Boxing Insider Notebook: Canelo, Mayweather, Pacquiao, Haye, Shumenov, and more…
By: William Holmes
The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of May 17th to May 24th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.
Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez Issue Statement After Vacating WBC Title
Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez today issued the following statement:
“After much consideration, today, I instructed my team at Golden Boy Promotions to continue negotiating a fight with Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin and to finalize a deal as quickly as possible. I also informed the WBC that I will vacate its title. For the entirety of my career, I have taken the fights that no one wanted because I fear no man. Never has that been more true than today. I will fight ‘GGG,’ and I will beat ‘GGG’ but I will not be forced into the ring by artificial deadlines. I am hopeful that by putting aside this ticking clock, the two teams can now negotiate this fight, and ‘GGG’ and I can get in the ring as soon as possible and give the fans the fight they want to see.”
Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya today issued the following statement:
“There is no denying that Canelo is the biggest star in the sport of boxing. He is eager to get in the ring with ‘GGG’ to show the world that he is also the best pound for pound fighter in the sport, but we won’t negotiate under a forced deadline. Now that the WBC title is off the table, I am hopeful that ‘GGG’ and his promoter K2 Promotions will come to the table in good faith and get this deal done.”
Fox Sports Reports Mayweather vs. McGregor to Happen in September
Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd recently reported that the alleged fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor will happen in September of this year. Cowherd reported this on his podcast.
He stated, “My intel is, Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather is going to happen. It changed late last week. Got a call, then somebody sent me something yesterday and Saturday. We book rooms in Vegas. This happens in September.”
Pacquiao Has Until May 27th to Decide to Fight in Olympics
Manny Pacquiao has previously stated that he has some interest in competing in the Olympics. He was recently elected to the Philippine Senate, so it appears that he won’t be competing in the Olympics.
However, Ed Piscon, the executive director of the Association of Boxing of Alliances of the Philippines has given him until May 27th to make his decision.
He stated, “I asked him to make a decision before May 27 because that’s actually the deadline for the submission of entries for the qualifying event,” said Piscon, “because I don’t know if he can still get a Tripartite pass because that gets decided on not just by AIBA but also the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and ANOC (Association of National Olympic Committees).” He went on further to state, “I don’t know if they’ve already met, those 3 groups. So if he doesn’t get a Tripartite pass, then that means he would have to qualify in the qualification event on June 16.”
Shumenov Stops Wright in 10th Round of WBA Cruiserweight World Title Fight
World Boxing Association (WBA) “regular” cruiserweight world champion Beibut Shumenov (17-2, 10 KOs) stopped No. 11-rated Junior “Hurricane” Wright (15-2-1, 12 KOs) in the 10th round tonight at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.
Shumenov, a former WBA light heavyweight world champion, is first two-division world champion from a Soviet-bloc country. The native of Kazakhstan, fighting out of Las Vegas, also earned the right to challenge unified WBA Super/ International Boxing Federation (IBF) cruiserweight world champion Denis Lebedev (29-2, 22 KOs) within 120 days, as mandated by the WBA.
Hernandez Shocks Magomedov
Determined Phoenix middleweight Andrew “Hurricane” Hernandez shocked heavy favorite Arif “The Pedator” Magomedov in the main event on the “Knockout Night at the D” card, which aired live on CBS Sports Network from under the neon lights at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center (DLVEC) outdoor venue.
The “Knockout Night at the D” series, presented by the D Las Vegasand DLVEC, is promoted by Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions. The event was promoted in association with Main Events and Shamo Boxing Promotions.
Before a sold-out crowd, Hernandez (12-4-1, 4 KOs) pounded world-rated middleweight Magomedov (17-1, 10 KOs), winning a unanimous 10-round decision (100-89 twice, 98-91) for the vacant USNBC middleweight title. Hernandez hurt Magomedov in the third and seventh rounds, finally dropping the tough Russian (WBA #2, WB) #3, WBA #5 and IBF #14) in the 10th.
“This fight changes everything for me,” Hernandez proclaimed. “He’s very good and deserves all of the accolades he’s received but I now have my head on straight and I’m focused. My jab was very important tonight. He’s very strong but I wanted to fight him inside because I knew he couldn’t take it from me. I was very prepared. I think I may have broken my ankle in the fourth round but I kept going. I wanted to finish him, get the knockout, but he’s a very tough fighter. He has heart and showed why he has all of those accolades.”
