder, Williams has every intention of pursuing a rematch later in the year, according to BoxingScene.com. The feeling apparently is mutual.

“When Williams wants the rematch, Rosario will give it to him, 100%,” Sampson Lewkowicz, Rosario’s promoter, told Boxing Junkie. “For now, Williams has a medical problem.”

That leaves Rosario (20-1-1, 14 KOs), who turns 25 in April, with a few options in a division teeming with intriguing possibilities. He could face his mandatory in Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev (17-0, 13 KOs). Or, more compellingly, he could head straight into a unification against fellow titleholder Jermell Charlo (33-1, 17 KOs), who revenged his disputed loss to Tony Harrison (28-3, 21 KOs) last December. Both Charlo and Rosario are aligned with Premier Boxing Champions, so that would be a relatively easy matchup to make.

Rosario’s upset of Williams was just another eye-opening outcome in the ultra competitive 154-pound division. Last year, Williams upset multiple-belt titleholder Jarrett Hurd (24-1, 16 KOs) in impressive fashion. All in all, the division has produced some of the most interesting story lines of any weight class.

As for Williams, he is staring down at yet another attempt at a comeback. He was knocked out by current middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo (Jermell’s twin brother) in 2016 before making a statement against Hurd last year. Williams’ trainer Stephen Edwards has set the bar high for his charge the second time around. Shortly after the upset loss to Rosario, Edwards was adamant about getting revenge.

“[Williams] cannot go out on his career losing to that kid, I’m sorry,” Edwards said on the TalkBox Boxing Podcast. “[The loss to] Jermall Charlo, I can accept that a little bit. You know, that guy may go to the Hall of Fame, and we can say we fought him when Julian was a little young at the time and that he caught Julian with a great shot.

“This fight (against Rosario), I can’t stomach that. I’m serious. I just can’t.”

 

Follow Sean Nam on Twitter @seanpasbon

Sampson Boxing loses Josh Taylor defense after missing payment

Sampson Boxing loses Josh Taylor defense after missing payment. Top Rank will promote the fight.

Sampson Lewkowicz won the auction. But it looks as if he only bought some headlines. First, good. Then, bad

Lewkowicz failed to make good on his bid for the promotional rights to junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor’s mandatory defense against Apinun Khongsong of Thailand.

Lewkowicz, of Sampson Boxing, missed Friday’s midnight deadline for a second payment on the $1.32 million he had bid on the bout, according to a report by ESPN, which will televise the bout. He made the first payment, 10 percent, or $132,000.

The default means the promotional rights go to Top Rank, which had the second highest bid at $1.26 million. It also means Top Rank will promote Taylor in his first fight since they signed him on Jan. 9.

“We are not at all surprised that he defaulted,’’ Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN. “We are more surprised that he bid a ridiculous amount of money, considering the worth of the opponent.’’

Lewkowicz signed Khongsong to a co-promotional contract within hours of news that Taylor had jumped to Top Rank. According to Moretti, Lewkowicz had neither a network nor a site in place when he made the bid.

“You win some, lose some,’’ Lewkowicz said.  “I had a deal made, and it fell out, and I will never cry.’’

Lewkowicz loses his initial $132,000 deposit. That’s a lot of money for a few headlines.

David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant unification in 2020? Fuggedaboutit

Don’t hold your breathe for seeing a Caleb Plant vs. David Benavidez super middleweight unification in 2020.

Titleholders David Benavidez and Caleb Plant may be the best American super middleweights today, but don’t expect them to face each other anytime soon. As in, not in 2020.

Benavidez handler Sampson Lewkowicz shut down that possibility in a recent interview.

“A 2020 unification? I don’t believe so,” Lewkowicz told Boxing Junkie. “I believe we need more time”

In other words, the fight needs to marinate, stew, percolate – you get the point – until it reaches a point in which demand exceeds supply. Maximizing the money that the fight could produce for the fighters is Lewkowicz’s priority. 

“I believe two of the best American super middleweights are supposed to be on pay-per-view and either one is not ready for that right now,” he said.

Hopefully, that doesn’t mean the fighters will face anonymous journeymen for the next 12 months or so. Plant is scheduled to fight an unknown German super middleweight named Vincent Feigenbutz on Feb. 15 in his hometown of Nashville.

Benavidez’s next fight has not been set, although Lewkowicz noted that he is trying to negotiate something for “March, maybe April.” It won’t involve super middleweight contender Avani Yildirim, who was expected to take on Benavidez after his controversial technical loss to Anthony Dirrell last February.

“(Yildirim) is not ready, so we’re trying to work out the details,” Lewkowicz said. “I don’t know if Yildirim got hurt. I don’t know, that’s what I heard.”

Lewkowicz’s other current titleholder is newly crowned Dominican junior middleweight Jeison Rosario, who upset Julian Williams on Jan. 18.