Bundrage, Lara win on ShoBox but don't look like viable Canelo opponents

Bundrage, Lara win on ShoBox but don't look like viable Canelo opponents
by Doug Fischer


Showtime commentator Steve Farhood said it best when he concluded the network’s broadcast from Indio, Calif., on Saturday with the words: “the 'Canelo' sweepstakes continues.”
The special ShoBox: The New Generation tripleheader from the Fantasy Springs Casino opened and closed with two junior middleweight contenders who want a shot at WBC 154-pound titleholder Saul Alvarez, the young Mexican star who is still without an opponent for his Sept. 15 date in Las Vegas.
IBF beltholder Cornelius Bundrage, THE RING’s No. 9-rated junior middleweight, scored a seventh-round stoppage of Cory Spinks in the main event, while the magazine’s No. 5-rated contender, Erislandy Lara, outpointed Freddy Hernandez over 10 rounds in the first bout of the broadcast.
Although both fighters got the job done – Bundrage (32-4, 19 knockouts) needed only two more rounds to knockout the former champ in a rematch of his 2010 title-winning effort; while Lara (17-1-1, 11 KOs) soundly outboxed the game but outclassed gatekeeper from Mexico – neither contender really “sold” himself as an attractive B-side to Alvarez’s Mexican Independence Day weekend event.
Bundrage dropped Spinks (39-7, 11 KOs) with an overhand right in the first round and closed the show by knocking the southpaw down three times in the seventh, but the 39-year-old Detroit native didn’t look good in rounds two through six.
Neither did Spinks. The ugly fight featured more holding, grappling, low blows, and takedowns than clean exchanges between the two awkward veterans. Spinks, who looks faded at age 34, had his moments in rounds three, four and five, but at the end of the day the once-savvy boxer lacked the legs and the power to threaten Bundrage, who – if nothing else – is aggressive and can punch.
“I felt like I was going to get him, that’s why I was kind of hard headed (between rounds),” said Bundrage, who frustrated his hall-of-fame trainer Emanuel Steward by not following instructions after having Spinks in trouble in the opening round. “I knew in my mind that I was going to get him. (Spinks) can’t stand up to all that fight, you know. I bring the fight.”
Bundrage has a bright personality, which was on full display during his post-fight interview with Farhood. However, the jury is still out on whether the unorthodox puncher could compete with Alvarez or help push the Sept. 15 promotion.
Bundrage, who goes by many nicknames, including “K9,” believes he would do well on both fronts.
“The Black Rocky, Iron Man versus Canelo,” he barked at the end of his interview. “Let’s get it on!”
Lara doesn’t have Bundrage’s personality or enthusiasm but the 29-year-old former amateur star has the talent and skill set to give Alvarez all he can handle.
The problem with Lara, who was one fight (a first-round KO of Ronald Hearns in April) removed from losing a very controversial 12-round decision to Paul Williams going into the Hernandez fight, is that if the Cuban southpaw doesn’t score an opening-round stoppage he usually makes for uneventful distance bouts.
Lara’s unanimous decision over Hernandez (30-3, 20 KOs) was not only uneventful, but marred by numerous headbutts – all of which seemed to be initiated by the Cuban. By the seventh round, during which referee Wayne Hedgepeth docked Lara a point for the repeated infraction, Hernandez’s face was a bloody mess from head clashes.
Apart from the headbutts, Lara was in command of the fight by utilizing his usual stick-and-move strategy. He landed 64 percent of his power punches, according to CompuBox, en route to dominating scores of 99-90 and 98-91.
Pay no attention to veteran judge Marty Denkin’s 95-94 card. The fight wasn’t close at all. Hernandez, who stalked forward all night, was able to land some left hooks to the body whenever he got Lara against the ropes, but he didn’t connect with enough clean head shots to win more than one or two rounds.
Still, the Mexico City native should be commended for being so determined despite Lara’s tricky style, the many headbutts and four bleeding cuts on his face.
If Lara had a little bit of Hernandez’s come-forward style and some of Bundrage’s reckless aggression he would be the perfect opponent for Alvarez on Sept. 15. But as it is, Lara represents a lot of risk and very little reward for the unbeaten red head.
The one fighter who was able to combine skill with power and aggression on the Golden Boy Promotions card was undefeated featherweight prospect Gary Russell Jr., who scored four knockdowns en route to a one-sided third-round stoppage of unheralded Christopher Perez in the second bout of the ShoBox broadcast.
Russell (20-0, 12 KOs), a 24-year-old southpaw from Capitol Heights, Md., dropped Perez with a left cross-right hook combination in the second round before putting the lanky 22-year-old from Culiacan, Mexico, down three times in the third round.
Russell, a two-time national amateur champ and 2008 Olympian, dropped Perez (23-3, 14 KOs) with a left, and then a right uppercut, before a one-two combo put the Sinaloa native down for a third time in the round, prompting veteran referee Pat Russell to stop the fight.
The performance backed up Russell’s reputation as one of the sport’s top prospects, however, hardcore fans who have followed his career for the past few years are ready to see him tested by a legitimate featherweight contender.


