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Friday, September 27, 2013

Commentary: Chavez-Vera and the question of fighter safety


Chavez-Vera and the question of fighter safety
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 27, 2013



Mark E. Ortega

Saturday night, it is still expected that a boxing match will take place between former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and current WBO #1 middleweight contender Brian Vera.

Despite their current standings as 160 pounders, the fight was due to take place at the super middleweight limit of 168 pounds after being delayed and moved from earlier contract weights in the mid-160s.

Early in fight week, it became clear that Chavez Jr. was not going to make the contracted 168 pound limit. Though a serious infraction, promoter Bob Arum made a joke of it at Wednesday's press conference, saying it would be the first time a fight's weight wasn't decided until the fighters weighed in.

The fight has since been negotiated to a new weight of 173 pounds. Neither fighter has previously fought at the weight. Vera has fought at 168 pounds in the past, most notably during season two of The Contender. Vera was stopped in two rounds by Jaidon Codrington as part of the tournament.

Though the fight has been renegotiated and Vera has no doubt been financially compensated, there's still a concern of fighter safety at hand.

"My first concern is Brian's safety," said Vera's manager Dave Watson after Wednesday's press conference.

Watson believes that Chavez's lack of professionalism is beneficial to his own fighter.

"The best position we could be in is for him to be overlooking us," said Watson. 

"Chavez is the favorite, is already talking about fighting [Andre] Ward. Brian operates better when he is the underdog and has something to prove. This is gonna be the upset of the year."

Ronnie Shields, who trains Vera, confirmed to Boxingscene's Rick Reeno yesterday that the fight was renegotiated at 173 pounds.

When Shields spoke to RingTV after Wednesday's press conference, he expressed concern about the situation.

"It changes things a lot," said Shields. "You're talking about a kid's health. It's different fighting a guy that's supposed to be 168 pounds who could end up being 200 pounds."

It has been reported that there is no maximum weight stipulation on the day of the fight for Chavez Jr. When contacted by RingTV on Thursday afternoon, Vera's promoter Artie Pellulo wouldn't confirm.

"I can't share any of those details at the present time, you'll know at the weigh-in," Pellulo told RingTV.

If there is no maximum weight stipulation, the fight becomes even more dangerous. Vera could be outweighed by close to 30 pounds on Saturday night.

This circus surrounding the weight has a few similarities to last July's bout between Adrien Broner and Vicente Escobedo. 

Broner missed the 130 pound limit at the weigh-in and was supposed to weigh no more than ten pounds above that weight the day of the fight. He missed that target as well and the fight was in peril up until a few hours prior to the fight.

Escobedo took the fight after receiving an additional $300,000, more money than Escobedo had ever previously earned. The result was a foregone conclusion, Escobedo was mauled in an early stoppage. The emotional release from Escobedo in his post-fight interview that night showed a fighter that wasn't mentally prepared for a fight that night due to all the mess that came before it.

On Thursday afternoon, RingTV caught up with Escobedo's manager Rolando Arellano to talk about that situation last July.

When asked if he would go through with the fight if he could do it all over, Arellano said, "Absolutely."

"We got him more money than he was ever paid before and we saved face politically with all of the people involved," said Arellano. 

Since the defeat to Broner, Escobedo has fought twice in 2013. Against former title challenger Edner Cherry as well as unheralded Fernando Carcamo, Escobedo was stopped.

"Chente has been on a decline ever since but I don't think it is a direct result from the Broner fight."

Though Escobedo was paid handsomely to serve as a sacrificial lamb last Saturday, how much did it potentially cost him after the fact?

Like Vera, Broner was ranked #1 in the WBO before facing Broner. Once Broner moved up, Escobedo would have been in line to fight for the vacant title. Though there was no bigger payday available than what he got against Broner, the 130 pound division was thin at the time and Escobedo could have potentially won a belt and gotten a few defenses, extending his career. Now, it looks as though that career is nearing an end.

These are the kinds of questions Vera and his team must keep in mind as he prepares to go into the ring on Saturday. Surely, the deep pockets of Chavez Jr.'s handlers have rewarded him for the physical risks he will endure.

