The relationship between Canelo Alvarez and his handlers might’ve reached a breaking point.
The relationship between Canelo Alvarez and his handlers might’ve reached a breaking point.
The Athletic is reporting that the Mexican star has filed a lawsuit against Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy Promotions and the streaming service DAZN today in a federal court in Los Angeles. The outlet reported that it has a copy of the suit.
It quoted Alvarez as saying: “I’m not scared of any opponent in the ring, and I’m not going to let failures of my broadcaster or promoters keep me out of the ring.”
Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs) hasn’t fought since he stopped Sergey Kovalez in the 11th round to win a light heavyweight title last November.
The pound-for-pounder was tentatively scheduled to fight super middleweight challenger Billy Joe Saunders before the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down. Since then a number of potential foes have been considered by no deals were reached.
And DAZN, hit hard by the pandemic, reportedly has been willing to pay Alvarez only half the money guaranteed in his contract, which Alvarez flatly rejected and which seems to have caused a stalemate.
DAZN has complained that the opponents under consideration for Alvarez don’t have the name recognition to drive subscriptions. The streaming service has been pushing for a third fight with the popular Gennadiy Golovkin.
The relationship between Canelo Alvarez and his handlers might’ve reached a breaking point.
The relationship between Canelo Alvarez and his handlers might’ve reached a breaking point.
The Athletic is reporting that the Mexican star has filed a lawsuit against Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy Promotions and the streaming service DAZN today in a federal court in Los Angeles. The outlet reported that it has a copy of the suit.
It quoted Alvarez as saying: “I’m not scared of any opponent in the ring, and I’m not going to let failures of my broadcaster or promoters keep me out of the ring.”
Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs) hasn’t fought since he stopped Sergey Kovalez in the 11th round to win a light heavyweight title last November.
The pound-for-pounder was tentatively scheduled to fight super middleweight challenger Billy Joe Saunders before the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down. Since then a number of potential foes have been considered by no deals were reached.
And DAZN, hit hard by the pandemic, reportedly has been willing to pay Alvarez only half the money guaranteed in his contract, which Alvarez flatly rejected and which seems to have caused a stalemate.
DAZN has complained that the opponents under consideration for Alvarez don’t have the name recognition to drive subscriptions. The streaming service has been pushing for a third fight with the popular Gennadiy Golovkin.
Egidijus Kavaliauskas faces Michael Zewski on Saturday in Las Vegas, the Lithuanian’s first fight since he lost to Terence Crawford.
FIGHT WEEK
A capsulized look at the coming week in boxing.
EGIDIJUS KAVALIAUSKAS (21-1-1, 17 KOs)
VS. MIKAEL ZEWSKI (34-1, 23 KOs)
Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas (left) was stopped by Terence Crawford in his most-recent fight. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
When: Saturday, Sept. 12 Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas TV: ESPN+ At stake: No titles Odds: NA Also on the card: Miguel Marriaga vs. Joet Gonzalez, featherweights; Andrew Cancio vs. Saul Rodriguez, junior lightweights Prediction: Kavaliauskas by KO 8 Background: Kavaliauskas is probably best known for his nickname, “Mean Machine,” and a solid effort in his ninth-round TKO loss to titleholder Terence Crawford in December. There is more to him than that. The 32-year-old Lithuanian, a 2008 Olympian, has a solid skillset and he can crack. Seventeen KOs in 21 victories is impressive. The bad news is that he’s in a rut. He’s 0-1-1 in his last two fights, a disappointing draw with Ray Robinson in March of last year and the setback against Crawford. Kavaliauskas must win this fight if he hopes to get another title shot. “I am excited to return to the ring, as I still have unfinished business,” Kavaliauskas said. “I still believe I have what it takes to become a world champion, and that journey resumes against a tough opponent in Mikael Zewski.”
Zewski replaced Amir Imam as Kavaliauskas’ opponent. The Quebecois also was a solid amateur and has a gaudy pro record but that might be misleading. He has beaten no one of note. And the one time he faced a recognizable opponent, he was outclassed by Konstantin Ponomarez in 2015. He has won eight consecutive fights against second-tier opponents since. He’s solid but probably not in Kavaliauskas’ class.