Photos / Naoki Fukuda

Dibella puts on "Rising Stars" card

Dibella puts on "Rising Stars" card
by Dan Rafael

Last July, I wrote about HBO's plans to launch a prospect-oriented boxing series on its HBO2 platform.

Promoters Lou DiBella, Gary Shaw and Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer, along with then-HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg, signed the paperwork to create a monthly tripleheader (probably a four- or six-rounder followed by 10- or 12-round bouts) for about $150,000 per show.

The show was originally delayed until January and now has been canceled altogether. Obviously, Ken Hershman, the new HBO Sports boss who replaced Greenburg -- who was forced to resign last summer -- didn't want to go forward with the series.

But he still had obligations to the promoters for the money they would have received for a year's worth of cards under the deal. That has now seemingly been worked out, and the promoters will get lower-priced "Boxing After Dark" shows to make up for the license fees they would have gotten for the now-dead (and unnamed) series.

The first of these "makeup" shows looks promising. DiBella will put on a Sept. 29 tripleheader from the Foxwoods resort in Mashantucket, Conn., that will feature some of his most promising fighters: super middleweight Edwin Rodriguez and junior featherweight Luis "Orlandito" Del Valle and probably light heavyweight Isaac Chilemba.

"There's a need to build some new blood," DiBella said. "HBO is doing what they promised they'd do, but in a different way. This is like a rising stars card, where the matches all look good on paper and should have action, and there's a chance for a prospect to make his mark."

Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs), 27, who outpointed Donovan George in his HBO debut in March, will fight in the main event, largely because he is from nearby Worcester, Mass., and will bring a crowd. He'll face New Jersey's Jason Escalera (13-0-1, 12 KOs), also 27.

Escalera has never faced anyone close to Rodriguez's caliber, so I'm far more intrigued by the undercard bouts.

DiBella said the deal is done for Puerto Rico's Del Valle (16-0, 11 KOs), 25, to face former junior bantamweight and flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan (37-5-1, 27 KOs). Darchinyan, 36, has lost two in a row at bantamweight and is moving up in weight, but he is very experienced, packs a punch, usually is in entertaining fights and has nothing to lose. He is Del Valle's best opponent -- by far.

"Del Valle-Darchinyan, it's a war," DiBella said. "The thing I love about Edwin and Orlandito is, they're great TV fighters because they can't help themselves to engage even though they don't have to. But it's who they are. They put themselves in danger, and it makes it fun to watch. Orlandito is a little beast. We know Darchinyan is a warrior. He never makes a bad fight.

"If Orlandito passes the test, he emerges as a legitimate challenger for [titleholder] Nonito Donaire. Orlandito against [former titlist] Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., if Vazquez beats Rafael Marquez in August in Puerto Rico, is a big fight. [Top Rank's Bob] Arum and I have already talked about that fight."

DiBella is working to finalize the third fight -- South Africa's 25-year-old Chilemba (19-1-1, 9 KOs) against former light heavyweight and cruiserweight titlist Zsolt Erdei (33-0, 18 KOs), who's a bit older (38) and hasn't fought in a year but is regarded as one of the best at 175 pounds. Chilemba is coming off a career-best win against Edison Miranda, whom he outpointed in February on "Friday Night Fights."

DiBella said he tried to work out a deal with British promoter Frank Maloney to have heavyweight prospect David Price (13-0, 11 KOs), a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and perhaps England's best heavyweight hope, appear on the show, but it didn't work out.