Vera's style of fighting has him absorb his opponent's best shots as he tries to wear them down. Trainer Shields told RingTV that they've focused on his defense and head movement for this fight, but it's hard for an old dog to learn new tricks at this stage.


Vera and his team have all said this is clearly the best camp he has ever had in preparing for a fight. One can only hope that it isn't all for nothing and that we avoid seeing a sad result on Saturday.

HBO Sports boss divulges Legendary Nights details


HBO Sports boss divulges Legendary Nights details
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 27, 2013


HBO Sports president Ken Hershman confirmed some details about the upcoming Legendary Nights documentary based on the Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward trilogy while in Los Angeles for the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-Bryan Vera fight.

“It'll air on Oct. 19 after the fight between Mike Alvarado and Ruslan Provodnikov,” Hershman told RingTV.com on Friday after Chavez Jr. and Vera weighed in ahead of tomorrow's fight in Carson, Calif.

It'll be the first installment of the acclaimed series since the first set of episodes ran in 2003. Incidentally, Gatti and Ward waged 30 rounds of war against each other between 2002 and 2003 before becoming the best of friends. Now a decade removed from the fights and the last run of Legendary Nights, it could be considered perfect timing for the series' return.

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Thursday, September 26, 2013

Mayfield Ready For Top Rank Debut


Mayfield Ready For Top Rank Debut
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
September 26, 2013


It’s been a long and sometimes difficult road for San Francisco junior welterweight contender Karim Mayfield on his way up.

Boxing is a sport that, for many people, plays out as a real-life version of the old board game “Chutes and Ladders.” Just when you think you’re on the verge of taking that step into the big time, something sets you back.

For Mayfield, 31, it’s never been a professional loss that’s kept him from breaking through. In eighteen contests as a paid pugilist, the Bay Area native has never lost.

Instead, Mayfield, who grew up in San Francisco’s famed Fillmore district, has been hampered by inactivity and out of the ring issues ever since turning pro in June of 2006.

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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Col. Bob chasing 1,000, back in the swing of things


Col. Bob chasing 1,000, back in the swing of things
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 19, 2013


There's Pete Rose's 4,256 career hits. Cal Ripken Jr.'s "iron man" streak of 2,632 consecutive games played. Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points in a single game. All of these records are considered largely unbreakable.

But perhaps the record least likely to be broken resides in the sweet science. It doesn't have to do with the guys landing the blows, either, but the man calling them.

Colonel Bob Sheridan has called 952 world championship fights through this past Saturday’s huge pay-per-view card headlined by Floyd Mayweather Jr. against Saul Alvarez. Even in an era where world titles are handed out like call-girl flyers on the Las Vegas Strip, the likelihood of anyone approaching that number is extremely slim.

Sheridan has endured a number of ups and downs, most of them related to his health. The Colonel has bounced back nicely from his sixth heart attack and has a new lease on life after undergoing a triple bypass in mid-July. He now has his sights set on calling an unprecedented 1,000 championship fights.

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Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Mayweather Jr. takes young Alvarez to school


Mayweather Jr. takes young Alvarez to school
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
September 17, 2013


LAS VEGAS – Floyd Mayweather Jr. was so dominant against Saul Alvarez on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena that he may have cost himself some money down the line.

Though the official verdict will be recorded as a majority decision, there’s no question that Mayweather (45-0, 26 knockouts) was masterful in his victory over Alvarez.

Billed as the biggest fight in a long time, Mayweather overcame the youthful Alvarez (42-1-1, 30 KOs) with much ease. That has erased a possible rematch from the immediate future, leaving a gaping question as to who will step up next when Mayweather elects to return, which could come as early as next May.

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Friday, September 13, 2013

Vegas insanity: Fans flock to Mayweather-Alvarez weigh-in


Vegas insanity: Fans flock to Mayweather-Alvarez weigh-in
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 13, 2013


Saturday’s pay-per-view card headlined by Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul Alvarez has been generating an unbelievable buzz in Las Vegas since early in fight week. The turnout for Friday’s weigh-in is something that had to be seen to be believed.

Passionate boxing fans camped out at the entrance to the MGM Grand Garden Arena as early as midnight and the line stretched well into where the food court sits, about half a football field away.