ANTHONY YARDE (19-1, 18 KOs)
VS. DEC SPELMAN (16-4, 8 KOs)
Then-light heavyweight champ Sergey Kovalev (right) was tested by Anthony Yarde but emerged victorious. AP Photo / Anton Basanayev
When: Saturday, Sept. 12 Where: BT Sport Studio, London TV: BT Sport (in U.K.) At stake: No titles Odds: NA Also on the card: Mark Heffron vs. Denzel Bentley, middleweights; Cedrick Peynaud vs. Ekow Essuman, welterweights
Prediction: Yarde by KO 3 Background: Yarde has endured a tragic stretch: He lost both his father and grandmother to the coronavirus only days apart in late March and early April, after which he pleaded with the public to act responsibility in the face of the pandemic. He now returns to work. The Londoner pushed then-light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev harder than some thought he would before he was stopped in 11 rounds in August of last year. He rebounded by knocking out 4-49-3 journeyman Diego Jair Ramirez in two rounds in February. Yarde is a huge puncher: Only one of his victories has come by decision. He’s ranked by two of the four major sanctioning bodies, meaning he’ll get another shot at a title fairly soon if he continues to win. Spelman isn’t the pushover Ramirez was but he’s probably no threat to Yarde. He’s coming off back-to-back decision losses to unbeaten prospects Shakan Pitters and Lyndon Arthur. Yarde reportedly is being lined up to face Arthur.
“The people want explosive action and knockouts so I will not be hiding behind my jab and sending everyone to sleep,” Yarde said. “This will be all about me reminding people that I am the force of the division and I am heading right back to the top where I intend to dominate and reign for a long time to come. I respect Dec Spelman as a fighter but this is the chance for me to show everyone what they can expect when I get to share a ring with Lyndon Arthur.”
Egidijus Kavaliauskas faces Michael Zewski on Saturday in Las Vegas, the Lithuanian’s first fight since he lost to Terence Crawford.
FIGHT WEEK
A capsulized look at the coming week in boxing.
EGIDIJUS KAVALIAUSKAS (21-1-1, 17 KOs)
VS. MIKAEL ZEWSKI (34-1, 23 KOs)
Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas (left) was stopped by Terence Crawford in his most-recent fight. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
When: Saturday, Sept. 12 Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas TV: ESPN+ At stake: No titles Odds: NA Also on the card: Miguel Marriaga vs. Joet Gonzalez, featherweights; Andrew Cancio vs. Saul Rodriguez, junior lightweights Prediction: Kavaliauskas by KO 8 Background: Kavaliauskas is probably best known for his nickname, “Mean Machine,” and a solid effort in his ninth-round TKO loss to titleholder Terence Crawford in December. There is more to him than that. The 32-year-old Lithuanian, a 2008 Olympian, has a solid skillset and he can crack. Seventeen KOs in 21 victories is impressive. The bad news is that he’s in a rut. He’s 0-1-1 in his last two fights, a disappointing draw with Ray Robinson in March of last year and the setback against Crawford. Kavaliauskas must win this fight if he hopes to get another title shot. “I am excited to return to the ring, as I still have unfinished business,” Kavaliauskas said. “I still believe I have what it takes to become a world champion, and that journey resumes against a tough opponent in Mikael Zewski.”
Zewski replaced Amir Imam as Kavaliauskas’ opponent. The Quebecois also was a solid amateur and has a gaudy pro record but that might be misleading. He has beaten no one of note. And the one time he faced a recognizable opponent, he was outclassed by Konstantin Ponomarez in 2015. He has won eight consecutive fights against second-tier opponents since. He’s solid but probably not in Kavaliauskas’ class.