Shaw is supposed to get his version of a "rising stars" card in October, and could feature welterweight sensation Thomas Dulorme (15-0, 12 KOs) of Puerto Rico.

www.FightMuseumLV.com

Pavlik's not a 'ghost' of his former self anymore

Pavlik's not a 'ghost' of his former self anymore
by Lem Satterfield

When Kelly Pavlik entered the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Oxnard, Calif., in January, gym owner Robert Garcia knew the 30-year-old former undisputed middleweight champ would stand out in the crowd.
Having split with career-long trainer Jack Loew and left his native Youngstown, Ohio, to begin working with Garcia, Pavlik was going to be among the few caucasian boxers in a predominantly Mexican atmosphere.
"When he first came to us, we sat down and we talked," said Garcia of Pavlik, who was nicknamed "The Ghost" for his pale skin by African-American rivals as an amateur.
"We knew he was going to be the only white guy in my gym and thought that it would make it harder. But it was really easy. He found himself at home. We gave him the same treatment and everything went well. He came in and became friendly with everyone, and everyone is friendly with him."
And it appears that Pavlik (39-2, 34 knockouts) has revitalized his career as he pursues his third straight victory as a super middleweight when he meets New York's Will Rosinsky (16-1, 9 KOs) on July 7 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
"Everybody in the gym was very welcoming. After the first day, I felt comfortable -- like I had trained there for five years," said Pavlik, who left behind some well-publicized troubles with alcohol in Ohio.
"The hunger was there when I made the move to go to California, but working with Robert, and learning again has made me hungry again. It made me want to keep boxing and fighting harder. It's been easy to get along."
After being dethroned as WBO and WBC middleweight titleholder by Sergio Martinez in April of 2010, Pavlik cited a rib injury as his reason for pulling out of a bout with Bryan Vera, which was scheduled for the undercard of Manny Pacquiao's unanimous decision over Antonio Margarito in November of 2010.
Later that month, Pavlik entered the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., for a nearly two-month stay and treatment of a drinking problem.
In August of last year, Pavlik pulled out of a scheduled fight on Showtime, citing his disappointment over the offer of $50,000 to face Darryl Cunningham, followed by a $1.35 million minimum he was to get from Top Rank for a meeting with then-IBF titleholder Lucian Bute.
Pavlik said that he had heard that Denmark's ex-titleholder Mikkel Kessler had turned down a larger amount for a matchup with Bute. The move by Pavlik forced Showtime to cancel the entire card that was be held in Pavlik's hometown of Youngstown, Ohio.
That's about the time when manager Cameron Dunkin began pondering the details designed to resurrect the beleagured Pavlik.
The change to Garcia, who also handles the careers of fighters such as Nonito Donaire, Brandon Rios and Mikey Garcia (who is Robert Garcia's younger brother), was proposed by Dunkin, Pavlik's father, Mike Pavlik, promoter and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, and Top Rank Vice President Carl Moretti during an October meeting in New York while attending Donaire's fight against Omar Narvaez.
"It was definitely important to come out to Oxnard to train. I'm not here to knock anybody or anything like that, but I wasn't going any further where I was. We had a meeting in New York with Bob and Cameron and we had this conversation," said Pavlik, who burst onto the scene with a seventh-round knockout of then-undisputed middleweight titleholder Jermain Taylor in September of 2007.
"A move had to happen, and it was very important. I am learning. I'm hungry and I'm rejuvenated to get back into it. You can never quit learning in this sport, and I'm learning again and that's very important. On the personal part, when I get out here, I don't have any distractions or headaches. I am able to focus on what I'm here to do."
During the fighter's last outting, a seventh-round knockout of Scott Sigmon on June 8, Dunkin said he noticed that Pavlik is no longer a "Ghost" of his former self.
"There were so many more skills in there than he had shown in the past. He was catching Sigmon's punches and rolling with stuff," said Dunkin.
"Kelly was moving his head, holding his hands up and working inside. Not every punch was loading up -- he touched him, turned him and beat him down. And he was calm in there."
Pavlik believes he is approaching a title shot opportunity, perhaps one against England's Carl Froch (29-2, 21 KOs), who dethroned Bute (30-1, 24 KOs) by fifth-round stoppage last month.
"I would like to fight Carl Froch. That weight class is loaded, no matter which way you go. Any big fight at this stage. Whatever opens up, whatever opportunity presents itself, whatever sanctioning body. It doesn't matter," said Pavlik. "Some of those heated words and some things Froch said to me before hurt a little bit. I would like to fight Bute also. Any of those guys, I will fight."
If Pavlik is successful against Rosinsky, Arum said he would like to bring Pavlik back to New York, where he could fight at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in October.
But Pavlik knows that he faces a significant test in Rosinsky, a winner of two straight since falling by unanimous decision to Edwin Rodriguez in October of last year.
"This kid is a good fighter -- a very game fighter and he's going to come to fight. He's coming off of a fight, so he's ready too. But people are going to see the best of me come out that night," said Pavlik. "We're still over a week out, but there are still some things we are fine-tuning right now. I feel really good in camp. Clear-headed and ready to go."