“We haven’t been asleep for 27 hours,” said a Mayweather fan named Tiffany, who was wearing shirt emblazoned with "The One." “It’s pure adrenaline that’s keeping us awake.”

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Thursday, September 12, 2013

Porter wins rematch with Diaz; Jack and Periban fight to draw


Porter wins rematch with Diaz; Jack and Periban fight to draw
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 12, 2013


LAS VEGAS – Former lightweight titleholder Julio Diaz will fight his slip into gatekeeper status kicking and screaming as evidenced by the effort he put up in losing a unanimous decision to undefeated Shawn Porter on Thursday night in a ballroom of the MGM Grand.

The 10-round fight, which was televised on Fox Sports 2, was a rematch. In December, Porter and Diaz fought to a draw that most felt was edged by the veteran fighter. Perhaps people leaned Diaz's way because they were shocked at the tremendous effort he put forth as well as taking into consideration the fact that most had written him off following a bad knockout loss to Kendall Holt the year before.

Diaz gave his career new life in the draw with Porter and subsequent close loss to Amir Khan in March. In the meantime, Porter easily decisioned unbeaten but lightly regarded Phil Lo Greco earlier in May.

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Getting ready for Mayweather & Alvarez


Getting ready for Mayweather & Alvarez
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
September 12, 2013


LAS VEGAS – If Tuesday’s grand arrivals are any indication of what’s in store later in the week, Floyd Mayweather Jr. didn’t know what he was signing up for when he agreed to face 23-year old Mexican superstar Saul Alvarez this Saturday at the MGM Grand.

Mayweather and Alvarez’s fight takes place on the weekend of Mexican Independence Day. Mayweather has a long history of fighting Mexican fighters, usually around the time of either that holiday or Cinco de Mayo.

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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Jean signs co-promotional deal with Golden Boy, eyes Peterson fight


Jean signs co-promotional deal with Golden Boy, eyes Peterson fight
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 11, 2013


Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer told RingTV.com on Wednesday that they've reached a deal to co-promote junior welterweight contender Dierry Jean alongside Canada-based Eye of the Tiger Promotions, Jean's current promoter.

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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Bits & Pieces: Bradley's trainer weighs in on Marquez fight


Bits & Pieces: Bradley's trainer weighs in on Marquez fight
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 10, 2013


In attendance at Saturday’s card in Indio, Calif., was trainer Joel Diaz, who has a big fight coming up next month as he prepares Timothy Bradley to face Juan Manuel Marquez.

A lot of people are arguing that Bradley will have a hard time coming off the rough fight he had with Ruslan Provodnikov in March (recently voted best fight of the year so far in a RingTV poll). Diaz explained to RingTV why that fight was difficult and why it won’t affect him in October.

“One of the biggest reasons he got hurt in the last fight is that he blew up to 185 pounds due to the injuries to his feet [from the Manny Pacquiao fight last June],” said Diaz.

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De La Hoya admits himself into rehab, will miss Saturday's fight


De La Hoya admits himself into rehab, will miss Saturday's fight
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 10, 2013


Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions, has announced he will miss the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Canelo Alvarez fight Saturday in Las Vegas because he will be in rehab.

De La Hoya has had ongoing problems with substance abuse. Alvarez is his company’s star attraction.

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Monday, September 9, 2013

A mention in the New Yorker


Much to my surprise, on Sept. 9, 2013, my name got a mention in a boxing piece done by Kelefa Sanneh of The New Yorker.

If I had placed a prop bet on my name ever getting in there, it would have paid in the range of 20,000-to-one. Pretty cool.

Here's the excerpt:

Suffice it to say that, during the past few decades, boxing fans have become, like Mayweather in the ring, rather defensive. The sport they love has regularly been pronounced dead, and somehow the regularity of this pronouncement has had the effect of increasing, rather than decreasing, their sensitivity to it. Kevin Iole, who covers boxing for Yahoo! Sports, found Wilbon and Kornheiser guilty of “pure laziness.” Mark Ortega, on the Web site of The Ring, criticized their “limited knowledge” of the sport. And Dan Rafael, ESPN’s indispensible boxing reporter, took to Twitter to declare his colleagues “ignorant and/or lazy,” adding, “I declare afternoon sports talk banter dead.”