ANTHONY YARDE (19-1, 18 KOs)
VS. DEC SPELMAN (16-4, 8 KOs)
Then-light heavyweight champ Sergey Kovalev (right) was tested by Anthony Yarde but emerged victorious. AP Photo / Anton Basanayev
When: Saturday, Sept. 12 Where: BT Sport Studio, London TV: BT Sport (in U.K.) At stake: No titles Odds: NA Also on the card: Mark Heffron vs. Denzel Bentley, middleweights; Cedrick Peynaud vs. Ekow Essuman, welterweights
Prediction: Yarde by KO 3 Background: Yarde has endured a tragic stretch: He lost both his father and grandmother to the coronavirus only days apart in late March and early April, after which he pleaded with the public to act responsibility in the face of the pandemic. He now returns to work. The Londoner pushed then-light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev harder than some thought he would before he was stopped in 11 rounds in August of last year. He rebounded by knocking out 4-49-3 journeyman Diego Jair Ramirez in two rounds in February. Yarde is a huge puncher: Only one of his victories has come by decision. He’s ranked by two of the four major sanctioning bodies, meaning he’ll get another shot at a title fairly soon if he continues to win. Spelman isn’t the pushover Ramirez was but he’s probably no threat to Yarde. He’s coming off back-to-back decision losses to unbeaten prospects Shakan Pitters and Lyndon Arthur. Yarde reportedly is being lined up to face Arthur.
“The people want explosive action and knockouts so I will not be hiding behind my jab and sending everyone to sleep,” Yarde said. “This will be all about me reminding people that I am the force of the division and I am heading right back to the top where I intend to dominate and reign for a long time to come. I respect Dec Spelman as a fighter but this is the chance for me to show everyone what they can expect when I get to share a ring with Lyndon Arthur.”
Joe Smith Jr. stopped Eleider Alvarez 26 seconds in the ninth round Saturday in Las Vegas.
Joe Smith Jr. worked on his technique in preparation for his meeting with Eleider Alvarez on Saturday night in the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas. And he took his time in the fight, focusing on volume punching to wear Alvarez down.
However, in the end, it was the one quality most associated with Smith that ended matters: power.
Smith dropped a weary Alvarez with a brutal straight right hand, followed by a left, early in the ninth round of a scheduled 12-round bout and the former 175-pound titleholder was unable to get up. Referee Tony Weeks stopped the fight 26 seconds into the round.
With the victory, Smith is expected to face the winner of the Maxim Vlasov-Umar Salamov fight for the vacant WBO light heavyweight title.
“I feel this one is a big one,” Smith said of the victory. “I really needed it. I wanted to prove I’m not just a knockout guy. I proved my boxing ability, too, and I showed that tonight.”
Eleider Alvarez wasn’t able to get up from a brutal knockdown in the ninth round. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
Smith (26-3, 21 KOs) more or less chopped down the 36-year-old Alvarez (25-2, 13 KOs), who couldn’t keep pace with his fresher, 30-year-old opponent.
Alvarez had his moments, including a few solid right hands that got Smith’s attention in the eighth round. However, by the ninth, Smith had pounded most of the fight out of the former champion. He was ripe for a knockout.
Smith then did what he does best, deliver a decisive blow.
“Coming into this camp, I knew I had to work on my boxing,” Smith said. “I wanted to be sharp, throw a lot of straight punches. I watched his fight with [Sergey] Kovalev, and Kovalev kind of set the way to beat him. So we watched that and worked off of it.
“I knew coming in today I had to box a little more because he’s got that great right hand. He caught me with it a couple times, but I can take a punch, too. Every time he hit me, I wanted to come and stop him in his tracks, and I did that. I stuck to my game plan, and it was a great fight.”
Smith made a name for himself in 2016, when he knocked out Andrzej Fonfara and Bernard Hopkins in succession. He had a bad stretch after that – losing to Sullivan Barrera and Dmitry Bivol for a title in a span of three fights – but he has now beaten Jesse Hart and Alvarez back to back.
As a result, the union worker from Long Island, New York, is once again in thick of the title picture.
In preliminarys, Rob Brant (26-2, 18 KOs) stopped Vitaliy Kopylenko (28-3, 16 KOs) in the fifth round of a scheduled 10-round middleweight fight.
Junior welterweight prospect Julian Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) knocked out Anthony Laureano (13-1, 4 KOs) only 2:50 into their scheduled 10-round bout.
And the popular Clay Collard (9-2-3, 4 KOs) continued his winning streak, stopping Maurice Williams (7-2, 3 KOs) at 1:54 of the second round of a scheduled eight-round middleweight fight.
Joe Smith Jr. stopped Eleider Alvarez 26 seconds in the ninth round Saturday in Las Vegas.
Joe Smith Jr. worked on his technique in preparation for his meeting with Eleider Alvarez on Saturday night in the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas. And he took his time in the fight, focusing on volume punching to wear Alvarez down.