Artur Beterbiev Returns June 4th
Unbeaten light heavyweight contender Artur Beterbiev (9-0, 9 KOs) will battle veteran Argentine Olympian Ezequiel Maderna (23-2, 15 KOs) in a 12-round showdown that headlines Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes Saturday, June 4 from Bell Center in Montreal.
Televised coverage begins at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT and features an exciting co-main event that sees a pair of undefeated rising contenders enter the ring as Florida’s Bryant Perrella (13-0, 12 KOs) squares-off against Washington, D.C.’s David Grayton (14-0, 10 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight bout. PBC on ESPN returns for the first of seven fight nights between June 4 and August 12 that will feature exciting and competitive battles.
“I have never been out of the ring for a whole year as an amateur or professional so I can’t wait to fight,” said Beterbiev. “We’ve watched some tapes of Maderna and he seems like a complete fighter. We will be ready on June 4.”
“I’m working very hard in preparation of this fight,” said Maderna. “My goal is to fight a perfect fight that will be very important to my professional future.”
“I’m excited for an opportunity to take on a young undefeated lion who’s looking to become a world champion like myself,” said Perrella. “We’re grinding away every day at training camp. We have some new things we’re working on because we know he’s going to come at me hard. I’m ready to either box or brawl. Either way, I’m coming out on top.”
“I’m ready to get in the ring and put on a great performance,” said Grayton. “Training is going well and I’ve had lots of good sparring and conditioning. We know we have a rangy southpaw who’s going to be tough. It’s about whoever wants it the most and I bet I’ll be hungrier. When I get the win, the sky is the limit.”
Mario Heredia Looking to Score Big Upset Over Fedosov
Mexico’s Mario Heredia was denied a chance to prove that he is a top heavyweight contender when an injury forced him to withdraw from the 2015 Boxcino Heavyweight tournament.
Heredia (11-1, 9 KOs, 1-2, 1 KO in WSB), of Merida, Mexico, will now get that opportunity when he takes on the Boxcino champion, Andrey Fedosov (28-3, 23 KO’s) live on SHO EXTREME® (7 p.m. ET/PT) from The Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y. The fight precedes a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® tripleheader headlined by a 12-round junior welterweight showdown between Ruslan Provodnikov and John Molina Jr.
Heredia has been training hard in Mexico, and is now looking at this fight as his time to shine against the well regarded Fedosov.
“This is one of the biggest chances of my life,” said Heredia. “This is the time to show the world what I am made of.
“I was born ready to do this. You will see the rise of a great Mexican Heavyweight on June 11.”
Said manager, Sergio Zaragoza, “Not only will Mario win impressively, but I predict a knockout and it will be a Mexican style finish.”
David Haye Takes a Jab at Meat Industry in New PETA UK Ad
Heavyweight boxing champion David Haye has proved that he’s as kind as he is strong by starring in a new PETA U.K. campaign promoting the knockout power of vegan meals. In the ad (available here), he appears with his fists up in a boxing stance next to the words “I’m David Haye, and I Eat Vegan.”
In an exclusive video interview with PETA U.K.—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—Haye speaks passionately about his performance in the ring since ditching meat: “I’ve put on good lean muscle, feel strong, healthy, no injuries.” He explains how he made the decision to eat vegan after watching the documentary Earthlings, which “kind of hit home about … the unnecessary amounts of killing of animals.”
And The Hayemaker discovered some unexpected bonuses the moment he cut meat, eggs, and dairy foods from his diet: “I felt healthier, I felt cleaner, lighter. … I woke up brighter in the mornings, fresher.” He recalls how before going vegan, he would want to “crash out and go to sleep” after a meal, but now when he eats, he feels “more awake and perked up.”
Going vegan is a great way to improve your health, as vegans are less prone to suffering from heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer, and obesity than meat-eaters are. And each person who goes vegan prevents more than 100 animals every year from being killed on factory farms, in slaughterhouses, and on the decks of fishing boats.
Haye joins a growing list of athletes—including British boxer Nathan Cleverly, welterweight champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley, professional wrestler Austin Aries, and mixed martial artist Jake Shields—who have teamed up with PETA or PETA U.K. to promote kindness to animals.