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Saturday, September 7, 2013

Arreola KOs Mitchell in one


Arreola KOs Mitchell in one
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 7, 2013

All throughout the buildup to their fight, Chris Arreola disparaged Seth Mitchell as not being in his league.

Saturday night in their Showtime headlining bout in Indio, Calif., Arreola followed through on those statements, serving up his most impressive victory to date with a first-round knockout.

Arreola (35-3, 31 knockouts), of Riverside, Calif., had Mitchell badly hurt in the first 30 seconds, but the former Michigan State linebacker used his old tackling skills to stay in it as the two hit the mat. Mitchell didn't have the benefit of a timeout, though, and Arreola took advantage, scoring an official knockdown soon after.

Referee Jack Reiss took a close look at Washington, D.C.'s Mitchell (26-2-1, 19 KOs) before letting the fight continue. Arreola jumped on Mitchell and battered him with an assortment of power shots, giving Reiss no choice but to stop it.

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Friday, September 6, 2013

Commentary: Boxing is dead? Again?

Boxing is dead? Again?
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 6, 2013


Boxing fans who tuned in Thursday afternoon to ESPN’s debate show Pardon the Interruption collectively shuddered when hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon declared the sport one fight away from being dead.

It should come as no surprise, though. Whenever a big fight looms the way next Saturday’s bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez does, casual followers of the sport kick in their two cents on the state of the game.

“He’s the last headliner out there in professional boxing,” stated Wilbon about Mayweather.

“What other names do you know? You know the Klitschko name, that’s it. Who else do you know,” said Kornheiser.

“He’s the last guy out there for a sport that’s all but dead,” said Wilbon. “This is it. It’s over for boxing after this.”

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Thursday, September 5, 2013

Arreola ready for do-or-die fight against Mitchell


Arreola ready for do-or-die fight against Mitchell
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 5, 2013


An intriguing heavyweight crossroads bout takes place on Saturday as former title challenger Chris Arreola meets once-beaten but less experienced standout Seth Mitchell in a Showtime-televised main event at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif.

For Arreola, it is the final opportunity to break through in a career that has had many squandered opportunities.

Over what will amount to a 10-year career on Sept. 5, Arreola has yet to notch a victory over a top-10 heavyweight. Despite this fact, he fought on HBO seven times after scoring a TKO against Damian Wills on the November 2006 pay-per-view undercard of Floyd Mayweather-Carlos Baldomir.

A loss for Arreola would undoubtedly cast him into the discard pile of American heavyweight hype jobs, as well as force Southern Californian to consider another line of work, in his own words.

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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

More humble, maybe, but still the same Mayweather

More humble, maybe, but still the same Mayweather
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 4, 2013


It’s true that ever since he served his 87-day jail sentence, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has seemed much more humble.

For his fight this past May, Mayweather was more accommodating to the media than most veterans ever recall him being. That has carried over to his fight with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, which takes place next Saturday.

But whatever gains have been made in humility, there are still remnants of the old Mayweather. During his media day in August, he took his time getting a haircut before jumping into the ring for his workout. On Wednesday’s conference call, he held things up for about fifteen minutes, and then dropped off the call a number of times while answering a question. He also took off a few minutes early after Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe claimed his phone had died.

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No problem with judges selected for Mayweather-Canelo


No problem with judges selected for Mayweather-Canelo
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 4, 2013


The Nevada State Athletic Commission announced the officials for next Saturday’s junior middleweight championship between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul Alvarez.

The referee will be respected veteran Kenny Bayless, a selection the boxing public responded to positively.

The three judges will be Dave Moretti, CJ Ross and Craig Metcalfe. Moretti and Ross both hail from Las Vegas while Metcalfe is the neutral judge from Alberta, Canada.

When asked about the appointed officials on Wednesday’s conference call, Mayweather seemed fine with the selection.

“Kenny Bayless is a great referee who’s going to let us fight,” said Mayweather. “He’s not for the bulls__t. He treats every fighter fair.”