However, in the end, it was the one quality most associated with Smith that ended matters: power.
Smith dropped a weary Alvarez with a brutal straight right hand, followed by a left, early in the ninth round of a scheduled 12-round bout and the former 175-pound titleholder was unable to get up. Referee Tony Weeks stopped the fight 26 seconds into the round.
With the victory, Smith is expected to face the winner of the Maxim Vlasov-Umar Salamov fight for the vacant WBO light heavyweight title.
“I feel this one is a big one,” Smith said of the victory. “I really needed it. I wanted to prove I’m not just a knockout guy. I proved my boxing ability, too, and I showed that tonight.”
Eleider Alvarez wasn’t able to get up from a brutal knockdown in the ninth round. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
Smith (26-3, 21 KOs) more or less chopped down the 36-year-old Alvarez (25-2, 13 KOs), who couldn’t keep pace with his fresher, 30-year-old opponent.
Alvarez had his moments, including a few solid right hands that got Smith’s attention in the eighth round. However, by the ninth, Smith had pounded most of the fight out of the former champion. He was ripe for a knockout.
Smith then did what he does best, deliver a decisive blow.
“Coming into this camp, I knew I had to work on my boxing,” Smith said. “I wanted to be sharp, throw a lot of straight punches. I watched his fight with [Sergey] Kovalev, and Kovalev kind of set the way to beat him. So we watched that and worked off of it.
“I knew coming in today I had to box a little more because he’s got that great right hand. He caught me with it a couple times, but I can take a punch, too. Every time he hit me, I wanted to come and stop him in his tracks, and I did that. I stuck to my game plan, and it was a great fight.”
Smith made a name for himself in 2016, when he knocked out Andrzej Fonfara and Bernard Hopkins in succession. He had a bad stretch after that – losing to Sullivan Barrera and Dmitry Bivol for a title in a span of three fights – but he has now beaten Jesse Hart and Alvarez back to back.
As a result, the union worker from Long Island, New York, is once again in thick of the title picture.
In preliminarys, Rob Brant (26-2, 18 KOs) stopped Vitaliy Kopylenko (28-3, 16 KOs) in the fifth round of a scheduled 10-round middleweight fight.
Junior welterweight prospect Julian Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) knocked out Anthony Laureano (13-1, 4 KOs) only 2:50 into their scheduled 10-round bout.
And the popular Clay Collard (9-2-3, 4 KOs) continued his winning streak, stopping Maurice Williams (7-2, 3 KOs) at 1:54 of the second round of a scheduled eight-round middleweight fight.
Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr. are determined to get another shot at a title. They’ll have to go through the other to get there.
Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr. are determined to get another shot at a major light heavyweight title. They’ll have to go through the other to get there.
Alvarez and Smith are scheduled to fight in a title eliminator Saturday night in the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas. The winner will take a significant step forward, the loser possibly a step into oblivion.
“This fight is critical for both of our careers,” Alvarez said. “I respect Joe Smith, who has proven to be an elite fighter. However, I have all the tools to beat him, and that’s what I intend to do. My goal is to become a two-time light heavyweight world champion.”
Alvarez (25-1, 13 KOs) peaked in 2017 and 2018, when he beat in succession Lucian Bute, Jean Pascal and Sergey Kovalev. The Montreal-based Colombian stopped Kovalev in seven rounds to win a major title in August 2018.
Eleider Alvarez (left) and Joe Smith Jr. get one last good look at one another before they fight Saturday. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
Six months later Kovalev outpointed Alvarez to regain the title and he’s fought only once since, stopping Michael Seals with a single right hand in January.
Smith (25-3, 20 KOs) made a splash in 2016, when the relative unknown from Long Island, N.Y., stopped favored Andrzej Fonfara in the first round and then knocked Bernard Hopkins out of the ring to end his Hall of Fame career.
The 30-year-old union worker went to challenge Dmitry Bivol for one of the titles but lost a wide decision in March of last year, his only title shot. He bounced back to outpoint capable Jesse Hart in January to earn the fight with Alvarez.
Neither fighter can afford another setback.
“This fight means everything to me,” Smith said. “It’s my path to a world title fight, and I know this is my second chance to turn my dream into reality. Alvarez is a former world champion, and in my mind, I am treating this as a world title fight. To get there, I have to, and will win this fight.”