Photos by Chris Farina, Top Rank

What's next for Pacquiao?

What's next for Pacquiao?
by Lem Satterfield



Over a Tuesday evening dinner in Los Angeles, eight-division titlewinner Manny Pacquiao and his promoter, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, discussed the fighter's future.
What they concluded was that Pacquiao "will definitely fight on Nov. 10," said Arum.
Exactly whom Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 knockouts) will face remains a mystery.
But it will likley be a rematch with one of three opponents -- current WBO welterweight beltholder Tim Bradley, four-division and WBA and WBO junior welterweight titlewinner Juan Manuel Marquez or three-division beltwinner Miguel Cotto -- Arum told Yahoo!Sports.
"I spoke to Manny last night," said Arum during an interview with RingTV.com on Wednesday. "He's considering all of the options."
On Wednesday, Bradley (29-0, 12 KOs) told WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel that he was vacating the organization's 140-pound crown in order to retain the 147-pound version he won from Pacquiao via controversial split-decision victory on June 9.
In doing so, it appears that Bradley is set on pursuing a return bout with Pacquiao, whose 15-fight winning streak that included eight knockouts ended with the loss.

"I don't think that you can say that a rematch with Bradley is 'likely,'" said Arum. "But he could possibly get a rematch."
The Bradley-Pacquiao contract already had contained a clause calling for a rematch on Nov. 10, although Pacquiao was widely reported to be considering a fourth bout with Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KOs) for that date in Mexico.
Pacquiao escaped with a disputed majority decision victory over Marquez in November, this, after having previously battled through a draw and a split-decision win over Marquez.
During an exclusive interview with RingTV.com, Marquez cited Fernando Beltran, president of Zanfer Promotions as saying that Pacquiao was leaning toward facing him next. Beltran co-promotes Marquez with Top Rank out of Mexico.
Meanwhile Paquiao told The Associated Press in Manila, Philippines that he was "going to get that title" back from Bradley.

Already the WBA's junior welterweight titleholder, Marquez rebounded from the loss to Pacquiao with April's unanimous decision over Sergei Fedchenko for the WBO's interim junior welterweight belt. Bradley's move, however, makes Marquez the WBO's full junior welterweight titleholder and a four-division beltwinner.
And then there is Cotto (37-3, 30 KOs), whose advisor, Gaby Penagaricano, informed RingTV.com that Puerto Rican fighter would be open to rematches with Pacquiao or five-division, eight beltwinner Floyd Mayweather Jr., if not a shot at WBC middleweight beltholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr..
Cotto is coming off last month's unanimous decision loss to Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs), who added the WBA junior middleweight belt to the WBC welterweight crown he already owned.
Cotto had scored three straight stoppage victories since being dethroned as WBO welterweight beltholder by 12th-round knockout against Pacquiao in November of 2010. Cotto's run included December's 10th-round stoppage of Antonio Margarito to avenge the first loss of his career.

As for Mayweather, he began serving jail time on June 1 and is not expected to be released until Aug. 3.
Arum won't say who is next for Pacquiao.
Not exactly, at any rate.
"What what we discussed is the fact that it will be one of the three, yes," said Arum. "One of the three or Mayweather -- but that's a long shot."
Photo by Naoki Fukuda
Photos by Chris Farina
Photos by Tom Hogan, Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions

Famed boxing artist LeRoy Neiman remembered

By Richard T. Slone
I was extremely saddened to get the call that iconic artist LeRoy Neiman had died, aged 91, in New York City. I was first introduced to LeRoy when I was 16 years old through my then boxing trainer Smokin' Joe Frazier. LeRoy was intrigued that I was an amateur boxer and also an artist. Once he saw my art his eyes lit up and in the many years I'd see him since, he kept up with my career and he always had kind words with sincere encouragement. I know we shared the same passion for boxing and I think he liked that.
LeRoy Neiman loved boxing and boxing loved LeRoy Neiman. He had a great passion for the fight game. He admired boxers more than any other athlete or celebrity and I think his love of the sport is very evident by simply looking at his timeless boxing paintings.
He will be missed. He was one of a kind. He brought an extra level of class to any event he'd paint. He was an attraction of his own, but took pride in painting those he admired. He was certainly flamboyant – a great showman – but was also a humble and generous man who truly did things his way without hurting anyone along the way. A lover of boxing, a great artist, a class act and a true gentleman.
Rest in Peace my friend.