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Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Q&A: Merchant on Mayweather-Canelo, Zou Shiming


Q&A: Merchant on Mayweather-Canelo, Zou Shiming
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 3, 2013


After a quiet Labor Day weekend, RingTV.com contributor Mark E. Ortega got in touch with legendary analyst Larry Merchant on Tuesday afternoon via phone. Merchant gave his thoughts on the highly anticipated fight next Saturday between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul Alvarez, along with his thoughts on Chinese amateur star-turned-pro Zou Shiming and his impact on the sport.

RingTV: Obviously, there’s a pretty big fight coming up between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul Alvarez. I’m curious, if Canelo were able to pull off the victory, where would you rank that among the biggest wins in Mexican boxing history?

Larry Merchant: It would certainly be a major earthquake for many fans, and for Mexican fans it would be a huge event because prizefighting is so important to them. They, in fact, discovered and anointed Canelo to be their next superstar, so it would be a very big deal.

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Monday, September 2, 2013

Collazo re-emerges with victory over Sanchez


Collazo re-emerges with victory over Sanchez
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 2, 2013


When Luis Collazo was fighting championship fights on HBO, Alan Sanchez was barely old enough to drive a car and hadn’t fought as a professional yet.

That experience helped guide the battle-tested Collazo (34-5, 17 knockouts) to a unanimous-decision victory over the ten-year younger Sanchez (12-3-1, 6 KOs) in their ten-round main event on Fox Sports 1’s second Monday night broadcast.

The two felt each other out in the opening round, but Collazo showed his sharpness early, landing straight lefts regularly. Sanchez didn’t open up until a few rounds later, and began landing straight right hands, though Collazo would occasionally land a pretty counter.

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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Sanchez gets called up to the majors


Sanchez gets called up to the majors
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
September 1, 2013


When Luis Collazo first won a world title by beating Jose Antonio Rivera by unanimous decision in 2005, Fairfield’s Alan Sanchez wasn’t even old enough to drive, being just fourteen years old.

While Collazo had fought names like Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley, and Andre Berto in fights all televised by HBO by 2009, Sanchez had yet to fight a professional bout.

It’ll be Collazo who Sanchez looks across the ring at on Monday night when the two fight in the ten-round main event of Fox Sports One’s new Monday night boxing program. The show emanates from San Antonio, Tex.

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September East Coast Prospect of the Month: Glen Tapia

September East Coast Prospect of the Month: Glen Tapia
Mark E. Ortega
BehindTheGloves.com
September 1, 2013


When Glen Tapia met Abie Han in an ESPN2 Friday Night Fights co-feature, the jury was still out on whether the Top Rank handled fighter was a prospect to keep an eye on.

To that point, Tapia (19-0, 11 KOs) was largely untested as well as buried on the untelevised portion of cards. Top Rank out him against Han, another untested and unbeaten prospect, in order to figure out what they had.

After eight brutal rounds, Top Rank found out they had two gutsy young fighters with tons of heart. It was Tapia who emerged the victor after battering a bloodied Han around the ring in a fight that stole the attention from a competitive main event.

It's no coincidence that Tapia is from New Jersey and idolized the late Arturo Gatti, who was the king of Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall after building a career full of Fight of the Year winners.

"How could you not love him?" said Tapia to me the day before his war with Han.

"So much heart, so much intensity. I feel I have that same intensity and hope to prove it in the ring."

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September West Coast Prospect of the Month: Luis Arias

September West Coast Prospect of the Month: Luis Arias
Mark E. Ortega
BehindTheGloves.com
September 1, 2013

Super middleweight prospect Luis Arias has a bit more weight on his shoulders than most fighters with less than ten professional fights.

Arias is a member of Mayweather Promotions, also know as "The Money Team". He's one of the youngest members of the stable and will be the first fighter they attempt to build from professional debut to world champion.

Basically, he's their trial and error. Building a champion isn't easy. To put into perspective, it took Golden Boy Promotions nine years for Abner Mares to become their first homegrown champion.

To his credit, Arias doesn't seem bothered by the task.

"Being part of Mayweather Promotions is its own pressure," Arias told Behind The Gloves last week.

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