The card, which also features a middleweight fight between Rob Brant (25-2, 17 KOs) and Vitalii Kopylenko (28-2, 16 KOs), will be streamed on ESPN+.
Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr. are determined to get another shot at a title. They’ll have to go through the other to get there.
Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr. are determined to get another shot at a major light heavyweight title. They’ll have to go through the other to get there.
Alvarez and Smith are scheduled to fight in a title eliminator Saturday night in the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas. The winner will take a significant step forward, the loser possibly a step into oblivion.
“This fight is critical for both of our careers,” Alvarez said. “I respect Joe Smith, who has proven to be an elite fighter. However, I have all the tools to beat him, and that’s what I intend to do. My goal is to become a two-time light heavyweight world champion.”
Alvarez (25-1, 13 KOs) peaked in 2017 and 2018, when he beat in succession Lucian Bute, Jean Pascal and Sergey Kovalev. The Montreal-based Colombian stopped Kovalev in seven rounds to win a major title in August 2018.
Eleider Alvarez (left) and Joe Smith Jr. get one last good look at one another before they fight Saturday. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
Six months later Kovalev outpointed Alvarez to regain the title and he’s fought only once since, stopping Michael Seals with a single right hand in January.
Smith (25-3, 20 KOs) made a splash in 2016, when the relative unknown from Long Island, N.Y., stopped favored Andrzej Fonfara in the first round and then knocked Bernard Hopkins out of the ring to end his Hall of Fame career.
The 30-year-old union worker went to challenge Dmitry Bivol for one of the titles but lost a wide decision in March of last year, his only title shot. He bounced back to outpoint capable Jesse Hart in January to earn the fight with Alvarez.
Neither fighter can afford another setback.
“This fight means everything to me,” Smith said. “It’s my path to a world title fight, and I know this is my second chance to turn my dream into reality. Alvarez is a former world champion, and in my mind, I am treating this as a world title fight. To get there, I have to, and will win this fight.”
The card, which also features a middleweight fight between Rob Brant (25-2, 17 KOs) and Vitalii Kopylenko (28-2, 16 KOs), will be streamed on ESPN+.
Light heavyweight contenders Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr. reportedly will fight late next month.
Light heavyweight contenders Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr. reportedly will fight late next month.
They were scheduled to meet on July 16 in the MGM Grand bubble in Las Vegas but Alvarez pulled out with an injury to his right shoulder. Yvon Michel, Alvarez’s promoter, told ESPN that his fighter has recovered and he’ll be ready to fight soon.
“I sent a medical report on Alvarez’s situation early last week confirming that the inflammation is gone after treatment, the pain is minimum,” Michel said. “He’s going to start sparring next week, everything is under control. He’s fit and ready to fight by mid-August.
“So the message I got from Top Rank is that the fight will be rescheduled for some time between Aug. 20 and Aug. 22, depending on the schedule.”
Smith and his handlers evidently are willing to fight regardless of the date.
“It’s not ideal, it’s not what we wanted,” Smith promoter Joe DeGuardia told ESPN. “We think it’s unfortunate it got pushed back in the first place. However, we’re realists. I just want this fight to take place, and we’re going to do what we have to do to get Joe ready and have this fight.”
Alvarez (25-1, 13 KOs) last fought on Jan. 18, when he stopped Michael Seals in seven rounds. The Montreal-based Colombian lost his 175-pound belt to Sergey Kovalev in February of last year.
Smith (25-3, 20 KOs) defeated Jesse Hart by a split decision in his most-recent fight, on Jan. 11.
Anthony Dirrell said on this episode of The Ak & Barak Show that he believes Sergey Kovalev took a dive in his fight with Canelo Alvarez.
Canelo Alvarez made history by moving up to light heavyweight and stopping Sergey Kovalev last November, giving the Mexican a major title in a third division.
Anthony Dirrell doesn’t believe the result was legitimate.
The former super middleweight titleholder said on this episode of The Ak & Barak Show, courtesy of DAZN, that he believes Kovalev took a dive in the fight.
Dirrell has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Alvarez in September.
Hosts Akin Reyes and Barak Bess discussed the surprising accusation and more with Dirrell.
The Ak & Barak Show is available on DAZN and Sirius XM Fight Nation, Channel 156.
